Sure, you’ve visited Disneyland, the origin of the theme park industry. You felt you had to go, even as you wanted to go. Otherwise, you couldn’t call yourself a self-respecting park junkie. You’ve also traveled to Walt Disney World, probably multiple times. These two locations are the heart and soul of The Walt Disney Company, and even if you haven’t attended both yet, you know that you’ll go someday.
Why stop there, though? Magic Kingdom and Disneyland are the two most popular theme parks in the world, claiming 2015 attendance of 20.5 million and 18.3 million respectively. Only one other theme park on the planet claims that type of attendance, and you should have it on your bucket list as well. Tokyo Disney Resort has dazzled theme park tourists for more than 30 years, and it’s universally regarded as the best run Disney theme park outside of the United States. One of the two gates there also receives acclaim as the best overall theme park in the world. Here’s everything you need to know about planning a trip to the Happiest Place in Japan….something you should do immediately.
1. What’s so great about Tokyo Disney Resort?
Image: Disney
Ignoring its first year when it wasn’t open until April, Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort has enjoyed at least 10 million guests on an annual basis. By their own attendance stats, the parks at Tokyo Disneyland have received 630 million guests during that timeframe. What’s remarkable about their traffic is its consistency. The theme park claims a reputation as one of the best recreational options in the entirety of Japan.
One of the primary reasons for its sustained excellence doesn’t involve Disney at all. Instead, the owner of these facilities is The Oriental Land Company (OLC), which earned an exclusive contract with Disney that allows them to run a Disney theme park as their own. OLC works in close cooperation with Disney to ensure that their attractions meet the impossibly high standards of Walt Disney’s original vision for his parks.
Guests at Tokyo Disney Resort are the beneficiaries of this unusual arrangement. That’s because one company runs daily operations while a second one offers suggestions on how to optimize customer satisfaction. The end result of this agreement is that Tokyo Disney Resort features some of the best rides of any Disney theme park, several of which diehard fans wish the company would bring to their American locations. Of particular note is Pooh’s Hunny Hut, which uses unprecedented trackless technology to deliver a different ride experience each time.
2. Okay, you’ve sold me. I want to go! Now what?
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Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort requires a bit more strategy than a normal vacation. If you’re someone who prefers spontaneity, that’s not what you want to hear. Still, travel to a foreign country always includes a bit more overhead. You’ll need to take a few steps to prepare, the first of which is obvious. You’re going to need to get a passport or make sure that the one you already have is current for your expected travel dates.
The next thing you’ll want is to set a target date for your trip. You don’t need to choose specific dates yet. In fact, you should actively avoid that. A bit of flexibility will work in your favor. Your primary goal during the early planning phase is to acquire plane tickets at the lowest possible rate. By shopping early, you’ll enjoy the ability to monitor cheap airfare options. The price difference here is so significant that you could pay as little as $450 for a ticket or as much as $2,000.
Every dime you save on your flight is more money you’ll have to spend for the rest of your trip. The economics of a Tokyo Disney Resort vacation are mercurial due to several factors including currency fluctuation. Finding a great deal on a flight will take the pressure off. As you can see, a pair of tickets at $900 versus $4,000 fundamentally alters the affordability of a hotel stay, theme park tickets, and food/souvenirs.
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I won’t bore you with the details of finding a cheap flight. Thousands of internet articles provide tips on this if you’re not already familiar with the process. What matters the most is that you understandTokyo Disney Resort’s tourist calendar. Conveniently, it matches up well with American Disney parks. Months such as September, October, and November are considered less trafficked periods. The only notable exception is May, which means that you can get a jump on the summer for roughly the same price as the fall.
Peak season and Top season are Tokyo Disney Resort’s terminology for their busy periods. If you don’t mind a crowd, you can still have a lot of fun on these days. Virtually every weekend on the calendar (Friday-Sunday) qualifies for this category. As is the case in the United Stated, the most popular periods are July, August, and December. Note that the latter parts of July and December are much more crowded than the first couple of weeks for each month. OLC is much more precise about their grading of busy seasons.
3. How much will I pay once I get there?
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Theme park tickets to Tokyo Disney Resort are cheap! While they aren’t quite Shanghai Disneyland-level inexpensive, “passports” to the Tokyo parks cost the equivalent of $75 per day, give or take a bit for currency fluctuation. A four-day stay is around $220. A caveat exists, though. For whatever reason, OLC is down on the idea of park hopping.
The default option for one- or two-day park tickets is that you can only visit a single park. If you purchase the four-day option, you still can’t park hop until the last two days. Options exist to upgrade tickets, but it’s a quirk you should keep in mind. The other oddity is that they have an equivalent of Extra Magic Hours, but you shouldn’t get excited. Guests who stay at official Disney resorts enjoy an extra 15 minutes at the park prior to opening. You basically receive one extra ride on a popular attraction and only if you manage your time well that morning.
As for getting around the parks, the monorail system in Tokyo is dynamic. You’ll want to savor it if you’re someone who enjoys engineering achievement. If you’re staying onsite at Disney or at one of the select company-approved neighboring hotels, you’ll get to ride for free. Otherwise, you’ll pay about $5 for a single day’s pass on the monorail.
Meanwhile, taxis aren’t great in the area, and their equivalent of Uber is basically just a different type of taxi. Guests who don’t want to take the monorail should perform additional research on Tokyo transportation. It’s complex, even by the usual standards of 10+ million metropolitan areas. Just in case you do need a taxi, get in the habit of carrying some local currency while you’re in Tokyo. Even though the situation is evolving thanks to smartphone payments, cash is still king in Japan.
4. I don’t like exotic cuisine. Will I be able to eat there?
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You’ve come to the right place for these questions. I have the palate of a particularly dull four-year-old. Chicken nuggets are haute cuisine for me, and I struggle with this problem whenever I eat at the World Showcase. Thankfully, Disney caters to everyone, even those with bland diets. What’s true of American theme parks is also the case in Japan.
Tokyo Disney Resort actually features enough American cuisine that you’ll eat as well as you would at Disneyland, possibly even Walt Disney World. As long as you research menus before arriving at the restaurants, you’ll find hot dogs and cheeseburgers when so inclined. The prices won’t give you sticker shock, either. The most extreme example, Magellan’s at Mediterranean Harbor, costs somewhere between $35 and $50 per person, which is right in line with the nicest meals at American Disney restaurants (excluding Victoria and Albert’s). Some of the character meals there such as Horizon Bay Restaurant are $25-$35 per person, making them the equivalent of American casual dining establishments.
5. I can’t speak the language. Is that a dealbreaker?
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It’s obviously not ideal. Still, Tokyo is a remarkable city when it comes to the English language. They cater to European and North American travelers in myriad ways. You should get by without incident as long you have a Japanese translator on your smart device. And you don’t necessarily need that. Directional signs in congested areas include English instructions, and the Disney parks and hotels will have plenty of English-speaking cast members. If you’re staying offsite, you should investigate this issue a bit more carefully, but if you’re staying in the Disney bubble, it’s a negligible concern.
Going to Tokyo Disney Resort is something that every theme park tourist needs to do at least once in their life. The information above is a baseline for what to expect. When you’re ready to make the trip, you’ll want to perform some research to fill in the blanks not covered here.
