If you’re wondering if Tokyo Disney Resort are worth it when traveling to Japan, the short answer is yes. There is a reason Tokyo DisneySea is considered the best Disney park in the world. Both parks were wonderful, with fun rides, incredible design, and I found them very accessible, especially considering the changes to the DAS pass in the U.S. For the long answer, read this full Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea review.
The first time I went to Japan, I had decided to not visit Tokyo Disney because I had heard of the long lines and my ex wasn’t too patient. I didn’t want his first experience at Disney to be negative, so we skipped it. It was still on my Disney bucket list, so when my sister and brother-in-law said they were going to take my niece, I immediately jumped on the plan!
Despite the language barrier, it was easy to communicate with park workers. Every park employee had either a translator machine or used a translating app on their phone. They were all so kind and empathetic and made communication less stressful, despite little misunderstandings.
Unlike in the USA, in Japan you can greet characters while walking and the lines are mostly shorter. The face characters we met all spoke English, so we were able to communicate with them.
All the rides and shows are in Japanese, but they are still enjoyable if you don’t know Japanese. If you’ve seen the movies, you can deduce what they are saying. We did not see any show as they are on a lottery system you need to apply for and we did not get into any.
Key Takeaways
- Tokyo DisneySea is hands down the best Disney park I’ve been to.
- Tokyo Disneyland has the typical Disney magic feel with improved classic rides.
- Prices are reasonable, even for food and Disney souvenirs.
- Tokyo Disney merchandise is the best merch, especially Japanese style home items.
- Cast Members were incredibly kind and accommodating, caring deeply about accessibility and food allergies.
- The Electric Lights parade is the best Disney parade.
- Do not miss “it’s a small world” and Beauty and the Beast in Disneyland.
- Fantasy Springs rides are appropriately hyped, so don’t miss them while in DisneySea.
- Use DisneySea Transit Steamer Line to move around DisneySea.
- Bathrooms are clean and plentiful, but plan ahead as parks as big.
- Purchase Disney Premier Access for the more popular attractions when you don’t have much time.
- For the Disability Access Service (Disney DAS), you need a certificate for a disability. Each cast member at each ride will look at it to confirm. They are incredibly kind and respectful.
- Tokyo Disney food was a bit disappointing compared to my expectations with some exclusive food items that are unique.
- The Tokyo Disney popcorn flavors are worth trying.
How to get to DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland
This trip was solely to go to Tokyo Disney, so we stayed close by. If you are staying somewhere else in Tokyo, it is easy to get to Tokyo DisneySea and Disneyland with public transportation. There are trains and buses that go to Maihama station.
I took a bus directly from Haneda Airport to my hotel inside Tokyo Disney Resort and the same company also has a direct bus from Narita to Tokyo Disney— the Airport Limousine Bus.
The airport to Disney Tokyo bus was cheap only ¥1300 from Haneda (~$8 USD) and ¥2300 from Narita. Not only was it comfortable, but the bus was clean, on time, and had space for one suitcase per person. It also stops at all the hotels in Disney Tokyo Resort area, which makes it super comfortable!
You can buy tickets at the airport, which is what I did. I was traveling solo, so I wasn’t worried about the bus being sold out. The bus wasn’t full from the international terminal, but it did start to fill up as we stopped at the domestic terminals.
I also used it on my way back to the airport and bought the tickets the night before.
Where to Stay In Disney Tokyo
This is one trip I did not plan, but thankfully, my sister is a good planner as well. We stayed at the Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama which is one of the 6 hotels that are Tokyo Disney Resort official hotels and all have free shuttles to all Disney Resort line stations.
Thankfully, I had already visited Tokyo and other cities in Japan on a previous 2 week Japan trip, so I wasn’t missing out on this Asia bucket list destination.
The Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama was a 7 minute walk from the new Fantasy Springs hotel. While we couldn’t use this entrance, we were able to use the free Disney shuttle to both the DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland entrances.
The hotel’s rooms were very nice and clean, with a small balcony that had an amazing view of the bay. There are other rooms with park views, but my dad preferred the bay. The toilet was outside the shower/tub room and of course they provided hotel pajamas. If you read my Japan honeymoon itinerary, you’d know that the Japanese hotel pajamas were one of my favorite things!
Their breakfast buffet was delicious! There were so many options from omelettes and onigiri made to order to noodles, fruit, and cold meats.They had a western and a Japanese section, as well as a kids one. My whole family can attest about how much I loved breakfast there. One thing I do struggle with in Europe is their terrible breakfast. I was so happy our hotel had great options.
