Money-Saving Tips for Tokyo Disneyland
Looking for money-saving tips for visiting Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea? Traveling to Japan is overwhelming for many reasons, with a big one being the perceived cost. This covers visiting TDR on a tighter budget, while saving money on hotel, food, airfare, and other costs. (Updated September 30, 2024.)
We want to note from the outset that tighter budget above is relative. Traveling internationally is not cheap, nor is it possible for everyone. Travel, in any form, costs a lot of money. I’ve wanted to write a post about how a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort can be cheaper (relative term) than people might think for a while, but have hesitated due to the negative response to past remarks I’ve made indicating that it is closer within reach than many people think.
However, a few things have caused us to revisit the topic. The first is the debut of Fantasy Springs, which is the blockbuster port-of-call featuring Peter Pan, Frozen and Tangled at Tokyo DisneySea. This is the best thing Disney has opened anywhere in ages, and is likewise the only major new expansion at any Disney theme park in the world this year. And guess what? No new major additions are coming to Walt Disney World until 2027, so you have a few years to see Fantasy Springs without really missing out on anything at WDW (or Disneyland) for that matter.
The other is the strength of the dollar and weakness of the Japanese yen. In the last few years, the yen has fallen to levels last seen in 1990. Beyond that, the real effective exchange rate of the yen has hit its lowest level in 50 years. This is largely due to the divergent approaches between central banks in the United States and Japan.
As of late 2024, the yen is hovering around the 140 level against the U.S. dollar. To put this into perspective for those are are unfamiliar with traveling to Japan or foreign currency, a good/normal rule of thumb used to be a 100:1 exchange rate. Now, it’s 140:1. I’m no mathematician, but that’s a massive improvement. It’s also on top of the lower baseline prices in Japan. This is great news for Americans traveling to Japan.
Now for the bad news: the window on this probably will close long before 2027. During both of our most recent visits, the yen was above the 150 level against the dollar (it even hit 160!) The trend has reversed, and will likely continue to do so, because the U.S. Federal Reserve has signaled it’s going to start cutting interest rates, whereas the Bank of Japan is finally raising them.
Regardless, the next couple of years should still be a great time to visit Tokyo Disney Resort with the exchange rate good-to-great by historical standards. Just not quite as fantastic as it was earlier this year, when flirting with the 160 mark.
Finally, there are the skyrocketing costs at the U.S. Parks coupled with nickel and diming. While some of this has made its way to TDR, it’s not nearly as extreme because the Japanese consumer is generally more cost-conscious and frugal. (There’s also the practical reality: average wages and disposable income are significantly lower than in the United States.)
It’s gotten to the point that, for our family of 3, it is literally more expensive for us to take a comparable trip from California to Walt Disney World than it is for us to travel to Japan and Tokyo Disney Resort. The flights are more expensive (see below), but that’s literally the only thing. And the gap is more than bridged by everything else.
And honestly, a comparable trip isn’t even possible because (in our opinion) Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are so far superior to the 4 parks at Walt Disney World. So we will happily spend less to visit Japan while also having (again, in our opinion) a better vacation. Your mileage may vary on that part, though!
Anyway, I’ve been preaching about Tokyo Disney Resort to anyone who will listen and encouraging readers to visit Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland in several posts, and now it’s time to provide a plan for making the trip more financially viable.
Again, this doesn’t mean everyone reading this post will be able to afford to visit Japan, nor will it make sense for everyone. I understand that. I also understand that I am incredibly fortunate to be able to travel. For those with large families (meaning more airfare), locals to a theme park (meaning hotel and airfare costs they otherwise wouldn’t pay), and/or strict vacation schedules (meaning a lack of flexibility in booking during cheaper times), this post may not help. The trip to Tokyo Disney Resort very well might still be out of the question.
With all of that said, before you close this browser window, consider this: if you can afford to take a yearly on-property vacation to Walt Disney World, it’s possible that you can afford a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort. It will just might require patience, sacrifice, and savvy planning, among (possibly) other things.
It’s worth it. I’ve written that Tokyo DisneySea is the best Disney theme park in the world, and I mean it. I also think Tokyo Disneyland is the best Disney castle park in the world. Yes, the two best Disney theme parks in the world. Even if making this trip means skipping an annual trip to Walt Disney World (or two) or saving for several years, I recommend at least crunching the numbers and seeing if you can make it work. Hopefully, this article can make those numbers a bit easier to crunch.
So, if you want to visit the Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea and are wondering if and how it might be within reach for you financially, continue on…
Airfare
I’m starting here because I suspect this is where I might lose some of you. In terms of cost differential, airfare is undoubtedly the biggest difference between a Walt Disney World vacation and a Tokyo Disney Resort vacation. Credit card churning, hacks, or miles redemptions are absolutely the best ways to save on airfare, but they are beyond the scope of this post and muddy the math too much (see the ‘airfare’ section of this post instead).
