Disney Aulani July 2023

 Disney Aulani

We truly love this place. But it is seriously overpriced. I wouldn’t choose it over a Disney park, but  I would choose it with the kids every time we are in Hawaii.

Check in is not until 4pm. We showed up at 10am, checked our stuff in, got our wristbands and towels and had a glorious pool day! I do really miss the leis and Kakui nut necklaces, and the cute little drink they used to greet you with, but covid 🤷🏻‍♀️ The kids loved the water slide, we all love the lazy river. We got our refillable cups ($22US with free refills) and popcorn bucket ($11US with $3 refills) straight away to get max benefit from them.

Room was ready at 2pm, we got a 1 bedroom suite through David’s DVC rentals, it is lovely. Fluffiest towels, beautiful H20 toiletries, the sofa bed is THE MOST COMFORTABLE SOFA BED! It’s made exclusively for Disney. Because we were there for the 4th of July, we ended up having to get a room with a view, all of the cheaper rooms were gone the minute they were released.

The food here is wild. You can get extras and actual meals at the Ko’Olina shops, the abc/island shop is the best! The food budget on site would be three times what we spend on Waikiki, it’s worth having a few things on site and getting a few things offsite. There is a lot of food that we don’t/can’t eat, lots of fried options. Quick service and restaurants, with okay options, but the cost is wild. I did budget for this, but it’s a reminder that you should too.

Thingamabobs - A Mermaid's Tale

Book early! This is a cute and free activity, I’m not going to say too much about it, but highly recommend! The cast members were loads of fun. It’s a half hour activity, it doesn’t run on island time so do not be late. Meeting place is at the very left of the lagoon, where the boat is. My other tip is to book an early session, we did 9am and the sun was already blazing hot.

Makahiki - The Bounty of the Islands 

Monday Character Breakfast 

You basically need to book this within an hour of release, it goes that quick! It isn’t a buffet anymore, it’s  pastries and fruit then your own main. Our kids are over the ‘Keiki menu - 9 and under’ but mace ordered off that menu and we were charged at the kids price for his meal. Marley swapped out the Belgian waffles for the Mickey and Minnie waffles. There are always options. I loved the French Toast, but it was a MASSIVE serve. We took the pastries to go, and had them for lunch.

We met Mickey (you can pay for these photos, but they aren’t included in photo pass), they will take pics on your phone for you too. We purchased the pics, they were very cute. Around $35USD, you can download them off the photo pass app.

Family Animation 

Another free one that fills up. Much like an Art of Animation session in the parks, you will be guided in drawing a Disney character. We got Daisy Duck. The cast member was fantastic. An excellent experience always! 

You can watch prerecorded ones in your room too! 

They did change the venue on the day, so keep an eye on the app.

Character meets

We love a character meet, these are free and rotate all day in the resort. The characters and their handlers are always great. They will take photos for Photopass, they will also take pictures using your phone too. 

Fire pit story

If you are up, go in the evening so the fire has the desired effect. I think these are every second day, make sure you go if you can! It’s a 20-30 minute story. You can watch prerecorded ones in your room too. 

4th July fireworks DO NOT HAPPEN ANYMORE! Wild. Generally I would highly recommend not going on a day with a public holiday. It was full, hectic and crowds bring out arseholes.

The Aulani Players Present Moana

This was awesome,a 30 minute retelling of the story of Moana. We loved this, very funny and a little interactive.

Pin trading

2-3pm lava shack pool

3-4pm lobby main store

There are queues for these, the best pins go first. Since covid, they make you put your pin in a tub, and you take one off the board. If you are further down the queue, it’s just scrappers.

Snorkelling 

We didn’t do it this time, we did last time, and the family loved it. You can pay for a one off or a flat fee for the duration of your stay. Worth checking out if that’s your vibe.

Hawaii June 2023

 Jetstar were  AMAZING! You read that right! They were so good with disability, they let us check in at the business class check in. Gave us passes to get through security. Pre boarding too. It was a truly wonderful experience, exact opposite from the last time we travelled through melbourne airport (international). Flight was fine. Can’t complain!

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Waikiki

Room 228 Hula Tower

Easy check in. Though having a 6am arrival, I paid for the previous night so we could all shower and rest on arrival. It was a good move, except they marked us as a no show, even though we had been communicating about this for days previously, apparently because it was through  3rd party (booking.com), it wasn’t noted, easy fix though.

Room clean and comfortable, we got the 1 bedroom suite, enough room for all of us, but the sofa bed was not great.

Free buffet breakfast including eggs cooked to order. But it’s absolute chaos! Good good though, very happy. 

Pool is family friendly, not deep, which is nice as a mum, watching from the side. Lots of lounges.

Opposite end to diamond head, close to the action but not in the middle of it, the beach isn’t as good (or busy) as the middle of Waikiki. Very reefy.

‘Reception’ is lovely, staff are friendly and helpful.

You can see the Aloha Friday fireworks from the end of the grand lanai, better off going to the beach for a good view, but this was fine. Was nice to have a couple of free cocktails (plus tip) with the fireworks though! 

The staff are amazing, everyone so friendly.

Aloha Friday Fireworks

These happen either 7.45pm or 8pm (depending on the time of year) every Friday night. Best spot to view them is in front of the Outrigger on the Beach, go early for a good spot. It’s a 5 minute show, a cute activity after  dinner.

Dukes 

This is the part of beach that we hang out in, my folks stay at Outrigger on the Beach, my step dad gets up early and reserves us lounges on the beach (be there by 7) for our beach days ($150aud for 2 lounges for a day).

We eat lunch and hula pie here. The menu is okay, the staff are brilliant, really make it feel like our second home.

Ala Moana shopping mall

Ala Moana has everything, make sure you check prices on things you want vs Aus prices, with the dollar as it is, it’s not always the best deal. So many things to see and buy! 

Kualoa Ranch

This is brilliant! They have a range of tours, all with the option of pick up and drop off. We did the movie tour in the bus, Ursula, our tour guide was excellent. Absolutely loved our tour. So much information, about the ranch, about the island and about the movies that have shot there. You could do any of the tours and be happy! 

