1-Day Tokyo DisneySea Itinerary
This touring plan covers our “perfect day” at Tokyo DisneySea, offering a single-day itinerary for everything we would do in one day. This includes an efficient plan of attack for rides, restaurant & snacks recommendations, and most importantly, ways to slow down and enjoy the park’s exceptional atmosphere. (Last updated July 25, 2019.)
In our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Planning Guide we recommend multiple days at Tokyo DisneySea if you have the time, so you necessarily will have to skip some things if you only have one day. Japan is a beautiful country, so we totally understand if a day is all you allocate to Tokyo DisneySea! Nevertheless, we try to give you a chance to see all of the park’s highlights in a single day with this Tokyo DisneySea itinerary.
Note that this touring plan has been updated following the opening of Soaring: Fantastic Flight. At present, the wait times for this brand new ride peak at around 240 minutes, and that number will likely settle into the 180 minute range. While the video is largely a clone of the Epcot and DCA versions of Soarin’, the queue is lavish and the all-new pre-show is worth seeing. As such, Soaring: Fantastic Flight instantly becomes priority #1 at Tokyo DisneySea…
Since Tokyo DisneySea is so much more than a series of attractions, this post covers how we recommend enjoying the ambiance, restaurants at which you should dine, and of course, attractions you should do. This post continues our series of single-day itineraries designed to answer the frequently asked question, “what would you do if you only had one day in ____ Disney park?”
This touring plan for Tokyo DisneySea is not a strict strategy guide that will have you racing from ride to ride. While we’ve made it efficient so that you can do as much in a single day at Tokyo DisneySea as possible, there’s so much more to the park than the rides. If you follow this guide, you won’t do every single attraction in Tokyo DisneySea.
The thing about racing from attraction to attraction at Tokyo DisneySea is that it totally misses the point of what makes the park so special. Don’t get me wrong, it has a stellar attraction lineup, but its theming “lineup” is out of this world, and much more impressive. It’s truly a park where you should slow down and take it in.
As such, this guide tries to find a way to allow you to slow down and enjoy the experience…while still experiencing a lot. Most park strategy guides focus solely on number of attractions, and totally ignore the great things that make Disney Disney. If you’re only after our ride ratings and reviews of each attractions so you can put together your own checklist of attractions to complete, read our comprehensive Best Tokyo DisneySea Attractions & Ride Guide post.
This guide assumes a couple of things, both of which should be strongly noted: first, that you’re visiting during a weekday at a moderately-crowded time of year, and second, that no seasonal events are occurring during your visit. The first assumption is of the utmost importance.
Unless you’ve been to Walt Disney World or Disneyland on a major holiday, you probably have never seen the kind of crowds the Tokyo parks get on weekends or during busy season. If you visit when it’s busier, you will wait in long lines for everything, including to get into the park.
The second assumption is for the ease of writing this guide. I would say that over half of the year there is some sort of seasonal event going on at Tokyo DisneySea, and most of them have some entertainment worth seeing. Plan to pencil this into your schedule as time permits.
If budget is no issue, you’re going to want to stay at Hotel MiraCosta for your 1-day in Tokyo DisneySea. It is the only hotel in the world that is located–get this–inside of a Disney theme park. Just as importantly, staying here (or any of the three Disney hotels) gives you the “Happy 15” perk, which is 15 minutes of early entry into the park.
You might scoff at only 15 minutes of early entry, but don’t underestimate its importance. If the MiraCosta is out of your budget, we recommend the Hilton Tokyo Bay (read our hotel review), which is an official partner hotel, and located on the monorail loop. Make sure to book it early or check rates regularly, as prices fluctuate.
Once you wake up from wherever it is that you are sleeping, eat breakfast, and then get started on your day…
Arrive Early – If you’re staying at the MiraCosta, you’ll want to arrive at the special entrance at least 30 minutes before official park opening. If you’re staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay or another non-Disney hotel, you will want to arrive even earlier than that.
In an ideal world, you’d arrive to the turnstiles at least an hour before park opening…and you still won’t even be at the front of the line!
Skip Toy Story Mania – Toy Story Mania is the single most popular attraction in all of Tokyo Disney Resort, and there is a mad dash for it once the turnstiles open. Seriously, it’s like the running of the bulls, if all the bulls were super polite.
