Tokyo Disneyland's Location

Tokyo Disneyland's Location
**http://www.mickey-mouse.com/tdllocation.htm

Tokyo Disneyland lies just outside of Central Tokyo in Urayasu City (Urayasu-shi). It's very well serviced by all forms of transport and roads. The nearest station to Disneyland is Maihama Station and the best way to go into Tokyo City (or back from Tokyo City) is by train. The train maps that you will see look a little daunting as the Station names are in Japanese, but both Maihama and Tokyo Stations have maps in English displayed alongside the Japanese ones. Don't worry, you won't miss your station because you can't read Japanese!
Below are my links to maps and/or information giving directions to Tokyo Disneyland from Central Tokyo and other Japanese Regions, just choose your method of transport.

If you want to view the
Tokyo Disneyland Official
Map, click here.
By Shuttle Bus from the Airports
By Car from Tokyo City Centre
Buy Bus from Other Regions of Japan
By Train from Tokyo Station
By Foot from Maihama Station
From The Official Hotels

Guide to Tokyo Disney Resort

TOKYO DISNEY
**www.japaneselifestyle.com

Tokyo Disney - Guide to Tokyo Disney Resort including Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disneyland hotels (Guaranteed lowest rate) and Tokyo Disney map.

Tokyo Disney is the most popular theme park in Japan and one of the most popular in the world. Tokyo Disney Resort (東京ディズニーリゾート) is complex comprising:

* Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド)
* Tokyo DisneySea (東京ディズニーシー)
* Ikspiari (イクスピアリ) shopping complex (similar to the Downtown Disney found in the Disney resorts in California and Florida)
* Bon Voyage! - official merchandise store
* Cirque du Soleil - Theatre
* Official Disney Hotels
* Additional hotels - See Tokyo Disney Hotels (these are normally much cheaper than the official hotels and are located right next to the theme parks)

Tokyo Disney is located in Chiba, which is part of the greater Tokyo area.
Tokyo Disneyland Cinderella castle
Tokyo Disneyland Cinderella castle by Fanghong
Tokyo Disney Tickets

1 Day Passport:
You can enter Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneysea all day long with this ticket, but not both. Includes use of all the attractions:

* Adult (18+) ¥5,800
* Junior (12-17) ¥5,000
* Child (4-11) ¥3,900
* Senior (60+) ¥5,100

After 6 Passport:
You can use this ticket from 6:00 PM on weekdays. It is sold from 5:00 PM for ¥3100 (all ages).

Starlight Passport:
You can use this ticket in one of the two parks from 3:00 PM on Saturdays, Sundays, and National Holidays.

* Adult (18+) ¥4,700
* Junior (12-17) ¥4,100
* Child (4-11) ¥3,200

Multi Day Passport:
You can enter one park on the first day, the other park on the second day, and then you may move between the two parks (called "park-hopping") on subsequent days. If you find that you need to upgrade your ticket, you can do so simply by paying the difference; this may be done at the Welcome Center, the park ticket windows, or the hotels. These are perhaps the most economical value possible, as the price per day actually decreases with each day.
Days Child (4-11) Junior (12-17) Adult (18+)
Total Per Day Total Per Day Total Per Day
2 ¥6,900 ¥3,450 ¥8,800 ¥4,400 ¥10,000 ¥5,000
3 ¥8,900 ¥2,967 ¥11,500 ¥3,833 ¥12,900 ¥4,300
4 ¥10,500 ¥2,625 ¥13,500 ¥3,375 ¥15,000 ¥3,750


Before you enter this park, your bag will be inspected by a clerk, but you don't need to show your ID card.
Tokyo Disneyland Access

By train
From Tokyo Station, take the JR Keiyo Line to Maihama Station (舞浜), which is adjacent to Tokyo Disneyland. The rides takes about 15 minutes (¥210) on an express train.

By car
From Tokyo and the Yokohama region, follow the coast of a bay to Chiba, exit at the Urayasu ramp and then go out at Route 357, go straight on the road about 1km, make a U-turn at Mihama Rittai Road (美浜立体道路). Then, you just follow the signs.

The Tokyo Disneyland parking lot is huge and can take about 8000 cars. In the parking lot, there are four signs: (M) Mickey, (D) Donald, (G) Goofy, (P) Pinocchio. So, if you remember the space where you parked your car, you can find it soon when you go back. The parking fee is ¥2000. If you want to know more information about the car park and the circumstances of surrounding streets, you can contact the Tokyo Disney Resort information line at 045-683-3011.

By bus
Hotels around Disney have free transportation service to Disney Resort.

Long distance bus services come here from all over Japan.
Get around Tokyo Disneyland

The four-station Disney Resort Line monorail connects Maihama Station to Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disneysea and Tokyo Bay NK Hall plus the resort hotels. The fare is ¥200/100 for adults/children and the Passnet stored value card can be used. Note that, if going to Disneyland, it's probably easier and faster to just walk from the station.

See
Of course, you can see the same Disney characters, a castle, and mountains, and magic performances as at other Disney Parks. The seaside does make this park a bit different from the others. And, the people-watching is great.

Do
The two theme parks, Disneyland and Disneysea, compliment each other. Disneyland is the most visited theme park in the world, with Disneysea following at a close second. The two major symbols, Cinderella Castle at Disneyland and Mount Prometheus at Disneysea are exactly the same height, and from Ikspiari you can see them both.

Drink
Most drinks are soft drinks. However, you can also get alcoholic beverages in some places inside the park.

Useful discussion on visiting Tokyo Disneyland.
Disney Shop - Shibuya

If you don't have time to get to Tokyo DisneyLand, there is a Disney shop in Shibuya.

Tokyo Disney

ThirdAmendment.com
Tokyo Disney Resort Tips
Jol A. Silversmith

I’ve been lucky enough to have had business reasons to travel to Tokyo, and as a result I’ve had a number of opportunities to visit the Tokyo Disney Resort (“TDR”). I would not want to hold myself out as a TDR expert – but I’ve put together this page to try to offer some tips to first-time anglophone visitors (to be updated based on any feedback and future trips to Tokyo…).


(1) Plan ahead. Of course, the challenge to planning ahead is that TDR is primarily targeted at the Japanese market. I’m not aware of any commercial guides to the park in English, other than the brief descriptions in general Tokyo travel guides - although one is due out soon (see http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Disney-Made-Easy-Unofficial/dp/097737582X). But TDR does offer an extensive English-language website at http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/index_e.html. There are also various fan sites, such as http://www.jtcent.com/main.php and http://www.mouseplanet.com/tokyo/ (but be careful – some, such as http://www.mickey-mouse.com/tdl.htm, haven’t been updated recently, and contain obsolete information). And there’s always Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Disney_Resort).


(2) Try to learn some Japanese. Again, easier said than done. TDR (and many tourist-oriented sites in Tokyo) do have English-language signage, and some cast members may speak some English, but you will be a stranger in a strange land (with apologies to Robert Heinlein). Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a guide that tries to quickly teach “useful” Japanese – i.e., something more than just a phrasebook, but something doesn’t emphasis words like “father” and “mother” that tourists are unlikely to need. (Of course, a phrasebook is helpful, but it’s even more helpful to have a basic understanding of the structure of the language, so you’re not just mimicking sounds). At a minimum, visitors should be able to state how many there are in their party (i.e., "hitori" = 1, "futari" = 2, etc.), make basic requests ("kore o kudasai" = please may I have this?) and state that they don’t speak Japanese – not that it isn’t likely to be obvious ("nihongo o hanashimasen").


(3) Don’t forget about the rest of Tokyo. Presumably, if you’re visiting TDR from anywhere outside Japan, you somehow made it to TDR from Narita airport - but there is a bus service from the airport, so it is possible to miss the center of Tokyo. The trains and subways in Tokyo are easy to navigate (well, relatively) because virtually every sign is in both Japanese and English. Still, a good atlas is recommended – I suggest The 3rd edition of Kodansha’s bilingual atlas, available at http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-City-Atlas-Bilingual-Guide/dp/4770025033). Also invaluable is a “Suica” card – a debit card which is accepted by most public transportation (and some stores) in Tokyo, so you don’t have to try to calculate the fare and buy a ticket for any given trip for an overview, see http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/suica.html). Although one shouldn’t be too cocky, Tokyo is a safe city to explore (as a friend who lives there said: “What’s the worst thing that could happen? That some nice Japanese person will try to help you?”)


(4) Don’t be an “ugly American.” You’ll obviously be a “gaijin” (foreigner), but you shouldn’t take that as a pass to ignore cultural norms. Perhaps out of necessity, from living on a crowded island, the Japanese don't seem to mind crowds. TDR isn’t a great place to go if you’re sensitive about personal space. On the other hand, when it’s time for a parade, Japanese guests tend to politely organize themselves with out the need for ropes – and stay seated during the parade, so the people behind them can see. It also appears that schools justify field trips to TDR by giving students certain assignments to complete, such as to seek out foreigners and have them write a few words for them to take back to class.


(5) Personal comments – Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo Disneyland is fun, but most of the attractions now open are clones of current or past attractions in the U.S. (one, the Mickey Mouse Revue, was actually moved to TDR from Orlando). But one ride with no U.S. equivalent is Pooh’s Hunny Hunt; the vehicles aren’t on a track but use a local GPS system instead, so they can swirl around the attraction, as well as each other. It’s very popular – and Japanese visitors understand and use FASTPASS – so it should be at or near the top of any touring plan for TDL. And if you’re familiar with the U.S. parks, enjoy being disoriented – i.e., what is the Haunted Mansion doing in Fantasyland? Why does Tomorrowland still look like it’s the ‘70s (StarJets!)?


(6) Personal comments – Tokyo DisneySea. Almost all of the attractions in Tokyo DisneySea have no U.S. equivalent, and the two headliners that do are themed very differently – a demon instead of Rod Serling haunts the Tower of Terror, and Indiana Jones is haunted by a crystal skull (prescient of the 2008 movie?) while searching for the fountain of youth in South America. I enjoy Stormrider in the Port Discovery section of the park, a motion simulator (with some similarities to Star Tours and Soarin); for a quirky experience, try Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage (think of “it’s a small world” – only with better technology, and very politically incorrect). I do note that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, is not well designed for anyone taller than 5’0” to see out of the ride vehicles, and I simply don’t understand why Raging Spirits draws crowds – it’s only a mildly thrilling coaster, but can have 100 minute+ waits (tip – apparently it’s a “date” attraction, since the single rider line appears to almost always be deserted).


(7) Maps. Although much the same information is available from the TDR website, I’ve scanned the English-language park maps from my most recent visits.

Tokyo Disney Resort Tips

Tokyo Disney Resort Tips
**ThirdAmendment.com
Jol A. Silversmith

I’ve been lucky enough to have had business reasons to travel to Tokyo, and as a result I’ve had a number of opportunities to visit the Tokyo Disney Resort (“TDR”). I would not want to hold myself out as a TDR expert – but I’ve put together this page to try to offer some tips to first-time anglophone visitors (to be updated based on any feedback and future trips to Tokyo…).