If you’re paying for airfare, it might cost you over $1,000 per person (likely less if you live near Los Angeles, Seattle, or San Francisco). Even getting airfare to ~$1,250 per person might require close airfare tracking, depending upon your origin city. Start now by setting fare alerts on Airfarewatchdog.com for your city of origin to Tokyo (NRT and HND).
In the past, when I’ve conversed with people about a trip to Tokyo being closer within reach than they might think, the response almost always is that airfare is too expensive, often with arbitrary dates chosen to illustrate their point. Airfare to Tokyo from the United States is expensive, there’s no question about that.
It’s also incredibly disingenuous to price flights out of Bozeman, Montana for next week. Sure, if you want to prove the point that Japan is too expensive, I guess that works. But if you’re earnestly trying to visit Japan, that’s obviously idiotic. You aren’t going to book last-minute flights to Walt Disney World or throw darts at a board to choose dates. You’re going to try to find ways to minimize costs rather than maximizing them.
With that said, if you have a large party and/or are coming from somewhere in the Midwest or South that offers cheap flights to Florida, the cost of airfare probably makes the trip prohibitively expensive. Likewise, if your travel dates are not at all flexible, the airfare cost can quickly skyrocket, making the trip not viable even for smaller parties. If the idea of spending $1,000 (or more) on airfare per person makes you nauseous, Tokyo might be out of the question. (Although just as I was updating this, I got an airfare alert for $760 RTs from Pittsburgh on Air Canada for the rest of 2024, so there’s that!)
If your dates are somewhat flexible, you shouldn’t just arbitrarily pick dates, look at high prices, and rule this trip out of the question. Presumably, you’re going to be planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort well in advance. Be patient, watch airfare, and wait for price alerts. Start looking for airfare by going to ITA Software or Google Flight Search and using the “see calendar of lowest fares” search feature. Do several searches in month increments, and make your trip length variable (e.g., 9-10). Airfare prices fluctuate substantially, so the more flexibility you have, the better.
I would also recommend considering flying out of airports you don’t normally use. Back when we lived in the Midwest, my alerts for Tokyo on Airfarewatchdog were out of Indianapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Obviously, we didn’t live near all of these cities. More recently, we’ve found flights out of LAX for under $600 round trip. (For whatever it’s worth, when flights are over $1,000 RT, we use miles–less than that, we pay cash. We’ve found that’s the good rule of thumb that works for us.)
However, I’ve found that sometimes the airfare deals out of the west coast are so good that even after separately purchasing airfare to get to those airports, it’s still a better deal. This is what we did for our first trip to Japan: purchasing tickets out of LAX, then flying there via Southwest with our Companion Passes. (We also made it a one-day stopover to drop in on Disneyland.)
With all of this said, the point stands that airfare is going to cost a lot more. Short of using miles, there is no way around this. Prices may not be as bad as you thought (or they might be), but there is no arguing that they are expensive. (One way to get more “mileage” out of this trip is to combine it with a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland and/or Aulani with minimal added airfare cost.)
The good news is that just about everything else will cost less.
Hotels
If you want to stay on-site at a Tokyo Disney Resort hotel, be prepared to spend $500+ per night on your room. You thought I said this was going to get cheaper, right?! Well, it is, and not because you’re going to execute a clandestine plan to sleep in the lobby of Hotel MiraCosta and not pay for a room…
It gets cheaper because Tokyo Disney Resort has several on-site hotels on the monorail loop that are not Disney-branded. The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay and the Hilton Tokyo Bay are the two that best cater to Westerners (I think the Hilton actually caters to Westerners better than the Disney hotels; you can read our full Hilton Tokyo Bay Review to read/see more about it), and the ones at which I would suggest staying.
We’ve stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay more than any hotel in the world (even than the Walt Disney World ones–we mix it up a lot more often there). By the end of 2024, we’ll have logged almost a full month at the Hilton Tokyo Bay in just one year. With that said, see our Hotel Reviews & Rankings at Tokyo Disney Resort for a rundown of the other options and how it all stacks up.
There are also numerous off-site hotels along the JR line or accessible via other means of public transportation, many of which can be booked for <$100/night. After a bad experience staying off-site, I would never do it again. They may not cost as much in dollars, but the off-site hotels have a greater cost: time. Even if you’re not a morning person, you hopefully will get to these parks at or before park opening (if you don’t…good luck).
For even the closest off-site hotel, add in at least 30 minutes of additional commuting. On top of that, you will be using public transportation during the morning rush hour commute. If saving as much money as possible is your greatest concern, check out the off-site hotels, but I do not recommend it. Your mileage may vary on this.
