[Question] Whats So Great?

[Dlandclub33]

I'm Sorry but I've recently Visited Tokyo Disneyland this past May and I have to ask Whats so Great about Tokyo disneyland. I have to say I was highly disapointed about the park. I Don't know why everyone brags about because I don't think its better the Disneyland CA and about the same as WDW. I did like how it was liker a combo of Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. Like the area Around Pirates of the Cariebean was like New Orleans Square kinda. The attractions were Ok. I say they take better care of them but a lot of Attractions were better in other Parks. And Pooh was cool though. So why do you guys like Tokyo Disneyland?

By the Way Tokyo Disney Sea was Amazing!!! And a both parks they had good service.

[Ice101]

Re: Whats So Great?

Tokyo Disneyland has better cast members, maintenance, shows, attractions, layout, theming, and everything else then Magic Kingdom.

[TDR_Fan]

Re: Whats So Great?

As a Disneyland local, I share some of the same sentiments you do. As far as "Disneylands" go, I don't think the one in Tokyo is the best designed. It lacks the charm of the original Disneyland and the intricate details of the one in Paris. When they took aspects of Disneyland and put it into the scale of Magic Kingdom, it didn't quite blend as well as they thought.

The pathways are simply too wide, and the transitions between lands are quite abrupt at times or even nonexistent. For example, the paving is the same throughout the park wheras other parks have cobblestones, bricks, wood, and metal to enhance and differentiate the theme. Then there is the fact that some of the theming is quite dated. Fantasyland is still a medieval fair compared to the picturesque villages in other Fantasylands. Tomorrowland, while maintaining a sleek appearance, is in need of some kind of update. It simply feels too dated.

Of course, there are also aspects that I really enjoy about the park. Its incredibly well maintained and spotless. The attractions, while not always the best version, are always in tip-top shape and every piece of theming is in perfect condition. Pooh's Hunny Hunt is still an unique and stunning attraction found nowhere else, and their version of Splash Mountain is still the best among the three. Critter Country as a whole is very beautifully themed, having the benefit of being built after the initial design of the park. While the rest of the park lacks the same aesthetics, there exists a very solid repertoire of attractions and entertainment that make up for this slight blemish.

That being said, DisneySea is the main reason I make the visit to the resort. As a Disney fan, I visit the parks for their elaborate theming and wonderful details- both of which DisneySea delivers in spades. It is truly the crown jewel among the Disney parks as far as beauty is concerned.

[lighttragic]

Re: Whats So Great?

In terms of Maintence, IE Painting and Park upkeep TDL is top notch, They are also top notch in terms of cast members. I do agree with some of teh above comments what suprised me most about TDL was that certain portions felt like disneyland of the 70's and 80's . The cement walkways, Dumbo in fantasyland, Big Thunder mountain etc just to think of a few. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in TDL dont get me wrong but i was suprised at certain beauty elements that were missing. TDS on the other hand, nothing was missing.

[Dlandclub33]

Re: Whats So Great?

Tokyo Disneyland has better cast members, maintenance, shows, attractions, layout, theming, and everything else then Magic Kingdom.

There are lots of rthings better then WDW. But Diosneyland, not so much

[Imagineer Scott]

Re: Whats So Great?

Say what? Not from my experience. WDW has way better cms than Tokyo's.

[TDR_Fan]

Re: Whats So Great?

Say what? Not from my experience. WDW has way better cms than Tokyo's.

In terms of what? Friendliness? Interactivity? I've had wonderful CMs from all over the world, but Tokyo's is the only place where I've yet to encounter a rude or just misinformed cast member.

In my experience, the CMs at TDR are much more consistent and never detract from the experience unlike at some of the other Disney resorts.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Whats So Great?

