Disney's Ambassador Hotel

[steve76]

Great news that Tokyo now has its own forum!

I'm vaguely planning a trip to TDL for 3-4 days for 2011. I'm looking at staying at either the official (non-Disney) hotels on-site or at the Ambassador (sadly I don't think my budget will stretch to the Miracosta! ). Does anyone have any experience of staying at the Ambassador? Is it worth the extra cost to stay there? How does it compare to the non-Disney hotels?

Any information or opinions would be appreciated...

 

[queenie82]

We stayed at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel because they have rooms that take 4 adults and it was EXPENSIVE but well worth it to us. The location can't be beat and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity going there.

We visited the other hotels and the Ambassador does look very nice. It is also an ok location. I definitely think staying at a hotel on the monorail line IS worth the extra. The days are long and the prospect of having to take a train back to Tokyo at the end of the day would have near killed us. Plus you need to get up even EARLIER to get back in on the train in the morning.

Even in "off peak" times the parks get busy. During the week wasn't too bad and quite manageable but a winter weekend during "off peak" still sent wait times to over 150minutes on the most popular rides.

Definitely go for 4 days. Even 3.5 if that works better. You will need it to get everything done.

 

[disneyholic family]

the onsite hilton is very good and you get onsite perks.

we were very pleased with their service!!

(we're hilton members, so it was especially good value for us)

The room is HUGE by the way

 

[danceintherain]

Does the Hilton and the other "official" hotels get the Early Entry perk?

That would be the one thing that would get me to lean more towards staying in the three Disney hotels. They're just soo expensive.
I've seen the Tokyo Bay Hilton on Priceline for only $150/night, which puts it more in an acceptable range.
The least expensive room at the Ambassador is more around the $300 range and I'm pretty sure there's no way I can justify the MiraCosta..

I think that the niceness of the Ambassador probably compares with the niceness of any of the Disney hotels, probably better. I've heard that the Japanese are very clean and orderly people in general, so it will probably be immaculate.

This link has some nice pictures
http://www.ramsa.com/project.aspx?id=47

 

[steve76]

Thanks for all the info. I'm definitely going to have to look very hard at the budget!

 

[scrump]

Great news that Tokyo now has its own forum!

I'm vaguely planning a trip to TDL for 3-4 days for 2011. I'm looking at staying at either the official (non-Disney) hotels on-site or at the Ambassador (sadly I don't think my budget will stretch to the Miracosta! ). Does anyone have any experience of staying at the Ambassador? Is it worth the extra cost to stay there? How does it compare to the non-Disney hotels?

Any information or opinions would be appreciated...

This is so cool, Tokyo has its own forum now!

I am tentatively planning a trip for 2010, so have been looking at hotel rates as well. I think it's worth staying at the Ambassador, but it depends on how much it is. Sadly, I am going during peak season, so I am most definitely NOT staying at the disney hotels. I have stayed at the SunRoute (one of the official hotels), but that was 10 years ago, so I'm sure a lot has changed so I probably should not comment on the differences. I do think they are all very nice hotels, and will more than serve their purpose. I doubt you'll be disappointed in any of them, but it's true that the disney hotels will have the extra "wow factor".

Perhaps if it is your first trip to Japan, you might want to consider the Ambassador because it will simplify your trip considerably. I have family in Japan, so am ok to stay at off-site hotels that are a couple of train stops away. I even think that's less stressful than having to wait for the official hotel busses, but that's just me.

 

[*BTMRR*]

The Disney hotels were out of our price range. We stayed at the Sheraton. It was beautiful and service was really extraordinary. I emailed them directly for a price quote and they were able to beat what was on their website. The room (standard room) was lovely and we had a perfect view of the fireworks and much of the skyline of the parks.
We were eligible for early entry, though we didn't get a chance to use it.
The Sheraton has a counter at the Information Center in Maihama Station. You can check your luggage in and buy tickets there if you want to.
The best thing about the Sheraton is how easy it is to get from there to the parks. You can walk 2-3 minutes to get to Bayside Station (which is where the monorail picks you up to take you to the parks or to Maihama Station/Ikspiari), or you can hop on a free, very cute Disney decorated shuttle that'll take you to Bayside or Maihama. It is very easy and quick.

We saw the Disney hotels and they looked great but other than the Miracosta which has the incredible advantage of being IN a park, I can't see any huge benefit to staying at a Disney hotel rather than one of the nearby "official" hotels.

 

[chicdesigner]

Has anyone here been to Disney Sea?

 

[chicdesigner]

Opps, I hit reply way too soon. I wanted to know if anyone knows about the Christmas Celebration at Disney sea?

 

[GrtWtNorth]

We stayed at the Miracosta in early July (value season), paying about $600 per night. It was nice to be in a Disney Hotel with Disney service, but I must admit, the amenities of the Miracosta were less than I was expecting. On the same trip, we stayed in 4-star hotels in Tokyo (Shinjuku), Kyoto, and Hiroshima -- all had better room amenities than the Miracosta, and the price range was $150-$300 per night.

Is being on the monorail worth an extra $300 per night? That's for you to decide. If we go back again, we'll look at the rates for the Disneyland and Ambasador Hotel, but unless the price is lower, we'll probably stay at a Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotel.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Does the Hilton and the other "official" hotels get the Early Entry perk?

The printed tickets we got at the Miracosta said they were only for guests staying in the Miracosta, Disneyland Hotel and Ambassador Hotel. Other guest in the early entry queues had identical tickets, so it's unlikely that other hotels have the same privileges.

We were there mid-week during Value season (early July, kids still in school) and they only offered early entry for the Disneyland park, not Disney Sea.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

I wanted to know if anyone knows about the Christmas Celebration at Disney sea?

I've never been there to experience it, but it looks impressive.
Information from Miracosta here.
Photo gallery of Christmas activities at both parks here.

When we were there in July, they were already advertising and selling tickets for Disney Christmas events, especially Broadway-style shows in Tokyo. It's not a forgotten holiday, although I suspect they celebrate New Years bigger than they celebrate Christmas.

 

[queenie82]

We saw the Disney hotels and they looked great but other than the Miracosta which has the incredible advantage of being IN a park, I can't see any huge benefit to staying at a Disney hotel rather than one of the nearby "official" hotels.

The Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is virtually IN Disneyland. That is a ripper of an advantage if you ask me.
Plus you get a special waiting area for entry into the park...which is only for TDLH guests.

Sure it is expensive but we were likely to be IN the country only once in a long time so yes the $$$$ a night was worth it.
The travelling by train may be "easy" but I would have been completely exhausted and had less park time if I had to do that as WELL. Walking the 5mins from the front of DL to my hotel room was tiring enough.