Tokyo Suggestions!

[ShoalFox]

At the end of March, I'll be visiting Tokyo Disneyland Resort over two days to close off my family trip to Japan. I've already done a lot of research because I'm just that kind of Disney fan, but I'd like to know from those who have firsthand experience what some must see things are at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. I'm already anticipating to watch the Dreamlights parade and go on all my favorites from the American parks, but what else is good?

 

[brb1006]

Be sure to see the Happiness Is Here Parade during the daytime along with Pooh's Honey Hunt

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

At the end of March, I'll be visiting Tokyo Disneyland Resort over two days to close off my family trip to Japan. I've already done a lot of research because I'm just that kind of Disney fan, but I'd like to know from those who have firsthand experience what some must see things are at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. I'm already anticipating to watch the Dreamlights parade and go on all my favorites from the American parks, but what else is good?

Since you only have two days, I would recommend avoiding most cloned attractions to save time. TDR has so many unique attraction and entertainment offerings that using up your valuable time on direct lifts of American attractions would be a waste.

Be sure to arrive before opening each day and avoid weekends if possible. Expect crowds like you've never seen in both parks on any given day.

In TDL, go straight to Monsters Inc to get a FP. Then head to Pooh and ride that standby. Those are the unmissable attractions in that park, so make them a priority. Plan to see Happiness is Here and Dreamlights. If you're visiting during Easter, the park will run an Easter parade instead of Happiness is Here. Know that people gladly stake out spots for parades 1-2 hours in advance, so plan accordingly. We waited 90 minutes for Dreamlights and you will be asked to sit on the ground. No standing in almost all parade viewing areas.

Eat lunch or dinner at Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. It's incredible and the flank steak was phenomenal, especially for counter service.

See the Tiki Room with Stitch. This is the only attraction in TDL that offers English caption devices, so be sure to ask for one before entering the theater.

If you want to see Tom Sawyer Island, go for it - it's kind of like WDW's used to be before lawyers. The Country Bears in a hybrid English/Japanese show are hilarious. Jungle Cruise is a must, and is best after sunset. Splash Mountain, while largely the same as WDW's, has an incredibly impressive queue and loading area, plus a beautiful counter service restaurant situated into it (Grandma Sara's Kitchen). Small World is terrible. Haunted Mansion is an exact replica of WDW's, pre-mid 2000's refurb. The Toontown attractions are direct copies of DL's.

Once Upon A Time, the nighttime castle spectacular, is beautiful, but don't wait too long for it. We walked up to a great spot in the hub on a very crowded day just before showtime. No need to camp out for hours. It's light on pyro due to restrictions there, so it's mostly a castle projection show.

TDS is incredible. Again arrive before opening. Avoid Toy Story Mania like the plague - exact same ride as in America, only with insane popularity. Go straight to Tower of Terror to get a FP (theirs is unique and very cool), and then go to Journey to the Center of the Earth and get in the standby line. Once your TOT FP has passed, get another one for Mermaid Lagoon Theater (an absolute must) or Indiana Jones (theirs is superior to DL's). Be sure to go on Sindbad's Storybook Voyage (usually never has a wait and it's wonderful). Get a Chandu tail next door at Oasis Snacks.

If characters are your thing, be sure to keep an eye out while walking through American Waterfront. The Aristocats, Bernard, Bianca and fab 5 in gorgeous period costumes all appear here throughout the day.

Magic Lamp Theater is fun if you need to sit down and there isn't a long wait. This is the only attraction in TDS that provides English caption devices, so be sure to ask for one.

Ride 20,000 Leagues, it usually has a short wait. See Big Band Beat if you have the time. Fantasmic is fine (better than WDW's, not as good as DL's, and substantially different from either), but since you only have one day, don't waste 2 hours camping out for it. If you want to have a nice dinner and don't mind taking the time, get a priority seating at Magellan's.

Be sure to spend some time poking around Fortress Explorations and Mermaid Lagoon. Raging Spirits is a crappy coaster, skip it. Aquatopia is bizarre, only worth it if there's no wait. If StormRider is open and has a short wait, give it a shot as it's closing permanently in May. It's bizarre as well, but still kind of fun.

Have an amazing time!

