Family Vacation @ Tokyo - Day 3, Disneyland

The magical day that my girl has been waiting for: Disneyland!

We gotten ready by 8.30am and made our way to the train station. It was still drizzling in the morning. Lucky the weather changed for the better by noon. Since we have explored the train lines and routes yesterday, we decided that our breakfast will be made up of rice rolls, bread and pastries along the Keio street in Tokyo Station (along the way to Keio Line).

After breakfast, we continued the train ride to Maihama Station. Blessed with good weather (windy & sunny), we walked from the station to Disneyland. When we reached the entrance, there was a musical band playing the Disney songs and it enhances the overall Disney magical happiness. I can't wait to explore the magical land especially since we were not able to cover much of DisneySea yesterday due to the bad weather.

We saw people queuing to take photos with Mickey Mouse and wanted to join the queue but the staff told us that they are stopping the queue line due to the weather (the wind was coming very strong). Nonetheless, the kind staff told me that we can get our photos taken with Mickey at his house in Toon Town when she saw Janelle's disappointed face after I told her that we cannot join the queue.

Getting excited in the train. We gotten the Mickey headband for Janelle in DisneySea.

The magical land of happiness and fun

Hand-in-hand to Disneyland. Sweet!

A picture taken with Mickey passport. Jayven was fascinated by Mickey.

Tokyo Disneyland is celebrating its 30th anniversary with Halloween theme (you can see the pumpkins decoration on the pillars)

 

More pumpkins! Big & small

Our first stop in Disneyland was lunch in the Japanese Restaurant known as Restaurant Hokusai in World Bazaar. And that was our first Japanese meal since we reached Tokyo. They have children's menu and they provide craft paper for the kids to keep them occupied while waiting for their food.

All of us ordered set meals and we loved the food. Yummy tempura & udon. Even their pickles tasted nicer than those that I have tasted in Singapore restaurants. A pity I forgotten to take pictures as we were all famished so we tucked in once they served the meals.

During lunch, I was studying the map and a timetable that they have provided for all parades, shows and performances. And I spotted that the first parade will be in an hour's time. Hence after lunch, we went to the parade square to wait for the parade.

The Japanese were really organised as the staff will get us to sit on the floor to watch the parade. If you do not wish to sit, you can also stand at a farther distance. I like this arrangement as it allows everyone a good view of watching the parade. I went to HK Disneyland 2 years back and everyone was standing. I had to stand on tiptoe throughout the parade while carrying my girl so that we could get a better view. Thumbs up for the Japanese staff!

The Disney happiness parade is a must-watch as it simply adds on to the wonderful magical feeling and make you happy. My kids even dance along with the Disney music before the characters appeared. Janelle was busy identifying the characters and watching them pass by in excitement. Jayven couldn't keep his eyes off and keep pointing and woo-ing througout the parade. I'm glad that we managed to catch all 3 parades in Disneyland. 

My girl busy with the craft paper provided by the restaurant

She lurvveee the udon. Finished the bowl of udon and asked for second serving.

The happy Minnie with her Minnie popcorn. Isn't she sweet?

Even my mum was immersed in the Disney magic

We spotted this Donald Duck costume since DisneySea till Disneyland. My hubs wanted to get the costume for the lil ones but we were not able to find it in all the stores. He took this picture to ask the staff (language barrier) where he can get this costume but still unable to find.

Janelle was not keen in any rides and kept insisting that she want to find Mickey Mouse at Toon Town. So we brought her to Toon Town where she visited Goofy Play N Paint House, Donald's Boat and Mickey's House where we queued for slightly more than an hour to meet Mickey. The queue was formed within Mickey's House so at least we were not bored.

We were just in time to catch the Halloween's Special Parade (the second parade. It was a bonus parade to celebrate Halloween. Usually the park only run 2 parades) when we came out of Mickey's House. Another moment of halloween magic!

