Fantasy Springs, the new expansion featuring Frozen, Peter Pan and Tangled, is receiving rave reviews. It’s considered a modern masterpiece of Imagineering by some fans, with praise crowning it the greatest theme park land ever. This offers our review of the new $2 billion port-of-call, which brings a slightly different perspective to the table.
For starters, we’ve been saying for the last decade-plus that Tokyo DisneySea is the best theme park in the world. We’ve been singing the praises of Tokyo DisneySea for over a decade, imploring anyone who will listen to recapture the Disney magic by visiting Japan.
I mention this because, if anyone is predisposed to giving Fantasy Springs a gushing review, it’s arguably us. We’ve long maintained that we’re simply “biased” towards excellence and that TDR is in a league of its own, and that the hype is very much justified. But others certainly may disagree, and some fans have questioned whether the Tokyo parks are graded on a curve.
We really wanted to avoid time doing that here, which is why we wanted to let our experiences in Fantasy Springs marinate, making multiple visits to the new port-of-call over the course of two different months and taking even more time to reflect after that prior to writing. This felt necessary because the last expansion we reviewed of this scale was Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Honestly, my opinions of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge have evolved a lot since then–and not in positive ways. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the land, but I no longer hold it in such high esteem. This type of thing is only normal. Perspectives can change with time and opinions can soften. For instance, I also liked Test Track 2.0 a lot less by the time it closed; whereas I enjoy Frozen Ever After and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout more. Just a handful of many such examples.
But the one that really stuck with me is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and that’s because I see a striking number of similarities between that and Fantasy Springs. That’s not necessarily a value judgment, and certainly doesn’t mean my opinion on Fantasy Springs soured after only a month.
To that point, I won’t bury the lede: we love Fantasy Springs. I also don’t think it’s perfect.
When I think of the all-time greatest theme park lands, the likes of New Orleans Square, Fantasyland, Cars Land, Pandora, Diagon Alley, Frontierland (Thunder Mesa), all immediately come to mind. (There are undoubtedly others–this is off the top of my head.) Fantasy Springs can hold its own against any of those. It probably wouldn’t be #1 on my personal list of lands, but I wouldn’t argue with anyone who ranked it at the top.
The critical and purposeful distinction is that those are all lands and, technically, Fantasy Springs is a port-of-call. A distinction without a difference, perhaps, but one we’re going to seize on in this review. When it comes to ports-of-call, a term that’s unique to describe the areas of Tokyo DisneySea, the competition is a lot more fierce.
Fantasy Springs is a top 5 port-of-call at Tokyo DisneySea. But for me, it’s definitely not #1, #2, or #3. Maybe not #4, either.
Let’s start with the strengths of Fantasy Springs. First and foremost is the ride roster. We’re not going to fixate on this because we’ve already done standalone reviews of 3 of the 4 attractions. (Sorry, Cheese, but I don’t think your ride needs its own!) See the following:
Without a doubt, the top two attractions in Fantasy Springs are Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure and Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey. Both are nearly flawless experiences that are among the best Walt Disney Imagineering has ever created. Most guests will probably prefer the Frozen ride, but they’re both 10/10 attractions in my book. (Sarah’s “book” would have the Peter Pan motion-base-simulator-meets-dark ride quite a bit lower.)
Then there’s Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies. The Tangled attraction has perhaps the biggest ‘wow’ moment in any Fantasy Springs attraction and a few other lovely scenes and effects, but it’s a bit on the short side and also more rudimentary. But that was by design–it’s not as ambitious as an E-Ticket attraction.
Then there’s the outdoor Tinker Bell ride feat. Cheese, which doesn’t aspire to be anything more than a kiddie ride. But if anything, this is the attraction that most punches above its weight. There’s a certain je ne sais quoi about the Cheese Ride and it is better than it has any right to be. It’s still firmly the #4 attraction–almost no one would rank it any higher–but it’s fantastic for what it is.
When it comes to the ride roster, it’s very difficult to complain about Fantasy Springs. This is a land with 4 brand-new attractions, two of which are E-Tickets. All of them are fairly meaty, with only Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival feeling too short. Even that is still satisfying, it just could be longer.
I’m trying to think of the last expansion to an existing park that brought with it this many attractions. New attractions, not reimagined ones or new entrances to existing rides. Imagineering has gotten into a bad habit of making large lands that only add one or two rides, and end up inducing more demand than they add capacity. Fantasy Springs undoubtedly induces a ton of demand, but it also adds a ton of capacity to offset that.
Not only that, but the types of attractions in Fantasy Springs are precisely what Tokyo DisneySea needed. While some fans (us included!) lamented the addition of a Fantasyland to the more sophisticated and adult DisneySea, this is unquestionably what the target demographic of TDR wants. I know that’s hard to stomach for American Disney diehards who feel like watching the transition from EPCOT Center to Epcot, but this is still nothing like that.
