I've been to Disneyland more than 100 times, Disneyland Paris, and Walt Disney World touring each resort/park with a slow moderate pace. How many days would you recommend for a first time visitor to Tokyo to fully experience Tokyo Disney Resort? How long is the perfect stay to you? Thanks.
Four days should be sufficient for TDR as long as you aren't going on the weekends or on holidays.
As far as how many non-TDR days you need really depends on how many other places you want to see in Japan.
If you just want to experience Tokyo, I would suggest around 2-3 days. This should give you sufficient time to experience the city and a few of the outlying points of interest like Kamakura or Nikko.
Tack on 2-3 more days if you want to go to places like Mt Fuji, Kyoto and Nara. All of these places I would say are "must do's" if you really want to experience Japan.
I can't say I know anything about a slow pace, but I can tell you that there is a lot to appreciate about the themeing of TDS. If you really want to explore all the nooks and crannies, then I think two days would cover it. For example, the first time I went, we weren't even aware about Triton's Kingdom. It doesn't feature prominently on the TDS maps. We stumbled into by accident, and the entrance is just about completely unmarked. You could easily walk right past it and not know it's there or what it is. Fortress Exploration is another area that could take you a while and is worth spending some time in.
For someone who prefers a fast pace, one day is enough to take in just about everything.
For TDL, it isn't that much different than what you can see in the US, so I'll let you be the judge. The pizza factory in Tomorrowland is worth stopping into just for the themeing, and also there is a surprisingly wonderful gift shop in Toontown. The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall is also a bonus.
On the attraction side, there may be special seasonal shows, the gallery inside the castle, PHH, the musical in Tommorowland (fun- lots of quick costume and scene changes), and Monsters, Inc. Tom Sawyer's Island is an upgrade from WDW, not sure about DL.
We did one day per park and for me, it wasn't enough. For the Disney fan, there is a lot to see and enjoy. If you go during a holiday, you take in the gorgeous decorations and parades. If you like to take pictures, it will add to your touring time.
How much time did you spend when you went to WDW or DLP? Did you enjoy riding the same rides to find the differences or did you skip to the park specific rides? I loved seeing the TDR version of the rides. The anamatronics are clean and and the soundtracks are sharp.
The regulars on this forum have suggestions of 'must see' and 'feel free to skip' attractions. There are also a few good touring plans. Very good suggestions and good plans.
Personally, I would have skipped Space Mountain and re-rode The Haunted Mansion in DL and skipped the Gondolas and re-rode Journey to the Center... in TDS.
If you have the time for a proper visit, then you need 5 days to really experience the Tokyo Disney Resort at its fullest.
That will give you time to go on virtually all the attractions in both parks (many of which, though similar, are often "plussed" with better effects--this includes familar attractions such as the Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and Splash Mountain).
So, you ideally want to arrive on Sunday late afternoon or evening. Have dinner at Ikspiari, then get to park gate early Monday morning.
Finish up on Friday evening, then on Saturday go to a nearby city to see some shrines--Kamakura is good because it's only 60 minutes away by train from Tokyo Station and there are many excellent shrines including the Daibutsu (Great Buddha). There are also several days worth of things to see in Tokyo, including the Asakusa Kannon Temple and marketplace, Meji-Jingu in Yoyogi Park, and so on. You don't need to go far to have a great first trip.
And once you go, you'll immediately want to start planning your next trip when you get home, so travel more on the second trip: go to Kyoto, and perhaps Universal Studios Osaka, and so on.
Last edited by Fukai; 09-19-2012 at 12:36 PM. Reason: Fixed Typos
Born in a shoebox and making the most of it.
Originally Posted by Fukai
Thanks for your suggestions. Tokyo Disney is that good??? Lol, I will probably be in Tokyo for two weeks. So five days at Disney to get the full experience right. I will dedicate at least six days to Disney as it is known to be a busy getaway.
---------- Post added 09-16-2012 at 09:30 PM ----------
We spent 5 days at DLP, 2 weeks at WDW, and 4 nights at DL. We tend to go on everything regardless if it's a carbon copy of a ride from each park. The plan is to have six days for Tokyo Disney so far. And yes we will be taking a lot of photos as we are from CA and going overseas is very hard to do every year.
