Editor’s observe: Disney hosted the author for a Fantasy Springs preview go to, together with round-trip flights to Japan and a three-night keep on the Tokyo Disneyland Lodge. The opinions expressed on this story are fully the creator’s and weren’t topic to evaluate by Disney or every other exterior entity.
Disney’s largest enlargement this 12 months is going on at its Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan, and TPG simply obtained a sneak peek inside.
You’ll discover two parks at Tokyo Disney Resort: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Whereas Tokyo Disneyland options many traditional lands and sights you could find in different Disney parks, Tokyo DisneySea provides distinctive lands (known as “ports”), theming and sights. And on June 6, Tokyo DisneySea’s eighth port, Fantasy Springs, will open.
I visited the brand new Fantasy Springs port and resort earlier than its public opening. The sights and theming on this land are spectacular, so right here’s a primary look inside Fantasy Springs — together with its 4 rides, 5 eating choices and all-new resort.
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What’s Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea?
Fantasy Springs is a brand new port inside Japan’s Tokyo DisneySea.
This port is close to the again of DisneySea and provides its personal resort, aptly known as Fantasy Springs Lodge. Friends staying in that resort can entry DisneySea by an unique Fantasy Springs entrance. Nevertheless, most different visitors will enter Fantasy Springs through a pathway between DisneySea’s Misplaced River Delta and Arabian Coast ports.
Fantasy Springs will get its title from the “magical waters” surrounding the land. Whether or not you enter Fantasy Springs from its resort or the pathway from the remainder of Tokyo DisneySea, you’ll instantly be drawn to the port’s rockwork and water options, which tie the land in with the remainder of the park.
I really like how colours, steam and golden accents make the rockwork seem lifelike but weathered.
Tokyo Disney’s senior inventive government Daniel Jue mentioned there are greater than 50 characters represented within the port’s rockwork. This isn’t stunning, contemplating I observed a brand new character depiction almost each time I walked by the port.
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Stepping into Fantasy Springs
Disney usually limits entry to new lands and sights, and Fantasy Springs isn’t any completely different. When Fantasy Springs opens, there are a couple of methods it is possible for you to to entry the land (along with having your common park ticket for Tokyo DisneySea):
- Standby Move: You will get a free Standby Move for Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey, Rapunzel’s Lantern Competition, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, or Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies within the Tokyo Disney Resort app, based mostly on availability. You have to be contained in the park to order your Standby Move and obtain an entry window to go to the land.
- Premier Entry: For a charge, you should buy a Premier Entry move within the Tokyo Disney Resort app and choose a chosen time to expertise the sights within the land. Premier Entry is restricted and based mostly on availability. You have to be contained in the park to buy Premier Entry.
- 1-Day Passport: Fantasy Springs Magic: This ticket sort is accessible to visitors staying at Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Lodge or visitors who’ve booked an eligible trip bundle.
Full particulars on the best way to enter Fantasy Springs can be found on the Tokyo Disney web site.
Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey
Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey is a 3D simulator-style experience in Peter Pan’s By no means Land that lasts about six minutes. On this experience, you’ll be part of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the Misplaced Youngsters on an journey by By no means Land.
Many of the queue space for this experience is surprisingly darkish. There’s a brief preshow — all in Japanese, however you’ll get the gist even if you happen to don’t perceive Japanese — in a three-tier room; then, you’ll decide up 3D glasses and be part of one other brief queue to board the three-tier 12-person experience autos.
The experience is spectacular as a result of it provides an immersive expertise through its experience car, wind results, surround-sound music and 3D media projections. Plus, the characters pull you in and assist you to really feel like you might be a part of the story — even if you happen to don’t perceive the Japanese they’re talking.
The experience combines 3D projections and bodily parts in a compelling but lovely method.
You’ll really feel like you might be flying throughout elements of this experience — an idea I beloved. Nevertheless, some folks in my group did point out feeling a bit motion-sick after the experience.
In case you don’t need to wait in an extended line for this sure-to-be-popular experience, you should buy a skip-the-line Disney Premier Entry move for Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey when you’ve entered Tokyo DisneySea. Disney Premier Entry passes are restricted based mostly on availability, and you should buy them utilizing the Tokyo Disney Resort app.
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Rapunzel’s Lantern Competition
Rapunzel’s Lantern Competition is a water experience by Rapunzel’s Forest that lasts about 5 minutes. On this experience — the primary “Tangled” attraction in a Disney park — you’ll watch Rapunzel’s journey as you journey in a gondola to the annual Lantern Competition.
