6.22.2018

Tokyo Disney Resort, is worth it?

Hey Guys,

I'm sick yet I'm typing this post because  I'm tired of my bed. Anyways, as you can see by the title you came to find out is worth it. I never thought about going to Disneyland in Tokyo. In recent years every YT vlogger and blogger has been talking about their amazing  day at the parks. Even my so-called  high school best friend wants to see it. I'm going, to be honest, I haven't been to a Disney theme park  since high school grad night but I was lucky enough to go on the Disney Cruise on the Wonder but that was years ago too lol. They were literally announcing their new boat I think Dream. So is worth the hype?


There definitely many reasons why you should at least visit the parks at least once and there are definitely ways to budget it into your trip. When I go to themed parks I usually end up getting key chains or charms, cups/mugs, the occasional plush and possibly a shirt. I like to buy things I can use. There are sites that provide great discounts to both parks only if you spending more than a week in Japan it would be worth it.

Ticket | Transport ¥5 - ¥15 | Meals + Snacks - $60 (~ ¥70) | Shopping $25
*Disney Popular snacks include Turkey legs, Popcorn and Buns are a popular line snack. 

Tokyo Disney Resort which includes Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea Park is located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It about less than a 30 minutes trip from Tokyo Station (Tokyo Civic Center) via the Keiyo line (runs every ~15 minutes) to Maihama Station and from there you can hoop on to the Tokyo Disneyland "Monorail" or take a 7-minute walk to the entrance gate. Tokyo Disney resort is operated by The Oriental Land Company (1960). Both parks act as sister parks to of course Disneyland and Disney California Adventures but with overall theme/ride differences. Tokyo Disneyland opened in April of 1983 yet, is about 30 more acres than the Disneyland (1955) park. This park also shares some rides and themes with Disney World as well. I would recommend this park for just the family or kids.

The park has seven themed areas:
  • World Bazaar a.k.a Main Street U.S.A.[South of Enterance]
Four traditional Disney lands:
  • Adventureland [North of Enterence]
    • New Orleans
    • Jungle Area
  • Westernland a.k.a "Frontierland" [Northeast]
    • Rivers of America
  • Fantasyland [South]
    • Small World
    • Cinderella's Castle
    • Haunted Mansion
  • Tomorrowland [Southwest]
    • Space Moutain
Two mini-lands:
  • Critter Country [East]
    • Splash Mountian
  • Mickey's Toontown [South]
    • Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Tokyo Disneyland is the top-ranked park of the Theme Park Resorts. 

Now, Tokyo DisneySea which opened in Septemeber 2001 and is also listed as the fastest top-visited Disney theme parks in the world. The park is 121 acres compared to Disney California Adventures 72 acres. The reason why I compared these two parks is that they have a shared history, you can learn about it here.  Anyways, the park gates are about a 20-minute walk from Tokyo Disneyland gates. If you are taking the train and bus then be advised to exit the Keiyo line one stop before the Miahama station that is the Kasairikin Station where the Kasai Seaside Park, Tokyo Sealife Park, and Aquarium are located (An alternative to the Disney Resorts on it busiest of days). Then you take the "Ring 7 Express: Shuttle Seven" that runs every 20 minutes. The other option is just to go all the way to the Maihama Station and jump on the Disney Resort Line "Monorail" which runs every 13 minutes and it also accepts IC Cards. Okay now, this park kind of reminds me of Epcot's World Showcase and I've heard many say it is a great park for Adults. 

There are seven themed areas or "ports of call": 
The entrance...
  • Mediterranean Harbor
    • Venetian Gondolas
    • Fortress Explorations
Opens up to six more nautically themed ports: 
  • American Waterfront [East]
    • Tower of Terror
    • Toy Story Mania 
  • Lost River Delta [Southwest]
    •  Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
    •  Raging Spirits
  • Port Discovery[Southeast]
    • Aquatopia
    • Nemo & Friends SeaRider
  • Mermaid Lagoon[West]
    • The Little Mermaid
    • Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster
  • Arabian Coast [West]
    •  Sindbad's Storybook Voyage, 
    • Jasmine's Flying Carpets
  • Mysterious Island[Center]
    • Mount Prometheus: 
      • Journey to the Center of the Earth
      • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Now, that we got that out of the way. I'm interested in when to go too. Most people know when kids are out school it's vacation time, so I looked up when Japanese schools are in session which starts in Spring, mid-April to late July; May is usually when entrance ceremonies are done. The second semester starts in early-September to late-December for Fall/Autumn. And the last Semester is from January to March; late-January entrance exam usually takes place. From there, I looked at TripAdvisor to see if anyone had any complaints about the parks which the consensus is that it is Too Crowded a.k.a. Line-Con and say bye bye to those Fastpasses. But what I really wanted to know is when do Japanese citizens visited the park the most. I also looked at other websites [1]and blogs, which were really great. However, the website that tracked and foretasted the crowd matched what I was finding from the latest guest on TripAdvisor than the blog sites. Don't @ me if things change in the future. Also, expect it to be crowded when the season changes because of Disney fans who want those collectibles.

