Trip Report: Four Days of Tokyo Disney + Universal Studios Japan and More

[Wendy Pleakley]

My first, and until now only, visit to Tokyo Disneyland was in 2002. Over two decades later I decided to go back as well as to see more of Japan. The 2002 visit was a one-week affair.

In 2002 Disney's California Adventure had just opened to thunderous disappointment and the resort as a whole was becoming run down. Meanwhile, overseas, Tokyo DisneySea was being celebrated as a creative triumph and Tokyo was the place to go for cutting edge attractions.

At the time, Pooh's Hunny Hunt was the big new thing. It was the first ride to use trackless technology and was a truly jaw dropping experience. Ride vehicles flowing freely, or at least appearing to, through elaborate set pieces was one of those special moments at Disney where an attraction just makes your jaw drop, much like Indiana Jones did for me previously.

Since then I've been to Anaheim and Orlando several times, with a side trip to Hong Kong. I was excited to see if Tokyo is still as great as I remember.

In this report I'll give a blow by blow account of attractions, dining, and anything else I can remember. I'll try and answer the question: Is Tokyo Disney worth going to Japan for? Spoiler alert: my answer is yes.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I'm not going to do a full cost breakdown but I'll highlight a few costs for perspective.

I flew round trip on ZIPAIR, the budget wing of Japan Airlines. A round trip ticket cost $900 Canadian. They charge for everything. If your carry-on is more than 7kg you have to pay extra. They weigh everything. My total included a meal, checked baggage, and seating in the exit row. Or, as I like to call it, first class for poor people:

For the first leg of this trip we stayed at Hotel Sardonyx Tokyo for $169 per night and it was very nice. All of our hotels in Japan were good value.

The hotel was close to a direct subway line to Disney and was under 30 minutes away including walking. Trains run frequently. This isn't Florida where you see nine Animal Kingdom buses come and go when you just want to get to Epcot by 9:00 am so you can start drinking. I'm sure staying on property is great but it's not necessary at all.

Park tickets cost 8,900 yen. Tokyo does variable pricing and this was as cheap as it gets, I believe. For us this was $84 CAD. The high seems to be 10,900 yen which is $102 CAD. They mostly just sell single park tickets. When park hopper tickets are available they end up costing close to twice the base price as I recall.

In 2002 I was able to buy a 3-day ticket which was one park per day with park hopping allowed on day 3. That was the perfect amount of time to do just about everything. As that wasn't an option this time, I did 4 single day tickets. I'm not complaining.

Other than that, I found food in Japan to be better value than North America in general, and Disney was no exception.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I'll throw in some non-Disney content at the end of this report, but the important content must come first.

We arrived in Tokyo Saturday August 30. I chose Tuesday September 02 through Friday September 05 for Disney. This meant getting over any jet lag, avoiding weekends, and going on days showing as "low" on the crowd calendar. Park hours were 9-9 all four days.

Note that Tokyo Disney is pretty consistently busy. Slow days can mean quieter than average while still being busy.

September 02 Tokyo Disneyland

I've read that people line up super early in Tokyo. It wasn't necessary on our days, unless you really really want to rope drop a certain attraction. I think we got there just after 8am the first morning.

It's a few minutes walk from the train station. You can pay to ride the Disney monorail one stop as well. It's more necessary for DisneySea, but we used it later in the week because a 3-day ticket cost the same as 2 day passes.

This picture is facing the hotel rather than the entry gates, but the lineups were long. Didn't initially strike me as more than you'd see in Anaheim at park opening. Prior to this was a security check which was quick. Once the gates open the lines move quick. No fingerprints. No photos. Just scanning of barcodes. Speedy and efficient.

A live band greeted us. Just one of the ways Disneyland is a special place, on any continent.

As soon as you scan in you can book paid attraction "Premier Access" passes for 1,500 to 2,000 yen as well as free "40th Anniversary Priority Passes".

I looked at wait times the day prior, and saw that one of the hot new attractions, Beauty and the Beast, tended to have 70-minute waits so I paid for that pass and booked Pooh's Hunny Hunt for free. I think I only got 1 or 2 free passes per day because they run out quickly, not surprisingly.

