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!
A couple more “out-of-the-box” points on airfare I’d like to add, as a frequent traveler-
If you live within driving distance of a major Canadian airport, look into flying out of there. These days, it can be significantly cheaper given the increase in foreign airlines flying into Canada, as well as the exchange rate, enough to make the border crossing both ways worth it. For the southern border, the only airport this could really apply to is Tijuana (since the terminal extends into San Diego now); there isn’t the same amount of long-haul traffic into most Mexican airports close to the border.
Additionally, look for travel agencies in your area that cater to the immigrant population if possible. They have access to deep discount fares that you can’t find on your own, with the main catch being that they are completely non-refundable/non-changeable or the change fee ends up being quite hefty.
An example combining the two: In the Vancouver area, a local Chinese-speaking travel agency near me is offering 6-day air+hotel packages to Tokyo from C$1000 roundtrip, non-stop on Air Canada, off-site hotel in Ginza (about half an hour by train), triple room, around US$760 per person. Take the hotel out of the equation (for example, if booking your own on-site), and the price drops below US$700.
If it’s the difference between going and not going, it’s worth a look.
Hi Tom,
We live near WDW so go there weekly. WE LOVE DISNEY! Trying to do the Disney Grand Slam – all parks, Aulani, and the cruise ships in one year! Got off the Halloween cruise on Disney Dream and then went over to Disneyland Paris for a week. We want to do the Asian parks in summer of 2018. We will be in Aulani for 10 days in March, 2018 so really that is not a necessary stopover, but would like to see Disneyland CA again if it works out. There will be 2 of us, myself and my 9 year old granddaughter and we will want to tour mainland China also. All recommendations will be welcome.
Hello,
I found your article very helpful, but i am planning a trip to Disney Tokyo, Disney Hong Kong and Disney Shanghai all in one trip so we dont need to do the flight more than once. Have you done all three parks? What hotels do you recommend for each park? How many days do you think each park needs? How did you get to the parks once you flew ? How much was that transportation? Which airports did you fly into?
I am going to read more of your blogs maybe some answers will be in there. But I was hopeing maybe we can be in contact so I can talk to you more in detail and really try and plan my trip. [email protected] Hopefully we can but if not i understand
Thank you for the time you put into this blog
Hello Tom
We will make a trip of our life with children Disneyland Paris one day / Tokyo Disneyland four days / one week in Beijing / Disneyland Shanghai two days / Disneyland Hong Kong two days and return Paris for 13hrs to finish our trip 2017
(We are from Quebec, Canada)
I will be in Tokyo Disneyland July 19-24, 2017, I stay at Okura Tokyo Bay book on CTrip.
For restaurants do I have to make reservations ???
We want restaurants with characters like Crytal Palace and Horizon Bay Restaurant
You have advice for us
* I already meet you on one of my trips to Walt Disney World (Hollywood and Vine, Jedi Mickey’s Star Wars Dine)
Thank you
Stephane
I loved reading this! We are planning a trip to Tokyo Disney for summer of 2017. The flight and Japanese hustle bustle doesn’t scare us. (We used to live on the Japanese island of Okinawa) Our son doesn’t remember Japan at all since he was a toddler when we left. I will look into the Hilton as you suggested! I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to decide on a hotel that will work best for the kiddo.
I want to add if I may, if you all want to save money, find the courage to go to the local grocery stores. Food is crazy cheap out there! And heir diapers are amazing. When we lived there, we could get a pack of 20 Disney themed diapers at the grocery store for about Â¥990. Which at the time was around $7. Buy your snacks and children’s supplies at the store and stash them at your hotel to save money. In japan, most major stores will have workers who speak “eego” (English).
You’ve won me over Tom!
travelling from Australia, airfares have been our biggest expense (Disneyland 2015, Disney World 2016). Japan will actually be cheaper for us (flights at least)
Had a family conference last night and 2017 is now officially going to be Japan!
This may or may not be helpful for anyone, but I just recently booked plane tickets to Hong Kong and Tokyo and found it a lot cheaper to go to Tokyo via Hong Kong.
Brief backstory: I was originally only going to go to Hong Kong and I was going solo. But since I was taking 9 of my 10 days of vacation, I decided to tack on Tokyo because I figured 6 days was enough time to do HKDL and Hong Kong city and then I’d do a day trip from Tokyo and spend the rest of my time at TDR (I’ve done Tokyo a couple times already, but not really TDR). Then my best friend decided she wanted to come too, which made our dates much less flexible. When looking at tickets, I looked at a range of options, from multiple round trips to multi-city tickets. Add onto that the fact that I really wanted to fly United because that’s where all my miles are, and things got very restricted fast.
