Since I was passing through Tokyo, I figured I might as well stop by DisneySea. A Disney park with a unique aesthetic, and one whose Jules Verne themed area I’d always envied, with two attractions inspired by his books (while in Disneyland Paris, we had Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon taken away from us). And although the park overall delivers on its promises, I left feeling a bit disappointed.

Before going any further, let me be clear: what I care about in a theme park are the rides. Not the shows, not the entertainment, not the static attractions like the spinning teacups. So my review will focus on those aspects.

The Park

It’s the most beautiful theme park I’ve ever seen. Everything is built around Jules Verne’s volcano, Vulcania, which creates an impressive landscape right from the entrance. And this mastery of set design is everywhere: Venice, an American waterfront, Cape Cod… everything is flawless.

The forced perspectives are perfect, whether it’s the volcano, Never Land, or the Snow Queen’s castle. The transitions between areas are so well crafted that they never break immersion. And if you stay after sunset, the illuminated park takes on a magical atmosphere in every zone.

My only complaint: not all areas are equal. The SS Columbia section lacks rides, the Aladdin area only offers a Japanese-language cinema show, and the Little Mermaid zone is mostly for kids. As a result, you’ll be walking a lot. Major attractions are very spread out, and if you try to optimize your waiting time, you’ll end up exhausted crossing the park from end to end. Going from the Tower of Terror to the Frozen area easily takes 20 minutes on foot. So be prepared, or explore the park zone by zone.

Despite that, it’s still one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen, and I doubt that will ever change.

The Rides

I went on a weekday in October, which one could assume would be quiet… but nope. Rarely did a ride have less than a 30-minute queue, and the most popular ones, like Tower of Terror or Frozen, easily exceeded two hours.

Two attractions I absolutely wanted to try ( Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull and Journey to the Center of the Earth ) were closed for refurbishment. I was really bummed out.

Here are my thoughts on the ones I did ride:

• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: A fun but dated dark ride. Three seats per vehicle, and the middle seat gives you a much better view of the scenes, definitely worth asking for it (the staff were super nice). There’s a little interactive lamp you can move around to illuminate the scenery. It’s original and unique, but it doesn’t completely hold up nowadays.
  40-minute wait. 6/10
• Raging Spirit: A copy of Indiana Jones at Disneyland Paris. The only thrill ride besides Tower of Terror. The Single Rider line is extremely useful: 10 minutes instead of 90. 7/10
• Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster: A small coaster, pleasant but a bit short.
  25-minute wait. 7/10
• Aquatopia: We waited 30 minutes for it to break down right before our turn. Risky.Idk/10. (Apparently it might be replaced soon, so could be worth a try.)
• Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies: A spinning track ride. Fun if you like the movie, but it doesn’t offer much that you wouldn’t get from simply walking through the scenery.
  50-minute wait. 4/10
• Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival: A boat ride through the Tangled sets. Beautiful lantern scenery but too short, and lacks a moment of tension.
  60-minute wait. 6/10

• Tower of Terror: The park’s exclusive drop tower. Original story: a collector brought back cursed artifacts, one of which trapped him inside his mansion. You go from an abandoned hotel to artifact archives, which does weaken the initial atmosphere a bit, but it’s still excellent. The queue is endless (120 minutes), so I had to pay for Disney Premier Access if I wanted a chance to ride it a only 10€ per person. And even then, since it only skips the outdoor queue, there’s still about 20 minutes left after the preshow.9/10
• Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure: A 3D tracked ride mixing sets and screens, similar to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Freely rotating vehicle, movements that genuinely create sensations. Long, with great storytelling and a stunning queue line. Do this one above all else.15/10

Conclusion

It’s one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen, but it feels dated. The flagship attractions have aged, and the thrill offerings are limited. The park is very crowded, especially in Tokyo. Even so, I want to return to try the rides I missed, but I’ll choose the timing more carefully. Because even though I left with some good memories, by the end of the day I was mostly frustrated.

Final score: 8/10. Very beautiful, but not quite enough.