Diamond head state monument 

You have to book this in advance! Don’t just show up! It’s $5pp. 

We were told it’s a 90 minute return trip, we did it in under 50 mins with water and photo breaks.

It’s beautiful, a real treasure, hard on the joints with the uneven ground. There is a tunnel, not too long, at the end GO LEFT! It’s shorter and gets you to the same spot, we did not do this 🤣

Leonard’s bakery

These are ‘the best donuts on the island’ made fresh, hot in your hands.

I thought I timed this super well, we arrived after our hike, at 8.40, short queue, all good. But a 15 minute wait from the time we ordered. Waiting for our Uber, the queue for the bakery is around the corner. So early, go early folks! 

Kuhio Beach Hula Show

Tuesdays and Saturdays at 6.30pm, get there early to get a seat. We haven’t done this since our first trip, 9 years ago! We decided  not to do a luau this time (highly recommend if you haven’t done one before), this is a nice luau light moment. Very enjoyable.

https://kbhulashow.wixsite.com/official

Aloha Friday fireworks

Hawaii23

We have used them for transfers for years! They are ALWAYS well early, I have never had a problem with them, and so we stay loyal. On a transfer day, with 4-6 people, I don’t want to be worrying about rideshare apps etc. 

Paris Disneyland July 2022

DLP was my first ever park, I loved it so much, it sparked my Disney obsession. If this was your first park, or only park, you would love it. But my review is from someone who has been to most of the parks many times.

It’s small and charming, a lot of beautiful details. You can’t go to a Disney park and not have fun. It was lots of fun. But in a scale, it is arguably the worst Disney parks, no shade, it is what it is.

The food was terrible, especially for a GF ‘vegetarian’ (loosely, I strongly dislike most meat). It was fast food done badly. The quick service was awful, the restaurants weren’t that great, but the buffets had the most delicious vegetables, was missing them.

I love Disney merch, but there just wasn’t much, a lot of stock standard shopdisney stuff. Not a lot of park exclusives that you would want, a lot not in stock. I did get a beautiful Pride spirit jersey. But overall we barely bought anything.

The attitude of the park goers just wasn’t as pumped as I’m used to. I love people going all out in their ears and clothes, Disney bounding, just that community of Disney people. It wasn’t as friendly as the US parks. The cast members were all over it, was asked so many times where I got different accessories from, I love talking Disney anything with other Disney people. So that was nice!

There wasn’t much pin trading, mostly just on cast members lanyards.

Lots of malfunctioning attractions, going on several times in a row or in a few days, you really notice the difference. It’s wild.

Lion king show and Mickey the magician were must do, world class shows. So, so good. But you must be there an hour before, 30 mins with a disability pass.

If you want to meet a character they a rammed with people, you need to get there when it opens. If you have a disability pass you will be given a time to come back.

Fireworks and drone show was magical! Again you need to pick a spot 1-2 hours before. Maybe half hour before with the disability viewing area. We were there just ten minutes early, couldn’t stop going on Big Thunder Mountain (Marleys absolute favourite, she went on it 20 times! I went 19 ) and got a great spot. Don’t miss this!

We got our tax back with all receipts and passports at city hall or world of Disney, we had a letter to take to global blue at the airport, it took seconds and we got $80 back. Worth it!

Disability pass

Our stay was accommodated by this pass. It is so great that Disney has so many accommodations for Disabled people. It was wonderful, but I must add that even with accommodations, having a disability at Disney is still hard. We still had to work through transitions, people, crowds, food. It was a lot. So when I say that it was a perfect trip, it was as perfect as it gets for us.

You can enter at annual pass area or the disability entrance.

If you don’t have mobility issues it seems to alternate between disability and premier access for lines for attractions, you will need to feel that out at the time.

Character and parades still get there early/at the start of meets, you will be given a return time.

Extra magic hours, if you are staying onsite you should take advantage of the early hour that only hotel guests can go to the park, almost everything is a walk on.

Eats (from the perspective of people who enjoy vegetables, a vegan, a GF person) Fuente Del Orro - okay Videoplous - fast food done bad Casey corner - fine for hot dogs Starbucks - fine Vegan sandwich from WDS vegan cart - delicious Plaza gardens - amazing range of food and veggies, so good Annette’s breakfast -really good for 15e, we shared two between four of us Five guys - fast food done right Cape Cod buffet- another great choice of food, yum

I wouldn’t say don’t go, I would say to go early in your park experience, because it’s lovely. Just nowhere near as good in any way as the other Disney parks. You will have fun, it’s Disney, it is magical! But I won’t be going back…

 The hotel - Newport Bay
Despite this being a 4star hotel, it was a bit shambolic. I read the reviews, I knew what to expect, but it is very close to the parks and we like the aesthetic.
Luggage
There is no clear system for luggage/checking in. Usually at Disney resorts we just leave our luggage with the people at the drop off and they find their way to our room at check in. Not the case. We checked our luggage in outside, checked ourselves in inside, organised the disability pass, and went to the parks. at 3pm we got a text with our room number and went to grab the luggage, we are talking 3.5 weeks of travel for 4 people, a LOT of stuff. Mark asked if they take it to our room and the cast member fully turned up his nose at us and said no, then someone else said they could but we were put off, so we said no. and took our bags, no offer of a trolley. As we dragged those bags through check in, another cast member asked if we needed help, we were half way there by this point and just kept going.
Our room
On paper our room was lovely on paper, no fridge though. But we went to make a cup of tea and the cups had old tea/teabags in, Mark took them down to the front desk where they said thanks for letting us know, no sorry! Yikes. Definitely not the standard of customer service in the US or Asia parks.
The bed linen was stained, sheets and duvet cover. No top sheet so we were boiling hot through the night. No fresh towels over a 5 night stay, it was hot so we are talking morning and evening showers. No good.
Each person staying at the hotel gets 4 free hot drinks a day, on level 2 and 4, no one tells you about this but I uncovered it in my research. It was good, they are tiny cups, but the hot chocolate was yummy. Pool
Getting to the pool is convoluted, but once you get there it is a lovely big indoor space and a lovely outdoor space with lots of loungers, but no shade at all, so we only stayed an hour. They provide towels.

