I finally made it out to the Tokyo Disney Resort and I can't wait to share everything I discovered!
What to expect when planning a trip:
For both parks, the Disney experience is very different than the United States, so doing your research before planning a trip is crucial to making the most out of your vacation. As of 2024, Tokyo Disney Resort hotels need be booked 4 months in advance, and tickets need to be booked 2 months in advance. These can both be booked through the Tokyo Disney app, which is very similar to the Disneyland and Disney World apps. The resorts book up way faster than the tickets, so I would make that a top priority if you plan to stay on property.
Hotels
We stayed at the value resort, the Tokyo Disney Celebration hotel, on the Discover side. The other hotels were not only more expensive, but they sold out within minutes. The main reason this is considered a "value resort" is the distance to the parks. The Celebration is the only hotel not on the monorail loop. I still think this is a great option, the hotel has cute theming, and there is a free bus constantly running guests back and forth between the parks and the hotel.
If you end up staying at the Celebration I would recommend still taking time out of your day to check out the monorail, and visit the other resorts and Ikspiari, Tokyo Disney's Downtown area.
Due to city regulations, the monorail cannot be free, but they do take Suica and other local public transportation cards which makes it very easy to hop on if you've been staying in the city previously during your trip. The number one resort I would recommend visiting is the Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta. The hotel is decorated in gorgeous coastal Italian architecture, making guests feel like they are right in Venice.
Ikspiari is home to several restaurants and shops, including the Disney Store where you can find a seemingly unlimited supply of various plushies. Any character you can imagine, they have in the form of a tiny little plushie. The rest of the restaurants are more like you could find in any Tokyo mall, with less Disney theming.
Tokyo Disneyland
The main difference between visiting a Tokyo Disney park and a park in the states, is getting into the parks in the morning. If a Tokyo Disney Park opens at 8am, guests will start lining up outside the gates up to 2 hours before, and sit and wait for the parks to open. This can be a challenge in the middle of the summer since there is minimal coverage from the sun. I would recommend bringing personal fans, umbrellas, and coffee/breakfast from the hotel convenience store. The gates open exactly when the park opens, unless you are staying at a Disney Hotel and have Extra Magic Hours in the morning. There is a seperate line for hotel guests, and the only benefit to Extra Magic Hours is being able to book fast passes before the general public scans into the parks. The rides still do not open until the official park open time. Getting a head start on these fast passes is worth staying at a hotel, but unfortunately it's only for Tokyo Disneyland, not Tokyo DisneySea.
Different Rides
The rides at Tokyo Disneyland are overall very advanced, both Pooh's Hunny Hunt and the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast rides have trackless ride vehicles and incredible animatronics.
The fast-pass system seems to be changing constantly at the Disney parks, but for our visit we had the option for either paid priority passes to popular attractions, or free fast passes for all other rides. The free passes are unlimited, but you cannot book additional passes until your designated ride time. These options both get "sold out" very quickly, and you can only book them after your whole party has scanned their tickets to enter the park.
Food/Drinks
The food at these parks are so unique, I found everything to be overall high quality. Below are my recommendations for the most iconic and most photogenic foodie!
First and foremost, you can't leave without these little Green Alien Mochi from Plazma Ray's Diner. They come in one of each flavor- chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. These little beauties have been a staple of the Tokyo Disney parks for years, and you can get them here or in Tokyo Disney Sea. Plazma Ray's is like if Cosmic Ray's had good food, I highly recommend grabbing lunch or dinner here. Another highlight from the menu was the Chef's Special Set, which consisted of shrimp tempura, eggs, rice, and beef curry. We still cannot figure out how they get their egg yolks to be Mickey shaped!
Some additional character shaped items can be found at Huey Dewey and Louie's Good Time Cafe. If you're looking for a fun quick service meal, the Egg & Chicken Bun comes on a Mickey hand, and the Shrimp Cutlet Burger comes on Donald's foot! These buns are so adorable and tasty, I recommend either option.
You can get alcohol at both parks, but very limited options (Ichiban Draft) is the only beer they have. There are a variety of different cocktails offered at the parks, we tried the Coffee Cocktail with rum and macadamia nut syrup from Cafe Orleans and the Apple Wine Cocktail from La Taverna de Gaston. Both were delicious, but a little strange. Almost every cocktail offered at the parks has a gelatin layer at the bottom. The cast members will recommend stirring your drink before taking your first sip.
