Culture Shocks and Disney Magic... in Asia!!! A TR on all Asia Disney Resorts! [Update Dec19!]

[theseacallsme]

yay!!! i was so excited to see you'd updated!! can't wait to read more

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

So many wonderful updates! The Alice in Wonderland Maze looks so inviting. I could definitely see kids running wild in there.
Sorry you weren't able to get the Mickey Pork Bun. It was definitely cute and something I would order just from the way it looks. Hopefully later in the trip you were able to taste it.

 

[franandaj]

I'm not quite sure that I "get" the mazes, but there are some interesting photo ops in the Alice maze.

When you said sold out of the Mickey Pork Buns, you mean for the whole day? What time was this? I would have settled for the Pooh Chicken Bun, but I really would have wanted the Mickey one too!

The Launch Bay there looks better than the other two Launch Bays. There isn't a Millenium Falcon photo op at either of the other two. I haven't done the meet and greets at either CA or FL, but I did do the Chase Visa meet in FL and got a really good Kylo there.

Mickey Avenue looks like fun. Did Remy's Pastisserie have any "western style" pastries or were they more Asian based?

 

[jesterrific]

Great pics! How do you pick souvenirs? They are all so cute!

To be honest... we didn't buy a lot of stuff. We were really worried about baggage so we concentrated more on our experience than buying actual trinkets. SO we took photos of all the things we liked haha. Brian got the passport, though, which was easy to take back. (We started our trip off very conscious of luggage space because we still had two more stops! Then... Japan happened haha)

 

[jesterrific]

So many wonderful updates! The Alice in Wonderland Maze looks so inviting. I could definitely see kids running wild in there.
Sorry you weren't able to get the Mickey Pork Bun. It was definitely cute and something I would order just from the way it looks. Hopefully later in the trip you were able to taste it.

Yeah, I really wanted to try it because it looks so cute. Plus I like steamed pork buns haha.

 

[jesterrific]

I'm not quite sure that I "get" the mazes, but there are some interesting photo ops in the Alice maze.

When you said sold out of the Mickey Pork Buns, you mean for the whole day? What time was this? I would have settled for the Pooh Chicken Bun, but I really would have wanted the Mickey one too!

The Launch Bay there looks better than the other two Launch Bays. There isn't a Millenium Falcon photo op at either of the other two. I haven't done the meet and greets at either CA or FL, but I did do the Chase Visa meet in FL and got a really good Kylo there.

Mickey Avenue looks like fun. Did Remy's Pastisserie have any "western style" pastries or were they more Asian based?

I don't really remember why they decided on a maze... as it's technically an attraction but not overly exciting? I think they plan on letting the hedges grow taller though, which then I would think they'd be really cool!

It was sold out before we had lunch so I think this was around 11:30 maybe? Not really sure how that happened...

I haven't been to the Launch Bay in California yet, so I don't have that to compare to. While this one is smaller, you're right I think there is more than Florida. In Florida you get a bit more of an immersive experience, having some storm troopers and jaw's walking around, but you can sort of tell it was put together pretty quickly!

The Patisserie didn't have a HUGE selection, but there was a small variety. Asian style buns, I think pretzels, and some croissants.

 

[jesterrific]

When you said sold out of the Mickey Pork Buns, you mean for the whole day? What time was this? I would have settled for the Pooh Chicken Bun, but I really would have wanted the Mickey one too!

Oops, this was after lunch already, before dinner. So I'm going to guess around 2:30pm hahaha.

 

[bcwife76]

Oh my gosh that maze is amazing (no pun intended ) I would so love to be at that tea party!

My dh loves pork buns (he works in Richmond so he has access to lots of asian delicasies every day lol) and would so want one shaped in a Mickey head

Launch Bay looks super fun....haha awkward encounters....they usually are when they involve anyone from the dark side

 

[jesterrific]

Oh my gosh that maze is amazing (no pun intended ) I would so love to be at that tea party!

My dh loves pork buns (he works in Richmond so he has access to lots of asian delicasies every day lol) and would so want one shaped in a Mickey head

Launch Bay looks super fun....haha awkward encounters....they usually are when they involve anyone from the dark side

Bahahaha gotta love them pork buns! Plus I don't know if you already picked up on this... but any food Mickey shaped I just HAVE to have it!

