2026 Tokyo Disneyland Planning Guide
Our 2026 Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea vacation planning guide offers info for the two Disney parks, resort hotels, and ‘downtown’ district in Japan. We have tips & tricks, where to stay, how long to visit, must-eat food & snacks, best attractions, touring plans, avoiding crowds, and other things to do.
Whether you’re eager to take your first visit to Japan or make a return visit for Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, we are here to help you start planning! The brand new $2 billion port-of-call featuring Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan is now open and is, unsurprisingly, very popular.
The good news is that Fantasy Springs has switched to standby. You can now experience the attractions at Fantasy Springs in Tokyo DisneySea by waiting in line or by using Disney Premier Access (paid FastPass). This means that Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies all ditched their virtual queues and switched to regular ole standby lines. This is a huge change, and one that results in fewer frustrations and greater predictability.
The bad news is that it results in one added frustration, which is that Tokyo DisneySea is now even busier than it was in the months after the new land debuted. We recently returned from our annual Christmas and fall colors trip to Japan, and it was a mostly positive experience.
However, as discussed in Our New Favorite Crowd Calendar for Disney’s Busiest Parks, we no longer feel as strongly about this being the best time to visit–especially not for first-timers. In fact, we’d now recommend consulting that crowd calendar before booking a trip, and choosing dates on the less busy end of the spectrum. (Late Spring 2026 is looking really good to us, just be mindful of avoiding Golden Week!)
Suffice to say, Tokyo DisneySea is still challenging, with long lines to enter the park at rope drop and high average wait times for most attractions. On an average day, you will encounter half-dozen or more different attractions with triple-digit average wait times. On a busy day, there will be 8 attractions with 100-minute or more averages, with 4-5 of those at 180 or more minutes. On the worst of the worst days, multiple headliners will exceed 240 minutes throughout the day.
As such, we still recommend arriving early and packing your patience–or waiting out the rope drop crowd. Either way, you need savvy strategy for Tokyo DisneySea (even more so than Tokyo Disneyland) and, ideally, a willingness to purchase a few Premier Access line-skipping passes.
We cannot emphasize enough how important advance planning is for Fantasy Springs and Tokyo DisneySea as a whole–and probably will throughout 2026 and beyond. With that said, it’s also not our intention to scare you away–we’re simply trying to set realistic expectations, especially given that a lot of TDR coverage is glowing, and glosses over all criticism.
We’ve been back to Tokyo Disney Resort on several occasions in the last 3 years to experience everything that’s new and see how the parks have changed as compared to pre-closure. Even at a slower pace thanks to now having a toddler, TDR is our favorite place in the world. These are still the two best Disney parks in the world. They certainly are not perfect, but they’re still great.
The biggest frustration for us is that these crowds don’t have to be as bad as they are. It’s now been over three years since Japan reopened to individual travelers and the parks are, somehow, still in phased reopening mode. Things still are not entirely back to normal. The parks are not firing on all cylinders, operations remain reduced, and all of this exacerbates the crowding issue.
Staffing shortages are an ongoing issue, restaurants and retail remain closed, entertainment is reduced or modified, hours are shorter, and more. The bottom line is that the Tokyo Disney Resort of today is still very different from the Tokyo Disney Resort of 2019. At this point, we view this as the new normal for TDR.
If it’s your first visit, you probably won’t even notice this. You will absolutely notice the heavy crowds, but you won’t be able to spot the underlying issues or ways these problems were mitigated in the past.
Thankfully, Tokyo Disney Resort still has more (and better) entertainment than the U.S. parks. While there are ways that the entertainment still feels missing or incomplete, this actually is gradually getting better. Relatively recently, the new “Dreams Take Flight” show debuted in the Hangar Stage in Tokyo DisneySea. Following that, Big Band Beat: A Special Treat (the COVID version of the popular Broadway show) ended and is due for replacement sometime in the future (probably 2027, not 2026).
Things should get even better in 2026, thanks to the Tokyo DisneySea “Sparkling Jubilee” celebration, which starts on April 15, 2026 and runs until March 31, 2027. Entertainment highlights include the new “Sparkling Jubilee Celebration” in Mediterranean Harbor and the world dance-themed stage show “Dance the Globe!” in American Waterfront. See Tokyo DisneySea 25th Anniversary Dates & Details for more info about what that event will entail.
In other positive news/updates, Tokyo Disney Resort brought back a version of free FastPass, albeit by a different name. Check out our Guide to Priority Pass & Premier Access at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea for everything you need to know about the new line-skipping services.
One thing to note right now is that there’s generally a disparity in crowds and wait times between Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, with the latter usually feeling far worse and having higher wait times. This is in large part because Tokyo Disney Resort attendance is driven disproportionately by locals, meaning repeat visitors as opposed to first-time foreign or domestic tourists.
Consequently, Fantasy Springs is driving attendance to Tokyo DisneySea on the one hand, as it’s the big new addition that locals want to experience. On the other hand, a new Space Mountain and Wreck-It Ralph ride are both currently being built, resulting in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland being a bit of a construction zone.
That plus refurbishments of popular rides is resulting in locals flocking to TDS and avoiding TDL. With this is mind, if you’re going to be more “aggressive” with getting up early or spend more on Premier Access, it makes sense to do that for Tokyo DisneySea. This could change as the year continues and more time passes since the opening of Fantasy Springs, but for now, it’s the dynamic.
For everything else that’s been recently added or is on the horizon, see What’s New & Next in 2026-2027 at Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea.
Beyond that, a lot of other little changes have happened since 2019. A lot of this is covered indirectly via our 101 Great Tips for Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea, which offers a wealth of random advice that will familiarize you with a ton of tips & tricks that you should know for navigating the quirks of Tokyo Disney Resort. Our goal with that post is to help first-timers and repeat visitors feel like they are touring the parks like locals. That covers a lot of things that are important but just too granular for a guide like this, such as:
- Mobile Order
- Entry Request (Show Lotteries)
- IC Cards
- Vacation Packages
- Fantasy Springs Tips & Tricks
Obviously, there’s a lot more ground covered than just those four bullet points. The salient point is that technology (the Tokyo Disney Resort app in particular, but not just that) has changed the game since 2019, as has the opening of Fantasy Springs. As a result, visiting TDR in 2026 is much different than it was 6 years ago.
With the latest updates out of the way, let’s dig into planning a trip to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea…
We’ve spent a ton of time in Japan over the last decade-plus, and update this almost neurotically as we learn from our travels and research. This Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland Guide has been refreshed dozens of times since we first wrote it, and more will be added over time as certain parts are clarified or expanded. We are slightly obsessed fans of Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea.
Prior to the closure, we visited Japan multiple times per year for 7 consecutive years, including several multi-month stays. We were Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Annual Passholders (until TDR cancelled those) who have dined in almost every restaurant and stayed in most hotels at Tokyo Disney Resort.