(1) Plan ahead. Of course, the challenge to planning ahead is that TDR is primarily targeted at the Japanese market. I’m not aware of any commercial guides to the park in English, other than the brief descriptions in general Tokyo travel guides - although one is due out soon (see http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Disney-Made-Easy-Unofficial/dp/097737582X). But TDR does offer an extensive English-language website at http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/index_e.html. There are also various fan sites, such as http://www.jtcent.com/main.php and http://www.mouseplanet.com/tokyo/ (but be careful – some, such as http://www.mickey-mouse.com/tdl.htm, haven’t been updated recently, and contain obsolete information). And there’s always Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Disney_Resort).


(2) Try to learn some Japanese. Again, easier said than done. TDR (and many tourist-oriented sites in Tokyo) do have English-language signage, and some cast members may speak some English, but you will be a stranger in a strange land (with apologies to Robert Heinlein). Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a guide that tries to quickly teach “useful” Japanese – i.e., something more than just a phrasebook, but something doesn’t emphasis words like “father” and “mother” that tourists are unlikely to need. (Of course, a phrasebook is helpful, but it’s even more helpful to have a basic understanding of the structure of the language, so you’re not just mimicking sounds). At a minimum, visitors should be able to state how many there are in their party (i.e., "hitori" = 1, "futari" = 2, etc.), make basic requests ("kore o kudasai" = please may I have this?) and state that they don’t speak Japanese – not that it isn’t likely to be obvious ("nihongo o hanashimasen").


(3) Don’t forget about the rest of Tokyo. Presumably, if you’re visiting TDR from anywhere outside Japan, you somehow made it to TDR from Narita airport - but there is a bus service from the airport, so it is possible to miss the center of Tokyo. The trains and subways in Tokyo are easy to navigate (well, relatively) because virtually every sign is in both Japanese and English. Still, a good atlas is recommended – I suggest The 3rd edition of Kodansha’s bilingual atlas, available at http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-City-Atlas-Bilingual-Guide/dp/4770025033). Also invaluable is a “Suica” card – a debit card which is accepted by most public transportation (and some stores) in Tokyo, so you don’t have to try to calculate the fare and buy a ticket for any given trip for an overview, see http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/suica.html). Although one shouldn’t be too cocky, Tokyo is a safe city to explore (as a friend who lives there said: “What’s the worst thing that could happen? That some nice Japanese person will try to help you?”)


(4) Don’t be an “ugly American.” You’ll obviously be a “gaijin” (foreigner), but you shouldn’t take that as a pass to ignore cultural norms. Perhaps out of necessity, from living on a crowded island, the Japanese don't seem to mind crowds. TDR isn’t a great place to go if you’re sensitive about personal space. On the other hand, when it’s time for a parade, Japanese guests tend to politely organize themselves with out the need for ropes – and stay seated during the parade, so the people behind them can see. It also appears that schools justify field trips to TDR by giving students certain assignments to complete, such as to seek out foreigners and have them write a few words for them to take back to class.


(5) Personal comments – Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo Disneyland is fun, but most of the attractions now open are clones of current or past attractions in the U.S. (one, the Mickey Mouse Revue, was actually moved to TDR from Orlando). But one ride with no U.S. equivalent is Pooh’s Hunny Hunt; the vehicles aren’t on a track but use a local GPS system instead, so they can swirl around the attraction, as well as each other. It’s very popular – and Japanese visitors understand and use FASTPASS – so it should be at or near the top of any touring plan for TDL. And if you’re familiar with the U.S. parks, enjoy being disoriented – i.e., what is the Haunted Mansion doing in Fantasyland? Why does Tomorrowland still look like it’s the ‘70s (StarJets!)?


(6) Personal comments – Tokyo DisneySea. Almost all of the attractions in Tokyo DisneySea have no U.S. equivalent, and the two headliners that do are themed very differently – a demon instead of Rod Serling haunts the Tower of Terror, and Indiana Jones is haunted by a crystal skull (prescient of the 2008 movie?) while searching for the fountain of youth in South America. I enjoy Stormrider in the Port Discovery section of the park, a motion simulator (with some similarities to Star Tours and Soarin); for a quirky experience, try Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage (think of “it’s a small world” – only with better technology, and very politically incorrect). I do note that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, is not well designed for anyone taller than 5’0” to see out of the ride vehicles, and I simply don’t understand why Raging Spirits draws crowds – it’s only a mildly thrilling coaster, but can have 100 minute+ waits (tip – apparently it’s a “date” attraction, since the single rider line appears to almost always be deserted).


(7) Maps. Although much the same information is available from the TDR website, I’ve scanned the English-language park maps from my most recent visits.


* Tokyo Disneyland – cover/contents
* Tokyo Disneyland – overall map/World Bazaar
* Tokyo Disneyland – Adventureland/Westernland
* Tokyo Disneyland – Critter Country/Fantasyland
* Tokyo Disneyland – Toontown/Tomorrowland
* Tokyo Disneyland – Guest Services
* Tokyo Disneyland – Parades and Shows/Time Saving Services
* Tokyo Disneyland – other parts of TDR

* Tokyo DisneySea – cover/contents
* Tokyo DisneySea – overall map/Mediterranean Harbor
* Tokyo DisneySea – American Waterfront/Port Discovery
* Tokyo DisneySea – Lost River Delta/Arabian Coast
* Tokyo DisneySea – Mysterious Island/Mermaid Lagoon
* Tokyo DisneySea – Guest Services
* Tokyo DisneySea – Parades and Shows/Time Saving Services
* Tokyo DisneySea – other parts of TDR

(8) Photos. Some of my personal snaps from TDR.


* The AquaSphere, the icon of Tokyo DisneySea
* Mysterious Island, seen from Mediterranean Harbor
* Port Discovery; Aquatopia in the foreground and Stormrider in the background
* A closer shot of Stormrider
* A view of the Tower of Terror

* Cinderella Castle
* A float from "Find Stitch!" parade which ran in summer '07
* Indeed, that summer, Stitch seemed to have taken over much of the park
* Tomorrowland seems familiar, but it's all mixed up!
* StarJets - it's like traveling in time!

New photos from June 2009:

* Mount Prometheus looms over Port Discovery
* The Nautilus parked in Mysterious Island
* Morning crowds gather at Tokyo Disneyland
* Tomorrowland seen from the hub

(9) Story Papers

Without much publicity, Guest Relations at Tokyo DisneySea makes available a set of English language "story papers" about most of the attractions in the park. Similarly, there is an English language map to Fortress Explorations in Mediterranean Harbor. (new October 2009)

* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
* Fortress Explorations
* Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
* Journey to the Center of the Earth
* Magic Lamp Theater
* Mermaid Lagoon Theater
* Mystic Rhythms
* Raging Spirits
* Sindbad's Storybook Voyage
* StormRider
* Tower of Terror
* Transit Steamer Line
* Venetian Gondolas

Without even less publicity (perhaps because the attractions are mostly similar to attractions in U.S. Disney parks), Guest Relations at Tokyo Disneyland makes available a set of English language "story papers" about some of the attractions in the park. (new December 2009)

* Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters
* Haunted Mansion
* It's a Small World
* Jungle Cruise
* Mark Twain Riverboat
* Monsters, Inc. Ride and Go Seek
* Pooh's Hunny Hunt
* Splash Mountain
* Star Tours
* Western River Railroad

Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort
**www.thefullwiki.org/Tokyo_Disney_Resort

Encyclopedia
Updated live from Wikipedia, last check: January 03, 2011 02:43 UTC (36 seconds ago)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tokyo Disney Resort logo
Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo DisneySea
Ikspiari
Bon Voyage!
Resort hotels

Disney's Ambassador Hotel
Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta
Tokyo Disneyland Hotel
The Oriental Land Company
The map of Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort (東京ディズニーリゾート, Tōkyō Dizunī Rizōto ?) is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo (Coordinates: 35°37′47″N 139°52′58″E / 35.62972°N 139.88278°E / 35.62972; 139.88278). It is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company with a license from The Walt Disney Company. The resort opened on April 15, 1983, as a single theme park (Tokyo Disneyland), but developed into a resort with two theme parks, three (Disney) hotels and a shopping complex. Tokyo Disneyland was the first Disney theme park opened outside the United States.

Tokyo Disney Resort has three main entertainment sections: Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea and Ikspiari, which is a variation of the Downtown Disney shopping, dining and entertainment area found at the Disney resorts in California and Florida. It also contains Bon Voyage!, which is the official Disney goods specialty shop of Tokyo Disney Resort. In October 2008, the resort opened a new theater housing an original Cirque du Soleil production named Zed.

Like the other Disney resorts, Tokyo Disney has numerous hotels. Its official hotels, the Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta (the building in which the entrance to Tokyo DisneySea is located) and Disney Ambassador Hotel are the most expensive, yet they provide the best views of the parks and, many would argue, the most Disney-like overall experience. A third Disney hotel called the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel opened in July 2008. It is located in the parking lot in front of Tokyo Disneyland Station.

There are six other hotels located on the Tokyo Disney Resort property. These, however, are not Disney-branded hotels and are owned by other companies, similar to the Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels at Walt Disney World.

All facilities are linked by Disney Resort Line monorail.

The Tokyo Disney Resort is headed by Toshio Kagami, who is the secretary general (CEO) of the Oriental Land Company.
Units

* Tokyo Disneyland - The first theme park built at the resort. Tokyo Disneyland is based on its sister parks in Anaheim, California, and Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
* Tokyo DisneySea - A park themed based on nautical exploration, adventure, and different lands that opened on September 4, 2001.
* Ikspiari - Similar to Downtown Disney and the Disney Village, an on-site shopping complex.
* Bon Voyage! - Official Disney goods speciality shop.

