First visit, don't want to over research

Chronic Daydreamer

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 14, 2019
Hello!
So i'll be visiting Tokyo Disneyland for the first time in November (not my ideal time choice, but it's the only time i have to go!) I've visited Disneyland CA and Disney World and now my favourite way to visit both is to roll up without plans or expectations and let magic happen. I'd love to do the same for Tokyo, i don't want to do to much research, i want to be suprised and a little lost, even if it's not the most efficent way to tour the parks.

I'm giving myself 4 days, have an idea about hotels and getting to the parks, know how the ticketing system works, check restaurants and there's nothing i want to book in advance, will be checking open times and showtimes in advance, and know how their fastpass works.

So my question is, is there anything i may not know, in not doing research, that might really spoil my visit? or is there anything i really need to know about the parks before i go?
 
I would look up which rides are closed before you go. Maybe look up which rides to head to first so you aren’t standing in line all day. Otherwise I don’t see why you couldn’t tour how you want
 
Hmmmmmm. It pays to arrive at least an hour before opening. Both parks can quickly become busy so being there well before opening will maximise your chances of getting stuff done. Avoid going on a weekend if you can. Avoid any public holidays (4 and 23 November 2019 look like they're public holidays).

As you don't want to book anything or do planning, consider eating either very early or quite late for lunch and dinner. Ensure that you're appropriately dressed for the colder weather in November.

Grab both the English and Japanese guides / pamphlets. The Japanese guide will have photos of seasonal merchandise and I think meals which aren't in the English version.

Some of the shows require a ticket, which can only be obtained by "winning" a lottery. I *think* the first show of each day doesn't require a ticket, but does require getting in a "standby" line which normally starts shortly after opening. So, if you're interested in doing the shows, unfortunately it takes more planning than simply knowing what time they're on.

As Haley R mentioned, even though you don't want to do any planning, consider looking up the unique rides at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea and trying to prioritise them.

Maybe read this beginner's guide: https://tdrexplorer.com/beginners-guide-to-tokyo-disney-resort/

Maybe have a look at this list of various topics and see if there are any you're interested in reading: https://tdrexplorer.com/best-tokyo-disneyland-trip-planning-articles/

And ... I mean this kindly, prepare to potentially be disappointed. Getting the most out of the Japanese parks does take some planning, unless you're lucky enough to visit during extremely quiet periods (or you're "unlucky" enough to have horrible weather when you visit, which usually causes most of the guests to leave for the day as they're predominantly locals so they can come back on another day).

You may stumble across a great looking ride, only to find that all the Fast Passes are gone and that the standby line is 2+ hours or potentially even closed. Similarly, you may come across a great looking restaurant only to discover that it's reservation-only or that the wait time is excessive (especially if you're already starving). Even things as simple as snacks can sometimes be extremely popular would otherwise require "planning" to get a taste without waiting in long lines.

Even if that's the case, the parks are still beautiful to wander, especially DisneySea. We have sometimes found ourselves out of options during the "peak times" of the day (i.e. no Fast Passes available, no rides with short lines, etc) and it's still a pleasure just to wander around, find a quiet spot to sit and soak up the atmosphere. That can also be a good time to check out the shops and start planning your future purchases.
 


We did this the first week of December.

I used the website to look up what times the parades/firework/major shows were offered.
Opening Hours.
Most Popular attractions for both parks (so which we needed to get a FP for at park opening)
Fastpass attractions.
Single Rider Lines.
How the Lottery works. And what to do to increase your chance of success
Cost, location, popcorn flavors and buckets
Restaurant menus (using Google Translate) and I had for the last couple of years already knew what the most interesting counter service locations were (in terms of packaging and restaurant theming)

Almost forgot: Refurbishment schedule. On our trip Pinocchio was only open our first day, so we made it our first ride, just to make sure we didn't miss it.

I downloaded the TDR Alert app for my phone which would tell me current wait times and FP Windows available.

I ignored all ride descriptions, YouTube videos.

I felt I had a very good balance of knowing what I needed to know without spoiling the fun. One thing I wished I had done, was look up the location for a couple places. I wanted to try both Grandma Sarah's and the Sweetheart Cafe, but we ran out of time. In both cases, when we were waiting for parades we were around the corner from these, and so we could have gotten our food to eat while we were waiting.

Also, there is a significant difference in weekend and weekday crowds. We were there on a Sunday and a few hours on a Saturday before our flight home. Our weekday days were considerably less crowded.
 
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Thanks all, that's really helpful to know, I think I'll do a little bit more research so I don't miss anything I regret too much, i'm prepared for the bumps that come with a lack of research and having to wait in long lines! I didn't know about the shows so that's good to know so I can check about that! I already checked about public holidays and kept my dates away from them, and my dates also happen to fall on weekdays so that's good!

I don't want to read to many ride descriptions or watch any ride throughs, is there anything that's a motion simulator that tends to get long waits? (like star tours, soarin' or flights of passage style)? It wouldn't be worth it to me waiting in a long line for something like that, I just can't buy motion simulators no matter how well done they are!

I should maybe mention this will be a solo trip if that makes any difference to anything
 
Soarin opens in July and I'm expecting the lines to get crazy. Something like 100+ minutes within an hour of opening and the line only getting longer from there. TDR is the most friendly for solo visitors and an advantage is you can do anything you want. If you aren't getting familiar with the parks before your trip, be mentally prepared to accept 2+ hour waits or skip interesting looking things.
 


I hope you consider standing in line to be magical, because that is what you will be doing the most of if you roll up without a plan. :laughing:

This is not WDW or DLR. You are going to a foreign country & the CMs will be limited in their ability to understand and help you if you get lost or have questions. I wouldn’t watch any ride videos either, but you really can’t go in with no idea of what you want to do & still expect to have a successful, fun trip. It’s a long way to go to accomplish next to nothing. Why not give yourself every possible advantage?
 
You mention that you have an idea about hotels. If you plan to stay in a TDR hotel, please be aware that they can book up completely within minutes of the window opening (depending on your time of visit).
 

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