So last night, we (my husband, Dad and I) booked our trip to Tokyo Disneyland for the first week of December. My Dad has collected Christmas since 1974, and a focus on Disney Christmas since 1998. So visiting Tokyo Disney during Christmas Fantasy is a "bucket list" item for my Dad (which is why we are visiting during this time frame instead of during low season). Our arrival night is a Saturday, and the Deluxe hotels were all booked, so we have 1 night at the Celebration hotel and then 6 nights at MiraCosta. We will definitely have 4 park days, 1 day in Tokyo and we have 1 open day depending on how much "recovery" time we need can either be a 5th park day or just touring the other hotels and Ikspiari.
I was wondering if anyone had any tips about what not to miss as far as special entertainment, special dining, snacks, where the best place to shop for holiday merchandise and anything else related to their holiday celebration that we don't want to miss or need to account for.
Thanks!
TDRExplorer.com will be a good place to get info on special menus, snacks and merchandise as we get closer to the Christmas season, so check that site out and follow him on Twitter. Keep in mind especially popular seasonal merchandise may sell out within the first week or two of the season (in November) so be careful about getting your heart set on particular items. Seasonal merchandise will be mostly concentrated in both parks' entrance areas - World Bazaar in TDL, Mediterranean Harbor in TDS. The hotel shops and Bon Voyage in Ikspiari will also carry it.
Bon Voyage is the resort's World of Disney equivalent and carries park merch. Ikspiari also has a Disney Store, totally separate. Disney Store Japan has its own line of merchandise, separate from Disney Stores elsewhere, and most of it is wonderful. Worth checking out, they will have Christmas stuff as well.
Both parks will have special shows. TDL will have several performances of the Christmas Stories Parade during the day in addition to their big, main day parade, Dreaming Up. See both. Dreaming Up is spectacular beyond belief. Dreamlights will have a special Christmas version as well, do not miss it. The new Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland castle projection/pyro show is fantastic. TDS will have a Christmas harbor show during the day - the harbor shows are always fun and worth seeing. The nighttime show, Colors of Christmas, is not so interesting, but if you have the time you might as well see it. Fantasmic is interesting to see the differences between it and its American cousins, but if you miss it, don't stress.
Shows are a big part of TDR. Big Band Beat in TDS is fabulous and an absolute must. If you don't win the seating lottery for it, you can always attend the first show of the day standby. Smaller stage shows like Hello New York (TDS) and Party Gras (TDL) are lots of fun, but if you don't get around to them, don't worry. The Mermaid Lagoon Theater (TDS) show offers Fastpass, and it's another must-see.