Unlike official Disney hotels that have a published rate chart and stick to those rates, the non-Disney, on-site hotels use dynamic pricing. This means that rates at these hotels fluctuate widely based on inventory, projected (and actual) demand, and supply. I once saw $300+ per night standard rooms for the Hilton, but rooms for ~$150 per night are not at all uncommon. Because of this, it’s imperative that you price out the hotel after you find a deal on a flight, but before you book the flight. We have made this mistake before, and it can be a costly one.
As for the rooms, the Celebrio rooms in the Hilton remind me of what the “contemporary” theme at Disney’s Contemporary Resort should be, and its location on the monorail loop, room quality, views (almost every room either views the ocean (see below) or Cinderella Castle), and amenities make it on par with a Walt Disney World Deluxe hotel. In fact, I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Deluxe Walt Disney World hotel that’s as nice as the Hilton.
Again, you need to be flexible with dates here. January 11-16 is currently $234 per night, but February 15-20 is currently only $135 per night. That price difference right there should illustrate why flexibility and advance booking are critical. Due to these huge price swings, it’s imperative that you price out the Sheraton and Hilton (if you plan on staying at one of them) before you book your airfare. Saving $50 on flights isn’t worth it if it means paying significantly more for the hotel!
In addition to watching rates, I highly recommend joining HHonors and signing up for Hilton’s deal emails (make sure you check that you want to receive “Middle East & Asia Pacific News and Offers”). In my experience, Hilton does a 72-hour, 50% off flash sale about 4 times per year for select dates throughout Japan. Thanks to this deal, we were able to score a <$125/night room there for certain nights of our last trip. Because of this potential deal, you shouldn’t book a ‘no cancellation’ room at any of these hotels, unless you’re booking at the last minute. Chances are, you’ll cancel and rebook your room if you book far enough in advance, and you can’t do this for one of the “better” no cancellation rates. If you don’t want to sign up for the email, monitor this site for the flash deals.
You won’t find a Deluxe-caliber hotel at Walt Disney World on the monorail loop for ~$150 per night, so this should be a savings (if you normally stay at Moderate or above Walt Disney World hotel).
Tickets
Tickets to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are considerably cheaper than Walt Disney World or Disneyland tickets. Full single-day park tickets cost approximately $60 to $75. During our last trip, we also bought a Weeknight Passport at the front gate for ~$30. Tokyo Disney Resort has not yet resumed sales of multi-day tickets or Annual Passes.
Pretty cut and dry, so there’s no point in fixating on this. The one big plus side I’ll mention here is that all of the excellent seasonal entertainment in Tokyo is included in the regular cost of admission, so if you’re normally go to hard ticket events in Walt Disney World, you won’t be paying those extra costs at Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea.
Unless you already have an Annual Pass to one of the US parks, this cost will be considerably lower. As discussed in our Tokyo Disneyland Discount Ticket Tips for 2024, we highly recommend anyone with U.S. credit cards buy Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea park tickets as far in advance as possible from Klook.
Line-Skipping
Paid FastPass has (sadly) spread to Japan, and is available at popular rides and entertainment at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. Known as Premier Access, it’s their version of Lightning Lane Single Pass.
We do not buy Premier Access for any attractions, instead using early mornings and late nights to knock everything out (including multiple rides on Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast) without much issue. The only time we’ve ever purchased Premier Access was for “Believe! Sea of Dreams” on its opening night. We regretted doing that and wouldn’t do it again.
The only attractions for which we’d consider purchasing Premier Access are the ones in Fantasy Springs. Specifically, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey and Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure. Even then, those attractions offer the free Standby Pass and that’s usually easier to obtain than the paid Premier Access.
Oh, and on top of that, Tokyo Disney Resort has no paid counterpart to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. Instead, TDR uses free Priority Pass, which is basically just FastPass but with a different name. It’s not available at the most popular rides (where Premier Access is sold), but it’s great for skipping the lines at Indiana Jones Adventure, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and more!
Vacation Packages
This is a post about saving money, and Tokyo Disney Resort Vacation Packages will cost you more. You’re paying premium pricing for the convenience of having an itinerary ahead of time and the peace of mind of knowing you’ll get certain attraction selections. This is especially true now that Fantasy Springs is open.
Prior to Fantasy Springs, we never recommended TDR Vacation Packages. Now, we do for guests who are not on tight budgets because of the ease of access (and unlimited nature) afforded by the special Fantasy Springs (and other) tickets. However, you should still skip the Vacation Packages if you’re trying to do TDR on a dime. Don’t be intimidated about buying the individual components a la carte–this isn’t that difficult.
Souvenirs
Merchandise is generally cheaper at Tokyo Disney Resort, but it can vary. The biggest exception is all things Duffy. We’ve “joked” in the past that the Duffy merchandising machine subsidizes the rest of Tokyo DisneySea and is why the park is done at such a high level. That’s only a half-joke.
