Need your help! Completing the Disney Quintuplet Crown!

[DISAdam1]

Hi everyone....

.....so, it looks like I might actually get to realize a dream I have, one that I am pretty sure I share with many of you. And I am really excited because if things align the way I hope they will, I may be realizing it in the next month.

I call it the "Disney Quintuplet Crown", borrowing on the phrase "triple crown" in baseball and horse racing. Yes, I am talking about visiting every single Disney destination (and their parks) scross the globe. WDW, DLR, DLP, TDR and HKDL!

I have been a long time Disney fan, having visited WDW countless times over the years, DLR about 6 times, DLP 4 times and recently, HKDL for the first time. I have long wanted to visit TDL, and especially TDS. Well, given the fortune of some upcoming business travel in early Sept, it looks like I may actually make it! What is even cooler, is that if I do make it to TDR on this trip, I will actually be able to say I have set foot in every single Disney theme park in less than one year! I have been lucky enough to have been able to take personal trips with my wife to WDW and DLR this year, and even luckier to have found myself on business trips to Paris and Hong Kong (so....of COURSE I'm going to visit the parks while there!!). Now, my travels look like they may take me to Tokyo. I'm pumped!

Having never been to Japan before, a couple of questions:

1) I am hoping to be able to tack on about 5.5 days of personal time at the end of my business trip (a few days post meeting, and then the weekend + labour day). Considering I have never been to Tokyo before and that I do consider myself a bit of a global traveler, out of those 5.5 days, how many should I spend at TDR? In the past when dreaming of a 2 or 3 week vacation to Japan, I've figured I'd want 4 or 5 days for just TDR -- but I don't think I can / should do that as I'd have little time to discover Tokyo. Should I do 2 or 3 nights at TDR?

2) I thought I wanted to stay at Hotel Mira Costa, but having just read Lurkyloo's TR, I am wondering id TDL Hotel is the better choice now? Opinions? What are the benefits and downfalls of each?

3) I know the general rule is that weekends are busier than weekdays. Does anyone have a sense of how busy the week of Aug 30 - Sept 4 would be? Would weekends still be the disaster that they seem to be described as? I think that is considered by TDR as regular season......

4) Does the DLR have an indoor pool like Mira Costa? Also, a spa that offers massage services? I could only see body treatments on their web site.

5) Does anyone know if TDR is still offering park hopper tickets for all days of the ticket if you stay in their hotel and buy from them?

6) What are the *must* sees and dos in the city of Tokyo and its environs, itself? Would be interesting to hear your recommendations.

If you have any other comments, thoughts or suggestions, please fire away.

Thanks for your help.

[Zuzu03]

I'm subbing because you have a few questions listed here that I'd like to know the answers too! Congrats on finishing up the quintuplet crown!!!!

[voleball]

3) I know the general rule is that weekends are busier than weekdays. Does anyone have a sense of how busy the week of Aug 30 - Sept 4 would be? Would weekends still be the disaster that they seem to be described as? I think that is considered by TDR as regular season......

By looking at a couple of crowd prediction websites, it looks like below.
(They have different rating systems so I kind of made up the rating scales.)

A - Extremely crowded (possibly park being closed due to reaching the limit)
B - Super crowded
C - Very crowded
D - Crowded
E - somewhat crowded
F - not crowded


Website A prediction:
8/30: C
8/31: D
9/1: E
9/2: E
9/3: D
9/4: C

Website B prediction:
8/30: B
8/31: C
9/1: D
9/2: D
9/3: C
9/4: B

So, your best bet is to visit TDR sometime around 8/31 ~ 9/3.
Most of summer events end on 8/31, so you may want to hit at least one park on 8/31.

[scrump]

voleball, which prediction sites are you using? I'd love to look up my dates for my upcoming trip!

Thanks!!!

[voleball]

They are both in Japanese...