We have stayed at The Grand Californian in California, Aulani (three times) in Hawaii, The Toy Story Hotel in Shanghai, and Disney Explorers Lodge in Hong Kong (stayed off site in Tokyo) and we have never experienced the lack of professionalism displayed here. You can go, it is a great location, but for that price point, it is not good enough. Go with low expectations.

Paris July 2022

The first and most important thing you can do in Paris if you don't speak French is say Bonjour to everyone you see, in shops, any service industry, restaurant, just say it. Usually they will speak in English back to you, if they can. Only once I explained that I don't speak French and asked if they spoke English, we made it work. We didn't experience rudeness, but everyone is sloooooow, everything is sloooow. Don't be in a rush.

On arrival to Gare Du Nord everyone wanted to use the bathroom before getting a cab, the toilet was 1 euro each to use. We had no coins, the let us go for free. Almost every toilet in France had a price tag from 1-3 euros. It is a lot. Try and use the bathroom at any meals or coffees you can.

We grabbed a cab from from the train station, there were no cabs, we queued for an hour, it was wild. Much easier to get without luggage.

Hotel Des Deux Continents
Wonderful location everything is so walkable, family room is a two room suite which was lovely and unexpectedly, breakfast was included (I wouldn't have paid for this as it is quite light, but it was a wonderful addition, lovely staff), good shower pressure, we really enjoyed our time here.

Luxembourg Gardens
This was right around the corner from where we were staying, so after walking around the neighbourhood, we went for a look. It is magnificent. So much on offer, great use of the space, we loved it here. There is a pond in the middle where children hire sail boats (6e for 30 mins) and sail them around, it was so sweet, we had the best afternoon here, so much so that we came back on our final day to hang out in the park.

Centre Pompidou
This is worth just seeing from the outside for the architecture if yu have no interest in art. If you do, there is a lot of modern art to see here. We got to see our first Frida. Lots of Picasso and lots of other famous art from that time. We enjoyed our time here.

Les Halles
A Westfield mall, mostly underground. Was a good place to do some chain shopping.  Not special, not worth going to unless you need something that you can only get there. Lots of the usual chain stores you can find anywhere. We were killing time on a rainy day, might not have gone otherwise. 

Louvre - ThatMuse tour
We did the ThatMuse tour of The Louvre. It is good to have some structure in a space with over 70,000 works. It was also fun. We did the beauty and the beasts one, which did take you to see Mona Lisa, its hectic in there. 

Roger La Grenouille
This spot is small, make a booking. They are known for their traditional French food, so we went for the frogs legs. They were not for us, no disrespect. They did have the best Creme Brulee that I have ever had. Worth it just for that. 

Le Marais
This was my favourite part of Paris, it is just awesome. The vibe, the stores, the art, the people. It is a cruise around and see where you end up type of spot. Would have spent way longer there if we didn't have the kids. Very cool. Make sure you visit Le Gay Choc for some penis bread. This area is around the corner from Centre Le Pompidou.

Paris Prestige Transfer
We used them for our trip from the hotel to Disney and back to the airport. It is 80e for a big, clean car, with a professional driver, felt safe and looked after.

London June 2022

We stopped into Surrey for 4 days to start for some lovely time with the family.

We stayed at the Sandhurst Premier Inn, it was fine for what it was. They have a Beefeaters restaurant attached where we ate a great buffet every morning (kids eat free, so it was around $40 for the whole family!), and some decent dinners too.

We used London Heathrow cars for our car service and they were fine, but overcharged us on the quoted price. I was too tired to argue.

Going back to London we had realised that transport in this neck of the woods was useless so we booked with Woking Taxi and they were wonderful.

Airbnb in Fitzrovia
The location was spectacular, so much Soho, Carnaby Street, China Town, the High Sts, it was so very good.,

Honest Burger Oxford Street
I cant tell you how many times we ate here, it might have been 4, it was just around the corner from where we were staying, they catered for GF, and vegan, and both children liked it, so we stuck with it.

Wahaca Oxford St
The food here was so good, but the service was crap. Weird kids menu, which they didn't give us until we were having trouble ordering off the adults menu for the kids.

Five Guys Soho
Fast food done right, everything is delicious!!!

& Juliet
At the Shaftesbury Theatre, London
I don’t want to spoil this for my Australian friends as after we booked tickets, they announced an Australian tour.
This was BRILLIANT!
From the minute Juliet ( @miriamteak_lee ) started singing I had full body goosebumps. She was an absolute powerhouse, love, love, loved her! Wish I got to see her in Hamilton!
Mays (Alex Thomas-Smith) first solo had me in tears.
The aesthetic was so pleasing.
The story was interesting, funny and Queer! Marley said it was perfect that we saw it in Pride month.
It’s a jukebox musical so you will know the songs.
That’s all I’m saying.
Wherever you are GET TICKETS!

Harry Potter Warner Bros Studios Tour
 I know that giving money to JK Rowling is a terrible thing. We booked this in 2019, were given credit and rebooked twice since. While I did think that JK Rowling wasn’t a great human back then, it has become glaringly obvious since I originally booked the tickets that she’s a raging transphobe. It still makes me uncomfortable, but on the flip side, this event isn’t for me, my daughters special interest for years was Harry Potter, and I always promised her that I would take her. So we went. It doesn’t feel ethically good, but the smile on her face lit up the whole room (surprisingly Mace loved it too), so I’m going to quietly sit with my shit feelings about JK and let my kids live their Harry Potter fantasy…
 This was good, really good. They suggest leaving 4 hours for it, and by the time we got merch, it was just short of 4.5 hours, plus an hour or more (almost two is there is a National rail and tube strike) each way and it’s a pretty solid day. It’s worth it, I don’t want to say it, but it was very special, particularly if you have/had a Harry Potter obsession. So much to see, the food has catered for vegans and GF! We had a great day, but that will be the last of mine and JKs time together.

A day in Brighton (pebble beach) with Chloe and Rufus
We got the train, apparently if there are 4 of you, you can get a group saver or something, check at the ticket office.
We looked at shops, ate at  a fried vegan chicken shop 'Really Happy Chicken', and a treat at the Hello Kitty Cafe, hung out at the beach, where Mace swam! Really lovely day, I am glad we made it!

