Farewell, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

After 5 glorious nights, we had to pack up and say goodbye to our amazing corner room at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. Some people thought we were a little crazy to be spending so much of our time in Japan at a Disney park, of all things, but we didn’t regret a second of it.

This hotel was the most exquisite home-away-from-home that we could’ve asked for. A huge thanks to all the cast members who helped make our stay pure magic!

For our last day at the parks, we skipped the Disneyland crowds and took the monorail to DisneySea.

A Perfect Christmas

On our last day we FINALLY got to watch the Perfect Christmas show in full. On our first day at DisneySea, it had rained and all the on-the-water shows had been cancelled. On our second day, we were too busy eating lunch at Restaurant di Canelleto.

I’m so glad we caught this, cause it ended up being my favorite show of the entire trip. The production value was so grandiose: individual sets of dancers and characters (ranging from the original Fab 5 to Chip ‘N Dale, etc.) danced on the 3 stage areas lining the water, while massive barge ships moved in tandom on the water, carrying princesses, their princes, and even Santa Claus. And the songs – so catchy! Mark bought the soundtrack so we could play it on repeat at home.

Of course, the best part of the show was people-watching the people watching it. The coordinated backpacks & outfits were So. Darn. Cute.

#popcornbucketstalking

Almost immediately after Perfect Christmas was over, it was time for another show! This one was the Crystal Wishes 15th Anniversary Spectacular. And yes, it felt just as opulent and impressive as the rest.

(^ When you tell Mark to hold your Duffy ears for a second.)

Big Band Beat

Big Band Beat is a 1920s inspired Jazz show held in a big theatre in the NYC Harbor area. It features a live orchestra, tap dancers and belt-it-out singers. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Daisy also take center stage, decked out in flapper and black tie attire. It almost felt like we were watching something on broadway — it’s that good.

Because it’s so popular, the park holds daily lotteries for tickets. Parkgoers can go to designated ticket booths in Mediterranean Harbor (not far from the Restaurant di Canelleto) and scan their park tickets. If you’re lucky, the booth will make a magical sound and spit out a ticket for one of the showtimes, with assigned seating and everything. If you’re not, you’ll be forced to wait in a standby line to see if you can get in that way.

Hey-o! We were one of the lucky ones.

Everything was so beautifully detailed, but unfortunately photography wasn’t allowed inside the theatre (I had to be super sneaky just to get this).

The show itself was chic and classy. A bit of the Chicago broadway aesthetic, mixed with the House of Mouse (and less homicidal ladies, obviously). The whole thing was in English and the crowd was really enthused, even though you could tell they weren’t understanding some of the jokes ‘n smooth talking.

Go see it if you have a chance, and you’ll be gifted with the unforgettable visuals of Mickey Mouse tap dancing like a pro.

#popcornbucketstalking

The Teddy Roosevelt Lounge

In keeping with the classy AF mood we’d worked up at the Big Band Beat, we grabbed cocktails at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge on board the USS Columbia. It was like being on the Titanic, sailing away in lavish luxury with the finest of society.

There was about a 10 minute wait to be seated — not bad at all by Tokyo Disney standards.

The interior was so elegantly masculine — what I imagine the smoking rooms were like on the Titanic.

We were seated at the bar, and got to see the kickass lady bartender rocking her skills.

Cosmo for me. Kamikaze for him.

Plus this tiny pot pie plate with grilled chicken and sausage! I could’ve probably scarfed down another 4 of these pot pies – so flakey, buttery, and gluttonous.

To top it off, we had a “spaghetti” ice cream sundae with a souvenir cup! Too bad we didn’t try this place sooner, cause it was probably my favorite gem at DisneySea.

Fantasmic

We caught Fantasmic one last time, as a last hurrah before heading out of the park. It was crowded (as you can see) but everyone stayed seated for the show which did wonders for our view.

We’d watched it from the side the first time, so it was nice to see again, framed nicely with Mount Vesuvius in the background.

And just like that — time to leave! Major sadface.

We took the monorail back to the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, where we picked up our luggage from the bell desk and caught a taxi into the city.

It was so tough saying bye to this hotel. But we still had some Tokyo exploring to do, and more memories to make!

Everything about the Tokyo Disney Resort was a dream come true. It’s no secret that one of my biggest bucket list items is visiting all the Disney Parks around the world, and the Tokyo Resort has been at the top of that list for a long time. I had high expectations for these parks, and they were all exceeded beyond belief!

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, or this blog, it’ll come as no surprise why I hold the Tokyo Disney Resort in such high esteem. The park, the attractions, the food, the people, the entertainment, the cast members — everything felt pixie dust perfect. Of course there were frustrations: the weather (so cold), the crowds (so many people)… But they were overshadowed by all the sheer AWESOME in the air.

Thank you for the memories, DisneySea! We’ll certainly be back again.

xx,

K