External links

* Tokyo Disney Resort web site in Japanese and English
* Resort Map in Japanese
* Tokyo Disney Resort travel guide from Wikitravel
* Joe's Tokyo Disney Resort Photo Site

[show]Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Disneyland Resort
Disneyland · Disney's California Adventure · Downtown Disney (California)
Walt Disney World Resort
Magic Kingdom · Epcot · Disney's Hollywood Studios · Disney's Animal Kingdom · Disney's Typhoon Lagoon · Disney's Blizzard Beach · Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex · Downtown Disney (Florida) · Disney's BoardWalk Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disneyland · Tokyo DisneySea · Ikspiari
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Park · Walt Disney Studios Park · Disney Village
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Hong Kong Disneyland · Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Magic · Disney Wonder · Disney Dream · Disney Fantasy · Castaway Cay · Disney Cruise Line Terminal
Other
Disney Regional Entertainment (ESPN Zone) · Disney Vacation Club · Adventures by Disney · World of Disney · Shanghai Disneyland Resort
The Walt Disney Company · Walt Disney Imagineering · Walt Disney Creative Entertainment
[show]Theme parks in Greater Tokyo
Greater Tokyo
Arakawa Yuen · Hanayashiki Amusement Park · Kodomonokuni Theme Park · Motopia · Musashi no Mura · Muscle Park · Namco Namja Town · Lake Sagami Pleasure Forest · Sanrio Puroland · Seibu-en · Tobu Animal Park · Tokyo Disneyland · Tokyo Disney Resort · Tokyo DisneySea · Tokyo Dome City Attractions (Koraku-en) · Yokohama Cosmo World · Yomiuri Land
closed or suspended
Joypolis · Futakotamagawa-en · Mukogaoka Yuen
Categories: 1983 establishments | Tokyo Disney Resort | Amusement parks in Japan | Disney parks and attractions | Visitor attractions in Tokyo
Hidden categories: All articles with specifically-marked weasel-worded phrases | Articles with specifically-marked weasel-worded phrases from May 2009

Travel guide
Up to date as of January 14, 2010
From Wikitravel
Asia : East Asia : Japan : Kanto : Chiba : Tokyo Disney Resort
Contents

* Talk
* [+] Get in
o By plane
o By car
o By bus
* Tickets
*
o By foot
o By bus
*
o [+] The Parks
+ Tokyo Disneyland
+ Tokyo DisneySea
o [+] Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo
+ ZED ticket prices
* Buy
*
o
+ [+] Priority Seating
# Tokyo Disneyland
# Tokyo DisneySea
o At Ikspiari
* Drink
* [+] Sleep
o [+] Within the resort
+ Disney Hotels
+ Official Hotels
o [+] Outside the resort
+ Partner Hotels
+ Good Neighbor Hotels

Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort (東京ディズニーリゾート) [1] in Chiba, Japan, was the first Disney theme park resort to open outside of the United States. It is by far the second most annually-visited theme park complex in the world, behind Walt Disney World. It is noteworthy that it is not owned by Disney but by the Oriental Land Co., Ltd.

"To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Here you will discover enchanted lands of fantasy and adventure, yesterday and tomorrow. May Tokyo Disneyland be an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the peoples of the world. And may this magical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America." — E. Cardon Walker, 15 April 1983

"Welcome one and all to a world where imagination and adventure set sail. Tokyo DisneySea is dedicated to the spirit of exploration that lives in each of us. Here we chart a course for adventure, romance, discovery and fun, and journey to exotic and fanciful ports of call. May Tokyo DisneySea inspire the hearts and minds of all of us who share the water planet, Earth." — Michael Eisner, 4 September 2001

Tokyo Disney Resort consists of two theme parks. Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド), a "Magic Kingdom" park just like all the others, was the first Disney theme park to be built on non-U.S. territory. The park opened in April 1983 (but had been finished for a few months and the company waited for better weather) and was an instant success. Tokyo Disneyland's sister park Tokyo DisneySea (東京ディズニーシー), which opened in September 2001, is an oceanic-themed park exclusive to Japan. With over 14 million visits, Tokyo Disneyland is the third most visited theme park in the world behind Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and the original Disneyland; DisneySea follows in fifth place, behind fourth-place Disneyland Paris.

Tokyo Disney Resort also includes the Ikspiari (イクスピアリ) shopping and entertainment complex. On October 1, 2008, Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil unveiled ZED, its first permanent show in Japan, at Tokyo Disney Resort.

Tokyo Disney Resort is something different from all the other Disney parks. People are friendlier, and you forget that you are in the largest city on Earth when you are wandering, amazed at the fantastic shows and rides in both parks.

This is no Walt Disney World, in other words, it's small and can be easily tackled in about two or three days, maybe more. But whatever effort you place into coming here is well worth it.
Talk

Japanese is the primary language spoken here. However assistance for English speakers is also widely available, because of the presence of American and other foreign Cast Members, and Chinese and Korean are also spoken to a lesser extent.

Don't expect all cast members (ride attendants) to speak English. Most communication when getting on and of rides is done by finger symbols, which seem to be standardised across all attractions.

Maps are available in Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese. (If your native language is not one of these, the English map will work fine.) All the maps do a very good job of letting you know how to get around. The Japanese maps, however, are a little bit more informative. They include highlights on some of the special events going on in the park, including special food menus and merchandise, most of which can only be had for a limited amount of time. It also sorts the restaurants, shops and shows into different categories. If you know katakana, hiragana, and a little bit of kanji, this might also be a helpful resource. Nearly any park attendant should have maps available if you forget to pick one up or lose it.

Some rides like the Jungle Cruise are rendered almost meaningless to non-Japanese speakers. You can try and laugh along to avoid embarrassment if you like. Some other attractions, like MicroAdventure! (known as "Honey, I Shrunk The Audience" at Disney's American parks), have English translations with headphones in the back row - make sure you get to the front of the queue or you may miss out. Other special stage shows may be entirely in Japanese, entirely in English, or a mixture. It is difficult to ascertain what language a show will be in or whether translations are provided before you get to see it. Signs in English outside a show are no guarantee that it will be in English or that translations are provided.
Get in
By plane

Most international visitors would probably land at Narita International Airport (IATA: NRT) [2]. If you have a Mickey Mouse urge right upon landing, there are buses operated by Airport Limousine [3], albeit infrequent, that will bring you to Tokyo Disney Resort in 60-90 minutes at a cost of ¥2400 (children ¥1200). The alternative by rail is to take the Narita Express to Tokyo and transfer to the JR Keiyo Line. The ride takes 90-100 minutes, and costs ¥2570 or can be boarded free with the Japan Rail Pass.

Tokyo International Airport (IATA: HND) [4], also known as Haneda Airport, is the closest airport to Tokyo Disney Resort and mainly serves domestic flights. Haneda also has a few international flights to Seoul-Gimpo, Shanghai-Hongqiao, Beijing, and Hong Kong. There are more buses [5], also operated by Airport Limousine, that run to the resort 3 to 5 times per hour. The one-way cost is ¥810 (children ¥405) and the ride takes 50-70 minutes. The rail alternative from Haneda is cheaper than the bus, but you will need to take three trains: Keikyu Express Line (from Haneda Airport to Shinagawa) or the Tokyo Monorail (from Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho), JR Yamanote Line (from Shinagawa/Hamamatsucho to Tokyo), and finally JR Keiyo Line (from Tokyo to Maihama). This costs ¥690 via Keikyu, or ¥760 via the Tokyo Monorail, and will take about 1 hour.

* Map of JR East Railway Lines in Greater Tokyo [6]

As with virtually all of Japan, the most practical way of getting to Tokyo Disney Resort is by train. Tokyo Station is the western terminus of the JR Keiyo Line, and Maihama (舞浜), which is adjacent to the park, is the sixth stop east. The ride costs ¥210 and takes about 15 minutes on an express train.

As you exit JR Maihama Station, the Tokyo Disney Resort Welcome Center is immediately to your left. If you will be staying at one of the Disney Hotels or the Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotels (see Sleep below), this is where you check in, and your luggage will be shipped straight to your room for free while you enjoy the parks. The Welcome Center is also the place to purchase park tickets, the Resort Gateway Station of the Disney Resort Line monorail (see Get around below) is located above the center, and the entrance to Ikspiari is nearby.
By car

From the Tokyo/Yokohama region, follow the coast of Tokyo Bay to Chiba, exit at the Urayasu ramp and then go out at Route 357, go straight on the road about 1km, and make a U-turn at Mihama Rittai Road (美浜立体道路). There are signs in both Japanese and English from the freeway and surrounding roads.

Tokyo Disney Resort has ample parking spaces, but be forewarned that parking fees are astronomical. If you want more information about the car park and the circumstances of the surrounding streets, you can contact the Tokyo Disney Resort information line at 81-045-683-3011.

Parking at the two theme parks is ¥2,000 for passenger cars, ¥4,500 for buses, and ¥500 for motorcycles.

Parking at Ikspiari is ¥500 for the first hour and ¥250 for every additional half-hour. A purchase of ¥3,000 or more at one Ikspiari shop/restaurant will give two hours of free parking; seeing a movie at AMC Ikspiari will give three hours of free parking.

The three Disney Hotels charge a per-night fee for the use of their parking facilities, costing ¥1,000 per night at Disney Ambassador Hotel, and ¥1,500 per night at Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta.
By bus

Most visitors will have little reason to travel to Tokyo Disney Resort by bus, due to the more convenient JR Keiyo Line. However, some hotels around Tokyo Disney Resort have free transportation service to the resort.

Long distance bus services come here from all over Japan, but the Shinkansen is much faster and easier to use by non-native speakers of Japanese or persons who don't understand the language.
Tickets

Ticket prices seem decent by Japanese standards, but in truth, visiting Tokyo Disney Resort is about as equally expensive as visiting any of the other Disney theme parks around the world. Children aged 3 and under are admitted free.

* 1-Day Passport: You can enter Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea all day long with this ticket, but not both.
o Adult (18+) ¥5,800
o Junior (12-17) ¥5,000
o Child (4-11) ¥3,900
o Senior (60+) ¥5,100

* Multi Day Passport: You can enter one park on the first day, the other park on the second day, and then you may move between the two parks (called "park-hopping") on subsequent days. If you find that you need to upgrade your ticket, you can do so simply by paying the difference; this may be done at the Welcome Center, the park ticket windows, or the hotels. These are perhaps the most economical value possible, as the price per day actually decreases with each day.

Multi-Day Passport Prices Days Child (4-11) Junior (12-17) Adult (18+)
Total Per Day Total Per Day Total Per Day
2 ¥6,900 ¥3,450 ¥8,800 ¥4,400 ¥10,000 ¥5,000
3 ¥8,900 ¥2,967 ¥11,500 ¥3,833 ¥12,900 ¥4,300
4 ¥10,500 ¥2,625 ¥13,500 ¥3,375 ¥15,000 ¥3,750

* Starlight Passport: You can use this ticket in one of the two parks from 3:00 PM on Saturdays, Sundays, and National Holidays.
o Adult (18+) ¥4,700
o Junior (12-17) ¥4,100
o Child (4-11) ¥3,200

* After 6 Passport: You can use this ticket in one of the two parks from 6:00 PM on weekdays. It is sold from 5:00 PM for ¥3100 (all ages).

Map of the Tokyo Disney Resort
Map of the Tokyo Disney Resort

A car is not necessary for visiting Tokyo Disney Resort. The resort has a well-developed transit system of buses and monorails. As with the rest of Japan, expect the transportation to be punctual.
Disney Resort Line
Disney Resort Line

The four-station Disney Resort Line monorail, with its spacious interiors and Mickey Mouse-shaped windows and pull straps, travels in a counterclockwise circle around the two theme parks. The stops are, in order, Resort Gateway Station (between JR Maihama Station and Ikspiari), Tokyo Disneyland, Bayside Station (gateway to the Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotels), and Tokyo DisneySea.

The fares are listed in the chart below; children age 5 and under ride free. Suica and PASMO farecards can also be used.
Disney Resort Line Fares Ticket type Ages 12+ Ages 6-11
Single ride ¥250 ¥130
1 day pass ¥650 ¥330
2 day pass ¥800 ¥400
3 day pass ¥1,100 ¥550
4 day pass ¥1,400 ¥700
11 single ride tickets ¥2,500 ¥1,300
By foot

If you're going straight to the parks from Maihama Station, it'd probably be easier and faster (and best of all, free) to just walk from the station. There is an elevated walkway, about 1,090 feet long, linking the station with the Tokyo Disneyland entrance. To get to Tokyo DisneySea, it is about a fifteen minute walk in the opposite direction. Simply walk along the wide tree-lined footpath in front of Ikspiari, then turn right and follow the monorail line after you pass under it, and enter via the pedestrian entrance to the bus drop-off area.
By bus

The Disney Resort Cruiser is a free bus service.

