Thinking of a taking a trip to Japan and TDL...NEED HELP!

[CTXRover]

I am hoping someone out there has been to Japan and specifically Tokyo Disneyland. My family right now is *considering* taking a trip to Japan and also taking a few days to explore TDL Resort. Since we have just started throwing out the idea for such a trip, we know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about taking a trip to Japan and TDL. I will be heading to Barnes and Nobles this weekend to get books on Japan and I am searching the internet, but I need ANY suggestions on how one would plan such a trip to Japan. In other words, what would you recommend to someone like me about what to do and see in Japan in say, oh, about 2-3 weeks.

As a Disney fan, I really want to take 3 days to stop and see TDL. I imagine this is enough time (I'm dying to see DisneySea), but where should we stay. I see TDL has two "Disney" resorts...Mira Costa and the Ambassador. However, it seems that the standard rooms there only hold 3 adults..is this correct? There will be four adults traveling on this trip. Would you recommend staying at one of these hotels for longer than the 3 days we will be using to explore the parks...(i.e. by staying here can you get out and around to see a lot of popular "tourist" sites while spending your nights at TDL.)

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Even if it is just recommendations on where one should go to start planning such a major trip. Any guided tours people have gone with that were good? As an American family with NO knowledge of the Japanese language, can a tourist not in a tour group navigate around over there or should we really do it as part of a tour group package. Thanks to all who can provide ANY help. Thanks again!

 

[DisneyFan 2000]

Wow! You are lucky! The only advice I have for you is to expect long lines! From what I've heard the place is packed year round! At Tokyo DisneySeas it's hard to say what you shouldn't miss since it's all amazing! What year are you planning? 2005 a new coaster will open and a year later the ToT! If you have been to any MK before I say have a quick look around, and spend most of your time at the second park! But I highly recommend the Pooh ride! It uses "trackless" technology! Very cool! Hope I helped a little! Have a great trip!

 

[SorcererYensid]

I went to Japan this past August, and spent three days at Tokyo Disney. I wish I would've made it four, but I had originally only planned two days for Disney, and I ended up cutting my third day when I was going to see Tokyo to return to the parks. Their tickets work differently than Disney World's. For a three day ticket, you get one day for Disneyland, one day for DisneySea, then the third day you can go to either or both. On a four day pass, you can go to either or both on the fourth day as well.

I didn't really encounter very long lines but I'm usually lucky about lines. I used the fastpass a lot, and avoided lines. The longest line I waited in was Roger Rabbit's Toon Town spin which didn't have fastpasses. It was about a 40 minute wait, but I've never been to Disneyland in CA, so I really wanted to see it. Plan your days and use fastpass, and you'll be fine.

I know very little Japanese, not enough to help. Only things like hello, thank you, yes, no. Even so, I found that it was very easy to get around in Tokyo Disney. Most signs are in Japanese and English. There are English maps and the guest relations CMs all seem to speak English at varying degrees of proficiency. Some of the CMs in the parks speak some English, but not all. At shops and restaurants, they seem to all have sheets of paper with Japanese/English phrases if problems arise. Most shops inside the parks do not take credit cards, so have plenty of cash on hand. However, the ticket booths and the very large store outside the park, Bon Voyage do take credit cards. Bon Voyage has most of the general items from both parks, but there are some specialized items in the shops in the parks as well. There is also a nice Disney Store in Ikspari that takes credit cards and has exclusive merchandise unavailable at other Japan Disney Stores or the parks.

On hotels, I stayed at a hotel that was about 45 minutes away by train, so I don't know first hand about the Ambassador or Mira Costa. But let me tell you the Mira Costa is beautiful. It is actually inside DisneySea. Just from being there and seeing it from the outside, I have become determined to return to Tokyo Disney someday and stay there.

I was in Japan for 3 weeks visiting a friend. The majority of the time there I was in the Nara prefecture, and made visits to areas around there like Kyoto and Osaka. Other things we did were tour some temples, went to some of the end of summer festivals, and shopped. I'm a video game fan, so the overload of video game stores there was exciting. It really was a great experience. If you plan on using the trains a lot, consider a JR Rail Pass. The trains can really add up and I got my money's worth on the rail pass. Especially if you want to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) We took it to Tokyo from Kyoto, and it would've been about $100 for me just for that trip, but it was covered under the rail pass.

I hope this helps some!

 

[Creekboy25]

IDK if you have traveled internationally by plane before, but if you haven't, take care of your passport and travel visas at least 2-3 months ahead of time, the paper work takes a long time to process.

You are so lucky!! After I graduate college and high-school and get my job with a 6 digit income, I will be sure to visit Tokyo's Disney Parks! Good luck with your trip!

