Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm leaving for Japan in about a week and wanted to check in and see if any of you TDR semi-locals had advice on what our strategy should be for the parks in the morning. I know it's valuable to get to them before they open (up to an hour before), but I'm not really sure what our priorities should be once we're inside the gates We will be in the parks July 7-9 (3 days); all of the online crowd predictions seem to indicate 'average' crowds. July 7 is the kickoff date of the summer festival so I was thinking that it would be better to visit TDS that day, since I assume it would be less impacted by the new celebration Our group is 3 adults, including myself and 2 DLR APers who also make it to WDW every year or two, so we're well versed in the parks. We're planning on skipping TSMM and perhaps some of the other attractions with long waits that are nearly-identical to the US versions, though we'll definitely wander through and check everything out. Are there any especially unique minor attractions (like the railroad in Adventureland/Frontierland) that we should make sure to see? I visited TDS shortly before TOT opened so I have a pretty good grasp on what's there, but my TDL visit was circa 1998 and is quite fuzzy in my memory For shows, we are planning on seeing Mythica, Fantasmic!, the projection, show and Dreamlights, and possibly some smaller ones along the way too. Are there any other shows we should seek out? What's the best strategy for getting good spots for these (especially Mythica)? How does the lottery work?
Originally Posted By vicenzo83 FerretAfros: Pooh's Hunny Hunt!!! For the lottery, you have to take your park ticket to a booth in Tomorrowland, scan it in the machine and hope for the best. I've tried it about 4 - 5 times and won once. Adds a little bit of Vegas to the park. I love it!!!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Thanks! Now that Monsters Inc has been open for a while, I wasn't sure which ride was the better one to get a FP for. I'm getting really excited for this trip!
Originally Posted By Mr X ***I love it!!!*** I hate it. It goes against the whole "everyone is our special guest" vibe, and I *much* prefer first come first served.
Originally Posted By vicenzo83 FerretAfros: I don't really enjoy Monsters Inc. Took my daughter on it a few months back and realized how it jerks a lot. Didn't enjoy it one bit. Mr X: Haha, I was being sarcastic. I feel that first come first served is best. You got more chances of winning in Vegas compared to that lottery system. Apologies for the miscommunication. I do love Vegas, though. ; )
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Apologies for the miscommunication*** No worries. I'm glad you were kidding, but I figured there must be some folks who like it (more likely the ones who get luckier more often than you or I lol). As for me, I think it spoils the intended vibe more than anything else I've seen at TDR.
Originally Posted By SuperDry Is there currently a lottery going on at TDL? I didn't think there was. The lottery at TDS is only for Big Band Beat, and the first show of the day, and all shows for the upper level, are stand-by only, so the use of the lottery is optional. Hint: when using the lottery, choose the earliest show of the day that works for you - the earlier the show, the higher the probability of winning.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Is Big Band Beat worth seeking out? I saw the previous show in that theater (the one that started with the big tap dancing number from 42nd Street) and thought it was good but not great Any suggestions for a good place to watch Mythica from? We'll probably only have one chance to see it, but we might be able to catch it on our park hopping day too And have can someone take a look at this press release for me: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.olc.co.jp/news/tdr/20140630_01.pdf">http://www.olc.co.jp/news/tdr/...0_01.pdf</a> Apparently Duffy has a new friend (a cat named Gelatoni), and I just want to make sure that we're not going to run into one of those crazy merchandise releases. As far as I can tell, the stuff is already in stores, but I can't read any of the official information
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "Apparently Duffy has a new friend (a cat named Gelatoni)" I'm worried about Hans. How is he going to take this news?
Originally Posted By vicenzo83 I`ve never enjoyed Big Band Beat. It always puts me to sleep and I will always get up when Mickey starts banging on the drums. Great for escaping the summer heat and taking a short nap, though. Oh no, Duffy has a new friend. I`m sorry, I love Disney and I feel that Tokyo Disneysea is one of the best theme parks in the world, but the popularity of Duffy in Japan is ridiculous. It starts getting weird when middle aged ladies push them around in the parks in strollers. Gelatino, wahhhhh, kawaiiiiiiii!!! Meccha kawaiiiiiii!!! I can hear it already. Haunting me. Disaster!!!
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "It starts getting weird when middle aged ladies push them around in the parks in strollers." *scared*
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm not even sure it's the ones with the strollers who I'd be afraid of. Just imagine carrying all this around, without a convenient stroller to dump it in: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT8te2cSfG0/UX_Ua4uNqxI/AAAAAAAAQxI/KcXUxAmXQCE/s400/DSC00659.JPG">http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT8t...0659.JPG</a>
Originally Posted By leemac <<July 7 is the kickoff date of the summer festival so I was thinking that it would be better to visit TDS that day, since I assume it would be less impacted by the new celebration>> We launch July 8 - press event is that day too. TDS will be busier as it is tracking to be the more popular of the two summer events. I'm glad to be in Hong Kong that day as it will be pretty crowded. I'm not due back into TDR until later that week.
Originally Posted By leemac <<For shows, we are planning on seeing Mythica, Fantasmic!, the projection, show and Dreamlights, and possibly some smaller ones along the way too. Are there any other shows we should seek out? What's the best strategy for getting good spots for these (especially Mythica)?>> You will need to prioritise as the weather can be inclement in July - heavy rain and storms. I'd put Dreamlights and OUAT way higher than F!. Mythica has been getting very busy recently due to the show only have 2 months to run (sob sob). If you want to see the land show then directly in front of the Mira Costa or Lido Isle are best. Otherwise in between those two locations.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Thanks! Now that Monsters Inc has been open for a while, I wasn't sure which ride was the better one to get a FP for. I'm getting really excited for this trip!>> Sorry Monsters is down until the middle of July for its annual refurb. Jungle Cruise is also down for the refurb but the train is operational.
Originally Posted By leemac Don't forget Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall - it is a real gem. You will need to linger in certain locations to see what happens.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>We launch July 8 - press event is that day too. TDS will be busier as it is tracking to be the more popular of the two summer events.<< I'll try to be in TDL on the 8th then, and do TDS on the 7th. We'll use the 9th to try and fill in the gaps in what we missed the previous days (for weather or crowds). I'm hoping it won't be too ridiculous (or that all of the crowds are for the seasonal stuff, leaving the normal stuff relatively empty), but I'm bracing for the worst >>Sorry Monsters is down until the middle of July for its annual refurb<< Dangit! I was really looking forward to checking it out! I've also managed to plan my only 2 visits to TDS (8 years apart) while both the Caravan Carousel and Mermaid Lagoon Theater are closed. I figure the carousel is no big loss, but I would like a chance to check out the Mermaid show eventually Thanks for your help! It's finally starting to feel like this is real!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I stumbled across it yesterday when I was searching for information about Gelatoni. I knew immediately that it would be need to make a well-timed appearance! : )