There are lots of rthings better then WDW. But Diosneyland, not so much

OK.. I am willing to respect your point of view since you have been there, which is more than I can say for those who tend to criticize TDL without ever leaving the USA. (Even if I suspect you are a DL CM out to defend the mouse that signs your paycheck) However, the biggest plus about TDL is NOT on the design of the park, the lack of DL's charm, the wide walkways, the canopy over World Bazaar... or even the spotless floors. TDL is the best simply because if offers the best VALUE versus the amount of entertainment and experiences they offer in one single day. At 5,800 yen per day (approx $62 a day), you get a park that rarely has any of it's attractions, shops or restaurants closed for long periods of time; you get the most varied and the highest number of parades, special events and regular stage shows DAILY over ANY of the DL parks in the World; you get a park that on average has 500% more staffing than the MK at WDW and can operate the park without missing a beat or loosing control of whatever situation may arise.. and I have seen many! THAT is what makes TDL the best Disney park IMHO. Those items you mentioned in your initial post, plus those items that set the standard for other DL parks, like maintenance and attractions that usually operate flawlessly and without broken props is mere "nothing" and we have all mentioned these imperfections before so you are not adding anything we already know or have discussed in the past. So I won't go further with this response. I will let others who share the same opinion do the talking..

Tokyo Disneyland has better cast members, maintenance, shows, attractions, layout, theming, and everything else then Magic Kingdom.

Its incredibly well maintained and spotless. The attractions, while not always the best version, are always in tip-top shape and every piece of theming is in perfect condition. Pooh's Hunny Hunt is still an unique and stunning attraction found nowhere else, and their version of Splash Mountain is still the best among the three. Critter Country as a whole is very beautifully themed, having the benefit of being built after the initial design of the park. While the rest of the park lacks the same aesthetics, there exists a very solid repertoire of attractions and entertainment that make up for this slight blemish.
Tokyo's (CMs) is the only place where I've yet to encounter a rude or just misinformed cast member. In my experience, the CMs at TDR are much more consistent and never detract from the experience unlike at some of the other Disney resorts.

In terms of Maintence, IE Painting and Park upkeep TDL is top notch, They are also top notch in terms of cast members.

[Jspider]

Re: Whats So Great?

I've never been but after visiting WDW, just the MK with better maintenance sounds like a dream to me :P

Why is the paving still done in such a poor way? I mean I see that they've mastered looks over in TDS and it seems like a paving project would be simple enough after all the ones pulled in DL a half dozen times over. Guess I don't understand why the OLC would drag its feet on that?

[Ice101]

Re: Whats So Great?

I've never been but after visiting WDW, just the MK with better maintenance sounds like a dream to me :P

Why is the paving still done in such a poor way? I mean I see that they've mastered looks over in TDS and it seems like a paving project would be simple enough after all the ones pulled in DL a half dozen times over. Guess I don't understand why the OLC would drag its feet on that?

Well, Tokyo DisneySea was designed with perfection from the get go. Tokyo Disneyland was not exactly. Yes it was well designed but they clearly did not have the same mind set that they did with Tokyo DisneySea. It is hard to change something that has already started (DCA) as appose to having something great from the get-go (TDS)

[lighttragic]

Re: Whats So Great?

I agree with you 100 percent TDLfan. I was very suprised how cheap the 4 day multi pass was . It was a relative bargain in an otherwise expensive country. The hotel costs pretty expensive but worth it I was also amazed at the staffing levels , a given example on pinnochio having four-five cast members work Pinnochio in Anaheim is unheard of but in tokyo it was standard practice to have greeters, seaters operators and people at the exit. This was very welcoming. I would also say the cast members are generally more friendly in Tokyo because the sarcastic or surly person either doesnt translate or generally doesnt exist, didnt spend long enough in japan to do a long term case study just a quick observation. In America sarcasm and surlyness and lazyness is everywhere.. Its hard for people to turn it on and off here. I was very impressed with the work ethic in Japan. One thing that was hard to adjust to is TDL is very rule based. The photo policys were harshly strict. Dumbo I still dont get why photos were forbidden . They also work the crowd flow pretty well. All in all though that is very minor. I would Imagine the simple concrete could be adressed over time. I havent been to Magic kingdom in florida but at Disneyland in Anaheim it wasnt untill the late 90's when they started all the paving projects probably with the 98 tommorowland redo.. One interesting thing is some of the concept art for the new fantasyland in florida specifically the dumbo concept art is lifted from Tokyo (accordinbg to the disney and more blogspot) Perhaps as time goes on, Lands will get either major thematic upgrades or minor upgrades such as paving. Overall I see these things that the original poster posted as very minor. TDL and TDS were awesome and amazing , something I look forward to visiting again. As a side note, I was dissapointed I missed one of the first ever miceage meets in Japan. Perhaps with Advance notice say a year or so in advance , something bigger could actually be planned, I imagine Tokyo would never go for something like the Gumball rally, but at the very least a larger meet one for each park, just throwing it out for the micechat universe. Appologies in advance for my lack of spelling and grammer

[Olivier]

Re: Whats So Great?