In the end, the multi-city ticket was the best option and I got a Houston – Hong Kong – Tokyo – Houston ticket for $770. Round trip to Tokyo only for the exact same dates would’ve cost me $1,700. I’m pretty sure the fare is so cheap because flights to Hong Kong are much cheaper than flights to Tokyo (at least from Houston) and the United system treated Tokyo as a 5 day layover. So if round trip tickets to Tokyo are too expensive, try routing yourself through Hong Kong.
I can see you were travelling to Japan from Oz to Disneyland. We are there this year, but for love or money I can not get a four day ticket from anyone. not from the Disney Tokyo Website, it doesn’t ship physical tickets to Australia. E-Tickets are not even an option using the website.
What did you end up doing? Please tell me youwere successful or this trip is going to be a very big Disney flop.
Nice article. I went quite a few years ago and am going to go back in April. For hotel considerations I might suggest the Tokyo Inn group. For myself I have stayed out in CHiba at the CHiba Minato station area. The hotel is literally steps from the subway Keiyo line. When I went before I found the 40 minute ride in not to be a problem. Now that is not to say that it can still be overwhelming at times. The line is a direct one to Disney with no connections and beyond is Tokyo station which eases travel.
I would also not suggest it for single women as I noticed cultural things that may make it uncomfortable. For monorail enthusiasts the “hanging” Chiba Monorail station is there as well. Sort of like flying down the streets like soaring.
Now you are asking about price. About 80 dollars a night. I spent 5 days there for about the price of one at the park. Hey it was the only way to go.
R. Roe
Thank you so much for all your posts on TDR. We are traveling there next week with our six year old daughter, and your blog has been such a great resource. We’re staying at the Hilton per your recommendation! Also, we were able to get lucky on airfare by booking in advance. (bought flights in June) We’re flying from NYC, round trip prices were $750. (!!!) It will be interesting to see the level of business at TDR during Thanksgiving time – wondering if other Americans will have the same idea to travel there then, in hopes to beat the holiday rush? We will see!
Given that Americans make up about <1% attendance at Tokyo Disney Resort, I don't it will have even the slightest impact. Maybe you will see 7 Westerners instead of 5? 😉
I somehow have found my way back to this exact same blog post & comment thread 3.5 years later…as we are planning our second trip to Japan in April.
And yes, you were spot on…we did not find any other Americans (I don’t think we even heard any English conversations) the entire time we were in the parks!
I am reading my way through all of your blog posts. We are going to Kyoto this time as well and I’m finding lots of answers to my questions here. Cannot wait to go back to Japan! Thank you!
Love your photography !
They are ok with popping your tripod to take pictures ?
It’s good to have both sides of opinions so people can choose what fits them the most–so I’m going to briefly plug the “on-site” and “monorail” experience.
At WDW and Disneyland, I’ve stayed off site, on-site with bus access, and on-site with Monorail or walking distance access (like Boardwalk and Contemporary).
I would pay DOUBLE the cost to be on the monorail or in a resort that’s attached to a park. We love trains, rope-drop, napping and swimming in early afternoon, eating at resort restaurants and returning for fireworks. We love slow walking, rainy empty days, being in the park during magic hours and riding rides repeatedly. None of these is easy, or even possible, if your travel time between resort and park is too long.
We are very much middle class, so it takes a long time to save up for the experience but since we are not “stay at the park all day people”, it makes the trip that much more magical for us.
Ok my question (flabbergasted comment?) regarding DVC:
REALLY? 55-70 points PER NIGHT? Holy cow….How is this even possible when the rack rate of resort hotels is comparable to the rack rate at WDW? I thought the points would be mildly comparable. (We purchased DVC, by the way, partly after reading your DVC blog–it was extremely helpful)
Do you ever use your DVC points for Tokyo? We are baby members, only 50 points per year. We are thinking Tokyo in 2017 in which we would have 150 points. It seems…such a waste to use them at Tokyo, but we won’t be going to Disney at any other time since we’re saving for Japan.
I’m having a hard time finding any available hotel rooms, and I’ve looked all though next year. How far in advance would you recommend booking a hotel? And what time of year is best. We were looking for December 2016.
You’re probably looking way too far in advance. I doubt most hotels set their inventory that far ahead of time.
