Fantasy Springs is receiving rave opinions, and understandably so. The brand new port-of-call that includes Frozen, Peter Pan, and Tangled is unbelievable, with 4 points of interest starting from nice shock to fashionable masterpiece. And at over $2 billion in value, the world is the costliest enlargement in Disney historical past and a worthy addition to Tokyo DisneySea, already one of the best theme park on the earth.
We’ve been singing the praises of Tokyo DisneySea for over a decade, imploring anybody who will hearken to recapture the Disney magic by visiting Japan. Since we accomplish that commonly, we’ve been accused of being biased in the direction of Tokyo Disney Resort. That isn’t true in any respect. We’re merely “biased” in the direction of excellence. And for some time, TDR was in a league of its personal due to totally different requirements for all the things from upkeep to meals high quality to visitor service.
Whereas Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are nonetheless Disney’s two finest parks on the earth, it’s additionally pretty plain that the parks have suffered some notable losses and cutbacks since 2019. They’re very a lot nonetheless in ‘phased reopening’ mode, and a couple of 12 months or two behind the U.S. parks in that regard. Level being, we each reward and criticize the place applicable. Now that additionally extends to Fantasy Springs, which is a incredible addition however removed from flawless.
We’ll cowl the highlights and lowlights (there aren’t many!) of Fantasy Springs in a future evaluate of the port-of-call as an entire. For now, we wish to deal with the largest disappointment, which for us is certainly the brand new in-park luxurious resort: Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Resort.
The sixth Disney resort in-built Japan, the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Resort is located close to the magical spring on the reverse entrance (non-park facet) of the port-of-call. Work depicting Disney Princesses in addition to floral motifs could be seen all through the inside of the resort, permitting the world of Fantasy Springs to proceed from the park to the resort.
Fantasy Springs Resort is comprised of two buildings: the Fantasy Chateau and the Grand Chateau. The Fantasy Chateau affords “deluxe-type” rooms adorned with motifs of the natural world of Fantasy Springs, whereas the Grand Chateau affords “luxury-type” rooms which offer visitors with the best lodging expertise at Tokyo Disney Resort.
Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Resort is comprised of 419 rooms within the deluxe wing. As well as, there are 56 rooms within the luxurious wing, providing visitors the best lodging expertise at Tokyo Disney Resort.
To present you a body of reference so what follows makes some sense, let’s begin with the above map of Fantasy Springs Resort. Visitor rooms are divided into 4 sides in keeping with their location: Bay Space Facet, Resort Entrance Facet, Rose Court docket Facet, and Springs Facet.
For individuals who haven’t visited Tokyo Disney Resort earlier than, the Resort Entrance Facet faces the monorail station, in addition to the Toy Story Resort, Hilton, Sheraton, and different third get together accommodations. The Springs Facet overlooks Tokyo DisneySea and the Bay Space facet overlooks the parking zone and the bottom of Area Mountain development.
My greatest criticism is with the outside of the Fantasy Chateau. It’s thematically underwhelming, a giant field resort that makes the outside of Disney’s Riviera Resort look well-themed. Essentially the most apt comparability might be Gran Destino Tower, albeit a special form and magnificence. Regardless, it appears to be like like a giant field.
Whereas there may be some ornamentation alongside the roofline and elsewhere, the issue with the Fantasy Chateau is its giant expanses of uninterrupted sameness. Stretches of the constructing all have uniform preparations of home windows and no balconies on one facet and there are blocky areas which are totally with out home windows.
It appears to be like very very like a resort you might discover in Tokyo. You don’t even have to look far–simply throughout the best way at Bayside Station, Resort Okura is strikingly comparable–and with a facade that arguably appears to be like higher. It’s an identical story with the Hilton or Sheraton over there, too.
Some defenders of Tokyo Disney Resort would possibly argue that this doesn’t matter, because the Fantasy Chateau facet is generally seen from Bayside Station, these third get together accommodations, or the parking zone. And that’s true, for essentially the most half. However you can even see loads of the constructing from inside Fantasy Springs, and it appears to be like blocky and underdone even from there.
