Tokyo Disney Resort is ever-evolving, particularly in times like these where operations are changing near-constantly! And since its been well over four months(!) since we checked out the latest happenings at Tokyo DisneySea, there’s plenty of new to share! So let’s set sail around the seven ports to see the latest at the world’s most beautiful theme park.

Outside the Park

Ads installed on the JR Keiyo Line are advertising performances of Big Band Beat: A Special Treat, a semi-return of the long-running show at Tokyo DisneySea.

Meanwhile over at JR Maihama Station, billboards are up to advertise the release of Jungle Cruise, even touting it as “based on the iconic [Tokyo] Disneyland attraction.”

New posters aboard the Disney Resort Line monorails also advertise the ongoing Duffy & Friends’ Sunny Fun event at Tokyo DisneySea!

Inside the Park

The AquaSphere was particularly shining today when the park was rather empty and the weather temperamental.

As we approach the 20th Anniversary of Tokyo DisneySea, it’s important to honor the legacy of two men whose spirits inspired the park and in whose memory it is dedicated—Masatomo Takahashi, President of the Oriental Land Company and heralded by Dick Nunis as “the Walt Disney of Japan”, and Frank Wells, CFO of The Walt Disney Company from 1984-1994. Both passed before the park opened in 2001.

Piazza Topolino remained rather quiet and empty most of the day, as most Guests spent their time on attractions.

Turning your head around unfortunately left us with this cloudy view of Mt. Prometheus. See what I mean by temperamental weather?

Cast Members were out and ready to make some fun for Guests visiting the area before the Mickey & Friends Harbor Greeting

Over on the other side of the harbor, we can see that Fortress Explorations has finally reopened, one of the last major attractions to reopen following the reopening last July.

Guests can even board the Renaissance once more and fire her cannons across Mediterranean Harbor!

Almost every room has been reopened and the hands-on parts active for Guests to use. Of course, they are encouraged to sanitize their hands before and after leaving each area.

We missed this view so much!

One downside, however, is that the Flying Machine is currently missing, probably for routine repairs.

‘Olu Mel finally has his own popcorn bucket as part of Duffy & Friends’ Sunny Fun this year, which you can find at select popcorn carts around the park.

As nice as these empty views of the park are, it’s starting to feel a bit sad and empty rather than wondrous and rare. Hopefully these capacity restrictions end sometime soon.

McDuck’s’ windows are all done up with merchandise and decor featuring Duffy & Friends’ Sunny Fun, to the point that they even created a mini-pool (out of plastic) to make it look like the Duffy friends are swimming!

Over at the Broadway Music Theatre, Big Band Beat has returned, sort of. It’s an adjusted version with Mickey and Minnie as host rather than actors and it’s… not good. Stay tuned to WDWNT for a full synopsis and review.

With the DisneySea Electric Railway closed for refurbishment, this column in particular is plantered off for some work. This area can get rather drippy when it rains, so perhaps they’re fixing whatever causes that problem.

Over in Waterfront Park, the fountains are finally back on for kids to play in! Just in time too, as the rainy season in Tokyo has ended and we’ve moved on to humid and miserable for the next 6-8 weeks or so.

Planters are back up around this quarter of Waterfront Park as well, seems the work is ever-ongoing over here.

Several snack and popcorn joints have reopened around the park to serve summertime treats for Guests, it’s nice to see reopenings again rather than closures.

Although we may have spoken a bit too soon. The Dockside Stage character greeting is closed through September 1st to prevent Cast Members and Guests from experiencing the extreme heat.

Bright side—the S.S. Columbia looks gorgeous today!

Over in Cape Cod, there’s all manner of Duffy & Friends’ Sunny Fun decor up, including these coconuts with the Duffy friends’ faces carved into them!

There’s also this wood standee featuring five of the six Duffy friends (where’s CookieAnn?) with which Guests can pose and take pictures.

Banners are strung across Cape Cod Cook-Off as well.

Between Cape Cod Cook-Off and Aunt Peg’s Village Store, the five recognized Duffy friends are carved into watermelons and even dressed up!

On the beach, the five friends are relaxing as sand sculptures on top of the boat.

And in front of Aunt Peg’s Village Store, there’s an adorable sculpture with the five friends for Guests to pose with!

Over in Port Discovery, only one side (the closer side) of Aquatopia is running due to low capacity in the park.

Also, both Horizon Bay Restaurant and the DisneySea Electric Railway are under refurbishment at present, although the restaurant remains open.

At Skywatcher Souvenirs, the last reference to the old StormRider attraction has finally been removed, with the old Center for Weather Control logo now gone entirely from this cabinet.

As we journey into Lost River Delta, we find these new vending machines that fit the theming of Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull perfectly! As we’ve discussed multiple times, Tokyo Disney Resort has been installing these highly-themed vending machines around the parks in order to reduce the number of roll-out drink carts necessary.

Although Big Band Beat has sort of returned, our beloved Song of Mirage still has yet to guide us to the city of dreams, Rio Dorado!

Next door to the Hangar Stage, this popcorn cart has been converted into a shaved ice cart, selling a cup of strawberry shaved ice for ¥350 ($3.18).

Miguel’s El Dorado Cantina has sat closed for over a year, so it’s quite nice to see progress in some fashion, in this case with a facade touch-up.

A few months ago, Abu’s Bazaar in Arabian Coast finally reopened, now with a dedicated queue space. Part of the space is shaded by umbrellas, and the closer portion is contained under a pergola.

The new game of skill is to roll a ball to one of the three holes at the end. It’s a lot easier said than done, believe me.

But if you manage to do it, you’ll get to choose one of these Mickey and Minnie figures in their original Arabian Coast costumes!

Construction on Fantasy Springs is speeding along, and now is very, very visible within both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

A former small water feature next to Raging Spirits that included a water wheel is now walled off for demolition, presumably to widen the pathway for Fantasy Springs’ waterfall-centric entrance.

And the themed walls have the Piranha Aviation logo, which is housed in the Hangar Stage on the other side of Lost River Delta! Who doesn’t love cohesive theming?

Aunt Peg’s Village Store Popcorn Bucket

Back on July 1st, Tokyo DisneySea released this new popcorn bucket featuring five of the six Duffy friends in and around Aunt Peg’s Village Store, the main shop for Duffy memorabilia. On the front, we can see Duffy, StellaLou, and Gelatoni, along with a small photo area for Guests to insert their own picture.

The left side shows CookieAnn staring outside.

And on the right, we see ‘Olu Mel! Curiously, ShellieMay is missing.

If you want to get your hands on this popcorn bucket, it’s available at the Lido Isle and Cape Cod popcorn carts. Plus it even lights up!

And that’s the latest happenings at Tokyo DisneySea! So much has changed since our last visit in March, it was almost too much to keep up with! But we’re excited to see things progress and move forward even as capacity restrictions continue. What was your favorite part of our trip today? Let us know in the comments below!

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