This was extremely helpful thank you. Im not sure how realistic my plan is but Im trying to book on a wing and a pray. I have two “buddy passes”- Standby airline tickets and I didnt want to waste them on domestic travel. So I thought why not take my 5 yr old to Disney Tokyo. Friends went two years ago and raved about it. Airfare was a big deal so I have that covered but Im wondering about traveling with a person that small and how the cost is offset? Currently Hilton is advertising free stays for children 6 and under. I have a million questions I think…
Did you use credit cards, travelers checks (do people still use those) or convert to the yen? Whats the best mode of currency to use?
Do you think, given the renovations/upgrades this would be a good year to go?
I want to throw a barrage of questions out there… lets start there.
If your flight is paid for, I see absolutely no reason not to go now. The parks are amazing now, and the big construction projects sound like they won’t be finished until shortly before the Olympics. Cost-wise, airfare is the biggest consideration.
Use a credit card to pay for everything, just make sure you have one with no foreign transaction fees.
I think that answers all of your questions for now…make sure to read our Tokyo Trip Planning Guide, as that will probably answer a lot of your other questions.
I did not know that there are two Disney parks in Tokyo…Do you need to buy tickets to each one per day or is the ticket more like a park hopper ticket?
Thanks…
The multi-day tickets have park hopper after the 2nd day (so if you get a 4-day ticket, days 3 and 4 are park hopper). We rarely park hop in Tokyo since there is a ton to do in each park.
Hey there!
I know this is a kind of old post so I hope you see this comment. Your post is some of the most recent material I have found about visiting Tokyo Disney. My boyfriend and I are planning a trip for Spring of 2017 and are starting to look at potential costs now in order to save. It will be a college graduation gift for us both.
Right now we are looking at April as it seems to be less crowded there according to some Japanese crowd calendars, but I’m not finding the low off-season prices everybody else is finding. What is truly off-season? This is what I have found thus far:
Sheraton Standard in mid-April for 181.00$. Flights for 2 out of LAX, roundtrip: 2,106$.
Also, my boyfriend will probably love to try a lot of the food but I am a picky eater. We also share a lot of the portions America serves so Japan will probably have portions more suitable for us. We have found articles where people are budgeting 1,000$ for food, but seeing as that is the price for the flight it seems a little steep. Any thoughts on this? We’re thinking of doing the parks for a full 5 days as recommended by you. (:
Thanks in advance!
The costs you’re seeing look about right to me, perhaps you can wait a bit and find the Sheraton or Hilton for ~$150/night when you’re close to your dates. Keeping in mind it’s a monorail resort, I think that even $180/night is a good price.
As for food, I’d probably budget double what you budget for a regular Walt Disney World trip of the same duration, given that you won’t be splitting portions. I can’t give you a precise amount, because I’m not really sure how much you normally eat, and at which restaurants.
Hope that helps!
hi tom. long time reader of Disney tourist blog 🙂
I am really considering a trip to japan in May 2015. i would like to spend 4-5 days in Tokyo Disney but, not sure how many days to spend outside of the Disney bubble… I would like to visit Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Thoughts?
Thank you.
I’ve recently got back from a ‘Disney Around the World’ trip.
I completely agree with you regarding DisneySea. Such a well thought out detailed environment in which you can entirely lose yourself. Hands down the best Disney built park but after reading your love for Tokyo Disneyland before going, I have to say I was exceptionally disappointed with it. It just seemed so vast and open (to accommodate the crowds) but in doing so lacked the very theming and intimacy(?) I adore in a Disney park. The green and red concrete paving was awful. The next time I visit I’ll know what to expect but it seemed the least ‘magical’ magic kingdom of them all. Attractions were all top notch and the place was spotless.
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post this or if you’d even be interested in another perspective but I’ve posted my trip report and thoughts on the international parks:
Hong Kong Disneyland
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469028#post52469028
Tokyo Disney Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469087#post52469087
Disneyland Resort Paris
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52469155#post52469155
Disneyland Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52514347#post52514347
Not attempting to steal your thunder but it’s just nice to read your interpretations as not many of us venture internationally to see the various resorts.
Excellent article and great advice. I’ve been to Tokyo Disney three times because work takes me to Japan periodcally. I find that everything in Japan now is VERY reasonably priced for Americans because the dollar is strong compared to the yen.
I’ve stayed at the Hilton, and it’s great to be so close, but I’ve also commuted out there because I was staying in Tokyo for work. It’s really not bad doing the commute, and part of the coolness of Tokyo is experiencing the insanity that is Tokyo Station.
I wish more Americans would go there because Japan is such a special place, and Tokyo Disney is an amazing resort.
