There is a reason why Tokyo Disneyland is referred (by many) as the “Happiest Place on Earth”. As a result, it attracts over 20 million visitors annually – making it the 3rd most crowded theme park in the world. But you have nothing to worry as we have listed below 9 hacks to maximize the fun without getting caught up in the crowd.
Whatever age group you belong to, whichever language you speak, it just doesn’t matter. Because one entire day spent at this amazing theme park will definitely make you HAPPY !! Without a doubt! And, the place has some charm that it will entice you to revisit and revisit again. I have already been there twice (once with friends, and once with family) and I am sure I will visit again.
The Tokyo Disney Resort (Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea) will probably be in your bucket list while planning to visit Japan. And according to me, it’s definitely a must-visit for everyone, especially if you are first time in Japan. But if you visit there completely without doing some homework, you might not be able to make the most of your time. There are many hacks that I want to share with you to make the most of your time. These tips will save you lots of time from waiting in queues and watch more shows and enjoy more attractions. Additionally, in this blog post, I will not just list down the hacks, but also give you some basic details about Tokyo Disneyland (TDL).
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How to reach Tokyo Disneyland
There are multiple ways to reach the Tokyo Disney Resort. You can take a train, a bus or even a taxi. Having stayed in Japan for over 4 years, I was comfortable with the train-and-subway routes of the city and thus we took a train to Maihama Station. Tokyo Disneyland is a five-minute walk from JR Maihama Station.
In general, I will always suggest you use trains in Tokyo. They are really convenient and ultra punctual. And, I will also recommend you to reach before the park opens in the morning. Arriving before the park opens will save you time waiting in the queue. And hence, it is a good idea to choose your hotel in Tokyo close to any of the metro/local train lines.
Booking.comBest time to visit
Being one of the most top theme parks in the world, TDL is also super crowded; well, most of the time. There are a few specific weeks during the year when the park gets heavily crowded. Japan can get really crowdy during some of the ‘holiday-weeks’ – something you should know before visiting Japan. During those particular weeks, the wait-times can even be 4 hours!! Simply avoid those weeks, and you can have a happier time.
Heavily crowded times:
- 1st week of January
- 2nd half of March (Cherry blossom season)
- Golden week (end of April to the beginning of May)
- Summer holidays or Natsu Matsuri (last week of July to end of August)
- Entire October (Halloween party)
- 20th December onwards (Christmas Carnival)
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Tokyo Disneyland Tickets
You can purchase tickets to TDL online or at the park. The cost of a 1-day ticket is 7,400 Yen ($1 ~ 100 Yen, 2019). You may even purchase a 2-day ticket ( 13,200 Yen ) if you wish to enjoy Disneyland and Disneysea on consecutive days.
I will strongly recommend you to purchase tickets online, which saves a lot of your time while entering the park. Trust me, this tip alone will save you a ton of time and energy, especially if you are going during the peak season (Christmas, for example).
Tokyo Disneyland FASTPASS
Being a Happy and happening place, the amusement park can get really crowded, especially during Halloween and Christmas. Disneyland has come up with the idea of “FASTPASS”. This ‘pass’ assigns you a time window to ride or enter the attraction – you have basically ‘reserved’ your right to enter the attraction at a certain time. So, If your goal in Disneyland is to take as many rides as possible, the FASTPASS is definitely something you should make use of.
All you need to do is go to the FASTPASS ticketing booth at the front of an attraction, scan QR code on your tickets and you are done! There will be a specific time-slot written on the FASTPASS telling you when you should return to the attraction and use it. It’s usually about 2 hours after you collected the current ticket. To put in simple words – a FASTPASS prebooks your time-slot for a particular ride.
Note: Not every ride has a FASTPASS option – only the really popular ones!
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Tokyo Disney Resort Hotels
Instead of buying the 1-day or 2-day entry-tickets, you may even choose to purchase a vacation package and stay at the Disney Resort Hotel. Staying at the official hotels has an advantage not just because of its easy access to the park but also it comes with super cool priority benefits. Like – time-free Fast Pass, show tickets, goods tokens, free drink tickets, and especially the HAPPY 15 entry which allows you to go into the park 15 minutes before it opens.
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9 Amazing Tips and Hacks
Summary
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I visited Disneyland Paris and it was so fun! I’d love to go to the Tokyo Disneyland as well!
Awesome! We are also planning to visit the one in Paris very soon!
cheers
I’m sure the kids will love Disneyland. Hope to visit soon.
Absolutely, everyone will !!
Thank you for helpful tips. I feel the fast pass is the game changer, actually helps a lot. And yes, the food there is quite costly. Better carry your own.
Yes, if used correctly, the fast pass can really sve many hours!
I have only been to Disneyworld in Orlando so I have always wondered how Disneyland in Tokyo and other places were like. Thank you for sharing.
Cool.. infact we’re planning to visit the one on Orlando next year.
Trying to persuade the hubby to take our boy to Disneyland! Would love to go and I’m sure he would too.
That is great!! You should plan a trip soon!
Enjoy!
Oh wow this looks amazing! There is a rumour that some of the parks will be going vegan soon… I wonder if Tokyo is one of them 🙂 ?
Wow! this is a piece of interesting news!! But I guess it difficult to implement in Japan!!
I’ll bet the Disneyland in Tokyo is amazing. These are great tips, and I hope to visit someday.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Everyone should absolutely visit there if you are in Tokyo!
I would definitely love to enjoy the magic that Disney offers and visit Tokyo at the same time. Thanks for sharing this magical post.
Great !! enjoy Tokyo Disneyland !! 🙂
These are great hacks for a fantastic vacation!
Thanks Renee! 🙂
What a great guide to Tokyo Disneyland!
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you for this very useful information. I have never been to Disneyland before, but if I ever reach Tokyo and I’ll go there, your guide will be very helpful.
Japan in general and Tokyo Disneyland, in particular, is absolutely wonderful.
Cheers!
Fantastic tips! Disney can be so overwhelming. Tips like this can make life so much easier.
Thank you so much! 🙂