With two of the big attractions secured we decided to hit up Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek first. This was a new attraction for me. This was our first learning curve moment. We headed towards Tomorrowland but because of the Space Mountain construction, we had to turn around. Monsters and Star Tours are currently isolated and can only be accessed near the park entrance, not from the central hub.

Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek is not a DCA clone, but does share some scenes like the Sushi Octopus and Roz at the end. This is a far better attraction than Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! in California, which was limited by using the Superstar Limo infrastructure and, let's be honest, Disney being cheap. You're probably going to hear that a lot in this report: _____ attraction at Tokyo is better.

This attraction has better sets, actual moving animatronics, and an interactive feature where you shine a flashlight to activate monsters. The interactive piece wasn't necessary, but it's fine. It just would have been a good ride either way.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Since we were trapped in the Tomorrowland dead end, we rode Star Tours. It was a 5-minute wait and I don't think it ever variated much from that. Got to see new to me scenes from Episodes 7-9 during this visit so that was nice. This is what C3PO speaking Japanese looks like:

Oh, I forgot to mention that it was HOT. 34 degrees with high humidity. If you want to know what that is Fahrenheit you'll have to convert it yourself. Sun blocking umbrellas and cooling towels were standard accessories.

Disney has us covered though. Baymax's Mission: Cool Down arrived to spray water on the suffering masses. This is a single parade float that does a show at multiple stops, and runs quite a few times throughout the day.

Tokyo is replacing their Space Mountain, behind the walls to the right, with an entirely new attraction.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Next up was Pooh's Hunny Hunt. This was mind blowing in 2002 and it still holds up. That is certainly due in part to Tokyo Disney maintaining their attractions well. This attraction is a masterpiece and it's still sad to realize the basic Pooh attraction in Anaheim was built after this one.

Trackless rides are common now, but this remains as a shining example how to use the technology effectively.

I'll keep some specific details under spoiler protection

Spoiler: Pooh's Hunny Hunt Scenes

The attraction starts with three vehicles taking different routes through the 100 acres woods scene, and instantly demonstrates how trackless technology revolutionized theme parks.

The second scene is another great moment as Pooh floats away and the room dissolves into a starfield.

In the third scene, the entire room bounces along with Tigger and is a great moment that I've never seen in any other attraction.

The final scene is what really blew me away the first time. The Heffalumps and Woozles has multiple groups of ride vehicles roaming about the entire set, including a vehicle with the characters in it, and is just a delight to behold. Each vehicle stops for an individual scene where an animated creature sucks hunny out of your pot or something. A Hitchhiking Ghost type moment.

Small World was pretty much a walk on and is a standard version of the ride as far as I can tell, with the Disney character additions included.

I think we did Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin around this time. Both had short waits. Pinocchio was identical to it's Anaheim counterpart but Jessica Rabbit is not wearing a rain coat in this iteration so sensitive riders should avert their eyes.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Next up is the current marquee attraction at Tokyo Disneyland. The one everyone heads to at park opening. The one most recommended to shell out 2,000 yen for a Premier Access pass.

I'm going to get a bit hyperbolic here because this attraction is top tier.

This was the attraction that made me say that it's worth coming to Tokyo for.

Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast.

I'd seen a brief clip of this before. I knew it used trackless vehicles and focused on the latter half of the movie. I was expecting a great attraction along the lines of Hunny Hunt, but the way it brought elements together and used the technology in a new, even revolutionary way, blew me away.

To start, the queue is great. You get some animatronic characters there and the pre-show is great.

This is the loading zone, where a total of 60 guests board 6 teacups for each ride cycle. I think it's the most people in an attraction together since Universe of Energy?

For me this attraction is unique in that it makes you feel like you are participating in the story. You are in the scene. It's like you are pulled into the movie as an active participant.

A major reason it's so good is that the source material is so good. It's arguably one of Disney's best movies from a strong creative era, and the music in particular elevates it.

More details in spoilers, but this attraction filled me with joy in a way no other attraction has. The closest is maybe Indy when seeing how it evolved the dark ride into an epic experience for the first time. Rise of the Resistance is also comparable in terms of wow factor, but just isn't the same uplifting experience that Beauty and the Beast brings.