Through the preview occasion, Jue famous in an interview that Rapunzel’s Lantern Competition is “essentially the most romantic attraction we’ve ever constructed.”
Certainly, this experience has a romantic, feel-good vibe to it. The queue for this experience begins outside — the place you’ll see a couple of colourful lanterns — after which it snakes by coated open-air areas.
As soon as in your 16-person gondola, you’ll go away the loading space and enterprise outside to see Rapunzel in her tower.
The remainder of the experience happens indoors, the place you’ll watch Rapunzel and Flynn Rider’s romance unfold.
You’ll discover maybe essentially the most spectacular space in your complete Fantasy Springs port once you journey by the Lantern Competition a part of this experience.
This experience goes by rapidly, seemingly on account of how fascinating and visually interesting it’s. So, you may end up on the finish of the experience a lot faster than anticipated.
In case you don’t need to wait in an extended standby line, you should buy a Disney Premier Entry move for Rapunzel’s Lantern Competition, based mostly on availability.
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Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey
Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is a water experience in Frozen Kingdom that lasts about 6 1/2 minutes.
The queue is usually indoors, with the road passing by Anna and Elsa’s library, playroom, household room and greenhouse.
When you board your 16-person boat, you’ll revisit the “Frozen” story by its music and occasions. Nevertheless, English audio system ought to be ready to listen to their favourite “Frozen” songs in Japanese. You’ll nonetheless acknowledge the plain melodies, so it shouldn’t be a difficulty even if you happen to don’t perceive Japanese.
Disney deliberately designed the experience autos’ movement to match every scene’s emotion. So, for instance, you’ll discover your boat climbing a ramp, taking place a drop or backing up in conditions the place that movement matches the scene’s emotion.
This experience is prone to be simply as common as you may anticipate a “Frozen”-themed experience could be. Fortunately, you might be able to buy a Disney Premier Entry move to skip a lot of the line for Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey based mostly on that day’s availability.
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Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies
Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies is a fast, family-friendly experience in Peter Pan’s By no means Land that lasts about two minutes.
The queue line takes you thru an outside backyard earlier than you enter a coated queue space. Take discover of the enjoyable theming and cute story when you wait to board this experience.
This brief experience is nice for younger youngsters, though I nonetheless discovered the shifting and spinning of the four-person experience car entertaining. Take note of your senses on this experience, as it’s possible you’ll scent honey.
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New Fantasy Springs resort
Just like how the Tokyo DisneySea Lodge MiraCosta is built-in into the opposite aspect of the park, the Fantasy Springs Lodge is a lately constructed resort built-in into the brand new Fantasy Springs portion of Tokyo DisneySea.
The Fantasy Chateau will supply 419 deluxe rooms, whereas the Grand Chateau will supply 56 luxurious rooms with terrace views overlooking Fantasy Springs. Right here’s a have a look at one of many deluxe rooms within the Fantasy Chateau:
The resort will supply the Fantasy Springs Restaurant, Grand Paradis Lounge and La Libellule. Nevertheless, these eating venues will solely be open to visitors staying on the resort — and, in some instances, visitors staying at different motels who’ve chosen Fantasy Springs Restaurant as a part of their trip bundle — when Fantasy Springs opens in June.
Friends staying on the Fantasy Springs Lodge can instantly entry Tokyo DisneySea and, thus, Fantasy Springs from the resort. Disney hopes and expects resort visitors to really feel like they’re checking in to the park once they verify in to the Fantasy Springs resort. In case you just like the seems of Fantasy Springs and may swing the resort’s charges, it actually has an interesting location and nice views (even from the frequent areas).
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In keeping with AllEars.internet, Fantasy Springs Lodge charges begin at 63,500 Japanese yen per evening (about $407) for the Fantasy Chateau and 300,000 yen per evening (about $1,925) for the Grand Chateau.
Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Lodge is exhibiting as offered out by mid-September for hotel-only bookings. Tokyo Disney solely opens resort reservations 4 months prematurely, and extra availability is added on a rolling foundation. Trip packages that embody a resort, tickets and entry to Fantasy Springs are nonetheless accessible; you’ll be able to guide these additional prematurely.
Fantasy Springs eating
Throughout the new Fantasy Springs port, you’ll discover numerous eating places. Right here’s a fast have a look at your choices.
Royal Banquet of Arendelle restaurant
The Royal Banquet of Arendelle is a counter-service restaurant within the Frozen Kingdom that may seat about 570 visitors.
