Day 5 summary

Thursday 5th November:
Disneyland...what more really needs to be said?!!!

Some of the train stations (those on the Keiyo line) here have their own identifiable tune which plays as a train pulls in to the stop so that you can tell where you are - fittingly so, the Maihama station plays "It's a Small World" since this is the gateway to Tokyo Disneyland.

There appears to be an endless stream of people walking to the park, but once you get to the ticket gate and the entry, there aren't massive queues or waiting points. And then you see the characters standing around just inside the gates, having photos taken with little (and big) kids and generally being mobbed. Don't get me wrong, I was a very willing participant in such activities! The only pictures I had taken were with Eeyore, Thumper and Donald. But seriously if you don't push your way in, keeping an eye on the ground below you for very miniature babies stumbling around, you will always miss your turn.

There is this thing called FastPass where you use your entry ticket (passport) in a machine to try and score a pass to give you quick ride access between certain times of the day. But once you get a pass, even if its 10am and the pass doesn't work for that particular ride until 7pm, you have to wait an hour before you can try for a pass at a different ride. The scheme works though - it spreads the crowds across the park quite effectively. There was toontown and tomorrowland and adventureland and westernland and fantasyland and critter country.

It seemed that within mintes the park had filled with ear-wearing patrons. I couldn't resist - it started with a red bow hairtie to look like Minnie, then became the ears with a leopard print bow, and by the end of the night it had become the fur hat with obligatory ears and dangly fur baubles on the chin tie!

The star wars sim was great...and it was here I initially noticed this themepark was more than adequately set up to cater for numerous people. Unlike the parks in Aus where there'd be one carriage on a ride, or one capsual for the experience, there must have been 8 sim capsuals here, each with a capacity for about 60 people at any one time. That being said, some rides still managed to have a standby waiting time (for those without fast passes) of up to 70 minutes. But the rides last for quite some time... must have been at least a three minute ride on the Big Thunder Mountain train and the Space Mountain coaster. And whilst none of the rides go upside down, they sure do have some speed to them and the effects make everything seem much more intense. And they're continual - riders off, riders on, even to the point that some rides don't stop and wait for you to board (like the Haunted Mansion from Nightmare Before Christmas) where you jump on a conveyer belt and be seated as the thing is still moving!

Photos galore... especially when the street parade started. And then the night time illuminations parade, and then the closing fireworks right at the end of the night. Food galore - popcorn carts everywhere with buttercorn, salted corn, curry corn, caramel corn, chocolate corn, soy sauce and butter corn!! Yes, that's what I said. Smoked turkey leg carts, churro carts, pastries and icecream cakes...... never ending. Oh and don't worry if you drop something, someone will clean it up within seconds.

Twelve hours very easily spent at the park, and still not all rides done. My only real gripe was that the shops all seemed to carry different lines of things, and you often had to scour the entire park just to find one particular item which only appeared in a particular shop.