They did have a reservation system For breakfast. You had to reserve your table from a website and wait for it to be ready, and then give them the breakfast ticket. Early in the morning it was ready within 5 minutes.
The Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama was a great hotel with amazing breakfast and walking distance from the Disney tram.
Tokyo Disney Resort Prices
Tickets at Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland are much cheaper than US parks. Disneyland Resort in Anaheim start at $103 while Tokyo Disney tickets start at ¥8900 (~$60 usd).
Inside the park, food and merchandise was also cheaper than in US parks. I got some Minnie ears for about $15 USD and some Japanese style Mickey themed ceramic tea bowls for ¥800 (~$6 USD). I also got the cutest Baymax Japanese ceramic rice bowls and cups, and Baymax chopsticks. The sweatshirt I bought cost about $30 USD and shirts for $15. Quality of souvenirs was equal or better, with unique designs but for reasonable prices.
Tokyo Disney Resort Merchandise
Honestly, Disney merchandise in Tokyo Disney Resort was so much cuter and cheaper. Thanks to the lower price, I bought so many things. They have super cute mini Minnie ear keychains, cute bottle carriers, Mickey carabiners, and, of course, the famous popcorn buckets and thongs. I got my niece a Tangled lantern popcorn bucket that is also a lamp and now it hangs from her bed as a night light. She loves it!
They do not have the same variety of pins as US Disney parks have, but they did have a lot of pressed coin designs all over the park! My niece filled one of those pressed coin souvenir booklets.
I had planned on buying some shirts and I wanted Japanese bowls, so I had space in my suitcase. Instead of buying typical Japanese bowls, I fell in love with these Baymax ones!
I’ve never seen Baymax merch at Disneyland California and Disney World. Baymax and Jack Skellington are my favorite characters. The only disappointing thing was that in May there was no Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise.
I also got an amazing Baymax t-shirt, bag, and hoodie! If I had had more space, I would have probably gotten more. If you love Baymax, Treasure Comet in Tokyo Disneyland and Nautilus Gifts in DisneySea had a lot of Baymax souvenirs.
For those that want Duffy and Friends souvenirs, check out Lost River Outfitters in DisneySea next to where the Duffy character greeting area is. It really is incredible how this unknown character is so famous in Japan!
Tokyo Disneyland vs Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo Disney Resort is made up of two parks, and if you have the time, they both are worth it. Tokyo Disneyland has the typical Disney feel, the electrical parade, Beauty and the Beast ride, and you can walk through Cinderella’s castle. While DisneySea is a completely unique park with incredible scenery and they new Fantasy Springs.
If you need a bathroom, there are multiple services around the parks. For example Fantasy Springs has two bathrooms, but it does take a while to walk from one area to the other, especially when you really need it. All bathrooms were all extremely clean, with electric bidet toilets and antibacterial cleaner for the toilet seat.
If you only had to pick one park, I would choose Tokyo DisneySea.
Tokyo Disneyland Review
Tokyo Disneyland is similar in style to Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Orlando, with classic attractions, parades, and family-friendly rides.
Tokyo Disneyland attractions include classic rides like “it’s a small world,” Dumbo, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain.
These classics all had a slight twist that made them unique, like Pooh’s ride. Instead of just a linear ride, the dream portion was more like a dance with neon characters and 3 different versions of the ride. It was a family favorite!
Do not dismiss “it’s a small world” because you’ve been on it in other parks. This was the best “it’s a small world” ride I have ever been on. We rode it each day we were in the park and they had a Groot special, where Groot was a part of every scene. It was adorable and beautiful, and you need to see it for yourself!
You can walk through Cinderella’s castle and see her glass slipper which was something my niece loved, especially after her appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidy Boutique.
Tokyo Disneyland has the amazing and appropriately hyped Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast ride. It reminded me of the Star Wars ride, with smooth movement in the car throughout the story. The animatronics are incredible, the ambience is set beautifully, and it is worth paying for the priority pass ticket for it. And yes, the way the beast transforms into the prince is impressive!
My then three year-old niece loved Gadget’s Go Coaster in Toontown because it was outside and pretty fast for a kid friendly ride. I think we rode it like 5 times in a row. We discovered my niece likes non-scary/dark thrill rides. So we took her to other similar rides.
