We went to Tokyo Disney!

Written By Kim Hamilton

Tokyo Disneyland

We went to Tokyo Disney!

We just got back from Tokyo, and the first four days of our trip were spent in Tokyo Bay at the Disney Resort. This whole plan for Japan came together around Christmas. I thought, if we’re going to Japan, I have to go to Tokyo Disney. 

I started to do some research, I watched the videos and Instagram reels about Tokyo Disney and how crowded it can be, how long the lines are just to get into the parks and how tough it is to get access to the new Fantasy Springs and new attractions there.  I reached out to a friend who went last year and asked about the vacation package that she and her family booked.  But first we had an issue…Our passports were expired. Why is that a problem? When booking flights to Japan, you need a valid passport number. So, I rushed the passports. Even expedited, it still took three weeks, but on a whim in early January, I booked the Tokyo Disney Resort Vacation Package—figuring if something fell through, I could always cancel.  I went with the package because that’s how we were going to get access to Fantasy Springs and the rides.  I couldn’t go all the way to Tokyo and not have access to a new land and new rides. 

I was a little anxious, when I first looked into the vacation packages, I panicked. The dates I wanted weren’t showing up as available—and I knew buying the package guaranteed Fantasy Springs access and those new rides. I ended up securing two nights at the Disneyland Hotel and three park days: one at Disneyland, and two at Fantasy Springs. But also anxious about the crowds, my son struggles with crowds and standing in long lines, so I also started researching the DAS (Disability Access Service) process. I’d heard from another friend DAS was hard to get DAS and they didn’t end up needing it, but I still wanted to try. I requested a letter from our pediatrician outlining my son’s diagnosis to have on hand and reached out to someone at the resort via email to gather more info.  (I’ll share how I got access in another blog)

Here’s what came with the package:

  • Hotel Stay (Disneyland Hotel)

  • Park Tickets (1 day at Disneyland, 2 at Tokyo DisneySea)

  • Premier Access (aka Lightning Lane for select rides)

  • 3 Lunches, 3 Dinners, and 2 Breakfasts included

  • Drink Tickets (Unlimited soft drinks at participating locations. These are mostly fountain drinks in paper cups, but included soup, hot/cold drinks, and some bottled or boxed drinks too.)

  • Popcorn Bucket Voucher (One bucket or case per room—redeemable at any popcorn wagon in either park or The Big Pop in Tokyo Disneyland.)

  • Original Gift Items (We chose the tote bag, travel hard case bags, and light-up bangle bracelets.)

I was in such a rush to book and worried about the package not being available if I waited much longer that I didn’t research the restaurant options—something I kind of regretted. We ended up missing a few meals because the food wasn’t a hit with my kids. Sherwood Garden Restaurant was our favorite by far—everyone liked it, and we ate there the most.

Our Itinerary

We arrived in Tokyo and spent the first night at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay. The next morning, we checked into the Disneyland Hotel.

Day 1: Thursday, April 3, 2025

  • 11:00 AM – Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo Disneyland.

  • 12:00 PM – The Happy Ride with Baymax at Tokyo Disneyland.
    (We missed this one—we were snacking and trying to stay warm. It was cold and rainy, so we spent a lot of time inside.)

  • 1:30 PM – Lunch at Sherwood Garden Restaurant (buffet) at the Disneyland Hotel.

  • 3:30 PM – Mickey’s House and Meet Mickey at Tokyo Disneyland.
    (We missed this, too—we headed back to the room after lunch to rest.)

  • 4:10 PM – Dinner at Oceano in Hotel MiraCosta.
    (Jet lag hit hard. We skipped dinner and just had snacks in the room.)

  • Later that evening, we went back to Disneyland around 7:30 PM and walked onto Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. We caught part of the nighttime projection show on the castle and some fireworks. Both parks close at 9:00 PM, and unlike Disneyland in Anaheim, there’s no extended shopping time after.  I was able to squeeze in one store but when the park closes,  it closes.

Day 2: Friday, April 4, 2025

  • 9:00 AM – Breakfast at Sherwood Garden Restaurant (buffet).

  • Headed to Tokyo DisneySea for the day.

  • 10:30 AM – Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey – barely made it due to long lines just to get into the park.

  • 12:00 PM – Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival

  • 2:50 PM – Lunch at Magellan’s.
    (We skipped this too and ate at a nearby mall instead.)

  • 5:00 PM – Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure

  • 6:20 PM – Dinner at Lookout Cookout
    (Skipped - the kids didn’t like the menu options and we weren’t that hungry)

I was disappointed we missed the nighttime show at DisneySea. It was freezing, and we were wiped out. We took the monorail back to the Disneyland Hotel. Heads up—the monorail is not free. You’ll need to buy a ticket.

Day 3: Saturday, April 5, 2025

We checked out of the Disneyland Hotel, dropped our bags at the bell desk, and later checked back into the Sheraton for our last night.

  • 8:20 AM – Breakfast at Sherwood Garden Restaurant (again—our favorite).

  • Back to Tokyo DisneySea:

    • 9:30 AM – Soaring: Fantastic Flight - we got here right before 10:30 (you have an hour buffer with the premier access - lines were long to getting the park this day)

    • 10:30 AM – Toy Story Mania!

  • 2:30 PM – Lunch at Restaurant Sakura (pre-fixed menu—we ordered two extra dishes as well).

  • 7:00 PM – Dinner at Fantasy Springs Restaurant (buffet).
    (Honestly, we didn’t love it as much as Sherwood Garden.)

Final Thoughts

Booking the package was definitely a learning experience—and we didn’t use it to its fullest which was a fail on my part. Jet lag hit us hard, and we went straight into Disney the day after arriving in Japan, which was… not the best move. I honestly thought we were getting in earlier in the evening.  Our flight was delayed an hour and I didn’t do the time difference math correctly.  Plus the airport is almost an hour away from Tokyo Bay.  I wish we’d given ourselves a buffer day to recover and organize all the paper tickets (yes, everything is on paper—park tickets, Premier Access vouchers, meal vouchers, popcorn bucket voucher, gift vouchers... all of it).

I was constantly nervous about losing them. You really need to take a few minutes to get them sorted before your day starts. Since we arrived at the Sheraton around 10:30 PM the night before, I couldn’t even pick up our vacation package from the Disneyland Hotel until the morning of our first park day.

Right before our visit, Tokyo DisneySea opened Fantasy Springs to general guests without special access. If I went again, I might skip the vacation package and stay off-property at one of the nearby hotels. I’d just buy Premiere Access for the rides we wanted. We also didn’t get full value out of the meals because of my son’s selective eating. And honestly, we preferred the food options at Ikspiari Mall (a monorail stop away). It had familiar choices like McDonald’s, Starbucks, and a pizza place—perfect for us.

Overall, Tokyo Disney was pretty great.  Disneyland is very close to the parks in the US.  Disney Sea is very different and it’s very large.  You definitely need at least 2 days in Tokyo Disney.  Honestly I wish I had 2 days at both parks because due to jet lag and weather, we didn’t fully see Disneyland.  I’d love to go back and have a re-do!

Kim Hamilton
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