We recently spent over a month in Japan for our baby’s first trip trip, which included the opening of Fantasy Springs. Of course, we didn’t spend all of that time at Tokyo Disney Resort. The trip started with a week in Tokyo, followed by 3 weeks in Kyoto, before returning to Tokyo for a bit over 2 more weeks.
If you’re just starting to plan a trip to Japan, there’s a lot to consider. We recommend planning your time at Tokyo Disney Resort in tandem with where else you want to visit in Japan. Consult our Ultimate Tokyo, Japan City Guide for recommendations in the city. While we like Tokyo, we far prefer Kyoto.
Kyoto is our favorite city in the world, and a place that we view as essential to a trip to Japan. In our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan, we offer our “sales pitch” as to why we love it so much, and cover everything you need to know for planning a visit to that wonderful city. Total, we’d recommend Disney fans allocate around two-thirds of their trip to the cities of Kyoto and Tokyo–with more time in Kyoto.
Of course, all of this assumes that you should visit Japan in the first place. Let’s backtrack and address that threshold question…
Should You Visit Japan & Tokyo Disney Resort?
If you have the means to go to Japan or can save for it as a once-in-a-lifetime trip, we think you will be very satisfied with the decision to go. While there’s no question that international travel is costly, traveling to Japan might not be quite as expensive as you might think; you really should crunch the numbers before ruling out the possibility of swinging a trip to Japan. Without question, it’s worth the money for Walt Disney World regulars to visit the Japan parks.
Since we visit Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea regularly, we’ve been accused of being biased towards the Japanese parks. That isn’t true at all. We’re biased towards excellence. From maintenance to food quality to Cast Member friendliness, Tokyo Disney Resort is in a league of its own. Moreover, we have yet to encounter anyone who has told us they regretted visiting Japan. (If you want to be the first, feel free to say so in the comments.)
Without a doubt, traveling to Japan is outside comfort zones and one of the biggest things holding people back from visiting. From the long international flight to the prospect of navigating a foreign country without speaking its native language, a trip to Japan can be overwhelming. This is normal, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being anxious about traveling somewhere because it’s outside of your comfort zone.
Tokyo is a long flight to a place where English is a second language (at best). However, the Japanese are some of the universally nicest and most helpful people in the world. Once you understand the ‘system’ at one Disney theme park, you understand it at all of them, regardless of their dominant language.
In terms of the language barrier, there is not much of one at all. All signs are in English, park maps are available in English, and many attractions have dialogue in English. Even the attractions that have dialogue exclusively in Japanese mostly convey their message through visual means.
More importantly, most Cast Members either speak enough English to effectively communicate with English-speaking guests or can find someone to help you who does. Failing that, a bit of pantomime gets the job done. Verbal communication and pantomime with the first Cast Member you encounter is all you’ll need.
My social skills are poor and I can barely communicate with people in English, and I still do just fine. Irrespective of that, Cast Members in Tokyo are by far the nicest and most helpful in the world, and they will do everything they can to make your experience positive, so long as that does not involve breaking rules.
The Japanese concept of rules is different than the US concept of rules. Calling them “rules” might be a bit of a misnomer, because it some cases they’re inflexible policies. For example, you might be used to making substitutions to your meals in the US parks because of a food allergy or preference.
What’s on the menu is what’s on the menu in Japan, and attempts at substitutions or changes will typically be met with resistance or confusion. Americans are more likely to question the “why?” of a rule or policy here in the US and look at whether it really makes sense given the circumstances. In Japan, adherence to every rule/policy/procedure is universally expected, no matter how arbitrary it might seem.
Most of the time, this results in a more orderly, enjoyable experience. Only in Japan is there no line jumping, and everyone sits down for the parades! Sometimes it does have unintended consequences. We know some vegetarians who have gone to the parks and didn’t have the best of times because there were limited vegetarian options and they were unable to make substitutions because a substitution is going against established policy.
How Many Days?
Part of answering this question requires determining how much time you can spend in Japan. If you’re traveling halfway around the world, hopefully you’re planning on seeing more than just the two Disney theme parks in Japan. In addition to these, we’d also strongly recommend spending a good amount of time in Tokyo and Kyoto at the very least.
The other part of answering this question is contingent upon whether you’re a Disney fan planning a pilgrimage to the two best Disney parks in the world, or a regular person visiting Japan who stumbled upon this post via Google. If the latter, two days is sufficient. We have itineraries below for seeing all of the highlights in a single day, and this guide is probably more than you want or need to know about Tokyo Disney Resort.
Those itineraries cover everything from the order you should do rides to experience them efficiently, to where you should eat, and more. Following those touring plans will help you make the most of your time in the parks and see as much as possible in only 2 days.
If you’re a diehard Disney fan wondering how many days you should spend at Tokyo Disney Resort…that’s a trick question. No number of days is enough…and that’s only a half-joke. Tokyo DisneySea is the best Disney park in the world and Tokyo Disneyland is also near the top (second best, if you ask me). Think of these parks as “fine moonshine.” You have to sip them slowly enough that you have a nice intoxication, because if you drink them in too quickly, you’re likely to go blind.
Hardcore Disney fans still should not overdo it, and should aim to spend no more than one-third of your trip to Japan at Tokyo Disney Resort–or a maximum of 4 days, whichever is less. Two days in each theme park might seem excessive, but we don’t think a trip to Tokyo is for the type of fan who views the parks as a collection of rides to “complete” as quickly as possible.
In our view, a balanced trip to Japan for a Disney fan includes 4 days at Tokyo Disney Resort, 3 days in Tokyo outside the parks, and 5 days in and around Kyoto. If anything, we’d be inclined to pull a day or two from the TDR and Tokyo portion of the trip to reallocate to Kyoto and other areas of the Kansai region (Osaka, Kobe, Nara, etc). Reasonable minds may vary on that, though.
These parks, DisneySea, especially, are meant to be slowed down and taken in. The best “attraction” at Tokyo DisneySea isn’t an actual attraction that you’ll find on any park map. It’s the sense of place that it has, and this is something that you’ll want to spend some time savoring.
When it comes to actual attractions, the lines can be long at both parks. These lines actually starting before the parks open, and guests running for popular attractions immediately. Tokyo Disney Resort’s main demographic is locals, and they don’t mind waiting hours in line for a single attraction because they can always come back later to see others.
When to Visit
Choosing the best time to visit is the most important aspect of planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort. We highly recommend reading our When to Visit Tokyo Disneyland post, as that covers this essential topic in much greater detail. Everything from weather (Tokyo has extremes in both directions–it can even snow there!) to seasonal events to crowds is discussed in that post.
When picking our days to visit Tokyo Disney Resort, the first thing we consider is what season we want to visit. For subsequent trips, we wanted to see Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and Summer. We’ve now visited during every season, and they’re all very well done.
