Tokyo DisneySea Review
Table of Contents
If you’re a Disney fan and contemplating whether to visit Tokyo DisneySea because you think it’s similar to Tokyo Disneyland or any other Disney park you’ve been to, you’re wrong. Tokyo DisneySea is like no other theme park I’ve ever been to. That’s saying a lot because our family has been to MANY theme parks in the U.S. Tokyo, Japan is truly an amazing country. I could list the many reasons why it is an amazing country in this article, but my focus is to convince you that you definitely should visit Tokyo DisneySea. I dare you to come back and tell me how much you loved it & what was your favorite ride!
“I do not like to repeat successes, I like to go on to other things.”
Walt Disney
Tokyo DisneySea was inspired by the creation & innovation of ultimately Walt Disney. His quote about ‘going on to other things’ lives on with the embodiment of Tokyo DisneySea. You can feel the vibe as soon as you enter the park with touches of magic sprinkled here & there. This park is unique because it’s grandeur is based on an ocean theme, hence the word Sea. If you had to equate the size of this park to another park, I would say it’s about the size of EPCOT in Florida. As you are walking you are greeted with old-world charm architecture & light posts.
Remember how I said ‘touches of magic sprinkled here & there?’ This is one of them. We visited in October, so of course, Halloween decorations featuring Mickey ears as pumpkins were the perfect touch for a photo op!
Fantasy Springs
Fantasy Springs is the newest and entirely separate area of the park. At the time that we went it was only 4 months old and there were strict rules on how to enter this area of the park. Your ticket admission into Tokyo DisneySea included it, but as you can read the sign, limited entry was accessed by having only one of the requirements. We had the “Disney Premier Access for an eligible attraction” for Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure and that’s how we got in.
“Disney Premier Access” means you must purchase access to get on the ride of your choice. Each ride is about $13 per person (≈2,000 yen). Once you’re in Fantasy Springs you have no time limit to be there and you are free to roam around, shop, eat, etc. But, be very aware that once you leave Fantasy Springs, you will not be allowed reentry unless you have another of the requirements.
Pease refer to their main website.
Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure
Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is similar to the one in the U.S., but they put their own touches that I don’t want to spoil it here. Also, every ride will have only the Japanese audio, but honestly that didn’t deter my joy at all from the experience.
Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies
The only other ride we did at Fantasy Springs was Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies. The remaining two rides in Fantasy Springs, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey & Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, we didn’t do because of the additional money per person to ride it and we were more excited to experience other rides throughout the rest of the park. Another tip is be mindful that (at the time we went) we were not allowed to just wait in line (even if they have a standby entrance) for any ride. You HAD to have a paid ticket to ride each ride inside Fantasy Springs.
UPDATE AS OF APRIL 1, 2025: You are now allowed to wait in line or have a paid ticket.
Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies was super cute! It’s more of a small children’s ride in which everything is magnified! The point is to make you feel as small as Tinker Bell.
Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel
Inside Fantasy Springs you will also find the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel. If you stay in this hotel (we did not) you will get an exclusive entrance/exit into DisneySea. You will also get the benefit of something called “Happy Entry” in which you will get to enter Tokyo DisneySea or Tokyo Disneyland 15 minutes prior to official opening time. You must be staying at the hotel to even enter the premises. Non-hotel guests are not allowed to “look around” the property. If you make a restaurant reservation inside the hotel, there is a separate entrance solely for that. It does look to be a gorgeous hotel (from what we saw on the outside)!
Food at Tokyo DisneySea
The food at Tokyo DisneySea is AMAZING!!! They have some classics, but with a twist. Everything we ate was so good. If you’re into popcorn, I am not so much, you will find many unique flavors of popcorn at both Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland. Popcorn flavors such as soy sauce & butter, milk chocolate, curry, black pepper, white chocolate, garlic-shrimp, Chinese chili, and roast beef. If you try any of these flavors, I definitely want to know your opinion!
Mysterious Island
One of the coolest views of Tokyo DisneySea is Mysterious Island. From here on we will now be outside of Fantasy Springs enjoying the rest of the park. Mysterious Island is where two of the main attractions are located: Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Both are classic books by Jules Verne and both rides are spectacular! If you’re into rollercoasters then you will love Journey to the Center of the Earth. If you’re not so much of a rollercoaster buff and not claustrophobic then you will enjoy 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It’s really not that bad though.
The Arabian Coast
The Arabian Coast area of the park is also beautiful. It’s themed after Aladdin. Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage is similar to It’s a Small World in which it’s a slow indoor boat ride. Small children can easily ride this.
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull I have to say was my FAVORITE RIDE of the entire park!!! Wow! I believe Walt Disney World is bringing this ride to Florida and I am so excited! It is a ride that thrill seekers will fall in love with and will want to ride it multiple times. If I had to compare it to another ride it would be Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios. WOW!
Mermaid Lagoon
Mermaid Lagoon is really geared towards small children, but The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie and Ariel is my favorite Disney princess, so that’s why I rate this one highly. Not just that, but all the rides are indoors mimicking the Under the Sea vibe AND it’s a must-see at night because it’s stunning!
The Tower of Terror
The Tower of Terror is a ride we didn’t get on, but it’s the same ride as in Florida, but with a different theme. It’s not themed after The Twilight Zone. Instead, it’s themed around a fictional hotel named Hotel Hightower and owner/explorer Harrison Hightower III. Honestly, I’m the only one that likes the drop of the tower and I didn’t want to ride it by myself and that’s why we skipped it. It does look extra fabulous at night!
Toyville Trolley Park
Since we’re on the subject of nighttime, let’s look at some other great nighttime events at Tokyo DisneySea. Toyville Trolley Park features one ride: Toy Story Mania! It looks even better at night. We didn’t ride this one because we’ve already ridden it several times in Florida.
Tokyo DisneySea overall looks so equally as pretty at night.
Nighttime Show & Fireworks
Make sure you stay for the nighttime water parade called “Believe! Sea of Dreams! & the fireworks called “Sky Full of Colors!” Because of copyright issues I am not able to post a video of the parade because of the licensed music.
If you’re searching for another hotel with Happy Entry perks, check out Hotel MiraCosta.
At the Beginning
I left this for last because I wasn’t thrilled about this part. Not talking bad, just hoping for an improvement based on our experience. If you want to get in when the park actually opens, you will need to arrive at least 3 hours BEFORE the official park opening time listed on the website. I say that because we arrived 1.5 hours before the official park opening time and we still got in 2 hours AFTER the official park opening time!!! I feel like we lost a lot of time that we paid for.
There were many lines and a lot of people! That I understand. However, I was wondering why it was taking so long to get to the front and I come to find out that they had about 5 detection machines in which all these lines were funneling into ONE PERSON AT A TIME! I really hope they come up with a faster & better system for the sake of all the future park-goers.
With all that being said, don’t let this stop you, especially now that you know to get there way earlier than we did. This park is super unique, a lot of fun, and can’t wait to hear all about your experience!
While in Tokyo we stayed at Hilton Tokyo Bay. It is beside Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea making this a very fast & easy transportation to both theme parks! We highly recommend it! For another fun perspective on Tokyo DisneySea, check out The Bucket List Family’s adventure video starting around the 6:25 time.
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
◄PIN ME!
▼▼▼ Articles you may enjoy if you enjoyed this one! ▼▼▼