 

[MiniMissMinnie]

Hi !

A little response from a newbie.

I'm going to Disneyland Tokyo in August, because I'm taking a trip from the states to Japan (But flying home to Denmark) on a ship with my father - he's chief engineer on a ship.
I'm going alone, because my father can't take the days off unfortunately, but hopefully I'll be alright.

I'm also looking for hotels and information, and came across these sites:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/tokyo/Park/index.htm

http://www.jazzpiano.com/tdl/faq.htm

I've found out that the hotels are very expensive - especially for a 22-year-old student!
But I'm still hoping to find a hotel in the area of about 100 dollars.

Well...hope you could use the information - and plase share yours


Marie

 

[WeirdOne]

This will help you guys TONS! Check out the boards at LaughingPlace.com and MouseInfo.com under the Tokyo sections! They have incredible people who visit Tokyo Disneyland on a regular, almost weekly basis, and people who work there, live in Japan and provide the most helpful, thourough (totally spelled that wrong) help you'll ever need. They don't bite, but they will get you your money's worth. - The WeirdOne

 

[Strawberryblond]

<font color=009999>Thanks for the links! We are moving to Guam this summer and I want to plan a trip to Japan for in the next year. I need all the info I can get my hands on.</font>

 

[shellymeister]

TDL and TDS

We visited Japan and the TDR just about exactly a year ago.
TDS is easily the best Disney Park on the Planet and is well worth a visit. TDL, on the other hand, is a paler copy of Disneyland California and while worth a visit, it will not blow your socks off (with the exception of Pooh's Honey Hunt).
If you have not traveled abroad much (especially with a family), I would recommend that you do a LOT of research before you go.
Tokyo and Japan can be a daunting city and country to navigate.
Very few Japanese citizens can speak english, even though they are taught english in school.
On the other hand, virtually the entire mass transit system in Japan has english language signs and maps, and even though it is a huge system, the color coding system combined with the english signage make it surprisingly easy to navigate.
If you plan on spending most of your time at the TDR, you will have absolutely no problem getting around.
I'm sure you are aware that Japan is expensive. Right now, the Yen/Dollar exchange rate is pretty lousy (about 109 to the $).
This translates into pretty oppressive costs for Hotels and meals.
If you stay at TDR hotels, you are going to pay at least $250-300 per night per room. Meals at a Disney sit-down restaurant are going to run about $25 per person for just a main course and a drink & tip. You can eat a lot more inexpensively by downgrading your restaurant choices.
I haven't checked the current TDR admission rates lately, but I believe that at the current rates, they are going to be about $50 per person.
You can save a lot of money on hotels by staying in and around Tokyo. The mass transit system will get you to TDR at low cost from just about anywhere in Tokyo. Although be aware that from certain locations it can be almost an hour trip just to the Mahaima station.
Hotels that are about 45 minutes away can be had for about $110-120 per room per night. Ryokans (I hope I have the spelling right) are cheaper, but they are not like western style hotels at all.
The closest downtown Tokyo location to TDR is probably the Ginza district of Tokyo which of course is one of the most expensive areras to stay. But is also one of the most dynamic and interesting areas of Tokyo. If you have seen the movie "Lost in Translation", most of the brightly neon-lit scenes were shot in the Ginza and Shinjuku areas. The hotel featured in the movie is the magnificent Park Hyatt, located in Shinjuku (not a great location for access to TDR). The Park Hyatt's lobby is on the 41st floor and is open to the public (great views). My estimate for a daily room rate there is about $450-500 per night per room.
Be aware that getting to TDR or Tokyo proper from the airport is expensive and can be time consuming as well. Narita airport is almost 50 miles from Tokyo. I recommend taking the JR Airport express unless your hotel choice provides airport transfers. If you arrive or depart Tokyo on a weekend, then you can take a bus to & from the airport. If you arrive on a weekday, prepare to face about 1 and a half to 2 hour trip if you don't take the JR (about a 50 min ride to Tokyo Station).
If you are planning to travel around Japan or Tokyo beyond TDR, I would recommend getting a JR (Japan Railway Pass). You can buy them in advance at any Japanese Tourist Board office in the US. You must get them validated in Japan when you are ready to use them. The JR pass can be used on many Tokyo subway lines as well as the bullet trains, the Narita Airport Express, and many other trains between Japanese cities. It can save you hundreds of dollars if you plan to do a lot of sightseeing. The pass CANNOT be purchased in Japan !
Feel free to ask more questions if you need more advice. If my E-Mail is revealed inj my profile you may E-Mail me.