If you missed parts 1, 2 or 3 of this trip report, click on the corresponding number to catch up!

Our morning and early afternoon in the non Fantasy Springs portion of Tokyo DisneySea was extremely pleasant and a good reminder of how great the park is, with or without the new addition. Going back to Fantasy Springs does make the rest of DisneySea feel a little distant. That’s partially by design, with the sightlines of the land blocking most everything else out and the distance to walk back there being relatively long. But there is a small lack of connectivity, without the water that touches all of DisneySea’s other Ports of Calls flowing back there. Fortunately that isn’t in front of mind when you’re about to enter a land full of amazing rides.

This was our first DisneySea day without the Fantasy Springs Vacation Package but we were able to get standby passes for multiple rides with relative ease. At the time, we were thinking that you couldn’t leave the port and return but have found out differently since. With that in mind, we tried to stack all of our standby passes for late afternoon and the evening in Fantasy Springs. That’s not a bad strategy even knowing that you can reenter!

Initially, we had grabbed a pass for Frozen Journey but had since been able to obtain a Never Land Adventure standby for earlier in the afternoon. After we joined the line we were able to claim another! So, we started the Fantasy Springs portion of the day with two rides with the Lost Boys in a row. In between, we grabbed this treat.

The food is a bit hit and miss in Fantasy Springs but anything Frozen themed proved to be delicious! Above is Oaken’s Yoo-Hoo Bread, served at Oaken’s OK Foods. Hilarious names abound! This is a pastry filled with cardamon, lingonberry jam and meat. I believe that meat is sausage but am not totally sure. The Yoo-Hoo Bread was filling and a pleasant mix of sweet and savory, tasting like a Scandinavian treat that would fit into American Thanksgiving.

Along the way, we were able to grab an additional pass for Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival and rode that! Somewhat unexpectedly, that ended up being our last ride on the Tangled attraction this trip. I’m really curious how that attraction will age. On one hand, it is a perfect social media ride with a finale so beautiful that it’s primed for photos or video. On the other, the rest of the ride doesn’t measure up to that moment or the other attractions in Fantasy Springs. Five years down the road, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that attraction fall into the 20 minute wait time.

We continued our ride-filled afternoon with Frozen Journey, seeing the actual queue instead of the Premier Access version. The standby queue is very well done, taking guests through different rooms of the family (do Anna & Elsa have a last name?) castle. There are some neat lighting tricks throughout and plenty of other knickknacks to enjoy. It’s a nice appetizer to the attraction’s fantastic entree. The whole experience makes for one of the best dark rides in the world.

Sunset was approaching at that point so we took the next hour to walk around Fantasy Springs, starting with the fountains near the hotel and then walking around the land in a circle. If there’s a small nitpick with the aesthetic it’s that the area is pretty surface level in terms of exploration. There aren’t many secret paths or places to pop into. But there are plenty of beautiful details in those fountains/springs. Here are a few favorites!

Our dinner at Royal Banquet of Arendelle was right around the corner but I was able to sneak in a few sunset photos. I should know better than to schedule dinner at sunset! Anyway, here’s a few photos before our fantastic dinner. Check out that review to read more about one of the best restaurants in Tokyo DisneySea.

Having that later dinner meant that there wasn’t much time left in the park day after we finished eating. One downside to Tokyo Disney Resort is that they never stay open later than 9. I don’t mind the consistency of 9 AM to 9 PM. Personally, it’s probably for the best. I already don’t sleep nearly enough on these trips. But having summer hours stretch to 11 or midnight would be a treat!

I opted for photos outside of Fantasy Springs that night, plus Melissa wanted to get a ride in on Tower of Terror! Raging Spirits (pictured above) still isn’t a good ride but the outside of it looks incredible at night.

Speaking of looking incredible, Tower of Terror’s facade after closing is fantastic. The continuity of DisneySea’s nighttime lighting and color scheme is reflected in the tower’s menacing two toned structure – gold at the bottom and purple, with hints of blue, at the top. With so many beautiful scenes in DisneySea at night, I’m not sure I could pick a favorite. Tower of Terror is certainly up there though. The fountains out front add even more texture to a landscape that doesn’t really need any enhancing.

