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How to optimize one day visit to Tokyo Disneyland (late Sept)

How to optimize one day visit to Tokyo Disneyland (late Sept)

Old Apr 18, 2017, 7:44 am
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How to optimize one day visit to Tokyo Disneyland (late Sept)

My wife and I love Disney theme parks. We know nearly every means of optimizing stays at WDW specifically. In late Sept, we'll have a 5 night stay in Japan on our way to Hawaii. Currently booked at the IC Strings in Tokyo with points / free night certs. Wife's never been to Japan, and this is a bit of a dilemma for both of us--wanting to see Tokyo Disneyland, but not wanting to waste too much time in the process.

Thinking we could skip DisneySea--a unique park, but would rather see Japanese translations of classic / iconic Disney rides (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc).

Anyway, what are some tips for optimizing a visit to Tokyo Disneyland?

1) At WDW, staying On Property provides great benefits--extra fast passes, extra magic hours, etc. With extra magic hours alone, depending on the season, you could potentially see more in the first hour (morning) than you could see in a day if arriving at the gate 30 mins before opening time staying off property--and that's real value.

Are there any compelling benefits to staying at a Tokyo Disney resort? Prices are exorbitant. And I see there's a highly rated, reasonably priced Sheraton on the Tokyo Disney monorail. Should we keep all our nights at the IC Strings or book, say, one night at the Sheraton?

2) How does the FastPass system work at Tokyo Disneyland? Is it digital or paper? Hate the new system at WDW. We used to be able to work all sorts of magic when the FastPass system was paper. Including the privilege of being able to hand over any FastPasses we weren't able to use to some deserving family.

3) For a visit to Tokyo Disneyland in late Sept, what should we expect as far as crowds? We could potentially go on a Tue, Wed, Thu, or Fri. Is any non-weekend day any better than any other?

4) Is leaving the IC Strings (Shinagawa Station) early in the AM and arriving at the gates 30 mins before opening a viable option vs. booking a hotel on the Disney monorail?

Any other tips on seeing Tokyo Disneyland in an efficient way so we don't consume too much time? After all, one typically doesn't come to Japan to go to Disney; even as enthusiastic as my wife and I are about WDW theme parks.

My one gripe is with Tokyo Disney's Haunted Mansion--the HM is my favorite Disney attraction. I know how all the illusions are done, have a set of HM collectibles, etc. However, it seems like the HM there has the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay with Jack Skellington. Ugh. WDW doesn't have the overlay, and I have no interest in the Nightmare Before Christmas. Would have preferred to see the unenhanced version.
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Old Apr 18, 2017, 1:42 pm
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Originally Posted by moretimeoffguy
Thinking we could skip DisneySea--a unique park, but would rather see Japanese translations of classic / iconic Disney rides (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc).
If you are limited to a single day, go to DisneySea. There are numerous completely unique experiences at DisneySea compared with any other Disney theme park. The pre-show portion of Tower is amazing, and the Sinbad (Alan Menken-composed) musical boat ride is wonderful. See the actual tornado special effect inside Indiana Jones. Journey to the Center of the Earth is a thrill, and on and on.

My only "absolutely must ride" attraction at DisneyLand is Pooh's Hunny Hunt. Haunted and Pirates are both excellent at TDL, but Pooh is simply fantastic.

The real solution of course is to plan two days at TDR, one day at each park. TDL and TDS are paper fastpass parks.
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Old Apr 18, 2017, 2:29 pm
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Originally Posted by moretimeoffguy
3) For a visit to Tokyo Disneyland in late Sept, what should we expect as far as crowds? We could potentially go on a Tue, Wed, Thu, or Fri. Is any non-weekend day any better than any other?
My understanding is that weekdays are less crowded than weekends and holidays. Sept. 18 (Mon.) and Sept. 23 (Sat.) are holidays in Japan. Since Sept. 23 is no Saturday this year likely there are people off on Friday, Sept. 22. I will say also avoid Sept. 18 and Sept. 22.

However, last few years media has coined the phrase Silver Week (as to Golden Week in May) during this September week, since people can have entire week off by taking three days of vacation. It is possible that Sept. 19, 20, and 21 will be busier than other weekdays.