* From Bayside Station on the Disney Resort Line, service is to the each of the six Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotels.
* From Disney Ambassador Hotel, service is to both theme parks.

Do you know the story of Captain Hook?

If you meet Captain Hook, try to say "tick" towards his back. Then, Captain Hook will run away in fear. In the Peter Pan movie, Hook was nearly eaten by a crocodile, but the crocodile ended up eating an alarm clock instead. So when Hook hears the "tick" sound, he is afraid the crocodile is near.

Tokyo Disney Resort is mostly for doing, not seeing. But of course, you can see the same Disney characters, a castle, mountains, and live performances as at other Disney Parks. The seaside does make this park a bit different from the others. And, the people-watching is great.

If you can, it is a good idea to get a map ahead of time and plan out what rides and attractions you would like to get to first. Like any other large amusement park, Tokyo Disney Resort can be quite crowded. Even on weekdays there can be a large amount of people in the park and if you want to maximize your experience, it's best to have at least an idea of what you would like to do before you get there. It may even get you on one or two more attractions. If a physical map cannot be had ahead of time, the park website is just as good, if not better.
The Parks

The two theme parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, complement each other. The two major symbols, Cinderella Castle at Disneyland and Mount Prometheus at DisneySea, are exactly the same height, and from Ikspiari you can see them both.

Before you reach the ticket counters, your bag will be inspected by a clerk, but you don't need to show your ID card. Generally the check is very brief, and not at all thorough. At the ticket counter, you will not need to show any ID either. While not everyone speaks English fluently, most employees understand enough to get you the basics. You will receive a receipt, your passport (ticket) and a map.

Tokyo Disney Resort uses a time-saving tool called FastPass, available only for the most popular rides. Simply insert your ticket into a machine at the ride, and you'll get a FastPass ticket with a return time printed on it. If you return to the ride during the time on the FastPass, you will have a shorter wait for the ride. You can only have one FastPass at a time, you can't FastPass another ride until the start of the return period for the last FastPass. It's a good idea to always have one FastPass at any point, and to get your next FastPass before using the last one. If you wish to use FastPass, you need to do so before 4PM. They cover the machines afterward and then you will have no choice but to stand in the long lines.

Visit the Screening Room [7] on Tokyo Disney Resort's website for a collection of short videos showing all of the attractions in both parks.
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland main entrance
Tokyo Disneyland main entrance

Tokyo Disneyland [8] is a "Magic Kingdom" park just like all the others. Fans of Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom may be a little bit disappointed, as the layout is nearly identical, right down to Cinderella Castle.

The seven theme lands of Tokyo Disneyland are, starting from the main entrance and going clockwise around Cinderella Castle, World Bazaar (it's known as Main Street, USA everywhere else; and this version is covered by a Victorian-style iron-and-glass canopy), Adventureland, Westernland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Toontown, and Tomorrowland. With just a solitary exception, the attractions are essentially the same as those found everywhere else.

* Western River Railroad, (Adventureland). Tokyo Disneyland's railroad makes a sightseeing trip around Adventureland, Westernland, and Critter Country. It cannot be used to travel from one area of the park to another. edit

Tokyo DisneySea
Mount Prometheus, Tokyo DisneySea
Mount Prometheus, Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea [9], which opened in 2001, is an ocean-themed park exclusive to Japan. Like Tokyo Disneyland, it is arranged in a circle around a central landmark, in this case Mount Prometheus, an artificial volcano that "erupts" intermittently. There are a couple of rides that have a water spray, but you shouldn't expect to get too wet.

Starting from the main entrance and going clockwise around Mount Prometheus, the seven theme "ports of call" are Meditterranean Harbor (a reproduction of Venice), American Waterfront (a reproduction of the Eastern Seaboard of the United States), Port Discovery (a science-themed area), Lost River Delta (a reproduction of a tropical rain forest), Arabian Coast (based on Disney's Aladdin), Mermaid Lagoon (based on Disney's The Little Mermaid) and Mysterious Island (based on the books of Jules Verne).

Aside from the Tower of Terror (which can also be found at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's California Adventure, and Walt Disney Studios Paris) in American Waterfront and the Indiana Jones Adventure (which can also be found at the original Disneyland in California) in Lost River Delta, all of the attractions in DisneySea are unique to Japan.
Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo

Located between Disney Ambassador Hotel and the beamway of the Disney Resort Line monorail, the theatre is home to ZED [10], Cirque du Soleil's first permanent show in Japan.
ZED ticket prices

Seating chart: [11]

* Regular seats: ¥9,800
* Premium View: ¥18,000
* Front View: ¥15,000
* Overview: ¥7,800

Buy

Tokyo Disney Resort is a Disney merchandise fan's paradise. Of course, there are plenty of gift shops found within the two parks, but additional selections may be found in Ikspiari and the nearby Bon Voyage store.

The World Bazaar, Tokyo Disneyland's entrance area, is anchored by the Grand Emporium, which can be seen to your right immediately after you have entered the park. This is the largest store in the park with over 3,000 different types of merchandise.

The largest store in Tokyo DisneySea is Emporio which anchors Mediterranean Harbor. Other notable shops are McDuck's Department Store in American Waterfront; and The Sleepy Whale Shoppe, Mermaid Treasures, and Kiss de Girl Fashions, three interconnecting shops in Mermaid Lagoon.

Ikspiari [12], pronounced like "experience" without the last syllable, is Japan's answer to Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney, with more than 140 stores and restaurants, and a 16-screen movie theatre. It's no surprise that there is a Disney Store here, by the way.

Bon Voyage, shaped like a giant suitcase and hatbox and conveniently located on the elevated walkway linking JR Maihama Station with Tokyo Disneyland's entrance, is the answer to the World of Disney stores in Florida and California, which essentially are Disney Stores on steroids. Inside, you'll find the grandest selection of Disney merchandise available under one roof anywhere in Japan.

Major credit cards are accepted nearly everywhere. Remember that American cards only allow a one charge purchase, meaning that a ¥10,000 purchase will be charged once, instead of ¥5,000 now and ¥5,000 next month. (This system allows Japanese to keep their interest low.) They will ask you (sometimes) if you want to be charged once. Say yes and the transaction will go smoothly, say no and you will double your time at the counter.

If you haven't brought enough money, there's one ATM at each park entrance (at the information desk). But only Japanese cards will work in these ATMs. At Ikspiari there is an international ATM on level 2F near "Local Motion".

Land of the rising popcorn

Popcorn is a treat here! In addition to the traditional salted popcorn, visitors can enjoy a myriad of flavored popcorn. They include Curry Popcorn, Hunny (Honey) Popcorn, Chocolate Popcorn, Soda (Cream Soda) Popcorn, Soy and Butter Popcorn, and Caramel Popcorn. A box usually runs for ¥250 and a commemorative refillable (for a small fee) bucket runs at ¥1300. The flavors may also reflect the area of the park you are in. For example, Hunny Popcorn can be enjoyed near the Winnie the Pooh attraction and Curry Popcorn can be found in Adventureland.

If there's something you won't have trouble finding at Tokyo Disney Resort, it's food. There are many places to eat throughout the two parks and Ikspiari, and all are listed on the maps. However, the food descriptions are either not 100% accurate or there is something lost in the translation. Also, understand that portion sizes are different in Japan so don't be surprised when that large drink you ordered looks like a small to you. This combined with the normal increase in cost normally expected at an amusement park may hit your pocket book harder than expected.

If you are arriving by car/bus you may consider having a cooler in the car and having a picnic. If you do decide to eat in the park scout out the restaurants before you intend on eating. This will give you a better idea of their menus and the fastest way to get there when it is time to eat.

* Tokyo Disneyland Restaurants [13]
* Tokyo DisneySea Restaurants [14]

Most dining opportunities in the two theme parks are counter service restaurants, most of which serve Western, Japanese, or Chinese cuisine. If you really want to save cash, though, your best bet may be to stick to the many snack carts scattered all throughout the parks.

Table service restaurants are also found in the parks, but are far less common than counter service restaurants. The finest in-park table service can perhaps be found on board the SS Columbia, the fake ocean liner in Tokyo DisneySea's American Waterfront.

The Crystal Palace, located on the World Bazaar/Adventureland walkway, is the only buffet in Tokyo Disneyland. Its Tokyo DisneySea counterpart is the Sailing Day Buffet, located in the "cargo terminal" adjacent to the SS Columbia.

Tokyo Disneyland has one buffeteria (Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall in Fantasyland), and Tokyo DisneySea has three (Cafe Portofino in Mediterreanean Harbor, Horizon Bay in Port Discovery, and Vulcania in Mysterious Island).
Priority Seating

Tokyo Disney Resort's restaurants do not accept reservations per se. A Priority Seating booking is essentially a restaurant FastPass. When you make a Priority Seating booking, you will receive a designated time to return to the restaurant, and you will then be seated with a minimal wait. Note that waiting times may vary, especially during peak periods.

Keep in mind that Priority Seating bookings will be held for no more than 15 minutes past your designated time frame for a restaurant in either of the two theme parks, and no more than 10 minutes for a restaurant in any one of the three Disney Hotels. Also note that capacity is limited and bookings tend to fill up early, and that there may be times when Priority Seating bookings are not available.

Priority Seating may be booked through the Tokyo Disney Resort Reservation Center at +81-45-683-3333.

Priority Seating is accepted at the following in-park restaurants:
Tokyo Disneyland

* Blue Bayou Restaurant (Adventureland)
* Eastside Cafe (World Bazaar)
* Restaurant Hokusai (World Bazaar)

Tokyo DisneySea

* Magellan's (Mediterranean Harbor)
* Restaurant Sakura (American Waterfront)
* Ristorante di Canaletto (Mediterranean Harbor)
* Sailing Day Buffet (American Waterfront)
* SS Columbia Dining Room (American Waterfront)

At Ikspiari

Ikspiari has a broad range of dining options, one of which is Japan's only Rainforest Cafe.
Drink

Most drinks are soft drinks. Coca-Cola and Kirin sponsor attractions, and are the main soft drinks to be found. Mets (Kirin's "diet" brand) beverages may also be found, in a few limited cases.

Alcoholic beverages are available at 16 restaurants in Tokyo DisneySea. [15] Keep in mind that, under Japanese law, persons under 20 and those who plan to drive a car are prohibited from consuming alcohol.
Sleep

Tokyo Disney Resort's combined reservations number is 81-045-683-3333, and is open 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM (visit TimeAndDate.com to find the local time in Tokyo: [16]).