You may order Arendelle’s Royal Set at this restaurant, together with beef or seafood pot pie, a salad with smoked salmon and orange, potato gratin, bread, chocolate mousse, and a drink for 3,500 yen (about $22). You may as well buy a youngsters’s model of the Royal Set for two,000 yen (about $13).
I attempted the meat set, which featured tender beef, cauliflower and spiral pasta in its fluffy-topped pot pie. The potato gratin was creamy with mini potatoes, and the chocolate mousse was topped with a lemon-filled mochi.
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The Snuggly Duckling
The Snuggly Duckling is a large counter-service restaurant in Rapunzel’s Forest with seating for about 620 visitors.
You may order a shrimp burger or a cheeseburger with an extra thick slice of meat a la carte, or you may get it as a set meal with a drink and both fries or a contemporary salad. The burger alone prices 950 yen (about $6), whereas the set prices 1,490 yen (about $10).
I appreciated the shrimp burger for its massive fillet of calmly fried shrimp. However I additionally appreciated the chance to eat a contemporary salad throughout a theme park day.
You may order a small muffin crammed with caramel for 600 yen (about $4), a Candy Ever After pie with flavored filling in a pie shell for 700 yen (about $5) and Rapunzel’s Magical Milk Tea for 800 yen (about $5). Notice: There’s an extra value for the ornamental cup.
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Lookout Cookout
Lookout Cookout is a counter-service restaurant in Peter Pan’s By no means Land that may seat about 200 visitors.
You may order Misplaced Youngsters’ Snack Containers crammed with hen tenders, seaweed fritters, banana chips, bread and a shrimp chip for 900 yen (about $6).
There are two varieties of hen tenders on supply — butter curry and lemon tea — and I most popular the zesty sweetness of the lemon tea hen tenders. When you’re carried out consuming, think about unfolding the field to show a map.
In case you’re thirsty, you may get complimentary water cups contained in the eating space. However you might additionally attempt the Pixie Mud Soda for 750 yen (about $5); it features a star you’ll be able to put into your cup to see a glowing impact that additionally adjustments the colour of your drink.
The restaurant additionally provides a chocolate cake topped with a strong piece of chocolate for 600 yen (about $4).
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Oaken’s OK Meals
At Oaken’s OK Meals counter in Frozen Kingdom, you should buy Oaken’s Yoo-Hoo Bread.
This 850 yen (about $5) snack is a cardamom bread crammed with spiced meat and topped with lingonberry jam that’s straightforward to eat on the go. I discovered it filling and loved the jam topping. Nevertheless, the meat-to-bread ratio was decrease than I’d hoped, and I wanted the bread was softer.
Popcorn Wagon
Flavored popcorn is wildly common at Tokyo Disney. There’ll even be a brand new stand in Fantasy Springs the place you should buy roast beef-flavored popcorn in Peter Pan’s By no means Land for 400 yen (about $3). I didn’t get to do that popcorn taste, however I used to be advised it tastes like a salty gravy.
You should purchase popcorn in a normal field or a collectible lantern-shaped bucket.
Backside line
Tokyo DisneySea is already a extremely popular and extremely regarded theme park for Disney followers worldwide. That can seemingly solely intensify with the all-new land and resort.
Based mostly on our preview, I’d say that every one 4 of the brand new Fantasy Springs rides deliver one thing to the desk. My favorites are the jaw-dropping finale of Rapunzel’s Lantern Competition and Peter Pan’s By no means Land Journey, which provides an immersive expertise and makes you’re feeling such as you’re flying.
As for eating choices, the Misplaced Youngsters’ Snack Containers on the fun-themed Lookout Cookout have been my favourite. The hen is scrumptious no matter which model you select, and this field is surprisingly filling with seaweed fritters, banana chips, bread and a shrimp chip.
Don’t fear if you happen to don’t converse Japanese — you’ll nonetheless be capable to perceive and luxuriate in the entire new Fantasy Springs rides. Many solid members at Tokyo Disney converse some English; you’ll haven’t any points navigating the park and its meals if you happen to solely converse English with the occasional Google Translate help.
The opening of Fantasy Springs this summer time is simply another reason to incorporate a cease at Tokyo DisneySea in your itinerary once you go to Japan.
Admission charges at each Tokyo Disney parks are often a lot decrease than what you’d pay to go to a Disney park within the U.S. Plus, a go to to those parks provides a enjoyable and attention-grabbing look into Japanese tradition by the lens of one thing acquainted but additionally distinctive and completely different.