Tokyo Disneyland: The Most Magical Place On Earth

Liv Thomson

---

Getting the chance to experience the city of Tokyo is incredible in itself. But getting the chance to visit Tokyo Disneyland? An absolute dream come true!

Before my recent trip to Japan, I packed my itinerary full of food and fun. The matter of going to the Disney resorts was a given — it was simply a question of when. We had planned to visit Tokyo DisneySea first. But, undoubtedly, Tokyo Disneyland is a far better and more magical experience than DisneySea.

A Whole New World

Walt Disney once said: “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever”. Never is that quote more true than here. The initial walk into a Disney park is unlike anything else, no matter your age. It’s pure and utter magic.

While DisneySea didn’t quite offer this experience — due to the more mediterranean feel — Disneyland 100 per cent did.

The moment the band plays, as you walk through Main Street? When you finally see Cinderella’s Castle for the first time? I’m unashamed to admit I welled up. The child in me was instantly fulfilled. I couldn’t help thinking: this is truly the best way to start a Monday!

So, without further ado, this is my recommended plan for how to get the most out of Tokyo Disneyland.

To Infinity and Beyond

I rode Space Mountain early, so the wait time was only 40 minutes. I loved this ride. It’s set almost entirely in the dark (save for space-like lighting), so you’re never sure what is coming next. It’s the perfect blend of fast and twisty.

Make sure you get to the Enchanted Beauty And The Beast ride. Undoubtedly, this is the most popular ride in the park. It isn’t surprising, as the ride is incredible and my undisputed favourite. The attention to detail, music, and classic re-telling of the story, while you spin through the world on Chip the teacup, is the stuff dreams are made of. Yes, I nearly cried! Knowing how popular the ride was, I bought a FastPass at around 8:45am to ensure I got on the ride. I was given the 9:45-10:45 slot, which I got through in 20 minutes. The general wait time was already 2 hours!

You can double-back to Tomorrowland for the Monsters Inc ride. I grabbed chocolate alien dumplings to enjoy during the wait. Thankfully, there was an interactive flashlight game to play in the line. This made the 40 minute wait much more fun!

Adventure Is Out There

Crossing the park takes you to Westernland, where you can find the classic runaway train ride: Big Thunder Mountain. I queued for an hour. Make sure to grab a drink on warm days, as the line is quite exposed. Nearby log flume, Splash Mountain is also a welcome relief in the 33 degree heat!

I grabbed lunch at Grandma Sara’s kitchen, which is right next to Splash Mountain. If you can’t get a chair or fancy something else, there are vendors and cafes around this area, too. After eating, I headed to the relaxing Jungle River Cruise.

“I jumped at the chance to ride again!”

Over in Fantasyland, ride Snow White’s Adventures and then its next-door neighbour, Peter Pan’s Flight. Each ride is on the shorter side and involves travel by cart through associated film scenes. The ride times here are shorter at 15 and 20 minutes respectively.

A parade-type ride, Baymax’s Cool Down Mission, also sprays cold air onto the guests, keeping them cool in hot weather!

It All Started With a Mouse

After a drink at the Troubadour Tavern, I headed back to Tomorrowland. I checked the app and discovered Space Mountain only had a 25-minute wait time, so I jumped at the chance to ride again!

I also recommend Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a boat ride through franchise scenes, á là It’s A Small World, and usually has a relatively short wait.

“The world as we know it can be difficult, and painful, but there is always Disney.”

If you have time, you should head to Great American Waffle and you’ll find the famous Mickey waffle! It gets very busy here, so queue early to avoid disappointment! Keeping with the Mickey theme, head up to Toontown to meet Mickey Mouse in his house.

Back in Main Street, visit Cinderella’s Castle and ride Pinocchio’s Daring Journey! Cinderella’s Castle had been quiet all day but started to busy up, so be mindful of this. It’s a beautiful walkthrough of the castle, with classic props including the glass slipper.

How Lucky Am I?

It gets dark quickly in Japan, so 6pm is not too early to ride the Mark Twain riverboat. The journey offers stunning views of the whole park and glowing castle, so you don’t want to miss it! The Electrical Dreamlight Parade, taking place at 7:45pm, is the pinnacle of park life. You can see all your favourite characters singing and waving from flashing floats!

Already, I had promised myself that (if time allowed) I would ride my favourites again. So, I snapped the last of my parade pictures and made my way back to Space Mountain. Incredibly, the wait time was still short: only 15 minutes! It’s worth checking if you don’t mind missing the tail-end of the parade.

With the park closing at 9pm, I decided to take a risk. With a minute to spare, I arrived at Beauty And The Beast and was among the last group of people allowed entry.

Since I chose to ride Beauty And The Beast, shops closed before I could buy souvenirs. However, there is a shop outside of the park on the walk back to Maihama train station. It’s called Bon Voyage and it’s open until 10pm! My hero!

The Tokyo Disneyland Experience

Looking back on my day at Tokyo Disneyland, I still feel a great fondness.

It is the ultimate escape. The world as we know it can be difficult, and painful, but there is always Disney. With Disney, there is magic, dreams, and hope. I certainly left Tokyo Disneyland hopeful and fulfilled.

Perhaps, following this itinerary, you will feel the same.

READ MORE:

• LESSONS IN LIVING: WHAT SOLO EURO SUMMER TAUGHT ME

• THE ETHICS OF TOURISM IN HAWAII

• HOLIDAY IN HARMONY: A GUIDE TO TRAVEL COMPATIBILITY

---

Featured image courtesy of Rob Young on Flickr. No changes made to this image. Image licence can be found here.