1. http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

2. Sept: http://www.disneycom.jp/m/201009.html
Aug: http://www.disneycom.jp/m/201008.html

[GrtWtNorth]

Originally Posted by DISAdam1

1) I am hoping to be able to tack on about 5.5 days of personal time at the end of my business trip (a few days post meeting, and then the weekend + labour day). Considering I have never been to Tokyo before and that I do consider myself a bit of a global traveler, out of those 5.5 days, how many should I spend at TDR? In the past when dreaming of a 2 or 3 week vacation to Japan, I've figured I'd want 4 or 5 days for just TDR -- but I don't think I can / should do that as I'd have little time to discover Tokyo. Should I do 2 or 3 nights at TDR?

For just 5.5 days, it really depends on your interests. I suggest 1 day for Shinjuku, Ginza, TDL, plus 2 days for TDS. This doesn't get you to the worlds largest fish market or any of the temples or parks.

2) I thought I wanted to stay at Hotel Mira Costa, but having just read Lurkyloo's TR, I am wondering id TDL Hotel is the better choice now? Opinions? What are the benefits and downfalls of each?

They are both nice and super-convenient to the parks. I recommend HM only because it's closer to TDS, and I suggest that you spend more time in that TDS (which is very unique) than TDL (which is more similar to the North American parks).

3) I know the general rule is that weekends are busier than weekdays. Does anyone have a sense of how busy the week of Aug 30 - Sept 4 would be? Would weekends still be the disaster that they seem to be described as? I think that is considered by TDR as regular season......

It's Regular season, which seemed busy to me. (I travel to WDW in regular or value season - it was busier than those times, but about the same as Disneyland on a Saturday in May.)

4) Does the DLR have an indoor pool like Mira Costa? Also, a spa that offers massage services? I could only see body treatments on their web site.

I don't know for sure. But be prepared to pay for pool use. I think it worked out to $35/day for HM. (We didn't use it.)

5) Does anyone know if TDR is still offering park hopper tickets for all days of the ticket if you stay in their hotel and buy from them?

The English web site isn't promoting it anymore, so I suspect that they are back to the the 2-days non-hopping + additional days with park-hopping.

6) What are the *must* sees and dos in the city of Tokyo and its environs, itself? Would be interesting to hear your recommendations.

You definitely have to explore a department store. Especially the food areas in the basement levels, and the restaurants on the upper floors. Some also have parks and/or beer gardens on their roof-tops.

Shinto and Buddhist shrines are everywhere, and each one is unique. Which ones will appeal to you will depend on what you are most interested in. I used a Frommers guidebook to narrow down my selection.

There are a number of unique dining experiences. I really got a kick out of the places that used vending machines to take orders. (Put in your money, push the button, hand your ticket to your server...) Japanese food is a lot of fun, and not very risky at all. It helps to learn a little Japanese in advance. "Yaki" means fried or grilled. Yakitori is grilled meat on a stick (usually chicken or pork) -- look for red lanterns. Yakisoba is fried soba noodles. Udon are thick noodles. Ramen is Chinese noodles, usually served in soup. Ebi is shrimp -- look for it in compound words and you will know what's inside. Tonkatsu is fried pork cutlet (similar to schnitzel) -- you can find this in any 7-Eleven, like you find hot dogs in North America. Japanese beers are all good too.

If you like sushi, you can't go wrong, just remember that Japanese sushi chefs are purists and do not make California Rolls, BC Rolls, Avocado Rolls or any other North American asian-fusion creations. Sushi is expensive in Japan. (I live in Vancouver, where sushi is popular cheap fast food -- competing head-to-head with MacDonald's and Subway. Japan is very different, and sushi is treated as a gourmet meal.)

