Our Son’s Sudden Change of Fandom and the Disney Travel Strategy That Still Holds Up
Recently, our son was completely hooked on the Disney film Peter Pan. He would watch the DVD over and over again, reciting Peter’s lines and reenacting scenes of battles with Captain Hook—our home practically became part of Neverland.
Seeing him so immersed warmed our hearts, and we thought, “This is our chance!”
So, we began making serious plans for a family trip to Tokyo Disneyland, especially to visit the newly opened Fantasy Springs. We started coordinating our schedules and building excitement.
By the way, whenever we go to Disney, we always stay at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel in Maihama.
Why? Simple: it’s incredibly convenient and super family-friendly.
What we love most is the evening lounge access from 5 p.m., where we can enjoy dinner and unlimited drinks. There are kid-friendly meals available too, so we don’t have to spend a fortune on food inside the parks. These days, even a single kids’ plate can cost over 2,000 yen.
With this setup, we can return to the hotel for a calm dinner and then head back to the park if we want—it’s a flexible and stress-free plan.
The Sheraton also has an indoor pool and a kids’ play area on the first floor, so our routine is:
Day 1 in Disneyland, Day 2 relaxing at the hotel, and Day 3 at DisneySea.
We take it slow in the morning, let the kid play and recharge, and avoid exhausting ourselves on consecutive full park days. Plus, kids tend to tire out around 5 p.m. anyway, so heading back to the hotel early often works out just right.
But then… something unexpected happened.
One day, our son attended a Detective Conan event at a local science center.
Unfortunately, I was working that day and couldn’t go with him. But when I got home…
Something had changed.
Gone were the Peter Pan sketches and homemade pirate gear.
In their place: drawings of glasses, wristwatches, and bowties.
Instead of striking flying poses like Peter, he now stood tall with a pointed finger—Conan’s signature “case closed” pose.
It seemed our son had left Neverland behind… and fully moved to Beika City.
Kids’ interests shift fast—we know that.
But to see such a dramatic transformation overnight was still surprising.
He still likes Peter Pan, but right now, his heart belongs entirely to Conan.
As for me, I’m left a little heartbroken, wondering what to do about our Disney trip.
Son, won’t you come back to Neverland?
Or… is our next adventure going to be a Detective Conan pilgrimage?
The delicate dance between a parent’s dreams and a child’s curiosity continues.
And so, the journey of our family goes on.
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