Hotel MiraCosta Review
Overlooking Tokyo DisneySea and technically inside the theme park, Hotel MiraCosta is miles from your ordinary Disney resort, and as such, this review calls for a different kind of introduction. So…close your eyes. Actually, wait, if you do that, you can’t read this. Read this, then close your eyes and imagine this. Okay, go…
Imagine retiring to your well-appointed, in-park stateroom after an exhilarating morning of attractions. Following a brief rest to rejuvenate your senses, you awake and move to a cozy table by your window. You gaze into the eternal sea out before you that is being criss-crossed by small steamers and encircled by ports on each side, as the gentle strings of a harp and faint laughter of children below your window envelop you (listen).
As your eyes survey the ports, you see a slumbering volcano in one direction, an ocean liner off in the distance, a towering cosmopolitan hotel near it, and the picturesque facades of Portofino right outside. Without knowing, a smile stretches across your face as you begin to write a post card to your friends back on the mainland, sharing your incredible adventures.
The soft afternoon light comes through the window, kissing your face and giving you a feel of gentle warmth. The love of your life takes a seat next to you, quietly marveling at the incredible sights outside. You clink fizzling flutes of champagne, toasting to la dolce vita before sauntering downstairs to explore the ports by moonlight.
This is Hotel MiraCosta: Your Captain’s Stateroom in the Sea of Disney.
Okay, all of that is extremely corny and not the tip of heavy-handed marketing speak you’d expect to find in a purportedly unbiased review. It’s also the best way I can articulate the feeling Hotel MiraCosta gives you. This is the type of thing you’d read on the “features” page of a high-end hotel that self-describes as a “boutique hotel that is the essence of luxury and an oasis of sophistication.”
These hotels aren’t selling their individual components, they are selling a lifestyle, an experience. While I think Hotel MiraCosta falls short in some regards of luxury hotel standards, I also think it’s one of two Disney hotels (the other being Aulani) that can successfully sell an experience.
For those unfamiliar with it, Hotel MiraCosta is a luxury hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort in Tokyo DisneySea’s Mediterranean Harbor port. That’s right: in. The hotel is located within Tokyo DisneySea. That’s it behind the giant Aquasphere, inside the theme park.
Themed to the Italian ports of Venice and Portofino, most rooms at Hotel MiraCosta offer views into the park. Rooms in Hotel MiraCosta start at $300/night (thanks to the presently strong $), and go up depending upon the view, season, and number of people in the room (see this rate chart).
Suffice to say, Hotel MiraCosta is not cheap. I’ll cover the rooms and everything else in turn, but I’ve probably covered the two most important things that will impact your decision to stay here: the experience, and the price.
Hotel MiraCosta is an a ‘bucket list’ type of experience, and I would encourage anyone with the resources to do at least one night here, but it’s not something so essential to the Tokyo DisneySea experience that you should wait to go until you can save up for a night here. If you’re trying to do Tokyo Disney Resort on a budget, there are great monorail loop hotels for a fraction of the price of Hotel MiraCosta.
In terms of amenities, let’s discuss the view in real-world terms. There are views into three parts of the park (map): Tuscany (viewing the Aquasphere and hotel entrance), Venice (viewing the Venetian Gondolas), and Porto Paradiso (viewing the harbor and Mount Prometheus).
The Porto Paradiso view rooms are most expensive, followed by Venice, and then Tuscany. Since Porto Paradiso offers views of the volcano and harbor shows, it’s what everyone wants, but I think Venice would be a stunning and intimate view, too.
During our visit, Guy and I stayed up late listening to the Mediterranean Harbor BGM, watching workers do maintenance in the park after close, and even saw rehearsals for the Christmas show late at night (during the Halloween season). We also watched Fantasmic from the room, which was a pretty cool experience.
Views inside the hotel are stunning, too. The lobby is stunning, and the common areas are brimming with details. Even if you don’t stay at Hotel MiraCosta, make sure to go inside to check the place out.