It’s fairly undeniable that Fantasy Springs rounds out the ride roster of Tokyo DisneySea in a way that addresses its biggest criticism–not enough crowd-pleasing Disney attractions. Fantasy Springs improves the lineup of the park and makes it more appealing to a wider range of guests, while not doing too much to thematically dilute what makes DisneySea special. That alone is a big win, and one to keep in mind when reading the rest of the review.
Fantasy Springs also brings a well-rounded group of movies and characters to the table, eschewing the single IP land approach that Imagineering has been favoring since Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter changed the game. Fantasy Springs is essentially the marriage of that with the traditional land.
It still has standalone areas, as each movie is a represented in distinct subsections of the port. So it’s not really like a traditional Disneyland-style land with a wholly unified style. As discussed below, the magical springs provide that to some extent, but there’s still a sense that this is a 3-in-1 port.
Honestly, I could go either way on this. Tokyo DisneySea already has one single IP land (Mermaid Lagoon). The idea of a Scandinavian port that melds Frozen with real-world architecture, design, and perhaps even an original attraction is appealing. Similar to how Arabian Coast isn’t an Aladdin land. That approach also presents more opportunities for world-building beyond what’s offered in the source material.
Speaking of the unifying element, the magical springs featuring various characters are fantastic. Going in, my expectation was that they’d be window-dressing to offer a framework for Fantasy Springs fitting into Tokyo DisneySea and transitioning from the park to the land to the hotel.
Coming out, my view is that the magical springs are one of the highlights of the entire port. The detail in the rockwork is exquisite, and the way characters are integrated into them is top-notch. Everything is very purposeful and flows well, rather than feeling like they took a chunk of granite and haphazardly chiseled a character into it.
There’s a tremendous amount of variety to the characters; some are full bodies, others are heads, some are in action with sidekicks nearby, others are simple silhouettes or “hidden” features that aren’t easy to spot. It’s simply brilliant–words cannot do these magical springs justice. What’s most remarkable to me is how organic it all is, as if nature worked its magic and this just happens to be the miraculous result. Like when you see a deity on a piece of toast of whatever.
In the last decade-plus, Imagineering has demonstrated it’s at the top of its game with rockwork. Cars Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Moana’s Journey of Water, Pandora – World of Avatar, and areas of New Fantasyland all come to mind as exemplars. Most of this is attributable to Imagineer Zsolt Hormay, who is once again behind the Fantasy Springs rockwork. That’s a name more Disney fans should know–he should be a future Disney Legend.
These magical springs are so great that it’s frustrating they’re used so sparingly. They serve as a buffer between the rest of Tokyo DisneySea and Fantasy Springs as well as between the hotel and the Peter Pan, Tangled and Frozen areas of the port-of-call. The magical springs at the entrances to Fantasy Springs are fantastic, and exactly the time of placemaking you’d expect of Tokyo DisneySea.
Their absence everywhere else is noticeable. The magical springs don’t work as a unifying thematic element because they don’t serve that purpose. Instead, there are walkways and greenery that act as buffers between each of the three areas. Tokyo DisneySea is known for its clever transitions between its ports-of-call, with subtle details and thematic elements providing brilliant transitions between even the most disparate of lands (for example Mermaid Lagoon and Mysterious Island).
That doesn’t really exist in Fantasy Springs. I’m not suggesting that it’s jarring to go from the areas featuring Peter Pan to Tangled to Frozen. It isn’t at all. But that’s because there’s plenty of space and winding pathways to serve as a palate cleanser between the areas. There are not transitions to speak of.
This brings me to my next critique, which is where Fantasy Springs really reminded me of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. For those who aren’t familiar with the layout, the new port-of-call is closer to the front of Tokyo Disneyland than it is the front of Tokyo DisneySea. It’s a long walk from the front entrance, taking at least 15 minutes at a brisk pace.
This alone isn’t a problem for me. It was smart to use the larger expansion pad for Tokyo DisneySea, even if it does make the shape of the park a bit odd. However, it doesn’t change the fact that Fantasy Springs feels totally divorced from the rest of Tokyo DisneySea. It’s very much like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland from this perspective.
Fantasy Springs isn’t really integrated into the rest of the park in meaningful ways. It’s not connected via the waterways and you cannot see Mount Prometheus except from tiny slivers of the port. Between this and the way entrance is handled, it feels almost like a boutique park wedged between the two existing gates.
Due to the location of the plot, some of this was unavoidable. Fantasy Springs feels far from the core of the park…because it is! But I also feel like the design decisions exacerbate it. Like Galaxy’s Edge, it’s very clear that Fantasy Springs was created with capacity and crowds in mind.
