Written by Guest Blogger Britt Andrews.
The definitive theme park analysis:
So I just got back from my Japan trip yesterday, and I went to Disneyland, Disneysea, Universal Studios and Fuji Q.
I see a lot of people asking what theme park to go to so I decided to analyze and rank them. (This comes as someone who loves theme parks, and especially rollercoasters.)
For reference, I went to Disneyland/sea in Golden Week, and USJ/Fuji Q ( not during Golden Week), so I won’t comment on the lines/waiting times because I dont feel that that is fair to the park, or necessarily relevant to an analysis of the parks.
Here we go!
Full of classic rides, not really anything for thrill seekers though. But they put the ‘theme’ in theme park. An amazing atmosphere, and a feeling of magic. Definitely preferred it to Disneysea.
No single rider lines is a bit of a disappointment, having a single rider line would really speed things up for people who don’t mind riding alone.
Food was well priced, and there were lots of options, and it actually tasted quite good for theme park food.
Merchandise was everywhere, range was pretty good, especially with certain stores accommodating to particular brands (Pooh store, etc)
A downside to Disneyland – you are expected to take all of your bags on the rides with you, there are no temporary lockers for riders at the ride. Considering it is a park that is based on selling Disney merchandise, that seems a really strange choice, as it can be very frustrating to try to take everything on a ride with you.
A lot of indoor rides, and even though it pissed down rain all day, all rides stayed open.
Better rides than Disneyland in terms of thrill seeking, but lacks the magic feeling that Disneyland has. It felt a bit like a Reject Shop version of Disneyland to be honest.
Again, no single rider lines is disappointing, especially with the more sought after rides.
Food well priced, but less options than Disneyland, and definitely a harder park to navigate (can be frustrating as hell to get around a massive volcano in the middle)
Less merchandise, but still plenty of options.
Same deal with Disneyland as no temp lockers for rides.
I’m unsure about which rides stay open when it rains, as I wasn’t there in the rain.
A good mix of kid friendly rides and thrill seeker rides. Note to make – some rides are definitely built with skinnier people in mind. My partner was denied entry to one ride because the safety bar wouldn’t do up because his hips were too wide to fit into the seat properly. And he’s not an overweight bloke, but he is quite stocky.
Food was more expensive than Disneyland/Sea and the options felt more limited.
Merchandise was also more expensive than Disney, and you’ll faint if you look at the prices of the Harry Potter merchandise (and I say that as a massive Harry Potter fan) it was hard to find anything under 3000 yen.
Most rides had lockers for riders, making it easier to go on rides without carrying all your crap with you.
Harry Potter section is pretty damn amazing, the atmosphere is beautiful and magical. A must do for any HP fans. In terms of overall atmosphere, if you are not a HP/Minions fan, you wont feel the same magic as you do at Disneyland, but in terms of rides there were some great ones at USJ for thrill seekers.
Inclusion of single rider lines for most rides is a massive bonus over Disneyland/sea
I’m unsure about which rides stay open when it rains, as I wasn’t there in the rain.
By far the best park for thrill seekers.
Amazing, world class, record breaking rides. Going from 0 – 180km/h in 1.56 seconds is phenomenal. Absolutely amazing rides. Only fault is that with almost any amount of rain, EVERYTHING shuts down. There is literally no point going to Fuji Q in the rain. At all.
Lots of food stalls, but the food I had was pretty awful, definitely felt like greasy theme park food.
Merchandise was interesting, lots of food, a few funny shirts, and pretty decently priced.
I know I said I wouldn’t comment on lines, but it seems that because Fuji Q is so far out of the main centres, it seemed to be a lot quieter. Some rides had single rider lines, but not all.
It’s not a very English friendly park, a lot of signs in Japanese only, but its certainly not unmanageable, just not as much English as the other three parks. It is also a bit of a maze, and with all the ride signs in Japanese I found myself taking the long way to rides accidentally.
Thomas Land is good for kids, but overall it isn’t really a park you would take small children too (unless they are super into Thomas), because it is definitely a park aimed more at thrill seekers.
And please, PLEASE measure your kids before you take them, nothing is more awkward than lining up for a ride and finding out your kids are a few cm too short to get on the ride.
AN OVERALL RANKING:
Rides
– Fuji Q
– Universal Studios
– Disneysea
– Disneyland
Atmosphere
– Disneyland
– Universal Studios
– Disneysea/Fuji Q equal footing
Value for money
– Disneyland
– The rest are equal, depending on what aspects you value (rides, atmosphere)
Food
– Disneyland/sea
– Universal Studios
– Fuji Q
Overall
– Disneyland
– Fuji Q
– Universal Studios
– Disneysea
I hope this helps people to make theme park decisions!
Britt Andrews is a photographer and you can find her work and get in touch with her via:
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrittAndrewsPhotography/
or at
volume media.com.au
See here for The Tokyo Chapter post on Disneyland with Kids.
See here for The Tokyo Chapter post on DisneySea with Kids.
