Japan Bucket List #23 - Go to Disney

This little excursion was a pretty exciting one. Being the second time I have ever been to a Disney establishment (and Megan's first), I was very much looking forward to a day of adventure during this very special year at the parks.

With me on this fun journey was Kyri, Megan, Sophia and Cody (the lucky lone male companion of our group) and I have to say that we were all very compatible with one another - a fact that made this day quite enjoyable. Getting to the park was a tad bit of an elusive endeavor because where we exited the train we merely ended up near a shopping area for people staying at the resort.

Finding the track for the nifty monorail that came every 6 minutes, we waited to make our way to the DisneySea Park. While enjoying the balmy weather we noticed the amazing Disney tunes playing over the intercoms which brought us to a very happy place - our childhoods. Here you can see Megan acting upon those feelings in true first-timer-reminiscing-about-her-childhood-through-dance form.

Amazingly drawn map of both parks

The monorail cars were pretty snazzy with the way they were laid out. I think everyone liked the comfortable seating and especially the A/C running through the train.

Arriving at our destination, we purchased our tickets and set forth in search of rides for the big kids! We began in what appeared to be 15th century Venice which opened up to a beautiful lake view.

 

 

 CHARACTER SIGHTINGS!!!!

 

Kyri spotted a very promising ride on the side of a mountain so we traipsed on over there for a JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH! In the bowels of the mountain we awaited our fate . . . in a two hour long line . . . watching the Fast Pass holders zoom by us . . . occupying our time with random conversations . . . while silently lamenting our hunger (well mostly me). By the time we reached the Terrorvators that would convey us to the last portion of the line we were well aware of the stir-crazy feelings that one might get when stuck in a dimly lit cave . . . and also how creeped out we were by the typical attraction sounds/dialogue happening in the background using indistinguishable male Japanese.

 

 

The ride itself was more of an action/thriller ride but it was fun nonetheless. Pushing forward for a little refreshment, we headed to the nearest and relatively cheapest eatery near that sector (need I remind you we are working on college kid budgets here!). I had a nice little Caesar salad and a yummy strawberry Italian ice pop for my troubles, loving every minute of it considering the fact that I hadn't eaten since breakfast time and we had been at the park since about noon. Following this we made our way around the park to the jungle section to ride the INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL RIDE.

From the outside it looked like a mere Aztec or Mayan temple (I don't know the difference) but the inner décor was pretty cool. While waiting in line for this ride we decided to play a name game where one person says the full name of a celebrity and the person after them has to use the first letter of the last name to continue. If a name has an alliteration then the play returns to the person before them. It started out slowly because not everyone wanted to participate but eventually we got really into it (even while on the ride). This was another of the park's featured action/thriller rides and I will admit it thrilled me into a slight fearful stupor. There was one point in the ride when the Japanese Indiana Jones was dangling above us from a vine shouting something unintelligible at us and then all of a sudden a freaking boulder straight out of Crash Bandicoot was rolling toward us and I remember shrieking my head off and seeing my soul eek out from my mouth as we plummeted and then were shot off on a crazy rollercoaster-esque run. Frightened as I was I had a great time on this particular ride.

After that we passed by Ariel's kingdom (a whirlwind of watery fun) and entered Agrabah. Given the fact that at this point we were pretty tired and hot it did not appear that Aladdin's hometown had much to offer us (though the crowds and our pet camel would say otherwise) and we left the area.

 

We wound up back by Venice and stopped for some Mickey Mouse churros (yeah I know, doesn't fit the theme at all, lol).

 

 

 





And then . . . we made it to 'Murica! There was a small section near Venice reserved specifically for America of an earlier age. Here I found Scrooge McDuck's Department Store and the illustrious Tower of Terror (which we didn't have time to ride). The best thing we got from 'Murica was a nice hot dog. Kyri and I shared one of course because we are inseparable.

 

Finally, with all the excitement run out of us, we did some last minute shopping before heading out of the park completely. I got a few souvenirs for a few of my cousins and of course some lovely trinkets for myself. Here you will see what my companions bought for themselves (except Sophia because she's already too cool).

 

Kyri let me try on her ears!



All in all, after trekking through a large park for several hours and enjoying each other's company we made our way back to our respective "homes" having had an amazing day together. I am so glad that we got the chance to go there (albeit at the end of our study) and I am also glad I went with the people I did because they made the experience that much more fun. じゃまた！