First Time to TDR! 8/8-8/10 Please help plan!

[poohandtigger]

Hi,

Oh my gosh! So my family is off to Japan on 8/4/13. We will be at Tokyo Disneyland Resort on 8/8 (arriving from Kyoto) and then leave on 8/10 ( at night) to go to Tokyo. We are staying at the Hilton Bay.

I am huge Disney fan and have been to WDW and Disneyland many times. But I feel so overwhelmed about tackling Tokyo Disney!

My daughter and I like most rides while my son and husband don't like the thrill rides. Also we are not really big into getting wet.

On 8/8 we will arrive probably around noon. I plan to purchase 3 day passes so we can park hop on Saturday 8/10. So that brings up my first round of questions!!
1. If I purchase tickets online with specific dates then are we guaranteed entry to the park? OR since we are staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay can we buy a full 3 day park hopper (hop all 3 days) ??
2. Thinking of Tokyo Disneyland for first partial day, Tokyo Disney Sea for day 2, and then park hop (probably mostly Disney Sea) on Saturday - sound good?
3. What time should we arrive at the gates on 8/9 and 8/10? An hour early or more?
4. Are there English language maps at the entrance kiosk or do we need to go someplace special ?

Trying to work out a plan of attack. Here is the list of rides that for Tokyo Disneyland that we would love to ride:
Pooh
Star Tours
Monsters
Haunted House
Jungle Cruise
Pirates
Small World
then perhaps
Peter Pan
Pinnochio
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Country Bears

So more questions:
1. What time to people sit for the parades? 30 minutes or an hour?
2. Are the rides less busy around parade time?
3. Are there any apps that you recommend for touring?
4. Are the lines shorter at the end of the night?

On to Disney Sea! Here is our list of really "want to do" rides:
Tower of Terror
Storm Rider
Aquatopia
Sinbad
Magic Lamp Theater
20,000 Leagues
Journey to Center

1. Are these rides worth the wait? Am I missing something good?
2. Are the Journey or 20,000 Leagues rides like roller coasters? My son doesn't enjoy roller coasters .
3. Are there any books about touring TDR that are worth the money?

We plan to do a lot of wandering around and just enjoying the scenery but want to hit the rides at the best times.

I know that it will be busy and hot but August is the only time that we could go. We booked the Hilton Bay so we could come back and rest in the afternoon if we wanted too.

I also have questions about food but thought that I would start with these!
Thanks for any insight!!
Sandy

 

[Nicoleinwi]

Hi Sandy,
I can't answer all your questions......

When DH and I went a few years back we stayed in Tokyo and took the train each day, we were there rig before park opening (maybe 15 mins). T biggest shock is they aren't in frantic rush when the park opens like in the States, they leisurely stroll between attractions.

I did 1 day at each park, no hopper. This was end of April and we saw everything.

Yes there are English maps at the entrance.

We arrived about half hour before parade start and had front row seating.

20,000 leagues you go around in a submarine, it's not a coaster. I think of it like Nemo in Epcot.

Journey is not a oater either, it's like Animal Kingoms Dinosaur.

Have a great time, I love both parks!

 

[MukilteoSailor]

Hi,
On 8/8 we will arrive probably around noon. I plan to purchase 3 day passes so we can park hop on Saturday 8/10. So that brings up my first round of questions!!
1. If I purchase tickets online with specific dates then are we guaranteed entry to the park? OR since we are staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay can we buy a full 3 day park hopper (hop all 3 days) ??
2. Thinking of Tokyo Disneyland for first partial day, Tokyo Disney Sea for day 2, and then park hop (probably mostly Disney Sea) on Saturday - sound good?
3. What time should we arrive at the gates on 8/9 and 8/10? An hour early or more?
4. Are there English language maps at the entrance kiosk or do we need to go someplace special ?

1. When we stayed at Tokyo DL Hotel we were given the option to buy full park hopper passes for an increased price (I think it was about an extra 2000 Yen for the 3 day pass). It looks like that may not be offered at what they term their Official Hotels vice their Disney Hotels.

http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/en/about/rh/dh_tokuten.html
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/en/about/rh/official.html#tokuten

See entry eight on the first link for TDL Hotels.