I'm Sorry but I've recently Visited Tokyo Disneyland this past May and I have to ask Whats so Great about Tokyo disneyland. I have to say I was highly disapointed about the park.

You are not alone Dlandclub33, I was in Tokyo Disneyland last august, and was also highly disapointed about the park. I thought the park looked like a twisted version of Disneyland Paris, which is my home park.
However, I realize that people come to a Disney park with their very own expectations, and people think some aspects are more important than others.
Even after visiting Disneyland Paris for seventeen years now I'm still amazed by the beauty and the charm of the place. I think Tokyo Disneyland has none of these two adjectives (except some areas), but it's true it has significant qualities like maintenance, efficient Cast Members, and of course some great attractions and entertainments...

That said, I can't wait to go back to Tokyo Disney Resort, mostly for Tokyo Disneysea though, certainly the most beautiful park on Earth.

[gurgi]

Re: Whats So Great?

The thing about Tokyo Disneyland is that it's been kind of stuck in a time warp since opening. Granted, some of the newer attractions have added the detail we expect these days, but the rest of the park needs to be looked at as what the others used to look like. That painted concrete slurry on all the walkways is the way both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom used to be as well. It wasn't until the 90's that the unique paving happened, and I believe it was probably inspired by Disneyland Paris. Even the sidewalks at Disneyland used to be concrete slabs, and now they are brick pavers. So, Tokyo Disneyland has not modernized their look to match the other Magic Kingdoms, and that's probably what a lot of you are noticing. It's an example of what the US Disney parks looked like in the 70's and 80's. Even the Fantasyland area looks like the older tournament tent look from the US parks.

I think if Tokyo Disneyland was to improve their open spaces to match the level of Disneyland Paris, or even Disneyland, people might not feel the way they do about how bland it looks. But, that costs money, and who knows if OLC will do it. I do kind of wonder what they will do once the Magic Kingdom gets such a lavish Fantasyland makeover...maybe it will inspire them to improve Tokyo's?

[Mr. Bungle]

Re: Whats So Great?

I think it has the best Holiday decorations, and very polite crowds and CMs. I do agree about the transitions being abrupt at times from land to land. Also it has the fantastic Pooh ride.

However, while I personally rate TDS as the best Disney park around; I rank DL over TDL as best Disneyland.

EDIT: Also- flavored popcorn.

[DuffyDaisuki]

Re: Whats So Great?

I would also say the cast members are generally more friendly in Tokyo because the sarcastic or surly person either doesnt translate or generally doesnt exist, didnt spend long enough in japan to do a long term case study just a quick observation. In America sarcasm and surlyness and lazyness is everywhere.. Its hard for people to turn it on and off here. I was very impressed with the work ethic in Japan. One thing that was hard to adjust to is TDL is very rule based. The photo policys were harshly strict. Dumbo I still dont get why photos were forbidden .

Yeah, sarcasm is not part of Japanese humor. The way it is funny is not generally a culturally encouraged attitude. This is tough for me sometimes.^^

The rules, though!!! For the best CMs on Earth (not that I've been to any other parks - just hearsay), it is often very frustrating that so few of them are willing to make decisions to make Guests happy without having to make phone calls to five other superiors. It's also extremely annoying when I can't get what I want because of a stupid rule, not because it's impossible or even a little bit difficult. This happens more rarely at TDR than in other aspects of my Japanese life, though, so I guess I can't complain too much. But the hierarchical mindset does limit otherwise exceptional service in many situations all over Japan all the time.

You are not alone Dlandclub33, I was in Tokyo Disneyland last august, and was also highly disapointed about the park. I thought the park looked like a twisted version of Disneyland Paris, which is my home park.
However, I realize that people come to a Disney park with their very own expectations, and people think some aspects are more important than others.
Even after visiting Disneyland Paris for seventeen years now I'm still amazed by the beauty and the charm of the place.

As a first-time Annual Passholder for both parks, I suspect that when I renew it will only be for TDS. TDL just doesn't have the "wow" factor for me with TDS right next door and I hardly ever go there. Now that Halloween is at TDS, too, I don't know if I need to go to TDL often enough to justify another $250. That said, I loved TDL before I really got to know DisneySEA.^^

The thing about Tokyo Disneyland is that it's been kind of stuck in a time warp since opening...It's an example of what the US Disney parks looked like in the 70's and 80's. Even the Fantasyland area looks like the older tournament tent look from the US parks.