I exited slowly out of American Waterfront and took in Mount Prometheus with the moon above. Even if you’re not a photographer, lingering in DisneySea for a while after close is well worth your time. Between the glorious sights, shopping and Hotel MiraCosta guests waving at you, the walk out is extremely memorable. We boarded the monorail, went back to the hotel and, after some writing, eventually fell asleep.

The next morning saw us back at Tokyo Disneyland. While waiting to enter the park, we started talking to some other guests around us. Funnily enough, there was a family of three that lives somewhat close to us in California. We started talking and then another lady chimed in behind us that she lived close by too! None of them had experienced Tokyo Disney Resort before and they had some questions. We happily obliged! On the way in we told them all that they could follow us around if they wanted and they did.

Our first stop was Splash Mountain! Last time we were in Tokyo, the ride was closed for refurbishment so getting to ride the classic for the first time since it closed at Disneyland almost exactly a year earlier was special. I was focused on getting photos of some of the animatronics that make the ride so unique. I was happy with the results!

When Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was announced, I thought there was a chance that it would replace Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland. After the somewhat tepid response to the new ride (our review is coming, I promise), I don’t see that happening anymore. There’s always a chance that Disney forces the move but Splash Mountain looks fantastic at TDL. Riding it again was everything I hoped for.

With our new friends following, we continued on to Pirates of the Caribbean. The park felt pretty empty but it was hard to gauge since the day was still young. We more or less walked onto Pirates. The ride doesn’t quite measure up to Disneyland’s version but I do like it far more than WDW’s. Again, the upkeep is pristine.

At Tokyo Disneyland, Pirates is at the very front of Adventureland. There’s a mini New Orleans Square right as you walk into the land. After that section, Adventureland continues on in a more traditional way. We followed that path with our group of 6 and walked onto Jungle Cruise! This is my favorite version of the ride, as it looks stunning and is exceptionally funny to experience in a foreign language.

Melissa and I (along with one of our new friends, hi Paula!) had grabbed a Priority Pass for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt upon entering the park. It was nearly time for that so we walked over to Fantasyland as a group. There were a couple of minutes to spare and we took advantage by riding the teacups. As a Wandering in Disney trip report tradition, may I present Melissa riding the teacups!

After we rode that, it was time for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt! The other family following us rode Small World while we rode the trackless dark ride. Every single time I’ve rode Hunny Hunt, I’ve come to love it more. It’s my favorite attraction in Tokyo Disneyland and still feels groundbreaking even after opening nearly 25 years ago. Eeyore may not agree.

While a little warm, it was such a beautiful day out. The colors were vibrant and getting through so many rides with an unexpected, fun group really makes the memory that much brighter.

We were all getting hungry. Melissa and I suggested Hungry Bear Restaurant for lunch and we all decided to dine together before going our separate ways for the day. The food was good, the company was a joy. That morning was so out of the blue but a treat to get to share one of our favorite places with some lovely people. We had such a good time that it inspired us to take on a new project of bringing people to Japan with us! Even when you’re having the time of your life already, people have the ability to make it even better.

Once lunch was over, Melissa and I got spots in the castle hub for the afternoon parade. We both enjoyed Harmony in Color, although it doesn’t reach the highs of Tokyo Disneyland’s previous offerings. It’s still a must see! If you want more complete thoughts, here’s our review. If you’d rather just view some photos then you’ve come to the right spot.

We continued on through a productive day, using Tokyo Disneyland’s Priority Pass often. This ended up being one of the least crowded days we’ve ever spent at the park. Wait times were minimal and there were plenty of options when it came to getting more Priority Passes. We had our lay of the land and weren’t in a huge rush to begin with. Haunted Mansion came next followed by the Country Bear Vacation Jamboree. A perfect double feature, if you ask me!

The only advanced Disney dining reservation we’d made for the whole trip was for late afternoon that day at Eastside Cafe. With that just around the corner, we doubled back by the castle and enjoyed some of the views from the uncrowded day.

Tokyo Disneyland is a gorgeous park. The paths around the castle are large, giving more room to walk around, but they’re balanced out nicely by the amount of greenery and flowers. If you’ve never been, think of Magic Kingdom but with a more spacious approach.