Online reservations and contact information are available at official websites.
Within the resort

There are nine hotels within the resort, all rather expensive.
Disney Hotels

* Disney Ambassador Hotel, (adjacent to Ikspiari), [17]. This hotel is themed to the Art Deco era of the 1930's. ¥28,000-¥300,000. edit
* Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, (outside the Tokyo Disneyland entrance), [18]. An opulent Victorian-style hotel with the best view of Tokyo Disneyland on the side. ¥33,000-¥500,000. edit
* Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta, (within the Mediterranean Harbor area of Tokyo DisneySea), [19]. An Italian-style hotel complete with rooms overlooking Mediterranean Harbor. ¥33,000-¥500,000. edit

Official Hotels

These hotels are accessed by taking the free Disney Resort Cruiser bus service from Bayside Station on the Disney Resort Line monorail (see Get around above).

* Hilton Tokyo Bay, 1-8 Maihama Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-355-5000, [20]. edit
* Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay, 1-8 Maihama Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-355-3333, [21]. edit
* Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, 1-9 Maihama Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-355-5555, [22]. edit
* Sunroute Plaza Tokyo, 1-6 Maihama Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-355-1111, [23]. edit
* Tokyo Bay Hotel Tokyu, 1-7 Maihama Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-355-2411, [24]. edit
* Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel, 1-34 Maihama Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-355-1222, [25]. edit

Outside the resort
Partner Hotels

The Tokyo Disney Resort Partner Hotels Program is made up of five hotels located in the Shin-Urayasu area right next to the resort. All of these hotels are located within a kilometre or two of JR Shin-Urayasu Station, from which Maihama is the first stop in the direction of Tokyo Station. For some it may be easier to get the complimentary shuttle service that runs frequently to and from the Disneyland park entrance.

* Hotel Emion Tokyo Bay, 1-1-1 Hinode Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-304-2727, [26]. edit
* Mitsui Garden Hotel Prana Tokyo Bay, Akemi 6-2-1, ☎ 81-047-382-3331, [27]. edit
* Oriental Hotel Tokyo Bay, 1-8-2 Mihama, ☎ 81-047-350-8111, [28]. edit
* Palm & Fountain Terrace Hotel, 7-1-1 Meikai Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-353-1234, [29]. edit
* Urayasu Brighton Hotel, 1-9 Mihama Urayasu-shi, ☎ 81-047-355-7777, [30]. edit

Good Neighbor Hotels

There are 15 designated Good Neighbor Hotels [31] around Tokyo and Chiba that offer free shuttle bus transfers to and from Tokyo Disney Resort.

I can go the distance

Fans of Disney's American parks who also visit Universal's parks on side trips may be disappointed to know that Universal Studios Japan [32] is in Osaka, some 250 miles west of Tokyo.

However, that doesn't neccesarily mean that a side trip to Universal Studios Japan from Tokyo Disney Resort is impossible. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines provide frequent service, lasting about 1 hour and using widebody aircraft, from Haneda Airport to Osaka's Itami Airport. There is direct bus service from the airport to Universal [33], costing ¥900 (children ¥450).

Alternatively, a trip from Tokyo to Osaka via the Shinkansen takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. One-way fare is ¥14,050 via Nozomi or free via Hikari with the Japan Rail Pass.

* Kasai Rinkai Koen (Sea Life Park) [34] is the first stop from Maihama in the direction of Tokyo Station. Essentially, this is Japan's answer to SeaWorld. There's an aquarium and a ferris wheel. The ferris wheel is the biggest in Japan (117m/385ft).

* Makuhari Messe [35] Messe is the German word for "trade fair", and that's just what to expect at this international convention center. You can get here from JR Kaihin-Makuhari Station, which is the sixth stop from Maihama in the direction of Soga Station.

* Sanrio Puroland [36] An indoor theme park centered around Hello Kitty and her friends. A must for your little princesses. You will need to take three trains to get here from Tokyo Station: JR Chuo Line (from Tokyo to Shinjuku), Keio Main Line (from Shinjuku to Chofu), and finally Keio Sagamihara Line (from Chofu to Keio Tama Center). This will cost ¥710, including the trip from Maihama to Tokyo, and take about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

* Walt Disney World in Florida.
* The original Disneyland in California.
* Disneyland Resort Paris.
* Hong Kong Disneyland.

DisneySea Japan

Vacationing in Japan – Part 2.2: Disney Sea – Tokyo
**baroquew.wordpress.com

In our quest to see as much as possible while in Japan, we included Tokyo Disney Sea in our itinerary. It’s a 176 acre (714,000 m²) theme park that sits outside of Tokyo, in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. It (and it’s sister park, Tokyo Disneyland) aren’t actually owned by Disney, but are instead licensed by The Oriental Land Company.

Disney Train Handle Disney Train
We had our tickets before arriving, but that didn’t help in the slightest since we still had to wait in the ticketing line to exchange our tickets for “real” tickets. Luckily we had two things on our side – we arrived at the park well over an hour before it opened – it was open from 8A.M. to 10P.M. – and there was a typhoon running past Tokyo thus making the weather absolutely awful and slightly cutting down on the number of visitors. For those of you who are aware of our sleeping schedule, yes we did indeed need to wake up at 6A.M. to make that happen. The horror of needing to be awake that early was offset by the fact there’s a special monorail to take visitors to DisneySea. Unfortunately you have to pay for it, which seems like a bit of a rip-off to me… but it was very cute. It had Mickey shaped windows, and the handholds were also little tiny Mickey cut-outs. It was adorable!

DisneySea Poncho
As I just mentioned, the weather was.. not so nice. Our first purchases were DisneySea ponchos, but we managed to become soaked through-and-through anyway. I can’t complain too much though because we managed to ride every single ride in the park due to the weather decreasing congestion. We also made use of the odd “fast-pass” ticketing option. You can basically “fast-pass” one ride per hour, which lets you join a faster waiting line. While waiting for the hour to be up and allow you to fast-pass another ride, you can join a “normal” waiting line for another ride. Luckily no one left us in charge of such things and our group leader took charge.

Smoking Mount PrometheusI’ve done other Disney parks, but I’ve got to say that this one was really fantastic. When we first came streaming into the park, all the workers were greeting the guests. All day long there were workers cleaning the park, helping people find what they needed, helping with directions and generally making the park as nice as possible. The rides themselves were absolutely amazing. The level of skill shown in the animatronics was astounding. The singing animatronic puppets in Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage were incredibly detailed, but the details of the park weren’t limited to just the inside of the rides. The entire park, from the walkways, to the waiting lines, to the rides themselves – and even the people operating the rides – were part of the “show”. The streets are lined with realistic buildings and shops. WalkwayLost River Delta had a real pyramid, the Mysterious Island sported a smoking lava filled mountain called Mount Prometheus which also fittingly contained the Jules Verne based rides “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”. Unlike the Disneyworld I’d visited in Florida, nothing felt “plastic” and fake.. instead it felt fantastic in the true sense of the world – full of fantasy.

It’s also terrific in the original sense of the word – full of terror. The Tower of Terror was elaborate to the point of obsession, and whatever illusion they used in The Tower of Terror for the phantom Shiriki Utundu (and I hope it was an illusion) it was the best I’ve ever seen. Baroquew also experienced his first 360-loop roller coaster with Raging Spirits.

The only downside to the park is the obvious fact that everything is in Japanese. But if you look at it with a positive point of view, you have the unique chance to have Indiana Jones speak to you in Japanese! Although we had no idea what he was saying… But hey, it’s all part of the fun of visiting a foreign country.

Tokyo JR Map - Train Route

TGV Train Route Planner from Paris

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Paris Metro & Train Route Planner

August 29, 2008 in Maps, Metro, Schedules by Ben | 1 comment

These online Metro, RER, Trains, bus route & schedule tools will show you how to get from point A to point B. These route planners show required connections between train lines, travel times and ticket costs (some).

For TGV intercity train route planners & ticket sales, see below.
Route Planners for Paris and surrounding region (Ile-de-France)

* Paris Route Planner for Metro, Bus, RER, Trams (RATP.fr) - For central Paris and suburbs connected by RER train (Versailles, Roissy [CDG Airport], Marne la Vallee [Euro Disney], etc.). For a detailed example of using this Paris Metro Planner see CDG to Paris Metro Route Planner.
* Paris Train Route & Schedule Finder (Transilien.com) - To and from major train stations in Paris to cities within surrounding Ile-de-France region. Major train stations in Paris are: Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon, Gare de l’Est, Gare Montparnasse, Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare St. Lazare.
* Detailed Itinerary Builder with fares (www.transport-idf.com) - For all of central France (Paris + Ile-de-France) on all modes of public transportation. Includes fare prices.

Below is a photo of the route planner tool at RATP.fr.

Paris Router Finder Tool
TGV Train Route Planner from Paris to other cities in France

* TGV & InterCity Train Route Builder / Schedule Tool (www.Gares-en-mouvement.com) - Detailed route planner for train travel from major Paris train stations to cities within France. Includes TGV, Ter, Transilien, RER, Corail trains. No ticket sales. INSTRUCTIONS: First click on a blue dot to choose a departure station. On the following page, click Search the Timetable on the left column, last link, to access the route planner/scheduler.
* Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for UK residents (RailEurope.co.uk)
* Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for US residents (RailEurope.com)
* Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for Canada residents (RailEurope.ca)
* Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for Paris - London Train (Eurostar.com) - See notes on finding cheap Eurostar fares.
* Routes, Schedules, Ticket Sales for Other Countries (TGV-Europe.com) - See notes on using TGV-Europe.com for ticket sales.

Disneyland Hong Kong

Disneyland HongKong (day 3)
**Javamilk Travel HK

Hari ini khusus dialokasikan untuk bermain di Disneyland Hongkong. Sebelum berangkat, sebagai sarapan pagi jangan lupa untuk mencoba egg tart, yaitu makanan khas setempat. Di Macau kue ini dinamakan Portuguese Egg tart, mungkin dari situ asal-usulnya. Rasanya memang renyah dan enak jika dimakan saat masih hangat (baru dibuat). Kue ini biasanya dijual di toko-toko kecil, dengan harga sekitar HKD 7 /buah.
egg tart

Bagaimana Cara menuju Hongkong Disneyland? Pertama adalah Anda harus naik MTR Tung Chung line (warna Orange) hingga stasiun Sunny Bay. Perjalanan MTR jika dari Tsim Tsa Tsui memakan waktu sekitar 30 menit karena harus ganti jalur merah ke kuning di Lai King. Sampai di Sunny Bay kita harus ganti kereta khusus jurusan Disneyland. Keretanya akan sangat mudah dikenal karena dari desain jendela hingga interior kursi dan pegangan tangan semua berupa ciri khas Disney yaitu kepala Mickey.
HK disneyland train

Tiba di stasiun Disneyland Resort yang di-design apik, kita cukup ikuti keramaian yang ada menuju ke pintu gerbang Disneyland. Tiba di loket penjualan, Anda perlu beli tiket masuk seharga HKD 295 untuk dewasa dan HKD 210 untuk anak-anak. Harga ini berlaku untuk weekdays, dan untuk weekend menjadi lebih mahal (HKD 350 & HKD 250). Jadi tips dari saya sebaiknya datang di hari biasa.