I think if Tokyo Disneyland was to improve their open spaces to match the level of Disneyland Paris, or even Disneyland, people might not feel the way they do about how bland it looks. But, that costs money, and who knows if OLC will do it. I do kind of wonder what they will do once the Magic Kingdom gets such a lavish Fantasyland makeover...maybe it will inspire them to improve Tokyo's?

I initially loved TDL (and still kinda do) exactly because of its retro vibe. But as the year has gone on, I've definitely noticed that I gravitate toward TDS for its full-on beauty immersion.

I think it has the best Holiday decorations, and very polite crowds and CMs...
EDIT: Also- flavored popcorn.

Holiday decorations and flavored popcorn are indeed great.^^ TDS's inaugural Halloween has totally blown me away! I'm looking forward to Christmas, too, as my first chance to compare seasonal experiences between two years.

[Malin]

Re: Whats So Great?

I'm Sorry but I've recently Visited Tokyo Disneyland this past May and I have to ask Whats so Great about Tokyo disneyland.

I'm sure you can gather by the response its not the park or the attractions people rave on about but the overall experience. You probarely don't notice it so much because your a regular to Disneyland and having just come back from it myself the two experiences were similar.

Say what? Not from my experience. WDW has way better cms than Tokyo's.

I have to completely disagree with you on this, I met a lot of rude Cast Members on a recent trip to WDW. The only problem with TDR Cast Members is there lack of english, but that doesn't stop them from trying to over come the languege barrier to help you. Would WDW do the same if I spoke Japanese?

[Mr. Bungle]

Re: Whats So Great?

I have to completely disagree with you on this, I met a lot of rude Cast Members on a recent trip to WDW. The only problem with TDR Cast Members is there lack of english, but that doesn't stop them from trying to over come the languege barrier to help you. Would WDW do the same if I spoke Japanese?

I totally agree with this. The reason I got the Sinbad Story Paper was due to a CM who had trouble with English doing her best to help me when I was asking about the song (the paper has lyrics in English). I didn't even know they existed before then.

[MickeyMania]

Re: Whats So Great?

that doesn't stop them from trying to over come the languege barrier to help you. Would WDW do the same if I spoke Japanese?

I have personally seen security at MK that know a number of foreign greetings for visitors, even if they wouldn't be able to hold a conversation.

I think judging CMs is pretty futile. It's an entirely anecdotal experience and varies from experience to experience. The best crowd control CM that I ever saw was working SpectroMagic one night in 2007. On the other hand, it would be stupid to judge the entire park by that one guy.

I was also offended by at least one foods CM at DL, but I know they (still) have more long timers than anywhere else and some CMs who really get into the act like Maynard (who I have also heard positive and negative experiences with.) I still miss Rod Miller at the piano on the corner of Main Street at DL, but I wouldn't even know who the equivalent (though MK doesn't have a piano, maybe the one in the Grand Floridian lobby?) is let alone recognize him after a seven year park hiatus like at DL.

Throw in a language barrier at some parks (let's see you understand the Hong Kong Jungle Cruise, hm?) and it's just too hard to say somebody is doing their job good or bad compared to their counterparts at another resort.

[COOOOLkid]

Re: Whats So Great?

Coming from somebody who can speak Japanese, I can definitely say that Japanese CMs are much more customer-service oriented.

My experience at TDR is that CMs definitely tend to treat the park guests as guests. Their language is interesting in a way that there is a certain way to address and speak to somebody who is supposedly in respected position, and in their culture, the companies place so much emphasis on training the people to be polite to the customers.

So mainly, it's just a cultural difference. Of course, I've met delightful CMs at DLR and WDW. I've met some rude cast members who shouldn't be allowed to even be associated with the Disney name. It seems the deviation (on the friendliness/quality of the CMs' service) is pretty wide in the States, while the CMs at TDR are much more consistent as a whole.

[Mr. Bungle]

Re: Whats So Great?

Yeah, the worst service I ever had in Japan was a kid with an attitude working the register at McDonald's in Kyoto. He still was pretty nice overall, but there was something about his mannerisms that was rougher than any other workers I encountered in Japan.