We’re on the bottom in Japan to preview the rides, eating places, retail and resort at Fantasy Springs, Disney’s blockbuster new land themed to Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan. So let’s head inside Tokyo DisneySea, the place creativeness and journey set sail, to take a look at the $2 billion eighth port-of-call!
On the in-park entrance to Fantasy Springs, nestled between Misplaced River Delta and Arabian Coast, friends will first be welcomed to this world of fantasy by an entry archway adorned with magical springs representing Disney characters resembling Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel and Peter Pan. There’s one other entrance to Fantasy Springs by way of the land’s eponymous new luxurious resort, which is positioned close to Bayside Station.
Inside Fantasy Springs, there are three distinct areas. In Frozen Kingdom, with its lovely views of the dominion of Arendelle, friends can expertise the Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey attraction. Towering over Rapunzel’s Forest is a tower, actually, the place friends can expertise the Rapunzel’s Lantern Pageant attraction.
Peter Pan’s By no means Land presents spectacular surroundings, together with Captain Hook’s pirate ship and the long-lasting Cranium Rock that friends could recall from the Disney Animation movie Peter Pan. On the Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey attraction, friends be part of Peter Pan and his buddies as they encounter Captain Hook and fly over By no means Land. Final however not least is the Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies attraction in Pixie Hole, the fairy valley the place Tinker Bell lives, which welcomes friends at fairy measurement to benefit from the altering seasons.
All through all three areas of Fantasy Springs, friends can even get pleasure from new eating places, buying and extra, every with their very own distinctive charms that convey to life the worlds from the movies. There’s additionally the aforementioned Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Resort, which is the sixth Disney resort in Japan. (See Every part You Must Know About Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea for all the specifics concerning the port-of-call.)
We’ll be taking you inside all of this over the subsequent few days and weeks!
We’re already at Tokyo Disney Resort, and have been sharing our journey from airport to arrival on social media. (The Pleasant Airport Limousine shouldn’t be, in truth, a limousine. It’s a bus. However it is very pleasant!) We’ll have extra from the parks and resorts at Tokyo Disney Resort, particularly Fantasy Springs, within the subsequent a number of days.
Since we’re not notably lively on Instagram–and provided that a few of these posts disappear after 24 hours–we thought it could be sensible to offer you a heads as much as look out for images, movies, and tales on my Instagram (@tom_bricker) and the Disney Vacationer Weblog Fb web page.
Right here’s an instance:
Whereas I’d far choose to publish reside updates right here on the weblog, that simply isn’t lifelike. We’ve tried doing that earlier than, and between really experiencing the brand new providing and taking images & video and updating the web site…it was simply an excessive amount of. Now add a child into the combo, and it’d be downright unimaginable.
We wish to be current to get pleasure from and totally respect the expertise whereas additionally capturing and sharing it. We additionally don’t wish to overpromise and underdeliver. Sharing on social media is the a lot simpler possibility, particularly since we will extra shortly do it from our telephones real-time, or with a slight delay throughout middle-of-the-night feeding classes…and that’ll be the center of the day for many of you, so it nonetheless works!
If you happen to’re not on Instagram or Fb, the excellent news is that we’ll have weblog posts about Fantasy Springs beginning this weekend or early subsequent week. These will characteristic first look images and video from the previews, together with first impressions and I don’t know what else. Beginning subsequent month, we’ll additionally be placing collectively *spoiler-free* planning posts with must know information and recommendation so you possibly can correctly put together for Fantasy Springs.
Within the curiosity of full disclosure and transparency, the primary wave of protection comes from the Fantasy Springs media occasion as invited friends of Oriental Land Firm and Disney. Following that, the following Fantasy Springs planning and evaluate posts will come by way of our firsthand experiences as paying friends throughout precise operations with actual crowds (and every part else) as soon as the brand new port-of-call opens to most of the people. (Effectively, hopefully we additionally get a shot at gentle openings, however the window for these may be very slim.) We purchased a trip package deal and will probably be testing that in addition to common tickets, Standby Go vs. Premier Entry, and much more.
We’re actually, actually excited to expertise Fantasy Springs and are virtually as excited to share it with you all!
Introducing new Disney followers to the Tokyo parks is one in every of our passions, and has been this weblog’s largest level of delight since 2013. After all, we love sharing the ins and outs of Walt Disney World and Disneyland–however for probably the most half, these are journeys you all have been going to make anyway. At greatest, we (hopefully!) helped make them higher.
We’ve really impressed many readers to go to Japan within the first place, so it simply isn’t the identical. Readers have instructed us that they have been intimidated by worldwide journey or Japan wasn’t on their radar, however they took the plunge after listening to our “pitch” and had the journey of a lifetime. There are few issues extra rewarding than the messages that begin out, ‘I had by no means deliberate on going to Tokyo Disney Resort…but it surely was the very best journey.’