 

[coloredimage]

I'm so bummed that BB8 wasn't a "real" meet and greet like he is in the American parks! But that Oswald cup is adorable, I may need to try and find it online for my mother (he's her favorite character, too!)

 

[Simba22]

I have to get caught up but just wanted to pop in and say hi and that I'm subbing!

 

[jesterrific]

I'm so bummed that BB8 wasn't a "real" meet and greet like he is in the American parks! But that Oswald cup is adorable, I may need to try and find it online for my mother (he's her favorite character, too!)

I know!!! I've never gotten a chance to see the moving BB-8 in north america so I got soooo excited to see him listed as a meet and greet. I think there was probably a bit of "lost in translation" for him in Shanghai when they called that a meet and greet.

You might get lucky now! Loving all the love Oswald is getting again!!!

 

[jesterrific]

I have to get caught up but just wanted to pop in and say hi and that I'm subbing!

Thanks for following along!! Don't worry, you'll probably get caught up pretty quickly! I am, sadly, a little slow to update

 

[glendroid]

Where the updates at!!!

 

[jesterrific]

Day 3 [part 10]: MORE TRON! More wanderings!​

It was time to cash in our second fast pass of the day… TRON once again!!! On our way, we noticed that not-Astro Blasters was still at a 5 minute wait, so we decided to quickly do that once more!

Neither of us managed to break the million this time though!

(At least the score gap isn’t as big this time though haha)


HERE WE GO!!!! Right into the room with the magic glass wall!

View from the glass wall room of the launch track

The vehicles that haven’t been locked in yet (dark blue wheels!)

LOOK AT THAT OLAF SWEATER THOUGH


Locked in ready to go

This time Jenna and I rode together

Seriously. I don’t think I can get enough of Tron. We think that if you rode over and over and over and over, eventually your front gets a little bit sore (we found out our limit later this night…. hahaha) but the overall ride experience is just… so FUN. And so visually gorgeous. I also love that when you exit the ride, you walk through under the track area so you get to see the next people enjoying the ride just as much as you did!

WHEEEEEE

We decided to take a look at the menu at Stargazer Grill (kind of their Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant.) They are located on the second level portion in Tomorrowland, right next to the Jet Packs!

If you were craving more American style food in the park, you’d most likely come here

They serve burgers here!​

Since this park is newer, we hadn’t heard much about the burgers yet. Tokyo Disneyland has cute Mickey shaped hamburgers, but from what we have heard from other people, they aren’t the tastiest. Apparently the ones in Shanghai are better than Tokyo, though. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to say, as I didn’t order any. They mostly just look like normal burgers.

After this, we wanted to go do more meet and greets! So we headed over to Marvel Universe. They had Captain America and Spider-Man listed on the park app for meets at various times, so we wanted to try our luck. Captain American is both Brian and I’s favourite superhero, so we were really really hoping we would be able to meet him!

Brian and I were very sad to see that Captain America was NOT meeting at the time. But Spider-Man was, and his line wasn’t too long.

Apparently this was the best photo that we had with Spidey

He LOOKS really really thin for a Spider-Man in the photo… but what you notice right away is that his costume is straight up full on pure spandex. No foam padding, nothing. Up close you can actually see the suit on him up close, and the guy underneath, though small framed, was RIPPED. His body fat percentage is probably sooooo low! We left rather impressed haha.


Other than the meet and greets, there wasn’t much else to do in Marvel Universe except look at merch, so we decided to head back out and walk through the Gardens of Imagination (the area in front of the castle!)

Outside sign

Here is my obligatory “Here I Am in Front of the Castle” Photo!

(with background people, oops)​

Garden of the Twelve Friends

The Garden of the Twelve Friends is a giant wall with 12 murals, of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. All depicted with Disney characters haha. It’s rather cute. It's not really an attraction, but it’s labeled on the map so we figured we should see it.

