Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort Review
Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort is located within walking distance of Tokyo Disneyland, and located on the monorail loop. This review features room photos, details & info, thoughts on my stay here, and to whom I’d recommend the hotel. (Updated January 16, 2023.)
From many of the guest rooms at Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort, you have a great view of Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain, plus Mount Prometheus and Tower of Terror in Tokyo DisneySea. That’s because the First Resort is also technically the first hotel from Tokyo Disneyland–at least, the first third party hotel.
Note that Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort was previously known as Sunroute (or Sun Route) Plaza Tokyo. Although the hotel is under new management and has been rebranded, nothing of substance has changed about this property. It still has the same themed guest rooms, restaurants, etc. About the only thing that has changed is the views, but that’s due to construction at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, and has nothing to do with this hotel itself.
Even if you’re already planning a Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea vacation, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort. Most Westerners who stay on-site at Tokyo Disney Resort stay at the Hilton Tokyo Bay or Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, which are the major Western hotel chains on-site.
Like those two hotels, the Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort is a short walk from Bayside Station. The key difference is that it’s on the opposite side of the monorail station, closer to Tokyo Disneyland. This makes it a slightly longer walk to the station (necessary for accessing Tokyo DisneySea), but a shorter walk to Tokyo Disneyland.
The Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort is definitely much less popular with Western guests. In fact, I didn’t see any other Westerners there. I can certainly understand the preference for the Sheraton and Hilton–not only are their rooms larger, but they are familiar brands, and the staff of both of those hotels is generally better at assisting English-speaking guests.
However, despite those things, you shouldn’t rule out the Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort as a place to stay during your trip to Tokyo Disney Resort. Here’s why…
Actually, some people should–without a doubt–opt for the Hilton and Sheraton instead of Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort. Determining whether you’re one of those people requires being honest with yourself: are you a high-maintenance hotel guest? There’s nothing necessarily wrong with being such a guest, so this isn’t a value judgment.
If you are such a guest, the Hilton and Sheraton are better options. The staff at those hotels (in my experience) speaks the best English of anyone at Tokyo Disney Resort. However, if you’re the type of guest who typically only interacts with hotel staff at check-in and check-out, Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort might be perfectly suitable. Its staff speaks perfectly suitable English for check-in and check-out (and in typical Japanese form, the service is impeccable), but if you have complicated questions or requests, they will be less-able to assist.
The next question you have to ask after that is how much space you need. The Hilton and Sheraton have large (normal for US hotels, large for Japan) rooms, whereas Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort is somewhere between Japanese-sized rooms and US-sized rooms. If you’re traveling with your family or just like your space, these rooms are not for you.
If you don’t mind a smaller room or are a solo traveler, the rooms are perfectly fine. They utilize space very efficiently, so nothing is “missing” that you’d otherwise expect in a hotel room.
If you’re still on board with Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort, you have some pretty awesome options for different styles of rooms, from castle rooms to frontier rooms to the cruiser room, which is what I had.
The fun cruiseliner theme is conveyed throughout each of the entire floors that have the cruiser rooms, which is nice. There are a lot of little details that give the floor character. In addition to this theme, there are also Castle and Frontier-themed rooms. There are also normal, non-themed rooms of various styles.
The cruise ship cabin is a really clever theme (given the size, it really felt like a cruise ship cabin!), and pretty well-executed.
On the Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort, they describe this room as “Cruising Cabin has a concept which is early western adventure.” Um, okay! You can read and see more of the other styles here.
Usually, Japanese bathrooms place the shower and toilet in separate rooms, but that is not the case here.
The area is quite small, but the toilet has plenty of functionality, the shower has great pressure (common in Japan; I’m pretty sure most hotels there have purchased black market Yugoslavian shower heads), and a full set of complimentary toiletries.
