Okay… it’s time to talk about Tokyo Disney.
And I’m just going to start with my biggest piece of advice because I feel very strongly about this… If you’re doing Tokyo Disney: stay on the property. Do not try to commute in from Tokyo on your park days.
If rides are important to you at all… it will be a letdown. You just won’t get on enough. There are too many people, and timing is everything there. Staying on property completely changed the experience for us.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Hotel MiraCosta which… I have mixed feelings about.
Again, reminder… we booked this whole trip last minute so I didn’t have time to properly research like I normally would. It was VERY convenient… like you are right there… but it did feel a bit older and a little outdated. If I went back, I would probably try Tokyo Disneyland Hotel or the new Fantasy Springs Hotel… both of those looked absolutely unreal.
Random thing I have to mention because it became one of my favourite little details of Japan… Almost every hotel gives you pyjamas. And I became weirdly obsessed with seeing what kind each place would have 😂
And yes… MiraCosta DID have them… and I was very into them. It’s such a small thing but it made everything feel so cozy and taken care of.
My Tokyo Disney Tips & Tricks
Going into Tokyo Disney, I was actually a bit nervous. I had heard it was chaotic, long lines, hard to navigate… and I was like… ok how are we doing this with kids.
But I’ll be honest… I found it easier than any Disney park I’ve been to. Justin and the kids kept saying it felt like we had a VIP guide the entire time… and that was 100% because of strategy.
Here’s exactly what we did…
Because we stayed on property, we got Happy Entry, which lets you into the park early. But even with that… we still got there about an hour before Happy Entry.
And I actually loved that part.
Everyone was sitting outside in the sunshine having little breakfast picnics… it was so calm and organized. I ran into the hotel and grabbed snacks, we sat on the ground, and just hung out. It felt very… civilized Disney 😂
The biggest thing to understand is that you cannot book anything until you scan into the park, so you need a plan going in.
What we did was head straight to our #1 ride as soon as we got in. While Justin was navigating us there, I was on my phone booking everything. There’s a free anniversary pass and then paid passes (similar to Lightning Lane)… I booked both.
And yes… we spent money. Probably around $300 a day on passes. But the park tickets themselves are actually quite affordable, and it made the experience SO much better.
Every time you book a pass, you set a timer for one hour… and then you book again. Every hour, on the hour. You just keep stacking your day.
Some rides sell out early, so you want to prioritize the busiest ones first… but if you stay on top of it, it genuinely feels like you have a VIP host guiding your entire day. We did not wait in a single long line. Not one!
We did DisneySea + Fantasy Springs one day, and Tokyo Disneyland the next, and I’m so glad we did both. They each feel totally different and it was really fun to experience both.
Our Thoughts on the Rides
The rides were amazing… Our favourite was Journey to the Centre of the Earth… so good. Peter Pan was completely different than the one at home and really fun. Everyone told us Beauty and the Beast would be the best ride ever… and it was very cool… but still not my personal top.
I will say… nothing has beaten Guardians at Disney World for me yet. Or Ratatouille. Or even Incredicoaster at Disneyland. There is just something about the American parks that has a kind of magic I can’t quite explain.
We’ve now done Paris and Tokyo… and while they’re incredible in their own way… it just feels a bit different. Still amazing… just different.
The Food at Tokyo Disney
The food was so good. Like… surprisingly good.
We had lunch at the New York Deli and it was one of the best Disney meals we’ve had. We tried the viral mochi (which I’ve seen people say is overrated)… but I actually loved it.
And the popcorn situation?? We were obsessed. We tried so many different flavours like curry, roast beef, black pepper, butter, corn… it was so much fun.
General Takeaways
Something also worth mentioning: It is SO clean. Like… next level clean. There are people constantly walking around with little brooms and dustpans… just cleaning everything. It’s honestly kind of mesmerizing.
This was also where we did our first load of laundry. And this is going to be a new travel MUST for me. We sent it out through the hotel, filled out a form (took maybe 10 minutes), and it came back perfectly clean the next day. I think it was around $100… and for me, absolutely worth it. No finding a laundromat, no wasting time… just done.
One thing to note… Everything is in Japanese. The rides, the songs, the announcements… everything. Which is kind of cool… but it does change the experience a bit when you don’t fully understand what’s happening.
Not a bad thing… just something to know.
We went on a Monday and Tuesday and I would highly recommend that if you can. It made getting reservations and navigating everything so much easier. I would avoid weekends if possible.
Overall, I’m so happy we did it.
It felt a little more boutique, a little more calm, incredibly well run… and we had such a fun time. It didn’t quite have that same nostalgic “magic” feeling for me as the American parks… but it had so many other things that made it really special. And checking off DisneySea and Fantasy Springs felt like a big bucket list moment.
We stayed three nights, did two full park days… and by the time we left, we were very ready for a completely different pace. After Tokyo and Disney… we needed a reset.
Next up, we went to Hakone and had our ryokan experience… which might have been my favourite part of the entire trip. I’ll be covering that in my next blog! It was slow, peaceful, so beautiful… I cannot wait to share that one.
xo
Jilly
