Top Surprises of Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo DisneySea has some of the most amazing attractions!

Journey To The Center Of The Earth in Tokyo DisneySea is one of those attractions when you ask people who have been on it to describe it you will get more of a vomit of words than a description. As all the attraction narrations are in Japanese, I gave up on trying to figure out what was going on and just enjoyed a richly detailed attraction. This attraction is the second most popular in the park (Toy Story Mania is first), so a Fastpass is a must. But we will go more into that in my upcoming ‘Tips to make the most of Tokyo Disney Resort.’

This attraction has the same ride system at Test Track/Radiator Springs Racers but feels more like the failed Rocket Rods of Tomorrowland 98 in Disneyland. Each vehicle holds six guests and is taking you on a tour of the work done by Capt. Nemo and his exploration of Mount Prometheus heading toward the Center of the Earth. Along the way, you see spectacular sets with animatronics until, as will all Disney attractions of the late 90s early 2000s, something goes very wrong and you make a wrong turn and run into one of the largest Audio-Animatronics every created in the form of the lava monsters. After the monster rears up your vehicle, for some reason, takes off like a bullet and bursts out the side of the mountain and does a circle around the caldera before returning to the load platform.

The sister attraction to JttCotE is 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea — Captain Nemo is king in Mysterious Island. A dry 20K ride may sound like blasphemy to true Disney History Diehards, but this attraction does it!

Guest board a six person “submarine” and journey 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea while never having a drop of water anywhere near them. With HUGE sets and a design like nothing I have seen before, this attraction takes you into the world of Captain Nemo with giant squid and a trip to Atlantis that you will never forget!

One of the few attractions that are duplicated from other parks is their Indiana Jones Adventure. This is a direct copy of the track of Dinosaur from Disney’s Animal Kingdom and of course the Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland, but so much more!

While the attraction on the inside may follow the same path and have many of the same booby traps and rooms, just the detail from the moment you approach the pyramid is awe inspiring and continues all the way to the exit.

By far the most unique attraction has to be Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage. This attraction is a mix between Pirates and it’s a small world and really shows how amazing a story can be told if enough money is invested.

Telling some of the tales of Sindbad and his fabled voyages — with 100% less death — the boat ride takes you past mermaids, giants, and the cutest tiger you will ever seen in the form of Chandu all to a music written by Disney songwriting legend Alan Menken.

The Audio-Animatronics on this attraction are all the size of the dolls in it’s a small world, with the exception of the giant genie that takes up the entire room, but move as fast and as fluid as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

In a park that has Indian Jones, Tower of Terror, and Journey To The Center Of The Earth one of the things I never thought I would say is Mermaid Lagoon was probably my favorite part of Tokyo DisneySea!

Now, I won’t say it was my favorite attraction there, but the land was really like you had stepped right into King Tritons kingdom from The Little Mermaid.

From the moment you walk into this area you can’t help yourself but to start singing along with the back ground music, all from The Little Mermaid films, and fell like you are indeed under the sea.

With a handful of “kiddie” attractions this area is a cross between the Toy Story Lands that have been built as of late and Flik’s Fun Fair at DCA but with theming the likes we will be lucky if we see coming to the Star Wars expansions. From a giant whale serving as the store for the area to one of the best theme park shows I have ever seen (more on that in a future Tokyo update), this is how a theme park should be done but here it is just one small area.

Mermaid Lagoon is the home of the most duplicated attractions, kiddie attractions are easy to paint and retheme. But, no matter what, it is a fun area that I found myself walking back to very often in my trip.

Beyond a shadow of doubt one of the most impressive sights at Tokyo DisneySea is the Tower of Terror in the American Waterfront area.

This version of the Tower of Terror is somewhat unique and calls for a different storyline, because the Japanese were never really exposed to the Twilight Zone television show. Here the Hotel Hightower was built by Harrison Hightower III, a world traveler and collector of antiquities, on New Years Eve Hightower held a press conference to reveal his latest artifact, Shiriki Utundu a possessed idol that is believed to have lead to the disappearance and believed death of Harrison Hightower III in a elevator malfunction.

Just as with all of the Tower of Terror attractions, we start with a tour of the lobby that has not been touched since that faithful night. But, instead of a library and a television, we are moved into the study of Harrison Hightower III to hear a phonograph recording he made about Shiriki Utundu and we learn more about his fate.

After learning of Hightower’s fate we are taken on a tour of some of his artifacts before we board a elevator bound for his penthouse…or so we thought! I am sure you all can guess what happens once we are on board the elevator, if not time to head to your closest Tower of Terror.

Now back to Tokyo Disneyland because as much as they are trapped in the past, they have some new fun stuff also!