Tokyo Disneyland

Biggest Tokyo DisneySea Expansion Scheduled to Open in 2022

June 19, 2018 By Erin De Santiago Leave a Comment

In an exciting announcement this month, Oriental Land Co., Ltd., which is the parent company for the Tokyo Disney Resort, announced that they’ve reached an agreement with the Walt Disney Company to develop a new themed port at Tokyo DisneySea. The new port will also introduce another Disney Hotel on property!

This newly planned expansion will create an 8th themed port in Tokyo DisneySea, which will be inspired by a magical spring that leads visitors to a world of fantasy. There will be three distinct areas in the new port that recreate three iconic Disney films:

Frozen
Tangled
Peter Pan

It’s interesting to see Peter Pan being referenced at Tokyo DisneySea given that there is already a Peter Pan attraction in Tokyo Disneyland. I was not aware the movie was so popular in Japan that it warranted representation in both parks. I’m sure the theming will be incredible, and I can’t wait to see more detailed photos once additional information is released.

Tokyo DisneySea’s new hotel will feature a one-of-a-kind luxury wing that will become the most luxurious accommodations available at the Tokyo Disney Resort. I’m guessing that this also means a new park entry location if there is going to be an additional hotel on the Tokyo DisneySea side.

The expansion of Tokyo DisneySea will also create four new attractions to begin operating in 2022. OLC is investing 250 billion yen in this new project, which is the largest additional investment to date for existing facilities. This will all coincide with a large scale enhancement of Tokyo Disneyland, which is scheduled to start operations in 2020.

Here is what has been announced regarding the expansion so far.

Overview of the Tokyo DisneySea Expansion Project

The development area will be in the guest parking area between Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. That parking will be relocated. There will be four attractions, three food facilities, one shop, and one hotel. The tentative completion date is the fiscal year 2022.

Klook.com

Overview of Tokyo DisneySea Themed Port

Artist rendering of initial plans for the new themed port (plans subject to change)

Once you enter the new themed port, you’ll see Anna and Esla’s Arendelle kingdom, the forest and tower that Rapunzel calls home, and Never Land, which of course is home to Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and the Lost Boys. The new attractions and hotel are exclusively designed for Tokyo DisneySea, which means you won’t see these at any of the other Disney Parks. The new port will be connected to the rest of Tokyo DisneySea via a pathway that will run between Arabian Coast and the Lost River Delta.

Frozen Themed Area

The Arendelle themed area will feature an attraction that tells the story of Elsa and Anna. Guests will hop on boats that take you through a storybook tale while enjoying the movie’s iconic songs, and the press release says there will be some surprising thrills. The new restaurant will be located here, set inside Arendelle Castle.

Tangled Themed Area

In the Tangled themed area, guests will see Rapunzel’s tower and an attraction that follows Rapunzel to a lantern festival. There will also be a restaurant inspired by the hideout of the band of thugs from the film. Guests will board gondolas and take a romantic boat tour of Rapunzel’s “best day ever” as she heads to the Lantern Festival with Flynn. Look for flickering lanterns to illuminate the attraction’s climactic scene and Rapunzel and Flynn will sing one of the film’s iconic songs.

Peter Pan Themed Area

The Never Land area will have two attractions and a restaurant. Captain Hook’s ship and Skull Rock are the focal points. This reminds me quite a bit of Disneyland Paris actually.

One attraction here will fly guests over the jungles of Never Land and into a battle with Captain Hook and his crew of pirates. Guests will join Peter Pan as he attempts to rescue Wendy’s younger brother, John. Guests board boats and follow the Lost Boys down the river where Tinkerbell sprinkles pixie dust on the boat. Then guests will find themselves flying through Never Land on an epic adventure that includes 3D imagery from the film and iconic music.

The second attraction takes guests to the oversized world of Pixie Hollow where Tinkerbell and her friends live and work. The restaurant here is inspired by the Lost Boys and their hideout. It will have great views of Never Land that guests can enjoy while eating.

Booking.com

Overview of the New Tokyo DisneySea Hotel

The new hotel will have a Disney fantasy theme and it will be located inside the park! It will surround the magical springs that serve as the core of the new themed port’s story. Park facing rooms will feature beautiful views of the port’s stunning landscape, which gives guests an exclusive experience.

There will be 475 deluxe and luxury guests rooms, with the latter offering the best accommodations at the Tokyo Disney Resort. It is here you will find the merchandise shop that helps share the story of the magical springs found on the hotel’s first floor. Given the prices of official Disney hotels at TDR, I am guessing these will be shockingly expensive. I’m going to need to purchase some lottery tickets in hopes of affording a night here I’m guessing!

