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April 14, 2018 - Day 1: Arriving in Tokyo

Today had a 5am wake up call due to an early flight.   Finished packing up and taking a couple final looks out across the lake at Shanghai Disneyland then headed to the lobby at 6:30am to meet our van to PVG.   We arrived at the airport just before 7am and had a 15 minute wait or so until the checkin counter opened.  Checked in, went through immigration and then headed for the lounge to wait for our flight.   They shifted the flight 10 minutes or so early on us.  Boarded a bus to our plane.  We left on time and arrived in Tokyo an hour early.   Waited in a long immigration line then picked up our suitcase and headed out find a bus to Disney.   Had to wait about 20 minutes for the next one.  Arrived at Tokyo Disney Resort just after 4:00pm.  Checked into our room and dropped our bags then headed for the Resort Line and Ikspiari and dinner.   Decided on TGI Fridays which had a long wait for a table (as would be expected on a Saturday night).  After dinner roamed around Ikspiari a bit then visited the Disney Ambassador Hotel before boarding the resort line to return to the Sheraton to unpack and call it a night.

Thoughts & Observations
  • Arrived at Tokyo’s NRT airport about an hour early.   This was my first time to NRT.  On my previous two visits to Tokyo all my flights we in/out of HND which is closer to Disney.   This time I had no choice, there was only one Delta flight and that was PVG to NRT.   
  • The Immigration line was extremely long and very slow moving.  I am curious if this is the norm at NRT or if I was just unlucky.  My previous two trips we had no such waits at HND.  Maybe we were lucky.
  • As soon as we cleared customs and reached the main arrival area we spotted the counter to buy our Airport Limo Bus ticket.  They were quick and efficient and we had about a 20 minute wait until the bus arrived.  We took a look around the area then decided to stand outside and wait.   The bus showed up on time as always and we boarded quickly with a couple other groups and were on our way.   The trip from NRT is longer and there was some traffic, but we arrived a few minutes ahead of the scheduled time still.  One note the bus has wi-fi, I do not remember that from my last trip. 
  • We arrived at the Sheraton around 4:00pm and were ushered up to the Sheraton Club for check in (we found a good deal and opted for the Club floor here too).   Someone greeted us and showed us to a table in the lounge to wait while they processed the check in.   The club is on the 12th floor and looks out at the parks.   So I had a great view of both Disneyland and DisneySea.   The checkin process took a while since there were a couple groups ahead of us.  So it was nice to have a snack and enjoy the view. 
  • At 5:00pm they have a cocktail and snack time in the club.  We were just leaving as it was starting so took a look around and saw nothing I would choose to eat.
  • After dropping our bags and unpacking a bit decided to head to Ikspiari for dinner.  Looked around a bit and settled for our standby/favorite here..  TGI Fridays.   Problem was it was a drizzly Saturday evening and it was an hour wait!   We figured everywhere else was probably a long wait too so we just hung around and waited.   Once we finally got seated we ordered and had a decent meal.  The service and food here has been consistent.  This evening it seemed louder than usual, guess since it was a Saturday night?
  • Ikspiari is changing.  They are remodeling some locations and changing some options.  A Red Lobster and Outback Steakhouse are coming soon (by summer).  We were disappointed to have missed them.  I took a quick look around and I did not see any signs where they would be.  There were several locations behind walls so it was most likely one of them but no clue which one. 
  • Most of the group returned to the hotel to unpack and rest up.  We had 5 days of theme parks coming up.  I opted to walk around Ikspiari and then visit the Disney Ambassador Hotel.
  • The Tokyo Disney Resort turns 35 tomorrow (4/15) and there were banners up at the Ambassador Hotel and a new assortment of merchandise.   There was also a small Easter/spring display Ikspiari. 
  • The 35th Anniversary Merchandise had several offerings. I thought it was a great assortment and actually found several items I put on my to consider purchasing list.
  • I called it a relatively early evening and headed back to the hotel vs staying out in the cool dampness. 
  • It was kind of odd to be working at a desk looking out at Tokyo Disneyland having started my day looking at Shanghai Disneyland from my hotel room.


Pedometer Stats
Miles 3.4
Steps 9,146
Moderate Steps 4,501
Moderate Steps/Time 41
Note: Some of this is from Shanghai in the morning

Pictures
Day 2 - Part I: Morning Tour of Tokyo Arrivial in Tokyo & Disney Ambassador Hotel

The journey to Tokyo from Shanghai and then a quick look around the Disney Ambassador Hotel.
Related Links From This Trip

2018 Tokyo Disney Trip Summary

Links from today:

 

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