My favorite detail is the ceiling of the rotunda. If you look closely, you’ll notice breathtaking paintings for each of the ports of Tokyo DisneySea…save for one ‘generic’ spot. It’s rumored this was originally going to be painted as ‘Glacier Bay’ an expansion port once slated for Tokyo DisneySea.
With the new Disney FantaSEA Springs port announced for a 2022 opening, it would appear that Glacier Bay will never come to fruition. There’s still one expansion slot left, so we’ll hold out hope.
If you’re used to visiting Walt Disney World, you may be used to high rack rates, but discounts that make prices reasonable. Discounts on Tokyo Disney Resort hotels are unheard of, save for when there’s construction that might impact the guest experience. The 3 Tokyo hotels operate at 95%+ occupancy, with MiraCosta being the most popular, at 99%+.
It’s actually pretty difficult to book a room at Hotel MiraCosta, so you will want to book online as soon as your booking window opens. The Tokyo Disney Resort Online Reservation Center will accept reservations starting at 9:00 a.m. (JST) 6 months before your arrival day. Be aware that during popular times of year, rooms can go this quickly. If you aren’t able to book right away, check back regularly for cancellations.
The great thing about the Online Reservation Center is that it also gives you the ability to book dining reservations. Save for the view and location, this is the best “amenity” of Hotel MiraCosta, as many of these restaurants book quickly, and during the busier seasons, you won’t be able to get priority seating otherwise. (It’s not a problem during lighter times of the year.) Take advantage of this by booking popular dinner shows such as the Polynesian Terrace and Mickey & Company at the Diamond Horseshoe.
In terms of dining in Hotel MiraCosta, there are a few options: BelleVista Lounge (bar), Oceano (buffet), and Silk Road Garden (fine dining). We’ve done BelleVista and Oceano, and found that you primarily pay for the view at BelleVista Lounge (so don’t if you already have a room with a view) and that Oceano is an excellent buffet, but was our least favorite buffet at Tokyo Disney Resort. (All of the buffets there are varying degrees of awesome, so this isn’t much of a knock.)
In terms of other amenities, there are some important things to know. First, each day of your stay (including check-in and check-out), you can access either park 15 minutes early; this is called the “Happy 15.” This may not seem significant, but oh, it is.
This is especially true in Tokyo DisneySea, where it means the difference between doing and not doing Toy Story Mania and Soaring Fantastic Flight without an insane wait. You receive vouchers for this (or in our case, you don’t and show your room keys and look like confused Americans, and they let you through) and access the park via a special line. This is seriously an invaluable perk.
Other benefits include complimentary monorail passes, special park hopper tickets hotel guests can purchase (we don’t recommend this), baggage storage on check-in and check-out days, and baggage transfer to and from the JR Station.
There is also complimentary baggage transfer between the 3 Disney hotels, making a split stay (which we highly recommend) very easy. One thing that isn’t complimentary is use of the pool. It costs ~$25 per adult per day for access to the gym, pool, and spa. We did not do this, but friends of ours who did said the pool was gorgeous.
Here’s another random tip for those of you coming from the United States who might want something that says “Tokyo Disneyland/Sea” to commemorate your trip: while you oddly won’t find much merchandise like this in the park, the hotels each have logo merchandise with some beautiful designs–so make sure to hit up these gift shops.
Note that since our last stay at Hotel MiraCosta, a top to bottom refurbishment has occurred of all rooms, save for a couple of the suites. You can see photos of the refreshed rooms on the official Hotel MiraCosta site. We’d like to get back soon and ‘field test’ these new rooms, as they look airy and more modern, while retaining the classicism of the resort.
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the old rooms, they are actually quite nice as they have vaulted ceilings, great finishing, plush carpet, and are incredibly well-maintained. They just could use a refresh from the circa-2001 look. And that’s exactly what they’re currently getting…
Since we were a party of 4, our room had 4 beds. One bed per person is a pretty standard practice (in our experience) in Japan. Here are beds 1-3.
…And bed 4.
Also per Japanese custom, there are separate rooms for the toilet, sink, and shower (left, middle, right, respectively). The bathrooms in Hotel MiraCosta are quite nice, with plenty of included souvenirs. Err…toiletries.