Artist concept of new Tokyo DisneySea luxury hotel

Exciting times for both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea! We can’t wait to watch the changes over the next few years — it will certainly change the views from the nearby Hilton and Sheraton properties that overlook the parking lot where the expansion appears to be going!

Photos Courtesy of Oriental Land Co., Ltd.

Erin De Santiago

A lifelong Disney fanatic and freelance travel and food writer currently based in Belize and the Netherlands. Annual passholder to all Disney Parks worldwide. Bring you Disney Magic from around the globe.

Easter Wonderland 2011: Desserts at Tokyo Disney Ambassador Hotel

July 6, 2011 By Erin De Santiago 1 Comment

Hard to believe, but I still have two more food posts from the 2011 Easter Wonderland event that wrapped up at Tokyo Disneyland last week. For seasonal events, the Ambassador Hotel often offers special themed food and desserts. Tokyo Disney has ended the dining pin promotion, but the desserts and special menus are still worth getting if you are visiting during a seasonal event.

For 2011, the Hyperion Lounge at the Tokyo Disney Ambassador Hotel had two desserts and beverages that were Easter themed. The main dessert was “Disney’s Easter Wonderland” Special Dessert set that was an Easter Peach Melba with Fresh Fruit Tart. The design includes a more obscure character — Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He became quite popular in Japan several years ago and made his first appearance as a float during the Easter celebration in 2010. This dessert is actually a recreation of the float design and the Oswald merchandise offered this year.

The pastry chef who designs and executes the seasonal desserts is quite adept at putting together some of the most amazing creations event after event. While this one may lack some of the precision chocolate work other desserts have in the past, there are a number of intricate details on this year’s that easily make up for it. For a Spring themed dessert, the light texture and fruit flavors were a nice surprise.

Looking over the dessert as I was photographing, I continued to find little missed details, including things like a hidden Mickey on the chocolate Easter Egg.

The other dessert we ordered was one of the specials from the regular Cake menu. It was Mickey Mouse shaped, complete with his 2011 Easter hat on. The detail elements were constructed of both chocolate and fondant — a cute design but a bit pricey when compared to the Easter Wonderland dessert set for a similar cost.

For this year’s beverages, the alcoholic option was the “Ambassador Style” cocktail with cherry liqueur, Cointreau, Cassis Syrup, Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice, and 7UP. The non-alcoholic drink, “Easter Waltz”, included Orange Juice, Melon Syrup, 7UP and Jelly Balls, and a dated souvenir glass.

In addition to the dessert offerings, the Ambassador Hotel had a few Easter decorations as well.

Other Easter Wonderland 2011 Posts:

Easter Wonderland 2011: Tokyo Disneyland Park Decorations

Easter Wonderland 2011: Easter Egg Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland

Easter Wonderland 2011: Seasonal Treats at Tokyo Disneyland

Erin De Santiago

Easter Wonderland 2011: Seasonal Treats at Tokyo Disneyland

June 25, 2011 By Erin De Santiago 1 Comment

This year’s Easter event at Tokyo Disneyland featured some fun goodies and treats, along with two new commemorative mugs and plate for 2011. One of the things I look forward most to each Tokyo Disney event is the food theming and design. The talented culinary staff goes beyond an expected Mickey head shape and works to bring the essence of the holiday in each restaurant menu and snack they create. The creativity sparks delight in not just the children, but the adults who line up for 30 minutes to purchase the adorable seasonal goodies.

For me, the cuteness sparks happy childhood memories of dying Easter eggs with my Mom and Grandma, opening my basket with all sorts of Spring themed and brightly colored goodies. And on a day like today — what would’ve been my Grandma’s Birthday — a stroll down memory lane is quite comforting, even if Easter did technically pass.

For Easter Wonderland 2011, the first seasonal snack we picked up was the Custard Mousse with Easter Wonderland Souvenir Cup (550 yen). The design pays homage to Mickey and Minnie dressed as bunnies and even features them inside the mug after you remove the dessert. Another awesome feature to note about Tokyo Disney desserts — they come in plastic cups that sit inside the mug so you don’t have to worry about clean up and carrying around a dirty souvenir mug all day. They give you plastic bags for each item and sometimes a real nice CM may even bubble wrap them for you when you are shopping inside a store later on! I am sure you can just ask as well, which is great for getting everything in your carry on for the flight home!

