Adventure to the land of the rising sun Day 1&2

kk20 · 27 Jul 19, 10:48 AM

Index - https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho... php?t=1139534
A double day because that is precisely how it felt...

One of the best things about planned holidays are the emails you get just before you set off. Especially the ones entitled "your new scheduled departure". Uh oh. However, after opening it was all a bit anticimatic, apparently our initial flight was setting off 30 minutes later and since we have a 2.5 hour layover in Schiphol this isnt an issue. We booked a single tickets so our luggage is sent to destination too, no need to requeue.

Not much to report on the flight to Schiphol. We booked cattle class, as cheap as you can get and were surprised by the 23kg each and snacks on the 1.5 hour flight. Drinks were also free - again another surprise for cheap class on the shorthaul leg. Schiphol is a large airport and there was just enough to do in a couple of hours. One word of note is that you do have to go through security again - that means any duty free liquids need to fit in your hand luggage appropriately - just something to bear in mind if you buy perfumes etc.

The main flight took off on time, plane was a 777 in 3-4-3 configuration. We have the last 4 row at the back, the flight was about 3/4 full and basically had noone to our left and only 1 couple to our right. A quiet section with the rear galley almost to ourselves. 2 hot meals served with a help-yourself inbetween. Cup noodles and sandwiches were in a basket along with chocolate bars and pancakes. Plenty to drink if you wanted to. Seatback entertainment was very good each with USB charging and a socket shared between 2 seats. Socket was 100v but was a multisocket so I didnt need the adapter I had packed. Headphones, blankets and pillows were given out.

11 hours later and we were there! It was an overnight flight so we were landing at 08:40, we all managed about 5 hours sleep which was good.

Narita was organised, 30 mins from landing on tarmac to getting luggage is a decent time. Collected wifi brick from Narita post office (upstairs tucked away), got our child suica and JR pass from the JR office (downstairs in the airport) and outside for our airport limousine transfer to Okura Bay for 11AM. Wifi works nicely.

We couldnt get our room officially till 3 but were surprised that we were allowed the room early - we had heard about Japanese rigid timings but it seems this might be exaggerated. We noticed no graffiti on the hour long drive over, no litter either. Traffic was fairly heavy.

We booked a 4 day monorail pass at 1400y adult 700y child. We didnt want to trek around unnecessarily. This was a wise move. The bayside station is opposite the hotel.

Getting to the otherside the monorail station is right outside the entrance. Almost no walking to or from the hotel to disney entrance. Much shorter than even HNY -> DLP main.

A lot of characters congregate just in front of the entrance. We got into the park about 13:00 ish after a quick lunch break at a local convenience store - they had LOTS of ready meals ranging from eels to chicken even hot fries and wedges.

The main street equivalent is covered and features mainly shops and eateries. But characters do walk about. Jack sparrow was fairly mobile. Unlike DLP the characters dont just walk to one spot and stop before going away, they move about quite a bit. Japanese queuing breaks down somewhat around characters - a rare queuing failure it must be said. That also being said, the cast members are EXCELLENT in both humour, smiles and also keeping order. We had 4 autographs in the space of 30 mins getting in!

Temperature is about 28C and there are multiple water sprayers to help out. These are built into the features.

We rode a few rides - FP for BTM, pirates of the carribean, teacups, carrousel, snow white. but we are beginning to flag. Its about 16:00 so we decide to go back to hotel, get refreshed, have a nap then go back into the park later on for the evening and eat late. We are trying to get our sleep cycle bedded in so dont want to sleep too early. This seemed to work for us. It is also a godsend with the monorail.

We got back into the park about 19:00 just as the sun was setting.

We also managed to catch the light parade just as we had finished in toon town. We got onto pooh's hunny hunt almost at the end of the day as the queue was down to 20 mins - i'll talk about queues later.

My notes are a bit sketchy here. I think I was overloaded a little but we made it back to the middle for the evening show then headed to Rainforest cafe in Ikspiari for food before a midnight bed.

Set the alarm for 7.30 an after 32000 fitbit steps we were asleep in no time...

Notes on day:

KLM cheap seats are decent, so much in fact that im glad I didnt book premium. Schiphol is huge but has plenty of places to shop or eat - even a macdonalds if you are so inclined - just remember the security issues regarding liquids.

Japan is clean and efficient, most major places have a rudimentary grasp of english and there are usually Latin alphabet signs. It does help to have some Japanese knowledge especially counting and counters (i'll go into this later).

7bank worked with both cumberland debit card and halifax clarity. Interestingly the debit card is a visa. Mastercard seemed to have logos everywhere, visa not so much.

Ikspiari have plenty of shops and a food court. The food court serve till 9.30 and then there are restaurants open later till 10.30 ish. The supermarket stock fresh food and ready meals.

The walk from Maihama station to disney entrance is about the same as crossing dlp villiage to dlp entrance. Disneysea entrance is further. Maihama station is busy but easy to navigate.

Wifi in disney is best served by your own wifi brick. Use the various apps for queue monitoring (and also FP return times) as they are accurate. The locals dont seem to use the apps as we could get fast passes that work out quicker than queuing! Each fastpass has a return time but also you can get another FP 2 hours after getting the previous one. We held 3 at one point.

AJ86 · 29 Jul 19, 12:25 PM

Sounds a great start. I have always been tempted by the Asia parks especially Tokyo and Hong Kong so look forward to your next part!

redfox5 · 3 Aug 19, 10:32 PM

Great start to a trippy! I look forward to reading the rest.