Typical Japanese toilet with navigation panel on the right side. Japanese toilets will change the way you think about going to the bathroom! I think we’ll end the review on a high note with that…
Overall, that wraps up a fairly unconventional review here, but it’s really hard to articulate the impact of the experience of staying in a room inside a theme park, and having a view out into that park. Everything beyond that experience and the cost really is incidental. If you have the resources or want to splurge, you really can’t go wrong with Hotel MiraCosta. If you balk at the cost, it’s still a great hotel to explore, and it’s not like the on-site “official” hotels like the Tokyo Hilton Bay are slouches.
Hotel MiraCosta and Tokyo Disneyland Hotel are #1 and #2 in terms of the best Disney hotels in the world, and a night at Hotel MiraCosta is definitely an unforgettable experience. The rooms presently leave a little to be desired by luxury hotel standards, but even so, we highly recommend Hotel MiraCosta for everything else it offers.
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
Does Hotel MiraCosta appeal to you? Have you stayed here? Want to stay here? Do you agree or disagree with our review of Hotel MiraCosta? Any questions we can help you answer? 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!
hi , are there many activities inside the hotel if we are staying with toddlers?
if we stay at the hotel and plan to go to the park , will it be a waste of not able to enjoy the hotel?
Hi there
Your report was great – and everyone’s responses so helpful too . Even our travel agent couldn’t give us anywhere as good advice . Thing that confuses me / if we stay at Mira costa ( which we will if we can get in – early January ) I can’t understand is that close to Disneyland theme park . Wd are taking out 4 year old snd 8 year old granddaughters so we want to limit commute times . We’re goi g to club med Hokkaido ( Tomami ) with the bit for tong we et days in Tokyo . Is the Mira costa also near the other theme park or only water park . Thnx
Miracosta is just outside the monorail station for Tokyo DisneySea, which runs on a loop that includes a stop at Tokyo Disneyland, so you can just take that to get to Disneyland. It takes about three minutes on the monorail. It is possible to walk it, but I don’t recommend it with little kids in tow. There are no waterparks at Tokyo Disney Resorts.
We are visiting in November 2023 (booked the flights a couple of weeks ago!) and have one last night back in Tokyo after our touring of Kyoto/Hiroshima/Miyajima/Nara, etc. We will have already done our time in Tokyo city & TDR at the start of the trip, and now I am thinking about just staying at the Hotel Miracosta on that last night. Our flight isn’t until 6pm so we could spend the bulk of the last day enjoying our room & the hotel, hopefully watching the shows from our room, etc. I’m thinking we won’t even enter the parks, just soak up everything the hotel has to offer. Hopefully I can book a room as soon as it opens up! Fingers crossed.
That sounds like an awesome idea!
So I didn’t have fast enough fingers to get a room with a view at Mira Costa when the time came to book it, but we managed to get a Grand Park View room with concierge service at TDH, so we booked that. I was nervous that I’d be disappointed with it, since we’ve stayed at that hotel before & I didn’t think that the views would be that great, given the monorail & big entrance building right in the front, but it was FABULOUS! Spent so much time staring at the view & listening to the entrance music loop from our window. Concierge was okay, but I wouldn’t bother with that again – the lounge is nice & the service is good, but they don’t offer much in the way of food, and the view from the lounge is just over the courtyard, so nothing amazing. But that room/view was AWESOME! We could see everything – the castle, Space, Small World, the Beast’s Castle, Big Thunder, even the Haunted Mansion & Splash! Plus the volcano at Disney Sea, Tower of Terror, the steamship, and the ocean beyond! I absolutely didn’t want to leave! The fireworks were cancelled that night, which was a bummer, but it was still worth every penny!
How many nights can I book when the booking window for my first date opens? I’d like to book three nights, but it looks like I can only book one at a time. How do I book three? Three separate reservations? Revise the first night to add the second on? None of the online guides ever address this! Thanks.
Of all the times I could’ve picked to check out MiraCosta rooms/prices, I pick:
This website is closed from Dec/28/2019 (Sat) AM3:00 to Dec/28/2019 (Sat) AM5:00 (JST) for maintenance.
