5 Big Surprises and Lessons Learned After Taking My Kids to Tokyo Disneyland for Their First Disney Theme Park Experience

The first time I went to a Disney theme park I was 3 years old. So obviously I don’t remember anything.

It wasn’t until after my honeymoon at Disney World that I really got to experience it. And, oh my gosh, it was magical. At the time, the most recent upcoming attraction at Disney World It was the Seven Dwarfs’ mine train, and there was no hubbub around Splash Mountain or Jungle CruiseIn every way, Disney World was THE destination, and everything seemed to be staying that way.

Fast forward to today, and visitors to the park are not necessarily delighted with the Mouse House. That said, I thought my kids would still love to go, as they are currently 7 and 9 – the perfect age to still be captivated by the Disney magic. So when we went to Japan recently, I took them to Tokyo Disneyland, as it was their first time at a Disney theme park, and I was quite surprised by their reactions. Let me explain.

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Tokyo Disneyland — (Image credit: Disney Experiences)

Given how much I promoted it, they thought it would be bigger.

Let me start by saying that I had never been to Disneyland before. I had only been to Disney World. So, that being said, I’m used to there being four different parks, namely Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

Of course, I had talked to my kids about it. I had raved about the Expedition Everest ride at Animal Kingdom, I had raved about the super cool Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with Aerosmith at Hollywood Studios, and I hadn’t stopped talking about Soarin’ at Epcot.

So when I decided we were going to Japan this summer, I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and take them to a Disney theme park as well. And, do you want to know the first thing my son said when he got to Tokyo Disneyland? He said, “I thought it would be bigger.”

Of course, it was all my fault. I had filled their heads with this grandiose idea, and Tokyo Disneyland, while amazing in its own right, was not as big as Disney World.

For starters, there’s only one park. You’ll find the classic Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Critter Country, and Toontown attractions, but you also have World Bazaar instead of Main Street, USA, and Westernland instead of Frontierland. You’ll also find mostly similar attractions, with a few variations.

But none of this really matters to my kids, because they had nothing to compare it to other than what I told them about Disney World. That said, my son was definitely not impressed. He didn’t care about going to the castle, or the “rides” (which I’ll get to shortly).

My daughter, on the other hand, had a much better time there. She liked Fantasyland, but didn’t like the other parts of the park very much. In short, both of my children thought the park would be much bigger, which, again, is entirely my fault. I showed them the world, when I should have shown them the country.

The Haunted Mansion ride at Tokyo Disneyland

(Image credit: Walt Disney Imagineering)

My son wasn’t really a big fan of the whole “pod rides” thing, but he absolutely loved Haunted Mansion

The first “horror” movie my son saw was Haunted Mansion, which we called “scary” and “fun” in our reviewI actually didn’t watch it with him since my wife took him to see it, but I remember he had to sleep with the light on that night.

That said, he has since become very interested in horror. He loves Five Nights at Freddy’s video games (and he also liked the movie, but he didn’t think it was that scary because there weren’t many jumps of fear), and his favorite holiday is Halloween. He also looks forward to the next Playtime with poppies movie.

I only mention this because my son didn’t like most of the “capsule rides” at Tokyo Disneyland. When I say “capsule rides,” I mean the ones where you sit in a sort of capsule with different scenes happening around you.

For example, even though the game takes place on a boat, my son would consider It’s a Small World a “pod ride” because there are no thrills and you just float around. Pirates of the Caribbean is another example, as is Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, which is only found at Tokyo Disneyland.

Needless to say, my thrill-seeking son didn’t like it. any of these rides. He likes roller coasters. Especially the ones that go upside down, like the Ring of Fire.

That said, my son absolutely loved Haunted Mansion, which is also what he would consider a capsule ride.

When I sat next to him, he would constantly point out, “That was in the movie. And this too. And this too!” So apparently the movie was very accurate to the ride. He also liked that it was dark. In fact, my son told me he didn’t like Disneyland, “except for the Haunted Mansion.” What can I say? My son likes scary stuff.

A pirate at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride

(Image credit: Arrow Development)

Meanwhile, my daughter said Pirates of the Caribbean was the best ride she’s ever been on.

My daughter, on the other hand, was not impressed with Haunted Mansion. In fact, she found the movie pretty bad.

She did, however, love Pirates of the Caribbean, which she has since considered her favorite ride. Since I had been there before, I watched her more than the animatronics themselves, and her mouth hung open for most of the ride.

In fact, she had never seen one of the moviesso she didn’t have a reference point like my son did with Haunted Mansion. But she just loved the overall spectacle of Pirates.

The cannons, the splashing water, the dog whistles. Everything about this ride spoke to her, and I loved watching her have such a great time. that It was magical.

Belle on the ride Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast

(Image credit: Walt Disney Imagineering)

Neither of my kids were really impressed by Tokyo Disneyland’s exclusive attraction, Enchanted Tale Of Beauty And The Beast, but my wife and I loved it.

Every time I searched for videos about Tokyo Disneyland, all I heard someone say was how beautiful the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast was, so I had to experience it.

Well, at Tokyo Disneyland they have something called Disney Premier Access, which is basically the Fastpass now gonebut you have to pay for it (it sucks, I know). I paid to skip the line and we went around. And, well… my kids hated he!

My wife and I loved it. Being 90’s kids, we both remember the disney renaissanceand I think this attraction, with its faithful recreation of history, definitely touched us. My kids didn’t care at all, though. They found it super boring.

Rapunzel and Flynn in a boat holding hands during the Lantern Festival at Tokyo DisneySea attraction

(Image credit: Disney Parks)

Overall, my kids would like me to have a passport to Tokyo DisneySea instead of Tokyo Disneyland

Since my kids had never been to any Disney theme parks before, I thought it would be appropriate for them to go to the original park. You know, see the castle, do the classic rides. Blah blah blah. But now I regret not taking them to DisneySea instead, and my kids agree.

I’ve heard that DisneySea is more “adult” in nature. Kind of like the Hollywood Studios of Disney Parks. I’ll probably never know if that’s true, though, since DisneySea is only in Tokyo, which is probably another reason why I should have chosen it over Tokyo Disneyland, because I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to Japan.

However, after seeing a special offer on DisneySea while we were in our hotel room, both of my kids groaned and asked me why I didn’t get a passport to that park instead.

Besides the nautical theme, which is awesome, Tokyo DisneySea also has a relatively new addition called Fantasy Springs, which has themes for Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan. DisneySea’s attractions are also more like what my son was hoping for, like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Raging Spirits.

Sure, we probably would have only done three rides, at most, given the popularity of DisneySea, but it probably would have been worth it. Alas, in hindsight, we can see that.

And you, what do you think? You Have you taken your kids to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea? For more information about Disney theme parks, be sure to check back often!