Back to the Easter desserts, there is also another souvenir cup that had the Easter Wonderland logo and more Minnie Mouse themed with the same custard mousse inside.

Another treat for this year’s Easter Wonderland event that is wrapping up next week is the Sweet Easter Egg with Mickey souvenir stand (600 yen). This was like a mochi style cake ball. You could choose from three different colors, but all were the same flavor/taste.

To get the matching Easter Wonderland plate, Tokyo Disneyland is offering a marshmallow chick that is almost too cute to eat! Had flashbacks to my childhood terror of eating the head of the marshmallow Peeps! The inside of this little guy had a sweet liquid that had a caramel like taste, but was much more thin and clear.

I’ve had several people ask me if the designs and desserts are the same each year, but no, they are not. Tokyo Disney goes the extra mile in developing new stuff for each year’s events and the Easter Wonderland event is no exception. Just to give you an idea, here are three of the Easter treats from the 2010 event — the ladybug roll is from the DisneySEA’s Spring Carnival Event that was previously held in conjunction with Easter Wonderland. The Easter Cookie and Marshmallow and Peanut egg were from Disneyland and the Easter Wonderland event itself.

Have you tried any other Easter Wonderland treats during other year’s events? Would love to see photos or hear what other designs they have done in the past as well!

Other Easter Wonderland Posts:

Easter Wonderland 2011: Tokyo Disneyland Park Decorations

Easter Wonderland 2011: Easter Egg Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland

Erin De Santiago

Space Mountain Photo Essay: A Look at the Attraction Worldwide with Duffy the Disney Bear

May 28, 2011 By Erin De Santiago 1 Comment

Yesterday, May 27, marked the anniversary of the Space Mountain attraction at Disneyland California, which opened in 1977. I distinctly remember my fear of this ride as a child — for years my Mom wouldn’t take me on it assuming I would throw up like so many other parents warned of. Ironically, as an adult, it’s become one of my favorite attractions (and hers too).

During my travels to each of the Disney Resorts around the world, riding Space Mountain at least once is always on the list. And for the last two years, we’ve had a Disney mascot to enjoy Space Mountain with. In 2008, Tokyo Disney released a set of special cast member outfits for Duffy the Disney Bear to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland. One of our Duffy Bears is donning his Space Mountain CM outfit and we named him Spuffy (or Spaceman Spuff) — a combination of Duffy, Space Mountain, and my favorite — Calvin and Hobbes Spaceman Spiff.

Spuffy3 — Our Duffy the Disney Bear “Spuffy” in his Space Mountain CM outfit from Tokyo Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary

Spuffy1 — Spuffy dressed up for the MNSSHP at WDW in September 2010

In honor of Space Mountain’s 34th Anniversary, Spuffy and I will take you on a photographic tour of all the Space Mountain attractions at Disney Resorts around the globe.

Space Mountain at Disneyland in Anaheim, California

An iconic image for me growing up in Southern California. Even when we weren’t going to Disneyland, I always remember driving along the 5 fwy and watching for the Matterhorn and the spires from Space Mountain. Back in 2000, one of my longtime dreams came true — we got stuck on the ride! After about 20 minutes, we were the last car they evacuated and since I was with several CM’s that day, we were able to get a pretty good view of what it looks like with the lights on. While there is no legendary basketball court as people say with the Matterhorn, we did get to see a few tables and chairs and what looked like a ping pong table. LOL

DL SM 3 — Space Mountain at Disneyland California

In recent years as part of the Halloween festivities, Space Mountain has undergone a slight transformation for “Ghost Galaxy”. This first debuted at Hong Kong Disneyland and became part of the California ride in 2009 and was brought back again in 2010.

DL SM1 — Ghost Galaxy Halloween enhancement at Disneyland

DL SM2 — Spuffy and the Ghost Galaxy version of Space Mountain at Disneyland

Space Mountain at Walt Disney World

This is the Space Mountain I am least familiar with since I have only visited WDW a small number of times. Visually, it is one of the more appealing attractions, especially the way it is lit up at night. A lot of people don’t realize that Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain attraction actually opened before Disneyland’s in California. The soft opening for Space Mountain in WDW’s Magic Kingdom was December 1974 with the official grand opening a month later. This is the only Space Mountain where riders do not sit side by side.

WDW SM1 — Spuffy ready to ride Space Mountain at Walt Disney World

WDW SM2 — Spuffy in the dark at Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain attraction

Save BIG on Walt Disney World Tickets!