Kentish Town and Camden Town
We went to see our old neighbourhood and flat in K Town, then off to Camden for some shopping. Unfortunately it was raining and cold and we werent really prepared for that so we ate and drank in a coffee shop waiting for the worst of it to subside. The website says Camden market opens at  10am, but it is more like 11, didn't pay to be the early bird. I did get to see the Amy Winehouse statue, which made me happy. 

 Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre
Was very excited to see the London cast perform Hamilton. It was wonderful, except when it stopped 15 mins before the end of the first act with no explanation, we all thought it was done for the day, and then resumed!
Burr was amazing, smooth like butter, Eliza was also amazing! George Washington, The King, Phillip, Hercules Mulligan all gave such great performances. The kids now say this is their favourite King 😬
Alexander, Anjelica and Lafayette were understudies/stand ins and it showed. Alexander confused and forgot his lines 3 times in the first 20 minutes, not great, if you didn’t know every lyric, you may not have noticed, but that’s not me. I feel destined to never see the lead in the role. Anjelica just couldn’t hold the note, when she did, she missed syllables and enunciating the end of words, not great either.
We did love it though. I know I’m a harsh critic. Can’t wait to see it for our third time in Melbourne!

The Tower of London
Allow 3-5 hours for this. It was pretty wonderful, we were there 3 hours and didn't see it all. The first thing you need to do is check the crown jewels (queue gets wild later), then head to the Beefeater/Yeoman tour, its every half hour, free, and awesome. Really brought the Tower to life. Paid our respects to Anne Boleyn. Saw a lot of armour and weapons. Left satisfied, if I was on my own, I would have stayed longer.
If you have issues with stairs, there are a lot, wouldn't recommend if you have mobility issues.

The Southbank
One of my favourite places to walk. You can walk, boat or tube down to the other end - Houses of Parliament, walking is my favourite, but it is an hour longer than my kids had in them. So we took the tube. Had a ride on the golden carousel, checked it out, crossed at Big Ben and walked home because uber is useless in London. We later learned about Bolt, but it was very late.

Regents Park and Hyde Park
The city parks are just amazing, so much to offer. If you have time to check them out, they are great.

Strawberry Tours free Harry Potter walking tour
Colin was an awesome guide, thoroughly enjoyed the magic of London becoming the inspiration for Harry Potter. Brilliant tour, highly recommend! These are free tours so everyone can access them, we tipped 50 pounds because it was very good.

Most of the trip was catching up with loved ones, but I am glad we got to do some things too.

 Eurostar to Paris
Gates are opening 1.5 hours before departure and boarding is 20 mins before. This was way easier than flying, I cant believe I didn't use it when I lived here.

Gold Coast Easter 2022

 So late putting this together. We brought covid home with us, and then had the flu, so this is super late.

Our first trip out of state since September 2019. Surfers Paradise has really gone downhill post covid. The service is less, portion cost more (understand) for less food/worse quality. It was good to get a break, but it didn't really float any of our boats. I don't know if or when we will be back. It's usually where we go on the year we don't take the kids overseas.

Stayed at Chevron Renaissance, we love it there.

Vapiano
We used to love it here, but there is really no service left with the new way they are doing things. New QR code card only ordering, really hard to ask questions and order specific things, when we finally got a staff members attention she couldn't do it either, so we left a note under the ordering and the wrong thing came anyway. The complimentary bread I ordered didn't come, and Marks vegan pizza came about 30 minutes after we all finished our meal, I asked to speak with the manager and they didn't give a crap. There was no gf pasta available, except gnocchi. We usually visit a couple times a stay, but we won't be back.

Misono (Teppanyaki)

This was our first meal, and I wanted it to be special, to celebrate leaving Victoria. It was very special. Our chef was funny and talented, he made the kids feel really special too.  The food was beautiful, there was so much to eat! We all had the best time, face was hurting for smiling so much. 

SeaWorld
There have been some changes that we enjoyed (the jellyfish area!), we usually spend a half day here but we stayed all day. Lots to see and do, thrill rides and baby rides, neither appealed, but we still had the best time. This time it was our favourite park of the three. We spent ages patting the sting rays. The food was terrible, heaven forbid you are gluten free, I ate chips. We stayed at the splash area for ages, Mace loved it, the three of us just watched on the side.

We loved it so much we went back a second day, more splash pad, more sting rays, more chips.

 

Wet n wild
I read reviews on here post covid before I came, I’m glad as it lowered my expectations. Wet N Wild is usually my favourite day out in GC, it was awful. Calypso Beach (my main event) was closed, lots of things were closed, it is being run by kids who don't know what they are doing. The toilets were feral, the bin area stank. It was a disaster. 
We zipped over to movie world to confirm that we wouldn't need to travel back the next day, it also sucked. 
The thing is, these parks are charging full price for 50% of fun. To be honest (if you are Victorian), Gumbuya World is way better than this. If wet N wild is your driving force to get to the Gold Coast, don’t go. 

Sushi train
We love it here, still as good as ever. Lots of variety, the train is fun. Always a good evening out on every front.

 White Rhino
Vegan and gf menu is what sold me on this, the yummiest dinner I had on the trip. Service was a bit slow, but friendly and helpful, good food, big portions. 

 Alfons cafe

This place had amazing reviews. Big portions, good food, great service. Definitely worth walking to the island for a yummy breakfast.

 Brooklyn Depot
Standard burger fare, the burgers were really good, yummy sides and friendly service. We come here every time and it is still good.

There was one other place we went, but it was so bad and over priced, I don't feel comfortable giving such a scathing review.

Day 16 travel day

Woke up feeling much better, perfect timing for travel day! Super slow morning, packing, chilling, not quite enough time to go and do anything, so passed the time in the hotel.

Klook car booked to pick us up at 1pm. There was no confirmation on this, I messaged them yesterday and they seemed slow to reply and then had us being picked up at the wrong hotel and going to the wrong airport. To say I was concerned is an understatement. But at 12.50pm the driver arrived and off we went!

