The resort just announced plans on how it will celebrate its 30th
anniversary in 2013. Beginning April 15, the resort will kick off The
Happiness Year celebration, which will include a new parade, a renewed
attraction, special seasonal events and more.
The “Happiness is Here” parade will feature Disney characters, cheerful music, and themed parade floats (still in development).
The Star Tours attraction at Tokyo Disneyland is currently undergoing a transformation into Star Tours: The Adventures Continue and will reopen in Spring 2013.
In the evenings, a fantastic waterborne Christmas tree of lights shines out to onlookers in the nighttime show “Candlelight Reflections.” The show begins with candles coming alight on the waters of Mediterranean Harbor while Christmas music plays. When Mickey Mouse and his friends appear, lighting numerous candles along the way, it’s time for the tree lighting ceremony to begin. The lights are dimmed and the music fades. In this expectant silence, stardust falls on top of the Christmas tree, making it shine and twinkle with numerous lights. Then, at a signal from the Disney friends, both the Cast Members and the guests come together as one as they raise their ―lights,‖ creating a gorgeous ―sea of lights‖ in Mediterranean Harbor. The show comes to a dramatic end with impressive pyrotechnics around the waterborne Christmas tree. (The Christmas tree will remain alight after the show, contributing to the romantic atmosphere at Mediterranean Harbor.
―Candlelight Reflections‖ Finale
―Candlelight Reflections,‖ performed for 7 years, and was presented for the last time this year (2010). To commemorate this finale, a "sea of lights" was created at Mediterranean Harbor with the numerous lights held by both the Cast Members and the guests.
Note: Merchandise for this “sea of lights” will be sold at shops in the Park. In addition, guests who purchase the “After 6 „Pair‟ Passport” will receive a keychain (with glow stick). Guests who visit the Park on November 18 will also receive a complimentary item that glows (limited to one item per guest).
Tokyo Disney Resort's shopping, dining, and entertainment complex is called Ikspiari (the Japanese equivalent of the Downtown Disney complexes at the U.S. parks).
Take a look at how beautiful is The Disney Store at Ikspiari:
Daps Magic (@mrdaps), a Disney blog that has been in contact with visitors and employees via Twitter and Facebook, reports that power, water and gas are operating inside the parks. Minor injuries were reported, including a few people treated for anxiety.
New York Post travel editor David Landsel (@davidlandsel), who has been tweeting from inside Tokyo DisneySea, said about half the visitors have been allowed to return to their hotels or leave the park. The 30,000 visitors who remain in the parks have been treated to tea, cookies, chocolates and pork buns, he said.
"What a bizarre (and wonderful) place to be trapped!" he wrote to his followers.
Tokyo Disneyland closed after earthquake
By Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel
TokyoDisneyland and TokyoSea are closed in the wake of the major earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, several websites report
The Disney Blog says that theme-park management has said the theme parks will be closed Saturday and possibly Sunday as the damage is assessed. The resort says there were no injuries.
Disney has since confirmed that through a statement from the Oriental Land Company. It reads:
"Following the earthquake that occurred today, we [OLC] have decided to suspend operations at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea on Saturday, March 12 in order to conduct inspections at all facilities. As for operations from March 13 and beyond, that has yet to be determined at this point in time. As of now, we have not confirmed any injuries among our guests or cast members."
Inside the Magic website reports that 70,000 guests were forced to stay overnight at Tokyo Disneyland. Pictures show standing water in the resort's parking area.
The theme parks are about 200 miles away from the center of damage from the 8.9-magnatude quake.
As many of you know, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck near the coast of Japan on Friday and Tokyo Disney Resort was one of the many areas affected. Fortunately our team on the ground has reported only minor injuries and minimal property damage at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. The safety of our guests and cast members is always our first concern so both parks will remain closed on Saturday to allow for a thorough inspection of our attractions and facilities. Cast members at the Tokyo Disney Resort are also providing humanitarian aid in the form of blankets, food and water for guests who are still at the resort due to the transportation challenges associated with the earthquake.
Because of the quake’s effect on the waters of the Pacific, the Disney Wonder’s itinerary was altered slightly due to the closure of the Port of Cabo. Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, currently under construction in Ko Olina, Hawai’i, was not impacted.
Our thoughts and sympathy go out to our guests, fellow Disney cast members and all of the people in Japan affected by this terrible disaster. We’ll share any additional information today by posting updates at the top of this page.