Here is the Fantasia Carousel

Then, this store at the end of Mickey Avenue caught our eye: Whistle Stop Shop

There was also this cute “Lucky Express” merch cart just outside too

Inside the shop was where you could find all your Duffy and Shellie May needs!
Including these cute nautical costumes for Shellie May

There were also these giant sized Duffy and Shellie May on display

​

(A cast member scolded me when I went to feel if it was actually a giant stuffed bear or not. I was curious because the ones at the World of Disney were figures with a furry outside. THESE were actual full on stuffed bears. But apparently you aren’t allowed to touch them… ha ha ha oops. She then proceeded to stare intently while I had my photo taken so that I wouldn’t touch again. Oops)

They also had this really cute “Train Bulletin” sign up

UP NEXT… MORE PIRATES! With some blurry photos on the ride… Dinner at Barbossa’s Bounty

 

[jesterrific]

Day 3 [part 11]: MORE PIRATES! Dinner at Barbossa's Bounty​

We decided it was time to head back over to Treasure Cove and go for our second ride on the glorious Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. We were definitely excited!! Since it was the first ride of our day, it already felt like forever ago since we were last on it!

Such a grand ride sign!

This time, during the split in the line up, we went left instead of right, so we could see the props on this side! Unfortunately, I was a tad excited and didn’t get great photos. Same as on the ride. My poor phone couldn’t handle the low lights all that well… but you can kind of get a feel of the ride!

Ride line up photos:

“Yo Ho - Yo Ho”

I don’t think you can tell but through that black void you can see the ships coming back to the station haha

Wanted posters

Now onto the ride…
Pirate skeletons?

When Jack Sparrow comes to life

Sunken Ship

Sunken Treasure!

Tried to get photos of the hammerhead pirate (failed lol.)

(blurry)

Then I tried to get photos of Davy Jones (failed again haha)

(Blurry!!!)

Yep. LOVE this ride. It’s very different from the classic Pirates rides in the North American parks, but if you look at it as a ride all on its own, it’s AMAZING!!! The animatronics are so good! That’s why I tried to get photos of the fish-men pirates, because they look REAL, like you were in the movies! And the set pieces, like the ships and sunken treasure... they just make you go “WOW!” And the scene transitions! AHHHH!!! Can you tell I love it hahahaha

Another view of Treasure Cove

More ships

And then our first “whoa! Asian fashion!” moment

So dressed up!


Then I fell in love with this person’s shoes and tried to creep a photo…

It’s got Baymax on it, saying “Hi!”​

And now.. dinner time! We had already decided prior to the start of our trip that we would want to eat at Barbossa’s Bounty for dinner this night. We decided on this because of how popular it is with the locals. As mentioned in a previous post, this quick service restaurant is their busiest of their dining options. Some of the items on the menu included chicken, ribs, and squid. We watched people walking away with trays of their food and a lot of the plates were HUGE!

View into the cooking area

Winner winner… we all had chicken dinner!

Again, our meal included a beverage as well! And our chicken dish came with some stewed vegetables, a quarter chicken, pickled vegetables, and a shrimp chip! We all chose the chicken dish because the ribs was sooooo big and none of us felt like a super heavy meal. And based on what we were kind of eyeballing, it seemed like the squid dish was the most popular item hahaha. None of us thought we would want to adventure that far for dinner, so that’s why we all went with plain ol’ chicken. But it was very tasty and juicy. The rice was seasoned and yummy (I don’t remember with what.) Stewed vegetables were not bad. And I was the only one who enjoyed the pickled vegetables haha. We sat inside by the ride so we could watch the boats come by!





Next up… Part 11 continued

 

[Lesley Wake]

They also had this really cute “Train Bulletin” sign up

That sign is hilarious to me! Altadena and Azusa are super close to where I live in LA but I wouldn't think they have any Disney connection! Of course Burbank and Anaheim are Disney central. Apple Valley is also nearish but still a drive!

 

[jesterrific]

Day 3 [part 11 continued]: adding on to “MORE PIRATES”​

I forgot to include these in the last post, so here are a few additional photos before I continue on into our first night!

Here is a view of the gigantic Storybook Castle without me standing in front of it

Here is the golden sun, visible behind that lovely smog filter

PIRATES ride photo during a really neat scene!

