Why is Tokyo Disneyland so crowded compared with Disneyland in CA?

[ssaamm]

Tokyo Disneyland always seems to be packed to the rafters and so busy. Then if you compare this to Disneyland in California, which has higher attendances, it doesn't seem as busy. On top of this, Tokyo Disneyland was better designed to absorb large crowds compared with the original Disneyland. So why does Tokyo Disneyland always seem to be so busy?

[Malin]

Those Annual Attendance numbers which are not official or release by Disney do not reflect the true numbers. The gap between Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea is much wider. That's why the OLC only release a combined figure and not individual numbers. This is why Tokyo Disneyland is and feels much more crowded.

[Fukai]

Yup: trust your eyeballs. Tokyo Disneyland looks more crowded than Disneyland because it is, almost every day. For anyone who reguarly spends time at the various Disney theme parks around the world, it's quite plain that Tokyo Disneyland is the busiest park in the world, not Disneyland and not The Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

[indianajack]

I went to Tokyo Disneyland last year in late January on a cold weekday, and it was packed! I was shocked since I expected few guests like I would in Anaheim, and couldn't believe all the Fastpasses were gone by 1PM for most attractions. Had to wait well over an hour for Splash Mountain on a cold day. And most of the guests were locals, saw absolutely zero Westerners except for my group (including no Asian-Americans, etc. speaking English), and only a small handful of non-Japanese speaking Chinese and/or Korean. Tokyo Disneyland must have the highest attendance clicks of any park in the world, and it's driven by the locals primarily.

[janfrederick]

Keep in mind that the Tokyo area has a LOT more people than Southern California.

[indyjones]

Hi, it's not always crowded, but understand the sheer amount of population near the park is going to make it more crowded most of the time. We spent 3 days there 7 or 8 years ago at the beginning of October and it was not bad at all. Walked on to many rides, including Splash Mountain. Some rides tend to have longer lines all the time as they do at Disneyland (Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, etc.). They LOVE their parades and shows there so if you are willing to skip those that's always a good time to go on rides.

[lionheartkc]

I went in April, just before Golden Week several years ago. It was cool and a little drizzly. We walked on the rides almost the entire 4 days we were there, and at no time did we feel crowded. Apparently the good people of Japan melt in the rain .

[Fukai]

April, between the end of spring break and Golden Week, is now one of the slowest times of the year. And it's not nearly as cold as February.

IndyJones: Attendance has increased dramatically in the past 8 years.

[disfa10]

And take note one of my friend who is working at TDR told me that OLC Will cancel the New Years countdown This year and upcoming years.Instead they will do A fireworks show and some character seasons greetings during the event.
The reason is that they building something in the resort in order to save electricity to the park
and some disaster happens they will have some extra electricity to the park anyone of you didnt notice that TEPCO is raising electricty bills by 8%this year.Because of the 3.11 disaster that hit Tohoku.


And back to TDR OLC have done cutbacks on entertainments since last year and upcoming years too.thats you have notice that all seasonal events have always been the same.and OLC needs more visitor to bring more money to the parks so they can bring new and spectacular offerings to experience.And this year they have done it since April 2012 TDR Parks has been in full capacity until now. and sometimes they have live concerts in TDS like ARASHI and other JPOP artists.....

[pinksand]

April, between the end of spring break and Golden Week, is now one of the slowest times of the year.

I went on April 1, 2009 and it was the single busiest day I've ever seen at a theme park anywhere anytime, and I've been to Disneyland on Christmas Day. It was shocking.

I've heard October can be lighter crowds. I'd love to go back, but I've got to find a time when crowds are lower.

[disneyfann121]

All the people who have been urging us to go to TDR are being pretty irresponsible. Even if the resort is as great as they say, there is no doubt that insane crowd levels have a negative impact on the theme park experience. What's the point of spending big bucks to fly halfway around the world, only to be greeted by impossible crowds and wait times, and disappearing fast passes? I guess the OLC couldn't care less about tourism, since they are making lots of money on the locals market.

[Fukai]

If you went on April 1 it was during school spring break and of course it was hugely busy! You have to go after spring break but before Golden Week. There is a period of 2 to 3 weeks right in there when the parks are empty.

[Roger55]

What's the point of spending big bucks to fly halfway around the world, only to be greeted by impossible crowds and wait times, and disappearing fast passes? I guess the OLC couldn't care less about tourism, since they are making lots of money on the locals market.

Absolutely! I strongly agree that you should stay away.

[lazyboy97O]

Part of the issue is how the attendance numbers are calculated. Back when EPCOT Center opened in 1982, Disney decided that the count would go to the park the guest enters first in a day. That has since become the standard metric for multi-park theme park destinations that share admission. Then add in the different admission options. There is no park hopping at the Tokyo Disney resort until the third day of a visit. Annual Passes to both parks at the Tokyo Disney Resort are also more expensive. So what this means is that far more people who count toward Tokyo Disneyland's annual attendance not only entered that park first, but will actually be staying there for most of the day. In California, this is not the case and park hopping is very common. A person could enter Disneyland first, spend an hour there, and then spend the rest of the day at Disney's California Adventure but still have their attendance count only towards Disneyland. Add in the Annual Pass holders who may swing by for only for a few hours, and you have more people who get counted as a click.

[disneyfann121]

Absolutely! I strongly agree that you should stay away.

You missed the point entirely. My point was that few, if any, posters bother to warn people about the incredible crowding at that resort, and don't give any guidelines about the best time to go. They just rave about the place, and lead people to spend lots of money and walk right into a hellish crowding situation. As I said, irresponsible.