Oh how fun it is to be a kid again.
I've been to 2 Disneyland theme parks so far as a child and a teenager. The first Disneyland was in California where I awed at the white castle in front of me and got super excited when we were aloud to ride the boat inside it. "It's a small world after all" stuck in my mind a few days later, along with the memories of this magical kingdom.
As I grew up, I'm still entertained with Disneyland and when I had the chance to see the Tokyo version, I didn't mind that everything was in Japanese. I couldn't understand what they were saying but I remembered the castle and the same song that was played during the ride.
Tokyo DisneySea Resort for adults.
Japan is lucky to have 3 big theme parks in the country namely Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea and the Harry Potter Studio in Osaka. I remembered one time when we were buying tickets for Tokyo Disneyland, the lady at the counter had mistaken me for a 12 year old girl. Yes, this was definitely an epic episode because I was 24 at the time.
I am glad that after 10 years, I am able to enter Tokyo DisneySea Resort as an adult (an proud of it), and experience the rides in the theme park like the child I am.
Getting to DisneySea from Shinjuku.
There are 2 ways to get to Tokyo DisneySea Resort which is by train or by bus. Since we were staying in Shinjuku, we decided to take the 60 minutes train ride to Maihama station. We had to change stations from Shinjuku to Tokyo via JR Chuo Line Rapid Train and then to Maihama via JR Keiyo Line. The walk from one station to another gave us stamina practice to enjoy the whole park.
Once we reached Maihama, we hopped onto the Disney Monorail with its' Mickey Mouse glass window and white hand-rail gloves. We paid 260 yen for a 1 way ticket to the resort instead of buying the 1 day pass (650 yen).
The train journey ride from Shinjuku to Maihama which costs around 390 yen 
Checking out different attraction sections in one day.
We took the map, noting down the performance timing, places to eat, and observed the nearest rides with the shortest queues. As it turns out, many people were already in line to grab the Fast Pass which allowed them enter quicker than the normal ticket holder.
There were a lot of people sitting down in front of the sea front area, waiting for the first show which starts in 2 hours time. Yes, they were actually waiting 2 hours earlier to get a good view. We decided to use our time to get on the easy rides first, snacking around the resort while everyone else got in line and waited for the hot rides like Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania.
Truth be told, even at the end of the Disney fireworks show at night, we still couldn't get into Toy Story Mania because the waiting line was 60 minutes. Therefore it is crucial to get the Fast Pass if you want to get on ALL the rides in DisneySea Resort.
My favorite section was the Mermaid Lagoon which was indoors and had all the colorful rides made of sea creatures. It was likes stepping into an underwater sea world with mermaids, shells and fishes. The other favorite section was the American Waterfront which had a large ship we could board and see the view of the DisneySea Resort.
Riding on all sorts of transportation types in DisneySea Resort.
At the Waterfront Section, there is a DisneySea Electric Railway train that took us above the theme park. We saw the beautiful harbor with the big ship below before it stopped at the Port of Discovery. After that we took a ride in the Big City Vehicles which were popular in the 1920s. There were many car models available and we were lucky enough to ride the police wagon with a jail at the back. We also rode on the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line when we were too tired to walk from one section to another in the evening.
From the waters, the train and the land vehicles, you'll get to see the resort with a different view each time.
Catching the parade and shows around the DisneySea Resort.
Each section has its own show timing which means we had to plan our way through the theme park, before catching one. We managed to catch the "The Year of Wishes" Greeting Drive at the American Waterfront, with the Disney characters riding on one of the Big City Vehicles. We stood on the curb and waved at Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy and moved along with them on the road.
Then there was the King Triton's concert in the Mermaid Lagoon area. The 15-minutes show was a musical performance featuring Aerial, the mermaid, who dreams of becoming a human.
After sunset and before the park closes, we stayed for the finale fireworks show called "Fantasmic". It was held at the Mediterranean area featuring Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Other characters such as Cinderella and the evil witch also appeared to bring life to the show.
"The Year of Wishes" Greeting Drive with the Disney characters. 
Dining at DisneySea Resort.
I read reviews on how expensive it can be to eat in this theme park and I'm not surprised. We prepared and packed sandwiches the night before for the morning train ride. It was enough to fill our tummies until brunch time. That's one way to save money to use for souvenirs and gifts in DisneySea Resort.
There are also affordable options such as the food stalls that can be found everywhere in the theme park and the fast food restaurant. We tried the Cape Cod Cook-Off where they served burgers, sandwiches, soups and desserts with a performance by Duffy. The place was crowded yet very well organized from the moment we queued until we left. Each person was given 45 minutes to finish their meal before giving way to other patrons.
Other restaurants that can be found in DisneySea Resort include Japanese food, bakeries, western, Italian, and seafood.
Meeting the DisneySea Characters in person.
This was a tricky one because we didn't manage to catch them most of the time. We did however meet Donald Duck who was walking along the Waterfront area meeting his fans. According to the guide, we had to call out to him and if he chooses us, we can take a photo with him. The locals were very patient and gave him space to move around when they called for his attention.
We on the other hand had to wait for a good 15 minutes before getting the hang of this method. He finally chose us for a photo and we couldn't be any happier.
And finally, there were all those fun rides.
What would Tokyo DisneySea Resort be without those thrilling and adventurous rides that takes you up, down and looping in your seats. To be honest, I am not a big fan of roller coaster so we skipped on all those rides and went instead on the tame, fun ones.
The jelly ride was nice because we were taken up and down with a view of the Mermaid Lagoon indoor area. There was also the Aquatopia which made us swirl and twirl in our boats while circling the waterfront. Well we did go on the Flounder's Flying Fish roller coaster which looped around quickly causing everyone to scream before it came to a halt.
More information about DisneySea Park.
- Tickets can be bought online from this website Tokyo Disney Resort Japan which is a quicker option than purchasing at the main entrance.
- Check the weather before you go because it can get very cold at the end or the year. We didn't wear a thick jacket and had a frozen moment when we arrived in the morning.
- Alcohol can be consumed in this park and available at stalls, restaurants around the resort.
- Catch the parades and the fireworks show which happens at night.
- Get plenty of rest the night before since you'll be out enjoying the park for the entire day.
- Most importantly have fun and make the most of your time in this resort.