Low (30 mins) | Moderate (60 mins.| Moderately High (120 mins.) | High( 180+ mins.)
  • January [New years week]
  • February[DisneySea]
  • March
  • April[DisneySea]
  • May[DisneySea] 
  • June
  • July[Tokyo Disneyland]
  • August[Festival Season]
  • September[DisneySea]
  • October[DisneySea]
  • November
  • December[Tokyo Disneyland]

My Personal Blackout Dates or Dates to Avoid:
(This will, in general, applies to Tourist and the Visiting.)
Jan. 1-8 | Feb. 10-13 | Mar. 21-23 | Apr. 28-31| May 1-7 | Jul. 15- 17 | Aug. 10-17 | Sept. 16-25 | Oct. 7-9 | Nov. 2-4, 22-25 | Dec. 20-31 |

Here is a link to Attractions and etc. Closure for the year.

Tips: 
  • Be aware of National and Local Holidays.
  • Every ride narrative is done in Japanese, like duh
  • Buy your Tickets beforehand; LawsonFamily Mart (video about Convenient Stores), Tokyo's Disney Stores, and Tokyo Disney Official website Online.
  • Go during the Week.
  • Get to the parks at least 30 minutes to an hour before opening.
  • Fastpasses are a literal term because they do go fast. Try to get the popular ones before Noon.
  • The oldest trick in the book: Go on the rides you want during Parades.
  • Go to rides that allow single riders, it’s much faster.
FastPass - FP |  Single Rider - SR | Lottery - L | Show - S
Itinerary
Tokyo Disneyland
  • 9:00 AM Star Tours (FP)
  • 10:00 AM Monster Inc. Ride (FP) - you can make this the last ride of the day.
  • 12:00 PM Space Mountain (FP)
  • 1:00 PM Gadget Coaster
  • 2:00 PM Lunch
  • 3:00 PM Pooh Hunt (FP)
  • 4:00 PM Splash Mountain (FP|SR)
  • 5:00 PM Big Thunder Mountain (FP)
  • 6:00 PM Western river railroad
  • 7:00 PM Dinner
  • 9:00 PM Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Other Popular Attractions:
    • Haunted Mansion (FP)
    • It's a Small World (FP)
    • Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (FP)
    • Once Upon A Time (S | L) 
    • Minnie oh Minnie (S)
    • Enchanted Tiki Room
  • Shop: World Bazaar Shops
    DisneySea
    • 9:00 AM Raging Spirits (FP | SR)
    • 10:00 AM Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (FP| SR)
    • 12:00 PM Big Bang Beat (S) / Out of the Shadowlands (S)
    • 1:00 PM Tower of Terror (FP)
    • 2:00 PM Lunch
    • 3:00 PM Journey to the Centre of the Earth (FP)
    • 4:00 PM 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (FP)
    • 5:00 PM Venetian Gondolas
    • 6:00 PM Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage
    • 7:00 PM Dinner
    • 9:00 PM Toy Story Mania (FP) (extremely popular)
    • Other Popular Attractions:
      • Aquatopia
      • Fortress Explorations
      • Flounder's flying fish coaster
      • Jasmine's flying carpet
      • Carousel
      • Mermaid lagoon
      • Nemo & Friends SeaRider (FP)
    • Shop: The Sleepy Whale Shoppe 
      Lastly, DisneySea has its own special character called Duffy which is very popular. The bear is available at most of the parks but it's especially popular at Tokyo DisneySea with its very own store and people will rush to get those special collectibles that is one of the reasons why the parks are more crowded on certain days of each season so be aware of that. Another reason to beware of Anniversaries because both parks will release special items even if it just one park that's having the Anniversary.

      Most collectibles come out around New Years/ Christmas, Halloween, Valentines, Easter, Festivals, and/or beginnings of each season: February, May, August, and November.

      If you want to more idea or help for your trip to Tokyo or some basic info about Japan here is my older post.