I just returned from 3 amazing weeks in Japan, including 4 days at Tokyo Disney. Wow! For reference, I was in the parks on weekdays in mid-May.
Park Tickets: I purchased my park tickets in advance through the Tokyo Disney app using my Wise account card. I opened this account and converted some dollars to yen when the exchange rate was good. Others have had trouble using foreign credit cards to book tickets through the app. Klook is another option.
Arrival: I was coming from Hakone, so I arrived by train via Tokyo Station. The platform for the line that you take to Maihama Station is marked with giant red arrows on the floor. Tokyo Station is a zoo, but you just keep following the arrows! From Maihama Station I got a shuttle bus to my hotel, the Hilton Tokyo Bay.
Hotel: I stayed 5 nights at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, booked on points (book 4 nights, get one free). Hilton Tokyo Bay is just across from the monorail that takes you directly to the parks. Great location and much less expensive than the official Disney hotels. Buffet breakfast starts at 6:30 and is free if you have Gold Status (Hilton Surpass or Aspire credit cards). There's also a convenience store with breakfast options.
Monorail: Unlike WDW, the monorail isn't free. I purchased a 4-day pass. You can buy shorter passes or pay for each ride. Each kiosk gives a different ticket design, so choose wisely! Keep the ticket handy- you need it to enter and exit the station.
Arrival: The parks officially opened at 9:00, but they actually opened at 8:30 each day. Guests at the official hotels got in at 8:15. I arrived at around 7:15 each day. There were people there, but I wasn't terribly far back. Everyone brings picnic mats (get one- they're cheap and everywhere!) and camps out in orderly lines.
Navigating the Parks: The uber-planner in me felt really lost navigating the parks. Disney Sea doesn't have a hub! What order am I supposed to be doing things in? Fortunately, I had two days in each park.
Disney Sea
That's what comes to mind now. It was a fabulous trip. In addition to Tokyo Disney, I spent time in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, and Kawagoe. I'm happy to answer any questions. I know I had a lot of them!
Park Tickets: I purchased my park tickets in advance through the Tokyo Disney app using my Wise account card. I opened this account and converted some dollars to yen when the exchange rate was good. Others have had trouble using foreign credit cards to book tickets through the app. Klook is another option.
Arrival: I was coming from Hakone, so I arrived by train via Tokyo Station. The platform for the line that you take to Maihama Station is marked with giant red arrows on the floor. Tokyo Station is a zoo, but you just keep following the arrows! From Maihama Station I got a shuttle bus to my hotel, the Hilton Tokyo Bay.
Hotel: I stayed 5 nights at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, booked on points (book 4 nights, get one free). Hilton Tokyo Bay is just across from the monorail that takes you directly to the parks. Great location and much less expensive than the official Disney hotels. Buffet breakfast starts at 6:30 and is free if you have Gold Status (Hilton Surpass or Aspire credit cards). There's also a convenience store with breakfast options.
Monorail: Unlike WDW, the monorail isn't free. I purchased a 4-day pass. You can buy shorter passes or pay for each ride. Each kiosk gives a different ticket design, so choose wisely! Keep the ticket handy- you need it to enter and exit the station.
Arrival: The parks officially opened at 9:00, but they actually opened at 8:30 each day. Guests at the official hotels got in at 8:15. I arrived at around 7:15 each day. There were people there, but I wasn't terribly far back. Everyone brings picnic mats (get one- they're cheap and everywhere!) and camps out in orderly lines.
Navigating the Parks: The uber-planner in me felt really lost navigating the parks. Disney Sea doesn't have a hub! What order am I supposed to be doing things in? Fortunately, I had two days in each park.
- The map is on the app and it functions like google maps, where you are the moving blue dot. Wait times were listed as well.
- Entry Requests: The shows require entry requests- essentially a lottery. Once inside the park, you can use the app to request a particular show. If you get lucky, they assign you a seat. If not, you are mostly out of luck. The exception is that the first performance of every show is standby.
- Premier Access: Some rides offer paid, timed access (aka Individual Lightning Lanes, except you get to choose your times). You can select one. You can select another after using the first or after 60 minutes has passed. The parades at Disneyland and the nighttime show and Sea also offer this. You purchase this through the app, using the credit card that you keep on file.
Disney Sea
- Journey to the Center of the Earth, Toy Story, and Soaring get the longest lines. They have Premier Access.
- Tower of Terror has a totally different backstory and an amazing queue. Don't skip it.
- I wasn't going to do Soaring: Fantastic Flight. The film is essentially the same, but the queue was worth it.
- Indiana Jones has a single rider line. It's similar to Disneyland CA but better.
- I used Premier Access for the Believe Sea of Dreams nighttime show. It seems like a lot of the good areas are blocked for that, and people camp out for so long for the other spots...my time was worth more than that! You still need to get to the viewing area close to when the window opens. Bring your picnic mat and a snack.
- I tried to get the entry request for the Big Band Beat show and didn't get it, so I attended the first show (standby). I got there 45 minutes early.
- Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is my new favorite ride of all time. Because of this, I now know that you can buy Premier Access for the same attraction twice in the same day. (Premiere Access is the only way to do this ride, or it will suck up your entire day.)
- Pooh's Hunny Hunt is doesn't have Premier Access. It's good first thing in the morning or during parades.
- Don't skip the rides that you think are the same. It's a Small World was a pleasant surprise. So was the Jungle Cruise. Do the castle walk through.
- But Happy Ride with Baymax? It's Alien Swirling Saucers...with the adult riders all dancing. What am I missing? Definitely worth seeing.
- The parades offer Premier Access. People were camped out for the 2:00 daytime parade at 8:50. Seriously! The viewing areas get packed. That said, everyone sits during the entire parade. As a solo traveler, I had no problem finding a perfect little spot for myself 15 minutes before the parade. If I was traveling as a family with kids, I'd seriously consider the Premier Access. It's either that or spread out the picnic mats and take turns camping out.
- Food lines got long, even during the "off" times. I had lunch at the Queen of Hearts Banquet hall when it opened at 10:30. When I left at 10:50 there was a long time stretching out the door. A similar thing happened when I ate in the restaurant in Splash Mountain. By going at 3:45 I caught the beginning of the dinner rush.
- I scored entry requests for Club Mouse Beat and Mickey's Magical Musical World. Club Mouse Beat is worth doing standby for if you don't get an entry request.
That's what comes to mind now. It was a fabulous trip. In addition to Tokyo Disney, I spent time in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, and Kawagoe. I'm happy to answer any questions. I know I had a lot of them!