Duffy stuff is really expensive. If you’re doing TDR on a budget, just stay away from the Duffy shops in Tokyo DisneySea. Seriously, you don’t want to fall down that rabbit hole (or bear den?). If you just stick to t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other simple stuff, merchandise at TDR can be incredibly affordable.
Another recommendation here is to visit the secondhand stores in Nakano Broadway, which is on the outskirts of Tokyo. See our Shopping Guide to Nakano Broadway. It’s a really fun place–don’t miss the gigantic ice cream in the basement!
Food
Whether you save money on food at Tokyo Disney Resort depends a lot on your dining patterns and your appetite. Japanese portion sizes are unquestionably smaller than US portion sizes. Counter service restaurants are priced about the same at Tokyo Disney Resort as they are in the US parks, with table service restaurants being cheaper than their US counterparts (and there’s no tipping in Japan). Overall, I believe food quality is higher in the Tokyo parks.
If you like to snack or you have a large appetite, it’s possible that you could spend more on food at Tokyo Disney Resort than you would in the US parks. That is, unless you eat at the buffets at Tokyo Disney Resort, which are incredibly high quality and are all you can eat. Each hotel has one buffet, as does Tokyo Disneyland.
I highly recommend both Crystal Palace in Tokyo Disneyland. Not only does it have great food, but there are often some of the snacks that cost ~$4-5 each in the park. As for the best counter service values, restaurants that serve personal pizzas (not pizza by the slice) are your best options. This means Pan Galactic Pizza Port in Tokyo Disneyland and Zambini Brothers’ Ristorante in Tokyo DisneySea, with these pizzas running about $7-8.
If you’re really looking to save money on food, check out the Ikspiari shopping district. In the basement, you’ll find a supermarket that has all sorts of groceries. We go here frequently to grab rice balls, desserts, and all sorts of other things (such as diapers!). Similarly, most of the hotels–both Disney-branded and third parties–have convenience stores in their lobbies. This can be a fun and cost-effective way to do breakfast or late-night meals.
These are the four basics, and I think when you do the math after being patient and looking for deals, you might find that a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort is within reach. It may require a good amount of research and pre-planning to find that sweet spot of hotel and airfare prices, as well as saving a bit longer or forgoing a trip to Walt Disney World (I would absolutely forgo a year or two of trips to Walt Disney World if that’s what it took to get to Tokyo), but it is potentially do-able.
Reducing the expenses of a trip to Japan to four components of a theme park visit isn’t going to cover everything. Presumably, you are not just going to visit Japan for Tokyo Disney Resort. From the city of Tokyo to the shrines of Kyoto, Japan is an incredibly beautiful country with many things to see, do, eat, and experience.
It would be a shame to go and only visit two theme parks, even if you are a huge Disney fan and they are the two best Disney parks. So, naturally, you are going to have more expenses than what I’m listing here, but it’s impossible for me to know what else you’re going to do since there are so many other things to do (and since this is a Disney blog, covering the Disney component of the trip plus airfare is what makes the most sense).
There are two other things I will mention. One is an important one, and (in keeping with the general tone of this blog that has otherwise been absent from this “serious” post) one is a ridiculous one. The important one is the Japan Rail Pass, which allows unlimited travel on the various JR lines for 7, 14, or 21 days. This means unlimited Shinkansen (bullet train) transportation. If you’re only visiting Tokyo, it’s not worth buying this pass. But if you’re heading to Kyoto and beyond and will take the Shinkansen 3 or more times, the JR Pass can be worth it.
The other tip is to look for the “100 Yen Special” vending machines. It is always a huge moral victory for me when I find one of these little beauties, which probably seems silly because saving 20 cents on a beverage in the grand scheme of an Asian vacation isn’t much…but it’s a victory nonetheless. Plus, I think these have better and more interesting drinks than the “fancy” vending machines.
Again, I understand that the tips in this post are still is not realistic for everyone. I also understand that I am very fortunate to have the advance-planning flexibility, party size, etc., to make visiting Japan within reach. I just hope this article comes across as a sincere attempt to help others crunch the numbers and potentially save money in the booking process, rather than coming across as a cold and unrealistic statement that “Tokyo Disney Resort is cheap!” (It’s not.)
Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For more specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews page covers accommodations. Our Restaurant Reviews detail where to dine & snack. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money post. Our What to Pack for Disney post takes a unique look at clever items to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.
Your Thoughts
Does this help make a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort more realistic for you in the long term? Does visiting Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea interest you? If you have any other comments or questions about the expense of visiting Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, post them below and I’ll try to answer!
Great post. Have you ever done or will you consider a post in the future about tips for squeezing as much as possible into a couple of days at the Tokyo parks? I’d love to visit these parks, but I’m not sure I could justify spending more than 2-3 days at the parks if I ever made it over to Japan.