2. Plan sounds reasonable. Just know that if you are coming in after noon of the first day chances are high that FP will most likely be gone for Pooh and Monsters Inc. The reader board with wait times is at the end of the World Bazaar on the way to Adventureland. It will list if FP are still available for the various attractions.

3. If you already have your tickets I would say about 30-60 minutes would be good. I personally don't like lining up too early to wait for the park to open so I don't really know what it looks arriving 60+ minutes out.

4. They do have English maps at the entrance turnstile. I usually have to ask for one because they have them below. I say eigo (pronounced like Ego waffle) which means English. They will then usually ask how many I would like. I would also grab one of their Today brochures that is usually at the end of the turnstile as you walk through. It is in Japanese but it is full of pictures of their seasonal/promotional food and merchandise so pretty easy to figure out (at least to see what you may want to eat/buy).

 

[shelemm]

First, do EVERYTHING at Disney Sea. It is unique unto the world, and in two days you should be able to cover everything except maybe Toy Story Mania which is a PITA in Tokyo. A great ride, of course, but you've done it already and insanely popular in Tokyo. Everyone has a different opinion on the rides/shows/and attractions. Only you can decide which you'll like best. You've come all this way, do it all.

In TDS, it is easy to overlook Fortress Exploration and Triton's Kingdom. DON'T. Ask for a map of Fortress Exploration in English. The best free souvenir you will ever get, and you need it to find all the rooms.

I can't tell you about how you should split up if you decide to do so. But I can list the order in which I hit the park:

Monday, August 20, 2012
Arrived at 7:20am
Park opens at 8:30am
Journey (we did not run, most people running to Toy Story Mania)
Aquatopia *do this early, no FP*
DS Got FPs for TOT while we waited for Storm Rider (9:30am FP for 2:20pm entry)
Storm Rider
Indiana Jones (Single Rider Line)
Got FPs for 20,000 (11:30am for 1:35pm entry)
Lunch Vulcania
Mermaid Show in Triton's Kingdom
Got FP for Magic Lamp (1:30pm for 1:55pm entry)
Sindbad
20,000 Leagues with FP
Magic Lamp Theatre with FP
Won Lottery for BBB (applied at 3pm)
Tower of Terror with FP
Big Band Beat (3:30pm show)
Duffy Show at Cape Cod Cookout *what could be better than air conditioning, sitting down, drink and entertainment?*
Got FP for Raging Spirit (4:50pm for 9pm entry) *Low priority*
Mystic Rythyms (5:20pm show) *Highly recommended*
Made Reservation at Magellan (6pm)
Fortress Exploration
Dinner at Magellan (6:30pm) *nice air conditioning, way overpriced food*
Fantasmic (8:10pm)
Raging Spirit with FP
Leave Park 9:30pm (Park closes at 10pm)

Freely substitute the Legend of Mythica show - I saw it on a previous trip.
Also the boat trip around the seas is nice, only 10 minutes, not usually a wait.

Food i've had is nothing special, so don't worry too much about that. The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall in TDL is beautifully themed, but the only disorganized place in Tokyo. Eat there EARLY or just look around.

In TDL, you are already familiar mostly with this park as much of it is the same as others. Pooh is super-high priority, go there first. You may want to do this twice.

The summer show in TDL, Natsu Matsuri, is terrific, but only the final performance. If you want to try and win the lottery to sit close, enter the lottery 30 minutes before showtime. I suggest showing up to the park with waterproof shoes/sandals... just saying.

Watch the nighttime parade from right where it begins. Everyone must sit down, and the view is good even if you don't get there well in advance. Facing the doors from which the parade emits, sit down in the area just to the right.

The sun can be brutal. Getting to the parks 70 minutes early means you have a better chance of waiting in the shade. Or bring a parasol. Many Japanese women use them. Or at least a newspaper you can fold up easy. if not, you will bake. For example, The Magic Lamp Theatre is not difficult to get into, but if you miss a show, you might have to wait for the next one, and there is no shade. That's why I got an FP for it.


It's hard to say exactly how big the crowds will be, except to say the parks will have a ton of people, TDS is so big and spacious you won't notice, but TDL will seem like a madhouse, especially Fantasyland since EVERYONE hits that first. Unlike in the USA.