These types of spots are another place where the upkeep really shines through. All of the castle parks look pretty around the hub. But in the wrong set of hands, Tokyo Disneyland would be too much concrete. Instead the area is very efficient while maintaining the beautiful setting.

We walked down the eastside of World Bazaar and wound up at our early dinner. I’d make a joke here about how my wife prefers our eating times to resemble that of 75 year-olds in a retirement home, but will hold off in case she reads this 😉 Eastside Cafe was a relaxed setting with good but not great food. To read a more detailed review, click here.

As I mentioned, the crowds were low. That was really evidenced by Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast having a 45 minute wait in the late afternoon. We ended up waiting even less than that after dinner! The modern dark ride has so few faults that it’s hard not to fall in love with the sweeping, dancing scenes. Waiting for that little amount of time made the experience even more enjoyable!

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was filled up with more rides including Small World, Space Mountain and, of course, another viewing of the Country Bears. That day saw us on at least 15 rides, viewing 2 parades, having a table-service meal and still having time to stop for plenty of photos. Not every day at Tokyo Disneyland is like this but when you can catch it fairly empty, the park is just a delight. There’s such a high capacity with the wide streets, extra paths and extremely high amount of rides that it feels like you have the place to yourself.

We sat down early for a spot to watch Dreamlights, since we wanted to see it from the castle hub. Melissa and I took turns sitting, while the other went to a shop, get some caffeine or took photos. The sun set behind the castle, making for a beautiful sky. We even got a view with the omnibus in front of the castle!

Eventually, we both settled in for the parade. A few minutes before Dreamlights started, I noticed a husband getting nudged by his wife next to us. I also overheard the words, “They look like they know what they’re doing.” This lovely couple from Hawaii, along with their child and grandparents, started asking for help because they were going to DisneySea the next day. We tried to give them some Fantasy Springs advice and they were very kind. We ended up talking for a good 15 minutes before the parade arrived and it was so enjoyable to catch up on each other’s trips. Usually in Japan we are so captivated by the amazing locals who are eager to share their country with visitors. That certainly happened this time around too, but on this day in particular it was a treat to have a few unexpected meetings with people. Melissa and I will both remember that more than anything else from the day.

If that wasn’t wonderful enough, we still had Dreamlights! I’ve waxed poetic (or at least attempted to) about this nighttime parade so many times on the site. This time around I’ll just offer a few more photos from the best nighttime parade there is.

With roughly another hour before park closing, Melissa and I wandered back to Fantasyland to ride a few attractions that we’d missed for the trip. That included Peter Pan’s Flight and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Both of them are replicas of what we have stateside except the upkeep is noticeable.

For instance, you can actually see what’s happening in Pinocchio’s Daring Journey! The lighting as a whole is much better on dark rides in Tokyo Disneyland. I’d imagine it’s because they are a few decades newer. Still, looking that good while being built in the 80’s is an impressive feat.

We had time for one more ride and couldn’t turn down another chance at Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. It was a fitting end to a day filled with excellent rides and a lot of charm!

After our last ride, we lingered in Fantasyland and let the crowds clear out before taking some photos. The Small World facade is so colorful, making it really pop at night.

As always, there were a few things we didn’t quite make it to on this trip around. Substituting a slightly slower pace for a breakneck speed made the whole day more enjoyable, even if it meant that not everything was accomplished. I look forward to going back and enjoying the castle walkthrough or Tom Sawyer Island.

I’ll also miss Tokyo Disneyland’s original Space Mountain, as that was the last time we’ll ever ride it. But I’m excited for what’s to come. The rumors are very promising on that front!

But the two days at Tokyo Disneyland this trip really cemented how great of a theme park it is. We slowly made our way out of the park as security came through. They were kind enough to let me pause for one last shot in World Bazaar to wrap day full of beautiful unexpected encounters.

Our next installment will see us in one last day at DisneySea before spending a few in Tokyo! Have you been to Japan? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! If you’re planning a trip there then check out our guide! Want to go to Japan with us? Fill out this form to get more information! If you enjoy what you’re reading please subscribe to the blog and like our social media pages which you can find on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!