It builds long lines, both for standby and for FastPass (distribution) immediately, and is just not worth it. Yes, the queue is cooler than both US versions, but otherwise, it’s the exact same attraction as is found in the US. Skipping this frees up a lot of time elsewhere.
Soaring: Fantastic Flight FastPasses – While we recommend skipping Toy Story Mania due to its similarities to the U.S. version, Soaring: Fantastic Flight is sufficiently different to justify doing.
You’ll want to race to the FastPass machines (head right when entering the park and cut behind Zambini Bros.), and even then you’ll likely end up with an evening return time. Actually, the best strategy here is to send the fastest person in your party here for FastPasses while the rest of the group continues on to Journey to the Center of the Earth. Literally every minute matters. There’s no stopping to smell the roses right now!
Ride Journey to the Center of the Earth – One of Disney’s best queues anywhere leads to a hybrid dark ride and thrill ride that is inside Mount Prometheus, Journey to the Center of the Earth is Tokyo DisneySea’s flagship attraction. On a slower day, you might be able to do this twice in a row before a line builds.
Ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – This will have a short line and readily available FastPasses later in the evening, so if its line is already long, skip it. If it’s 15 minutes or less, do it now.
Ride Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull – This is similar to the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction in Disneyland, but different-enough that you will want to do it.
We highly recommend doing it via the Single Rider line, as it’s almost unused by Japanese guests, and is the difference between a virtual walk-on and a long wait. If you’re unwilling to do Single Rider, you need to either skip 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and do it via standby after Journey to the Center of the Earth, or have this be your second FastPass after Tower of Terror.
Strategic Snacking – At this point, the instant you become remotely hungry, you need to start grabbing snacks. Popcorn, Gyoza Bun, and Eukiwa Buns are the most popular snacks in Tokyo DisneySea, in our experience, and long lines can develop for each of them.
Tokyo’s popcorn has garnered worldwide attention among Disney fans in recent years, but we aren’t fans. You should still try at least one flavor to see for yourself. Read our Awesome Tokyo DisneySea Snacks post to get an idea of what other snacks you might want to try throughout the day.
Big Band Beat Lottery – Due to its popularity, Big Band Beat utilizes a (free) lottery system for seating. Go to the lottery drawing location on the way to using your Tower of Terror FastPass, and pick an afternoon showtime for Big Band Beat.
If you win, awesome. If you don’t, consider jumping in the standby line for the first show about 30 minutes before it starts. Potentially earlier if you visit on a busy day. Big Band Beat is a must-see.
FastPass Time – At this point you’ll probably be able to grab a second FastPass–you’ll want to get Tower of Terror this time. Do these things plus Big Band Beat as necessary before lunch.
You’re on your own in terms of FastPasses for the rest of this plan. (Consult our Guide to FastPass at Tokyo Disney Resort for additional recommendations.)
Vulcania Lunch – The alternative to this would be lunch at Magellan’s, Tokyo DisneySea’s flagship table service restaurant and the most gorgeous Disney restaurant in the world, but given that you have only a single day, we think doing two awesome counter service restaurants plus snacking is a better use of your time.
You’ll get to see inside Magellan’s later in this plan, anyway. This counter service restaurant is unlike anything you will see anywhere else in the world.
Afternoon Shows – Along with Big Band Beat, there are two shows you might want to see: King Triton’s Concert and Song of Mirage. Prioritize King Triton’s Concert after Big Band Beat.
Explore American Waterfront – There are layers upon layers of detail in American Waterfront, and although this land is prettier at night, the details are easier to ascertain during the daytime hours.
Tokyo DisneySea Bar-Hop – No, this isn’t an itinerary for lushes, and no, it’s not a waste of time to visit bars if you only have a day in Tokyo DisneySea. This two-stop bar-hop is here because it’s tricky to predict precisely when you’ll see each of the shows and because these bars are something to behold.
This bar-hop consists of the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge, the greatest Disney bar in the world, and one that’s themed to the exploits of the former US president. After that, you’ll visit Magellan’s Lounge, a bar on the upper level of the stunning S.E.A. table service restaurant. Make these stops even if you only order Coke–these places are worth seeing. Make these stops quick!
Fortress Explorations – You haven’t experienced a Disney “play area” until you’ve done Fortress Explorations. Calling it a play area is actually a bit insulting to it.