We’ve gotten quite a lot of of these during the last decade-plus, they usually’re truthfully what fuels the Tokyo Disney Resort content material right here. After all, that comes with a number of strain. If we’re convincing somebody to spend the time and cash to journey midway world wide, we wish these assets to be unbelievable to make sure they don’t have anything in need of a stellar expertise.
It’s very a lot a ardour mission to share our two favourite parks on the planet with extra Disney diehards, and persuade you all to make the leap! (It’s additionally extremely humbling and rewarding that you simply all belief us sufficient to take these journeys on our suggestions, within the first place.)
After all, we’re additionally over the moon to share our favourite parks with our new favourite particular person. We’ve been sharing our experiences from Child Bricker’s First Go to to Walt Disney World, which was basically a ‘gown rehearsal’ for this journey to Japan. I’m not precisely certain how effectively a 3 hour time change readies an toddler for a 16 hour distinction, however I suppose we’ll discover out! (Up to now, so shockingly good. I’m truthfully ready for the opposite shoe to drop.)
Actually, although, that Walt Disney World journey was about getting ready us, the brand new dad and mom, for touring with a child after establishing over a decade of touring as a pair and growing an actual cadence collectively. Relatively than a little bit of trial by hearth with child’s first journey being a global flight to Japan, we needed to take some unknowns and uncertainty off the desk. And naturally, we actually needed to see one in every of our favourite locations on the planet, Walt Disney World, by her eyes for the primary time.
Now we get the possibility to see one other one in every of our favourite locations by her eyes for the primary time in Japan. (Truly, not only one–a number of of our favourite locations on the planet are in Japan.)
To not get too sentimental or something, however we nonetheless vividly recall visiting Tokyo Disney Resort about one month after development had began in Summer season 2019. Calling that “development” would in all probability be a charitable time period, because it was actually extra like car parking zone clearing.
Our subsequent go to was that Christmas (when the above picture was taken from our room at Hilton Tokyo Bay), and it was much more thrilling. Issues have been actually taking form and it was beginning to really feel actual. Day-after-day whereas strolling in entrance of the location entry level, Sarah would say ‘ohayou gozaimasu‘ to the development employee on guard, who would enthusiastically (shockingly so!) say the identical in response to her.
It was an thrilling time. The Fantasyland growth was wrapping up at Tokyo Disneyland, and we may see Beast’s Fortress and different completed particulars. We couldn’t wait to return for the Tokyo 2020 Summer season Olympics and expertise every part that may be new then, and once more with Fantasy Springs solely one other couple years later. None of that occurred for apparent causes.
After being on pins and needles ready for Japan’s reopening, we have been in a position to return in late 2022 simply after the nation reopened. It was a bittersweet homecoming. We deliberate to return once more final yr however cancelled these plans for the very best cause ever–discovering out we have been anticipating a child lady! And now just a little over one yr after that cancelled journey, we get to take her to Japan for the primary time!
Fantasy Springs holds particular significance to us. That Christmas 2019 journey to Japan was the final one we took earlier than the world shut down; that Christmas 2022 journey was the primary large one we took after issues reopened; that is the primary worldwide journey we’re taking with our child. In between all that there have been a number of challenges and heartbreak to beat. And now the very best type of happiness we’ve ever felt, as our hearts are fuller than we ever knew doable.
For us, this actually appears like a full circle second, closing one chapter as we’ve began one other. It’s tough to completely articulate, however the level is that that is significant for each the substance of the factor (we’re actually excited for Fantasy Springs!) and the symbolism of it.
We’re trying ahead to experiencing Fantasy Springs as a household, and we’re additionally excited to take you alongside for the trip. That is the biggest-budget addition to an present Disney theme park ever–right here’s hoping it has the wow-factor we’ve come to anticipate from Imagineering and Tokyo Disney Resort, elevating the bar on what’s doable at a theme park but once more!
Planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Journey Planning Information! For extra specifics, our TDR Resort Rankings & Opinions web page covers lodging. Our Restaurant Opinions element the place to dine & snack. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash publish. Our What to Pack for Disney publish takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Seek the advice of our Final Information to Kyoto, Japan and Metropolis Information to Tokyo, Japan.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Something you wish to see coated throughout our days in Fantasy Springs? Questioning how any facets of visiting work? Interested in crowds or the rest? What do you consider the Peter Pan’s By no means Land, Rapunzel’s Forest, and Frozen Kingdom? Excited for this blockbuster addition to Tokyo DisneySea, or do you not care? Want the home parks would construct lands and points of interest like this? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions—even once you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!