27 Jul 19, 10:48 AM	#1
	27 Jul 19, 10:48 AM kk20 Imagineer
kk20 Imagineer Join Date: Jan 13	Adventure to the land of the rising sun Day 1&2 Index - https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho... php?t=1139534 A double day because that is precisely how it felt... One of the best things about planned holidays are the emails you get just before you set off. Especially the ones entitled "your new scheduled departure". Uh oh. However, after opening it was all a bit anticimatic, apparently our initial flight was setting off 30 minutes later and since we have a 2.5 hour layover in Schiphol this isnt an issue. We booked a single tickets so our luggage is sent to destination too, no need to requeue. Not much to report on the flight to Schiphol. We booked cattle class, as cheap as you can get and were surprised by the 23kg each and snacks on the 1.5 hour flight. Drinks were also free - again another surprise for cheap class on the shorthaul leg. Schiphol is a large airport and there was just enough to do in a couple of hours. One word of note is that you do have to go through security again - that means any duty free liquids need to fit in your hand luggage appropriately - just something to bear in mind if you buy perfumes etc. The main flight took off on time, plane was a 777 in 3-4-3 configuration. We have the last 4 row at the back, the flight was about 3/4 full and basically had noone to our left and only 1 couple to our right. A quiet section with the rear galley almost to ourselves. 2 hot meals served with a help-yourself inbetween. Cup noodles and sandwiches were in a basket along with chocolate bars and pancakes. Plenty to drink if you wanted to. Seatback entertainment was very good each with USB charging and a socket shared between 2 seats. Socket was 100v but was a multisocket so I didnt need the adapter I had packed. Headphones, blankets and pillows were given out. 11 hours later and we were there! It was an overnight flight so we were landing at 08:40, we all managed about 5 hours sleep which was good. Narita was organised, 30 mins from landing on tarmac to getting luggage is a decent time. Collected wifi brick from Narita post office (upstairs tucked away), got our child suica and JR pass from the JR office (downstairs in the airport) and outside for our airport limousine transfer to Okura Bay for 11AM. Wifi works nicely. We couldnt get our room officially till 3 but were surprised that we were allowed the room early - we had heard about Japanese rigid timings but it seems this might be exaggerated. We noticed no graffiti on the hour long drive over, no litter either. Traffic was fairly heavy. We booked a 4 day monorail pass at 1400y adult 700y child. We didnt want to trek around unnecessarily. This was a wise move. The bayside station is opposite the hotel. Getting to the otherside the monorail station is right outside the entrance. Almost no walking to or from the hotel to disney entrance. Much shorter than even HNY -> DLP main. A lot of characters congregate just in front of the entrance. We got into the park about 13:00 ish after a quick lunch break at a local convenience store - they had LOTS of ready meals ranging from eels to chicken even hot fries and wedges. The main street equivalent is covered and features mainly shops and eateries. But characters do walk about. Jack sparrow was fairly mobile. Unlike DLP the characters dont just walk to one spot and stop before going away, they move about quite a bit. Japanese queuing breaks down somewhat around characters - a rare queuing failure it must be said. That also being said, the cast members are EXCELLENT in both humour, smiles and also keeping order. We had 4 autographs in the space of 30 mins getting in! Temperature is about 28C and there are multiple water sprayers to help out. These are built into the features. We rode a few rides - FP for BTM, pirates of the carribean, teacups, carrousel, snow white. but we are beginning to flag. Its about 16:00 so we decide to go back to hotel, get refreshed, have a nap then go back into the park later on for the evening and eat late. We are trying to get our sleep cycle bedded in so dont want to sleep too early. This seemed to work for us. It is also a godsend with the monorail. We got back into the park about 19:00 just as the sun was setting. We also managed to catch the light parade just as we had finished in toon town. We got onto pooh's hunny hunt almost at the end of the day as the queue was down to 20 mins - i'll talk about queues later. My notes are a bit sketchy here. I think I was overloaded a little but we made it back to the middle for the evening show then headed to Rainforest cafe in Ikspiari for food before a midnight bed. Set the alarm for 7.30 an after 32000 fitbit steps we were asleep in no time... Notes on day: KLM cheap seats are decent, so much in fact that im glad I didnt book premium. Schiphol is huge but has plenty of places to shop or eat - even a macdonalds if you are so inclined - just remember the security issues regarding liquids. Japan is clean and efficient, most major places have a rudimentary grasp of english and there are usually Latin alphabet signs. It does help to have some Japanese knowledge especially counting and counters (i'll go into this later). 7bank worked with both cumberland debit card and halifax clarity. Interestingly the debit card is a visa. Mastercard seemed to have logos everywhere, visa not so much. Ikspiari have plenty of shops and a food court. The food court serve till 9.30 and then there are restaurants open later till 10.30 ish. The supermarket stock fresh food and ready meals. The walk from Maihama station to disney entrance is about the same as crossing dlp villiage to dlp entrance. Disneysea entrance is further. Maihama station is busy but easy to navigate. Wifi in disney is best served by your own wifi brick. Use the various apps for queue monitoring (and also FP return times) as they are accurate. The locals dont seem to use the apps as we could get fast passes that work out quicker than queuing! Each fastpass has a return time but also you can get another FP 2 hours after getting the previous one. We held 3 at one point. Edited at 11:12 AM.