Space Mountain: Mission 2 at Disneyland Paris

The current Space Mountain: Mission 2 attraction has been delighting European Disney fans since April 2005. The previous name was De la Terre à la Lune, which opened in 1995 and then closed in January 2005 to make room for the refurbishment and redesign. The original design paid homage to Jules Verne’s classic, From the Earth to the Moon. The new Mission 2 is supposed to be a continuation of Verne’s classic, where riders are now taken further into space on a new adventure.

Paris SP2 — Space Mountain: Mission 2 at Disneyland Paris

Paris SM3 — Uh oh, looks like he may not meet the height requirement on this one!

If you aren’t familiar with this version at Disneyland Paris, you will be in for quite a surprise your first timeas Space Mountain: Mission 2 goes upside down! Yup, this is the only Space Mountain attraction that features inversions — three of them in fact. If you think the rides in the US Disney Resorts are fast — this one is not for the faint of heart. I was pretty disoriented the first time I rode this…well, and the second time too. For those who are prone to motion sickness, you may want to sit this one out — or just make it your last ride before leaving. 🙂

Paris SM4 — A Space Mountain that goes upside down? Perhaps Spuffy is rethinking this one!

Paris SP1 — Interior queue of Space Mountain Disneyland Paris

Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland

Surprisingly, this is one of the rides you can always pretty much just walk right on at Hong Kong Disneyland — even when the park is crowded. Usually we end up riding this one two or three times, depending on how long we are staying at the Park that day. This Space Mountain is the newest one (discounting other Parks’ refurbishments) and opened in conjunction with the park in September 2005. Hong Kong Disneyland probably has the best queue interior of the ride, despite being the smallest. There are lots of bright colored lights and a virtual solar system hanging above.

You will note in the photos from Hong Kong Disneyland, the entire park is surrounded by mountains — real ones. These are no Disney artist backdrops!

HK SM3 — View of Hong Kong Disneyland and Space Mountain from room at Disney Hollywood Hotel

HK SM5 — Hong Kong Disneyland Space Mountain is very scenic at night, especially with the mountains

HK SM1 — And Spuffy is ready to conquer another Space Mountain

HK SM2 — Hong Kong Disneyland Space mountain logo

HK SM11 — Hong Kong Disneyland Space Mountain queue

HK SM10 — Hong Kong Disneyland Space Mountain queue

HK SM9 — Another shot of the Hong Kong Disneyland Space Mountain queue

HK SM4 — Space Mountain TVs and warning sign at HK’s Space Mountain attraction

As I previously mentioned in the Anaheim Disneyland section, the Halloween themed Ghost Galaxy started at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2007. It is part of their annual Halloween event that includes actual Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios type maze attractions — the best time to visit HK Disneyland in my opinion!

HK SM8 — Hong Kong Disneyland Ghost Galaxy Space Mountain overlay

HK SM6 — Ghost Galaxy logo on HK Space Mountain during Halloween festivities

HK SP11 — Spuffy outside the Ghost Galaxy version of Space Mountain

Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland

Nearly identical to the one in Disneyland California (in my opinion), Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain attraction opened in 1983, when the Resort opened its doors. The ride is nice, but it is one of the most frustrating lines. The only way to ride this one is to do a FastPass, otherwise you can get stuck for seemingly hours while everyone with passes are admitted in masses. The outdoor snaking queue lines remind me of the olden days of Anaheim Disneyland pre-Fast Pass. The only difference is — it can be 100F and humid while you are waiting in line in Tokyo. Uuughh.

T SM4 — Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain attraction

T SM — Logo for Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland

Obviously Spuffy likes this Space Mountain the best because his outfit is nearly a replica of the current CM costumes. It’s fun to be in the Tokyo Resort with him, because the Space Mountain CMs get very excited when they see him and other local Duffy fans always acknowledge him because this series of costumes are very sought after, both in Japan and abroad.

T SM3 — Spuffy at home with “his” Space Mountain attraction — Tokyo Disneyland

T SM2 — Another one of Spuffy’s visit to Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland

One caveat about Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain attraction — there are no photos at the end! While the bright light goes off and it looks like the other rides that snaps your photo — sorry, no luck here. It is the only “professional” photo of Spuffy riding Space Mountain I will never get.

Have you been on more than one Space Mountain attraction? Which resort is your favorite?

Erin De Santiago

Easter Wonderland 2011: Easter Egg Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland

May 26, 2011 By Erin De Santiago 4 Comments

As part of the Easter festivities during Tokyo Disneyland’s Easter Wonderland event, guests can participate in an Easter Egg hunt in hopes of getting a special prize if they complete the course correctly. For this year’s event, there is an option to complete the standard Easter Egg hunt or an expert course. The standard course gives you a chance to get a cute little Disney character shaped Easter Egg that resembles one of the eggs found on the hunt map, while the expert course gives you a chance to win a special, not-for-sale completion pin.