There’s just way too much breathing room everywhere. This starts at the entrance to the port itself, which is down a long walkway. There is the initial rockwork tunnel and springs you walk through, but there’s also a lot of dead space between Arabian Coast/Lost River Delta and Fantasy Springs. It feels designed as a waiting area to accommodate a crowd/line, and it probably is.
It’s the same way within Fantasy Springs. A lot of the spaces described as buffer between the IP areas probably serves the dual purpose of accomplishing transitions and helping with crowd concerns. But much like Galaxy’s Edge, it feels like the footprint could be condensed by at least 25% with nothing of value being lost.
With the exception of a small village in Arendelle, there really isn’t much to explore. Even then, the storefronts are literally just that–you can’t go inside any of them. (Well, except the restrooms.) More than any of the other areas, Frozen Kingdom left me wanting more–perhaps because I know what it could’ve been if fleshed out.
Arendelle is not the weakest detail-wise. Rapunzel’s Forest is just the boat ride and Snuggly Duckling restaurant. That’s it. This area doesn’t envelope guests at all–it’s just something you approach. I do appreciate that the tower and beginning of the attraction are outdoors, but this area still feels too sparse.
On the other hand, Peter Pan’s Never Land feels properly satisfying. Having the Jolly Roger and Skull Rock to explore really helps, but it’s not just those two things. There are details fashioned by the Lost Kids scattered around, a better use of water features, and even little things like a popcorn cart that help make it feel more complete.
Never Land is the only area of Fantasy Springs that feels lived-in. The lack of that elsewhere is a direct result of small footprint of Rapunzel’s Forest and the perplexing choice to make the village in Arendelle almost all false fronts. Aside from rides, restaurants and restrooms, the only space you can go inside in the entire port is the Fantasy Springs gift shop.
That gift shop is nice for what it is, but it’s also located in the ground floor of Fantasy Springs Hotel and that isn’t really part of the port in a thematic sense. Speaking of which, I’m not going to focus on Fantasy Springs Hotel here–this review is already way too long.
I’ll instead point you to Biggest Disappointment of Disney’s New $2 Billion Expansion. It might seem like the title says it all, but honestly, the more I’ve seen of Fantasy Springs Hotel, the less I like it. That post is probably too charitable.
Speaking of things I won’t address, the frustrating process of accessing Fantasy Springs is another. That’s not a permanent or core component of the port, and certainly will continue to change. Regardless, see How to Enter Fantasy Springs & Get On Rides: Good, Bad & Ugly Access Options for more on that.
Anyway, as for the port’s lived-in quality (or lack thereof), it is noticeable and I feel like more interiors to explore would’ve gone a long way to fix this. It’s possible that wasn’t desired from a capacity perspective or whatever, but even Galaxy’s Edge has the little marketplace and stalls, which helps a lot.
Failing that, there should be atmospheric entertainment. Whether that be free roaming characters, streetmosphere, a band, or even random Cast Members, it could really help soften up the land and make it feel a bit more intimate and personal. Hopefully something else is still coming after the initial opening and fears of overcrowding subside.
All three of the counter service restaurants in Fantasy Springs are massive, but they’re also exceptionally well done. Snuggly Duckling feels a bit like a mess hall, but that works with its vibe. Royal Banquet of Arendelle breaks up the space really well and each room has unique and worthwhile details; it’s large, but it never makes the same missteps as Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom. Lookout Cookout is smaller than the others, but it’s adorable.
In short, all of the restaurants are great–perfectly on par with the rest of Tokyo DisneySea. The best of the bunch is definitely Royal Banquet of Arendelle, which is a dining must-do even if you only have a day or two at TDS. These three venues also add a ton of much-needed dining capacity to the park, so they’re likewise fantastic from that perspective.
Admittedly, this is one of the tensions of a review like this. Restaurants very obviously serve a practical purpose, so something like Snuggly Duckling feeling a bit like a mess hall is completely understandable because it needs to accommodate X guests per hour. Sure, it could’ve been an intimate tavern, but then we’d be complaining that it’s impossible to get into, wondering what were they thinking?!
This is true of Fantasy Springs as a whole too, though. Compromises must be made between the best themed design options and the most practical approach for throughput, capacity, and minimizing congestion. It’s a delicate balancing act for Imagineering and Operations, and I’m sure some of the decisions here were heavily influenced by the latter and are not the choices WDI would’ve made if given free reign and no practical constraints.
The reality is that Fantasy Springs is going to be the most popular port-of-call in Tokyo DisneySea for (literally) decades to come. More guests will want to visit this than the rest of the park owing to the franchises featured and the quality of the rides and restaurants. This is hardly a bold prediction–anyone understanding guest demographics of Tokyo Disney Resort could tell you this. OLC and WDI undoubtedly knew it years ago, with the layout and design undertaken accordingly.