I really loved the room here. It’s a fun idea that is well done, right down to the details. It didn’t hurt that I was able to book the room for about $80/night US, which I felt was a really great rate for such a high-quality hotel that’s only about a 10 minute walk to Tokyo Disneyland.
I booked for that rate via a third party booking site relatively last minute, which is a big reason why the price was so low. If you look at the hotel’s rate chart, the prices are significantly more. If you’re thinking of staying here, make sure to watch booking.com, hotels.com, agoda.com, and the like.
One thing I enjoy–probably too much–is spotting signs in Japan that are written in English and have interesting translations. Every time I see these and chuckle to myself, I’ll admit that I feel a little guilty. Whomever wrote the English at least is somewhat fluent in English, while also being fluent in Japanese. I’m only marginally fluent in English, and certainly can’t speak another language.
I write this as a preface to these next two photos because I want to make clear this is all in good fun, and I’m (probably?) not a terrible person. Plus, in fairness, Japanese television relentlessly mocks caricatures of Americans, which I assume is also all in good fun…
Before booking this hotel, one thing you should know is that danger lurks around every corner. There are little placards all over the place letting you know this, including about 5 in the room.
For instance, this “oar” can cause injury, so use it only in the case of emergency by order of the captain.
Also, it’s good to know that this “float” causes danger or trouble and should only be used in case of emergency.
Actually, a lot of things in the room cause danger or trouble, not just the props. To my recollection, the air conditioner, sink, and windows all caused danger or trouble. So be careful. 😉 (I kid, I kid.)
One thing I have noticed about each of the official hotels at which I’ve stayed is that they do serious wedding business. There are always weddings going on, they have boutiques, and generally are equipped with “wedding stuff.”
If you’re thinking about getting married in Japan, all of these hotels are options…
Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort has large outdoor area with gardens, fountains, and topiaries between its towers.
There are also 3 restaurants at Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort, each of which are nice. There’s a Japanese buffet, American buffet, and French restaurant. There are a ton of other amenities, including a Disney store, convenience store, arcade, flower store, free WiFi, and more.
Overall, Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort is a great hotel for what it is. We would definitely stay there again, as it makes an especially great hotel for solo travelers or couples who don’t need a ton of space, and want something unique and fun. For these travelers, it’s a great option and more novel of a hotel than the Hilton or Sheraton.
However, the First Resort is not going to be for everyone. Families or those who are used to spreading out are probably going to be better suited at the Hilton or Sheraton, as are those who want to stay with a familiar brand name hotel. If you don’t mind the smaller sized room and are able to snag Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort for a low price, you absolutely will not be disappointed. It’s a very high-quality hotel with some fun styles of rooms.
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 Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort look like a hotel at which you would want to stay? Have you already stayed here? Have any other hotels you like or are considering near Tokyo Disneyland? Do you agree or disagree with our First Resort review? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I realize this is a several-year-old post and you might not check the comments, but did this hotel close or rebrand? It looks from Google like it became the Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort.
Love, love, love this hotel. I picked it based on your review and was not disappointed. The staff are very accommodating and I thought everyone spoke English well. The rooms are adorable and there was plenty of space for everything I needed (although a twin bed is awkward). I would definitely stay there again. The only downside is that the hotel’s shuttle doesn’t run to the Monorail/parks until the parks open, so I recommend taking an early morning 15-minute walk to the closest Monorail station to arrive an hour before park opening.
I’m ok with a small room, but how small are the beds? I’m a slim 6′ tall…..will I have any problems with the length of the mattresses?
I just got back from Tokyo about a week ago and am going back again next week. Lol. This lat visit, we opted to stay in Shinjuku at a hotel called Granbell Hotel Shinjuku. It was an artsy boutique hotel. We didn’t want to cough up the extra money for the fancier LARGE rooms so we got a queen bed room just under 200 square feet.
