A full day in Tokyo DisneySEA
After a good night sleep we woke up really early at 6:00 o’clock. Probably because the sun already shone through the curtains. But that was no problem, I finished the 2nd blog of the vacation while Danielle took a shower and in the end we were both ready to go at the same time. At 7:45 we left the hotel towards Shinagawa Station where we started with a breakfast to go at the Starbucks.
While eating we wandered towards the central gate and here we started to see some crowds. We went through the gates and took the metro towards Tokyo Station and in this Metro it was really busy, we thought more people inside would be impossible. After we had arrived at Tokyo Station we walked the 700 meters towards the 2nd metro and at 8:20 we arrived at Maihama at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort.


Today we planned to visit Tokyo DisneySEA, which is the most beautiful theme-park I’ve ever seen. To get here you need to take the Resort monorail for which you need to pay, we went for a multi-day ticket so we can take the monorail as often as we like. The Monorail is in complete Disney style which makes it more a fun ride as a public transportation solution.


At 8:35 we went through the gates at Tokyo DisneySEA and the first idea was to get a Fastpass for Toy Story Mania, looking at the crowds we weren’t the only one with this idea. But when we entered the area we saw a huge crowded and these people were waiting for the Fastpass line…we were both speechless a whole street was full with people waiting!
We walked towards Hightower Hotel, the Japanese version of the Hollywood Tower of Terror when Danielle spotted Shellie May as a photo opportunity. So I went to get us 2 Fastpasses for the Tower while Danielle queued up for a 70 minutes wait! Yes that’s long for a picture but this is the only place in the whole world where you can get the picture. While Danielle kept waiting I went to take some pictures around the park and was back in time for our photo-session with Shellie May.




After the shoot we went to McDuck’s Department Store, the place to get your Duffy and Shellie May merchandise. But this was a deception most of the items are sold out so we left with way less as we had expected. After this short shopping trip we got ourselves a locker near the exit of the park before we found some more characters for pictures.


At somewhat after 11:00 we decided to get a really early lunch at Vulcania at Mystery Island, which is a Chinese-styled buffet restaurant. We went for the Vulcano menu which was a combination of multiple dishes we went for Dim Sum, Fried Rice, Fried Chicken, Cheesecake and a Chinese Salad. Everything was delicious and compared to other options during a theme-park trip one of the healthiest places to go.


Afterward we went for a walk with the target to get on Indiana Jones Adventure! And we succeed although the waiting time was about 3 hours because the single rider line was open. In less than 30 minutes we were outside again and we got ourselves Fastpasses for the Raging Spirits, a rollercoaster with a looping.
We then were close by the Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage and with a 10 minutes wait this was a no-brainer. We couldn’t understand a word but it was a fun ride because of the music. When we exited the ride we went to the Little Mermaid Show where got translators which didn’t work. But this was not a big problem since the show is fun to watch and most songs are in English.


At 13:35 it was time for our Tower of Terror Fastpass. This Tower is really beautiful but the ride itself is not so exciting as the other 3. When we exited the tower we almost stepped on 2 tiny mouse’s from the RescueRangers. And with tiny we really mean tiny, the funny things is that Bernhard and Bianca both really wanted to get a picture with us, probably because we where huge compared to them.


30 minutes before the Legend of Mythica, a beautiful water-parade started we found a nice spot to lean against a wall and get some pictures.




From there we walked to the StromRider to get Fastpasses which were valid from 18:55-19:55 just before we went in the Raging Spirits with the Fastpasses we took earlier today. From The Lost River Delta (back of the park) we took the DisneySEA Transit Steamer Line towards the Mediterranean Harbor area of the park (entrance), very convenient.

At this time we got a bit tired and decided to sit down in the Ted Roosevelt Lounge inside the S.S. Columbia. Here we both got a cocktail and a delicious cheesecake with cassis ice cream. When we left the ship we walked directly in to a show called Table is Waiting and this show was a real joy to watch.






At the end of the show it was time for our last ride of the day, the StromRider, this is a huge simulator ride in which you see how a huge storm gets stopped with a special weapon. After the ride it was already 19:15 and Danielle smelled strawberries and they came from a popcorn cart! In Tokyo Disneyland Resort they have many different popcorn stands with a lot of different tastes, this time Danielle couldn’t hesitate and needed to try.