Seeing that message–usually more than once–is a rite of passage when you first start pricing out any of the TDR resorts.
Hi Tom! I would like to know on how to do a split stay.
Let say I book first two nights in Disneyland Hotel, and the third night on MiraCosta.
Can I check in all 3 nights on the first day, or do I need to do check in separately ?
Also, I’m not sure if I’m clear with the arrangement (bagage transfer) on the split day.
Thank you very much in advance!!
Hey Tom, a few of the links in this article are broken (rate chart and park map).
I’m in the eastern time zone in the US and have been attempting a few dry-run/practice reservations for the MiraCosta. The 9AM JST translates to 8PM EST but so far I’m not seeing the next day opening up. I’ve tried changing our iPad to JST but still no luck. For example I’m writing this on June 6 at at 9:30PM EST which translates to June 6 10:23AM JST, and only reservations starting November 5th are available. The same thing happened the last two nights/mornings, and it flips to the next day at some point, but not at 9AM JST. Any ideas?
Also for the Tuscany side Mickey Capitano room – is the one with the twin bed plus trundle exactly what it sounds like? In other words no option for two people to share a bed comfortably? The other option is the double bed plus trundle, but both rooms claim to sleep 1-3.
Hi, just found your blog and loved it!! quick question, since the Mira Costa is inside the park, do you know if guests are allowed to walk around the park (to take pictures) when the park is closed?
Great blog! I have two questions though:
1. Can you go in and take a look at the hotel even if you’re not a guest?
2. Do you enter the hotel through the park or is the entrance located outside the park?
Hi! awesome review. My family of 4 are planning a 3-day trip to Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea on April 2017. I would just like a confirmation on an info I read online. Is it true you could enter DisneySea on the day of your check in? If so, does that mean you could do rides and dine in restaurants on that day?
I would love to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Kat
You have to purchase park tickets regardless–they are not included with a hotel stay unless you book a package that specifically says it includes them, and those packages will list a specific number of days for the tickets.
I loved reading your review. I have stayed at the MiraCosta multiple times now, and it is still my favorite Disney hotel anywhere. I definitely think it is the most beautiful and ornate. The level of immersion and magic from one of the park facing rooms is unlike any other Disney hotel I have experienced.
Have you seen the concept art for the new rooms at the MiraCosta? I like that they are enhancing the old world feel and adding more thematic details. I’m always cautious when a hotel undergoes a renovation, as I have disliked most of the modernized rooms at the WDW deluxe resorts. They seem to have gone for a generic contemporary look over there- removing instead of preserving the charming details that added to the theme.
Yes, I have seen the new concept art, and I think the rooms look great. The bedding is what really needed a refresh there, and it’s getting that. Some of the other details look pretty good, too!
Hi Kyle!
Which side would you recommend if we would want to catch fantasmic from the hotel? Is the view pretty good?
Awesome collection of photos. The interior looks amazing. After seeing your blog couldn’t wait to be there.
I’ve just recently found your blog, your photos are AMAZING! I love the unique perspectives you’ve captured, thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for the kind words; glad you’re enjoying the blog! 🙂
Holy heck… I am insanely jealous that you stayed here! I kept ogling it on my trip to DisneySea last year.
Of course if you chose to stay there, you would have a very real and difficult decision to decide whether to spend time in the parks or stay holed up in your room enjoying the once in a lifetime splendour. First-world problems, eh! 🙂
Am I right on deducing you’ve made another trip to Paris as well? (Based on your updated guides…). I’m really interested in hearing your opinions on the new(er) Ratatouille attraction and the impact on WDS.
First world problems, indeed.
Yes, I made a return trip to Paris. A review on the Ratatouille ride will be posted soon! 🙂
I found practicing for a week with the online system increased my processing speed to snap up a room at the MiraCosta. You’re correct, sometimes they can book solid in seconds. So I’d recommend that people who want to stay here practice with the online portal well beforehand. Although I feel the Disneyland Hotel offers better, larger rooms, I’d choose to stay at the MiraCosta for easier access to DisneySea (you won’t have to to worry about the monorail) and the more intimate interiors whereas the Disneyland Hotel is just closer to the unappealing looking Tokyo Disneyland.
