DISNEYSEA
Alarm was set at 5.15am. There was no time for an elaborate breakfast except for the cup noodles bought the day before. The hotel shuttle bus would leave the hotel at 6.40am and the Japanese are very punctual when it comes to time. My bf had booked us two slots for this complimentary shuttle service before we left for Japan. Disneysea opens at 8am that day and I wanted to maximize my time at the theme park. There was only another couple who were travelling with us and we probably reached at 7.15am that day. Plenty of time before the official opening hour!
The Japanese are super enthusiastic about the theme park as well and queues have already started to form. We waited patiently and it was cold in the morning! We stood there opening heatpacks and discussing whether we should have worn our downjacket, but then that would have made us bulky for the rides. Remember to have the hardcopy of your ticket because you need to scan it at the entry and also utilize it for fast passes. Fold your A4 paper into 1/4 so that it can slot into the fast pass machine for scanning.
The gates opened on the dot at 8am and people from all directions streamed in quickly. There was another gate which I supposed is the entrance from the Disney resort. The visitors of the park were all almost running and the excitement was building up as I followed suit.
Our first ride was the Tower of Terror, but I definitely did not want to start with this thrilling ride. It was more practical to clear those popular rides first before they get too crowded. It was a short 10 minutes wait so we just queued directly, with me calming myself down as it gets closer to our turn. We took a lift up and then enter a room with seats. Buckled up safely and I braced myself for the seemingly scary ride! We moved up level by level and the doors opened to show some animation. At the highest level, we can see the view outside and then down we go. Thankfully, it did not fall all the way down. It stopped and continued falling, and probably moved up again and dropped down again. I hate that falling feeling. This ride, by my standard, is still manageable. I did not cry after that lol.
Everyone was taking a snapshot of their photo from the digital screen and their staff did not seem to care about restricting us. So here is my shot, the only scaredy cat leaning towards her bf and closing her eyes 😅. When we came out, the wait time for tower of terror became 45 minutes.
"See how important it is to plan your rides?"
- My bf would say this.
Toy Story Mania was beside and the wait time was 40 minutes. If we were to take a fast pass, the time to come back was 2pm and it was only 8.50am at that point. We figured that it would be better off just queuing for the ride rather than coming back again. It is something like Buzzlight year in which you sit in a car and shoot at targets. But I felt that this ride is more sensitive and easier to score, with a variety in the shooting style (hoops, dart boards and different score points). It is no wonder that it is one of the most popular rides! Experienced Disneysea goers rushes to it first thing.
This is my favourite ride of the day!
At this area, there was a stall which sells good and tasty mochi (¥360) featuring the Aliens character. I thought they were all the same but was surprised when each mochi is of a different flavour (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla cream). I love this so much because the mochi is so chewy. We got hot dog buns (¥390) as well to fill our stomachs before more rides. The bun is crispy and warm, a comfort in the cold morning. Actually, our body have sort of warmed up after all the rushing.
We took a fast pass for journey to the center of the earth and went for 20000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at 5 minutes wait time. We got into a small "submarine" and traveled under water. At first, I was wondering whether we were really below the water but it is more logical to have the water effects on the glass pane instead. We explored a shipwreck and encountered an electrical creature. A little scary?
For Journey to the Center of the Earth, we were similarly in a mini bus to enjoy a visual ride. We got to see mystical creatures like in a fantasy world, and then we got to the scary part and encountered a big monster. In an attempt to escape, our bus transformed into a roller coaster and sped off. I was totally not expecting a roller coaster ride but it was fun!
A short break here as we shared a fold in pizza (¥500) which turns out to be so good! We should have got one of those piping hot cheesy goodness each instead of sharing. This is pricey but worth it.
Aquatopia was next with no wait time. It was a relaxing outdoor water ride with twist and turns. Each couple seat seems to go a different route so we had no idea where we were heading to.
Another eating break here when we spotted the smoked chicken leg (¥500). The aroma will draw you close. The drumstick is so well marinated which makes the meat juicy and tasty.
Took a flying lesson at Jasmine's Flying Carpets, which is a turning ride in which you can adjust the height of your individual car. Does Aladdin's magic carpet now belong to Jasmine? Haha. I only first watched Aladdin last year and love it so much.
We went into The Magic Lamp Theater and the performance was entirely in Japanese so we could not understand anything. I only remembered seeing the genie on stage and both of us dozed off in the dark! At the end, there were three "kicks" on our backside to wake us up lol!
The next exciting ride at Raging Spirits woke us up a little. The loop of the roller coaster worried me for a bit but thankfully, it is small and the roller coaster moves fast enough that you do not feel yourself hanging upside down. I like it. For the sweet tooth, you can try their fried burrito (caramel and banana) at ¥400.
One of the best attractions in Disneysea is the Mermaid's Lagoon which is like an underwater kingdom. Before we went inside, we visited Ariel's seagull friend and tried Scuttle's Scooters since there was no queue. It turned out to be more fun than we thought. Yes it is still a kiddy ride but you can really feel the ride go up and down. In comparison to the Slinky - HK Disneyland, this is a more enjoyable ride for the kid in me. But the adult in me feels that the seat is too squeezy for two haha.
In mermaid's lagoon, the rides are mostly for children but the place is beautiful. We tried the Jumping Jellyfish and you get to see the nice view of the whole place from above. We explored Ariel's Playground as well. He had a Tiramisu ice cream sandwich (¥310) and I went for a Minnie ice bar (¥310). Peach and raspberry is refreshing and the size of the bar is quite big.
Taking the Transit Streamer Line, we enjoyed the relaxing water ride and arrived at America Waterfront. From there, we hopped onto a Big City Vehicle and toured around New York area. I think we sat in a police wagon that day! We took the Electric Railway and went for Sinbad Storybook Voyage. This is similar to a small small world ride in which we sit in a boat and move along with the story. The theme music is nice! It was quite a long ride and with the lighting, we dozed off again :x.
Our last ride was the Caravan Carousell in which I did not get to ride on the genie. After passing by the black pepper popcorn pushcart several times, we decided to purchase a regular size one (¥310). Its light and peppery taste turns out to be extremely addictive. I wanted to purchase a popcorn bucket but I did not see any designs I like. We were quite lethargic that day and my bf was unwell at the end. Our shuttle bus was booked for 7pm but we queued for the 5.30pm one to get back earlier. The park closed at 7pm that day so we really almost utilized the whole day to get the full experience.
My advice; Go early!
Dinner; Yoshinoya
Yoshinoya Japan is very different from Singapore's. I just found out that Singapore's Yoshinoya has transformed drastically, not sure if it is just J8's outlet or all outlets. Anyway, similar concept to 松屋, Japan's outlet operates by meal tickets. I ordered a Korean plus Japanese combination again! A hot bowl of food is so comforting. I added on my favourite kind of soup (miso, but with pork and many veg. I have no idea what it should be called) and ordered a large size portion. After all, we spent our whole day at Disneysea, only munching snacks along the way.
Anticipation for another day of Disney adventure! 💓
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