I started planning my family’s trip to Tokyo Disney back in 2016, after Duffy the Disney Bear left EPCOT in Walt Disney World and went back home to Tokyo Disney Resort. Duffy certainly wasn’t the most popular character at Disney World, but he had a special place in our hearts as the first character my kids ever met.
Due to both life events and world events, this trip didn’t happen until June 2024. By this time my kids were teenagers, but we all still missed Duffy. Coincidentally, the new Fantasy Springs land in Tokyo DisneySea was opening right before our trip so there was a lot going on in Tokyo Disney at the time.
Planning this trip was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t easy. Just like a Walt Disney World Vacation, there are processes to learn and terms to know. Hotels, restaurants, and tickets all have different booking windows, and sometimes I was online at the middle of the night (my time) to make sure I could get the reservation I wanted. I stalked the English version of the app for dining reservations, and I became familiar with terms like Disney Premier Access, 40th Anniversary Pass, Standby Pass, and Entry Request. But in the end, it’s not really any more complicated than planning a trip to WDW – it’s just different!
The Parks:
There are two parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Tokyo Disneyland is most similar to Disneyland in California, or Magic Kingdom in Florida, but it is unique in its own way. Tokyo DisneySea is unlike any other Disney Park in the world.
The Hotels:
Similar to Disneyland in California, Tokyo Disney Resort has a few onsite hotels, but there are also less expensive options just off property. Some of the offsite hotels are located within walking distance to a monorail station for easy access to the parks. We chose to do a split stay, with our first eight nights at the Hilton Tokyo Bay and our last two nights at Tokyo Disney’s Hotel MiraCosta.
The Hilton Tokyo Bay was a quick walk to the Bayside monorail station, one of four stops on the monorail. We stayed in a “Happy Family Magic Suite” with six beds and two bathrooms – all for less than a Disney World Deluxe Hotel room! The favorable exchange rate helped a bit here, but overall, pricing for everything in Tokyo Disney is less than Disney World or Disneyland.
Hotel MiraCosta is Tokyo Disney’s flagship hotel, located inside Tokyo DisneySea, with a special entrance for hotel guests. Reservations can be hard to get, but I was able to book it via a vacation package, which went on sale before room only bookings started.
What’s a Vacation Package?
First off, the package does not help save any money. It is primarily designed to provide convenience and added perks. Some parts of the package are flexible and some are not. My two-night vacation package at the MiraCosta included three days of park tickets with each park ticket designated for a specific park on a specific day. There was no choice of which parks on which days, and there was no park hopping. Our package included:
- Day 1: Disneyland
- Day 2: Tokyo DisneySea with Fantasy Springs access
- Day 3: Tokyo DisneySea with regular access
Some of the benefits I enjoyed the most were:
- Unlimited access to Fantasy Springs area and Priority Access to rides on Day 2
- A number of Pre-Scheduled Priority Access for rides at other attractions all 3 days
- All Day drink coupons for use at quick serve locations. These coupons were good for unlimited fountain sodas and some specialty drinks. I fell in love with the apple tea soda!
There’s also some special merchandise, breakfast at the hotel, a popcorn holder, and a voucher for one free popcorn. These were nice, but not deal breakers for me.
Did the MiraCosta live up to the hype?
Our Harbor View Room overlooked Tokyo DisneySea and we had a great view of the Believe Sea of Dreams nighttime show. At night, we sat by our window and waved goodbye to the guests exiting the park. I fully got what I expected and wished for when planning this trip.
However, I did find myself missing the ‘resort’ feel of a Walt Disney World hotel, with more places to shop or eat, or just relax. The Hilton actually had more of those elements, so I think the split stay was the right choice for us.
The BEST of the Trip
Duffy: After almost 10 years, my family finally met Duffy the Disney Bear again! We waited in line three different times so we could get all the poses we wanted. Unlike Walt Disney World, where you can have tons of poses with a character, the cast member will only take one picture of your party. So we prioritized a family picture, then came back another day for individual pictures. And then we came back one more time just because we could!
We were able to buy a lot of Duffy merchandise as well and were even there for the release of a new Duffy Seasonal Event.
The People: First off, the cast members were so nice and gracious. The only Japanese we could speak was to say “Thank you very much” and we used it often…as did the cast members.
Secondly, I found Tokyo Disney to be prime for people-watching. Many guests had extremely nice outfits that coordinated with each other, or to a certain character. So as we walked around in our comfortable park clothes, everyone else basically looked perfect.
The monorail was adorable, with Mickey-shaped windows and upholstered seats. It ran on a schedule, and was spotless. Can you imagine having upholstered seats on the monorail in Disney World? Now, you do have to buy a ticket to ride the monorail in Tokyo Disney, but it is worth it!
Unique Rides: We enjoyed riding all the unique rides at both parks, and experiencing some old favorites in Japanese. Some rides like Tower of Terror and Soarin’ had some nuances that made them unique vs. their counterparts in other parks.
Cute Food: Green Alien Mochi, Baymax Curry, Mike Wazowski Melon Bread, Mickey Churro. I could go on…
The WORST of the Trip (a short list)
No PhotoPass: There are no roaming photographers like there are in the U.S. parks, although cast members took our picture with our phone at all the character meet and greets. And it turns out there actually is PhotoPass, but it’s available only for Japanese guests in the Japanese version of the app, and only for certain meet and greets and ride photos. But I was pleased that I was able to purchase hard copy ride photos for the rides that had them.
Pure Exhaustion: Much like a Disney World vacation, there is a lot of walking at Tokyo Disney Resort. Our ‘rest days’ were spent exploring the city of Tokyo, so our feet didn’t really get a break during the entire trip. Add the time difference to that (13 hours) and we were just exhausted by the last day. Next time I’ll incorporate a real rest day!
Honestly, Tokyo Disney was amazing. The trip met or exceeded my expectations in almost every way. Signage for almost everything is in English and Japanese which made it easy to navigate the parks. I appreciated all the differences and nuances of Tokyo Disney and hope to go back someday!
*Editor’s Note: DIS Contributors review meals, resort stays, and entertainment that they have paid for during their own vacations. They only utilize discounts and offers that are available to the general public, such as annual passholder discounts or DVC membership discounts. They receive no additional compensation for dining experiences or events so that they may give their honest opinions about price and value.
Longtime Disney fan, DVC member, wife, and mom of two teenagers. Currently living in NJ until I retire early and move to the Disney Bubble permanently!