Good tip on the practicing bit. I did the same, and it definitely helped. Also, make sure to register for the site in advance (it requires an account).
The “One person per bed” practice–was that common everywhere? My husband and I are planning a trip to Japan with two other couples, and we’re trying to work out how many rooms we’ll need at each location. We’re playing on staying at the Hilton during the Disney portion of our trip–are those Western-style double rooms? Should we just plan to contact all of the hotels and ask them?
I loved your review! If we weren’t using points for most of our hotel stays, I’d be tempted to try to book Mira Costa since all of the rates are all about the same right now.
We split a room at Tokyo Hilton Bay and ended up with 4 beds. Oddly, when it was just Sarah and I, we had one bed.
Wherever you stay, make sure you specify that you’ll have 4 people in the room. Many hotels in Japan charge by the PERSON, not per room, so it will cost more for a 4-person room in many cases, and given how Japan is with rules, I wouldn’t want to tempt fate by indicating that the room is only for 2 people.
I LOVED this review! I didn’t find it corny at all if that’s of any consolation because I have stayed at the Miracosta and felt exactly as you described! The views and atmosphere alone are worth paying the money for, if you can afford it! We loved the hotel so much. The beds were uncomfortable and the internet was dial up (seriously in 2013!) but the hotel was just so amazing it made up for that. Quick note though – you mention you are able to book 6 months ahead from the first day of your stay – this was not what we experienced, at least for booking rooms on the Porto Paradiso side of the hotel. We were only able to book 6 months ahead for the first day of our stay, and then we had to call back the next day as that was 6 months ahead of the next day of our stay and etc etc. The hotel allowed us to book rooms on the Venician side of the hotel for the full length of our stay 6 months out from the first night of stay but not rooms on the Porto Paradiso side. Indeed rooms on the Porto Paradiso side, especially the coveted Harbour View, were so hard to come by we ended up in a different room every night. Which wasn’t so bad in the end as we had 4 different views (two Piazza View rooms, a Harbour View Room and a Venetian View room) which was great although we had to remain mainly packed each day. Since you ended up booking later on a cancellation were you then less than 6 months out from the last night of your stay? Just curious 🙂
You can book up to five nights from your six month date as far as I am aware. I was certainly able to.
Maybe the phone “rules” are different than the online ones, but the booking date is from your arrival date–at least I’m pretty sure it is/was. Someone can correct me on that if I’m wrong, as my memory might be incorrect.
Which view did you like best? Was the Venetian as good as I imagine it would be?
That’s interesting information because that is NOT what we were told RE the Porto Paradiso rooms! Maybe they’ve changed the policy since then…anyway – Tom I did LOVE the Venetian View though it was not quiet as good as the Harbour View (just less expansive)…Still in terms of any other ‘theme park views’ in other hotels both were amazing, stunning and so many other things I can’t describe – It was the best thing that could have happened really, having to stay in all those different rooms, because we got a little taste of all of the magnificent views the hotel offers
Maybe I was just oblivious to that rule. Maybe online booking allows you to skirt it? I really can’t say for sure. Thanks for the feedback on the Venice rooms!
Thanks for this in-depth review! I’ve been wanting to visit Tokyo Disney for quite some time but just haven’t made my way to Japan yet (only the airport!). Your coverage is really helpful and will be my main guide when I can convince my husband to go! This resort sounds beautiful but I think it would be hard to choose it over the other hotels like the Hilton, simply for the price – we have status at Hilton although not sure if that would mean anything at the Tokyo Bay hotel. It’s so funny that the 15 minutes makes a big difference, which is slightly worrisome!
Really fantastic review ~ Every time you post something about the Tokyo Disney Parks you make me want to visit them more and more!
I have to say it does surprise me though you rate these as better than Aulani…
I think when I go to Tokyo Disney I will have to splurge and spend at least one night at the MiraCosta!
Hey Chuck,
I’ve been to both, and the MiraCosta is simply in another league from Aulani. No contest, not even close!
That amazes me Len! I wish it was a little closer so I could get there sooner!