Halloween and Christmas are the two most popular seasonal events at Tokyo Disney Resort, and the parks look awesome for both, with a lot of special seasonal entertainment. You can “double dip” by planning a HalloXmas Trip to Tokyo Disney Resort that coincides with both Halloween and Christmas. That’s our absolute favorite time to visit!
With it narrowed down to which season we wanted to see, think about crowds…
As with weather, Tokyo Disney Resort is a place of extremes when it comes to crowds. This makes it really important to choose the least-crowded dates. Once we choose the time of year we want to visit (see our ‘When to Visit’ post above for recommendations), we generally consult Crowd Calendars for Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea to pick specific date ranges within the season that are predicted to be lightly crowded.
More important than the time of year is the days of the week you visit. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are least busy Monday through Thursday. Friday is the busiest weekday, and weekends are incredibly busy. Avoid weekends no matter what time of year you visit.
If you’re researching a trip, you might have encountered photos of insane crowds that make you apprehensive about visiting. Crowds in Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea have taken on “urban legend” status as these photos spread. The reality is that weekends and holidays can be very busy.
On the other hand, low-season days in the middle of the week can feel more pleasant than mid-January at Disneyland. The crowds at these parks fluctuate more than any other Disney parks in the world, which really underscores the importance of carefully choosing days to visit.
What to Pack
For any Disney trip, the things on our Unique Disney Packing List will be helpful. There’s not really anything specific to Tokyo that you will need. No voltage converter is necessary. However, there are a few things you might want to pack for the long international flight.
Sarah had trouble sleeping on our first couple of flights to Japan, so she purchased these reusable earplugs, this sleep mask, and this inflatable airplane pillow. Now she swears by all 3. I could sleep on a pile of hay during a death metal concert, so I don’t use earplugs or a special pillow–just noise cancelling AirPods Pro.
If you’re visiting during the summer, things like Frogg Togg Chilly Pads will also come in handy, as will moisture wicking clothing because Japan gets really humid in June, July and August. Consult our Beating the Summer Heat at Disney post for more info. In the winter, it’s cold and can even snow in Japan, so read our Packing for Disney in Winter post for tips on visiting then.
Outside of the summer, guests in Tokyo Disney Resort typically dress very nicely, which is something to keep in mind when packing your own clothes. Novelty Disney hats are also common with these nice clothes (quite the contrast), but you’ll want to buy your novelty hat in the parks.
We would caution against overpacking. This is especially true if you’re doing more in Japan than just Tokyo Disney Resort. The rail system in Tokyo is incredibly complex, with a lot of transfers. You will do a lot of walking, riding the rail, etc., and you really don’t want to be encumbered by excess baggage, especially during rush hour on the trains.
Perhaps the best advice we can give you is to pack light. Lay out everything you’re planning on taking before you pack it, and determine if you truly need it. Not if it “might come in handy, maybe,” but if you actually will use it. Don’t pack things you won’t use. If you are going to be staying in multiple hotels during your trip to Japan, we recommend packing cubes or compression bags for organization. You can read more of our “carry-on philosophy” and which types of bags we use here.
Buying Park Tickets
There are several ticket options at Tokyo Disney Resort, we discuss them in more depth in our Money-Saving Tips for Tokyo Disneyland Park Tickets post. If you are going on weekdays during non-holiday season, the easiest option is purchasing your park tickets on the day-of at the front of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. However, this isn’t without risk, as tickets can and do sell out for popular dates.
In an ideal scenario, you should buy tickets online about 30-60 days in advance of your trip (tickets are not currently sold beyond 60 days out) to avoid any issues upon arrival. To save money and buy tickets before leaving home, we recommend Klook (if they have inventory–which isn’t always the case). Not only are their tickets discounted, but it’s easier to navigate than the official (and more expensive) Tokyo Disney Resort website.
If Klook is sold out, we recommend using the official Tokyo Disney Resort Online Reservation & Tickets website or the TDR app. Fair warning: these can be difficult to use, and often have issues with credit cards issued by U.S. banks.
Failing all of that, you can wait until you arrive to purchase your park tickets. Just be warned that Tokyo Disney Resort does sell out of park tickets in advance. However, guests of monorail loop hotels (like the Sheraton and Hilton Tokyo Bay) may usually purchase tickets from their hotel’s concierge even when the parks are sold out to the general public.
(This was guaranteed pre-2020, but has become much more hit or miss. Even though the Hilton no longer advertises it online, they typically do have tickets available. We just confirmed this again at Christmas. It’s still true.)
Where to Stay
We have stayed at 10 different hotels in and around Tokyo Disney Resort, plus Airbnb apartments. Suffice to say, we have a lot of experience at hotels in Japan, and almost all of it is positive. For our thoughts on hotel options, read our Hotel Reviews & Rankings at Tokyo Disneyland post, as that covers the topic in greater depth, and provides links to specific hotel reviews.
As for an overview, you basically have three options: off-site, on-site “official,” and on-site Disney. We’ll start by covering the Disney hotels. These are Disney’s Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Hotel MiraCosta, Toy Story Hotel, and Fantasy Springs Hotel.
They are all very pricey. If you have the money, consider a night or two at Hotel MiraCosta or Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. We’ve stayed at both, and they are two of the most unforgettable hotel experiences we’ve ever had. (We have not yet stayed at Fantasy Springs Hotel, but we have toured it. We were unimpressed.)
If you’re approaching them solely from a cost-benefit or value perspective, it’s difficult to justify any of the Disney hotels. Their big advantage is location, and that’s biggest in terms of the view from your room (which can be into the park at both Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Hotel MiraCosta) and not from access, since the on-site official hotels are also located on the monorail loop and also have theme park views in some cases.
Is it worth potentially $200-300/night more than the official hotels for that view into the park? Probably not, unless money is no issue or you’re viewing this as a once in a lifetime trip.
As for the on-site official hotels, these are hotels that are on the monorail loop, and typically offer large, Western accommodations, and are moderately priced given the circumstances. Many compare very favorably to a Walt Disney World Deluxe hotel. Large, nice rooms. Cinderella Castle or ocean views. Location on the monorail loop. All for $130-180/night, most of the time. (Prices do spike for these hotels certain times of year and at the last minute, so book early.)
Finally, there are the off-site hotels, which we do not recommend. There’s nothing wrong with a lot of the off-site hotels, but they are a more unknown quantity with rooms that will typically skew towards small, Japanese accommodations. Plus, many of the ones closest to Tokyo Disney Resort are overpriced considering what they offer.
There’s also the element of getting to and from the parks on public transportation, which can be a real hassle. Public transportation is also utilized by business people and students around the same time you’ll be heading to the parks, making it chaotic.