Drank our last melon soda. Grabbed a late lunch at the airport. Tried to find a book as my kindle wouldn’t sync, no luck. Fortunately the Kindle connected to the wifi at the airport, woohoo! Security was easy and home we went.

An epic trip, I know we will take a bit to recover, very intense.

Day 15 Tokyo DisneySea

DisneySea

This morning we decided to have a slow morning. It was needed and we decided that we didn’t enjoy the squish of the pre park opening queue enough to make it worth getting a fastpass for Toy Story Mania. We got in, and there were still fast passes available so we made our way over. I misjudged how high a curb was, stacked into a tree. It was bad, but I got it together quickly while sending Mark off to get the fastpass. We went to first aid to get patched up. First aid was amazing, the staff were lovely and attentive with the help of google translate.

Some shopping and a 5 minute wait for 20,000 leagues under the sea. 5 minutes wait for the carousel. Run into Aladdin who had a really long chat with us, shopping, shell ice cream. Walk on Sindbad, ran into Abu, Aladdin and Jasmine and Genie, barely any wait for pics with each of them! 

Mermaid lagoon, 15 minute wait for Jumpin Jellyfish, 25 for Blowfish Balloon Race. 20 minute wait for Aquatopia, we thought wet, but there was no wet today!!! It was very average without getting soaked. Cape Cod Cook Off, nice to get some air con after our Aquatopia disappointment! No sides of fries, still frustrating.

Ducked out of the park to check the Ikspiari Disney store. So glad we did, the back half of the store was mostly 50% off, things I wanted in the city but felt were over priced suddenly fell into our price range. We bought a whole lot of stuff! And back to the parks to use our Toy Story Mania fastpass. This was our last attraction, for lack of veggie options we decided to go to the hotel for dinner.

Today (Wednesday) was the slowest day in the park, and it still felt as busy as a busy day at anaheim in Summer. Don't think we will be back here until they have an English translation of the app.

Day 14 Tokyo Disneyland

Disneyland

Arrived 40 minutes before park opening. The queue is just a squish of people as opposed to orderly lines. It was hectic. we do not like this at all, I felt terrible for the kids, they were squished with no air, it was humid, and as much as I just wanted to get out of there, we were committed, so we stayed until they let us in.

Park opened and we went straight to the Monsters Inc fastpass, got return for 11.50. Walked to Poohs Hunny Hunt, this was amazing, it’s trackless and so immersive! Second to last scene it broke down! They fit us all off the ride and walked through the las scene to exit. They gave us a fastpass to use there at any time in the day! 

Haunted Mansion Jack Skellington overlay 13 minutes, definitely worth getting to the park with a plan, and use a waiting time app or website to help you work out the best way forward. Small world 20 minutes.

Get fastpass for Astro blasters, 12.50 return, walked into the first showing of one mans dream 2, this one is unreserved, 20 mins before start, got seating in the middle middle of the theatre, impressive! This show is so much fun! Even if you don’t speak Japanese, it’s basically numbers from a bunch of the movies, a best of really. Loved it! Probably could have done without the last track.

Out to Monsters Inc fastpass, some lunch, and Astro blasters fastpass. Buzz Astroblasters Tokyo is by far the worst version of this ride. You can’t see the laser at all. We decided not to get any more fastpasses for it despite there being some available.

Pirates of the Caribbean 10 minute wait so we did this, to my children’s dismay! Good ride, on par with Anaheim, they still sell the women here! Mace ended up loving it!

Walk around, 35 minutes for Peter Pan, it’s such a charming ride, had to do it, and it was different! The kids say better. Walked around toon town and got Marley chip and dale popcorn bucket! Ate the popcorn!

Queen Of Hearts for dinner, some surprising veggie options, it’s very expensive for small meals, but a treat to order vegetarian easily!

Used our Winnie the Pooh fastpass. This is such a sweet ride, really enjoyed it. Noticed that in the crazy room, every ride is different, so ride it more than once if you can.

Last attraction, Tiki Room, Stitch takeover! We love this, and wish it was longer. More shopping!

Pastries from sweetheart cafe, more shopping and headed to the monorail, love being one stop away when it’s the end of a big day! 10 hour day today, park opened at 9 instead of 8.  Definitely far less people today, but their version of quiet is Anaheim’s busy summer day!

Day 13 Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea

We did the worst possible thing and arrived ten minutes before opening, the queue was wild! It only took 15 Minutes to get in though.  The way they queue here is a massive free for all that ends up at the turnstiles or attraction at which point you need to know who is next, this didn't suit any of us, I like a clear cut line.

First stop Toy Story Midway Mania fastpass, at 8.30am we got a 6pm return! Maybe that’s the plus of coming so early? No luck on the lottery. Walked to the Arabian Coast, the theming is superb! I feel like I’m in Agrabah. We went on the carousel twice, charming takes on Aladdin songs.

Rode Sinbads Storybook Voyage, it was beautiful!

Mermaid Lagoon for some shopping, then King Tritons Concert, this show was amazing. If you have any emotional connection to the film, see it!  It feels like you are in the movie. The theatre is gorgeous, and the show is so creatively done. Joy! All of the rides are at 30+ minutes, it seems like it’s like that everywhere at only 11am. Shocker!

Back to Arabian Coast because it’s so pretty and also shopping.

Walk to Aquatopia, it takes forever to get anywhere here, heat makes people slow and it’s a lot of ground to cover. 40 minute wait. Everything is this long at this point, midday. We chose the ‘get wet’ line because the heat is stifling, and boy did we get wet! It was worth the queue for the relief! Off to cape cod to check the Duffy and friends merch. Grabbed some milk chocolate popcorn, it was average and nothing like chocolate flavour. The carts take card now, I was always told you needed cash for the carts. There was a Stella Lou photo set up on the walk and Marley got Stella Lou in a picture, this is huge in all of the Asia parks.  We were told that Japan is a cash society, make sure you always have plenty of cash on you. We only needed cash to buy and top up our Suica/Pasmo cards, and gashapon machines.

