Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea

[dizneekrazee]

I did see that it was "peak season" on their calendar. I have chosen this time frame, as many others have, because of the cherry blossoms. While it does not matter to me to see them in Disney, I just would like to see them on our trip, anywhere in Japan. We will spending 2 full days at Disney, with additional time in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Okinawa.

Any ideas on what order to do things to minimize crowds at Disney, and still keep a good chance at cherry blossoms? Maybe we can scoot it up by 1 week? I do not care what order we do any of our destinations in.

Thank you

 

[RachelleBeaney]

I did see that it was "peak season" on their calendar. I have chosen this time frame, as many others have, because of the cherry blossoms. While it does not matter to me to see them in Disney, I just would like to see them on our trip, anywhere in Japan. We will spending 2 full days at Disney, with additional time in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Okinawa.

Any ideas on what order to do things to minimize crowds at Disney, and still keep a good chance at cherry blossoms? Maybe we can scoot it up by 1 week? I do not care what order we do any of our destinations in.

Thank you

Sorry haven't actually experienced the crowds yet, just have been doing a lot of research for my trip in November. From what i've read the Japanese know the Fastpass system so well and that getting to the parks early is essential so it's hard to be ahead of the crowd. From what i've read it seems a good idea to show up 1 - 1.5 hours before opening (this is usually doable as the parks seem to open a bit later than the US parks even in peak season) and to grab a fastpass for your first preference ride and the high tail it over to your second preference ride. The Japanese do literally run into the parks in the morning.

From what i've gathered the most popular rides at Disneyland are Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek (I'm not sure about the newly upgraded Star Tours II but I can assume that might be crazy for a while too)...At DisneySea it's Toy Story Mania (waits rarely under 3 hours but it's the same as the US parks apparently) and Tower of Terror and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. If you'd like some more information on what i've discovered from all my research and 'touring plans' i've put together it can be found at my pre-trip report here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=48791799#post48791799

There is also a Japanese language based crowd calendar with average waits which is useful - the trip report outlines how to read it, so that might be helpful to you as well!

Hope you enjoy your trip

 

[dizneekrazee]

Sorry haven't actually experienced the crowds yet, just have been doing a lot of research for my trip in November. From what i've read the Japanese know the Fastpass system so well and that getting to the parks early is essential so it's hard to be ahead of the crowd. From what i've read it seems a good idea to show up 1 - 1.5 hours before opening (this is usually doable as the parks seem to open a bit later than the US parks even in peak season) and to grab a fastpass for your first preference ride and the high tail it over to your second preference ride. The Japanese do literally run into the parks in the morning.

From what i've gathered the most popular rides at Disneyland are Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek (I'm not sure about the newly upgraded Star Tours II but I can assume that might be crazy for a while too)...At DisneySea it's Toy Story Mania (waits rarely under 3 hours but it's the same as the US parks apparently) and Tower of Terror and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. If you'd like some more information on what i've discovered from all my research and 'touring plans' i've put together it can be found at my pre-trip report here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=48791799#post48791799

There is also a Japanese language based crowd calendar with average waits which is useful - the trip report outlines how to read it, so that might be helpful to you as well!

Hope you enjoy your trip

Thank you!!
Those are my top 2 rides as well, although likely we will skip Star Tours as I get motion sickness on that ride (in Anaheim, anyway). For DisneySea, if it is that bad, we will skip ToT & TS Mania, since we have those here. Things we have here will be our least priority.

I knew they ran at TDL, so I will pack my running shoes lol

Is there a calendar somewhere where we can see average park hours? I will try my best to figure out how to read that crowd predictor chart.

 

[RachelleBeaney]

Thank you!!
Those are my top 2 rides as well, although likely we will skip Star Tours as I get motion sickness on that ride (in Anaheim, anyway). For DisneySea, if it is that bad, we will skip ToT & TS Mania, since we have those here. Things we have here will be our least priority.

I knew they ran at TDL, so I will pack my running shoes lol

Is there a calendar somewhere where we can see average park hours? I will try my best to figure out how to read that crowd predictor chart.

Hi again

Unfortunately i've not been able to find any park hours listed more than 6 months in advance. However, I believe that the hour for the parks stay fairly similar each month from year to year. The opening hours for last March/April are show on the touring/crowd calendar website i mention in my pre-trip report

http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

You'll need to translate the page to English - then you can select the month you interested in by pressing the Prev Mon button near the calendar and the Month heading...if you hover over any given date or click on any date it will give you the opening hours at the top of the box (just under the date heading)...it appears that in March of this year hours at Disneyland were generally either 8am - 10pm or 9am - 10pm depending on the date - I also saw the occasional 8:30am opening. It does also appear the quieter the day the later the park opens. Opening times were very similar for Disney Seas though I saw a lot more 8:30 opens. Based on that I reckon you can be pretty much guarenteed the parks will open between 8-9 am and close at 10 every evening (I have noticed that their isn't a lot of variance with Tokyo Disney Resorts hours)...

