I'm back... and I'm going to Japan - trip cancelled

[zanzibar138]

Got no more actual news, but it's now getting to the point where I need to start planning a bit more of the detail, so I've been thinking about a few things.

• We would definitely both like to do the Mario Kart thing - so thinking about whether Tokyo or Osaka will be best.
• The plan is to spend the first day at each park more commando style to make sure we can get through all our must-dos, and then have a bit more leisurely experience on the second day in each park. Not sure whether we should do both days at one park in a row (so we get a more leisurely day in between), or do both rush days first and then allow ourselves a more leisurely pace for the rest of our time there. I kind of like the idea of starting and finishing with the castle park, which would mean we'd do (1) TDL, (2) TDS, (3) TDS, (4) TDL. It's nearly time to buy tickets, so I'll have to figure it out within the next month or so.
• Also starting to get an idea of which restaurants we might want to try out. At TDL... Blue Bayou is always fun, and I think we could both find something to eat there. B loves theatre shows, so might be fun to do Polynesian Terrace or Diamond Horseshoe. I'm also really keen for the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, and B loved the look of Gaston's Tavern on the walk-through videos we saw. Plus ALL the insta-worthy snacks There's actually not a huge amount that I'm interested in at TDS. None of the menus really seemed appealing to us. Vulcania looks like it might be fun, and we both like Chinese food. Other than that, we'll probably just go for the snack type places with a view over the water.
• Keeping a good eye on the premier access options, particularly now there's been a new system announced for summer - will have to see if it's just for the busy period or if it's going to be extended. Still planning to buy whatever premier access we can on our first day in each park, with an opportunity on the second day to get any that we missed out on.
• Starting to think about the day trip to Kyoto and where the attractions are in relation to each other. B really wants to see the bamboo forest, which unfortunately seems to be right on one edge of town... the opposite side to Fushimi Inari, which is what I really wanted to see Looks like it's relatively easy but long train ride, so not sure it's worth trying to do both with limited time.
• Also looking into USJ. We definitely want to make sure we're going to get time at Super Nintendo Land and Wizarding World. Plus we also like the Jurassic Park area. Looks like the Express Pass 7 with Jurassic Park will suit us nicely. It will get us timed entry to Koopa's Challenge, Yoshi's Adventure, Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff, as well as non-timed entry to Jurassic Park, Flying Dinosaur and either Hollywood Dream or Jaws. B doesn't really do rollercoasters, so Flight of the Hippogriff and Flying Dinosaur will probably be wasted on him, but I will want them and we'll also want both the Nintendo attractions. We can definitely choose Jaws instead of Hollywood Dream to make better use of them. Apparently there's single rider for Hollywood Dream, so hopefully I'll be able to use that.

 

[zanzibar138]

Our financial circumstances have recently changed, so I'll be looking for ways to save money on this trip, without losing all the magic!

Pretty happy with the price of our hotels in Tokyo and Osaka - don't think there's much room to save there.

Our 2 nights at Explorer's Lodge was fully refundable, so I've cancelled that and re-booked the Hollywood Hotel (which has only been reopened since I originally booked). All the HKDL hotels were 30% off on Expedia today, so also got to take advantage of that. While I prefer the explorers theme to art deco, it's not worth an extra $200 to me! Unfortunately our night at the HKDL Hotel is non-refundable, but it will be a nice splurge.

I've also decided to go ahead and cancel the Pullman Hyde Park in Sydney. I've booked the Metro Hotel Marlow Sydney Central instead, which still has a bath tub and looks decent, but is a bit further away from the office and no nice views. It's right near Central Station so I can either take the train or just have a bit longer walk. This will save me about $300 so I think it's worth it.

I'm reconsidering Hotel Maihama Eurasia at TDR. We currently have a western style room with bath tub and view (over TDS to the sea) booked for just over $1600 for the 5 nights and is also fully refundable. I'm on the fence about this one as I want our stay to be special, but I'm also wondering if we're going to get any time to use the bath tub or sit on the balcony admiring the view. I've found a basic budget hotel room nearby (still within walking distance of both parks and has decent reviews) for about $1000, so could make a considerable saving here. Just not sure whether it's something I want to give up!