North American foods are often served with a twist. Popular hamburgers include a fried egg. (Bacon-cheeseburgers are less popular, and usually found near the bottom of the menu.) Popular pizza toppings include shrimp and broccoli (pepperoni or sausage will be further down the menu). MacDonald's will seem familiar until you realize that the most popular sandwich might be the McPork (pork patty covered in teriyaki sauce, served on a sesame seed bun). Tea and coffee is everywhere, but might be served on ice (especially in the summer time). If you want ice cream, pay attention to the flavors -- sea salt, green tea / macha, or red bean are the popular varieties.

Remember that while the menu prices may seem high, tipping is considered rude in virtually all situations. I found the total cost of dining was similar to what I would pay in NYC or Orlando.

My favorite Japanese snack is in my signature below: Mickey waffle with macha (green tea) mouse, red beans, and brown sugar syrup.

[DISAdam1]

Voleball - thanks - I appreciate you translating those Japanese crowd prediction web-sites for me.

GrtWtNorth - thank you for your comprehensive answers, suggestions and tips. Especially appreciate the tips on food ordering. Btw, I'm from Toronto - so a shout out to a fellow Canadian peep! I'm actually down in the south west US just before I head out to this trip - can you believe airfare was 1/2 as expensive flying Air Canada up to Vancover, spending the night in the Fairmont airport hotel and then onto NRT vs. going via SFO or LAX? BIZARRE.

Would appreciate any tips or thoughts that anyone else wants to share.

Anyone know what is going on at TDS the night of 9/3? The park closes at 6:30pm and there is no Braviseamo (obviously). Is it closed for a private event? Or preparations of TDS 9th anniversary on 9/4? Anyone know if they will do anything special on 9/4 at TDS given the date?

[scrump]

Originally Posted by voleball

They are both in Japanese...

1. http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

2. Sept: http://www.disneycom.jp/m/201009.html
Aug: http://www.disneycom.jp/m/201008.html

Awesome, thanks so much! I can read Japanese, no problem.

[GrtWtNorth]

Originally Posted by DISAdam1

thank you for your comprehensive answers, suggestions and tips. Especially appreciate the tips on food ordering.

Another tip just popped into my mind. Japanese menus always list the calorie count. (They print kcal, which is equivalent to calories published on foods in North America.) It's a great way to understand portion sizes from a menu. When plastic food displays are not shown, restaurants often use photos. But the same photo might be used for all noodle platters, and you have to decide whether to order the 800, 1000 or 1200 kcal sizes. I actually missed this when we came back to Canada.

Originally Posted by DISAdam1

can you believe airfare was 1/2 as expensive flying Air Canada up to Vancover, spending the night in the Fairmont airport hotel and then onto NRT vs. going via SFO or LAX? BIZARRE.

I found the same thing when I travelled last year. I typically fly Alaska Airlines out of Seattle because it's much cheaper for my typical (US) destinations. But I ended up flying Air Canada from Vancouver to Tokyo because it was several hundred $ cheaper than anything I could find with a US or Japanese airline.

[shelemm]

I don't think there is anything such as a 'must-see' in Tokyo (or most anywhere else) so it depends on your interests.

You can see all of TDL in 2 days, though you might miss a show or two. If you are not adverse to missing a couple of the TDS shows, then two full days are enough. In my mind, that means staying three nights.

[escape]

Be sure to post a trip report when you get back. I'm going in December. This will be my 4th DL park (still need HK) and my friend's 5th.

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's advice on this board and I'm looking forward to reading about other experiences in Tokyo area and TDL.

[shelemm]

Ask to sit in the front row for Journey to the Center of the Earth. The view is better. Also, this ride is even better at night, so do it twice!

[Corbisblue]

Make sure to check out Ueno Park (it's really easy to get to via Yamanote Line which you will be using a lot if you are taking the train). It has a couple small temples and is a beautiful park to visit, and it's all free. It's great if you are tight for time. The park is right by the train station and you can spend about an hour in there and see everything.

Make sure you visit Shibuya in the evening, the lights and crowds put even fabulous Las Vegas to shame! You can even visit the Disney Store in Shibuya (which looks pretty cool imo).