Thanks for all the great suggestions for Hong Kong Disneyland.
Now we are headed north to Tokyo!
I’ve read about Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. I’m trying to keep my must see list limited, even tho I want to see it all!
My “Must See” List for Tokyo Disneyland is:
Pooh Hunny Pot
Monster’s Inc
RailRoad
Parades
Shows
My “Must See” List for Tokyo Disney Sea is:
All of it LOL
Parades
Shows
Aquatopia (never mind it’s under rehab)
Tower of Terror
Sinbad
Journey to Center
So what are you attraction and food suggestions? Any tips for the travelers?
Thanks!
At TDS go to the Fortress Exploration and try to Leonardo challenge. Its all in Japanese, but there is a free beautiful map available that makes a nice souvenir. Also there are remote boats in one of the rooms that for 100 yen you can drive. They remind me of the jungle boats you could drive at The Disneyland Hotel before they renovated. And if you eat at Magellans ask for the secret wine cellar.
Although Mermaid Lagoon is primarily a children’s area, there is a wonderful show, a live performance, Under the Sea, hidden away where it can be overlooked.
I visited Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea in May 2013 and will be visiting again in April 2014. My favorite park was Disney Sea because it was so different from any of the parks I have been to. I was fortunate to visit during Duffy’s Spring Voyage and the park was gorgeously decorated. I ate lunch at the My Friend Duffy Show and enjoyed it, even though it was in Japanese and I am still learning the language. The Legend of Mythica Show in the center lagoon is not to be missed. It utilized the whole lagoon and had many floats with characters and people on jet skis zooming about. I ate at Sailing Day Buffet as well and found a wide variety of food. They had western food as well as Japanese. The snack carts around the park had a wide variety. My favorites were the gyoza sausage bun at the refreshment Station in the Mysterious Island and the sausage in a bun at Expedition Eats.
My favorites at Tokyo Disneyland were the Happiness is Here afternoon parade. I loved the parade song and the floats. I also enjoyed the food at Sweetheart Café in the World Bazaar. I must admit the days I went to Tokyo Disneyland it was a bit crowded so I skipped many of the rides and just explored and soaked in the ambience. I did do the castle walkthrough and waited in a 30 minute line to see it. Although it was neat once, I am not sure I would wait the same amount of time again.
I found the parks very accessible to foreign visitors. There were English signs everywhere and although many of the attractions were not in English it was easy to figure out what was going on and still enjoy the ride. Needless to say I am excited to go back!
I had the thrill of visiting Tokyo Disneyland for a day trip a few years ago with my infant daughter (age 6 months at the time).
To find the place on the Tokyo train system, is kinda of easy once you get on the right train line: basically, follow the groups of school kids. There all going there. Also on the train platform when you look at the signpost with the list of train stops counting how many you have to go, you can tell which stop it is because the characters are all worn out from people touching the one that Disney is at.
Weather-wise, Tokyo is similar to New York. It can rain there all day. Bring a small umbrella or poncho so that it doesnt ruin the day.
The parade was awesome. And the Japanese all sit down neatly for it, and fold all strollers and such. There is no crush of crowd, just a group of people all minding their manners.
For children, the ride restriction list is different than the US. For example, I couldn’t bring my infant on lap on Pirates of the Caribbean, whic iirc is fine in Florida.
Hi Deb,
You should check out Disneytouristblog.com if you haven’t yet, they have been to Tokyo Disney twice now and I believe Hong Kong Disney once and they have spelled out everything for first time guests, it’s great. I think its under their Trip Reports. They have detailed information about the parks, restaurants, shopping, you may find it helpful 🙂
Have a great time!
I just recently took a trip back in November to Tokyo Disney resort for my Honeymoon. We spent 3 days at the Disney Parks. TDL is a perfect combination of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Having only been to Disneyland one time, and MK many, I spent much of my time doing the things that were unfamiliar to me and then when I did all of those, I did all of my MK favorites. The rides that ended up being my favorite at TDL were the ones that are my favorite in MK. Honestly though, the atmosphere of TDL is what is so enjoyable. Everyone is so happy to be there, dresses in their Disney finest. It just makes you so happy to see such friendliness.
As for DisneySea, that was something unlike any Disney park I have ever experienced. My favorite rides were Indiana Jones and Journey to the Center of the Earth. I LOVED the Little Mermaid section of the park. It’s primarily a section reserved for little kids but visually it’s amazing. It’s also completely indoors, so it’s a nice little escape from the cold. The nighttime water show at DisneySea is spectacular (think fantasmic meets illuminations). If you are thinking of doing any fo the shows/parades, be prepared to devote a good chunk of your day to waiting. The Japanese are very patient and we observed that they would lay out blankets to sit and wait well over 1 hour before the parades would begin.
I spent 2 weeks in Japan and those 3 days at Tokyo Disney Resort were my favorite part of the trip. If you’re a Disney Fan, it’s hard not to love it, especially when seen through the eyes of the Japanese. Enjoy your trip!
Combine a meal with a show and see one of the dinner performances at Tokyo Disneyland. You have to make the mad dash to the venue when the park opens to make a reservation, but it was worth it. I tried to get the Stitch Adventureland luau, but that sells out very quickly. The Golden Horseshoe was my second choice, but still a great way to be entertained while dining.
You will totally be able to see it all, just do typical rope drop and you can still do a mid day break if staying at a TDL hotel. MiraCosta does an early AM to TDS, and TDL hotel does early am to TDL. I highly recommend trying all the popcorn flavored, very unique and different everywhere, also Mickey and Minnie fruit bars, yum
If you can, definitely stay at the “in” property hotel, Miracosta. Fantastic experience.There’s also a great sea themed restaurant. Breakfast was both Japanese & American. Have a great trip.