If you must stay off-site because the on-site hotels or full, or because you’re on a tight budget, we highly recommend doing an Airbnb rental instead…
We have a post that discusses our Tips for Using Airbnb in case you’re unfamiliar with the service. We’ve used it numerous times in Japan, near Tokyo Disney Resort as well as in Kyoto and Osaka. We typically use it on Friday and Saturday nights near Tokyo Disney Resorts, as hotel rates typically skyrocket for those nights.
When we are traveling throughout Japan but aren’t at Tokyo Disney Resort, we prefer Airbnb to booking hotels because it gives us the option for a much larger room, usually an entire apartment. Japanese hotel rooms (that are not Western chains) tend to be very small, and using Airbnb is the best way to avoid this issue.
Plus, the price is usually cheaper than a hotel room, and Airbnb hosts often include free MiFi so you can use the internet on the go. We’ve had some fun experiences staying at unique Airbnb locations throughout Japan, too. (The photo above is from an Airbnb we rented in Japan that was converted from a bar downstairs.)
Attraction Strategy
Even if you go at a less-busy time of year, we recommend arriving at either park 30 minutes before it opens for your first couple of days. There will already be a long line (or lines) to get inside when you get there, so don’t be alarmed. Once you get inside, walk briskly (or run lightly) for your first ride of the day.
This is covered in the strategy guides above, but it’s good to reiterate. Once you knock out the main headliners, you can take the ‘sleep in and go late’ approach, on subsequent days if you so desire–but your first day in each park you should arrive prior to opening.
We’ve already written extensive attraction guides for both parks, so there’s no point in rehashing those here. Those guides contain strategy as well as reviews of the attractions. There will be very few attractions you’ll want to skip in Tokyo DisneySea, perhaps more in Tokyo Disneyland (where there are more clones). Here are those guides:
Refurbishments are common at Tokyo Disney Resort, so make sure you consult the Tokyo Disney Resort Refurbishment Calendar before booking. It’s good for about 6 months out, so it may not be of much help.
Where to Eat
Dining at Tokyo Disney Resort is a huge topic unto itself, and this guide is already getting really long, so this will just cover the basics. First, for specific restaurants, make sure to check out our Tokyo Disney Resort Restaurant Reviews.
We have individual reviews from every Tokyo Disney Resort restaurant, plus restaurant rankings for both parks. We’ve eaten at every single restaurant in the parks, plus many in the hotels and Ikspiari, so that should help.
Snacking should be a big part of your trip. The cost of this can quickly add up, but it’s an integral part of the Tokyo experience. Tokyo Disney Resort has some crazy popcorn flavors, and they’re definitely worth trying so you can form your own opinion.
We also like stopping for full meals. In our experience, Tokyo Disneyland is the place to do counter service and Tokyo DisneySea is the place to do table service (its counter service options are also good, though). Both parks have some really amazing restaurants that are experiences in themselves.
The Tokyo parks have a reputation for small portion sizes and high prices, but that’s hit or miss. Portions can be small, but they aren’t always. We think prices are comparable to the US parks for counter service meals (for similar portion sizes and quality), and table service is cheaper at Tokyo Disney Resort. There’s no tipping (and it’s a strict rule–they won’t let you tip) in Japan, which plays a part in the price differences.
If you do plan on doing table service, know that restaurants often are fully booked in advance. Unfortunately, the only way to make dining reservations is through the Tokyo Disney Resort website (in Japanese) or by emailing the hotel if you are staying at a Disney-owned hotel.
As mentioned above, substitutions are not a ‘thing’ in Tokyo, nor is accommodating those with special dietary needs or preferences. If you are a vegetarian, dining in the Tokyo parks will be a challenge, as there are limited vegetarian menus. If you have other restrictions or preferences, you may have an even more difficult time.
Neither of us are vegetarians so we have no first hand experience in this regard, but we’ve heard stories from others. If you are a vegetarian, the buffets are your best option, but vegetarian options at counter service restaurants are starting to become more common.
Shopping
Merchandise at Tokyo Disney Resort is very different from what you’ll find at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Instead of items with the park logos or attraction names, most items at Tokyo Disney Resort are character-themed or kawaii. Depending upon who you ask, Tokyo either has the best or worst merchandise of any Disney destination in the world.
It’s worth noting that in the last few years, Tokyo has increased the amount of logo merchandise and either things appealing to broader tastes. We’ve found ourselves “embracing the kawaii” of Tokyo Disney Resort’s merchandise more and more, but it’s definitely an acquired taste that isn’t for everyone.
On your arrival or departure day, consider visiting Ikspiari, which is a dining, shopping, and entertainment complex located within walking distance of Tokyo Disneyland, the JR Maihama railway station, and with its own monorail station. It’s Japan’s take on the Downtown Disney concept.
Ikspiari has over 150 restaurants and retail shops, the highlights of which we cover in our Shopping Guide to Ikspiari at Tokyo Disney Resort. Note that while we referred to Ikspiari as Tokyo Disney Resort’s twist on Downtown Disney, it is decidedly not Disney. Oriental Land Company purposefully developed Ikspiari without Disney branding to avoid paying licensing fees.
For those who are big into shopping and want to do some of that in Japan, we’d encourage you to do so in Tokyo proper. Literally every major train or subway station in Tokyo has an above or underground labyrinth of retail and dining. Highlights can be found in the chic storefronts of Ginza and Roppongi Hills, and the otaku items of Asakusa and Harajuku.
However, none of these places will be as compelling for Disney fans as Nakano Broadway, which is full of second-hand stores that cater to collectors and geeks, including Disney fans! We visit Nakano Broadway frequently to buy great Tokyo Disney Resort collectibles. For more info & tips, see our Shopping Guide to Nakano Broadway on our non-Disney blog, TravelCaffeine.com.
Flights & Transportation
Flights to Tokyo from the United States are 10+ hours, which is a lot of time in the air. Fortunately, the larger planes used for these flights are much more comfortable than your normal planes used for domestic flights. Complimentary in-flight entertainment (including the latest movies and television shows) also makes things easier.
If you know your travel dates and have no flexibility as to when you travel, we recommend ITA Software to search for flights. ITA is the best way to find the lowest prices on airfare for set dates of travel. Either HND or NRT will work as arrival airports. HND is located closer to the city center, whereas NRT is (slightly) closer to Tokyo Disney Resort, but farther from downtown.
If you’re in the preliminary stages of researching your flight, use fare alerts on Airfarewatchdog.com. You can set some parameters for the alerts here (although not as many as I’d like) and receive email updates when they deem prices to be low.
Airfare prices are always changing and are highly dependent upon city of origin, time of year, etc., but with round-trip airfare out of Los Angeles to Tokyo regularly in the <$600 range, your complete airfare package should cost under $1,000/person if you put effort into choosing the right times to travel. If you’re booking at the last minute or don’t do any work to find deals, the sky is the limit on the upper end of airfare pricing.