Splash Mountain is also a Disney classic that is getting revamped in the US but still has the original theme in Japan. It is much longer than the US version and much better! Definitely a ton of a fun and something to not miss on a warm day.
I was sad the Baymax ride was closed for repairs, but I bought some Baymax merch to make myself feel better.
I’ve watched a ton of Disney parades, and Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights is one of the best parades I’ve seen. The floats are stunning and they light up the night bringing magic to the end of the evening. The little lights with different colors bring to life each float in a unique and beautiful way. I would not miss this incredible parade, especially because it includes some characters that other Disneys have phased out like the Cheshire cat or Pete and his dragon. Disney Harmony in Color was also really fun to watch, especially because it has a Baymax float!
If you only have time for one parade, I would recommend the Electrical Parade Dreamlights.
People will sit and reserve spots along the parade route before the parade starts. For spots in front of the castle, you can reserve a pass or reserve a sport about an hour before the parade. At park stores they sell really cute mats to sit on that I now use for beach trips and picnics.
Tokyo DisneySea Review
Mystery Island
Tokyo DisneySea is a completely unique Disney park. Since it is not directly owned by Disney, but leased, they have more freedom to add attractions such as the SS Columbia passenger ship, Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage, 20,000 leagues under the sea, and a gondola ride. But don’t worry, DisneySea also has classic Disney rides like Indiana Jones, Soaring: Fantastic Flight, Toy Story Mania, and Tower of Terror.
Tower of Terror has a modified version of the original story. From what I understood, the owner of the hotel was an archeologist that had picked up a cursed statue from somewhere in South America. The statuette caused his disappearance and so now that you visit the hotel, the elevator stops working and it falls. It was all in Japanese, so that’s what my family and I deduced happened.
Rides at Tokyo DisneySea are definitely original and very fun, especially Journey to the Center of the Earth. I expected it to be more of a roller coaster, but it was an incredibly detailed themed-ride with some thrills. While it wasn’t what I expected, it was still fun. If we hadn’t had a return-time, I don’t know if I would have been happy waiting hours in line.
Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage is another unique ride to DisneySea. It felt like Pirates of the Caribbean with a different theme and better animatronics. It definitely leans into Japanese people’s love of everything kawaii, or cute, with Sinbad accompanied by his very cute tiger sidekick, Chandu. There was no line, but it was truly impressive with hundreds of advanced animatronics and worth the long 11 minute ride.
Do not miss the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line. It was a beautiful and scenic boat ride along the lake and river. The only reason my parents and I did the ride was because we were waiting for my niece to wake up from her nap to have lunch together. I am so happy we did, definitely a nice little respite and a good way to see the park from a different angle or move from one area of the park to the other. I really loved this attraction at DisneySea.
Just don’t do what we did. The steamer has a set route and you cannot do a full circle. We had to disembark at Lost River Delta, get back in line, and ride another steamer to Mediterranean Harbor. You can use it to move around the park in a leisurely and scenic manner.
DisneySea’s park theming is breathtaking. Disney imagineers are amazing at creating whole worlds, but DisneySea is a whole different ballgame. You are first greeted with the center lake surrounded by Mediterranean style buildings. The on-site hotel overlooks this harbor and blends seamlessly into the scenery. It truly feels like Venice when stepping over a bridge and seeing the gondoliers.
Walking into Mysterious Island will take your breath away. The mix of old-timey explorer vibes with a volcano and lake ties the vibe of mystery and science fiction perfectly. I think I audibly awed when I walked into this area and we sat around just enjoying the scenery. The attention to detail is incredible. Inside Mysterious Island, Vulcania had good food and a store with Baymax themed merch.
While Lost River Delta leans into some stereotypes, it is an amazing feat that truly felt like walking into a Mayan forest and finding a pyramid. Port Discovery felt like a completely different park, it kind of felt like walking into Waterland. It also felt bigger than it was because you could see the rest of Tokyo Bay behind.
If you have little kids, they will love Mermaid Lagoon with a bunch of cute rides. Most rides don’t have height restrictions, only Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster. This kid friendly coaster was also one of my niece’s favorites!
And Fantasy Springs! I understand the hype. There is a hidden detail in every corner of the area. The entrance is through a tunnel where the rocks are actually characters from Fantasy Springs, with Pan’s Never Land to the left and Rapunzel’s Forest to the right. In the middle of these two, there is a pirate boat and a huge rock skull you can explore. In the back, you can walk around the Frozen Kingdom and it really does look like Arendelle.
