Are we crazy? First time Japan and trying to do Disney?

anonymousegirl

DIS Veteran

Joined

May 14, 2008

• Oct 6, 2015

• #1

My husband and I have a deposit down for October 9-20, 2016 ABD China. We have a couple of days after the tour finishes in Hong Kong and I thought we could fly to Tokyo and try to see TDL/DisneySea. We would only have at most 2 1/2 days total and we have never seen anything of Japan. It also looks like this would be a VERY busy time of year with the Halloween activities.
We get to see a little bit of Hong Kong DL on the tour,and we are hoping that there will be an opportunity to see the new Shanghai DL while on the tour. Adding Tokyo would be fantastic.
But realistically, I am thinking that we would be short-changing both Tokyo and Disney if we tried to do one day Disney, one day Tokyo.

WWYD? Is any small part of Disney better than none?

 

A

Agent 86

DIS Veteran

Joined

Jul 31, 2013

• Oct 6, 2015

• #2

That's a tough question.

I think one day spent at DisneySea would be awesome, but it's also a lot of travelling, time, expense, etc just to spend 2.5 days in Tokyo. I love Disney, but I'm not sure I would do the same.

I would probably be more inclined to return to Hong Kong or Shanghai (if it's open) and spend some extra time at either of those parks, particularly Shanghai since it's new, somewhat unique and will more than likely be absolutely packed to capacity with locals, so you may not get to see much during your tour.

And I think Tokyo, including Disneyland and DisneySea, are deserving of more than just two days. If you did decide to go to Tokyo, I would only try to attend DisneySea. It's an amazing theme park, possibly the crowning jewel of all Disney theme parks, and deserves at least a full day to fully appreciate it.

 

PinkLemonade7503

Mouseketeer

Joined

Mar 8, 2012

• Oct 7, 2015

• #3

I would do one day at Disney Sea, and the rest in Tokyo. If you love it, you can always come back, but you might feel like you caught the high notes and be ok.

DisneySea is more unique than their Disneyland, so I would pick that.

 

anonymousegirl

DIS Veteran

Joined

May 14, 2008

• Oct 7, 2015

• #4

I was thinking about going back to Shanghai, but that would require a more complicated Chinese entry visa and we would be completely on our own and have to fly back into mainland China from Hong Kong. The added expense of flying to Tokyo is not that great when you think about how much it would cost to fly from California in time and money later. Truthfully, we have a big travel bucket list and Japan is a ways down, underneath Galapagos, India, Antarctica, South America, and New Zealand.

 

A

Agent 86

DIS Veteran

Joined

Jul 31, 2013

• Oct 7, 2015

• #5

If the cost, time, etc is about the same, then it would obviously be great to visit three different Disney theme parks in the one trip.

And DisneySea would be a huge contrast to Hong Kong Disneyland and probably Shanghai Disneyland too! If you only have a single day for DisneySea, try to make sure that it is a weekday and be ready to spend the entire day there (arriving around an hour before opening and staying until close).

 

anonymousegirl

DIS Veteran

Joined

May 14, 2008

• Oct 8, 2015

• #6

I was talking with a friend last night, and I realized that I know we will get to Japan again (since we won't be able to see Kyoto, Osaka, etc), but this is our one-and-done trip to China (we did Hong Kong back in 1997). So I am considering flying back to Shanghai, since I want to see a nearby city called Shuzhou as well. We'll have to do a 10 day trip to japan in a few years and then give ourselves lots of time for Tokyo, Kyoto, Disneyland Tokyo/Disney Sea.

 

A

Agent 86

DIS Veteran

Joined

Jul 31, 2013

• Oct 9, 2015

• #7

I visited Shuzhou in ... 2009 (?) and it was lovely. A very welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

It will probably be a good idea to manage your expectations for Shanghai Disneyland as well. There are obviously a lot of cultural differences between China and western countries. I've been to China twice and there are likely to be a few cultural differences which could adversely impact your time spent at Disneyland, for example, queue etiquette, personal space, tidiness and spitting. Disney being Disney, I'm sure they'll do their best to address those issues, but in a crowded environment they can be annoying.

 

bc7ate9

DIS Veteran

Joined

Jun 30, 2013

• Oct 13, 2015

• #8

anonymousegirl said:

I was talking with a friend last night, and I realized that I know we will get to Japan again (since we won't be able to see Kyoto, Osaka, etc), but this is our one-and-done trip to China (we did Hong Kong back in 1997). So I am considering flying back to Shanghai, since I want to see a nearby city called Shuzhou as well. We'll have to do a 10 day trip to japan in a few years and then give ourselves lots of time for Tokyo, Kyoto, Disneyland Tokyo/Disney Sea.

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I think this is the best idea. Japan is an amazing, beautiful country - and it's also totally weird (almost completely in very good ways). It's worth a longer trip. You COULD do the Disney parks in 2 1/2 days, but I think it's a much better excuse to plan a longer trip.

 

CupcakeLisa

Mouseketeer

Joined

Nov 11, 2011

• Oct 24, 2015

• #9

we are doing a trip early 2017 that will include all three sets of parks - Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. If you werent doing the ABD and just visiting China I would suggest less time in China and add Japan at the end and fly home from there. With the little time you have left at the end I wouldn't add Tokyo.

 

disneyphx

Mouseketeer

Joined

Jan 4, 2010

• Oct 26, 2015

• #10

A family on our SE Asia ABD went to Japan on their way home - for less than 48 hours! Japan was not on their list, so seeing the 2 parks filled a need....
We did a week in Japan last Fall - 3 days Kyoto, 3 days Disney and half day Tokyo. Can't wait to go back!
Loved our ABD China - hope you love it too!