I reckon your smart to miss the things that you've already ridden in the US - Toy Story Mania looks visually impressive in Tokyo, but the ride is, from what i've read, basically the same. Same with things like Star Tours...I've seen videos of Splash Mountain and that is a little different and worth a look I reckon, I'm not sure about Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain though I have heard there are better versions of both those rides in other parks (namely Disneyland and Disneyland Paris)...Pooh's Hunny Hunt looks like a hit to me and Monsters Inc Ride and Go seek looks ok, and is different.

With Disney Seas rides my priority is Journey to the Centre of the Earth since i've heard it's AMAZING, Indiana Jones, since I love the Disneyland version and this one is supposed to be much more intricately themed - though the ride is basically the same. I also want to see the shows, Fantasmic, Legends of Mythica and the Little Mermaid show in the Mermaid Lagoon area of the park...Just a note too, the Tower of Terror ride, while a similar ride system to Paris and Anaheim versions, has a completely different story and amazing pre-show and queue so if you get time it might be worth a look...Also i've heard 20,000 Leagues under the sea is a great dark ride with some cool effects.

Getting so excited for my visit now Hope this info has been helpful

 

[dizneekrazee]

Hi again

Unfortunately i've not been able to find any park hours listed more than 6 months in advance. However, I believe that the hour for the parks stay fairly similar each month from year to year. The opening hours for last March/April are show on the touring/crowd calendar website i mention in my pre-trip report

http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

You'll need to translate the page to English - then you can select the month you interested in by pressing the Prev Mon button near the calendar and the Month heading...if you hover over any given date or click on any date it will give you the opening hours at the top of the box (just under the date heading)...it appears that in March of this year hours at Disneyland were generally either 8am - 10pm or 9am - 10pm depending on the date - I also saw the occasional 8:30am opening. It does also appear the quieter the day the later the park opens. Opening times were very similar for Disney Seas though I saw a lot more 8:30 opens. Based on that I reckon you can be pretty much guarenteed the parks will open between 8-9 am and close at 10 every evening (I have noticed that their isn't a lot of variance with Tokyo Disney Resorts hours)...

I reckon your smart to miss the things that you've already ridden in the US - Toy Story Mania looks visually impressive in Tokyo, but the ride is, from what i've read, basically the same. Same with things like Star Tours...I've seen videos of Splash Mountain and that is a little different and worth a look I reckon, I'm not sure about Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain though I have heard there are better versions of both those rides in other parks (namely Disneyland and Disneyland Paris)...Pooh's Hunny Hunt looks like a hit to me and Monsters Inc Ride and Go seek looks ok, and is different.

With Disney Seas rides my priority is Journey to the Centre of the Earth since i've heard it's AMAZING, Indiana Jones, since I love the Disneyland version and this one is supposed to be much more intricately themed - though the ride is basically the same. I also want to see the shows, Fantasmic, Legends of Mythica and the Little Mermaid show in the Mermaid Lagoon area of the park...Just a note too, the Tower of Terror ride, while a similar ride system to Paris and Anaheim versions, has a completely different story and amazing pre-show and queue so if you get time it might be worth a look...Also i've heard 20,000 Leagues under the sea is a great dark ride with some cool effects.

Getting so excited for my visit now Hope this info has been helpful

Thank you so much, again!!

I look forward to hearing about your trip upon your return.

 

[jsilvers]

With Disney Seas rides my priority is Journey to the Centre of the Earth since i've heard it's AMAZING, Indiana Jones, since I love the Disneyland version and this one is supposed to be much more intricately themed - though the ride is basically the same. I also want to see the shows, Fantasmic, Legends of Mythica and the Little Mermaid show in the Mermaid Lagoon area of the park...Just a note too, the Tower of Terror ride, while a similar ride system to Paris and Anaheim versions, has a completely different story and amazing pre-show and queue so if you get time it might be worth a look...Also i've heard 20,000 Leagues under the sea is a great dark ride with some cool effects.

Don't overlook StormRider. If I had to choose my favorite attraction (in any Disney park) it would be a close call between it and Journey (with the TDS version of the Tower of Terror ranking third). You could think of it as Star Tours on steroids...

Also, my opinion may not be universally shared, but I didn't find the TDS version of Fantasmic to be an improvement over the U.S. versions. Which is not to say that it is bad, but the baseline expectations for TDS attractions is high. I think it suffers a bit because it must be performed entirely on barges; there's no stage to serve as a centerpiece. (I also regret the passing of its predecessor, BraviSEAmo, which was a unique if abstract show.)

 

[shelemm]

You are going at one of the busiest times of the year. Weekend vs weekday won't make a difference. Sunday might be the lowest attendance day of the week, though that's little consolation.