If you are looking for a way to get more bang for your buck, you can use it to add stopovers to visit multiple locations. We cover this in our “How to Visit 3 Disney Destinations on 1 Airfare” post. It might seem complicated at first, but it is well worth reading that post and figuring it out. That post covers how to incorporate Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disney Resort into a single trip.
That covers airfare. Now for using ground transportation in Japan…
Out of all of the cities in the world we’ve visited, Tokyo has by far the most complicated transportation network. This should come as no surprise, as it’s the world’s largest city. However, improvements to Google Maps since we’ve started visiting have made this a breeze. (Google now has crowd predictions for trains at different times of day, and recommends certain ones to take!)
To get from either Tokyo airport to Tokyo Disney Resort, it’s relatively easy. You just take the Airport Limousine Bus, which you catch outside the airport after purchasing your ticket near the exit at a desk or the ticketing machine. It’s more expensive than public transit, but easier and direct. Note that while this bus runs regularly, its schedule generally stops around 5 p.m. Here’s the full schedule to TDR from Narita. If your flight arrives into Tokyo after 4 p.m., you should probably look at other options.
If you’re getting in really late, the easiest alternative is a taxi. These are waiting outside the airport and easy to find. The downside is price. Our understanding is that the cost of a taxi to a Tokyo Disney Resort area hotel from Narita is $200.
The cheapest alternative is to use public transportation. It’s intimidating at first, as Japan’s public transportation system is very complex, but we ultimately have had no issues and it’s a relatively straightforward route from the airports to Tokyo Disney Resort. Just use Google Maps.
Getting around Tokyo Disney Resort, you’ll want to take the monorail. It costs money, but it’s efficient, reliable, and clean. (That all might sound bizarre to Walt Disney World fans…especially the “reliable” part!) There are also Resort Cruisers, which are buses, that are free of charge. Just pay the minor fee for the monorail unless you have a large party. It’s fun and totally worth it. Walking is also an option, although it can be convoluted to get to Tokyo DisneySea.
Phone/Internet
There are three good options for this: renting a SIM card, renting a pocket WiFi/MiFi, or using your carrier as normal. We now use T-Mobile and simply use that as there’s no additional charge to use our data in Japan. It runs a bit slower, but we’ve found it perfectly usable for regular internet browsing. It’s becoming more common for cellular providers to offer international day passes that are comparably priced to MiFi, so check out that.
Renting a SIM card is a great option for some people, but we really liked the MiFi rental for our trips prior to switching to T-Mobile. For those unfamiliar with the device, it’s basically a pocket WiFi hotspot, providing you with unlimited LTE internet. MiFi/Pocket WiFi rental is pretty easy. You simply choose how many days you want to rent, how many devices, and specify at which airport you’ll want to pick it up.
We recommend renting one MiFi per person in your group, so you can communicate if you separate. If you will not–under any circumstances–separate, just get one MiFi. A single MiFi can handle a few phones on it simultaneously. We highly recommend renting in advance of your trip. If you wait until you arrive and simply pick one up from the shops at the airport or at a convenience store, prices are higher and data is typically limited.
While the internet can sometimes be spotty in Tokyo DisneySea, the MiFi overall is really reliable. We’ve used it regularly for iMessage for communicating with one another, email, Dropbox, and even uploading to YouTube. Most importantly, having the MiFi gave us the ability to use Google Maps on our phones for public transportation, and this was a huge lifesaver.
There is no publicly-available WiFi internet at Tokyo Disney Resort, except at the entrance to each park. Free public WiFi is uncommon in Japan. (By contrast, it’s very common in Hong Kong, if you’re going to both.)
Money/Credit Cards
Tokyo Disney Resort (and most Japanese retailers) accepts standard US magnetic strip credit cards, or chipped credit cards. Within the parks, Tokyo Disney Resort accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. If you’re trying to pre-book something online, you’ll sometimes need a credit card issued in Japan or a Mastercard. It can be a painful process, but we haven’t had any major issues in the last couple of years (knock on wood.)
If you need an ATM, there are two at Tokyo Disney Resort that accept American Visa debit cards. One is in the basement of Ikspiari near the food court, and the other is in the lobby of the Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel (pictured above). If you’re staying at one of the official hotels on the monorail loop, the second location is going to be far more convenient to you. Typically, you do not need to carry cash at Tokyo Disney Resort, but you might need it in the city of Tokyo.
Other Resources
For general travel advice to Japan, we have another blog: TravelCaffeine.com, where we share our non-Disney experiences. We have written extensively about our favorite city in the world: Kyoto, Japan on TravelCaffeine. Kyoto has something for everyone, and offers a lot in terms of Japanese culture and history. As mentioned above, our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan also provides a wealth of planning information.
If you’re also visiting the Hong Kong or Shanghai parks, make sure to consult our Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide and our Shanghai Disneyland Trip Planning Guide. There’s a lot more you’ll need to know for those visits!
There’s a lot more we could include in this guide, but this is already the longest post on the blog to date, so let’s cut it off there. We will definitely add to this based on common questions, and I’m more than happy to offer assistance and advice in the comments if you have questions. Want to see more photos or read about Tokyo Disney Resort in agonizing detail? Check out our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Report from our very first visit to Japan over a decade ago, when we too were newbies!
Your Thoughts
Planning a trip to Japan is a lot of work, but it’s ultimately well worth the effort! Hopefully this guide provides a good jumping off point. If you’ve visited Tokyo Disney Resort, do you agree or disagree with our advice? 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!
Hi Tom,
Great info! We’re heading there for the first time and found this site very useful. I was hoping to ride both the Pooh and Monsters ride but we’ll see if that will happen as we’re only spending a day at DL and DS. Do you happen to know if the day passport is an “all day” pass from open till close? The reason I ask is that we’ll be visiting during Halloween and I know they have Halloween nights there. Wasn’t sure if they’re like DL California where you have to pay a different entrance fee for the Halloween nights.
Uuummmm no!
TDR is NOT like the cheap and nasty US parks where you now have to pay for what you used to get for free!
No – the “day pass” is for EXACTLY that – the whole day!
Thanks so much for this! I relied heavily on your blog for my family’s Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Last Christmas.
I just came back from Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea and second getting the Global Advance Communication’s Mifi. I rented the 72mb (even though none of us had 4G) ’cause everyone wanted to go online at the same time and found the battery life to be awesome. I only recharged the device at night (after a whole day of sightseeing).
I also relied heavily on Tokyo Disney Time (Android; can’t seem to find the link on Google Play though…). It’s spooky how accurate this app is! I personally think they employ someone to stand in front of the FastPass boards and update the times!
Thanks for the awesome guide! Do you recommend buying park tickets in advance online, or waiting until you get to the parks?
