Tokyo Disney Sea is the BEST DISNEY THEME PARK anywhere in the world. That’s according to the Disney Tourist Blog, and seconded by us at NiceRightNow. At last count there are 11 Disney Parks around the world. To be the best of this elite bunch of parks is mind-blowing, don’t you think?
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Amazing Japan
Combine that with Japan itself being such an amazing holiday destination. Well, what are you waiting for? Treat your kids to some Disney Magic at Disney Sea Tokyo! You won’t regret it, it’s worth planning an entire holiday around. It is hands down the best theme park we’ve been to so far, and we’ve been to quite a few.
If you’ve been to more than one Disneyland you will know that they’re, well, kind of the same. We’ve been to Disneyland Hong Kong and Disneyland Tokyo, and we saw plenty of similarities. Disney Sea offers so much more.
Disney Sea still keeps the Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Disney themes, however it is toned down a lot from the kid-friendly Disneyland. What it does do is bring in more of the famous “all ages” Disney themes – 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones. The list goes on, and so does the fun.
Planning Your Trip to Tokyo Disney Sea
Our Japan family travel adventure was 2 weeks in late 2016. As much as we love theme parks we know they can get very expensive. And tiring. So we planned to choose only one theme park for this holiday. Disneyland was the hands down winner as they have a unparallelled reputation for building quality theme parks.
The only decision left is whether to see one or two Disney theme parks, since they are right next door to each other. In my humble opinion, if you’ve come this far to see Disneyland you may as well see both of them. A trip to either of the Disney parks is a HUGE day out for parents and kids.
Best if you can leave one or two days in between your visits. But if you are time constrained like us, you might be forced to see them both on consecutive days. This can also be a huge relief for your budget because Disney friendly accommodation doesn’t come cheap!
Where to stay
Like anything, you can choose an option to suit your budget.
Option 1 – Least Expensive
The 2 Disney parks are next door to each other which is super convenient. And there is a dedicated monorail train line at the Disney complex which connects to the Tokyo Metro train system at the Maihama Station. That is a huge bonus and opens your options dramatically.
So your first option is to catch a train from anywhere in Tokyo using the Tokyo Metro. Do this if you want to save heaps of money on accommodation. Tokyo has the biggest subway system in the world, so you have unlimited options to connect to the Disney Resort Monorail. Just head for Maihama Station on the Keiyo line.
Option 2 – Moderately Expensive
There are a group of hotels promoted as ‘Tokyo Disney Resort Parter Hotels’ or ‘Tokyo Disney Resort Good Neighbor Hotels’. These are not owned by the Disney chain but they do share special privileges with the Disney Resort. These have frequent complimentary shuttle buses to take you from hour hotel lobby directly to the Disneyland and Disney Sea.
They also have a dedicated Disney ticketing and souvenir shop right in the hotel lobby. These hotels are moderately expensive, US $250 per night and up. We stayed at the Oriental Hotel Tokyo Bay and booked through Booking.com. This is a Tokyo Disney Resort Parter Hotel. We thoroughly recommend the Oriental Tokyo Bay Hotel, and here are our reasons.
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- Is connected to a Tokyo Metro train station by a footbridge, only a 2 minute walk. It is the Shin-Urayasu Station on the JR Keiyo Line/Musashino Line.
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- It is about 17 minutes by rapid train from Tokyo Station.
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- Has a giant shopping district/mall on the opposite side of the street.
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- Has a “Lawson” convenience store in the hotel lobby. This is like a super-charged 7-11 store.
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- Has complimentary buses to Disneyland / Disney Sea.
- Staying guests can ride the Tokyo Disney Resort® Partner Hotel Shuttle Bus, which takes about 15 minutes to get to the park.
To find out more about the Oriental Hotel Tokyo Bay, including user reviews and rates, click HERE.
To get to the Oriental Tokyo Bay Hotel you could catch a train from anywhere in Tokyo. See out blog post on the Tokyo Subway. Or you can catch the Airport Limousine Bus directly from the airport like we did, a very easy option.
Option 3 – Most Expensive
Stay in one of the authentic Disney Hotels. We stayed in one of these in Hong Kong and they are definitely worth the experience, if you can afford it. These hotels are dripping with Disney character but you will be paying well over US$500 per night.
Be warned, you should book this option 6-12 months in advance because they are fully booked early. Particularly in Tokyo, where you should book 12 months out, as per Japanese norms.
How Much Does a Trip to Tokyo Disney Sea Cost?
Total cost of a Tokyo Disney Sea adventure (based on our actual spending):
- Transfer from Airport by Limousine bus 2,450 yen/adult, 1230 yen/child
- Hotel Accommodation – 29,000 yen per night
- Food at Disneyland – allow 2,500 yen per person per day
- Souvenir shopping at days 2,000 yen
- Eating at night – allow 2,000 yen per person per day. This is for take-aways, can increase dramatically for restaurants.
- Disney tickets 2 day passport – 13,400 yen/adult, 11,600/child
- Note there’s nothing you need to spend inside Disney Sea except for food, drinks and souvenirs.
- Total for 3 night visit with 2 days in the Disney Parks is roughly 147,000 yen (US $1,300)
Preparation – What to Bring
Standard Theme Park Equipment
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- Full camera equipment including video. Make the kit as light as possible.
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- Good walking shoes, you will be doing miles of walking.
- Umbrellas and/or several ponchos. Tokyo can be a very rainy place.
Unique to Tokyo Disney Sea
- Padded ground sheet. For the evening show there is no option except sitting on the hard concrete ground. Make allowance for this by bringing a cushion and/or groundsheet. Preferably a zip-up, compact padded ground sheet. You will be sitting on it for 1-2 hours so make sure it’s comfortable. Make sure it is nothing elevated or the staff will politely ask you to sit on the ground so people behind you can see the show,
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- Phone app for ride waiting times. The best rides can have 2 hour plus lines, it’s best to have an app so you can quickly find a ride with a small line. There are a few available, for example TDR wait times for Tokyo Disney.
Resort.
- Phone app for ride waiting times. The best rides can have 2 hour plus lines, it’s best to have an app so you can quickly find a ride with a small line. There are a few available, for example TDR wait times for Tokyo Disney.
- Familiarise yourself with the park and identify any popular rides you want to go on. Go straight to this attraction first, to beat the crowds. After that forget about it because you may have 2 or more hours to wait.
Arriving at Tokyo Disney Sea
At every Disney theme park we’ve been to the arrival area is incredible. Tokyo Disney Sea does not disappoint with a very amazing static display. Make sure you stop here and soak up the atmosphere.
Everyone here is super excited to enter the park, there is such an amazing buzz in the air. Go nuts with your cameras, these are treasured memories you will want to look back on again and again.
Next episode we will take a stroll through the Tokyo Disney Sea park and start looking at the attractions.
Video of the Entrance to TDS
So you made it this far, you may as well watch our (very shaky) video of arriving at the park. Just click on the below picture.
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