Someone from the US should have as their highest priority enjoying Disney Sea as it is a unique theme park and undoubtedly the most beautiful in the world. Nothing like it has ever or will ever be built. That's where I would go on my first day.

Do not miss anything unique to Disney Sea - this includes Fortress Exploration and Triton's Kingdom. I see quite a few trip reports that seem to skip these venues. DON'T. Ask for a map in English of Fortress Exploration. It is a very cool FREE souvenir, and it will help you.

Also, don't forget about Mystic Rhythms. It is completely unique. It's a relatively easy show to get into most times of the year.

 

[dizneekrazee]

You are going at one of the busiest times of the year. Weekend vs weekday won't make a difference. Sunday might be the lowest attendance day of the week, though that's little consolation.

Someone from the US should have as their highest priority enjoying Disney Sea as it is a unique theme park and undoubtedly the most beautiful in the world. Nothing like it has ever or will ever be built. That's where I would go on my first day.

Do not miss anything unique to Disney Sea - this includes Fortress Exploration and Triton's Kingdom. I see quite a few trip reports that seem to skip these venues. DON'T. Ask for a map in English of Fortress Exploration. It is a very cool FREE souvenir, and it will help you.

Also, don't forget about Mystic Rhythms. It is completely unique. It's a relatively easy show to get into most times of the year.

Tokyo DisneySea is my bigger priority over TDL. However, each park will get equal attention (1 full day).

Ok, so I know when I have planned to go is going to be busy. I would love to see the Cherry Blossoms while in Japan (not necessarily in Disney). I know it is hard to predict crowds based on rates this far out (our trip is being planned for 2015), but, looking at April 2013 and March 2014 all dates I plan to be in Japan are considered "top" pricing, except the last 2 nights, which are considered "regular". I have no problem adjusting where we visit when (Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa). If I were to adjust Tokyo to end of the trip, having Disney be the very end of our trip, would crowds possibly be lighter due to the "regular" room rates? It would be a Thursday and a Friday. Also, does the fact that East would be that Sunday effect the rates? I can no longer see the March 2013 rates to see for myself.

This trip is a wish for my bf. The only thing I am asking out of it is Disney, which he wants to do as well, and Cherry Blossoms.

Also, from what I have read, parks do not stay open, even during peak/top season, as late as those here in the US. Do shops in Ikspari stay open later than the parks?

Finally, can anyone tell me how to translate the prediction page to English?

Thank you all for your help.

 

[shelemm]

Tokyo DisneySea is my bigger priority over TDL. However, each park will get equal attention (1 full day).

Ok, so I know when I have planned to go is going to be busy. I would love to see the Cherry Blossoms while in Japan (not necessarily in Disney). I know it is hard to predict crowds based on rates this far out (our trip is being planned for 2015), but, looking at April 2013 and March 2014 all dates I plan to be in Japan are considered "top" pricing, except the last 2 nights, which are considered "regular". I have no problem adjusting where we visit when (Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa). If I were to adjust Tokyo to end of the trip, having Disney be the very end of our trip, would crowds possibly be lighter due to the "regular" room rates? It would be a Thursday and a Friday. Also, does the fact that East would be that Sunday effect the rates? I can no longer see the March 2013 rates to see for myself.

This trip is a wish for my bf. The only thing I am asking out of it is Disney, which he wants to do as well, and Cherry Blossoms.

Also, from what I have read, parks do not stay open, even during peak/top season, as late as those here in the US. Do shops in Ikspari stay open later than the parks?

Finally, can anyone tell me how to translate the prediction page to English?

Thank you all for your help.

I can't be sure, but crowds at Disney will probably not decrease until Sunday the 5th of April, 2015.

By prediction page, do you mean the Crowd Calendar? It's pretty easy to understand just by looking at the calendar. The rest of the info on the page is not too helpful so far out.

Link to TDR Crowd Calendar:
http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

Each calendar day has a large square with the predicted numbers of people in attendance in the thousands. A 40 day means 40,000 people are predicted to enter each park on average. TDL always gets more than TDS. An average TDL day is 41 and an average TDS day is 35.

The other elements of the calendar is a weather symbol for sunny/cloudy/rain and predicted highs and lows for temperature in celcius. All the other information is of little use to you now, and there is better information on deepdisney.com about when FPs are expected to run out and expected FP return times. Again, you'll have to wait until you travel for this to be accurate info.

I did find an excellent resource on deepdisney.com. If you click on the 11th link on the list from the left hand side of the page, you will find an updated chart of estimated wait times and fast pass return times for all attractions. This is fantastic info! On this chart, the far left will have a list of attraction in Japanese, but if you scroll to the far right, the list is in English. The rest of the chart is in numbers. It lists wait times, and for attractions with FP, it lists when you can still get an FP and what the likely return time will be.