Untuk melewati pintu masuk pemeriksaan karcis, selain memeriksa karcis petugas juga akan meminta anda mengeluarkan isi tas. Bukan untuk mencari bom, tetapi mencari makanan. Yah, demi kebersihan di dalam Disneyland dan semua wahananya pengunjung dilarang membawa makanan (kue, mie, dkk). Selain itu hal ini untuk ‘memaksa’ pengunjung makan siang dan malam di restoran dalam Disneyland (yang tentu saja cukup mahal).

Desain taman dan wahana hampir sama seperti Euro Disney walaupun taman bermain di Hong kong ini ukurannya lebih kecil. Jika tidak terlalu ramai, begitu masuk pintu utama jangan lewatkan kesempatan untuk berfoto bersama Mickey Minie, Donald Duck, dan Winnie the Pooh.

Secara teori, kita tidak mungkin habis menjelajah dan menikmati seluruh wahana dalam satu hari. Pasti ada yang harus dilewatkan atau di-skip. Jadi sebaiknya tentukan dulu atraksi apa saja yang ingin Anda ikuti.

Untuk anak-anak, wahana yang disarankan: wahana It’s a small word (kayak istana boneka), Astro Blaster (tembak-tembakan dari kursi), Golden Mickey, dan Lion king. Perhatikan jam tayang The Golden Mickey (show tarian sambil bernyanyi) karena antrian biasa cukup lama.
Golden Mickey
Untuk dewasa juga terdapat beberapa wahana seru yang saya recommend seperti Galaxy (roller coaster di dalam kegelapan), serta roller coster ala Indiana Jones.

Dan setiap sore jam tertentu selalu ada parade mobil dan tokoh Disney yang melewati jalan utama di dalam taman. Lalu malam hari (biasa jam 8pm) ada firework ala Disneyland di depan castle, so don’t miss the show karena ini adalah acara yang ditunggu-tunggu semua orang. Tips: 30 menit sebelum acara sebaiknya Anda mencari spot terbaik untuk menonton pertunjukan kembang api itu. Siapkan tripod dan baterai cukup supaya dapat shooting dan mengambil gambar yang tajam dari kamera.
Firework

Berakhirnya kembang api berarti taman ini sudah tutup. Tidak ada lagi wahana yang bisa Anda masuk selain jalan pulang. Tapi bagi yang masih belum puas masih bisa masuk ke toko-toko souvernir untuk membeli oleh-oleh khas Disney (yah pasti mahal yah).

Tips souvernir murah: Dengan menukar HKD 10 dengan sekeping koin, kita dapat mendapatkan sebuah lempeng dengan tema Disney. Buka peta Disney dan cari mesin press koin tersebut (ada beberapa mesin dengan gambar berbeda-beda). Cemplungkan koin khusus itu, lalu putar setir untuk menggerakan mesin. Tak lama kemudian koin yang telah gepeng dicetak gambar akan keluar.

Karena semua orang pulang di jam yang sama, Anda mungkin perlu antri untuk naik ke dalam kereta MTR lagi. Tetapi begitu sampai Sunny Bay, pengunjung Disneyland akan bercampur dengan penduduk lokal di dalam kereta tapi mestinya tidak terlalu padat karena kita berada di arus masuk ke kota (kebalikan dengan orang yang pulang kerja)

EuroDisney naik KA TGV di Eropa

Trip Report: Jalan Naik TGV di Eropa tahun 1999
**finance.dir.groups.yahoo.com

Pada awal tahun 1999, tepatnya sekitar seminggu setelah lebaran, saya
pergi ke Eropa untuk menjenguk kakak saya yang waktu itu lagi kuliah
di Swiss.
Bagi saya ini adalah kesempatan emas yang tidak boleh dilewatkan,
karena saya tidak pernah ke Eropa sebelumnya (dan hingga kini saya
tidak pernah ke Eropa lagi). Dan yang cukup menyenangkan, sebagian
besar perjalanan berlibur di Eropa dilewatkan dengan naik KA untuk
menghemat waktu. Walaupun waktu itu saya belumlah menjadi penggemar KA
seserius sekarang ini (saya "di-convert" jadi penggemar KA oleh teman
saya yang orang Australia sekitar tahun 2001 yang lalu).
Saya terbang ke Eropa melalui Kuala Lumpur, naik Malaysian Airlines.
Di bandara Sepang, Kuala Lumpur, terminal penerbangan Asia Tenggara
dan Bandara Internasional dihubungkan oleh KA otomatis yang luar biasa
canggih!

Sekitar tengah malam, pesawat yang membawa saya dan keluarga saya
bertolak ke Zurich dan tiba di Zurich, Swiss waktu subuh. Waktu itu
sedang puncak musim dingin, tapi herannya selama di Eropa, saya tidak
pernah menyentuh salju sama sekali, dan hanya bisa melihatnya dari
dalam kereta!!!

Kami dijemput oleh kakak saya di bandara Zurich, dan kami langsung
bertolak ke kota Zurich...naik Kereta!!!
Wah itulah pertama kali saya mencicipi kereta di Eropa. Cuman
keretanya waktu itu adalah kereta metro biasa. Interiornya mungkin
mirip KA Bisnis kita, hanya ada sentuhan modern gaya Eropa, dan ber-AC
(berpenghangat tepatnya).
Yang unik, mayoritas jalurnya melewati terowongan (bukan subway).
Mungkin untuk menghemat waktu dan mengurangi jarak, karena daerah
sekitar Zurich memang cukup bergunung-gunung.
Kami sampai di Stasiun Zurich, sekitar 20 menit kemudian.

Saya cukup terkesan sewaktu melihat kota Zurich, dan suasana kota
Zurich yang jalannya didominasi trem. Mungkin inilah pertama kalinya
saya meilhat trem, karena trem di Surabaya berhenti beroperasi pada
waktu saya lahir. Dan di jalur KAnya ada beberapa KA terkenal seperti
Cisalpino dan TGV. Semuanya di sana waktu itu.
Dan bangunan Stasiun Zurich sendiri cukup unik. Kayaknya peron
(stasiun Zurich adalah Stasiun buntu kaya Stasiun Jakarta Kota) dan
bangunan stasiun adalah bangunan terpisah, sehingga orang bisa mudah
keluar masuk peron. Dan peron itu sendiri termasuk bagian dari "Plaza"
yang ada di kota Zurich, sehingga orang yang lalu lalang di situ
sebagian tidak berniat untuk naik KA.

Setelah menitipkan tas, kami berjalan-jalan keliling kota Zurich dan
berkeliling Zurich naik tram. Yang membuat saya terkesan, ada satu
jalan yang merupakan distrik shopping elit di Zurich yang mayoritas
kendaraan yang lewat adalah tram. Jadi mobil di sini mengalah.
Kemudian sekitar tengah hari, kami bertolak menuju Luzern...naik KA
tentunya!

Di Luzern, suasananya agak berbeda dengan Zurich. Di sini tidak ada
trem. Yang ada malah bus trolley (bus bertenaga listrik yang mengambil
tenaga lewat pantograf di atas bis). Jadi di jakarta ada KRL di Luzern
ada BJL (bis jalur listrik) he.he.he..!
Setelah acara wisuda Kakak saya pada malam hari, besoknya, kami
mengunjungi museum transport di Luzern. Cuman sayang waktu itu saya
tidak melihat bagian keretanya. Padahal di situ ada lokomotif uap
terkenal: der Adler!
Tapi saya juga sempat melihat jalur KA mini yang mengelilingi kompleks
museum, dan ada jalur cabang yang masuk ke dalam museum.

Besoknya, kami bertolak ke Frankfurt naik kereta. Rencananya hari itu,
kami akan naik kereta biasa dari Luzern ke Olten, dan di Oten kami
akan naik ICE ke Frankfurt.
Mendengar itu saya langsung gembira!!! Saya sudah berulangkali melihat
modelnya KA ICE, tapi belum pernah melihatnya apalagi menaikinya. Hari
itu adalah satu-satunya kesempatan untuk naik!

Sebelum berangkat ke Luzern, saya sempat melihat sebuah plakat (dalam
bahasa Jerman) yang menjelaskan kalau bangunan stasiun Luzern yang
sekarang itu baru, sedangkan yang lama sudah dibongkar karena
kebakaran.

Di Luzern, saya sempat melihat beberapa KRL yang aneh: hidungnya
mancung/streamlined dan tidak ada pantograf di atapnya. Ternyata yang
saya lihat adalah cab-unit, karena di belakang rangkaiannya ternyata
ada lokonya!
Kami bertolak dari Luzern ke Olten naik KA penumpang reguler.
Interiornya cukup menarik, tapi bisa dibilang tidak ada pernak-pernik
teknologi seperti pada KA kita, tapi kereta ini unggul dalam dua hal:
desain interior yang sangat bagus (tidak hambar seperti pada KA
Eksekutif kita) dan kabin yang kedap suara.

Mayoritas perjalanannya melewati dataran yang dikelilingi pegunungan,
dan di perjalanan, banyak sekali jalur-jalur cabang yang masuk ke
dalam pabrik.
Barangkali ini bisa menjadi gambaran seperti apa jalur cabang di tanah
air pada jaman Belanda dahulu.

Setelah 90 menit perjalanan, kami sampai di Olten, dimana kami pindah
kereta. Kami sempat menunggu lama di Olten. Namun momen yang ditunggu
akhirnya datang juga: ICE melesat datang! Inilah pertama kali saya
naik kereta ini, dan tidak itu saja, saya juga ikut menaikinya!
Kami naik ke dalam kereta, dan saya cukup terkesan dengan interiornya
yang canggih (bukan mewah). Kursinya besar-besar dan di dekat pintu
ada speedometer penunjuk kecepatan.

Perjalanan belangsung dengan luar biasa mulusnya, tapi bisa dibilang
lambat untuk KA ICE. Kereta sempat berhenti di Basle dimana kondektur
Swiss diganti oleh kondektur Jerman dan kereta berganti posisi (karena
stasiun Basle adalah stasiun buntu).

Saya tidak begitu ingat bagaimana detail perjalanan ke Jerman, tapi
selama perjalanan, kereta hanya berjalan pada kecepatan sekitar
110-150 km/jam, karena walaupun Jerman punya KA cepat seperti ICE,
mereka tidak punya banyak jalur KA cepat pada waktu itu. Dan pada
dasarnya kami masuk ke Jerman tanpa diperiksa paspornya!! Rupanya
petugas imigrasi Jerman agak teledor!

Namun selepas Mannheim, kereta mulai berjalan cepat dan melesat pada
kecepatan sekitar 200 km/jam. Rupanya kereta masuk ke jalur cepat.
Bahkan yang aneh, jalur masuk ke jalur cepat itu mirip seperti jalur
masuk ke jalan tol: melewati fly-over. Hanya sayangnya, sebagian jalur
cepat itu tertutup oleh tembok, khususnya yang melewati tengah kota.