Venetian Gondolas Sunset Cruise – In terms of wait times, the Venetian Gondolas are a much better option early in the day, right after all of the headliners. However, nothing beats a gondola ride at sunset with views of the sky aglow behind Mount Prometheus, returning right as the popcorn lights of the Venice section of Mediterranean Harbor light up against the deep blue dusk sky.
Pure perfection. From here, enjoy a dusk walk across the park as it starts to light up. (You may have to move this up in the itinerary depending upon the time of sunset when you visit.)
The Awesomest Arabian Coast Experience – Once you arrive on the other side of the park, you’re in for another treat at Sultan’s Oasis by ordering a Chandu Bun, along with any other snacks you might want.
Then, head to Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage, one of the highlights of modern Disney Imagineering (repeat as many times as necessary, and don’t feel guilty for eating Chandu’s tail!). Move on to dinner at Casbah Food Court. Then head on to the gorgeous, double-decker Caravan Carousel. Finally, explore the corridors, nooks, and crannies of the Arabian Coast at night.
Port Discovery – Lines for Aquatopia and Nemo & Friends SeaRider should be shorter now, and Aquatopia is better experienced at night, anyway. Do these if you have some breathing room in terms of time. If not, skipping both is not a terrible choice.
Railway to the Waterfront – Take the DisneySea Electric Railway from Port Discovery to American Waterfront, checking out Toyville Trolley Park at night once you get there. Also spend some time exploring the beautifully-detailed land if time allows, and if you didn’t do so earlier.
Time Enough at Last – If you’ve done everything else with efficiency and the park hasn’t been too crowded, you might have some free time here. You have a few options, from heading back to Lost River Delta to wandering by the outside of Mermaid Lagoon to Fantasmic or seasonal entertainment in Mediterranean Harbor. We like Fantasmic, but in a single day, you might be better off spending the night hours soaking up other lands.
Closing Mysterious Island – This is the most iconic land in Tokyo DisneySea, and although you saw it earlier in the plan, there’s something about wandering through it late at night as the park empties. The background noises are especially ominous, Mount Prometheus’ eruptions are especially chilling, and everything just feels more…mysterious.
Some of these things are going to have to be cut or contracted depending upon how much time other things take, but if you’re able to do even two-thirds of the things on the Daily Trip Blueprint, you have knocked out a good chunk of Tokyo DisneySea’s highlights. You will notice there are some big name attractions and entire areas missing (you never step food in Mermaid Lagoon!) but that’s going to happen on a 1-day visit. You’ll have a great time, regardless, if you follow this Tokyo DisneySea 1-day itinerary.
If you’re 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…
What would you include in your ideal day in Tokyo DisneySea? What are the must-dos for you? What about the attractions you’d recommend skipping? If you haven’t visited Tokyo DisneySea yet, what do you plan on doing? Any questions? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Just got back and based our DisneySea day loosely around this itinerary, with a lot more backtracking/crisscrossing in search of various snacks! We arrived about 35 mins before rope drop and got Soaring FP’s for 5pm. We definitely stood in line for some snacks but I think the longest line was actually ToT with FP (~35 min).
I loved the new Song of Mirage show and it probably tied Big Band Beat as my favorite entertainment. The dialogue is in Japanese but all songs are in English and the costumes/projections were visually stunning, if occasionally a little bizarre. I was less impressed with the holiday entertainment outside by Med Harbor (It’s Christmas Time and Colors of Christmas). The performers were great, but I wasn’t clear where the show would actually be, and I didn’t realize that being off to the side and 3 people back would make it just too hard to see what was going on. I wish I would’ve skipped those and instead made time for Fantasmic.
I loved all the ambiance and details that went into all the different lands! For me that makes me want to come back to walk through and “smell the roses” even more!
Thanks for the great guide. My wife and I visited recently (7-Nov) and managed to tick off most of the attractions listed. This guide was a great help – without it we would’ve spent the day queuing for everything and probably left frustrated. Instead we are in awe of every thing we got to see. Soaring: Fantastic Flight was our personal favourite.
Great article! Planning on going this September 2019. Unfortunately, Journey to the centre of the earth will be closed until Nov (I think), but i have little kids who are afraid of dark rides anyway (ohhh the struggle in ToT in DHS!). I guess that will leave us extra time to do other things!