Clara – did you find any info on buying tickets? We’re planning a trip for November and are eager to find the best way to buy advanced tickets 🙂
As I had the same question, I tried buying tickets online from the Tokyo Disneyland website, but saw that Mastercard and American Express credit cards had to be issued in Japan. They don’t even accept debit cards! I asked my friend to try her US-issued Visa credit card and she got two rejection messages, then Chase called her to confirm if it was a fraudulent charge. After she clarified with Chase, the transaction actually went through! It seems like the site is extremely picky about which cards it will take for some reason.
However, be advised that you are technically supposed to print the ticket on A4 paper, which is not used in North America. We read others had success printing on letter or legal paper as long as the QR code ratio wasn’t altered, so we’ll see.
Just a note RE running into the parks. I know everyone does it (we were lucky enough to miss it as we had early entry by staying on property) however it does EXPRESSLY state in the English speaking map guides we had that there should be no running in the parks. Therefore, it is a rule to not do it, it just seems as though the Japanese ignore the rule and the cast members don’t seem to try too hard to stop it (we did see a few cast members futility trying to gesture to guests to slow down) – At the end of the day it depends if your the kind of person who like to follow rules or not but it is a rule no to run…
Oh additionally – thanks Tom for putting together a Tokyo Planning Guide! I wish I had had this to work with when we started planning our trip though your trip report did help heaps! It’s a really involved process planning a trip to Tokyo Disney and so totally worth it! The parks are beautiful and amazing and though, in my opinion, it doesn’t quiet meet the wonder and charm of the original Disneyland Resort it is pretty damn close and Tokyo Disney Sea is without a doubt the most beautiful theme park in the world (if it’s attraction list was a little longer it might change the order i put the Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Resort! I guess I am in some ways one of those people!)..We stayed at the Miracosta with a theme park view room (Harbour View, Piazza View and Venice Side View) and it was the most incredible experience! Since it was a once in a life time thing it was well worth the money but I don’t think we would ever pay the money again!
As for the running thing, as long as virtually every single other guest does it, we’re going to keep doing it. The Japanese are usually very good about following rules, so I can’t help but think that this isn’t really an *actual* rule, even though it is printed in the maps. Sort of like how FastPass return times in the US parks used to be. Sure, the rule said you had to return within the window, but that was a wink and a nod type thing, and most guests knew it wasn’t an actual rule. Does that make sense?
In terms of the number of attractions Tokyo DisneySea has, the number certainly isn’t as high as Disneyland, but it takes me far longer to complete the attractions I actually want to do at Tokyo DisneySea, and it would even if wait times were 0 minutes in both parks. There are just a lot of great shows and entertainment that really take time to do at Tokyo DisneySea. It would be one thing if these time-consuming shows weren’t any good, but by and large, they’re amazing. I wouldn’t call you one of “those people,” as Disneyland is an amazing park in its own right, and I can see the argument for either one being better.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the MiraCosta. We’re looking forward to staying there soon! 🙂
Tom
guessing you’ll enjoy my movie..just back last night. amazing!
That’s very nice, Tim! It looks like you had a wonderful time.
I was there in January. Fantasmic wasn’t being performed, but the parks were still amazing. To similarly share, here’s a trip video I made.
http://adamc.smugmug.com/Travel/Tokyo-2014/i-vt8tZVQ/A
Comment
very nice!
Im missing it today back here in Massachusetts…
Great video, Adam. I especially like the scene with the people posing wearing the Tigger hats, and several other guests wearing hats walk through the frame. Made me chuckle as it TOTALLY captures the feel of guests there. People totally let loss.
Thank you both for sharing, if anyone else has photos or video to share, feel free to post links (by the way, if your comment doesn’t appear right away, it probably got flagged as possible spam–I’ll approve it once I see it, though, so don’t fret!).
Love it! So, based on the video I’m guessing you stayed at Disney’s Ambassador Hotel? What did you think of it? The room looks pretty nice in the video; my balking point with that hotel is that it’s not really close to anything except Ikspiari, and I’m not really looking to be close to that.
I loved the Ambassador. Very classy. Immaculate. You couldn’t find a piece of dust or dirt anywhere in that room if you spent a week with a magnifying glass. Heated toilet seats. Deep tubs with water pressure from Niagara falls. Impeccable service almost comic in its dedication and efficiency. Beautiful beyond imagination for its art deco. Ten minute walk to DisneySea. Beautiful art deco bus service leaving every ten minutes. 24 hour canteen. Beautiful views with a balcony looking over the whole of Disneyland Resort. Quiet and peaceful. Gorgeous restaurants and food. No sit down bar unfortunately. Guest services wear white gloves and bow handing you things with two hands gently with a smile, apologizing for a seconds delay for any question or request. Definitely worth a stay if you can pay the price.
However I found my stay the next night at MiraCosta even better. Busier for sure but the advantage of actually being INSIDE a Disney park was just over the top. The MiraCosta had me in a room facing the main lagoon. Out my window from the comfort of my bed I watched an extravagant Fantasmic show beyond anything at WDW take place from 11pm to midnight for hotel guests only after the park was closed at 10pm. Interesting to watch the efficient exodus of DisneySea quests replaced by staff who work the midnight to morning….all the while they put on this off the charts show I didn’t even know about til I heard the sound out my window and realized the party wasn’t over for my $650 a night. In the morning the bus for the airport left at 7:05 and one second Japanese style. The whole experience was surreal. For the extra $250 and $350 bucks I paid over the Hilton Tokyo Bay I’d originally booked made my entire stay at Disney Tokyo so much more incredible and special. Money is a nice thing if you have a little to throw around. Glad you liked the film.
Tim
Awesome–thank you so much for the feedback! 🙂
Great guide and tips, Tom. You really are my favorite Disney Lifestyler! For someone who is quite new to visiting, you’ve put together a treasure trove of info.
And don’t feel guilty for telling people they should visit and that the quality is worlds higher than the typical Walmart crap you get today largely at WDW. You have seen the truth and you speak it (or write it!) If people can’t handle it, then they can always go to The Disney Parks Blog for PR spin about how WDW has never been better.
I am curious as to where you stayed at the ‘Tier 3’ option as we did a TDR Good Neighbor Hotel and got an impeccable clean, convenient 3-star type hotel (where everyone spoke perfect English) with true motor coaches (think the DCL buses in WDW) for transportation for $62 a night. In Tokyo, that’s almost free. And I’d argue that it was much better than a $185 room at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. Over 11 nights, we saved a bundle that paid for lots of fun stuff. Of course, we didn’t have to be up at 4 a.m. to shoot pics in an empty park either, but to be fair, no one else will be doing so 🙂
As to airports, Haneda is actually much more convenient to the resort. It also is pretty much a quick easy trip to Odaiba (where our hotel and two other Good Neighbor Hotels are located).