Kami sampai di Frankfurt pada sore hari, dan cukup terkejut dengan
hawa Frankfurt yang sangat dingin (-8 derajat Celcius pada tengah
hari). Di stasiun Frankfurt, dan kota Frankfurt, kami sering bertemu
dan menyapa orang-orang Indonesia yang tinggal di Frankfurt, dan kami
cukup tertolong oleh mereka.
Di Frankfurt, tremnya tampak sedikit lebih modern, hanya sayangnya
kota Frankfurt tampak agak kumuh jika dibandingkan dengan kota-kota di
Swiss.

Saya juga sempat mengicipi naik trem di Frankfurt, dimana jarak yang
jauh bisa terasa dekat! Tapi pada dasarnya tidak banyak yang bisa
diceritakan mengenai Frankfurt.

Besoknya, kami berangkat untuk melihat-lihat alam pedesaan Jerman.
Waktu itu tujuan kami adalah Rhine Valley yang terkenal itu.

Sebelum sampai di Rhine Valley, saya sempat curiga dengan rel KA di
sebelah bis saya, kok terus mengikuti jalan raya, dan yang
mengherankan, di kejauhan juga tampak jalur KA yang searah.
Kami sempat berhenti untuk makan di satu desa di pinggir rel. DI
restoran itu, saya juga sempat melihat ada sungai besar yang diapit
oleh kedua jalur KA tadi. (Belakangan, saya tahu kalau jalur-jalur itu
menghubungkan kota Frankfurt dan Cologne).

Selepas makan, kami bertolak untuk melihat lembah sungai Rhein. Dan
saya cukup takjub melihat sungai yang diapit oleh gunung-gunung
tinggi. Dan jangan lupa, dibawahnya ada jalur KA yang cukup sibuk! Dan
diatas gunung-gunung tersebut ada kastil-kastil yang menambah
keindahan lembah sungai Rhein. Menurut saya, naik KA di jalur itu
pasti enak sekali.

Setelah puas, kami pulang ke hotel untuk beristirahat, karena besoknya
kami akan pergi ke Paris. Sebelum ke sana, kami tidak punya gambaran
mengenai Paris, jadi kami ke sana hanya berbekal dengkul saja!!

Besok subuhnya, kami check out dari hotel dan berjalan kaki ke Stasiun
Frankfurt (karena stasiun ini persis di depan hotel). Di sana, kami
sempat terbingung-bingung mencari kereta kami, karena besarnya
Stasiun. Tapi akhirnya kami menemukannya juga, karena di gerbongnya
ada tulisan "SNCF", perusahaan KA milik Prancis.
Tapi sebelum berangkat, kami juga sempat melihat-lihat dan membeli
oleh-oleh, serta mencoba mengoperasikan miniatur model KA (barangkali
Marklin) yang dioperasikan pakai koin.

Kami bertolak menuju Paris sebelum matahari terbit, naik kereta tadi.
Interior KA ini bisa dibilang kuno. Gerbong kami adalah gerbong
kompartemen, dan tidak ada sentuhan teknologi sama sekali. Bahkan
kabinnya relatif tidak bertekanan, karena setiap kereta memasuki
terowongan, telinga kami terasa nyeri. Tapi pemandangan desa di Jerman
cukup bagus dan teduh juga, dan rata-rata didominasi oleh hutan dan
kota-kota kecil di tengah hutan.

Di Forbach, di Prancis, loko milik Jerman ditukar dengan loko milik
Prancis. Loko yang dipakai adalah loko yang dulu diapaki untuk KA
Mistral Express, yang jendela dan hidungnya condong ke bawah.
Pemandangan di Prancis agak berbeda dengan yang ada di Jerman, karena
di Prancis banyak padang rumput dan persawahan. Dan alamnya datar.
Juga kalau saya lihat kayaknya perekonomian Prancis ditopang oleh
hasil pertanian ini. Tapi yang pasti, alam pedesaan Prancis tampak
romantis sekali!

Kereta kami masuk ke kota Paris sekitar tengah hari, dan kami sampai
di Stasiun Gare de L'est. Sayangnya, di stasiun ini kami cukup kecewa
dengan pelayanan para petugas Prancis yang sangat egois dengan
bahasanya. Kami berulang kali diping-pong pada waktu menanyakan hotel
kami, yang ternyata dekat sekali dengan Stasiun. Suasana di dekat
stasiun juga terkesan kumuh.

PAda akhirnya, kami memutuskan untuk naik KA bawah tanah Metro. Dan
waktu saya lihat, keretanya tampak kumuh sekali, dan sistem penjualan
tiketnya tampak sangat tidak praktis.

Tapi ada beberapa hal yang cukup menarik tentang Paris, khususnya dari
segi perkereta apian, karena di situ saya ketemu dengan cewek tercakep
yang berangkali pernah saya lihat, di Metro, cuman sayang saya tidak
pernah melihat dia lagi...
Dan di stasiun suasana fashionnya terasa kental sekali. Banyak
penumpang metro yang berpakaian modis, dan banyak poster fashion yang
menampilkan wajah cewek-cewek cakep.

Tidak itu saja, saya bahkan melihat stasiun kereta api tercantik yang
pernah saya lihat: Gare d'Orsay. Cuman stasiun itu sekarang sudah
berubah fungsi menjadi museum seni. Hanya saja keberadaan tentara di
fasilitas perkereta apian Prancis cukup ketat juga. Karena ancaman
teroris barangali? Padahal itu adlaah tahun 1999, lama sebelum
ancaman-ancaman teroris menjadi trend.

Saya juga menyempatkan mengunjungi EuroDisney naik KA ke sana, dan
melihat suasana di Euro Disney. Di Euro disney saya sempat naik KA Uap
yang mengelilingi kompleks taman ria itu, dan juga melihat jalur trem
di jalan-jalan di dalam EuroDisney. Gauge tram tersebut kira-kira
700mm, tapi saya tidak pernah sempat melihat tremnya (belakangan saya
ketahui ternyata tremnya adalah kereta yang ditarik kuda) .

Stasiun KA Euro Disney, ternyata bukan sembarang stasiun. Bangunan
utamanya ternyata dibangun tepat diatas jalur KA super cepat TGV.
Biasanya jalur ini dipakai untuk KA TGV yang tidak berhenti di Paris,
atau KA Eurostar yang pergi ke selatan Prancis.

Malamnya, kami kembali ke hotel untuk beristirahat, karena besoknya
momen yang ditunggu-tunggu akan tiba: perjalanan naik TGV!!

Setelah melihat-lihat kota Paris, kami pergi ke Stasiun Gare de Lyon
untuk naik TGV. Cuman sial- seribu-sial, kami kehilangan sebagian
kopor kami di sini. Kopor tersebut hilang pada saat dititipkan, dan
rupanya kopor kami ditilep oleh petugas yang menjaga! Dan pada saat
kami minta tolong, lagi-lagi kami dipersulit dengan sifat egois ala
Prancis seperti yang kami temui di Stasiun Gare de L'est.

Akhirnya kami tidak punya pilihan selain merelakan kopor kami lenyap,
dan kami langsung pergi ke peron stasiun. Peron stasiun Gare de Lyon
waktu itu penuh sesak dengan berbagai macam tipe TGV yang melayani
selatan Prancis, seperti TGV Duplex, TGV Paris Sud-est, dan ada juga
TGV Atlantique.

Waktu saya lihat kereta di peron yang kami tuju, saya lihat ada TGV
Atlantique. Saya pikir kami akan naik KA ini, ternyata tidak (karena
KA ini pergi ke Milan,Italia). Kereta kami ternyata ada di depan
rangkaian Atlantique tadi, yaitu TGV PSE yang berwarna oranye. Ini
pertama dan terakhir kali saya melihat TGV PSE berwarna oranya, karena
tahun 2001 yang lalu, TGV PSE terakhir yang berwarna oranye dicat
dengan warna biru-perak.
Interior TGV yang saya naiki boleh dikatakan cukup tradisional. Tidak
ada pernak-pernik teknologi, dan terkesan agak tua. Beda dengan TGV
Duplex yang interiornya canggih.

Tidak lama kemudian, kereta kami berangkat menuju ke Dijon.
Pertama-tama perjalanan terasa lambat. Namun lama-lama mulai cepat.
Sesaat setelah meninggalkan Stasiun, saya sempat melihat Depo
Villeneuve St.George, dan di dalamnya banyak sekali KA TGV yang
diparkir. bahkan saya juga sempat melihat TGV La Poste diparkir.

Tidak terasa, kereta sudah berada di luar kota, dan berada di jalur
cepat. Pemandangan di luar tampak luar biasa. Walaupun tidak ada bunyi
dan getaran, pemandangan di luar tidak ubahnya seperti film yang
dicepatkan. Banyak sekali jalan-jalan dan jalur KA lokal yang
dilintasi oleh jalur KA ini. Jadi kesannya seperti kita naik KA VIP
yang diistimewakan.

Dua jam kemudian kereta kami sampai di Dijon. Di sini banyak penumpang
yang turun. Dan di sini TGV Atlantique tadi dipisah dari rangkaian TGV
kami. Sebagai catatan, jarak Paris-Dijon hampir sama dengan jarak
Jakarta-Solo. Hanya kalau kita naik KA Argo Lawu butuh waktu paling
cepat 7 jam untuk sampai ke Solo, TGV cuman perlu waktu 2 jam dengan
kecepatan "normal".

Pada waktu kami berangkat dari Dijon, kereta masih berjalan di jalur
khusus. Namun tidak terasa jalur KA makin lama makin berliku, pertanda
kalau kereta kami sudah dekat Swiss.

Pada saat TGV kami masuk ke kota Frasne, saya takjub melihat stasiun
tersebut diselimuti salju. Bahkan papan nama dan atap peron stasiun
itu dipenuhi oleh kerucut es yang menggantung. Saya mau keluar untuk
melihat, tapi dicegah oleh orang tua saya, karena mereka kuatir saya
kena demam dan ketinggalan kereta.

Selepas Frasne, jalur kereta kami terasa cukup berkelok-kelok. Bahkan
kereta saya juga melewati beberapa persilangan, suatu hal yang aneh
buat KA super cepat seperti TGV untuk melewati perlintasan dengan
jalan raya.

Yang aneh, di Olten (tempat saya naik ICE) ada beberapa komuter yang
menggunakan KA TGV seperti halnya KA komuter, untuk pergi ke Zurich.

Sekitar satu jam setelah Olten kereta kami sampai di Zurich. Setelah
turun, kami menyempatkan diri untuk berfoto bersama di depan TGV yang
kami naiki. Cuman sayang, foto ini rupanya hangus!
Hari-hari terakhir saya di Eropa saya habiskan di Swiss. Dan di Swiss
saya sempat naik KA tercanggih yang pernah saya tahu, antara Luzern
dengan Zurich.

Kereta ini adalah kereta double decker, dan punya inerior yang sangat
modis, dan punya pernak-pernik teknologi yang banyak. Bahkan toilet
kereta ini juga serba otomatis. Kerannya saja pakai tombol!

Cuman inilah terakhir kali saya naik KA di Eropa. Besoknya kami pulang
kembali ke Indonesia (minus kakak saya yang harus kerja praktek), naik
taxi ke Airport.