After the parade, we saw Chip N Dale and Goofy. There was no proper queue line and everyone just jumped in at every opportunity to take photos with them. Lucky Janelle managed to take photo with Chip while her brother was changing diapers. We decided to skip Goofy as it was too crowded. There is a Meet N Greet point in Toon Town too. A queue was formed at the point but they will change the mascot every 30minutes. By the time it was our turn, it was Professor and Janelle call him "Donald's grandpa" haha.

Photo taken with Professor

Slide found in Donald's Boat

Pluto's kennel in Mickey's House. Photo taken while queuing to meet Mickey

Finally! A photo taken with Mickey after queuing for more than an hour

Mickey hugging Janelle. Jayven want to touch Mickey too.

Mickey with Jayven

Say cheese with Chip

I couldn't resist the Minnie's popsicle so I gotten it though the weather was cold. See the greedy boy's expression! Cos the popsicle tasted sour :p

Apart from parades, the shows are a must-watch too. However, we realised some of the shows require tickets and the tickets have to be collected much earlier. Once all tickets are given out, we are not able to view the show. Nontheless we managed to catch Minnie Oh! Minnie at Theatre Orleans which is outdoor (no advance tickets required). It was a 6.30pm show but the skies was already dark. And the show lights help the performance to stand out. It was a great show.

The next parade was a nighttime parade scheduled at 7.30pm. Hence after the show, we proceeded to the parade square. It was freezing by then with the cold wind blowing. We decided to grab some hotdogs buns, fries and hot chocolate as dinner while waiting for the parade to start.

It was an electrifying nighttime parade with all the colourful sparkling lights. Jayven fell asleep halfway through the parade. I can imagine how exhausted he must be. It was getting very late by the time the parade ended and it was time for us to make our way back to Shinjuku. The 2 kids were totally exhausted and were cranky on the train ride back. Oh! Did I forget to mention that the Japanese were not exactly the most considerate commuter? We were with 2 kids and a stroller but no one will offer seats to us when it was crowded. And we realised that we were standing at the priority seats cabin.

All cuddled up warm and comfy in the stroller. He curled up asleep on his own.

Buys from Disneyland. Janelle hugging her Daisy Duck and Jayven with Donald Duck (janelle chose for him while she was asleep in Disney stores)

Anyway after all the fussing on the journey back, we reached the hotel after an hour train ride. Bathed the kids and they fell asleep soon after. It was much easier to get them to sleep in the hotel than back at home. I figured they must be very tired after a lonngggg day of fun. It was definitely a fun and happy day for the family.

Due to the good weather, we managed to cover much more in Disneyland than DisneySea. But we are still unable to cover the entire park as there were alot of stops in between for water and snack breaks, toilet breaks, diaper changes and time spent in queuing for meet and greet, parades and shows.

Janelle has enjoyed herself meeting her favourite and familiar characters, watching them at the spectacular performances. But she also commented that she liked Disneyland more than DisneySea. Guess it was due to the poor weather when we were in DisneySea that resulted in us seeking shelter more than exploring the park. Even then, I also feel that Disneyland is more magical than DisneySea.

If given a chance, I would love to return again and continue exploring the rest of the magical land.

Family Vacation @ Tokyo - Day 1 & 2, DisneySea

Finally! The day for our much anticipated family vacation arrived. Janelle woke up in the morning and asked excitedly if we are going to Japan that very day and I said YES! Imagine her excitement and she had to wake her brother up to share her excitement.

The flight was scheduled to depart in mid-noon so we have ample time to take our breakfast, checked and packed any last minute stuff that we may have missed out, prep the kiddos before we leave for the airport.

We had lunch with my MIL who came to send us off before boarding the flight.

Lunch before flight: a failed picture attempt with the kids as they were so distracted

Me and my princess (the boy was too busy with his food)

An indoor playground at departure hall

Family photo on board SQ635

Arrival at Haneda Airport: still fresh & wide awake at 11pm

We reached Haneda Airport at 11pm and hopped onto a mini van (kindly arranged by my mum's friend who stayed in Japan) to Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku, our accomodation for the next 7 days.