Best time of year? In my experience it is last few days of November, first week of December. Weather was damn near perfect (even if we did have a 6.9 earthquake while at TDS!) and crowds were truly easy to handle with only one moderately crowded day (Monday at TDL). As week went on, crowds went down daily. Our Thursday at TDS almost everything was a walk on. Even Monday, longest wait we had was 35 minutes for Jungle Cruise (could have used a translator!) and longest we saw was 120 minutes for Hunny Hunt and 110 minutes for Buzz Lightyear. We did the former at opening as a walk on and then got FP for a second go and skipped the latter because well, if you’ve done it in Anaheim or Paris or HK then you’ve done it here.
Interested in reading your ride guides and hope to check them out soon.
Keep up the good work! … And hope to see you in Shanghai if our paths don’t cross in the USA in the next 20 months.
We stayed at the “Family Fifty’s.” Either you got lucky or we got unlucky, but I don’t plan on rolling the dice on it again, unless Tokyo Hilton Bay or the Sheraton Grande spike to over $200/night (they’ve been $130-150/night recently, which I view as more than reasonable). I think you’ve shared the name of that hotel, but what is it, again? Based on what you’re describing and what I researched (we looked at TONS of hotels for our November trip, and none sounded even close to this good), it sounds too good to be true!
We visited about a week before your ‘perfect time’ and I think you can expand that to mid-November through the first week of December. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, this is for weekdays only. On weekends from the start of TDR’s Christmas season on, a lot of young couples and groups of girls go for Christmas date nights. While it’s cool to see them all dressed incredibly nice, the crowd levels spike dramatically–even more than they normally do on weekends. So, yeah, weekdays are dead…but weekends are insane.
Would you mind telling me the name of the hotel you stayed at? I will be visiting Tokyo for 5 days in May and I would like to stay at a cheap hotel that is convenient to Disney.
Thanks!
Thx for this great blogsite Tom!
Your pics & stories are simply amazing. I’ll be visiting TDR with the lady on June 10-11-12 and am getting most of the advice from your site.
Too bad I wasn’t able to make use of it when we travelled to WDW in 2010. (still had a stunning trip though)
Living near Brussels,Belgium, a 3 hour drive away from DLP we feel we got the inferior Disney resort here…
Anaheim & Hong Kong are still on my bucket list. When they’re due I know what planning resource to use!
Warm regards from Europe!
I think Disneyland Paris is a beautiful park, so I wouldn’t say you got the inferior resort. Now, if you’re just looking at the Walt Disney Studios Park, yeah…I’d agree! 😉
I just wanted to share my experience as a vegetarian. Although my options were EXTREMELY limited, and I mostly snacked in the parks, the one actual meal I did have was at DisneySea’s New York Deli. While I did not request an actual “substitution”, I asked if it would be possible to get a sandwich without the meat (just the cheese, vegetables, and sauce), and they did accommodate this request with a smile, despite a fairly significant language barrier. They simply told me it would be 5 minutes and asked me to wait at the side of the counter.
Thank you again for all the information you provide 🙂 I am going back next month and will let you know if I have any further vegetarian dining successes 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful insight for these two parks. I fly to Hong Kong next week and plan on visiting HK Disneyland and loved your post about the Disney Dim Sum and want to try it. I am also in the planning phase of visiting Japan later this year and was thinking of late November, but was a little confused about how busy it may be. You said that late November/early December is 2nd best time to visit, but Im curious if the Christmas crowds have started already?
Tom
Your photos are off the chart stunning!
I am on my way after 3 months here in Thailand and Bali.
I decided to bite the bullet and have booked Ambassador for late Tuesday arrival and then over to MiraCosta for all day Wednesday. Fly home Thursday. (March 20)
Your blog is just so well done and very helpful so thanks much.
Once again pictures over the top…you’ve got a good eye for composition and obviously a very nice camera! Wish me luck!
Tim
Thanks for the kind words. Best of luck on your trip! 🙂
I have been planning a trip to Tokyo off and on for about two years. Of course, Tokyo Disney was one of the key factors in my deciding that Tokyo would be my first big step outside the USA. Unfortunately, information for TDLR can be… spotty? Your site has been extremely invaluable in the information it has provided just from your trip reports. But this? This takes the cake! Awesome job all around!
I am now doubly excited to get the rest of my university loans paid off so I can reward myself with a trip to Tokyo for my 22nd birthday in late April next year:)
Anyway, I guess I wrote all this just to say “Thank You” for giving me that extra motivation for working harder so I can hurry up and be in Tokyo Disney already!
I’m still amazed by how lucky we got with our trip. We visited in the summer expecting hot, rainy weather and tons of crowds. It only rained a bit the first day, and we never waited more than 45 minutes for a ride. One of the days we managed to get on Pooh with a 20 minute wait in late afternoon.
Tokyo deserves all the praise it gets. I tried to think of why I love Tokyo Disneyland Park, which often gets brushed off as a park of clones, so much. I think I can describe it in one word: nostalgic. Tokyo Disneyland is lost to time but still feels fresh, definitely not outdated. It’s like the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom I never visited. It’s a very relaxing, nostalgic park. I disagree SO MUCH with comments that it doesn’t have charm. My favorite memory is resting outside on the hub and eating a delicious Mango ice cream cone on a warm lazy afternoon. Both parks are special places.
Did you go during the huge dance festival they had in front of the hub during the 30th anniversary? It may have been a summer thing because they were drenching everyone with water. It was really crazy how enthusiastic the guests got during it.
Thanks for the great tips. My fiance and I are going to Walt Disney World for our honeymoon next year and I already have it planned that somewhere along the line we’ll visit all the Disney resorts and go on a Disney cruise on some of our anniversaries. Tokyo Disneyland/Disney Sea was my first pick long before I read this guide . Just a question not really relating to Disney. I know you mentioned checking out Kyoto but is there another place we should get to before we leave?
Hi, great post as always. I went to Tokyo Disneyland Resort mid Feb and i think it was right after the big snow storm. We stayed at one of the Disney partner hotels Hotel Emion Tokyo Bay for about $170 per night including breakfast . A little challenging getting there from the airport but I thought the hotel was great and transportation to and from the park was easy. Also, i kept thinking that Tokyo Disney is like texas, everything is bigger in Tokyo Disney Resort.
Haha, good comparison between Tokyo Disney Resort and Texas. So true (with regard to the parks).
Any chance you have photos of the parks in the snow, or had it all melted by then? I’d love to see the pics if you have any!
I believe you’ve mentioned before that one of your objectives was to see and share all of the Disney Parks. I must say, I was hesitant to read the Tokyo reviews as I thought it would something I wouldn’t try (teeny domestic comfort zone, apparently) but this post may have helped to extend our bucket list…
Yep, that’s one of my goals. Another is to convince every Disney fan to visit Tokyo Disney Resort (I’d also recommend Paris and Hong Kong, but not nearly as enthusiastically as Tokyo).
Tokyo is in another league than the US parks. Don’t get me wrong–I love Walt Disney World and Disneyland–but the US parks don’t hold a candle to the Tokyo ones.