I will help out little since you are from Raleigh, I did my post doc at NCSU and worked at Research Triangle Park for two years.

Last edited by AlwaysAisle; Apr 18, 2017 at 2:38 pm
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Old Apr 18, 2017, 4:38 pm
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I would also definitely recommend DisneySea as opposed to Disneyland. Disneyland is Disneyland in Japanese, almost nothing different, while DisneySea is unique. Shinagawa to Disney is doable but not recommended as you will hit rush hour.

From what recall, fastpass is paper, and you get one per a certain number of hours. (basically have one fastpass all the time). I think weekday in sept you won't need a fastpass for most things, but I think you'd want to use it on the journey to the center of the earth if in DisneySea. In Disneyland, maybe the pass to get is Monsters Inc.
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Old Apr 19, 2017, 2:54 am
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Thanks mnbp and others. Will give DisneySea another look; especially since I'm the type of guy obsessed with spotting and discovering the mechanism of act of practical effects / special effects. Love little things like the Pepper's Ghost effect used at ToT in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Tornado special effect sounds interesting. Have enjoyed the Indiana Jones attracting at Disneyland Anaheim. Wonder how different their version of it is. Love dark rides the most. Hated then they took Mr. Toad's Wild Ride out of the Magic Kingdom.

Anything like Big Thunder Mountain, e.g. lavishly themed coaster that isn't such an extreme ride that it would cause me motion sickness. I love and can handle Space Mountain--but Expedition Everest--despite its gorgeous and detailed theming, makes me slightly nauseous.

Another thing... this is a trip for me and my wife; no kids. Not that I won't go on attractions for kids (especially dark rides). Just not likely to attend any shows.

Can't do two days there. Just wouldn't see enough of Japan. Day One, I arrive in the evening from NC and will likely just crash at the hotel. The next four days are four full days to travel as I please. Day five, departure, is later in the day--around 7pm. So hoping there would be time to do something in the morning.

Wonder if I can't sample both parks in one very long day, perhaps a focus on DisneySea. I have absolutely got to see TDL's HM and merchandise. Non-negotiable.

Originally Posted by mnbp
If you are limited to a single day, go to DisneySea. There are numerous completely unique experiences at DisneySea compared with any other Disney theme park. The pre-show portion of Tower is amazing, and the Sinbad (Alan Menken-composed) musical boat ride is wonderful. See the actual tornado special effect inside Indiana Jones. Journey to the Center of the Earth is a thrill, and on and on.

My only "absolutely must ride" attraction at DisneyLand is Pooh's Hunny Hunt. Haunted and Pirates are both excellent at TDL, but Pooh is simply fantastic.

The real solution of course is to plan two days at TDR, one day at each park. TDL and TDS are paper fastpass parks.
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Old Apr 19, 2017, 2:59 am
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Thanks for the help. I think you intended to say you'd like to help given your history in Raleigh vs. withholding it. :-)

Yeah, I was concerned about Silver Week after I made my flight bookings. But:

1) Thought the last Silver Week was in 2015
2) Thought the next Silver Week was in 2025 (?). I wikipediaed it.
3) My dates in Japan are arriving Sept 25th, departing Sept 30th.

When I first went to Japan in the 90's, it may have been on or adjacent to Golden Week. In fact it may well have been Golden Week, since I was visiting an English teacher friend of mine.

So you're saying that now, official or not, late Sept is being promoted annually as Silver Week?

Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
My understanding is that weekdays are less crowded than weekends and holidays. Sept. 18 (Mon.) and Sept. 23 (Sat.) are holidays in Japan. Since Sept. 23 is no Saturday this year likely there are people off on Friday, Sept. 22. I will say also avoid Sept. 18 and Sept. 22.

However, last few years media has coined the phrase Silver Week (as to Golden Week in May) during this September week, since people can have entire week off by taking three days of vacation. It is possible that Sept. 19, 20, and 21 will be busier than other weekdays.

I will help out little since you are from Raleigh, I did my post doc at NCSU and worked at Research Triangle Park for two years.
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Old Apr 19, 2017, 3:10 am
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Should I stay at a hotel closer to Disney the morning of my visit?

