Time to be at the gates and where to purchase 1 Day Pass?

[mlozam]

Our scheduled dates for Disney Sea is on Tues, May 28 and Disneyland on Wed, May 29. The crowd predictor website indicates about 18K at Disney Sea and 22K at Disneyland for those days.

Given this, what time should we be at both gates before the 9am opening?

My DH and DS will join me and DD at DisneySea only. Where can we buy their 1 Day Pass and our 2 Day Pass in Tokyo? We are staying at the New Sanno.

Thank you.

 

[DreamSweetsLove]

Our scheduled dates for Disney Sea is on Tues, May 28 and Disneyland on Wed, May 29. The crowd predictor website indicates about 18K at Disney Sea and 22K at Disneyland for those days.

Given this, what time should we be at both gates before the 9am opening?

My DH and DS will join me and DD at DisneySea only. Where can we buy their 1 Day Pass and our 2 Day Pass in Tokyo? We are staying at the New Sanno.

Thank you.

The crowd prediction for those days is not crowded but it's always good to get there early to take advantage of FP. An hour before would be really good because it takes time for the lines of people to get through the gates which can cost you a pretty good amount of time. You can buy tickets online and print it at home or I think the Disney Store also sells tickets but I'm not completely sure so you should double check to make sure.

This is the site for e-tickets: https://reservation.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/vm/index.jsp

 

[mlozam]

Thank you. The online site is in Japanese - is there an English site?

 

[DreamSweetsLove]

The e-ticket is not available in English yet but I looked and you can order the tickets online in English and since you live in Japan they will send the tickets to your home.

Here is the English website!
https://reservation.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/vme/index.jsp

 

[mlozam]

Thanks but we don't live in Japan. We will be arriving late May 26. We will visit Meiji Shrine, Shibuya and Shinjuku area the next day and will look for a Disney Store in those areas.

Based on my research, there is a Disney Store in Takashimaya in Shinjuku so we may end up buying there.

 

[shelemm]

On such a low day, you are probably safe 45 minutes in advance. However, anyone used to the rather familiar DL (as opposed to DS) doesn't have to sweat it too much... you can always see everything you want with judicious use of FP.

Just remember, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain almost always have single rider, and in Japan that is amazingly fast and you'll probably get to sit together anyway.

 

[mlozam]

Thank you Shelemm. Indiana Jones is one of my favorite rides so that's good to know!

Re: judicious use of FP - what is the smartest/best way to go about this?

 

[shelemm]

Here is the rundown of our day using FP. The rest of my post (and more details) can be found on this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=48187101#post48187101

Monday, August 20, 2012
Arrived at 7:20am
Park opens at 8:30am
Journey TTCOTE (we did not run, everyone running to Toy Story Mania)
Aquatopia
DS Got FPs for TOT while we waited for Storm Rider (9:30am FP for 2:20pm entry)
Storm Rider
Indiana Jones (Single Rider Line)
Got FPs for 20,000 (11:30am for 1:35pm entry)
Lunch Vulcania
Mermaid Show in Triton's Kingdom
Got FP for Magic Lamp (1:30pm for 1:55pm entry)
Sindbad
20,000 Leagues with FP
Magic Lamp Theatre with FP
Won Lottery for BBB (applied at 3pm)
Tower of Terror with FP
Big Band Beat (3:30pm show)
Duffy Show at Cape Cod Cookout
Got FP for Raging Spirit (4:50pm for 9pm entry)
Mystic Rythyms (5:20pm show)
Made Reservation at Magellan (6pm)
Fortress Exploration
Dinner at Magellan (6:30pm)
Fantasmic (8:10pm)
Raging Spirit with FP
Leave Park 9:30pm (Park closes at 10pm)

 

[mlozam]

Based on the DS calendar Journey will be down on the day of our visit :-(

Thanks again, I have already cut and paste details of your post.

"DS Got FPs for TOT while we waited for Storm Rider (9:30am FP for 2:20pm entry)" - why was there a 5 hour gap?

 

[shelemm]

"why was there a 5 hour gap?"

The answer should be obvious, but here goes:

FPs are to use for a one-hour time slot. The slot you receive is the first one available at the time you get the FP. For an attraction that is popular, that might be 5 hours OR MORE in advance. In some case, they run out of FPs completely.

So if we went to TOT when the park first opened, maybe I would have written it like this:

Got FP for TOT (8:30am for 9:30am entry)

But we didn't do that first thing, so by the time 9:30am rolled around, all the earlier FP times were already distributed. Instead we got FPs for use at 2:20pm. 2:20pm being the earliest we could enter. We were not obligated to be there at that time, we could have waited until 3:20pm.

Does that make it clear?

 

[shelemm]

One important note:

It is very easy to miss the entrance to the huge underground Triton's Kingdom. It is one of the highlights of Disney Sea, yet I *think* a lot of people miss it completely.

They miss it because the entrance is not marked on the park map. They miss it because it is unnamed on the park map (it's part of Mermaid Lagoon). They miss it because they think it's just a bunch of kiddie rides and don't bother to investigate. They are too busy running from one major attraction to another.