 

[David Maruca]

At the end of March, I'll be visiting Tokyo Disneyland Resort over two days to close off my family trip to Japan. I've already done a lot of research because I'm just that kind of Disney fan, but I'd like to know from those who have firsthand experience what some must see things are at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. I'm already anticipating to watch the Dreamlights parade and go on all my favorites from the American parks, but what else is good?

Be sure to check out TDRexplorer.com. They are a great resource for all things Tokyo Disney.

 

[KikoKea]

Since you only have two days, I would recommend avoiding most cloned attractions to save time. TDR has so many unique attraction and entertainment offerings that using up your valuable time on direct lifts of American attractions would be a waste.

Be sure to arrive before opening each day and avoid weekends if possible. Expect crowds like you've never seen in both parks on any given day.

In TDL, go straight to Monsters Inc to get a FP. Then head to Pooh and ride that standby. Those are the unmissable attractions in that park, so make them a priority. Plan to see Happiness is Here and Dreamlights. If you're visiting during Easter, the park will run an Easter parade instead of Happiness is Here. Know that people gladly stake out spots for parades 1-2 hours in advance, so plan accordingly. We waited 90 minutes for Dreamlights and you will be asked to sit on the ground. No standing in almost all parade viewing areas.

Eat lunch or dinner at Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. It's incredible and the flank steak was phenomenal, especially for counter service.

See the Tiki Room with Stitch. This is the only attraction in TDL that offers English caption devices, so be sure to ask for one before entering the theater.

If you want to see Tom Sawyer Island, go for it - it's kind of like WDW's used to be before lawyers. The Country Bears in a hybrid English/Japanese show are hilarious. Jungle Cruise is a must, and is best after sunset. Splash Mountain, while largely the same as WDW's, has an incredibly impressive queue and loading area, plus a beautiful counter service restaurant situated into it (Grandma Sara's Kitchen). Small World is terrible. Haunted Mansion is an exact replica of WDW's, pre-mid 2000's refurb. The Toontown attractions are direct copies of DL's.

Once Upon A Time, the nighttime castle spectacular, is beautiful, but don't wait too long for it. We walked up to a great spot in the hub on a very crowded day just before showtime. No need to camp out for hours. It's light on pyro due to restrictions there, so it's mostly a castle projection show.

TDS is incredible. Again arrive before opening. Avoid Toy Story Mania like the plague - exact same ride as in America, only with insane popularity. Go straight to Tower of Terror to get a FP (theirs is unique and very cool), and then go to Journey to the Center of the Earth and get in the standby line. Once your TOT FP has passed, get another one for Mermaid Lagoon Theater (an absolute must) or Indiana Jones (theirs is superior to DL's). Be sure to go on Sindbad's Storybook Voyage (usually never has a wait and it's wonderful). Get a Chandu tail next door at Oasis Snacks.

If characters are your thing, be sure to keep an eye out while walking through American Waterfront. The Aristocats, Bernard, Bianca and fab 5 in gorgeous period costumes all appear here throughout the day.

Magic Lamp Theater is fun if you need to sit down and there isn't a long wait. This is the only attraction in TDS that provides English caption devices, so be sure to ask for one.

Ride 20,000 Leagues, it usually has a short wait. See Big Band Beat if you have the time. Fantasmic is fine (better than WDW's, not as good as DL's, and substantially different from either), but since you only have one day, don't waste 2 hours camping out for it. If you want to have a nice dinner and don't mind taking the time, get a priority seating at Magellan's.

Be sure to spend some time poking around Fortress Explorations and Mermaid Lagoon. Raging Spirits is a crappy coaster, skip it. Aquatopia is bizarre, only worth it if there's no wait. If StormRider is open and has a short wait, give it a shot as it's closing permanently in May. It's bizarre as well, but still kind of fun.

Have an amazing time!

Since hubby and I plan to skip WDW this Fall, we are hoping to see TDL/DS instead. Thanks for the great info!

 

[peep]

See Big Band Beat if you have the time.

Agree with most of what GiveMeTheMusic suggested, however it should be noted that this show uses a lottery ticket based system, apart from the first showing of the day.

I'd highly recommend seeing their Fantasmic just because it's so different to the other two, and in my opinion it's more impressive.

