One year Two years later and I’m finally here to recap my Tokyo Disneyland visit from October 2022. Thank you for your patience. (That’s just life as a working mom with a toddler, amirite?)
As you may recall, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation leading up to this Disney outing for me. This would be my baby’s first Disneyland visit ever! I knew it would be tiring. Bryce told me to not set high expectations. (In my head, I went from, I hope she rides one ride to, she will ride zero rides!)
So, unlike the many past Disneyland visits of my adulthood where I’d vigorously plan what rides we would start with and where we’d eat lunch, etc. etc. etc., I kind of just winged it with Tokyo Disney with a baby.
We arrived shortly before the park opened and despite it being a weekday, there were lines to get in. We didn’t have to wait too long but it made me a bit worried of what to expect once inside the park. However, once inside, all those thoughts escaped me as I soaked in that I was at Disneyland with my family. The nostalgic music played as we walked through World Bazaar (Tokyo’s equivalent to Main Street at Anaheim.) It was nice and sunny and the perfect fall weather.
We got lots of photos in front of the castle. Although, looking back at my phone now, I didn’t take nearly as many photos as I thought I had. A clear sign that I was just in the moment. Baby was walking around and pointing and looking at everything. (I say “baby” but she was already a little over one year old at this point.)
It being October, visitors are allowed to dress up in costume/as Disney characters. Yes, even adults! (This is not allowed in Anaheim unless you pay for a special evening Halloween event ticket at the park.) The Japanese Disney enthusiasts definitely dress to impress. I don’t know how many times I couldn’t tell if someone was a cast member or a regular visitor. (Well, the giveaway was that in most cases, the visitors were wearing masks with their costumes. This was considered still peak covid times in Japan so it was common for people to mask outside in crowded areas.)
Baby’s first Disney ride
My dad and Bryce both looked to me after we walked through the castle and asked me what “the plan” was. I didn’t know. But, I figured we should try to get in line for a ride to at least attempt one ride with baby. We were in Fantasyland so naturally we got in line for Dumbo since my baby loves elephants. Although Anaheim Disneyland allows two parents and a child to ride the Dumbo ride together, in Tokyo they only allow one parent with a child on the ride. So, I waited with baby in line and prayed to whatever higher power exists that there wouldn’t be any screaming and crying for Daddy. (She had a very strong preference for dad over mom … and still does.)
The minutes quickly ticked by and she held my hand patiently. There were older girls in front of us and behind us in line and both were very interested in baby. They were about 6 or 7 and took turns asking me questions like how old baby was and what snack was she eating. My Japanese is at an elementary level so luckily I had no issues communicating back with these children. Baby just stared. The entire wait for the ride ended up being 30 minutes and she didn’t cry or have a single meltdown. I was relieved. This was her first official time waiting for something in a public setting like this. When it was finally our turn, I was equal parts happy and nervous. Is she going to freak out? Will she cry the entire time on the ride? Was this a bad idea?
It was fine. In fact, it was great. We flew in the sky and she sat on my lap looking out. I waved really big and pointed down to Daddy and Grandpa when we flew by them. She stared. At one point she started clapping her hands and smiling so I clapped with her. I was at Disneyland with my baby riding her first ride together! When we exited the ride area, she held my hand and of course once she saw Daddy, ran back into his arms.
More rides and lunch
After Dumbo, our next ride was It’s a Small World — one where all of us could ride together. We had a little bit of a wait but again, baby did great. The wait is inside the “small world” (building) in Tokyo so she was kind of mesmerized by all the displays of kids and animals and lights that surrounded us even before the ride started. I know some people hate this ride because you get that song stuck in your head forever and ever, but, I enjoy the ride. I guess it’s the nostalgia from riding it as a kid with my family. It’s a nice boat ride and on really hot summer days, it’s a nice escape from the heat.
My general rule for Disneyland has always been to do the rides when the parades are going on because the lines usually die down during that time. With a kiddo though, we made sure to catch the parade. The morning parade was the Spooky Boo Parade (since it was Halloween time) and my baby was really into it. I was worried it would be scary for her but what was I thinking? This was Disneyland after all! The song to the parade was in English and Mickey and his friends were dressed in their best Halloween attire. I must admit, it was kind of fun to watch. Little did I know that this parade was significantly “toned down” from previous pre-covid iterations where they had dancers along the floats that Mickey and friends rode by on.
For lunch we ended up in Belle’s “poor provincial town” which was actually quite cute and relaxing. We ordered food from La Taverne de Gaston — which was only like a five minute wait, which really makes me not want to ever return to Anaheim where I hear the only option now is to pre-order your food online?! — and also ate some onigiri we brought with us. We posted up on a bench outside the restaurant since it was nice outside and also to just enjoy being in the “little town” and people watch. This area is special to Tokyo as it does not exist in Anaheim. I also hear the Beauty and the Beast ride is really cool but, I wasn’t about to wait ~60 minutes with a baby in tow. Guess we’ll have to come back when she is older and has seen the movie, right?
After lunch, all of us rode the tea cups and jungle cruise. We didn’t spin the cup at all on the tea cups ride and baby kind of just looked confused the entire time. And yes, the jokes made by the boat captain in jungle cruise are just as corny yet fun in Japanese as they are in English.
When you gotta nap, you gotta nap
Since baby loved the Halloween parade in the morning so much, we decided to find a spot to watch the afternoon parade. We did find a spot — everything is roped off so you know where you can or cannot sit/stand for parades — but the cast member designated to this zone informed us that we’d need to sit for the parade. We weren’t really into that so we moved and while walking, lo and behold, baby fell asleep. (Had we been prepared with a mat or something, maybe we would have been OK sitting. But then again, my late-30s runner’s knees would have probably been grumpy anyway.)
Now with baby napping, this only meant one thing. Time for mom to shop! We decided to not wake her up and just forgo the parade. Making sure she naps is important because who wants a grumpy and overly tired baby on the one-hour train ride back home?
I went into the nearest gift shop to find something to commemorate the trip: matching Tokyo Disneyland sweatshirts for me and baby. I got it really large so it still fits her today! If I had had more time, I probably would have bought more. I also got the alien mochi from a cafe. Yes, they were cute and delicious.
By the time I returned to my family, baby had awoken. Guess she just needed a power nap. As we headed out, we saw a marching band playing, got a wave from Gaston and saw several characters hanging out near the entrance/exit of the park. Baby was content just watching the characters from afar. (Bye, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Mickey and Minnie!)
I would definitely say this was a successful Disneyland visit. I’m thankful that Bryce agreed as someone who is not into Disney and that my dad also joined in on the fun. Of course my baby will not remember this when she is older. But, really, it was for me, right?
Also, I talk about the visit often with her so even though she may not remember, she “knows” that it happened. However, for some reason she keeps saying she does not want to go back to Tokyo. The odd thing is that other than Tokyo Disneyland and the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, we spent a majority of our Japan trip in Kamakura where my grandma resided.
But, when I ask if she wants to go back to Tokyo Disneyland specifically? It’s a “yes.”
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