That's what almost happened to us the first time we went. it was late in the day, we saw this opening in the wall of the walkway, and just started wandering in quite by accident. Imagine criss-crossing all over the park, more than once, only to discover this huge unexplored area right under your nose!

It is outrageously beautiful, eye-popping in its detail, and other-worldly. It contains the excellent Mermaid Show (a great spectacle), plus a fascinating activities area that will cheer the kid at heart. Take your time to explore here, it is astounding.

 

[shelemm]

Can you wiggle around your dates to see Journey, or is this the end of your trip?

Another note:

I don't mean to downplay Fortress Exploration. Make sure you save some serious time to explore this because it is astounding as well. It includes outdoor as well as indoor spaces, and it's easy to miss some of the rooms. Ask for a map in English (they have them, but they are not readily available).

My scheduled above was our second trip to Disney Sea.

 

[mlozam]

But we didn't do that first thing, so by the time 9:30am rolled around, all the earlier FP times were already distributed. Instead we got FPs for use at 2:20pm. 2:20pm being the earliest we could enter. We were not obligated to be there at that time, we could have waited until 3:20pm.

Does that make it clear?

Yes, it does. Yikes, we better make sure, we get the FPs we want right away.

Am kinda rusty with our FP strategy. Does it make sense to get a FP and then go on the same ride (assuming the wait time is short) right away? This means you can ride at least 2x.

 

[mlozam]

One important note:

It is very easy to miss the entrance to the huge underground Triton's Kingdom. It is one of the highlights of Disney Sea, yet I *think* a lot of people miss it completely.

They miss it because the entrance is not marked on the park map. They miss it because it is unnamed on the park map (it's part of Mermaid Lagoon). They miss it because they think it's just a bunch of kiddie rides and don't bother to investigate. They are too busy running from one major attraction to another.

That's what almost happened to us the first time we went. it was late in the day, we saw this opening in the wall of the walkway, and just started wandering in quite by accident. Imagine criss-crossing all over the park, more than once, only to discover this huge unexplored area right under your nose!

It is outrageously beautiful, eye-popping in its detail, and other-worldly. It contains the excellent Mermaid Show (a great spectacle), plus a fascinating activities area that will cheer the kid at heart. Take your time to explore here, it is astounding.

Thanks for this tip! It will feel like a finding a treasure when we see the entrance

 

[mlozam]

Can you wiggle around your dates to see Journey, or is this the end of your trip?

Another note:

I don't mean to downplay Fortress Exploration. Make sure you save some serious time to explore this because it is astounding as well. It includes outdoor as well as indoor spaces, and it's easy to miss some of the rooms. Ask for a map in English (they have them, but they are not readily available).

My scheduled above was our second trip to Disney Sea.

Unfortunately no but it will give us an excuse to come back.

My kids are young adults so Fortress Exploration may not be high on the priority list.

Thank you so much for all the tips!

 

[shelemm]

Since you can visit Fortress Exploration at any time, of course it is not a priority.

However, realize at Disney Sea you'll be at the worlds most elaborate theme park, by quite a large margin. It is hard to comprehend unless you've been there. Nothing is purely for kids. Fortress Exploration is thoroughly stunning, particularly the indoor displays. you can see it in 30 minutes, but if you love taking photographs, you could spend longer there. It also contains the best exterior views in the park.

It does make sense to ride an attraction plus get the FP afterwards if you think you'll want to ride it again.

At Disney Sea, I don't think you'll be in that situation.

You might be in that situation for Pooh's Hunny Hunt in DL.

 

[shelemm]

Also, we have bought our tickets only when we arrive. There is no advantage to pre-purchasing your tickets if you'll have to wait for the gates to open anyway.

If you are more than one person, split up and wait in line for admission and the other can buy the ticket. If you get there early, you will have loads of time to buy your ticket at the gate.

 

[mlozam]

Also, we have bought our tickets only when we arrive. There is no advantage to pre-purchasing your tickets if you'll have to wait for the gates to open anyway.

If you are more than one person, split up and wait in line for admission and the other can buy the ticket. If you get there early, you will have loads of time to buy your ticket at the gate.

This is a great idea, although I don't want others to think the "ticket-buyers"are cutting in line at the gate.

Is the Ticket Booth near the gates?

 

[mlozam]

Since you can visit Fortress Exploration at any time, of course it is not a priority.

However, realize at Disney Sea you'll be at the worlds most elaborate theme park, by quite a large margin. It is hard to comprehend unless you've been there. Nothing is purely for kids. Fortress Exploration is thoroughly stunning, particularly the indoor displays. you can see it in 30 minutes, but if you love taking photographs, you could spend longer there. It also contains the best exterior views in the park.

Ok, I have to make sure to relax and appreciate my surroundings rather than rush from one ride to another.

Thanks.

 

[shelemm]

The ticket booth is smack dab in the middle with the gate on either side. Nobody will think anything of it if one person joins another already on line.