like stepping back into a disney time machine

day two of our tokyo disney extravaganza also got off to an early start, since we were really trying to maximize the time we had available there.  the bean decided to opt out of the matchy-matchy outfits this time, but that’s okay.

also - i took a few minutes to snap some closeup pictures of the disney details in our minnie mouse-themed room.  we were being moved into a different room for our last night, so this was my only chance.

and we had a view of the top of the tower of terror from the window.

plus, our room included club level service.  i never got around to taking any pictures in there, but there were lots of snacks and beverages and treats for us to grab and go.

we’d had a reservation to take advantage of the free breakfast that also came with the room, but we were running about a half hour behind.  luckily, they happily seated us anyway and we got to enjoy a fun variety of food from the buffet.

hotel lobby:

i’d picked up a copy of the schedule for the shuttles to the parks and we managed to time it just right so that we were finishing up breakfast in time to walk outside and get right onboard.

here’s the entrance to tokyo disneyland.  they were celebrating donald duck’s birthday:

and i thought it was interesting that their main street was covered.

the waffle shop already had a really long line to get in.

as did their version of pirates of the caribbean.

but the jungle cruise had no wait, so that ended up being our first attraction of the day.  we didn’t understand a word that the skipper said, but we had fun anyway.

because tokyo disneyland was modeled after disneyland from the 80s and 90s, they still have a swiss family treehouse but it was closed that day.  bummer.

and their tiki room looked like it was stitch-themed.  we didn’t go in, though.

our first snack of the day was a crème brûlée churro and a pork rice roll, which i washed down with a sparkling lemon water.

another bummer - big thunder mountain was also closed.

i thought it was kind of weird that this lady decided to just spread a blanket and plop herself down right here in the middle of the walkway, but no one else seemed to have a problem with it.

their haunted mansion was very elaborate. it also has a different back story from the ones in the US, but we just relied on our own interpretation since we didn’t understand the narration.

it was nice to be indoors for the “small world” queue.

this looked like a fun place to eat…too bad it wasn’t open.

instead, we found ourselves in toontown waiting in line to order some fun sandwiches.

the bean had egg and chicken in a bun shaped like mickey’s hand.

my bun was shaped like donald’s foot, with a really tasty shrimp burger inside.

we caught the tail end of whatever parade was happening at the moment.

they’d recently announced that their space mountain was going to close soon, to be demolished and completely rebuilt.  like the other rides, it was modeled after the original version at disneyland.  still fun, though.

their baymax ride, which looked like bumper cars, was also closed.  the vending machines were really cute, though, with mochi the cat (“hairrrry baby! hairy baby”) perched on the roof above.

i’d managed to secure a priority pass for the beauty and the beast attraction, which is arguably the best one in all of tokyo disney.  the castle at the entrance alone rivals our beloved sleeping beauty’s castle at disneyland.

the ride vehicles are trackless and shaped like teacups.

it’s a really well-done attraction, with a pretty magical scene where you watch the beast transform into the prince.  i saw a few posts that explained how it’s done, but it was too much for my very non-technical brain.

afterwards, it was time for an ice cream break.  the bean had wanted to try this muscat-flavored icy treat while i went for the tiramisu ice cream sandwich.  it was just okay, to be honest. i would much rather have had another sea salt ice cream monaka.

i loved how cute their ears were, and so affordable!  each pair was about $13.  and i knew we were going to scoop up a bunch of the little mini ear keychains to take home for friends.

next up, splash mountain.  

while in frontierland, i found the perfect backdrop to pose with my handmade dress.

and while the bean munched on a turkey leg (which they said wasn’t nearly as good as the ones at home), we spied some disneyland ducks waddling down the pathway.

by that time, the line for pirates of the caribbean had dwindled down to practically nothing, so we hopped on one of the boats and floated past all of the old familiar scenes, most of which are gone now from the version at home.

i decided to buy one of their popcorn totes.  this little bag is perfect for carrying around one or two boxes of their many flavors of popcorn, and that way you don’t have to eat it all at once.  a bottle of water or soda also fits perfectly in there if you just put one box of popcorn inside.

obligatory castle photo.

the donald topiaries were really cute.

we ended up in the perfect spot for watching the fireworks:

but i was a little bummed that the park closed before we could go on their monsters, inc. ride.

we fulfilled the bean’s craving for some mickey-shaped chicken nuggets at one of the last food spots that was still open, on main street.

back at the hotel, our bags had been moved into our next room on the chip & dale level.  it was slightly less luxe than the minnie room, but still had all kinds of great amenities.

and that was the end of day two!