Here’s the 1-day plan for Tokyo DisneySea: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/1-day-tokyo-disneysea-plan/
Tokyo Disneyland coming soon…
I really think you hit the nail on the head when you talked about planning ahead. My coworkers can’t understand how I’m planning a trip to California, but won’t be going until November of NEXT year. They seriously don’t understand planning for a future vacation. Then again, they rarely ever leave the state of GA.
Financially, I think I could swing a trip to one of the international parks if I planned for it – just like I’m doing for next year’s Disneyland trip. I know that, for me, the cost of flights are what cause me to step back on ANY trip I’m looking into. I’m spoiled by being able to drive to WDW and back on less than 2 tanks of gas, or frequently grab a RT flight for under $100. It’s a mental block I’m working on…and I’m getting there, as I’ll soon be booking my flights for Disneyland.
More than the financial side, I’m in the boat called “I would kill to visit Tokyo, but I don’t want to go alone, and none of my friends and family are interested.” Maybe I have the wrong friends??
If you aren’t able to find anyone to go with you to Tokyo, I would highly encourage you to go anyway. You won’t regret it. The overall resort is so far above the ones in the states that it will be worth it.
I was in a similar (not really) situation when I was studying abroad. We were in Osaka, the second day of the term, and I wanted to visit Universal Studios Japan. No one was interested, and I almost didn’t go because of that, but one friend told me that if that was what I wanted to do, I should just go anyway. I did, had a great time, and it was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received. It’s dramatically changed my approach, and I’ve traveled MORE since then because I refuse to let others and their lack of interest keep me from traveling.
In an ideal universe, I would always travel with others, but I have never regretted taking trips on my own, especially if the alternative is being at home doing nothing worthwhile. Since you have California is on the horizon it will be awhile before you get to Tokyo, but I would encourage you to do whatever you can to visit, even if it means going alone. Trust me when I say that it will be worth it, and you will not regret it.
I love traveling with others, but I also love traveling alone. I’ve traveled to a number of places alone, and the only time it has ever really been an issue is when I’ve gone on hikes that might be somewhat dangerous. Other than that, I think it can be nice to be alone with the place and your thoughts. This is not to say I prefer it over traveling with others, but each way has its pros and cons.
Japan is one of the safest places in the world to travel alone, and I would not hesitate to go there by myself. YMMV.
I would also encourage you to travel alone at least once in your life and especially to a place on your bucket list that you are struggling to find friends to go with. I have plenty of travel partners but I love finding ways to travel alone. Here are my top 3 reasons why. Warning: these include Disney and non-Disney reasons.
1. Making my own schedule: I get up when I want, go to bed when I want, sightsee where and how long I want. For example, I once spent an entire day (from open to close) at Westminster Abbey in London drawing the effigies and architecture. No one would have tolerated me for that long. At Disneyland or when I get to WDW before my family I like to get a snack treat and sit in an odd place in the shade and people watch. There is a certain freedom to not having others to consider, the world slows down a little.
2. Unexpected surprises: To continue the abbey example, upon closing, the bells for mass were ringing just as the abbey was being closed to the public but OPEN for night mass. I was able to sit in the pews, right next to the famous boys’ choir during a full mass whereas the 100 people lined up outside were in audience chairs. You notice more and can take advantage of these observations when you aren’t talking to people all the time.
3. Different treatment, especially in other countries: People just treat you…differently when you’re alone than when you are with others. I think it’s because when you are with a group, there is an “Us” and “Them” mentality that is inherent, but when you are alone you are more approachable; you don’t belong to anyone. You get invites and perks where you wouldn’t otherwise. My best example is a bartender in Whales who had me sit at a little table behind a bar while she showed me all her maps of Ireland and the best local places to go while feeding me beer and a berry cobbler!
But…traveling alone is not necessarily for everyone and Japan might be a big step for your first solo travel experience. You might pick a US city you’ve not explored and do a weekend there. Or even just go to WDW alone for a couple of days and walk around the parks.
Staying off site has never bothered me. The commute can take around an hours (its a long walk between the Keiyo Line and most other main lines in Tokyo) but could never afford on-site hotels, partcularly as most of my trips are solo. Once you have experience rush hour in Tokyo, you will know what to expect and can deal. Also the Keiyo Line out to Disney is not really used by commuters and it not as busy as other say the Yamanote Line during rush hour
Another reason why I said it’s a ‘your mileage may vary’ thing. For me, the monetary savings is absolutely not worth that hour of commute. For others, it may be worth it. Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
Tom:
Thanks for the great article! I’ve been toying with the idea of a Tokyo trip for awhile and your articles are really helping me nail down a lot of things. I’m sorry you’re getting some backchat about this series because it’s one of my favorites!