Since it was getting close to 20:00 o’clock we needed to find a good spot for Fantasmic! and I guess we found a good spot! Due to our length advantage we didn’t need to stand front-row. And this show blew us away, it was much better as we expected and it’s difficult to say which of the Fantasmic! shows is better the one in Orlando or the one Tokyo!
After the show all the crowd left so we were confused, within 10 minutes the fireworks should start. At 20:35 we understood why everyone left, after seeing such a great show the firework isn’t important anymore to most people. But at least I found a spot where I could use my GorillaPod and try the new neutral density filter.


After some more pictures of Mount Prometheus we went for another walk through the park where we took some more night pictures.



At 21:15 we left the park and we took the Resort Monorail towards Maihama Station, here it became busy. And we thought it wouldn’t get any busier in the next metro this night. But…the train from Tokyo towards Shinagawa, on the Tokaido Line was extremely busy we didn’t had enough place to stand and we felt like we just fitted in. The next station 10 new people came in through our door and it also fitted! But we were lucky the next station we could get out of the train, and again many more new travellers entered the train. In some wagons the people were pressed in while the doors closed, with their faces pressed against the windows. We had only seen this online so far but it happens for real!
Hallo Ihr zwei, echt super Bilder, tolle Eindrücke. Sander, was ist das für ein Filter den Du bei den Nachtaufnahmen nutzt (GorillaPod and try the new neutral density filter.)?
Grüße aus Deutschland und noch einen schönen Urlaub IRMIVA
Bist Du schon wieder in DE Michael? Es ist ein Variabeles Neutral Density (ND) Filter, das Filter kann die licht Aufnahme reduzieren und ermöglicht damit Langezeit Belichtung. Die Bilder auf der Seite sind mit 30 Sekunden gemacht, damit bekommt man in Tag und Nacht schöne Effekten. Ich brauche aber noch ein bisschen Übung.
… ogott ich brauch son filter! was für SUPER nachtaufnahmen!! <3 <3 <3
Gaaaf !! Jammer van de drukte, maarja dat is Tokyo nou eenmaal. Toch een hoop gedaan en super leuke foto’s met de reddertjes ( jaloers! ), Jiminy en Shellie-May!
Alweer een heerlijkheid om te lezen ! Opgevouwen in de metro , dat kennen we .
Knappe avondfoto’s , welke instellingen gebruik je tegenwoordig Sander ?
Voor die foto’s had ik volgende instellingen:
Tower: ISO op 100, Diafragma (f) op 9, 30 seconde sluitertijd en dan het genoemde Filter vrij donker ingesteld.
S.S. Columbia: ISO op 100, Diafragma (f) op 9, 6 seconde sluitertijd en dan het genoemde Filter op ND2 of 4.
Vuurwerk: ISO op 100, Diafragma (f) op 8/10, 2/7 seconde sluitertijd en dan het genoemde Filter op ND2.
Mt. Prometheus: ISO op 100, Diafragma (f) op 6.3, 30 seconde sluitertijd en dan het genoemde Filter vrij donker ingesteld.
I love your pictures. 🙂 And I think the firework must have been very colorful and amazing.
Geweldige foto’s weer en wat leuk dat jullie ons weer mee op reis nemen.
Wat een drukte in de metro… Je wordt er haast claustrofobisch van.
Wauw… wat een mooie foto’s, en wat ziet het er goed uit. Ik had al van iemand anders begrepen dat het eigenlijk altijd druk is in Disney Tokyo en ik geloof dat jullie dat tot nu toe alleen maar kunnen bevestigen. Maar… het is wel echt genieten als ik de plaatjes zo zie.. wat een verschil met de andere parken, en ook de kostuums van de characters zijn toch echt mooi en anders. Wat mogen jullie je gelukkig prijzen dat je hier van mag genieten (en wij dat we mogen meegenieten ;-)).
Ja het is er druk inderdaad maar we zijn er ook op het verkeerde moment namelijk de Japanse Springbreak. Maar ik denk wel dat het hier altijd drukker is als ergens anders alleen al omdat je vanuit Tokyo in max. een uurtje bij het park bent, vanuit waar wij zitten 35 minuten, en daar wonen alleen al meer als 13 miljoen mensen.