Frankly, I’m not quite sure how to approach that in a post like this. A movie review treats its subject solely as a work of art, wholly unconcerned with its box office performance. But theme parks aren’t quite the same, as the operational side does impact the guest experience. So it’s not appropriate to view only the artistic component without acknowledging the practical realities. (This approach also arguably benefits the artists/Imagineers, as they have to work within the parameters of a functional theme park!)
All of these Imagineering vs. Operations compromises won’t be that noticeable to the average guest. Fantasy Springs is still really, really well done! If you’re familiar with the rest of Tokyo DisneySea, its shortcomings become more apparent. The park is otherwise bursting with details, and layer upon layer of thematic design. Tokyo DisneySea is truly the onion of theme parks–in a positive way…I love onions.
One reason for the “I can’t believe this is a theme park” reactions to Tokyo DisneySea is because it’s just so lavish, with things to discover no matter where you look. Every time I ride the DisneySea Electric Railway, for example, I notice something new–a brilliant throwaway detail that’s invisible from the ground. I still get lost in Fortress Explorations, and stumble upon little flourishes I cannot believe they thought to include (or got the budget to build).
By contrast, I can totally believe that Fantasy Springs is in a theme park. It is not brimming with details and there aren’t surprising discoveries around every corner. You can make a quick pass through the entire port and see pretty much everything. It also doesn’t have that same sense of exploration or intimacy because, it would seem, it’s focused first and foremost on being high capacity.
To be fair, not all of Tokyo DisneySea is like this. Fantasy Springs is more detailed than Mermaid Lagoon or Port Discovery. It’s easily better than both, and also than Lost River Delta, even if that has the edge on detail. Fantasy Springs is also trying to do something different as it features iconic landmarks from three disparate movies in one area. It does so well and, again, without feeling the least bit jarring. So this isn’t really an apples to apples comparison with the other ports.
Nevertheless, we found it a lot easier to “get our fill” of Fantasy Springs. Whereas we want to linger in Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Mysterious Island and Arabian Coast, we do not have that sense with Fantasy Springs. The rest of Tokyo DisneySea is more about the journey than the destination, whereas Fantasy Springs is mostly about the substance–the attractions. Which is fine for the most part–more rides is exactly what the park needed.
It’s also something to keep in mind if you’re a first-timer with limited days at Tokyo Disney Resort. Don’t let the siren’s song of the hot new thing make you spend a disproportionate amount of time here. Breeze through Fantasy Springs; savor the rest of Tokyo DisneySea.
Ultimately, this might sound like a fairly critical review of Fantasy Springs, a port-of-call that’s otherwise receiving rave reviews. The nearly unanimous sentiment is praise, and I’m not trying to be the lone contrarian who says, actually…this land is only okay. We love Fantasy Springs! It’s a much-needed addition that is not simply “only okay.” But I also don’t think it’s perfect, and it’s worth focusing critique not on the things everyone else is already gushing about, but rather, the shortcomings they’re overlooking.
There’s also the matter of perspective. Tokyo DisneySea is the best theme park in the world. I’ll be the first to admit that I scrutinize everything here with a closer eye as a result. I have higher standards for OLC than Disney (just like Disney vs. Universal), and review things accordingly.
If Fantasy Springs were plopped into one of the studio parks, it would be the best land in any of them–by a wide margin. It’d be a 100% positive addition and this review would be less than half the length it is. I wouldn’t even bother with the negatives–they almost exclusively exist in the context of Tokyo DisneySea, best theme park in the world.
The bottom line is that Tokyo DisneySea is home to at least 3 of the top 5 theme park lands (or ports) in the world, but I don’t think Fantasy Springs is one of them. However, it probably is a top 10 land worldwide and would be the #1 land at Walt Disney World as a whole and most other worldwide parks individually.
If you’re comparing Fantasy Springs to World Celebration–a land with a similar construction timeline–there is no comparison. It’s like Citizen Kane vs. Garbage Pail Kids trading cards. If you’re comparing Fantasy Springs to American Waterfront or Mysterious Island, at least the trio of ports are all in the same league–but it’s still not on par with those masterpieces and exemplars of themed design.
Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For more specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews page covers accommodations. Our Restaurant Reviews detail where to dine & snack. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money post. Our What to Pack for Disney post takes a unique look at clever items to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Fantasy Springs? Do you think it’s one of the best Disney’s best lands in the world? What about the top ports-of-call in Tokyo DisneySea? Are the critiques here fair, or is this being too nitpicky? Agree or disagree with our assessment of the new Peter Pan, Tangled, and Frozen port? Any questions? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