Hi Tom,
Me and my wife visited the resort in May 2009 and for the second time in 2011 during Halloween. And we are always planning new trips to Disney resorts around the world. I think all things considered that the Tokyo Disney resort has the biggest value for us. We are from Holland and we pay around € 1.000,00 for a plane ticket, that is a lot but we are fortunate that we can travel the world. We stayed at the Sheraton Grande twice when we were at the resort and I thought it was cheap especially considering the cost of other hotels in Japan on these trips. When we take food and ticket prices into account Japan is way cheaper than Europe. So we think it is a bargain. Yes the food portions are smaller but the people are so incredibly friendly and the food is prepared with the utmost care. Last but not least Tokyo Disneysea is indeed the best of the best. Tokyo Disneyland is somewhere in between we think. Some areas could use an overhaul, well our prayers have been answered I guess…..
Keep up the great reports, you are doing a wonderful job !!
I’m actually shocked that so many Europeans come to Walt Disney World as opposed to traveling to Japan. I’d love to take a long holiday, buy a 21 day JR pass, and just bounce around Japan.
…with plenty of time at Tokyo Disney Resort, too, of course! 😉
Ha ha, that’s true. WDW is the big name when it comes to Disney resorts in the world so that is why most Europeans visit WDW. When we announced to friends and family we were going to Japan they called us crazy, isn’t that scary ? Well it is one of our favorite countries in the world. We feel right at home there. That is the perception of people that it is scary and different. Don’t get me wrong we also love WDW and we are planning our next Disney trip to Orlando for May 2015. It has been 5 years since our last visit to Orlando.
Also we found the Sheraton on the monorail for $140/night with no special deal.
This is an off season rate, so it may be more expensive without a deal during a popular time of the year.
If you haven’t already booked airfare and have some time before your trip, you might actually wait. There have been a lot of airfare sales to Japan recently, and NY has always been one of the cities. I’d be surprised if you can’t find airfare for <$1,000. Assuming you have the time to wait, and are willing to take the risk on prices...
I’m planning a trip too and was surprised how low airfare was. One person from our party is flying from California and got round trip non-stop airfare for under $1,000 (and that’s flying on popular days–Friday and Sunday). For New York, I could’ve gotten airfare for under $1,000 if I was willing to put up with one layover each way and was flexible on time. We did see round trip non-stop airfare for $1,200 from New York but hesitated buying (because we just started planning) and the prices jumped up the next day!
Great guide to visiting TDR as far as $$$ goes, Tom.
It’s really quite simple, if folks visit WDW multiple times a year or even every year or two and stay at WDW resort and dine at WDW restaurants exclusively … well, they can — in 98% of cases — absolutely, positively afford a trip to TDR.
If they don’t go, it’s usually because they are afraid to go somewhere so ‘foreign’ and ‘scary. Or perhaps because they don’t like to fly. Both weak excuses for any true Disney fan. Another reason would be because they are simply addicted to WDW (yes, like a drug or booze or gambling or sex) and would never think of skipping it despite the fact its parks pale in comparison to the magnificent parks owned and operated by the OLC.
One bone of contention with you is on the lodging. While I do agree that the Hilton and Sheraton are great options if you can get them for great rates, staying off-site at a Good Neighbor hotel is a terrific way to save money.
I stayed at the Sunroute Ariake in Odaiba and paid $61 a night (after a rebate from hotels.com). I’m sorry, but I would sincerely any of your readers stay at WDW for anything close to that level of value. No, it isn’t luxury. It is a solid 3-star in a GREAT area with walking distance to all sorts of shopping, dining and attractions. There are other Good Neighbor Hotels in this area as well.
They all offer luxury motorcoach service to TDR (think the cruise line buses at WDW, not the horrid buses to and from the parks). It’s a 20-minute ride (what WDW claims its buses work on) and the buses are run at exact times. If you want to take a bus at 8:15 a.m., then you get a free ticket at the front desk and walk out at 8:13 and walk on and leave two minutes later. Really.
I’m so sick of hearing how pricey the tickets are when I often hear of people paying ridiculous airfares to O-Town. And I regularly have seen deals from the west coast (usually on Delta) as low as $750 to Tokyo.
People like to make excuses for taking 33 WDW trips in 18 years, all staying on-site and eating their meals there etc … yet they won’t go to Anaheim (scary liberal LA is too close), so Tokyo might as well be one of the moons of Saturn.
It might as well be, but it also is the best Disney resort on this planet.
Keep up the good work!
(Here’s the hotel referenced above: http://www.hotelsunrouteariake.jp/ Rates as low as ~$65/night for some dates in 2015!)
I tried to book that for our one off-site stay, and it was sold out. I may consider it again in the future if I’m in a pinch (at some point, I want to visit Tokyo when it’s snowing…and that might require last minute travel), but as long as I can get the Sheraton or Hilton for <$150/night, I'm not messing with off-site. Like I said in the post, it's a YMMV thing, and perhaps one really negative experience has unfairly tainted my opinion. It does look like a nice hotel, and it has really good ratings on the various hotel review sites (better than a 3-star hotel).