Vending Machines
One of the most fun and unique parts of Tokyo, and the Tokyo Disney Parks, is the vending machines! Each area has a themed vending machine where you can use your phone, a Suica card, or coins to get water or sodas. As pictured below, one of the most popular snacks across both parks is the flavored popcorn stands. Be sure to check which flavor they are offering before you get in a long line- some of them are for the more adventurous eaters (like curry, garlic shrimp, matcha and even soy sauce!).
The overall design of the park is very similar to Magic Kingdom, but much more spacious. A fun addition that you cannot find in the states is The Happy Ride With Baymax. The ride concept is identical to Alien Swirling Saucers and the Junkyard Jamboree, but what makes this ride stand out is the choreographed dances that accompany the ride jingles. Guests will spend a large portion of their day surrounding the Baymax ride and dancing along to the songs. In another twist on a classic Disney ride, you can find Stitch at the Tiki Room!
Shows
During our short visit to the parks we were able to catch parts of two Tokyo Disneyland parades, and they were beautiful! Tokyo Disney's Electrical Parade, known as DreamLights is a stunning celebration of characters and music, and can be seen nightly down Main Street. During the summer days, you can experience Baymax's Mission: Cool Down Parade where Baymax and friends will parade through the parks on floats spraying guests with water to help avoid the extreme heat. Fair warning, you will actually get wet if you want to see this parade up close, they are not messing around with those water cannons!
Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea is so picturesque, with so many unique rides and themed areas. The theming at DisneySea is not limited to being "aquatic", so it's hard to describe in just a few words. There is an American section including Cape Cod themed areas and a New York City street, the Little Mermaid's castle, the "Arabian Coast" from Aladdin, and an all new Fantasy Springs. Unfortunately we could not get a printed map- so make sure to have phone battery to use the app!
Different Rides
Fantasy Springs is a brand new land at DisneySea, and it's absolutely gorgeous! The land has three all new rides, three restaurants and a giant merchandise location for all three attractions: Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure, Rapunzel's Lantern Festival, and Anna and Elsa's Frozen Journey.
In order to enter the land you must have either a fast pass for a ride, or a dining reservation. We paid for Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure, and once it was our ride time we were able. to enter the land, and stay as long as we would like. We then later were able to get a free fast pass for Rapunzel's Lantern Festival. We did not get to ride the Frozen attraction, but I would highly recommend Peter Pan's ride over Rapunzel's if given the option. Rapunzel's was a little short and simple where Peter Pan's was really spectacular, and worth paying for.
The entire Fantasy Springs area is visually stunning, and I could have spent the entire day in the gift shop. Some highlights were the Lost Boys beanies, Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure shirts, and Lost Boys keychains (so adorable)
We also enjoyed the steampunk style throughout the park, especially on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Food/Drinks
The food at DisneySea is very high quality, and there's so many options- it's hard to choose what to try in only a couple days! We enjoyed the variety of options at Vulcania, as well as the steampunk atmosphere, fitting into the land's theming perfectly. I recommend the Shrimp in Chili Sauce, Fried Rice, Dim Sum, and Mango Jelly dessert. Always better to come with friends so you can try a little of everything!
Another fun dining spot we discovered was Yucatan Base Camp Grill, in the Indiana Jones themed area. The skull shaped rice in the Chef's Special Set was a huge hit.
If you're looking for a refreshing coffee and snack, Mamma Biscotti's has adorable boba lattes and a variety of pastries. My favorite dessert was found at an ice cream cart inside The Little Mermaid castle- the Sea Salt Ice Cream Monaka. I loved how it was salty and sweet, and the macaron shell helped this dessert to not be too messy.
Merch
The merchandise at both parks is primarily comprised of stuffed animals and other cute trinkets. There are a few trending items like the Mickey shaped sunglasses, that are only found in a few locations- but are a must-have. There is also no shortage of Duffy merchandise, especially in DisneySea.
The Tokyo Disney Resort is an absolute blast, and is truly a unique Disney experience. Both parks have exciting new attractions and restaurants to experience. I would recommend making the journey to Japan to check out these parks, if you have the opportunity, to make lifelong memories and experience Disney in a whole new way.
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