You no longer need a special reservation to enter Fantasy Springs, so head there as soon as you enter DisneySea. Lines get very long for these rides even early in the morning, so walk fast or purchase Priority Pass tickets.
I think we spent the bulk of our time in DisneySea at Fantasy Springs. Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival is AMAZING! It is a very cute boat ride that takes your through Tangled, with countless glowing lanterns in the end.
Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure was also really cool. It reminded me of the Kong ride in Universal Orlando. You ride a boat car with 3D glasses and visit Neverland. It was very well done, with the 3D effects working perfectly and moving through several screens. If you get motion sickness, this might not be the ride for you.
My niece also loved riding Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies. This cute a ride starts with you “shrinking” to fairy size and delivering a letter through the fairy village.
I cannot say how Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey because it was closed for maintenance.
Disney Premier Access: “Fast Pass” at Tokyo Disney Resort
You can purchase Disney Premier Access for some of the popular rides and shows. Most one time pass time slots cost ¥2000. If you don’t want to wait in line and/or don’t have many days to explore Tokyo Disney, it is worth purchasing a these skip the line passes. The popular rides you can purchase Disney Premier Access for are the ones in Fantasy Springs and Beauty and the Beast, among others, and they normally have very long lines.
Even minutes after the park opened, Peter Pan and Tangled had at least 45 minute long lines. My brother-in-law made sure to buy Priority Pass tickets for everyone as soon as we all scanned our tickets.
You cannot purchase Priority Passes until you are inside the park, so it is important to get to the park early and queue before they open.
In order for my niece to ride her favorite rides multiple times on our last days, we would split our group. This was only after we had all ridden everything together first, because yes, my family is that family. She didn’t have a ticket because she was still 3 years-old at the time so if we had 4 Priority Passes, two would go with her first and as soon as she came out, the other two would go.
For Splash Mountain, my brother-in-law, niece, and I went first but it took longer than we expected! The hour window was closing, so my parents scanned their tickets before they expired and waited for my niece. The cast members didn’t say anything, they were happy my niece was enjoying the ride!
Disability Access Service: What it was like to get DAS in Tokyo Disney Resort
I have a disability. Among other things I cannot stand for long, cannot tolerate heat, and need access to a bathroom. Because of changes to DAS at Disney in the US I was worried about not being able to get it in Japan. But, I was able to get the DAS pass in Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.
When I arrived on my first day, I went to guest services, but they told me to talk to the guest assistant at each ride. While the DAS Disney in the US is more convenient because you can schedule your rides on the app, this wasn’t bad. I did have to personally go to each ride and ask for a return time.
To get DAS in Tokyo Disney, I had to show my certificate of disease from to get the return time for each ride. I had just gotten a certificate for rare disease from my doctor in Italy, so I used that. They translated the certificate to make sure it was a valid use of the disability return time service and then showed me a translated booklet with the different policies to use the disability pass, asked me a couple of questions through a translator app, and gave me return times on the app. The process took about 5 minutes.
While in the US this would be an incredible breach of medical privacy, Japan has different legal rules and I never felt like my privacy was being invaded as each cast member was incredibly kind and respectful. It felt like a normal procedure and that they really cared about my wellbeing.
They can give you return times for up to 6 tickets for rides and up to 10 for character greetings, including the disabled person. They took a photo of me for each DAS ticket, so I had to be present to use them. This meant that when my niece wanted to go on the toon roller coaster 4 times in a row, I had to ride it with her.
Cast members really try to understand despite language differences and to make sure you are safe. They will ask multiple questions about your needs, but it really felt like a legitimate worry about being able to comply with safety procedures and not like someone prying.
All the cast members were respectful at all times.
Between buying Priority Passes and using the DAS, I was able to wait in safe places for me, have access to bathrooms and food when needed, and get breaks so I wouldn’t flare. Disney really is hard on the body, especially for someone with chronic illness. I still had awful blood pooling in my legs, pain, and symptoms due to the heat and standing.
Despite having to show a certificate to prove my disability and the added burden of having to walk all the way to the ride and go through the same process every time, I am glad they had the service as it was something that made my visit to Tokyo Disney Resort much better and accessible.
Tokyo Disney Food
Talking about food, I expected better food at Tokyo Disney. While there were some delicious and cute dishes like the Mickey shaped bun and the little green dumplings, overall the food could have been better.