If circumstances don't change before the trip, we will probably have to reconsider our premium options for 'skipping the line' at both TDR and USJ. It might come down to choosing 1 or 2 absolute must dos to get the premium pass for, and then doing what else we can. We may also have to ditch Mario Kart in the city.

We probably weren't going to be spending a lot of money on food, souvenirs or sight seeing anyway, and can probably still afford the couple of splurges that I'd planned. We'll be happy to mostly eat at low budget quick service type places, so hopefully that will help. I definitely won't be getting any cool new outfits for the trip, which I was kind of hoping to do, and will probably have to make do with my current luggage set as well, which may also help me to control my shopping over there since I will have limited packing space!

Any other tips for saving money on transport etc would be much appreciated. I haven't even looked into the cost of the train from TDR to Osaka yet, but assume that would be the cheapest way to do it and is kind of part of the experience. I do worry about the luggage transfer though with the high speed trains and will need to look into what's involved with that! Other transportation we'll need is:

• Haneda Airport to Tokyo city
• Tokyo city to TDR
• TDR to Osaka
• Osaka to Kyoto (would also consider Nara) return
• Osaka city to USJ return
• Osaka city to Kansai Airport
• Hong Kong Airport to HKDL return
• Transport around HK - into the city and possibly Tung Chung

Theme park tickets are of course non-negotiable - 4 days at TDR and 1 day at HKDL.

 

[zanzibar138]

So we decided to prioritise budget and convenience above luxury for TDR and have gone ahead and changed our hotel booking. Again In current circumstances, it seemed crazy to pass up the opportunity to save $600. I checked the TripAdvisor reviews for Hotel MyStays Maihama and it all seemed very positive - clean, newish rooms, friendly English-speaking staff, and an extraordinarily convenient location less than a 10 minute walk to Maihama Station, TDL and TDS. Convenience store right nearby. The only negative was smallish rooms and bathrooms (but not by Japanese standards), which isn't really an issue for us. Most recent reviewers thought it was a great alternative to more expensive options and would stay again. For somewhere we're probably just going to be sleeping and showering, it seemed like a no brainer. With those kind of savings, it's possible we could even get twilight tickets for our arrival day and get even more time in the parks!

Rooms weren't categorised by view (just by occupancy), so I've sent a request through for a nice view if possible, citing my 40th birthday - no harm in hoping for a little pixie dust, even if it's not Disney!

 

[zanzibar138]

Yet another update from me. Last night B and I had a serious planning session. We've both realised that we're far more interested in Kyoto than Osaka, so I suggested we head straight there from TDR and spend the night rather than just doing a day trip from Osaka. Not looking forward to all the moves between hotels on this trip, but it really can't be helped, and will be an extra incentive to keep shopping to a minimum Unfortunately the price of our original Osaka hotel had gone up dramatically so the cost just for 2 nights was nearly the same as 3 nights! So that got changed as well. Given our new low-budget approach, we've really prioritised budget and convenience over everything else, and have chosen hotels in both cities that are within a 5 minute walk of the main stations.

 

[zanzibar138]

Unfortunately our personal circumstances keep getting worse! So we have made the difficult decision to cancel this trip. Fortunately most of our bookings were fully refundable.

Now I've made myself more familiar with the process for TDR, it'll be much easier to start again when the time is right

 

[PrincessInOz]

@zanzibar138 Finally made it here. Nice to see you the other night and catch up on all your news.

So sorry about you having to cancel this trip.



(Hint for any Melbourne Dis-sers out there. We are hoping to catch up regularly every 3 months. DM either Zanzibar or myself if you want to join us).

 

[zanzibar138]

@zanzibar138 Finally made it here. Nice to see you the other night and catch up on all your news.

So sorry about you having to cancel this trip.



(Hint for any Melbourne Dis-sers out there. We are hoping to catch up regularly every 3 months. DM either Zanzibar or myself if you want to join us).

Was great to catch up after all these years Yes, anyone else who wants to join us next time, the more the merrier!

 

[BecBennett]

Oh no, I missed that you had to cancel I hope the timing lines up again for you soon.

 

[zanzibar138]

Oh no, I missed that you had to cancel I hope the timing lines up again for you soon.

I'm sure we will get another opportunity