Tokyo DisneySea Mediterranean Harbor - An Appreciation

This was my second trip to Tokyo DisneySea in as many years.  The first time I went was during Easter time in April of 2017.  This visit didn't disappoint.  There's plenty of Disney bloggers out there who will tell you that Tokyo DisneySea is *the best* Disney Park in the world.  And I won't disagree.  It certainly is unique and at the same time, a little familiar.  On my last trip, I posted some photos of the place and took in the entire place.  This trip, I was on a little bit more of a mission to do some specific things (spend time in Cape Cod, ride Journey to the Center of the Earth, and buy a couple of Duffy and friends items for the kids). 

Upon entering, you're greeted with this view of Mediterranean Harbor.  And the Bella Notte boat moored near the entrance.  There are guys rowing gondolas and people milling in and out of various places around the port.  This is a different kind of "Main Street" than the rest of the parks have:  it is more "V" shaped and less one street with two sides.  There are shops down either side, but they split and veer away from each other, opening up to this village and volcano on the opposite side of the harbor.  The other difference here is that behind me (in this photo above), the shops have multiple floors above them.  But they're not like the faux fronts on MainStreet USA.  They're hotel rooms.  Kinda neat.  Here's a look at the "Mainstreet" structure.  You can see how they split out to form a "V":



Off to one side of the central walkway is this canal that connects to the main harbor.  In the canal?  A Venetian Gondola, of course. 

I'll post more items and photos from my time at DisneySea (and Tokyo Disneyland) in the coming days, but this view should give you a sense for how different DisneySea is from the other parks you've experienced.