---------- Post added 09-16-2012 at 09:36 PM ----------
Thanks for your suggestions. We will be in Tokyo roughly for two weeks and will definitely consider the attractions you talked about! We will avoid Tokyo Disney during the weekends.
Six days means you'll probably be able to see everything in both parks and repeat all the rides you really like several times.
There are lotteries for some of the shows (Big Band Beat, One Man's Dream II)--you'll have to find out about that.
If you want to eat at either the Diamond Horseshoe or Tahatian Terrace, the only way to make reservations is ONLINE and the website is entirely in Japanese. An effective way of keeping everyone except the Japanese from taking advantage of those restaurants and shows.
Other restaurants, like the Blue Bayou and Ristorante di Canneleto (I can never spell that correctly) have desks with hostesses that you can get to early in the day to make a reservation, otherwise you can try to do a walk-in, but there'll be a wait.
Remember that you'll be starting very early in the morning, so having an early lunch, say 10:30 or 11 am, is best--you'll beat the crowds and avoid lines. You must do the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall this way.
Born in a shoebox and making the most of it.
The only inefficient thing about TDL is the beautiful Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. I agree, early lunch is the way to go.
I have seen pictures of the place and it looks magnificent! What's inefficient about the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall? I assume this restaurant is a "must do."
Oh okay so the Queen of hearts is popular. I will definitely go during lunch. I also want to try Blue Bayou and see how it compares to Disneyland California. Thanks for the advice!
The food at the Blue Bayou in Tokyo is far superior to the food in its sister restaurant at Disneyland. But then, ALL the food at the Tokyo Disney resort is better (except the hamburgers at the Tomorrowland Terrace).
Your best bet for the Blue Bayou is to show up at 10:30 or 11 am and ask to join the standby line. There will already be a few couples ahead of you. They start seating at 11:30 am. I've had success this way.
The inefficient thing about the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall is just the general amount of time it takes to get served. All plates are made to order, so it takes a while to get through the line. And then, after you've paid, someone will carry your tray to a table they've selected for you. You've never seen anything quite like it, and the food, and decor, are a far cry from most restaurants in any other Disney park. It's not top tier like Napa Rose, Club 33, Carthay Circle, or Magellan's (at DisneySEA), but it's great, the food is good (make sure to order the Unbirthday Cake if you're not diabetic), and the whole experience and decor makes it a big favorite at the resort.
Born in a shoebox and making the most of it.
Thanks for your insight! The plan will be to spend 6 nights at TDR as we are Disney fanatics. We also like to take it slow and take in the details and sights. I'll be sure to follow your advice since it is totally different touring in Tokyo than WDW or DL in CA. Early dining reservations and hitting the parks early seems like two good tips for starters.
Plan to be enchanted by the adorable Duffy. He is everywhere in TDR. He has his own store in the Cape Cod area of TDS but, you can find him in almost all of the TDS shops. The Duffy merchandise is of higher quality in the Tokyo parks than the ones in the US parks.
Are you planning on seeing a bit of Tokyo as well?
I highly suggest the 100% Chocolate Cafe in Ginza. There is no English menu so, just politely point at the items that look good to you. (Hint: everything is good!) 100ChocolateCafe.b
We had a great time at the 100 Yen shops. Daiso is the name of one of the chains. I brought back some adorable kawaii (cute) things for my niece and my son got a bag full of Stitch stuff.
If you book a Disney hotel through the TDR English Website, you have the option of booking the two dinner show venues in English 30 days in advance through the same site.
I recently booked Pecos Goofy's Horseshoe Revue and Mickey and Minnie's Polynesian Paradise for my upcoming trip.
On a past trip I booked the Diamond Horseshoe in English over the phone. When did this Japanese Online form start?
There is no longer a way to book either restaurant by phone.
I had not heard that you could book online in English through the TDR hotel website; that's good to know!
Born in a shoebox and making the most of it.
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Bookmarks