Personally, I wouldn’t discover this argument persuasive even when 0% of Fantasy Chateau had been seen from inside Fantasy Springs. From each angle, Tokyo Disneyland Resort has meticulous consideration to element and exterior ornamentation. I used to be staying at that resort for the media preview of Fantasy Springs–in an everyday room that may be categorized as an equal to these within the Fantasy Chateau.
Whereas searching my window, I used to be struck by simply how far more detailed the Tokyo Disneyland Resort constructing is as in comparison with the Fantasy Chateau. I additionally stayed on the Ambassador Resort, and it’s an identical story there.
Then, after all, there’s Resort MiraCosta. Tokyo Disney Resort’s ‘I can’t imagine that is an precise resort’ that overlooks the entrance entrance of the ‘I can’t imagine that is an precise theme park!’ The distinction between Resort MiraCosta and Fantasy Chateau is night time and day. I’ve spent a ton of time exploring Resort MiraCosta, and from each path, it’s painstakingly themed. No element or expense was spared.
Whereas I don’t essentially take concern with the outside of the Grand Chateau, there’s even a transparent high quality distinction between that and any portion of Resort MiraCosta’s facade. There are areas the place even Grand Chateau appears to be like boxy and underdone, and that stands in stark distinction to Resort MiraCosta.
With that stated, this submit wouldn’t exist if Fantasy Springs Resort had been all of the Grand Chateau. There’s undoubtedly sufficient there there for it to go thematic muster. Not each resort goes to be on the identical degree as MiraCosta. Even my different favorites–Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Californian, Crescent Lake Resorts, and many others–don’t maintain a candle to the outside of that resort.
I don’t blame Imagineers for the outside of the Fantasy Chateau being bland and boring. Likewise, I don’t assume they’re at fault for selecting the peak, location, or design of the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. (For those who disregard location and evaluate the designs on their deserves…the Island Tower actually appears to be like higher than Fantasy Chateau.) Similar story with Gran Destino Tower or Disney’s Riviera Resort.
It’s arduous to imagine that Imagineers–the identical ones who created breathtaking points of interest within the new port–had been requested to dream large with Fantasy Springs Resort and this was all they may muster for the outside design. That clarification strains credulity, particularly after we’ve seen what this crew was able to with extra complicated work within the port-of-call itself. Does anybody actually imagine the Imagineers had been able to the wow moments within the rides however solely this ho-hum resort? After all not.
The difficulty, simply as with resort designs at Walt Disney World, is sort of actually that the companies–Disney and OLC–have realized that visitors will e book up the resorts no matter theme. That it’s the situation that basically issues, which permits the resorts to ‘coast’ or relaxation on the laurels of their environment. (I’d personally argue that’s a slippery slope that may solely go thus far earlier than it eats up an excessive amount of visitor goodwill–however that’s a extra looming drawback on the Poly than it’s at Tokyo DisneySea.)
There are undoubtedly different explanations which are extra charitable. Development prices have gotten astronomical, pushed by increased costs for labor and supplies. Had the present setting existed within the late Nineteen Nineties, I doubt OLC might’ve made Resort MiraCosta as lavish and ornately-detailed as it’s. The price of doing so would’ve crippled the mission. To make certain, increased wages are a very good factor–however they do necessitate compromises.
It’s additionally doable that OLC has discovered one thing from the continuing upkeep prices of Resort MiraCosta and, to a lesser extent, Tokyo Disneyland Resort. The maintenance to maintain these resort facades wanting pristine has gotta be astronomical, particularly when you think about the sensible actuality that they’re located alongside Tokyo Bay and there are 4 distinct seasons to which they’re topic. (It’s sunny, wet, and even snowy in Japan!)
On prime of all that, the development of Fantasy Springs occurred through the pandemic. I’ve talked about in different posts that we started watching website prep work in 2019 and didn’t return till Japan reopened in late 2022 to see the land totally vertical. Even at that time over a 12 months in the past, Fantasy Springs Resort appeared 90% completed on the skin.
Needless to say the Tokyo parks scaled again operations even additional than Walt Disney World and are nonetheless in restoration mode, working in the direction of returning to regular. Regardless of that, it was full steam forward on Fantasy Springs development–fairly the distinction to a number of the doubtful choices Walt Disney World made.