This photo doesn’t do this scene justice in the ride. You can’t really tell from the photo, but what’s happening is that our boat is currently turning. The screen in the background was the room we were just in where you watch the big screen in front of you where you start off “underwater” and then all the boats and yourself “float” to the surface! Very cool effect, and then the transition to the scene we are about to enter is just mind blowing because as your boat turns, the two boats surrounding you are NOT screens but actual basically full sized ships!!! And this is the ship battle scene. I don’t know if I make sense… it’s just really cool haha.

And here is a photo of our ride picture haha

This is where we sat at Barbossa’s Bounty

And our view of the boats from the ride!

Up next… OFFICIALLY NIGHT TIME IN THE PARK!

 

[jesterrific]

Day 3 [part 12]: OFFICIALLY NIGHT TIME IN THE PARK!​

Coming out of dinner from Barbossa’s Bounty… it’s officially night time in the park! I don’t know about anyone else, but the concept of being in a brand new park at night is SO exciting to me. The lights, the night time views… All of it gets me so excited. (Maybe it’s because it’s nostalgic of carnival lights at night, but instead of giving you that carnival feel, you get the feel of MAGIC while in a Disney park.) Either way, night time in a Disney park just feels like a whole other experience. The buildings all feel different. The attractions are lit up while the sky above you is black ink. AHH. SO! Commencing our official first night in the park.

Can’t get enough of this castle!

Earlier in the day when we finished the Alice in Wonderland maze, we already decided it was probably something we would want to do again at night. With the park being still fairly new, the actual maze part didn’t feel all that grand during the day time. But we were definitely intrigued by it, and wondered if at night it would feel any different. Especially since there are little lanterns around all the paths. We also needed to go back through the maze so Brian could get his park passport stamped (the machine is right before the exit of the attraction, so you have to go through the maze to get to it)

Here we go!

Here is a selfie of me with the castle on the first half of the maze

This time, we went through a different door at the beginning. But as we already figured out earlier in the day, the doors basically lead you to the same place. Already just from the first half, I was loving the maze at night compared to daytime. The first half felt like a stroll through a park in the evening… except you have a beautifully lit gigantic castle in front of you! (Omg, can you tell that it got cold at night time? My nose is all red in that photo!) Then you pop over through the cave tunnel area, and enter the Queen of Hearts garden area side.

I LOVE the look of this entrance area at night. I’m not really sure why I feel differently about it at night vs daytime, but the look of the entrance with the lit castle in the back just makes me feel that much more into the scene.

Another view of the castle from below

Here is a view of the flower garden with the weird Queen of Hearts figurehead in it…

I didn’t really like it, but felt like I needed to have a photo with this slightly disturbing figure…

You cross under the bridge to get over to the rest of the mazes

The hanging lanterns were cute and hung above your heads for the rest of the paths to the exit. The rest of the maze didn’t look that much more different than day time other than that you’re walking in a dark maze haha. We didn’t feel like wandering the dimly lit paths so this time we decided to take the quick route to the end. (The paths had small lights on the curb of the walkway to shine onto the paths, and the only other lighting were the lanterns with a few lamp posts throughout.)

I got my “sitting on the seat” tea party photo

Fancy fake cake

Night time tea party

UNFORTUNATELY, when we got to the passport machine, it was covered up and had a sign that said out of order! How disappointing! But the cast member said that if we were back tomorrow it should be fixed by then. SO that means we have to plan to come back tomorrow. Now, we decided to slowly make our way back to tomorrowland (because who isn’t excited to see what Tron looks like at night!!!!!!!!)

Walking right by the castle!

We also popped into Pinocchio Village Kitchen to see what it looked like inside. Among their Chinese dish options, they also serve pizza here (similar to Pinocchio Village Haus in Magic Kingdom haha). While they had the option of Tomato and Mozzarella pizza on their menu, their featured dish is their peking duck pizza! Other items on the menu include rice bowls and noodles. None of us were hungry yet since dinner wasn’t too long ago, so we opted out of trying the peking duck pizza.

Scenes from Pinocchio on the walls

And finally… that moment we’ve been dreaming of. We walked into Tomorrowland at night. And it is a magic like out of this world!!!!!!

Dance party

View of Tron

Up next… All of the TRON at night! and fireworks too.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

So many great updates. I just love seeing Tron at night. Can't wait until Disney World gets it.
I totally agree with you about being in the parks at night. It's just a whole different vibe.