Our last day at the Tokyo Disney Resort was mighty satisfactual. Day 9 of Disney Parks Around The World – A Private Jet Adventure offered several optional excursions into Tokyo, but we chose to stay at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Our evening concluded with a special dinner at Tokyo Disneyland’s Club 33, but we enjoyed the opportunity to go at our own pace for the morning and afternoon. But before venturing into the park, we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast buffet at Sherwood Garden Restaurant.
Taking advantage of the extra 45-minutes of theme park access that comes with staying at a Disney Resort, we entered Tokyo Disneyland at 8:15 am and went first to Space Mountain. Tokyo Disneyland is replacing the existing version of the attraction, which matches Disneyland’s first iteration of the indoor coaster, with a few modified visuals. The park’s Tomorrowland has also maintained the original design esthetic that debuted in 1971 at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, with some modified colors.
There are just 2 attractions that are featured in every Disneyland-style park around the world – Dumbo the Flying Elephant and a Fantasyland carousel, which is appropriately called Castle Carousel here. We then focused on the collection of Fantasyland dark rides – Snow White's Adventures, Peter Pan's Flight, and Pinocchio's Daring Journey. Like Disneyland’s version, it’s a small world incorporates Disney characters throughout the attraction, although there are some alternates, like Hercules in Greece, Merida in Scottland, Rapunzel in Germany, Baloo in India, and Moana in Oceania.
Our Adventures by Disney lanyard got us unprecedented skip-the-line access to every attraction, even those without Premiere Access (and most of the attractions with Premiere Access aren’t using those lanes anyway). We utilized this feature to experience Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Haunted Mansion, Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, The Happy Ride with Baymax, Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!, Country Bear Jamboree, The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents "Aloha E Komo Mai!", and Splash Mountain. This was my first time on the last remaining Splash Mountain, which features some vignettes unique to this version of the attraction.
I delighted in this fun East-meets-West moment in the lobby of the Country Bear Theater, which is full of photos and accolades from the bears’ successful tours around the world. Among them was this image from Japan of Big Al and Oscar in a dohyō about to sumo wrestle, with Henry acting as the gyōji.
As fans of DuckTales, we chose to stop for lunch at Camp Woodchuck Kitchen. We enjoyed a Mickey-shaped onigiri variation on a hamburger with a side of french fries.
Although our lanyard allowed us to skip lines for attractions, the same is not true of stage shows. Early this morning, we loaded our tickets into the Tokyo Disney Resort app and entered the lottery, winning seats for a showing of Mickey’s Magical Musical World in the new Fantasy Forest Theatre. The theater is not only very well-themed but also state-of-the-art. The show uses sliding LED panels, a turntable, and physical set pieces to tell a story in which Mickey and his pals activate a magical music machine that brings forward characters to sing classic songs, including “Be Our Guest,” “I Wanna Be Like You,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “Try Everything.”
One of my favorite details of the theater is a collection of posters in the courtyard that showcase some past performances of classic plays starring a few familiar faces.
Today’s temperature nearly reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so we needed to change before dinner as the dress code required pants and collared shirts. But before returning to the hotel, we stopped by Ikspiari, the Tokyo Disney Resort equivalent of Downtown Disney or Disney Springs. Since Tokyo Disney Resort is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, they handle their own merchandise through a licensing agreement with Disney. But Disney also makes many great products exclusively for Japanese Disney Stores, which still offer a physical retail experience here. So a stop at the Ikspiari Disney Store was a must-see (and we picked up a few fun souvenirs as well).
Tokyo Disneyland’s Club 33 is accessed via a secret door in World Bazaar (the park’s version of Main Street U.S.A.). Inspired by the VIP club of the same name at Disneyland, the decor transports Guests back to the opulence of the Victorian era, with artwork that connects to Disney history, like a tapestry of Neuschwanstein Castle and models of a train, a steam ship, and a carousel.
Two special guests greeted us in the Club 33 atrium, Tokyo Disney Resort Ambassador Mika Ogasawara and SVP/Managing Director of Walt Disney Attraction Japan George Gross.
Each table setting included a gift in the form of a copper tumbler with the club’s logo and a matchbook full of Club 33 stickers. In lieu of a menu, we were all served the same five-course meal accompanied by champagne and wine.
Toward the end of dinner, our Adventure Guides presented us with the pin of the day, themed to Pixar’s 2008 Mater’s Tall Tales short “Tokyo Mater.” It features the beloved Cars pickup truck in his street racing blue paint makeover.
And as a kiss goodnight, Mickey and Minnie Mouse stopped by Club 33 in their traditional Japanese kimonos, a look typically reserved exclusively for select holidays at the park. Each party was called up for photos with the adorable couple.
That’s a wrap on our Tokyo Disney Resort stay. It’s another early morning tomorrow as we get back on the private jet and fly to Shanghai. As a note for eager readers, the next trip report will be delayed due to internet restrictions in mainland China. I expect to resume trip reports once we get to Hong Kong. Until then, sayonara!
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Disney fans will soon be able to travel the globe from the comfort of their homes with Disney Around the World from Ravensburger. We brought along an early review copy of the game and look forward to playing it during downtime on this adventure.
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More Disney Parks Around The World – A Private Jet Adventure Trip Reports
- Pre-Trip Report – Travel Kit
- Day 1 – Disneyland Welcome
- Day 2 – The Walt Disney Studios
- Day 3 – Disneyland VIP Tours
- Day 4 – The Walt Disney Family Museum, Lucasfilm, and Summit Skywalker Ranch
- Day 5 – Summit Skywalker Ranch
- Day 6 & 7 – Flight to Tokyo
- Day 8 – Tokyo DisneySea with Imagineers
- Day 9 – Tokyo Disneyland and Club 33
- Day 10 & 11 – Shanghai Disneyland
- Day 12 & 13 – Hong Kong Disneyland
- Day 14 & 15 – Taj Mahal
- Day 16 – The Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza
- Day 17 & 18 – Disneyland Paris
- Day 19 – Paris City Tour
- Day 20 – Walt Disney World Welcome
- Day 21 – Magic Kingdom
- Day 22 – Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Day 23 & 24 – EPCOT and Departure