Btw, Im wondering, how different is ToT in TDS? You mentioned i is different from US version…
Hi, thanks for the info! We visited Tokyo Disney a few years back so this is a follow up trip. We’ll be visiting in September for one evening and one day and plan on spending all our available time at Disney Sea. Trying to figure out which restaurant is best to get reservations at for the Mediterranean Show and fireworks?
HI there. We are planing on visiting DisneySea on Monady 14th January 2019. I have just noticed that this is Coming of Age Day. Does that mean bigger than usual crowds. Thanks.
WOW.. what a comprehensive guide to making the most out of your Disney sea trip! I m sure lots of other folks will benefit from the tips and tricks you shared. Looks like u had a wonderful time ïŠ
It looks like no matter which country you are in Disney is a magical place ïŠ
DisneySea is the best theme park ever. Loved Mysterious Island and the different types of popcorn. It’s clean, calm, and very orderly and the Disney staff are so kind. People there are so pleasant and we are going back again this year.
Such a lovely home…felt like I was on a mini-vacation. Yes, we are blessed to have good friends.
Thank you so much for the information it did help us as we traveled to Tokyo Disney Sea. After going and working hard to make the most of it, I must say I don’t see how anyone could spend so many days there. We enjoyed our time but to me Tokyo Disneysea is form over function. The rides are beautiful, well prepared, thoughtfully presented but then the ride itself is, meh. We thoroughly enjoyed Tower of Terror, but all the other rides were either a bore or just ok. We were very thankful for the fastpasses because if we had to watch the posted 70 minutes for some of the rides we might have cried
We are planning to visit in 2020 because fare is cheaper to go to Japan coming from another asian country rather than coming from Canada. Also that will be our first time visiting any disney park and we are travelling with a 10, 3 and 1 yr old kids. Any suggestion will be very much appreciated. I know the olympics will be held that year but we really want to take the kids to Japan.
Planning to go to Tokyo for a quick visit and still weighing whether to go to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disney Sea and can only do one day. There might be time to visit the other park, and I noticed there is a ticket for after 6pm. Your thoughts? And I plan to go in mid Sept.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the information it did help us as we traveled to Tokyo Disney Sea. After going and working hard to make the most of it, I must say I don’t see how anyone could spend so many days there. We enjoyed our time but to me Tokyo Disneysea is form over function. The rides are beautiful, well prepared, thoughtfully presented but then the ride itself is, meh. We thoroughly enjoyed Tower of Terror, but all the other rides were either a bore or just ok. We were very thankful for the fastpasses because if we had to watch the posted 70 minutes for some of the rides we might have cried.
Thank you VERY much! You just saved me and my wive some excruciating hours of planning and discussion haha!
We have just come back from our first trip to Japan and followed your itinerary for our one day in DisneySea. Thank you so much for posting this and your other tips, we were able to navigate the park with ease following your tips. Luckily we managed to tick off just about everything on your list. Also as a vegetarian, its worth noting that are some veggie options available in the park now that are listed specifically on the map. Admittedly it was pizza, but I was very grateful. That plus lots of popcorn (it was amazing – chocolate my personal fav) and potato churros – I certainly did not go hungry.
Hi!
Amazing information and tips!!
Only one question. It looks like the single rider for Indiana Jones is a key step. We are a couple with 2 children (9 and 6 year old)
Can we use this single rider option? We can split up in a clever way (first one parent, then one children, next the other one and finally the other parent) so that they are not alone neither in the departure platform nor in the arrival one.
Anyway, is there any age limit to use single rider feature? Can we do it in that way?
Thanks a lot!
HI, We have never been to Tokyo, i’m just reading this dreaming!
But, we have been to Disney World in Florida, and Disneyland in California- and as soon as our children were tall enough and confident enough to ride alone we began using the single rider lines.
We do exactly as you have suggested one parent at the front, children in between, so the first parent rides and is there to “catch the kid(s)” when they get off the ride, while the second parent sees them on the ride safely.
We have never had a problem with our kids, they will ride all rides alone including the roller coasters, but I feel strongly that this should only be done when a child is comfortable doing this.
I will tell you when offered a 10-20 min wait over a 1-2 hour wait, they go for the single rider each time!