Thanks closetasfan. I'm an early riser--less of a night person. I'll have to see if I can avoid rush hour and still make it to the gates about 30 mins before opening. This is why I asked if it was worth it to stay On Property at Tokyo Disney to get in early / earlier. That's always my strategy in Orlando. However, the Disney themed hotel prices are outrageous.

Seems to be a perfectly nice Sheraton for around USD $160 a night on the Disney Monorail line. Should I book that for my one-and-only Disney day in Tokyo? The trip's chief purpose isn't Disney itself--it could be for many, I'm sure.

Thanks also for the info on FastPasses. Will have to read-up on it. Glad it's still a paper system, since I've been using WDWs paper FastPass system over dozens of visits through the last decade. Always strategic when a park opens what FastPass to get first; then I typically high-tail it to another high-popularity attraction and do standby.

For example, in the old days of paper fast passes at the Magic Kingdom, immediately upon entering the gates I'd grab a FastPass for Space Mountain, then do Standby for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Probably head to the HM, etc, then get the next available FastPass as soon as possible.

Also used to be the case that cast members would honor fast passes as long as you didn't show up earlier than the time slot. I now see at WDW the digital fast passes are strictly enforced, e.g. can't show up later than the one hour allotted window. Cast members would also often trade fast passes with you for different attractions. And again, I loved giving out unused fast passes to deserving looking couples or families.

Anyone know if the Tokyo Disney parks strictly enforce the one hour window? e.g. could I show up later and still use the fast pass? Wondering too if the Fast Pass systems are linked between the two parks re: when you can get your next fast pass.

Originally Posted by closetasfan
I would also definitely recommend DisneySea as opposed to Disneyland. Disneyland is Disneyland in Japanese, almost nothing different, while DisneySea is unique. Shinagawa to Disney is doable but not recommended as you will hit rush hour.

From what recall, fastpass is paper, and you get one per a certain number of hours. (basically have one fastpass all the time). I think weekday in sept you won't need a fastpass for most things, but I think you'd want to use it on the journey to the center of the earth if in DisneySea. In Disneyland, maybe the pass to get is Monsters Inc.
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Old Apr 19, 2017, 8:54 am
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No ParkHopper tickets?

Looking at Tokyo Disney's ticket purchase section, it seems there's no equivalent to WDW's Park Hopper. Just a 1-Day Passport allowing access to only one of the parks. Am I missing something? That's unfortunate. I routinely visit more than one park in a day at WDW. Probably a max of three in a day. Then again, I know how to navigate those parks and don't mind lots of brisk walking.

In fact, unless it's wall-to-wall people, I'd probably try to visit both Tokyo Disney parks in a single day were it possible--just to get a taste of what it's like. Obviously it would be a superficial visit; and some would balk at the idea. But it would work for me.

http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/ticket/
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Old Apr 19, 2017, 9:41 am
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There's no one-day ticket that allows you to go to both parks, unfortunately. You could purchase a regular park ticket for DisneySea and a starlight passport (allows entry after 3pm) to Disneyland or vice versa.

Originally Posted by moretimeoffguy
Looking at Tokyo Disney's ticket purchase section, it seems there's no equivalent to WDW's Park Hopper. Just a 1-Day Passport allowing access to only one of the parks. Am I missing something? That's unfortunate. I routinely visit more than one park in a day at WDW. Probably a max of three in a day. Then again, I know how to navigate those parks and don't mind lots of brisk walking.

In fact, unless it's wall-to-wall people, I'd probably try to visit both Tokyo Disney parks in a single day were it possible--just to get a taste of what it's like. Obviously it would be a superficial visit; and some would balk at the idea. But it would work for me.

http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/ticket/
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Old Apr 19, 2017, 9:54 am
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I visited Disneysea in May last year. The first fastpass to go for is Toy Story Mania. I entered the park early and headed straight there. My fastpass entry time was 9pm! Needless to say, fastpasses had all been given out by about 9am or so.

You can google which rides have the longest wait times - these are the ones you should get a fastpass at.
I really enjoyed Tower of Terror. It's best to go during the evening because the whole park is lit up so it looks amazing. Some rides also have single rider queues and this will typically shorten your wait time by 70% or so.