I don't recommend the Monsters Inc ride but as it is unique you still might want to check it out and the only/best way to do that is to run there in the morning with the early crowd rush.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Agree with most of what GiveMeTheMusic suggested, however it should be noted that this show uses a lottery ticket based system, apart from the first showing of the day.

I'd highly recommend seeing their Fantasmic just because it's so different to the other two, and in my opinion it's more impressive.

I don't recommend the Monsters Inc ride but as it is unique you still might want to check it out and the only/best way to do that is to run there in the morning with the early crowd rush.

True. The lottery for Big Band Beat can be a pain, but they don't run it every day. I'm not sure what the criteria is, but last time I was there the park was very crowded and they did no lotto for BBB; it was just regular first come seating at the theater. That same day, OMD2 in TDL ran its lotto. *shrug*

I really like how the dragon is accomplished at TDS for Fantasmic, as they don't have the luxury of a 60 ft deep trap like at DL/WDW. It's very much worth seeing, but I would still stand by skipping it if you only have 1 day in the park and it's crowded enough that seeing it means camping out for 1-2 hours and you haven't been on other attractions that are must-do's. Last time I was there I found out that there are Japanese vacation packages that include reserved viewing for Fantasmic, and now it's my life mission to figure out how to book those as an American!

I've heard mixed reviews on Monsters from lots of people, but I really like it. It's fun and money was clearly spent - great AAs, and the flashlight idea is fun.

Also, another tip for @fox_198: download Google Chrome for your smartphone (if you're not on Android that is) so that you can access TDR's mobile website while at the resort. Chrome does auto-translation, and their mobile website provides real-time wait times and Fastpass times.

 

[ShoalFox]

Also, another tip for @fox_198: download Google Chrome for your smartphone (if you're not on Android that is) so that you can access TDR's mobile website while at the resort. Chrome does auto-translation, and their mobile website provides real-time wait times and Fastpass times.

Sorry, but I NEVER use Chrome out of personal preference, desktop or mobile.

And thanks to everybody for the advice.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Sorry, but I NEVER use Chrome out of personal preference, desktop or mobile.

And thanks to everybody for the advice.

Okay. If you have another mobile browser that can translate on the fly, then use that to access the site - having those wait times without having to crisscross the park is a huge advantage.

Have a great trip!

 

[Bacon]

At the end of March, I'll be visiting Tokyo Disneyland Resort over two days to close off my family trip to Japan. I've already done a lot of research because I'm just that kind of Disney fan, but I'd like to know from those who have firsthand experience what some must see things are at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. I'm already anticipating to watch the Dreamlights parade and go on all my favorites from the American parks, but what else is good?

Make Shure to get the honey popcorn near Pooh's hunny hunt's fastpass machines

 

[BrerJon]

Do Sea on the first day (skip Toy Story and Raging Spirits, don't skip Tower of Terror or Journey to the Centre of the Earth), as it's the most immersive theme park in the world and you may want more time there. Then the second day do Land but prioritise Pooh and Monsters, then enjoy what you can but try to steer clear of direct clones, although their Mansion, Splash and Pirates are all worth doing.

Above all, as others have said, GET THERE BEFORE IT OPENS!

In WDW, people drift in over the course of the morning, and being at rope-drop gives you a head start. Whereas the Japanese treat it like a working/school day, and make sure they are on time, at the gates at 9AM sharp! This means crowds are huge from minute one, so arriving mid morning will inevitably lead to a two or three hour wait for the main rides.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

Hunny Hunt, Monsters Inc, Happiness is Here is an amazing parade and the name fits. You can't stop smiling the moment it starts. Dreamlights is a totally different experience from the Electrical Parade at WDW. Once Upon A Time is Celebrate the Magic on steroids and it is stunning. The Easter parade at Disneyland will be running at that time. Watch it, it's a fun little parade.

 

[Absimilliard]

For Tokyo Disneyland, Splash Mountain has a wonderful hidden Single Riders line that start in the Fast Pass line before splitting near the end. When I went last year, a 60 minutes wait turned to a walk on and 3 rides in 40 minutes with the single riders. One thing to note: in 2015, they went from the single lap bar currently seen on Splash Mountain at WDW to Everest style individual U bars. At 6'3, I struggled to fit in. The good thing is that kids as small as 35 inches can now ride it.