Spoiler: Spoiler: Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast scenes

The attraction starts in a large dining hall for Be Our Guest. This ride takes the trackless system to the next level by adding movement to the ride vehicles. Similar to how the Indy jeeps move atop their base, the teacups tilt, sway, and spin.

The result is feeling like you're in the room dancing as a character in the movie whereas most rides involve passively watching scenes from a story.

It's a choreographed dance of six massive ride vehicles moving throughout each scene. Sometimes each is doing its' own thing, sometimes they are all in unison.

After that is the Something There scene. The ride vehicles roam around individually as you alternate between focusing on different characters.

The scene after that is a bit more linear with an angry mob and a technologically impressive transformation of the Beast.

It's not going to come as a surprise that the final scene is the titular song in the famous ballroom. This was the show scene that for me, was pure joy.

As you enter the room you get the opening of the film's namesake song, so you know it's the grand finale. The arrangement of the music is original and beautiful.

I was impressed at how they build the music. It starts out instrumental and then shifts to a choir style performance and it just hits the perfect note. As the lyrical portion of the song plays, the teacups sway in unions as you circle the lead characters. The ride motion is super smooth and it's like your dancing in the ballroom with them.

This scene made me happy in a way no other attraction has. Every element just comes together for a perfect moment.

I told you I'd be hyperbolic.

 

[Figgy1]

Great pics

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Tokyo Disney food theming is on point.

Haunted Mansion was closed for the Nightmare overlay.

Tokyo Disneyland retains many of the elements associated with the original.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

We didn't book any sit down dining but did book tickets for Mickey's Rainbow Luau at a cost of 6,000 yen per person.

It's what you'd expect. Some Hawaiian dancers and plenty of characters.

It's not a character meal and they specifically state the characters won't be stopping for autographs or pictures, but they all make the rounds to greet guests. This suits me fine, I like the informal interaction with characters without queueing up for photos and such.

It includes a set meal with beverage. It's a pretty standard offering that should appeal to most.

Meat Patty with Pineapple-Barbecue Sauce
Egg, Black Rice, Marinated Salmon with Red Onion and Cucumber
Shrimp, Bacon, and Avocado Gratin
Cheese Cream Doughnut

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Big Thunder Mountain seems pretty much identical to the original, but doesn't include any of the special effects added to the Anaheim version.

Paper maps were provided for Tom Sawyer Island.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Tokyo is known for its many flavours of popcorn and churros. This was a standout with a delicious gooey center.

We rode Pirates of the Caribbean twice this day. It was a consistent 5-minute wait time. While it does include Jack Sparrow and Barbossa, it remains the least modified version of the attraction. It appears to be identical to the Anaheim version with a separate unloading area.

Anyone who has only been on the Abridged Orlando version should definitely check this out. Seeing the unaltered scenes is always interesting for nostalgia's sake as well.

Tokyo has World Bazaar rather than Main Street and is covered. It has multiple branches and exits rather than being a linear path, but otherwise has the things you'd expect in terms of shops and food.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

We caught the Disney Harmony in Color Parade. No problem getting a view without waiting. Tokyo is very good about updating their shows and parades compared to North America. Their previous parade ran for 5 years.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

We did The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents Aloha E Komo Mai!

This was the only attraction where we were offered an English translation device. It was honestly pretty pointless. The story really wasn't a draw, something about the birds needing to appease Stitch, and it's not really appealing to be looking up at the show while simultaneously trying to read dialogue.

This was fine but I preferred the original.

We rode Hunny Hunt again around this time.

Evening time.

Dinner was at the popular quick service Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall.

Most of the quick service restaurants had very focused menus. China Voyager focused on soup noodles. Another location focused on burgers. A large group with varying tastes might avoid those places.

Queen of Hearts on the other hand is buffeteria style with a decent variety of entrees.

The flank steak was 1,980 yen and very good.

I heard the Apple Tea Soda was a must try and it was.

 

[Kevin_W]

Great report and pictures. I rode Pinnochio last week and thought it was different than Anaheim... but it's been a while since I've ridden California's so I could well be wrong.

We haven't been to HK or Shanghai, but have been to the other 4 resorts and BatB is DD's favorite ride at any of them. It is really well done.