Yes, the weak yen made our recent trip especially affordable! I didn’t want to include that in this post, though, as that could change between now and the time people actually take their trips, even if they book today. The long term forecast looks good for Americans, but we shall see.
Tokyo Station is definitely something to experience, especially during rush hour!
This is a great website with some fantastic, and inspiring photos, for my upcoming trip to DisneySea next month. Despite living in Japan, I’ve never actually been. (Been to TDL many times: it was the first Disney park I ever went to. Never been to Sea yet….)
However I just want to add some comments about off-site hotels. As others have noted, Tom Bricker’s comments about them do seem negative, based on his bad experience, and while indeed YMMV, it’s far from a gamble. So to encourage people to look beyond the monorail, so to speak, I discuss the different types of hotel below.
Basically, at TDR there are the Disney hotels (the Mega Costa, the Ambassador, and the Disneyland), the Official Hotels (the ones ringing TDR, like the Sheraton, Hilton, etc.), then there are the Partner Hotels, which include things like the Palm and Fountain, the Oriental (where I stayed last time: good for families as they have rooms with four beds) and the Emion Tokyo Bay. Below that, so to speak, are the Good Neighbour Hotels, which can be anywhere, really – the Keio Plaza waaaay out in Shinjuku is classified as a Good Neighbour. That’s a “neighbour”? So these ones are a little further away, and you have a longer commute.
The Disney hotels are nice of course, but nose-bleedingly expensive. The Official Hotels are nice too, but given that the monorail *isn’t* free, and the Partner Hotel shuttle buses *are* free, there’s something to think about right then. Partner Hotels are all also located very conveniently to TDR, so their shuttle buses get you there in about 10-15 minutes.
Another factor is that the Partner Hotels, because they can’t trade in on the cachet of being Official Hotels, often seem to give a little better service. For example, the current ranking of Urayasu hotels on TripAdvisor lists only two Official Hotels in the top ten, with one Partner Hotel (the Emion) being second, and four others filling out the list (the Sheraton is 11th). In addition to that, they are generally cheaper, for the same reason.
In short, while Good Neighbour hotels can be variable, especially in terms of location, Partner Hotels seem to hit that sweet spot between cost and convenience. If you can get an Official Hotel for a good price, great – go for it. But if you’re on a budget, but still want convenience, don’t be worried about staying “off-site.” You won’t necessarily have to put up with a lower level of comfort.
There are also hotels that aren’t even Good Neighbour rank. One that frugal travellers might want to consider is the CVS Bay Hotel, just two stops along from Maihama, for little more than the price of a 1-Day Passport for two, and with free (but simple) breakfast. If you’re really on a budget, the Minami-Senju area of Tokyo, a short train ride from Ueno, offers plenty of places as low as USD$20 for a single room: these are popular with Western backpackers, so they’re used to foreign guests. I’ve stayed in this area several times – it’s working-class, but absolutely safe.
Anyway, Japan is in general a very safe, clean place, so choosing a cheap hotel won’t have you in some roach-infested slum where crack dealers and hookers hang out. Japan is in fact surprisingly affordable once you get here, and you don’t insist on fancy hotels or fancy restaurants. Ignore those people who tell you about their $50 cup of coffee from the Imperial Hotel, and get a can of hot coffee from a vending machine anywhere for 120 yen….
Thanks for the detailed comment. There’s no doubt that my opinion is colored by a negative experience off-site. That, plus (what I feel are) affordable prices for the Hilton and Sheraton make those a no-brainer for me. Unless someone I know and trust were to recommend an off-site hotel, I’d view them as too much of a wildcard going forward.
Again, though, it’s totally a YMMV thing. No question on that! 🙂
Thanks for your articles – they are always brilliant and fairly and logically written. My husband and I also have the luxury and great good fortune of being able to travel frequently, as it’s just the two of us, every two years or so. We LOVED Tokyo Disney and are planning a trip back in 2016, along with a trip to Hong Kong Disney and hopefully (it it’s open) Shanghai Disney. We are from Australia, so every time we travel to a Disney park it is expensive and the airfare is upwards of $1000 per person (usually closer to $2000 from Perth as we are so remote). I think a lot of American’s (and i’m certainly not including you in this description) take it for granted that they have 2 Disney theme parks within their own country, and that there are Disney fans world wide who always have to pay a lot and travel a lot to get to a Disney park. I love the American parks, and I love Tokyo Disney, we just limit ourselves other luxuries so we can save for trips every 2 years or so.