Eggs2 — Easter Egg Hunt options for Easter Wonderland 2011

To keep things fresh and encourage people to complete the course more than once, each of the three months features a different expert completer pin, and get this — new hiding spots for the Easter eggs. I have to give Tokyo Disneyland credit, what I thought would be a relatively easy task to complete turned out to be a truly difficult mission. It wasn’t until part of the way through that we realized the expert ones are NOT character eggs. They are smaller and have more subtle decorations like stripes, flowers, etc. All in all, we ended up walking every square inch of the park to locate the last of my eggs for the expert course.

Since the event still has over a month to go, I will not post any of the expert egg photos to give any clues away, but suffice it to say if you have plans on completing it — it will definitely test your Disney knowledge. The small photo clues may be a little tough if you aren’t completely familiar with the Park layout, while others look pretty similar from certain angles.

Here is a look at the Donald Duck pin for May’s expert course. For 1,000 yen to do the course, it makes this pin quite inexpensive when compared to normal, smaller pins off the racks at the US Parks. As with every other aspect in Tokyo Disney’s seasonal events, the expert completer pin is filled with detailed touches.

Eggs28 — Easter Egg Hunt Card and Donald Duck May 2011 Pin

Eggs29 — Detail of Donald Duck and Easter Bunny on pin dangle

Eggs30 — Easter Egg Hunt redemption area

On the standard course this year, there are character eggs all over the park, but you are required to locate five specific ones. Enjoy a look at all the 2011 Easter Wonderland character eggs here — is your favorite Disney character among those on display this year?

Eggs18 — Chip and Dale even made an appearance

Eggs27 — Mater and Lightning McQueen from Cars

Erin De Santiago

Easter Wonderland 2011: Tokyo Disneyland Park Decorations

May 24, 2011 By Erin De Santiago 5 Comments

Despite the fact that Easter was in April, Tokyo Disney celebrates the holiday for nearly three months with the “Easter Wonderland” annual event. Obviously, this year’s event was abbreviated given the entire resort being shut down for over a month after March’s devastating earthquake and tsunami. Normally, the Easter Wonderland event runs from April 1 through June 30, but this year’s event started a little late on April 15th, when Disneyland reopened.

The Easter Wonderland Event is one of the more interactive seasonal events as guests can partake in an Easter Egg hunt that will require you to venture all over the Disneyland Park. There are lots of Resort decorations, seasonal goodies, and of course — the Easter parade. In a series of upcoming posts, I will share all the details of this year’s Easter event and take a photographic look back at some elements from last year.

Each year, Tokyo Disneyland decks out the park in Easter themed decorations that are echoed in the merchandise and food. This year, the theme was definitely the Easter egg. Upon entering the Park, the entrance area will filled with various Easter eggs, including some that were used in the Easter Egg Hunt last year (Buzz Lightyear, and Mickey & Pluto). The entrance sign is virtually unchanged from last year and features The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland in an Easter basket surrounded by colorful eggs.

Easter1 — Easter eggs at Tokyo Disneyland entrance

Easter2 — More Easter eggs at Tokyo Disneyland Park entrance

Easter3 — Tokyo Disneyland Easter Wonderland display

Something new that I don’t remember from last year’s event was three “live art” performers once you pass through the World Bazaar and head towards the castle. They were stoic and virtually unmoving, except for position changes every two minutes or so. Each girl had something that moved or was unique on her outfit — one had an Easter egg that popped up, while another had a bunny that moved in its basket.

The center area approaching the castle is where each event’s centerpiece is and guests can have Disney photographers take professional shots with decorations and the castle backdrop. The main display piece for this year’s Easter Wonderland Celebration featured Disney characters decorating Easter eggs and lots of adorable bunny helpers loading them into the giant Easter basket. Donald Duck was the leader of this year’s event as he holds the map detailing where to hide the eggs.

Easter14 — Easter Wonderland banners 2011

Easter17 — Main 2011 Easter Wonderland display

Easter19 — Donald Duck showing where to hide the Easter eggs

One of the side displays was dedicated to Alice in Wonderland and was nearly identical to last year’s decorations as well — still very cute nonetheless! The other side featured an Easter bonnet with eggs display. Last year had Winnie the Pooh and the gang, and sadly, there was no sign of Pooh anywhere in the Easter line up this year.