The next morning, we woke up at 8am. The itinerary for the day is to explore DisneySea. However, it was drizzling and the rain became heavier when we stepped out of the hotel. At this point, we realised that we have only brought one umbrella but there are 4 adults, 2 kids and a stroller. Hence we ran to seek shelter and had our breakfast at the nearby McDonald's. Yes, I can't believe we are having McDonald's on our first morning in Tokyo. But well, the weather has not been nice to us and I figured that it may be good for the kids too (familiarity in food).

The kids were so tired that we had a hard time waking them up (jet lag perhaps?)

Janelle enjoying her McDonald's fresh milk for breakfast

The rain continued though. Lucky there is a Family Mart across our hotel hence we managed to buy another 2 umbrellas to shelter us across to Shinjuku Train Station, which is approximately 10minutes walk from the hotel. We took the JR Chuo line from Shinjuku Station to Tokyo Station, walked for a good 10-15 minutes to Keio Line then take the train to Maihama Station. There are many confectionery shops and cafes along the walk to Keio Line and all the cakes and pastries looked so lovely and yummy.

It took us approximately slightly more than an hour to reach Maihama Station. DisneySea is situated further away hence we have to take the Disney Resort Line to DisneySea whereas it is just a walking distance to Disneyland.

We managed to catch 2 shows, Big Band Beat in Boardway Music Theatre and The Legend of Mythica in Mediterranean Harbour. Both shows are impressive and I was wowed by the performances.

We also took a ride in the electric railway and enjoyed the scenery while on board Venetian gondola.

Sadly, it was drizzling most of the times when we were at the theme park. With 2 kids on tow, we have to seek shelter whenever the drizzle came along. Thus, we did not manage to cover much in DisneySea.

Getting all excited on board the train to Tokyo Station

The happiest girl (a pity her brother was asleep)

The ticket for Disney Resort LIne

On board Disney Resort Line, the curious duo had fun looking out the window

She just want to hold onto the Mickey's handle

Overview of DisneySea entrance

Halloween theme @ DisneySea

Enjoying the Venetian gondola ride

"Volcano eruption" @ DisneySea

It looked stunning when the lights came on (it was only 6pm then)

One of the magical displays in Disney souvenir shop

As we have dinner appointment with my mum's friend, Aunt Shujun in the hotel (which was a very last minute arrangement), we have to head back at 6pm. Dinner was at the restaurant in Hotel Sunroute Shinjuku Plaza. The food was not too bad except that it was not Japanese food. First full day in Tokyo and we had not eaten Jap food at all.

During dinner, there was a lovely Australian lady who was charmed by my 2 kids. She walked over to our table and gave both of them a lil koala bear. She even requested to have photo taken with them so I gladly obliged.

Photo taken with the lovely lady and Janelle holding onto the koala bear

My greedy boy with his food. He took a while to warm up.

After dinner, I bathed the kids and left them with my parents while my hubs and I decided to explore Shinjuku. We have booked a day tour and the meeting point was in another hotel located near us. Hence we took the opportunity to locate the hotel so that we will not be lost on that day.

I expected the lil ones to be asleep by the time we returned to the hotel but I was wrong. They were still playing. So I brought them back to the room and they dozed off almost immediately. They must have been very exhausted after a day of travelling and fun.

A date with favourite yiyi and cousin

When I was still a FTWM, all play dates and outings can only happen during weekends. Hence one of the plus points of being a SAHM is that I can bring the kids out on weekdays and avoid the crowd.

As my sis was off on Tuesday, we arranged to meet so that the lil ones get to play together (yes, both my girl and niece skipped school).

Janelle staying close to stroller to look after didi

Behaving well and having fun in the cab

And they started singing. I hope it was a good entertainment for the cab driver.