Originally Posted by moretimeoffguy

Thanks also for the info on FastPasses. Will have to read-up on it. Glad it's still a paper system, since I've been using WDWs paper FastPass system over dozens of visits through the last decade. Always strategic when a park opens what FastPass to get first; then I typically high-tail it to another high-popularity attraction and do standby.

For example, in the old days of paper fast passes at the Magic Kingdom, immediately upon entering the gates I'd grab a FastPass for Space Mountain, then do Standby for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Probably head to the HM, etc, then get the next available FastPass as soon as possible.
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Old Apr 19, 2017, 1:12 pm
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I've been to both parks several times and most recently a year ago. I'd also strongly recommend Disney Sea over Tokyo Disneyland, which feels a bit like the Magic Kingdom at WDW. It's still got a bit of an 80's feel from when it was first built. Of course, growing up in SoCA and working at Disneyland, I'm probably a bit biased. That said, my one "must do" attraction at TDL is Winnie the Pooh. Best Pooh ride out of all the parks.

Keep in mind that rides you are used to in Anaheim and/or WDW are distributed among the parks in Tokyo so not everything at DisneySea is completely unheard of in the US. That said, they are certainly better representations in most cases.

It's a bit of a haul from Shinagawa (where Strings is located) to Disneyland in the morning. You'll transit through Tokyo station with that crazy long walk underground with a million other commuters.

Have you considered heading directly to the parks upon arrival in Tokyo? I did that a couple of times and actually made it in time to use the after 6pm ticket. Even if you choose not to spend the night there, you can do both parks in one day by using the evening ticket if available instead of purchasing another full, one-day ticket.
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Old Apr 20, 2017, 6:13 am
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Originally Posted by fledglingraptormoon
There's no one-day ticket that allows you to go to both parks, unfortunately. You could purchase a regular park ticket for DisneySea and a starlight passport (allows entry after 3pm) to Disneyland or vice versa.
Thanks for the idea. Isn't the starlight passport only available for use on weekends? Or am I confusing that with the after 6pm (for children only?) ticket? We're going to be in Tokyo Mon thru Fri. Also wondering why, on the Disney ticket sight, I don't see any tickets available for purchase in late Sept. Online purchase availability seems to end in July. Perhaps it's like a Southwest thing, where you can only buy tickets only so far in advance.

We arrive NRT on Monday at around 5pm. Our departing flight out of NRT is around 7pm. Hope the NEX isn't insanely packed at 5 to 5:30pm, with that being rush hour. And us being terribly jet-lagged. Neither my wife or I can sleep on planes. Weren't able to get premium award flights, so we're in economy. Unless you can upgrade an AA award flight with points at a reasonable cost.
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Old Apr 20, 2017, 6:16 am
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Holy crap! I really enjoy Toy Story Mania at WDW's Hollywood Studios, but that's crazy for a fastpass. Thanks for the single rider advice--think I've only done that once in my life. Hope ToT has one; wife doesn't like ToT and I do. Huge Twilight Zone fan. Thanks also for the suggestion to look up the longest wait times.

Originally Posted by fledglingraptormoon
I visited Disneysea in May last year. The first fastpass to go for is Toy Story Mania. I entered the park early and headed straight there. My fastpass entry time was 9pm! Needless to say, fastpasses had all been given out by about 9am or so.

You can google which rides have the longest wait times - these are the ones you should get a fastpass at.
I really enjoyed Tower of Terror. It's best to go during the evening because the whole park is lit up so it looks amazing. Some rides also have single rider queues and this will typically shorten your wait time by 70% or so.
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Old Apr 20, 2017, 6:32 am
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My wife helped put herself through college working summers at the Magic Kingdom. Sister-in-law worked there her for over a decade. Have close friends who are cast members at WDW. Wish they were going with us, although I don't know if their benefits would transfer to Tokyo Disney. We took them to Hawaii once paying for everyone's flights using miles. They returned the favor by getting us all an insane discount (70%!) staying at Aulani on Oahu. Gorgeous property.

Pooh is cute, but neither I or my wife are attracted to pooh rides. Just isn't for us.

Thanks for the warning about getting from Shinagawa Station and having to pass through Tokyo Station! I can imagine people being crammed into cars by attendants--been on a lot of subway systems throughout the world and have never experienced anything like that, nor do I want to.