I think the park that has the most options I can eat and has the best food is Disneyland and California Adventure. It is much more expensive and they don’t have as many cute souvenirs and candy as Tokyo, but I think the food is better.
Food was reasonably priced at Disney Tokyo, although it was hard to find some sensory friendly foods. They did have turkey legs that were delicious and I was able to eat.
I did love Restaurant Hokusai in Tokyo Disneyland with very good set Japanese food menus. This was a sit down restaurant, so more expensive than the rest of the park, but still a meal was about $20 USD! I got a chirashi don meal for ¥2600 (~$17) that was delicious. They had some adorable souvenir lunch mats my sister and brother-in-law bought. They are Japanese style individual mats and gorgeous.
In DisneySea, Vulcania had good Chinese food and Dockside Diner had some Korean seasonal dishes. We didn’t try it, but DisneySea has a Japanese sit down restaurant too called Sakura.
Disney Tokyo’s variety of candy and souvenir candy was amazing! I got a Baymax box, mostly because it was cute, but it had these delicious little marshmallows filled with chocolate. My dad kept teasing me I got something without knowing what it was, but I couldn’t understand the label! They also had so many different mochi— I love mochi— and they had cute packaging or designs!
As for food allergies and dietary accommodations, they take them really seriously. One time I asked if they had a specific dish without meat, I then had to wait for their manager to arrive. Due to language differences, they thought I had an allergy or dietary restriction and since they couldn’t communicate, they made me wait.
The manager came and showed me a menu with options. While I didn’t need it at that time, it was really impressive to see the care and importance they gave to food allergies and dietary restrictions.
Tokyo Disney Popcorn
There are so many different popcorn flavors at Tokyo Disney! I tried the caramel, honey, strawberry napoleon, chocolate, salt, and black pepper. The sweet popcorn flavors were not too sweet which made them delicious and a good combination of salt and sweet. The honey and black pepper flavors were a family favorite.
I made sure to buy the Mickey hand popcorn thongs and it was such a small thing that made me so happy! It’s always the little things. While I couldn’t justify getting any of the gorgeous popcorn buckets for myself, I did get the Tangled lantern for my niece.
If you want just one place that has all the flavors and all the popcorn bucket designs, head to The Big Pop in Disneyland.
Use the app to find popcorn bucket design and flavor locations at both parks in real time.
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Tips
- Download the app for each park and connect your party’s tickets to the app.
- Avoid weekends and public holidays. We went during the week— Monday through Friday— after Golden Week (April 29-May 5), and lines were manageable. Most lines were less than an hour, except those at Fantasy Springs.
- Get to the park before rope drop or the official opening time. You can only buy Disney Premier Access tickets when inside the park and they sell out very fast for the most popular rides like Rapunzel, Frozen, Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast. Most ride’s Premier Access pass is only ¥2,000 (~$14 USD) and these rides have more than 90 minute wait times at all times.
- Upon entering DisneySea, head directly to Fantasy Springs as it fills up quickly!
- Take advantage of the free Priority Pass ride ticket for their 40th Anniversary. You can get a new one after you use the old one.
- Plan for the weather. Summers are hot and humid. Spring and autumn are more comfortable. In May, the days were warm but you did need a light jacket in the evenings.
- Use the Disney Resort Line to move around the Tokyo Disney Resort area. It is free and accessible.
- Stay in a Disney official resort. Non-Disney-themed hotels are reasonably priced and have free transportation to the parks.
- If you can afford it, stay at the MiraCosta or the Fantasy Springs hotel. They are beautiful and inside the park, with their own entrance, which beats the crowds.
Stay at Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama. It’s inside Disney Tokyo Resort, has free transportation to the parks, direct buses to and from the aiport, and had wonderful rooms and AMAZING breakfast buffet!
Last Thoughts on Tokyo Disney Resort
Overall, both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are worth going to on your trip to Japan. They both transport you to a world of magic, especially DisneySea, that transports you out of Tokyo into the world the imagineers created. It is a complete immersive experience because of the attention to detail of the creators, even the classic Disney rides were better in Tokyo, and their entertainment was top tier.
The parks were demanding for someone with a disability, but Disney Tokyo Resort was accommodating, making their parks a worthwhile trip. I can’t wait to go back, soak in the magic, ambience, and buy some more Baymax things for my house— sorry CJ!
I hope this Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea review convinces you to visit these parks so you, too can enjoy the Disney magic.
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