Summer Vibes at Tokyo DisneySea, Japan

Tokyo Disney Resort opened in 1983 with one park, Tokyo Disneyland. It shares its general layout, and most of its rides, with the classic Disneyland and Magic Kingdom parks. A second park, Tokyo DisneySea (東京ディズニーシー, Tōkyō Dizunīshī), opened in 2001. Unlike its older sibling, almost all of the rides are exclusive to this park. The areas of the park are themed around exploration. I’m a longtime veteran of Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line, so I’ve grown to appreciate their "Imagineering", their word for park design. So, for my vacation in 2014, Tokyo Disney Resort was the most anticipated excursion I had planned. If arriving by train, you’ll get off at Maihama Station and transfer on foot to the Resort Gateway Station. Directly behind that is the shopping complex Ikspiari (イクスピアリ). Depending on whom you ask, the name comes from the word "experience", or the song title "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins. The Disney film Frozen, titled in Japanese as Ana to Yuki no Jo-oh (アナと雪の女王, lit. 'Anna and the Snow Queen'), had just come out in Japan when I visited. As a matter of fact, I saw the whole thing for the first time (in English) on the flight out. If you want to read my thoughts on that movie In the far back of the park is Lost River Delta, an Amazon jungle-themed area, home to Indiana Jones Adventure and Raging Spirits (pictured). The Indiana Jones ride hosted the longest wait times I witnessed in my trip, topping four hours at most! I wish I had known that it was one of two rides at DisneySea, the other being Raging Spirits, which offer single-rider lines for folks who are travelling alone or do not need to stick with their party. If you hang around, you might catch a water show in the central lagoon. Apart from the daytime one shown here, when night falls they do a version of Fantasmic!, as made famous at Hollywood Studios (once again). In conclusion, I would still recommend Tokyo DisneySea. I would, however, advise you to do your research in picking the best time to go in order to beat the crowds and get your money's worth. After all, both DisneySea and Disneyland are some of the more expensive attractions in all of Japan, with a one-day adult ticket costing about US$75 (see below). Mind you, that's still cheaper than the Disney parks in California or Florida, which charge upwards of $100! #disneysea #tokyo #themeparks #summervibe #couplestrip #awesomepic #themepark #disney