Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world by attendance, a title it has held for a very long time. That said, while it is a destination for those who love theme parks, it rarely tops anyone’s list of the best theme parks in the world, or even the best Disney theme parks in the world.
Tokyo Disneysea, the second gate to Tokyo Disney Resort, is at the top of my theme park bucket list as it is often rated among the top, if not considered the absolute best, theme park on Earth. This reputation is something that has clearly come to fruition, as an Instagram post has gone viral showing that the attraction wait times at Tokyo Disneysea are pretty rough compared to the local parks.
The Mouse Inside features all the major attractions at Tokyo Disneysea, with nothing exceeding 100 minutes, and Anna and Elsa’s Frozen ride, which runs an absolutely brutal 180 minutes. The ride is part of Tokyo Disneysea’s newest addition, Fantasy Springs, which explains the long wait, but doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.
While rides like Sasalis Attraction and Rapunzel Lantern Festival are exclusive to Tokyo, others are available to experience at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. For example, Toy Story Midway Mania is an identical ride at Disneysea in Tokyo, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. As of this writing, the attraction has a 90-minute wait in Florida and a 45-minute wait in California. Both are still significant, but far below Japan.
Other attractions, such as Soarin’ and Tower of Terror, are among the Disney park attractions that are done differently in other countries but are similar experiences. As of this writing, Soarin’s 160-minute wait in Japan is matched by 40 minutes in California and 35 in Florida. Tower of Terror in Florida, which most closely resembles the Japanese version, has a wait of only 40 minutes as of this writing.
While two-hour wait times are certainly not unheard of at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, there have been some epic Disney World wait times over the years, I can’t remember a time I’ve seen them happen on every attraction at the same time. It’s a clear indication that Tokyo Disneysea is wildly popular. It takes a lot of people to have that many attractions waiting all at once.
There’s a reason for this, as it’s widely believed that Tokyo Disney Resort gets its best attractions from Walt Disney Imagineering. The resort is run by Oriental Land Company, not Disney, and as such, the company’s focus, and more importantly, its finances, aren’t spread across multiple entertainment ventures.
It puts the 45 minute or hour long waits that I tend to avoid into perspective. Maybe they aren’t so bad after all. While I hope to visit Tokyo Disneysea one day and wait in all the lines I need to experience the attractions, maybe this means I should plan more time at Tokyo Disney Resort. That’s not a bad thing.