Thanks also for the idea of doing the parks on arrival. Great tip, and hopefully useful to someone else out there. Won't work for us. We arrive on a Monday around 5pm... Not happy about arriving during rush hour, but hoping the NEX will help with that. We'll probably be exhausted since neither of us will have slept for quite some time. Leave some time early AM from RDU, change planes at ORD, then it's ORD non-stop to NRT. In economy.

Thought the after 6pm ticket was available only to children. At least that's what I recall from the Tokyo Disney ticket sales page.

Anyone here stayed at the Sheraton on the monorail loop? Maybe that's a good option for our first night in Tokyo since it's cheap (around USD $125 a night), close by, and all I really imagined us being capable of doing was checking in, unpacking, and crashing.

On the other hand--and no offense to anyone here; all great info--I'm having second thoughts about visiting Tokyo Disney now at all. Perhaps it will no longer be a Must Do for us in the short time we have to experience Japan. Dunno, will have to spend more time looking at the attractions and reading about both parks' features. Will look for a good guidebook to the parks on Amazon (if there is one). I'm old school that way. Love Internet research, but like to curl up with hard copy guide books as part of planning. Of course they're outdated by the time they hit the press; but I always look up prices, opening hours, etc, as part of my trip research. Typically keep all the bits I need in a Google Docs doc my wife and I both edit for any given trip.

Originally Posted by OskiBear
I've been to both parks several times and most recently a year ago. I'd also strongly recommend Disney Sea over Tokyo Disneyland, which feels a bit like the Magic Kingdom at WDW. It's still got a bit of an 80's feel from when it was first built. Of course, growing up in SoCA and working at Disneyland, I'm probably a bit biased. That said, my one "must do" attraction at TDL is Winnie the Pooh. Best Pooh ride out of all the parks.

Keep in mind that rides you are used to in Anaheim and/or WDW are distributed among the parks in Tokyo so not everything at DisneySea is completely unheard of in the US. That said, they are certainly better representations in most cases.

It's a bit of a haul from Shinagawa (where Strings is located) to Disneyland in the morning. You'll transit through Tokyo station with that crazy long walk underground with a million other commuters.

Have you considered heading directly to the parks upon arrival in Tokyo? I did that a couple of times and actually made it in time to use the after 6pm ticket. Even if you choose not to spend the night there, you can do both parks in one day by using the evening ticket if available instead of purchasing another full, one-day ticket.
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Old Apr 20, 2017, 12:40 pm
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Originally Posted by moretimeoffguy
Thanks also for the idea of doing the parks on arrival. Great tip, and hopefully useful to someone else out there. Won't work for us. We arrive on a Monday around 5pm... Not happy about arriving during rush hour, but hoping the NEX will help with that. We'll probably be exhausted since neither of us will have slept for quite some time. Leave some time early AM from RDU, change planes at ORD, then it's ORD non-stop to NRT. In economy.

Thought the after 6pm ticket was available only to children. At least that's what I recall from the Tokyo Disney ticket sales page.

Anyone here stayed at the Sheraton on the monorail loop? Maybe that's a good option for our first night in Tokyo since it's cheap (around USD $125 a night), close by, and all I really imagined us being capable of doing was checking in, unpacking, and crashing.
N'EX is a lousy way to get from Narita to Tokyo Disney Resort area - the biggest problem is that once you get to Tokyo Station, the transfer from the N'EX platform (in a sub-basement of Tokyo Station) to the Keiyo Line (a different sub-basement a couple of blocks walk from the N'EX sub-basement) is awkward, confusing and long.

My favorite route from Narita to Maihama is Keisei Sky Access Express (think typical unreserved subway train) from Narita to Higashi-Matsudo, change to JR Musashino Line to Maihama. Changing platforms at Higashi-Matsudo is MUCH easier than at Tokyo Station. I have typically taken this route in the late afternoon, and it seems to be in the opposite direction of most rush hour traffic. http://www.hyperdia.com

If you expect to be tired, check out the Limousine Bus service from Narita.
http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/bus/
If there's a bus that works for you, you'll have door to door service - much easier than any train option.
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