For my visit next week, since I will be traveling alone, I opted to stay on Disney property at the hotel you reviewed – and I actually booked the same style room as you! I’m looking forward to it. I typically book all my trips through Expedia as they seem to be the best rates possible. I wasn’t able to get my room for the price you did, but if the price drops last minute, they do allow me to price match the rate I booked. Crossing my fingers on that! That could save me some merchandise money. Thanks for this review. I can’t wait to stay.
Oh one question. Do you happen to know the prices for the restaurants (mainly the California one) and what they serve? I couldn’t find anything. The package I booked apparently comes with breakfast but uncertain what the option is. I’ll probably go get waffles at Disneyland anyway.
Tom, do you have any tips and tricks for monitoring travel accommodations “deals” sites other than standard email alerts? My husband and I are about to begin planning a longer stay in Tokyo with 4 days at Tokyo Disney for next May 2017. I’ve noticed on some sites, the Hilton is already booked solid a year in advance, and I want to make sure we get a reasonable deal at either this hotel or the Hilton. That said, do you have any ideas of how quickly these places book up or when deals pop up?
Thanks for all the Tokyo reviews! This is the only place I can find GREAT itineraries and planning guides!
Thanks for this great review! This is the exact layout of room that I had when I stayed there in 2008. It’s wonderful to see such great pictures – brings back fond memories!
This is great timing. I came here looking for the Tokyo Disney planning guide and I’m glad to see a review of a hotel that most westerners wouldn’t be familiar with. We are headed to Japan in August and will be going to Tokyo Disney. I’m glad you reviewed the mifi rental since I have not done that before in my previous trips to Japan. Anyway, thanks for the update from Tokyo, I’ve always enjoyed your site and love these articles from Japan the most.
SunRoute Plaza Tokyo was the first hotel we stayed at on our first visit to TDR. At that time, it was just my husband and myself and we thought the “Cruising Style” rooms were great fun!! We had no issues with getting checked in and found the staff to be wonderful. We would return to SunRoute on subsequent visits, once staying in the Standard Room with an infant and we felt like this room offered a bit more space to move around, but would return to stay again in the Cruising room, this time with a toddler and infant in tow! I will admit, it felt pretty cramped in there and on most recent visits we went for the larger rooms at the Hilton as our budget allowed. But, we have fond memories of our visits to SunRoute and believe they are a great choice for those who want to stay close to Disney without breaking the bank.
What are the prices and rating for the hotels.
Tom – The theming in your room and in the elevator landing area are simply amazing. Makes you feel like you are on a real cruise.
I noticed that the signage in your photos (ignoring the emergency instructions for the rescue equipment) is all in English only. I would have expected to see bilingual Japanese / English.
There are two signs right next to one another in every instance, one in English and one in Japanese. I think it would be funny if the Japanese signage says something totally different, and doesn’t include the warnings, which they feel are only necessary for us troublemaker Americans! 😉
Thanks for all of the info on your site about Tokyo Disney. My family of three just finished four days there, staying at the Fountain Terrace Hotel. Based on your review, we would definitely consider Sunroute Plaza in the future, if the price was right.
What did you think of the Fountain Terrace Hotel?
It was a nice, clean Japanese hotel at a good price, about ¥50,000 for 3 nights. I heard no one other than us speak English there, but the staff provided us with excellent service and spoke enough English to get by. They had laundry on every floor and a convenience store by the lobby. The shuttle buses to and from the parks were frequent and reliable. And by Japanese standards the room was very large, with two twin beds and two couch/beds. The hotel met our needs and we would stay there again.
I second the recommendation for the Fountain Terrace hotel. We’ve stayed there on both of our visits to the Tokyo Disney resort. The buses are very reliable and travel time was similar to riding a bus from the EPCOT resorts to the Magic Kingdom at WDW. You do stop at Tokyo DisneySea first, by the way. Rooms at the hotel were a bit larger than the ones on this review. The convenience store (a Lawsons) was very nice so we could grab some breakfast items while we waited in line at the park entrance.