However, there have been undoubtedly some robust choices that needed to be made with Fantasy Springs. OLC is famously keen to spend large, however even they weren’t proof against the financial realities of 2020. Funds cuts with tasks are nearly all the time a factor, and that may’ve been doubly or triply true through the pandemic years.
The truth that the rides emerged seemingly unscathed and stuffed with wow moments is spectacular. If cuts needed to be made, the place to make them is on the outside of the resort that (largely) will not be seen from the park.
This isn’t to excuse OLC or Tokyo Disney Resort for the outward look of the Fantasy Chateau. On the contrary, this submit is criticism about it not being as much as snuff. Even when there are legitimate causes to justify it, these are primarily immaterial to a essential appraisal of the resort. It’s the top product that issues, and this one is underwhelming. That’s very true given each its location and the way it’s being positioned because the top-tier resort by Tokyo Disney Resort.
I can perceive this having a special theme than Resort MiraCosta that doesn’t lend itself to that diploma of element. And that’s positive. However the pendulum swung too far within the different path and, whatever the excuses, Fantasy Springs Resort appears to be like extra on par with the Ambassador than it does the opposite two park-adjacent accommodations.
Notably, the Ambassador will not be seen from contained in the parks. In contrast, Fantasy Springs Resort is seen from inside the new port-of-call and the sightlines–even of the Grand Chateau–depart one thing to be desired. I’m not a stickler for sightlines, so though that is one thing that bugs me, it’s additionally not the top of the world or my capability to understand the world. I don’t assume it ruins suspension of disbelief, immersion, and many others. It simply could possibly be higher performed.
On condition that the resort is seen from each Peter Pan’s By no means Land and Frozen Kingdom, I believe a extra “springs-centric” theme for the resort ought to’ve been chosen, versus ‘Artwork Nouveau luxurious resort’ so the resort is a greater thematic match all through the land.
There’s clearly no single theme that works for each Peter Pan and Frozen, however having or not it’s extra fantastical so the facade is thematically coherent from each areas would’ve been a very good transfer. Because it stands, it’s only a bit jarring to see Fantasy Springs Resort towering behind the Village of Arendelle facades.
One other little bit of criticism I’ve for Fantasy Chateau is that the central courtyard will not be open to the general public. This space contains a ‘magical spring’ themed to Magnificence and the Beast, and is absolutely fairly pretty. It’s pitched as being completely for the enjoyment of resort visitors, which is good or a disappointment relying upon whether or not you’re a part of the in-group.
I think that’s solely a part of the story, although. It’s additionally doable that Tokyo Disney Resort didn’t wish to open that courtyard up from the park facet as a result of it will imply exposing park visitors to the ocean of plain pink dotted with home windows, and so they know that’s less than snuff from inside Fantasy Springs.
That is actually too unhealthy–the Magnificence and the Beast springs have a number of cool results, and having extra sq. footage inside Fantasy Springs would’ve been a win for everybody. It’d be the equal of constructing the Venice space of Tokyo DisneySea reserved solely to visitors staying at Resort MiraCosta.
I’m holding out hope that each one of this modifications down the highway. That Tokyo Disney Resort paints on exterior elaborations or trimming, very like Resort MiraCosta makes use of trompe l’oeil on its facade. Or, they may add some vines to the outside or plant extra flowers and foliage–rather a lot might nonetheless be performed down the highway with out essentially messing with the construction of the resort.
The excellent news is that, regardless of us fixating on the negatives, Fantasy Springs Resort is generally positives! (On the subject of Tokyo Disney Resort, the bar for “disappointment” is rather a lot decrease than elsewhere. Truthful or unfair, however all the things is judged by totally different requirements and something in need of perfection is topic to critique.)
Talking of these magical springs, they’re incredible. That is extra a characteristic of the port itself, so I don’t wish to fixate on them, however I used to be very pleasantly shocked by the magical springs. Stepping into, my expectation was that they’d be window-dressing to supply a framework for Fantasy Springs becoming into Tokyo DisneySea and transitioning from the park to the land to the resort.