Bagi saya ini adalah pengalaman yang sulit dilupakan. Saya bersyukur
karena saya sempat menaiki kereta-kereta yang terkenal dalam sejarah
perkereta apian, dan bisa memiliki kenangan bagus tentangnya.
Hanya sayang saja, saya tidak sempat mengambil gambar-gambar kereta
ini, karena rol film saya yang tidak banyak, dan waktu itu saya belum
menjadi penggemar KA.

Menurut saa, jika kita ingin memperkenalkan KA-KA semacam ini di
Indonesia, kita harus punya.

Kereta ke Disneyland

Jalan-Jalan di Paris Disneyland
**javamilk.com

Prev: Jalan-Jalan di Paris

Daftar Perjalanan Hari #2 dan #3 di Paris:

* Euro Disneyland
* Menara Eiffel

Btw, jika Anda mempunyai planning banyak jalan-jalan di kota Paris, sebaiknya beli Paris Visite Pass. Dengan pass ini kita bisa bebas naik metro dan bus sepuasnya dengan harga €8,8 untuk 1 hari (zone 1-3), €14.4 untuk 2 hari dan €28.3 untuk 5 hari. Anak di bawah 12 tahun cukup bayar setengah harga. Sebaiknya beli pass untuk zone 1-3 saja, dan jika ingin travelling ke zone 4-6 seperti Disneyland atau Versailles baru beli tiket terpisah. Alternatif lain adalah tetap beli tiket ketengan (carnett).

Disneyland Paris

Hari ke-2 di Paris habiskan di Disneyland Paris yang juga disebut Euro Disney.

Disneyland terletak agak luar kota dari Paris, jadi kita harus beli tiket kereta RER terpisah supaya bisa ke zone 5. Jika Anda bingung, cukup datang ke loket di stasiun kereta dan sebut saja mau beli tiket ke Disneyland (tentu saja dalam bahasa Inggris/Perancis). Pastikan beli tiket pulang pergi langsung untuk menghemat waktu. Bahkan Anda bisa naik kereta dari London atau kota lain di Perancis langsung tiba di Disneyland tanpa harus berhenti di kota Paris.

Dari tengah kota Paris, kita bisa naik RER line A dari Nation atau Gare de Lyon untuk menuju Disneyland. Perlu dicatat RER line A adalah sebuah line dengan split 2 ujung: Boissy Saint Leger dan Marne La Valle. Disneyland berada di stasiun Marne-La-Valle/Chessy. Jadi jika sedang menunggu kereta di Nation atau stasiun lain, perhatikan papan display di platform. Untuk setiap kereta RER yang segera tiba, papan display akan menunjukkan stasiun mana saja kereta itu akan berhenti, nah pastikan Marne-La-Valle/Chessy ada di situ (ditunjukkan dengan kotak kuning di sebelah nama stasiun).
RER Display board

Oh ya, Jangan menunggu kereta dengan jendela ber-design kepala Mickey dan kursi empuk seperti di Hong Kong ya, karena gak bakalan ada! Kereta ke Disneyland Paris adalah kereta RER biasa, sama seperti line lain. Kecuali Anda mau naik kereta Disneyland Express, itu pun biasa saja.

Begitu tiba di stasiun kereta, suasana Disneyland akan mulai terasa dengan adanya toko yang menjual cinderamata. Bahkan di saat hujan seperti waktu kami di sana, toko-toko ini laris menjual jas hujan serta payung dengan logo Disney dan Mickey.

Harga tiket Disneyland bervariasi tergantung season dan dari mana Anda beli. Saran saya sebaiknya Anda beli dari website Disneyland UK, seolah-olah Anda tinggal di Inggris. Waktu itu saya beli lewat website itu dan bayar online dengan kartu kredit. Lalu tidak lama kemudian akan mendapat email konfirmasi dan instruksi untuk print tiket di kertas biasa. Nah, tinggal bawa tiket kertas ini langsung ke entrance gate untuk di-scan. Jika sukses maka kita akan dikenakan gelang dan stempel ultraviolet sebagai pengenal dan tanda masuk. Anak di bawah umur tertentu tidak perlu beli tiket karena gratis.

Disneyland Paris mempunyai 2 park: Disney Park dan Walt Disney Studio. Jika di peak season antrian membludak sebaiknya Anda cukup beli tiket 1-day 1-park atau 2-day 2-park. Harga normal tiket masuk ke 1 park adalah £35. Sedangkan non-peak season apalagi musim dingin, Anda bisa coba 1-day 2-park (Discovery Ticket) karena harganya murah dan bisa bebas keluar-masuk ke dua taman itu. Harga Discovery Ticket 1 day 2 park yang telah di-discount adalah £36 untuk non-peak dan untuk peak season £41.
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Disney Park isinya mirip seperti Disneyland Hong Kong dengan macam-macam wahana untuk tua muda, sedangkan Walt Disney Studio lebih ke arah pertunjukan. Hampir semua pertunjukan ditampilan dalam bilingual Perancis dan Inggris. Jangan lewatkan kesempatan untuk berfoto dengan Mickey, Donald, dkk, lalu menyaksikan parade di siang hari dan firework di malam hari. Bagi yang belum pernah mengunjungi Disneyland, sisihkan 1 hari di Paris untuk ke tempat ini. Dijamin fun dan memorable.

Disneyland Paris juga mengimplementasikan FastPass sehingga kita tidak perlu antri berdiri lama di tiap wahana. Cukup datang ke wahana yang diinginkan, ambil tiket FastPass dan perhatikan jam kita harus kembali, lalu kita bisa pergi main di wahana lain dulu.

Walaupun sudah diatur sedemikian rupa, waktu satu hari sebenarnya tidak akan cukup untuk menikmati semua wahana di sini. Tapi bagi kita yang waktu di Eropa sangat terbatas, rasanya sudah sangat puas. Disneyland tutup jam 7-8 malam, jadi perhatikan jam tangan. Setelah taman ditutup orang akan berbondong-bondong memenuhi stasiun kereta untuk pulang ke tempat masing-masing. Mungkin Anda perlu menunggu kereta beberapa lama karena begitu banyaknya penumpang yang akan menuju Paris.
Eiffel Tower Paris

Hari ke-3 kami hanya punya waktu dari pagi hingga tengah hari karena siangnya sudah harus berangkat ke Brussel dan Amsterdam.

Pagi-pagi kami langsung jalan menuju menara Eiffel, tempat wajib bagi orang yang datang jalan jalan ke Paris. Kita turun di stasiun Bir-Hakeim (line-6) atau Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel (RER C). Dari sini kita jalan menyusuri pinggir Seine Riviera menuju ke Eiffel Tower, landmark kota Paris. Kata orang jangan pernah sendirian ke Eiffel Tower, bisa mati garing karena orang lain berpasangan, berpelukan, bahkan berciuman di atas tower ini.
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Antrian orang untuk naik ke atas Tower Eiffel sangatlah panjang. Pengalaman saya adalah antri hampir 3 jam! Anda bisa datang di jam 8-9 malam karena lebih sepi dan menara ini terang benderang dengan nyala lampu puluhan ribu watt.

Eiffel Tower dibagi menjadi 3 tingkat: 1st floor, 2nd floor, dan top. Tingkat 1 dan 2 dapat dicapai dengan tangga, sedangkan tingkat paling atas hanya dapat dicapai dengan lift. Tentu saja bagi yang pertama kali jalan jalan ke Eropa, perjalanan Anda ke Eropa tidak akan pernah lengkap kalau belum naik ke puncaknya Eiffel.

Ada 2 macam tiket Tower Eiffel, yang pertama adalah tiket naik tangga (yes opa dan oma), harganya €4.00. Tiket ini tidak banyak antriannya dan tentu saja bagi yang kuat naik tangga ratusan steps. Tiket kedua adalah dengan lift seharga €4.8 untuk 1st floor, €7.8 untuk 2nd floor, dan €12.00 untuk bisa ke paling atas.

Lift yang mengangkut pengunjung ukurannya lumayan besar, bisa menampung belasan orang untuk dibawa ke tingkat 1. Dari sini pemandangan sudah lumayan spektakuler. Lalu kita lanjutkan dengan lift lain untuk menuju ke lantai 2 dan ke puncak. Pemandangan dari puncak Tower Eiffel sulit dilukiskan dengan kata-kata, sangat tinggi dan luar biasa. Kita bisa melihat seluruh penjuru kota Paris yang hampir semua gedung bercat warna kuning tanah dan melihat gedung tinggi di business district seperti foto di bawah ini.

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Kita boleh mempergunakan waktu selama-lamanya di atas Tower Eiffel, dari sekedar foto-foto hingga melamar kekasih. Tetapi cuaca dingin dan jadwal lain pasti memaksa orang untuk turun.
Paris – Brussel

Selesai urusan dengan Eiffel, Kami kembali ke hotel untuk mengambil koper dan langsung menuju stasiun metro Paris Gare du Nord. Gare du Nord adalah stasiun metro sekaligus stasiun kereta jarak jauh ke luar kota. Dari sini kami naik kereta Thalys menuju Brussel. Tiket sudah dibeli online jauh-jauh hari waktu masih di Indonesia.

Bagi yang belum biasa dengan petunjuk stasiun kereta, ukuran stasiun cukup besar tetapi banyak papan petunjuk, jadi kita tidak mungkin salah jalan. Perhatikan papan besar di dalam stasiun, cari kota tujuan kita dan jenis/nomor kereta, lalu perhatikan kolom paling kanan: informasi nomor platform. Jika belum ada nomor platform, berarti kereta belum tiba atau belum bisa naik. Lalu jalanlah ke platform yang ditentukan, dan carilah nomor gerbong sesuai dengan tiket. Beberapa gerbong terdapat staff yang akan membantu mengecek dan menunjukkan lokasi kursi.

Jika keadaan sepi, kita bisa naik gerbong kelas 1 (asalkan tidak ketahuan), tapi demi keamanan baiknya duduk sesuai nomor kursi di tiket, toh nyaman juga. Beda kelas 2 dan kelas 1 yang paling kelihatan adalah kursi 2-2 dibanding 2-1.

Perjalanan Paris ke Brussel (bahasa aslinya Bruxelle)hanya perlu 1 jam 22 menit, kereta berangkat dan tiba tepat sesuai dengan yang tertulis di tiket. Kami berhenti di stasiun Bruxelles Midi. Keperluan kami cuma transit sebentar sebelum melanjutkan kereta ke Amsterdam. Waktu transit yang hanya 1 jam kami habiskan di dalam stasiun saja.

Kami beli coklat khas Belgia di stasiun ini. Yah oleh-oleh khas Belgia adalah coklat dan coklat. Harganya sebenarnya tidak murah amat, tapi kalau beli di Indonesia tentu lebih mahal.

Setelah itu kami langsung naik ke platform menunggu kereta ke Amsterdam. Dan lagi-lagi kereta datang tepat waktu, bergegas naik ke atas gerbong karena waktu berhenti kereta tidak lama. Kali ini kereta kami adalah jenis Corail dengan perjalanan hampir 3 jam untuk sampai di Amsterdam Central Station.