Thank you for your information on Tokyo Disneyland Resort. I am leaving this Saturday (11/08) with my daughter for Tokyo. We are foregoing a trip to Disney World to go to Tokyo instead. We are also flexable in our dates which helped with room rates and air prices. Your website is extremely helpful since it is so difficult to locate English-websites concerning TDR.
Have a great time in Japan!
We live in China, which means that airfare for us is much less expensive (than for those coming from the USA). Your posts are really ‘talking me into’ going to Tokyo Disney! We’re going to Hong Kong Disney for the first time later this month for our 4th anniversary, since we live about 3 hours from the park. Maybe Shanghai in 2016 and Tokyo in 2017 or ’18?
Unless you’re a crazy Disney geek and want to be there for opening day at Shanghai Disneyland, I wouldn’t pencil it in for 2016 just yet. Not much is known about that park yet, and I would not be surprised if it opens in phases. I’d probably plan on TDR in 2017 and Shanghai in 2018.
(I say that as a crazy Disney geek who has every intent of being in Shanghai myself for opening day…so don’t necessarily listen to me!)
If it’s open, we’ll probably go to ShangHai in 2016 just because we’re planning on moving out of China late that year–Chinese visas aren’t cheap or convenient to obtain so we plan on doing all in-China travel while we have our work visas!
You also might want to mention that Japanese convenience stores like 7-11 and Family Mart often have discounted tickets. This past summer you could get 1 day tickets at 7-11 for about $40.
Nice tip–especially if people are taking short trips to TDR!
All of your posts on Tokyo Disney have convinced me to plan a trip there. We are meeting relatives coming from Australia so it just makes sense. We are planning on 2018 because we still have young children, and I want them to be able to appreciate it. The grandparents are coming to watch them sometimes so we can go out or separate to do the thrill rides. I’m planning on 4 days at Tokyo Disney doing both parks. My question is with the expansion, am I in for greater than normal crowds in Spring of 2018 before the Golden Week holiday? Also, I am thinking about doing a stopover at the new a Disney park in Shanghai and maybe even Disneyland California too making this at least a 2 week Disney bucket list vacation. Am I missing much by doing Shanghai and not Hong Kong Disneyland or should I try to fit in both parks? I have gone to Disney World more than 50 times and only been to Disneyland Paris and Disneyland California once. Any advice would be appreciated:)
Before Golden Week, as in missing Golden Week? The weeks leading up to Golden Week are usually pretty slow. Once you get into the holiday period, it’s busy.
I think the larger crowds the expansion draws will be offset by the greater capacity the expansion offers. The bigger problem will be FastPasses. Now, the morning plan is pretty clear in terms of what to get. With more choices, you will want to get certain FastPasses one day, and certain ones the other day. Not necessarily a bad problem to have!
Yes before Golden Week entirely. I read that is typically a slow time, but I worried that with the expansion people would be flooding the parks. I can’t wait to read what you have to say about Shanghai once you visit since I know you do a great job on these blog posts! I followed your MNSSHP touring plan in 2013 and found that it was a great way to get things done! This year, I was a bit more loose with it, and we didn’t get as much accomplished.
I think there’s another factor – the opportunity cost of missing WDW. Even if they could stretch to afford it, people would be paying more to forego a trip they regularly do and know they enjoy, for a trip that’s a gamble.
Oh, I think you’re entirely right, although I think many people are afraid to admit it. Instead, people will arbitrarily say it’s too expensive, too far away, etc.
I think it’s human nature to prefer the familiar. The unfamiliar is always a “gamble” in a way. In this case, though, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find many Disney fans who have visited Tokyo Disney Resort and have come back disappointed by the experience.
The Tokyo parks aren’t just praised by one dude on a blog. Virtually everyone I’ve encountered who has gone considers them to be amazing parks.
Great article, Tom! We absolutely agree that these two parks are the greatest disney parks in the world and a must visit for any Disney park fanatic. The details and atmosphere will literally blow you away as you get the highest of pixie dust highs! We have made two trips to the resort and each time we’ve stayed here: http://www.palmandfountainterracehotel.com/index_e.html. They have a dedicated shuttle that leaves for the parks every 15 minutes beginning 1.5 hours before park opening. The bus takes about 15-20 minutes, stops at DisneySea first and the disneyland…each drop off is just steps in front of the entrance plazas. When Tom talks about getting to the parks before opening he means it! Arriving 30 minutes before park opening at the LATEST is essential, otherwise you won’t get as many FPs and your standby wait times will exceed 1.5 to 2 hours for the popular attractions. Anyways, the Palm and Fountain terrace hotels are great…they are partner hotels and you can purchase park tickets in the lobby. We paid an average of $100 a night for our family of 5. We made our trips in October and June.