Popping out, my view is that the magical springs are one of many highlights of the whole port. They’re fantastically performed and left me wanting extra, therefore the criticism concerning the Magnificence and the Beast springs being cordoned off for resort visitors.
By and huge, the inside of Fantasy Springs Resort is great. It’s a combination of Artwork Nouveau and whimsy and opulence that simply works. It feels without delay lighthearted and enjoyable, whereas additionally being fancy and indulgent. It’s incredible as a female counterpart to the extra masculine Resort MiraCosta, and I think Tokyo Disney Resort’s goal demographic is completely going to eat it up. Truthfully, visitors will most likely desire it to Resort MiraCosta even after the brand new resort scent wears off.
There are little nitpicks that could possibly be fabricated from the inside, however it’s largely excellent to nice. I’m additionally positive that the identical could possibly be stated of Tokyo Disneyland Resort and MiraCosta, regardless of them being prime 5 Disney accommodations in the whole world. Regardless, the inside will not be what this submit is about. It isn’t disappointing. It’s brimming with extravagant design and ornate element that’s kind of on par with the opposite prime two accommodations at TDR.
Lastly, I additionally respect that the inside design has a sure sense of confidence to it, and doesn’t really feel focus grouped to loss of life. One among my points with Walt Disney World resorts is that the latest generification is seemingly guest-driven, responding to hospitality tendencies as a substitute of delivering one thing distinctive and particular that visitors by no means knew they’d need.
As quickly as you enter the entrance door of Fantasy Springs Resort and see the large dragon fly within the rotunda, you understand that is one thing totally different. One thing (largely) particular. Simply don’t have a look at the outside too lengthy or too arduous.
Finally, Fantasy Springs Resort left one thing to be desired for me. Past the Fantasy Chateau facade, which is simply objectively underwhelming, the resort doesn’t appear to be my cup of tea as in comparison with its counterparts. And actually, that’s completely positive. The resort undoubtedly will maintain great attraction for the goal demographic, and even lengthy after the ‘new resort scent’ wears off and Fantasy Springs is not the new ticket that requires next-level strategizing and entry. (So, what, within the 2030s?!)
Tokyo Disney Resort undeniably wanted extra high-end resort capability, particularly given the occupancy charges of each Resort MiraCosta and Tokyo Disneyland Resort. Relying upon once you’re visiting and the way early you e book, reservations could be robust to attain for these present, decades-old accommodations. As somebody who would sooner keep at both of these, I’m completely satisfied to have Fantasy Springs Resort to (hopefully!) assist relieve the strain and make these simpler to e book.
However, I do want Fantasy Springs Resort had been extra bold and on par with Resort MiraCosta and Tokyo Disneyland Resort. Though the Grand Chateau is technically categorized above each, classifying it as luxurious resort and pricing it as such doesn’t essentially make it so. No less than, not thematically. (Which is essentially what this submit is about–and never service or the standard of the expertise, since I haven’t stayed there.)
I’ll all the time marvel ‘what might’ve been’ with Fantasy Springs Resort, suspecting that the COVID closure and finances constraints or value overruns elsewhere contributed to cutbacks in its design. In a world of finite budgets and a troublesome setting the place one thing most likely needed to be reduce, I’d undoubtedly fairly or not it’s on the outside of this resort (particularly dealing with the bay) than the substance of the land itself. Nonetheless, if OLC and Tokyo Disney Resort can’t ship an ornately themed luxurious resort in 2024…what hope do we now have as Walt Disney World followers of ever getting one thing on par with Wilderness Lodge or the Crescent Lake Resorts?!
Planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? For complete recommendation, one of the best place to start out is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Journey Planning Information! For extra specifics, our TDR Resort Rankings & Evaluations web page covers lodging. Our Restaurant Evaluations element the place to dine & snack. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash submit. Our What to Pack for Disney submit takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Seek the advice of our Final Information to Kyoto, Japan and Metropolis Information to Tokyo, Japan.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Resort? Suppose its exterior facade is disappointing, or is that this being too nitpicky? Are you excited to remain right here, or does it not attraction to you? Agree or disagree with our evaluation of the resort? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
