My Top Five Tokyo Disneyland Tips

Disney Around The World: Tokyo

Our Disney tour around the world has included: Disneyland Anaheim, Disney World Orlando, Hong Kong Disneyland & now, Tokyo Disney. That leaves only, Paris & Shanghai left on the list! We've learned from our mistakes so that others don't have to! Information online is can be overwhelming so here is my condensed list of my top tips for visiting Tokyo Disneyland so you can maximize your Tokyo Disneyland day!

1. CHOOSE YOUR DISNEY DAY WISELY

Real view of the crowd during our Disney trip

Tokyo Disney is unlike any other Disney in terms of crowds. You can count on higher attendance and multi-hour waits during weekends, Japanese holidays, and school breaks. Therefore, going on weekdays during a non-holiday season. I used a crowd prediction tracker to get an idea of what we had in store for us:

Use Google Chrome to auto-translate: Disney Crowd Predictor

If you're like us and have no choice but to end up there during a potentially busy season keep in mind a few of these extra tips:

-Parade times have shorter wait times on rides. The rides closest to the parade main route are known to have especially short wait times during the parades.

-Make lunch reservations 2-3 hours in advance for minimal wait. Plan on massive lines for all concessions (we waited 30 minutes for caramel popcorn, Mickey Waffles & never made it into the Sweets Shop with all the cute Disney desserts because of the lines).

2. USE THE FAST PASS & STRATEGIZE

Become familiar with the FastPass process prior to arrival & have a plan for once you get inside the park. Failing to strategize your Fast Pass plan means you'll likely be waiting 100+ minutes for top attractions. Fast Passes can sell out quickly so it's important to get to the park early enough to get your passes.


- Use the app TDR Alert to look up wait-times for all the rides & attractions. This was critical to our successful day! We got to ride multiple rides more than once because we went back when the lines were short wait times (meal times and parades being the best time).

-- We used our Fast Pass for It's a Small World which had 100+ minute waits all day. We waited in line for only 5 minutes!!

-- Know the park layout prior to arrival so you can go straight to your Fast Passes. We started in the back of the park and hit Toon Town and Adventure Land before the masses made it to the back.

3. WHAT TO PACK

Disneyland is expensive and the lines can be long. There will be lines for bathrooms, water, snacks, rides... so it's important to pack a re-fillable water bottle, and snacks so you can skip the popular meal times and only eat when the crowds are less. Well fed kids, are happy kids. Packing healthy snacks that the kids are used to eating really helps with their ability to spend the day walking around the park.

A few more things not to forget (that I may or may not have also forgotten ):

• Sunscreen
• Sun umbrella/hats or rain gear depending on weather
• Bubbles (entertainment for littles while waiting)
• Small stroller for maneuvering in crowds
• Blanket for sitting for parades or fireworks because benches are SUPER limited
• Hand Sanitizer

*There is a small connivence store at the Disney Park Train Station and the park allows re-entry. If you need a health care item or extra snacks on the cheap, that's your only option so make sure you've got all the diapers/wipes/personal items you may need.

4. WEAR ALL THINGS MICKEY

Dress your kids in their Disney gear AFTER you've made it to the park unless you've got a lot of Disney back-ups. Little ones have a habits of spilling, getting carsick, diaper explosions on their super cute outfits before you've even made it into the park ... saying this from experience here with Little Miss Motion Sickness pictured above.

-Most of the cute Disney gear is in the World Bazaar area which is surprisingly packed most times. 

Also, be prepared to go broke with their high prices... 

5. DRIVING TO THE PARK

We did not plan for traffic and got there later than expected which meant a lot of fast passes were sold out already.

-Parking was 3,000Y($30USD) and very quick and efficient.

-Tolls from Ikego: about 1,500Y each way. 

-Kids passing out within 5 minutes on the ride home and NOT having to deal with over-tired kids on the train: priceless! 

DISNEY WITH LITTLES: When doing Disney with little kids, I believe keeping your kids on their scheduled meal and nap times will help you get through the day. Keep an eye out for quiet areas to park the stroller and eat a snack & rest. (We found many little nooks with benches that were quiet enough to unwind from the over-stimulating environment.) Keep in mind, you may not get to ride all the big ticket rides. Have realistic expectations and enjoy the time- you're spending an arm and a leg, might as well make it as enjoyable as possible. 

-Ask for parent swap if a ride doesn't suit every family member. 

-Look for single rider lines if parents want to solo ride on big ticket rides. Usually, the lines are shorter.