A lot of walking around. Lunch veggie curry at Agrabah, it’s hard when we have to go to two places every time we eat, there isn’t much vegetarian stuff in the parks, 3 places have one dish each. Another frustrating thing is not being able to get a side of fries, have to buy a meat meal including fries. Or not being able to get a drink at the same cart as popcorn or ice cream. It makes no sense and just adds to this ongoing queuing. Another ride on Sindbad, walk on.

Kids dinner at Cape Cod Cook Off, couldn’t get that side of fries (the fries are vegan!). 30 minute queue for 20,000 leagues under the sea. We had heard people say that it’s an accomplishment to get on 5 attractions in one day at the Tokyo Disney Parks, I see that, we have managed to, but only because the kids don’t love thrill rides. This adds to my feeling of not being my favourite park. Maybe arguably the best park based on theming, immersion, detail, parades, it really is a level up, but so many queues, not great food options, nowhere near as many amazing snacks as Anaheim, and barely any vegetarian food, it might be ‘the best’, but it’s not my favourite. Back to 20,000 leagues, it was good, probably would have been infinitely better had I known what was going on 😂 I kept thinking our ship was doomed, but unfortunately not the case!

Mermaid Lagoon, I love it here! Awesome spot to get out of the heat or rain. Queued 30 minutes to get on to Blow fish race, we balked at that time this morning, but the ride simply didn’t get a smaller queue! Then using our Toy Story Midway Mania fastpass. Grabbed some pastries to keep us full into the night, we have been eating in the middle of meal times to queue less and be able to get a seat.

Day 12 Hilton Tokyo Bay and Tokyo Disneyland

Check out of Shibuya Excel Hotel was easy.

Iruka shuttle
Pick up scheduled at 8, car was there at 7.49, we were ready! Love an early car. Beautiful and clean vehicle. Smooth drive.

Hilton Tokyo Bay
Arrived at 8.30, checked in, they gave us our key for the afternoon and took our luggage to our room.

Walk 3 minutes to the monorail station. 4 day pass for 1400 yen. Monorail 3 mins to DisneySea,   mins to Disneyland.

Tokyo Disneyland

First word Queues! To use the bathroom, to eat, to drink, to ride, queues everywhere. This is a Sunday, we expected queues, but this was next level, I would hate to see it on a Saturday (this first visit was a Sunday).

Next word Rules! No ears on in attractions, children on right hand side of ride, no lcd photography as well as flash photography, take your bags off (common sense but they start reminding you ten people before you get to the front of the queue) sit down for the parade, most of these make the park experience even more enjoyable.

We arrived late today, 9.30ish, we were expecting serious queues to get in, but there was about 10 people in front of us! Shocking!

Headed to Tomorrowland Hall to try for the show lottery, nothing! On the way we passed Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek, there were 5pm fast passes available, we grabbed them, thought for sure they would be gone. A bit of shopping, and a spot for the Spooky Boo parade. The floor was a little wet and as we were deciding where to sit, a cast member appeared and put down park maps for us to sit on. Both unexpected and appreciated. The cast members here are super attentive.

Spooky boo parade

A bunch of floats with Mickey and friends in spooky versions of the lands in this park. Ends with a lot of singing and dancing.

Quick bathroom break, I got out the map to see what’s next, within 30 seconds two different cast members had asked if I needed help. Love the cast members here.

Tiki Room walk on. This is in Japanese, they hand out little translators for other languages. Grabbed a fastpass for Haunted Mansion Halloween overlay, 2.30 (at 11.30). Small world 20 minutes. Best Small World ever! Pinocchio’s daring journey 20 minutes, as average as any. Queues for ice cream for 15 minutes, as we ate it, the Dreaming Up parade started. This parade was beautiful, impressive, lots of attention to detail! A man let the kids in front of him to get a better view, people here seem so polite.

Into the Country Bear Jamboree. Lunch at Plasma Rays, vegetarian Japanese curry which was very satisfying yet a small serve for the price. Fastpass for Haunted Mansion, still took 15 minutes. Overlay was cool but I prefer the original. Shopping, more food, and at Pan Galactic Pizza Port we got alien Mochi, it was sooooo delicious. Fastpass for Monster’s Inc Ride and Go Seek, our last attraction of the day, loved it, we have a lot of shopping to do! Bought loads of cute merch, grabbed some pastries to take home.

6 minute monorail ride home, 3 minute walk, stop at the convenience store and the Disney shop and we were finally home. Showers and the pastries! Custard bread and orange pastry were both amazing, melon bread is melony 😂 it’s okay but not my favourite. Marley hated it, Mace loved it!

Day 11 Sanrio Puroland

Sanrio Puroland

We got off the train at Tama Centre station which is beautifully decorated with Sanrio characters. Take the elevated walk to Puroland, straight ahead and then left.

We started from the bottom. Walked into the Fairyland show, it was really hard to get in to because it was all in Japanese, we decided not to spend 40 minutes here and left early. Straight into Kawaii Kabuki, this had that strangeness that the robot restaurant had. It’s in Japanese, but still entertaining, the kids loved it. Then into the Gudetama show!

Another one that we had no clue what was going on, Mace was the only one that enjoyed this. It’s very interactive, if you speak the language. We walked out and the thing where Hello Kitty sings and the whole area lights up was starting, because of the way we exited we got a front row seat! It’s very beautiful.

Ride My Me Road Drive, said 30 minute wait, more like 15, terrible ride, but the cutest photos at a really reasonable price 900yen.

The Gudetama attraction, photo ops, games and lots of queues.  The twin star attraction, more photo ops. After 3.5 hours we were done, even Mace, Marley could have stayed on. Exhausted. Headed back to Shibuya to do the last of our shopping, lots of Kit Kat’s!

Went to Katsu Midori sushi at seibu 8^th floor, it had a queue of around 20 people when we arrived at 4.30! Crazy! But the food was amazing! So many veggie options, all options were delicious. And so inexpensive compared to home!!!

Back to hotel, exhausted!

Day 10 TeamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum

This morning we were headed to TeamLab Borderless at the Mori Building, it was going to be 46 minutes on a train and I just didn’t want to start the day stuffy on the train, it is hot and hotter underground. So we got a cab, hotel called it, took 15 minutes to come. Very nice car and very clean. Cost 6900Y, a LOT for a 15 minute car ride! But it was nice to not arrive flustered!

TeamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum
I am so happy we missioned out here. This was such a beautiful experience. The art put me right in my happy place, I could have spent hours just being still in those rooms. The athletic garden was amazing for the kids, lots of opportunities to move with the art, to jump, climb, slide, draw, so much to do! We spent around 1.5h there, if child free would have been another hour or two. Highly recommend.

Train to Harajuku

We made a beeline to Eiselwelt gelato to get some cute ice creams, much needed on a warm, sunny day! Messy though! We walked up and down Takeshita st, got our Totti fairy floss/candy floss, a few cute things. Loved this area. Walked through Omotesando, down through Shibuya, and back to Genki sushi for dinner. No wait, delicious sushi and more shopping.

I find the journeying in Japan to be annoying. I love a destination that you can walk everywhere (think Hawaii, Vegas, Disney Anaheim) or journeys are easy (think New York, London), this is neither. It’s a very efficient system but it’s a struggle to find the right entrance for the right spot and then the long indirect journeys made wanting to go places feel like a bit of a downer.

It’s rude to eat on trains here, or to eat at the station, or walking, but there are no park benches (or bins for that matter) so we were always starving, trying to find the right place to eat when we didn’t have to be somewhere, most of the rules here I love, but this was the bane of snack and lunch time.

The people on trains were amazing, we loved how politely people line up for the trains, and once on, people kept offering us seats to stay as a group (if there was a seat to go to). It was very kind, I have never seen this anywhere else in the world.

Day 9 Tokyo

Used Klook car service from airport, driver was 15 minutes late. It was 11.30pm and we were all very tired, would have been so happy with the service if only he was on time! Not what I was expecting in Japan! The car was lovely and good driver though.

Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu
This is a quad room and there is a huge amount of space unexpected in Tokyo. 4 king single beds. But the bathroom is old and smells of mildew, and having the bed on the wall the joins the bathroom, I could smell it while sleeping. The following night I swapped beds with my husband as he couldn't smell it. Loved our stay here.
The location is amazing, view from our room of the scramble crossing.

Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku
This is awesome, we hit most of the spots on my list. But I do feel that you need to know where to go to find what you like. We all shopped for hours, so much great stuff to look at. Grabbed lunch at 7/11, so many choices, all good too. This place is just mindblowing. Amazing vibe. We all loved it here.

Robot restaurant
This was a bit of a gamble. The kids wanted to go, I had no idea what to expect and to be honest I still don’t know what happened, but I loved it! We all did, it feels like everything you expect from Tokyo. Definitely recommend, it’s loud though, they give kids head phones to cancel out some of the noise. Such a great time!

Genki Sushi
This was delicious! Lots of variety, and all fresh, quick service, because you only get a 45 minute seating and you have to be done. There is almost always a queue, put your name on the list, it moves quickly. Really good, and we ate a lot, it cost less than half of what we would spend at any other sushi train! And we all enjoyed our meal.

Day 8 travel day

Travel day

Morning spent chilling by the pool.

Epic packing to ensure that each bag is under 20kg. We are flying this leg with Asia’s version of Jetstar, so it has to be perfect! Checked out, stored luggage. Brunch at chart cafe. Shuttle booked for 1.25.

Easiest customs and security at the airport, didn’t have to take anything out of our bags!

Flying with Hong Kong express. I had read terrible reviews about them. We made sure our bags were under 20kg each, and I knew our checked bags were over the size they allow, but it was fine. We preordered meals because of the no food or drinks issue.  The meals were gross! But overall an easy flight.

We arrived in Tokyo after 11pm.

Day 7 Hong Kong Disneyland

Day 7 at Hong Kong Disneyland

After the massive food fail in the park yesterday we decided to eat breakfast at the hotel. We each ordered one thing each, congee, waffles or a pancake and it cost $90AUD. The food here is crazy expensive! I was over the moon to find they had a gf pancake. It took half hour to make and was completely raw, but still good to feel full!

Into the park! Shopped at Main Street, picture with Donald, rode ant man and wasp, iron man experience, small world, Pooh, carousel and dumbo. Then a bin came to life and sang to my son, this was hilarious!

Mystic manor, the best ride of this park! Runaway mine cars, okay, don’t love going backwards though, and I took Marley on with me, she hated it. Walked through the Halloween attraction and got a pic with Jack Skellington and Sally and lots of candy

Jungle cruise, quick bite, ran into Baloo, and Pooh bear, quick bite at the royal banquet hall. A bit more shopping and our last attraction Small world. Walking down Main Street the Halloween parade was on, lovely end to a beautiful day! We were told repeatedly that this is a one day park, but we like to do things more than once, we left around 4.30 (6+ hour day today) and came for a swim. We only waited 15 minutes for one attraction once, the rest were walk on (under 5 minutes it no wait at all). The cast members were lovely, so many stickers and so much Halloween candy!

Limited merch, hard to find a Hong Kong Disney mug or magnet, settled on a mug I don’t really like and fortunately there were cute Halloween magnets!

Dinner at the charter cafe, chill half day tomorrow, and then to the airport!

Day 6 Hong Kong Disneyland

Day 6 Disneyland

Took the hotel shuttle to the park. This park is in Halloween mode, you can feel it walking up the path, Halloween decor, Halloween music, so exciting. Security were chill, they didn't take our snacks away from us, and gave us stickers. Used the hotel queue to enter which moves twice as fast! Many rides not open until 11, and eateries aren’t open at all! First up a picture with Chip and Dale in their Halloween outfits, this was so cute!

The stickers here are next level!  So many diffreent kinds and freely given, sometimes ask, every cast member, most have them, and sometimes they give them because of what character affiliations you are wearing.

First ride The Many Adventurers of Winnie the Pooh, then Dumbo and it’s a small world. Rode Mystic Manor twice (this is the best ride at Hong Kong Disneyland), everything is a walk on and already time for lunch at the royal banquet hall.

Flight of fantasy parade only running once today, went over 15 minutes early, got prime position, whole park is empty today, this may be the lack of tourism from the Hong Kong protest. Everything has been a walk on.