I think (know) some people have gotten tired of hearing me repeat this. I’ve received some critical “comments” about my enthusiasm for Tokyo, but I don’t really care. Those parks deserve a cheerleader given their quality and how few Americans go see them.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Official Hotels a fairly easy walk from Disneyland. There is a walking path laid out which goes through the various parking lots. I used it a few times in the evening to walk to the Hilton after park close, since they were nice evenings and I didn’t want to wait for the monorail.
Out of the three Disney hotels, the Ambassador is a bit of an anomaly location-wise. It’s nestled between the park, the train line and Ikspiari (Disney’s indoor mall). I haven’t stayed there (though I did visit), but I would say that in terms of location and views, the Hilton is arguably preferable.
Yeah, everything is a pretty easy walk there.
I had the misfortune of having to walk virtually the entire resort one night when I got stranded at Ambassador after the monorail stopped running. Didn’t help that I managed to get turned around and walked way farther than I had to!
Its location is the reason I have a tough time recommending the Ambassador. I’ve been inside the rooms there and they’re nice, but I could never justify staying there. Makes absolutely no sense to me.
I just got back from my first Tokyo Disney Resort trip, and must say I 100% in agreement with you on Disney Sea being the Best Disney Resort. We were there during the snow storm in mid February, and had the benefit of experiencing the park half full..can you believe a 10 min line for Tower of Terror, 30 min for both Pooh and Space Mountain, and also seeing the Volcano at Disney Sea covered with real snow! I must say your review really helps, the only correction I would add is Y20,000 or $200, while from Haneda cost us Y6000 or around $60. We stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay at Disney, and if you’re travelling with little kid like our 6 yrs daughter, try to get the Happy Magic room….looking forward to read your next review, and will absolutely go back to Tokyo Disney, when it’s warmer…cheers!
First, let me say that I am SO jealous that you were there during the snow. I know that sounds miserable for some people, but I sat at my keyboard drooling over photos.
I know lines were short, but I probably wouldn’t have done many attractions–I would’ve just taken photos the entire time.
By the way, if you have any photos from the trip, PLEASE post a link to them here! 🙂
hi Tom. Yes I do have some pictures of the parks still covered with snow 🙂 how can I post them?
For the record, “confused British face” works equally well! I would absolutely echo what you said about the language barrier and helpfulness of cast members. The Japanese are extremely service oriented, and very eager to help, and that definitely makes up for the language barrier. I spent three and a half weeks travelling around Japan, including some fairly remote and rural areas, and the language was never a huge problem. If you have a “western” face then everyone knows that you are a foreigner, and in my experience people quite often seek you out if they speak a bit of english. (Quite often I found kids in school groups would run up to me, asking for my autograph and practicing a few english phrases… bizarre!).
Furthermore, in Japan, everything just “works”. If a train is due at 12.37, then it arrives at 12.37. Everything happens as promised, according to the schedule. That makes it quite easy to plan. The public transport system is incredibly effective and you can get pretty much anywhere in the country using very comfortable trains. If you get a Japan Rail Pass (which you have to order before arriving), you can get unlimited rail travel for a set period – if you use the trains a lot, it can save a lot of money. And in Tokyo, I suggest getting a Pasmo or Suica card for travel on the subway. It’s a prepayment card, so you load it up with money, and then whenever you get the train or subway, tap it on the reader on the way in and way out, and it will automatically deduct the fare. It saves having to work out how much you need to pay and buying tickets each time. It also works on the Tokyo Disney monorail!
Thanks for mentioning the Japan Rail Pass. That is HUGE. We saved so much money with that. I believe the total cost for that pass was about as much as the cost of the bullet train to Kyoto (which is included with the pass). Well worth the money.
For those curious about it, details are here: http://www.japan-rail-pass.com/
TOM!!! We’re fighting!! For years I’ve been considered the international travel Yoda, and you gave away my secret: ITA Software! All kidding aside, it’s an invaluable tool. You can start and stop trip searches anywhere in the world, and it gives you the actual fare code for the trip. I can’t tell you the number of times I tangled with mostly United and some other airlines over how much a ticket should cost, and when they plugged in the ITA code the fare worked.
While we’re at it, let us not forget Seat Guru. It’s one thing when you’re on a couple hour long domestic flight. When you’re on an overseas flight, you’ll want to know things like reduced leg room, limited recline, equipment boxes under seat, and passenger traffic. Now you can put in your exact flight info and it will pull up your assigned plane’s map.
How much time do you recommend allotting for non-Disney Japan exploration?
How about http://www.jetlagrooster.com/ to round out the trifecta of a better international flying experience? Maybe I should do a post of “travel hacks,” because I’ve learned MANY over the last few years. It’s crazy what a difference some of these tools can make.
Potentially, the sky is the limit on non-Disney Japan. If you do Kyoto (and you absolutely should), I’d say no less than 5 days (3 in Tokyo, 2 in Kyoto). My ideal would probably be 6-8, with an extra day in Tokyo and a couple of days in rural areas.
This guide is priceless for those of us who have never traveled abroad but are fascinated with the idea of visiting Tokyo and the greatest Disney Parks on planet earth. Thank you! I was pleasantly surprised to see hotel prices are quite affordable and that public transportation is efficient, clean, and safe. My main concern would be crowd levels and wait times. I would want to see as many attractions and shows as possible on a once in a lifetime trip and would be bummed if lines prevented us from seeing the majority of the good stuff.
Now, I am anxiously awaiting a Hong Kong Disneyland trip report to compliment your excellent Tokyo updates! Thanks for the awesome post!
There’s no getting around it: the Tokyo parks are routinely PACKED with people. The good news is that if you tour efficiently, you can see a lot.
If you don’t care about doing Toy Story Mania there, that helps A LOT.
Tom is absolutely right on the money. I visited over a September weekend and the parks were mobbed (I doubt I’ll ever see a 90 minute wait for the Haunted Mansion again!) but through smart touring, VERY early arrival (1 hour before the parks opened!), and smart FastPass usage we didn’t wait any longer than 30 minutes for a ride.
Incidentally, that ride was…Aquatopia.
Hi! I went to Tokyo Disney Sea in August of last year and it was EMPTY. The longest wait we had was probably 10 minutes.
Also, I have a friend that lives in Japan and he said that if you go on a day that’s a little rainy/overcast (or there is a high probability of rain) it is usually not so busy if you don’t mind a bit of a sprinkle.
Hello tom,
I would like to ask of the FAST PASS they have in Tokyo Disneyland. I have heard that they have released untimed fast passes but i don’t know if this is true. I’ve done my own research and i have found out that this is part of the “Disney Vacation Package” they have. this fast pass can be used in some rides but don’t have wait time. with your experience, can you answer if this fast pass be sold separately like the ones they sell in universal studios?