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Ranking Tokyo DisneySea’s Ports of Call

Tokyo DisneySea is home to some of the most elaborate and beautiful theme park scenes ever created. This mecca has great attractions, shows, food and sights, making it the best theme park in the world. Naturally, we can’t just appreciate it all for what it is but instead need to rank its lands from worst to best. That’s what the internet is for!

TDS inside boat volcano

It probably goes without saying that these rankings are subjective and there’s really no incorrect order of ranking. DisneySea has at least four different lands (known as ports of call in that park) that could be considered for the top spot in these rankings. There’s also not a port of call that deserves to be in last place. It’s not a Disneyland situation where there’s a number of lands that could be first but only one that fits in that last spot, I’m looking at you Toontown. Instead, I think there’s two tiers here, one being good and one being even better.

There should also be large asterisk on these rankings. Large enough to hold the biggest expansion a Disney theme park has ever seen. Fantasy Springs, which will likely be opening in 2023, is a 2.3 billion dollar new port of call that will feature multiple attractions and restaurants. Knowing this is on the horizon and ranking all of the other lands feels a little bit like cheating. But we’ll persevere and maybe add that to the rankings in the future!

TDS American Waterfront water with reflection

While personal preference will definitely play a role, I’ll try to rank these based on attractions, food, theme and aesthetic within the land. DisneySea currently has 7 ports of call and they all range in size drastically. American Waterfront alone has three, maybe four, different sub-lands in it. Will I make this more complicated than it needs to be? Definitely! I’ll add a little blurb about what each land is and why it ranks where it does. Let’s get to it, from worst to first!

7. Mermaid Lagoon

Okay, so maybe there is a clear choice for last place here. Mermaid Lagoon actually does hold some similarities to Toontown in that it is totally made for kids. With that caveat out of the way, this port of call is much better than any other ‘made for kids’ land out there. Mermaid Lagoon is largely inside of King Triton’s castle, which looks brilliant and whimsical from the outside. There’s a small coaster and another little ride outside. Once inside the castle, there’s more color to absorb and a slew of fun kids attractions. Housing this inside of a brilliant castle is a beautiful way to hide some lackluster rides. There’s also a fun show and pizza place inside of Mermaid Lagoon. While it ranks last, this is a fun place for kids and is beautiful outside along the water.

Ariel Mermaid Lagoon TDS

6. Port Discovery

One of the smallest ports of call DisneySea has, Port Discovery’s attractions aren’t headliners but are original. Aquatopia is a play on the famed Autopia in Disneyland but instead this is all in the water and actually fun! The ride vehicle dashes around the course without much rhyme or reason. Nemo & Friends SeaRider is also here and is a motion simulator based on Finding Nemo. It’s a pretty fun attraction but not as organic as most others at the park. Port Discovery is wonderfully unique, being almost entirely on the water and having only a wall separating it from the Pacific Ocean. What Port Discovery does best is look beautiful, with the gold and turquoise colors looking brilliant against the water. It ranks sixth because of the lack of a headline attraction, but it’s beautiful and has a solid restaurant to boot.

Nemo building boat sun TDS

5. Lost River Delta

Tokyo DisneySea has a wealth of space and Lost River Delta uses it well. Loosely set in South America, Lost River Delta feels as if it’s in the jungle and full of greenery. Wandering along the river and seeing the DisneySea Steamer passing by is a beautiful way to spend some time. The land is also home to Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull. That attraction is very similar to Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure, with this one being inside of a giant pyramid. Next to that pyramid rests Raging Spirits which is a beautiful looking coaster but is pretty disappointing once you actually ride it. Lost River Delta is a nice place to roam and enjoy, while it doesn’t come up to the high standards of others it is certainly unique and would be one of the best lands in many other theme parks.

Lost River Delta river TDS

4. Mediterranean Harbor

We’ve entered into the top tier now where any of these ports of call could be the top pick. In fact, if I did this on a different day then Mediterranean Harbor could be first. Having it be fourth feels criminal. This port of call is gigantic, looping around the main harbor and into some astounding alleys. Outside of the larger than life shows in the main harbor, there’s an incredible attraction and food lineup. The Venetian Gondolas are the most relaxing theme park attraction I’ve ever been on. Soaring: Fantastic Flight is the best version of the famed ride, with a beautiful show building. Hotel MiraCosta frames the harbor and is maybe the most loved theme park hotel in the world. There are excellent restaurants throughout the land, including Magellan’s which might be the best theme park restaurant in the world. Finally, there’s Fortress Explorations which is a walk through attraction unlike anything I’ve encountered stateside. The amount of detail and beauty here is wonderous and it certainly feels like something other than a theme park while walking through. I should probably move it up…

Mediterrenean Harbor Canal day TDS

3. Arabian Coast

None of the lands above Mediterranean Harbor have the grandiose that one does but they do have more depth, especially Arabian Coast. With a giant and beautiful courtyard that features a double-decker carousel, the port weaves and winds its way through alleys and bazaars until it opens back up to the best dark ride in the world – Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage. That attraction alone vaults Arabian Coast up to tier one and the rest is all gravy. The rest isn’t bad though as there’s a giant theater with an odd show, a fun spinner ride and the best shopping and architecture in the park. Arabian Coast sneakily has some of the best food in the park, as well, featuring delicious curry and a number of other great snacks.

Arabian Coast alley night TDS

2. American Waterfront

This port of call features an ode to Coney Island, Cape Cod, industrial-aged New York and also has the full sized SS Columbia Ship. The ship holds Turtle Talk with Crush, an elaborate restaurant and my favorite lounge Disney has ever built. Tower of Terror is also one of the best attractions in the world, as the story here is unique to DisneySea and extremely well told. There’s also Big Band Beat which is the best stage show I’ve ever seen Disney put on. American Waterfront has some excellent snacks and a handful of excellent restaurants. Flying across the Pacific to find the most interesting iteration of an American land that any theme park has is slightly strange. But DisneySea understands the grandiose and beauty while underscoring the greed of America. It’s a lot for a theme park land to take on but it’s done wonderfully.

Water in front of American Waterfront TDS

1. Mysterious Island

This port is one of the smallest at DisneySea but is the most detailed and inspired lands Imagineering has ever made. Having a theme park land themed around Jules Verne novels is the kind of deep thinking that we haven’t seen from Disney Parks in America in this century. It’s a stunning land with machinery coming out of Mount Prometheus, which erupts throughout the day. There are two wonderful attractions here in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. 20,000 Leagues is an unheralded attraction that takes guests under water to explore. Journey is the park’s headliner attraction where you go deep inside of a mountain before some action happens. There’s a wonderful restaurant inside of the mountain and the whole area is brimming and bubbling (literally) with creativity. The colors are gorgeous and the design is unmatched. Mysterious Island is unlike any other theme park land in the world.

Submarine close Mysterious Island night TDS

How would you rank Tokyo DisneySea’s ports of call? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Interested in a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? Check out our Planning Guide to help you along the way! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!

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