Like others have said, run to Monsters Inc, grab a fast pass and then do stand-by at Pooh's Hunny Hunt. Skip Buzz Lightyear as its a short inferior version of DL and DLP Buzz that suffers from having wait times as long as Pooh and Monsters Inc. Later, use fast passes to get on Big Thunder Mountain (it has themed tunnels at the start and a wonderful drop at the end) and Space Mountain (the Matrix meet Disneyland Space Mountain, make sure to watch the Coca Cola sponsor video once you get upstairs on the mezzanine).

The two winners in quick service for me are Grandma Sara kitchen near Splash Mountain and Queen of Heart Banquet Hall. Grandma Sara serve french style baked gratin dishes and meat dishes that are unique to a theme park and delicious. The current menu in japanese is as follow: http://info.tokyodisneyresort.jp/menu/restaurant/cfcae1fd818695da1899213d3f9556c0.html

Over at Tokyo DisneySea, Raging Spirits and Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull have single riders lines. At Raging Spirits, it is simple: ask the cast member up front and they will send you to the right line. At Indiana Jones Adventure, same and they will send you down stand-by until you reach a small gate that says Single Riders on it and then you follow that until the merge point. You are then sent to the Single Riders line to the station.

I would not skip Raging Spirits as it is quite a fun experience with all the fog, waterfalls and fire effects littered around the ride. Plus, with the efficient single riders line, you would not use a fast pass on it. Is anyone in your party on the taller side? There is a strict 6'4 (1m95) maximum height restriction for this attraction. Here is the official promo video for the ride:

 

[brb1006]

Hunny Hunt, Monsters Inc, Happiness is Here is an amazing parade and the name fits. You can't stop smiling the moment it starts. Dreamlights is a totally different experience from the Electrical Parade at WDW. Once Upon A Time is Celebrate the Magic on steroids and it is stunning. The Easter parade at Disneyland will be running at that time. Watch it, it's a fun little parade.

I havent't heard any Disney Parade with a soundtrack as happy,fun, and upbeat like Happiness Is Here since Spectromagic and Share A Dream Come True Parade. I'm still really happy The Aristocats finally gotten there own float. For some reason the float would also make a perfect new float for Dream lights based on that but different.

 

[ShoalFox]

Just got finished with my second day, so here I go with some thoughts.

Yesterday I visited Tokyo Disney Sea. Unfortunately because I took a train from Hiroshima to Tokyo on the same day, I couldn't get to the park until about 1:00 and by then all FastPasses were gone for everything. ~_~ Everything had multiple hour waits and the only rides I was able to go on besides the train and steamboat were Aquatopia (too short) and 20,000 Leagues, the latter of which was absolutely amazing. If the other rides were the same quality as 20K, I'm sure I would have enjoyed TDS much more than I did. Sure the park is pretty to look at, but what's the point if there are so few rides that everything has multiple hour waits?

Today was much better as I visited Tokyo Disneyland. Let me headline this by saying I did not ride Monsters Inc. nor Pooh's Hunny Hunt, oh and I didn't have any popcorn either. Started off the day waiting in line to get a Space Mountain FastPass, then the first ride I went on was Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Never been on the Cali version, but it was a lot of fun. Then did I Pinocchio; Is the Anaheim version longer? The hidden single rider line for Splash really came in handy as it was the only ride I went on twice (despite the weather being almost freezing). I also ended up getting a FastPass for the Haunted Mansion who's standby never dipped below 50. Speaking of HM, it was like a blast from the past of WDW's version. Space Mountain was a lot of fun; better than WDW but not as good as Paris. Throughout the day I felt like TDL was like a strange hybrid of Disneyland Resort and Magic Kingdom. As for characters, there were a ton! No Robin Hood, though . I ended up meeting Gideon, Thumper, and Toulouse, but I saw many more characters including Scrooge and Honest John. Of course, how would I end the day in any way other than seeing Dreamlights? The parade simply has no equal in any other Disney park. Neither the MSEP nor PTN can compare to Dreamlights.

It's too bad I'm leaving Japan tomorrow, but I sure did end it in an awesome way. Thanks to everyone for all the help!

 

[brb1006]

Just got finished with my second day, so here I go with some thoughts.