Walked on to the jungle river cruise, and took seats for Moanas Homecoming show 15 mins early. Fortunate to get shady seats! The show was really creatively done, really enjoyed it.

Walked on to ant man and wasp twice, a little bit trickier than astroblasters, but fun! Walking past hyperspace mountain it was walk on, so I went on solo, have wanted to go on hyperspace mountain forever, it was amazing! So glad I did it!

Picture with Chewbacca who wanted to keep Mace, picture with r2d2 who followed us out of the photo area, run into Timon and got a pic with him, and back to Adventureland to watch Let’s Get Wicked show. Play at the Tikiliki play area (the water play was relief that we all needed), walk on small world, walk on Winnie the Pooh. Trying to find dinner was awful, it’s hard when over half of the places you have researched to eat, that have options for you all, are closed. We walked to a place that was supposed to be open, and arrived to find it closed. Eventually grabbed some very average food at the Main Street bakery. So disappointing. If the park isn’t going to function at full capacity, you shouldn’t have to pay full price to be here.

Took a seat at the stage for Jack Skellingtons show. We saw the projections and we were all getting tired and decided not to stay for the last show. There was no queue at the bus stop, and a bus came immediately. Back to the comfort of our room at the explorers lodge after over 9h at the parks.

Really feeling that with the park only being open 9 hours, it’s hard to get everything done, despite everything being walk on and being told it’s a one day park. Glad we have a second day.

We dropped in to the chart cafe and got a vegetarian soup of the day each, it was so nice to eat something delicious and healthy. But like everything here, incredibly over priced. The food at the parks is the most expensive I have ever seen and the serves are also the smallest. Food has been a major issue for us.

Day 5 Travel to Hong Kong, Disney Explorers Lodge and character dumplings at Crystal Lotus

Day 5

It smells like smoke everywhere.  Either people smoking or a scent to hide the smoke.

Mr Orange car pick is up at 5.10am and off to the airport.  Nice car, good service.

Arrival at Hong Kong, we had booked the Disney shuttle, significantly less expensive than a car $150HKD for all of us. We go to the desk, they say it will be ready in half hour at 12.20. Concerning because we have a 2pm booking at the Crystal Lotus, hopefully check in is smooth, and crossing fingers our room is ready so we can head to the Disneyland hotel. Long walk to the shuttle, shuttle smells like smoke. But we have it to ourselves.

Disney Explorers Lodge
Cast members give that same US cast member experience. Beautiful theming. Angela who checked us in gave us some pixie dust when we went back to pick up our room key and had pins made up for each of us with our favourite character and our name on! We explored the grounds, did the stamp game where you collect a stamp from each part of the ‘world’ in the hotel and take it to the front desk and receive a gift, it was a bunch of stickers.

The beds are firm, a tiny bit more firm than I would like, but still good. The shower is amazing, loved washing my hair under the beautiful water pressure. Rooms are a good size, complimentary water bottles every day. We love it. The children say it is their favourite Disney hotel, this is crazy, Aulani has got to be the one!

We were still quite full from dumplings at dinner time so we grabbed some bits and pieces to go at the charter cafe. It is EXPENSIVE here. Around $10 for a fruit or veg cup, which we needed. I am feeling that Disney dollars situation!

Crystal Lotus at the Disneyland hotel

A quick shuttle over, ten minutes on the dot to walk home to the Disney Explorers Lodge, a decent amount of shade on the walk.

It is best to book this in advance, they give you a character dumpling menu and you pre book the ones you want. On arrival we found that they had fake meat and a couple of veggie dishes to add to the charcter dumpling menu that we had pre ordered. 

The service was amazing, the meal both delicious and cute!

Shanghai Disneyland Overview

Shanghai Disneyland overview

This park is missing too many classic rides.

English isn’t widely spoken but mostly easy to communicate, many things written in English, prices all in English, but ordering can be tricky (Example we ordered two Pepsi’s with our meal and they gave us Pepsi and upgraded the children’s drinks to Pepsi, that’s not something we give our kids).

It is magical, the castle is majestic (my favourite castle so far), but if you were going on one Disney holiday, don’t let this be it! Definitely drop in if you are in the country, but I wouldn’t make a special trip. Doable in one day, two for a super fan, don’t bother with three.

Going in to airport you go through security just to get in the building! And unlike arrival, there isn’t a lot of English signs, yet you can easily find your way though.

The second security is major, a bit more strict than usual and for the first time a security guard put their fingers inside my waist band!

There is a Burger King toward the gates, I don’t even like Burger King, but it was so nice to order some chips and get something that definitely didn’t have meat in it.

Day 4 Shanghai Disney

Day 4

This morning it was pouring, we got to the queue for the shuttle at 7, it didn’t get busy until much later.The hotel had umbrellas to take into the park, but they were long umbrellas and we couldn't imagine taking those on rides. Fortunately I was a bit extra in my packing and packed ponchos for all!  Mace wore his from the jump. In my packing I didn't pack myself a jumper, because I planned on buying a spirit jersey from each park, and there were no spirit jerseys!!!

Walk on Pirates, front row, this was THE BEST experience at Shanghai Disneyland, I would go as far as to say that this is my all time favourite attraction, it was just so immersive, amazing. At the store I saw a Halloween sweater that I had my eye on, and it was cold, so I bought it to wear on the day, ther was a deal on the umbrellas that if you spent x amount you could get a half proice umbrella, so we did that, it rained most of the day.
Walk on Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Peter Pan walk on twice.
Dumbo walk on.
Buzz Astroblasters fastpass but only 5 minute standby.
Some stitch corndogs for snack.
We tried for Star Wars launch bay every day, with no luck, no idea why it was closed, I really wanted to met c3po!
Lunch at Tribal Table, ordering mishap where they upgraded our kids meals to have a Pepsi - we don’t let our kids drink cola!

Walk through picture with Pluto and Goofy, queue for picture with Gelatoni and Stella Lou.
Now we were getting a bit too cold and wet for our liking. Fortunately the park is really a two day max park, so leaving in the early afternoon wasn’t worrying. Needed some down time!

Packing, using the hotel play room, watching Thor Ragnorok, and dinner in the hotel. Ready for our early flight tomorrow!