First Visit to the Tokyo Parks

[Sumac]

Hello. I'm hoping you all can help me out a little. I am a Navy wife with 2 kids (ages 7 & 10). We are currently stationed in Sasebo, Japan and will be heading to TDL and DS in a couple of weeks on a base sponsored trip. This trip will just be the kids and I. We will be at Disney Sea on Monday 4/2, and TDL on Tuesday 4/3.

We are WDW veterans, having been many, many times. I know all of the ins and outs of going to WDW and touring, where to eat, what to ride early, etc.. Tokyo is a completely new experience for us so I have quite a few questions.

Do you think the parks will be very crowded on the days we are going? What can we expect for lines? (I'm thinking they won't be as bad as a weekend, but still pretty crowded.)

Are there attractions that we simply should not miss? I know Pooh is supposed to be great, but am unsure of others. Are there things we can skip having been to WDW many times? Are there certain rides we should grab Fast Passes for early in the day to ensure we see them with minimal wait?

How about character greetings and autographs? My 7 year old will still probably be into this... Do they do this, and do they sign in English or in Kanji? It would be cool to have the autographs in Kanji! Do they sign in books only, or do they do hats and other articles like in the US?

Are there any restaurants that you strongly recommend?

Any advice or tips you can offer to help us out are greatly appreciated.

 

[LuLaSue]

Sumac,

I am sorry but I personally have no information for you, but hope you and your children have a wonderful time. Just wanted to say God Bless your husband for serving our country and you for standing by him! We appreciate you!

Susan

 

[Hummer1676]

Sumac, there are a couple posts that talk about this if you do a search. There is also a good website

www.tdrfan.com
I'm sure if you email the gentleman who runs the site he will gladly assist you.

Its all in english and has some really good pictures. I hear there are a lot of good places to eat and hopefully some members here can assist you.

 

[Rey]

Sumac,
Thank you for asking questions early about TDL/TDS. There will be a lot of guests in TDL/TDS during the week of your visit, but you are going on Monday and Tuesday, so there are maybe lesser guests on those days. From March 16<SUP>th</SUP> to April 8<SUP>th</SUP> is Spring Break all throughout Japan for students, so expect all the really popular rides to be long during the day.

 

[Rey]

Let me answer where to eat in Tokyo DisneySea. I’ve been to all these places with my family.
<O</OFor lunch I recommend:
-Miguel’s Cantina in LOST DELTA RIVER
-Casbah Food Court in ARABIAN COAST
For snacks I recommend:
-“Donald’s Boat Builders”. You can have entertainment here as well.
-“Gyoza” dog. There are Gyoza dog kiosks near MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. The lines are thirty minutes long for these tasty chinese/japanese/american morsels.
For dinner:
-Restaurant Sakura. This restaurant is in AMERICAN WATERFRONT and has a kids meal which the ice cream dessert looks like sushi. There is PS (priority seating) like FASTPASS for eating.
-Ristorante di Canaletto. There is PS here too and this is in MEDITERRANEAN HARBOR.<ST1

 

[Rey]

What to ride in TDS:
- Tower of Terror (NEW). FP
-Journey to the Center of the Earth. FP
<O-Indiana</ST1 Jones Adventure: Temple</ST1 of the Crystal Skull. FP
-The Magic Lamp Theater. FP (Not really a ride, but a tour)
<O-StormRider. FP

What entertainment to see:
-“The Legend of Mythica”
-“BraviSEAmo!”
These shows are in MEDITERRANEAN HARBOR<ST1

I don’t think there are Disney character signings is TDS, but you can definitely greet characters all around the park. Finally, I think there are Disney character signings on hats in TDS, but I’m not 100% sure. I will write more later about TDL this evening.

<O

 

[Rey]

Removed

 

[Sumac]

Thanks for the great responses. I appreciate your help.

I am hoping this won't be our only trip to TDL as I'd love all 4 of us to go (hubby can't go this time). It was such a great deal through the base I couldn't really pass it up.

 

[Rey]

Where to eat for lunch in TDL:
-Pecos</ST1 Bill Cafe in WESTERLAND
-Tomorrowland Terrace in TOMORROWLAND
-Pan Galactic Pizza Port <ST1in TOMORROWLAND

Where to eat for dinner:
-Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall in FANTASYLAND

<O
What to ride in TDL:
Route #1
-Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. FP
-Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. FP
Route #2
-Big Thunder Mountain<ST1. FP
-Splash Mountain<ST1<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com. FP

You’ve got to pick one route in the morning. Your second one will start around two o’clock in the afternoon when many guests have lunch, so you got to have lunch before the crowd. However, in TDL, I’ve been in so-so big crowds that all the FASTPASSES were sold out by noon. Around six o’clock lines get shorter.

 

[Rey]

I don’t think there are character signings in TDL, but “Ear” caps can be personalized in The Mad Hatter in FANTASYLAND.

Oh and I forgot, there are so many fun things to do and see outside the park near TDL.
-Bon Voyage. A super-sized Disney Store. Open <st1:time Hour="7" Minute="30">7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.</st1:time>
-IKSPIARI. There are a total of 130 shops and restaurants and a 16-screen multiplex cinema.
-Disney Resort Line. This monorail (200 yen) stops at 4 different locations.

 

[Rey]

And finally, don’t forget to figure in the time it takes to get back to Tokyo station. Just leave thirty minutes early from TDL, so you can arrive thirty minutes early on the train platform going back to Sasebo, just in case. Trains from TDL do get delayed on rare occasions.

Have fun in TDL/TDS! My family and I love going there many times!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LoriMistress]

To get helpful tips I would suggest mousesavers. Here's a link:

http://www.mousesavers.com/tokyo.html