Tokyo DisneyLand Rides (part 1)

We finally made it! It is unbelievable. Tokyo Disney is so familiar, yet so different. To start, the park is about the size of California’s Disneyland, as opposed to enormous like the Magic Kingdom in Florida. They have the usual rides, but with twists – some expected and some unexpected.

I’d say the good and the bad, but there was no bad.

Since this post is becoming way too long, I divided it into two sections. This one will focus on the rides, the other one will talk about everything else.

A high priority was riding Space Mountain because (according to their website), Space Mountain was going down for a refurbishment on Monday.  We rode it twice. The track felt similar to Disneyland’s track, but the ride was much smoother and less jerky. (Picture is a view from the Space Mountain line.)

The Haunted Mansion was mostly in Japanese. It was almost jarring, yet familiar, to hear Madame Leota’s chants in English. The ballroom scene seemed more vivid.

The second surprise was that the Pooh ride has a fast pass. Yes, digest that a moment major Disney fans. And, the FP is totally merited. There are three cars, they run around on an invisible track. The best is when the cars bounce to Tigger’s song. We rode it THREE times in one day. During the peak of the day the line is more than an hour long. 

Pirates was completely in English. Reminded me of the version at Disneyland, but without the Blue Bayou.

Jungle Cruise goes clockwise instead of counter clockwise. To the best of my knowledge (not speaking any Japanese) it is filled with the same corny jokes. The animals were in the same place as in California (plus or minus) but the order was backwards because the boats go the opposite way. It was still fun to ride. 

Tokyo Disneyland has The Swiss Family Robinson tree house. Part of me still thinks I heard the Tarzan music as we "swung" through it.

Alice's Tea Cups are covered, as they are in Florida. We were able to catch up with our friend, Ayako, while she was working at it.

Speaking of friends, we caught up with Masumi at the Snow White ride (which is scarier than the one in California), but did not see Keiko as she is in the states visiting her sister.

Especially since it was raining, and the characters were not out, we rode a lot of rides. Big Thunder Mountain is a favorite in any park. Don and Ashley also rode Splash Mountain (we were already wet, so what difference did it make?). I used that time to go souvenir shopping, but (oddly) left Disneyland without any trinkets. I almost bought a picture frame, but realized the size was too small for a 4x6 image, so I passed. Still looking for the perfect souvenir, besides the giant scrapbook I plan to create when I get home.

More pictures from Tokyo Disneyland