Yesterday I visited Tokyo Disney Sea. Unfortunately because I took a train from Hiroshima to Tokyo on the same day, I couldn't get to the park until about 1:00 and by then all FastPasses were gone for everything. ~_~ Everything had multiple hour waits and the only rides I was able to go on besides the train and steamboat were Aquatopia (too short) and 20,000 Leagues, the latter of which was absolutely amazing. If the other rides were the same quality as 20K, I'm sure I would have enjoyed TDS much more than I did. Sure the park is pretty to look at, but what's the point if there are so few rides that everything has multiple hour waits?

Today was much better as I visited Tokyo Disneyland. Let me headline this by saying I did not ride Monsters Inc. nor Pooh's Hunny Hunt, oh and I didn't have any popcorn either. Started off the day waiting in line to get a Space Mountain FastPass, then the first ride I went on was Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Never been on the Cali version, but it was a lot of fun. Then did I Pinocchio; Is the Anaheim version longer? The hidden single rider line for Splash really came in handy as it was the only ride I went on twice (despite the weather being almost freezing). I also ended up getting a FastPass for the Haunted Mansion who's standby never dipped below 50. Speaking of HM, it was like a blast from the past of WDW's version. Space Mountain was a lot of fun; better than WDW but not as good as Paris. Throughout the day I felt like TDL was like a strange hybrid of Disneyland Resort and Magic Kingdom. As for characters, there were a ton! No Robin Hood, though . I ended up meeting Gideon, Thumper, and Toulouse, but I saw many more characters including Scrooge and Honest John. Of course, how would I end the day in any way other than seeing Dreamlights? The parade simply has no equal in any other Disney park. Neither the MSEP nor PTN can compare to Dreamlights.
Did you meet Toulouse at Tokyo Disney Sea?
It's too bad I'm leaving Japan tomorrow, but I sure did end it in an awesome way. Thanks to everyone for all the help!

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Just got finished with my second day, so here I go with some thoughts.

Yesterday I visited Tokyo Disney Sea. Unfortunately because I took a train from Hiroshima to Tokyo on the same day, I couldn't get to the park until about 1:00 and by then all FastPasses were gone for everything. ~_~ Everything had multiple hour waits and the only rides I was able to go on besides the train and steamboat were Aquatopia (too short) and 20,000 Leagues, the latter of which was absolutely amazing. If the other rides were the same quality as 20K, I'm sure I would have enjoyed TDS much more than I did. Sure the park is pretty to look at, but what's the point if there are so few rides that everything has multiple hour waits?

Today was much better as I visited Tokyo Disneyland. Let me headline this by saying I did not ride Monsters Inc. nor Pooh's Hunny Hunt, oh and I didn't have any popcorn either. Started off the day waiting in line to get a Space Mountain FastPass, then the first ride I went on was Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Never been on the Cali version, but it was a lot of fun. Then did I Pinocchio; Is the Anaheim version longer? The hidden single rider line for Splash really came in handy as it was the only ride I went on twice (despite the weather being almost freezing). I also ended up getting a FastPass for the Haunted Mansion who's standby never dipped below 50. Speaking of HM, it was like a blast from the past of WDW's version. Space Mountain was a lot of fun; better than WDW but not as good as Paris. Throughout the day I felt like TDL was like a strange hybrid of Disneyland Resort and Magic Kingdom. As for characters, there were a ton! No Robin Hood, though . I ended up meeting Gideon, Thumper, and Toulouse, but I saw many more characters including Scrooge and Honest John. Of course, how would I end the day in any way other than seeing Dreamlights? The parade simply has no equal in any other Disney park. Neither the MSEP nor PTN can compare to Dreamlights.

It's too bad I'm leaving Japan tomorrow, but I sure did end it in an awesome way. Thanks to everyone for all the help!

Just curious, was there a particular reason you skipped Pooh and Monsters?

 

[ShoalFox]

Just curious, was there a particular reason you skipped Pooh and Monsters?

Stand by was too long and by the time I could get another FastPass, the times were too late since we were leaving at 8:30.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Stand by was too long and by the time I could get another FastPass, the times were too late since we were leaving at 8:30.

Gotcha

 

[brb1006]

Stand by was too long and by the time I could get another FastPass, the times were too late since we were leaving at 8:30.

What a shame