It has been a while since my sister and I wanted to try Paris Baguette so we arranged to meet at Wisma for lunch. We ordered seafood chowder, chicken wrap, thai noodle salad, croissant and latte. The seafood chowder was yummy! Even the lil ones loved the potatoes in the chowder and the bread bowl. Chicken wrap was so-so. The thai noodle salad and croissant were great too. The kids loved the croissant so much that we ordered another mini croissant set for them. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of the food as my babies were starving then. I will definitely go back and try other pastries as they all looked so mouth-watering.

They are always so happy to see each other

My parents joined us at Wisma after my mum's medical follow up and we proceeded to Takashimaya to get a new water bottle for Janelle. We moved on to Paragon where the kids couldn't wait to reach the playground. Ain't we glad that it is a weekday as the playground is not packed and the kids get to play without swarming amidst the crowd.

In the playground tunnel

The cheeky boy crawled so fast

All 3 babies fitted nicely onto the Barney kiddy ride

We chanced upon Fidgets Island at Paragon Junior and we decided to keep the 2 princesses occupied with arts and craft. The lil boy was getting cranky then as it was past his nap time and he fell asleep soon after. Perfect timing! The girls gotten busy with decorating their chosen photo frame ($15 for 30mins) while my parents went Starbucks for drinks while the boy slept in the stroller.

Janelle with her masterpiece

One and only photo frame in the world. Priceless!

It was a great leisure day out with the kids' favourite yiyi and cousin. The kids had lots of fun from physical workout in the playground to getting artistic with arts and craft. And they never fail to make me happy when I see them happy.

Janelle's birthday celebrations

I can never emphasize enough on how fast the lil ones are growing. 4 years ago, I carried my firstborn so dearly in my arms. And now, she has grown much that I am not able to carry her for long but I still love to hug her dearly in my arms.

At 4 years old, she is a lil ms chatterbox cum ms bossy. She can rattle on non-stop, regardless she has a listener or not. And she likes to boss people around especially her lil brother, who simply adores her and will do what she ask him to do. At this tender age, she is also extremely sensitive and inquisitive. She has to be constantly assured that we love her deeply and she will always be our "lil baby" (as what she call herself). When in doubt, she will always probe further till she gets a satisfactory answer.
She loves parties hence she was very excited when she knew that her birthday party is near. Thanks to my sister in law who has booked a party room for her in Kidz Amaze @ Toa Payoh Safra, she was extremely thrilled to have her friends to celebrate and play with her in the mega playground.

Her birthday cake from Little House of Dreams. It tasted as good as it looked.

Petite cupcakes from Little House of Dreams as requested from the birthday girl. She loves their cupcakes.

See how pretty they are.

The September 2009 babies

She loves to sing birthday song

The happy family of 4

Me and my princess (oh! the necklace that she was wearing was a DIY gift from her childhood friend)

As her actual birthday falls on a weekday, we decided to hold another birthday celebration in her school. You may notice that she has different themes for the 2 celebrations. Yes, she was so fickle-minded that she kept changing her mind on the theme. I had to change the theme for the cake twice. Strawberry Shortcake for Kidz Amaze party and Dora for school celebration.

She was so happy that she want to carry her lil brother. It is always so sweet to see that she want to share her happiness with her lil brother (someone who matters alot to her)

Dressed in Cinderella costume, she has a Dora cake from Prima Deli. Cake was requested earlier and the costume was a gift from the earlier party. She love the dress and requested to wear it for her school celebration. Well, how to say no? Eventually, as long as she is happy, that is all that matters.

Very focused in making a wish (I wonder what she wish for)

She loves to blow candles

See how happy this girl is. And she want to share her happiness with her brother. Sweet!

Indulgence time. She had 2 servings (such privilege only on special occasions)

Happy 4th birthday my princess! Mummy loves you deeply always!