Oceano Review
Oceano is a buffet restaurant in Hotel MiraCosta at Tokyo Disney Resort. This review features food photos, thoughts on the ambiance, and our take as to whether this pricey buffet is worth the money.
In terms of design, Oceano is sort of like a post-modern, almost impressionist interpretation of the old Mediterranean. I don’t really know how to describe it, but suffice to say, there’s definitely a lot of abstract, ocean-inspired art, fluid lines, and the center of the restaurant is reminiscent of a capsized boat. It’s about as fancy of a buffet as you could possibly find, and its avant-garde ocean art reminds me of something about which Frasier Crane would pontificate.
The description of Oceano’s ambiance on the Japanese version of Tokyo Disney Resort’s site, as translated by Google describes it as follows: “Worthy of the name ‘sea’ in Italian, the store will spread the world of three of the beautiful sea with the image such as shellfish and pearls.” Is that gibberish resulting from Google Translate’s typical shoddy work, or an accurate, abstract summary so profound, our minds cannot even comprehend the brilliance of Oceano? You be the judge.
The funny thing is, as compared to some of the other restaurants in Hotel MiraCosta and Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, this isn’t even all that fancy and artistically-inspired. It’s just more than you might expect for a Disney buffet.
If the stylish decor you see upon approaching Oceano didn’t raise your expectations, the pricing certainly will. For lunch, it’s around $40; dinner is around $50. That’s $10-20 more expensive than the buffet at Crystal Palace in Tokyo Disneyland.
So, what does that premium pricing get you aside from the notably more upscale ambiance?
In comparing the spreads, I’d say there’s a wider range of breads and pastries and several more items in single-serving cups (scallops in mousse, for example).
One big selling point of Oceano is that they have a special viewing terrace for the harbor shows in Tokyo DisneySea. Since Hotel MiraCosta is technically inside the park, this means that you have a prime viewing spot for one of the seasonal daytime shows in Mediterranean Harbor without needing a park ticket.
This makes it a great option for your arrival or departure day if you don’t want to purchase a Starlight Pass or full-day ticket. I wouldn’t want my only viewing of one of the harbor shows to be from this terrace, but it’s definitely a good view, and something you don’t have to camp out for hours to obtain. This all can be huge and might alone justify the premium pricing of Oceano.
Nothing says “fancy” like buffet with single-serving cups.
Who needs to slop food on a plate out a big trough like the unwashed masses when there are single-serving cups for the refined socialite?! 😉
Aside from that, you’re getting a couple of meats you probably wouldn’t find at the in-park buffet, and maybe an additional seafood option. One standout was the lamb, and I don’t recall seeing that on Tokyo Disneyland’s buffet.
However, I typically stick with the seafood options, since I feel Tokyo Disney Resort does those far better than anywhere else. In that regard, Oceano might have a slight edge in quantity, but they’re very comparable.
This truffle gnocchi was another premium, plated offering, and I consumed so many of these that I fear Japan now has a gnocchi shortage.
For me, this alone might justify the premium pricing.
As is the case at all Tokyo Disney Resort buffets, the desserts were high quality and plentiful. Fixating on these too much serves no purpose, as they were all seasonal.
In my personal experience, 80% of these are delicious, and the other 20% are puzzling. That’s a pretty consistent take in our dining experience, but the odd thing is there’s never a consensus on which ones are puzzling. Chalk it up to a matter of taste, because quite often my absolute favorite is Sarah’s least favorite. Same goes when we’re dining with others. The salient point here is that you have must try every dessert, or the consequences could be dire!
Both Sherwood Garden Restaurant and Oceano have a station where signature desserts are offered on a made-to-order basis.
I don’t know what this dessert was supposed to be, but it was glorious!
Overall, Oceano is an excellent restaurant, and one of the best Disney buffets anywhere. The same could be said for all of the buffets at Tokyo Disney Resort. Whether it’s worth the extra money over Crystal Palace is a matter of personal preference. There are plenty of excellent foods at the in-park buffet, which potentially makes it more difficult since you can have an exquisite meal without the surcharge.
If I didn’t have that frame of reference, I would have been blown away by Oceano. As it stands, I’d probably rather save the money with Crystal Palace or have an even better premium buffet at Sherwood Garden Restaurant. That is, unless I timed my visit to coincide with one of the harbor shows at Tokyo DisneySea. This is the ultimate trump card, and being able to watch one of these from a special vantage point without buying a park ticket is a huge advantage–enough to push Oceano over the top. It’s truly an exceptional buffet and classy restaurant that is well worth the money.
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan for the first time and are overwhelmed with planning, definitely check out our Tokyo Disney Resort Planning Guide. It covers much more than the parks, from getting there to WiFi to currency and much, much more. For more photos and an idea of what we did day-by-day during our first visit, read our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Report.
Your Thoughts
Have you dined at Oceano? What did you think of the artistic styling? Do you prefer this, Sherwood Garden, or Crystal Palace? Do you agree or disagree with our take on the restaurant? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
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We enjoyed dining here for breakfast, but I felt the buffets at Crystal Palace and Sherwood Garden were better overall, Crystal Palace being my favorite.
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Food-wise, I also prefer Sailing Day Buffet to Oceano. You mentioned the premium pricing, and this also extends to drinks. Whereas Sailing Day Buffet (3,090 yen) includes free soft drinks with free refills, Oceano (4,200 yen for lunch) charges an additional 600 yen for a coke in a slim glass, packed with big ice cubes. When I went up to get my food, I could literally see one of the Cast Members back in the kitchen, pouring about two sips worth of liquid, from a plastic 2-liter, into a glass the size of a long thimble. All part of the Disney magic!
Having said that, the one big thing Oceano has going for it is that you can dine there without a ticket for the park. But technically, it is actually located inside the park; and if you purchase the buffet, or one of their course meals, they have a special terrace, where you step out and watch one of the water shows in Mediterranean Harbor (again, without needing a park ticket). So in a sense, part of that premium pricing could be thought of as paying for your exclusive terrace view of the show. This is also a good way to get some of the Miracosta experience without shelling out oodles of cash for a balcony or terrace room at the hotel.
Sorry, I meant to say, “a special terrace where you *can* step out and watch one of the water shows.” If you are in the restaurant with no prior knowledge, it may not be immediately evident that they have this. But check the Japanese website with Google Translate; terrace viewing is one of the perks they offer at Oceano and the Silk Road Garden restaurant.
That purple dessert is a Mont Blanc, a popular dessert here in Japan. The spaghetti-like strands are usually pureed chestnut, but judging from the color in your picture, it looks like pureed purple yam.
That’s for the info. Never knew I liked yam in my desserts, but I most certainly do if that was yam!
you’re welcome! thank *you* for your helpful posts and gorgeous photos.
we are planning a trip to disney world next year (our first) and we’re really excited to see how magic kingdom compares to tokyo disneyland and the original disneyland. your blog is proving to be indispensable in our planning, so thank you for sharing