Thanks for mentioning Palm & Fountain Terrace Hotel! 🙂
I totally forgot about it, but it’s actually one of my exceptions to the “no off-site” rule. I don’t know if you’re aware, but it’s actually owned by the Oriental Land Co. (OLC), which is the same company that owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort. That’s why they sell tickets, have a shuttle, etc.
Wow. I didn’t know they owned the property! They sure have a hold on most of the land in Urayasu. It’s really a nice hotel, very clean with some modest Disney touches. So, did you get to Universal in Osaka? We are headed back to Osaka/Kobe this Christmas for my sister-in-laws wedding. We are planning two days at universal. I so wish we could get up to Tokyo…would love to see the resort at Christmas. We’ll do it eventually! I didn’t realize you were in Indianapolis! We live in Dayton…just a couple hours away!!
Yes, I did the entire prior day at USJ, but Sarah and our friends didn’t arrive until much later in the day, so they missed a lot.
USJ is even more crowded and has longer waits than TDR. Make sure to arrive very early (1+ hour before opening) and do single rider.
I absolutely agree with you. I never thought I could afford a trip to the TDR until I started looking into it. I was very happy to see the ticket prices and hotel rooms were so much more affordable than Disney World. The savings makes up for the difference in airfare. It also helps I am only taking one son for his High School graduation trip. Thank you so much for your information. I can’t wait to experience that first time feeling of walking into Tokyo Disney Sea.
Kudos to you for taking your son for his high school graduation. I really wish I would have visited Japan prior to college. It’s the kind of trip that I think can give you some perspective, and is a great learning experience.
This is such a great read! I was just at Tokyo Disney the beginning of October and I agree it is the best Disney resort on the planet. I was fortunate to visit during the typhoon that hit, and was amazed that the parks stayed open with 70+ mph winds. But the lines were non existent and I was able to ride everything in 3 days. I got to stay at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel which is by far the most amazing Disney hotel in the world but I also stayed a night at the Hilton and found it to be a wonderful option and plan on staying there again in the future.
As for the cost, I totally feel you can do the trip(from the west coast at least as I live in Seattle) for the same price as a WDW trip if you do your research and plan accordingly. Thank you for all your info about this park as it helped me out greatly on my visit. Now I only need to visit Disneyland Paris and I will have been to all the parks(at least until Shanghai opens).
We were also there during the typhoon. We started out in Osaka on the day the typhoon hit that side of Japan, and changed our plans at the last minute (we were going to do Universal Studios Japan that morning and head to Tokyo that night) and left for Tokyo in the morning. Shortly after we arrived at the Hilton, the wind and rain got bad, and the JR lines started going down.
We decided to buy Starlight Passes and head into Tokyo DisneySea. Some friends were with us and it was their introduction to TDS. It was a pretty special experience, with almost no one else in the park!
Thanks for the trip report. I know these take alot of time to put together. For us, this is something that we might do once the kids are in college. It would be an expensive trip with 4 people. Thanks!
I can totally understand not wanting to pay for airfare x4. Something to keep in mind for the future, though!
This is our plan as well though we’ve got a while before that happens as our youngest is only two. We’re a family of 7. A trip for just my husband and I to Tokyo Disney looks like it will cost around the same as a Disney World trip for the whole family.
I noticed there is no metinon of duration of your trip. What is the minimum length of stay you would recommend for this trip?
Got ahead of myself there… I Should have looked at you planning guide! Well done!
airbnb.com !!! Don’t forget about that 🙂
Definitely another good option…especially if the person from whom you rent picks you up from the airport! 😉
We just took our first trip to Tokyo Disney and utilized a lot of the information in your planning article for our trip. Couldn’t have been happier. Our conversations with people after the trip always end in their disbelief that it could possibly have been so affordable. For some reason we just can’t convince anyone of this. I absolutely agree that your article is spot on. My only question would be what was your “bad experience” at staying offsite? We did so quite successfully. Stayed near Odaiba. Couldn’t have been happier. The only possible drawback we’ve come to is that we couldn’t afford to stay in the parks until forced out because the trains stopped running and didn’t want to get stranded. Your article is 100% accurate from my point of view though.
Setting aside that our off-site hotel had the ONLY dirty room we’ve ever had in Japan (the room was awful and that probably tainted our experience a bit), the transportation to and from the parks was inconvenient. The translation on the hotel’s website said that it had a bus to the parks, which I took to mean a shuttle. Something was lost in translation, because it was actually public transportation, and we were packed in like sardines every morning. Despite the hotel being very close to TDR in terms of raw distance, the bus route actually added nearly an hour each way to our commute. This cost in terms of time just wasn’t worth the savings for us.
However, I said ‘your mileage may vary’ because I know others who have stayed off-site and liked it. Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you otherwise agree with the article! 🙂
that makes sense. We only traveled by train and avoided buses at all costs. I can absolutely see why that would have been inconvenient. Mileage would vary depending on transport method.