Haunted Mansion
our first day at the park we snagged a fastpass for Monsters Inc first thing, then headed back to ride my favorite ride first: the Haunted Mansion. I will say that it lost some of the magic by being 98% in Japanese [and therefore not understandable to me] but for the nostalgia factor it's still a winner. I have heard that the Mansions in other parks have been updated and altered, but Tokyo has kept the original setup as far as I can tell.
we rode this one three times, stopping in during the parade one night while there was no wait, and our second afternoon to escape a rainstorm. it might sound repetitive, but you'd be amazed the little details you notice those second or third times through. during one of these times the ride was stopped for reasons unknown [there was a loud announcement in Japanese] and so thats where the interior photos come from.
and I have to give you a little now and then... the bottom photo was taken on my first trip to Walt Disney World in 1989. I was 4. and maybe a little terrified to go in.
Peter Pan's Flight
this is one of those classic rides, very similar to Pinnochio and Snow White's Adventures, where you just ride through the story. it was entirely in Japanese but it's a little more interesting than the other rides in this area because you fly through it on your own pirate ship. the most fun part of this ride was actually waiting in line and seeing all the little kids decked out and so excited.
It's a Small World
yes, the song gets annoying and will be stuck in your head for days. but when it's just a 10 minute wait it's hard to resist. it also becomes infinitely more entertaining when your World History and Geography teaching husband decided to take a series of disapproving selfies in front of the not-so-politically-correct portions of the ride.
Alice's Tea Party
we did not ride the tea cups this time around [remember how I said I easily get nauseous?] but the Wonderland theming has expanded to include the nearby Queen of Hearts banquet hall. given the popularity of the Cheshire Cat [or at least from what we saw] it's not surprising that Tokyo decided to add the "buffeteria" restaurant to their Fantasyland.
Pooh's Hunny Hunt
and now we come to the most magical moment of my Tokyo Disneyland experience. I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh on Saturday mornings, but what I remember and love best is the original movie from 1977: The Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh. and in this unique-to-Tokyo ride, you are transported - literally - into the story.
you enter the ride through Christopher Robin's storybook and are seated in an enormous honeypot. and as you turn around the corner and into the hundred acre wood, you realize that your honeypot is not moving on a track or attached to your fellow pots. this ride uses a trackless technology that allows each pot of riders to spin off and explore their own corners of the scene!
the scenes are incredibly well done... you find yourself floating through a blustery day, bouncing with Tigger, and trapped inside the honeytree. but my most favorite part of this ride is when Pooh drifts off to sleep and you are transported into a [slightly neon and disco] version of the heffalumps and woozles song. your honeypots spin around in an intricately planned dance, and for a moment you are interacting with the groups of pots ahead and behind you. the details that they took from the film were spot on, and by the time we wheeled past "The End" I was in tears.
magical. there is no other word.
we rode this one twice, though I gladly would have gone again if time allowed. being a newer [and incredible] attraction, you will want to snag a fastpass. we waited over an hour on standby at 8pm our second day because the passes were out before noon.
if you missed it: Monday's post on Tomorrowland
next up we'll be mashing all the other lands together, from Adventureland to Toontown...
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