Help with hotels?

[mmmears]

Hi. I have 2 non-consecutive one night/two days unlimited packages booked. Now it seems like it's almost impossible to get a room only night (for the night in the middle) at FS which is where I'm booked for the first and third nights.

If we end up needing to switch hotels twice (yuck) which hotel would you recommend? I could try for the Disneyland Hotel since our next park would be DL (based on the package tickets) but I think I will have to get over to the FS Hotel to pick up my package tickets that morning - is this true? There's no way to get them the night before?

If I need to get to FS in the morning, the Hilton Tokyo Bay looks like it's much closer than either the DL hotel or the MC, but I think that we would have to move our own luggage.

Are there any downsides I'm not considering?

Is there something I should be taking into account that I'm not?

I'm a TDL newbie here so any advice would be appreciated.



PS - I saw that the expensive side of FS seems to have rooms available, but it seems like we don't need the ride tickets since we will be covered by our unlimited package and 300k yen seems a lot for just one night.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I think I will have to get over to the FS Hotel to pick up my package tickets that morning - is this true? There's no way to get them the night before?

Yes this is true. I asked and was told I had to pick them up the day of. It doesn't take too long but it's still annoying especially if you're at a different hotel.

I stayed at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel the night before my package at the Fantasy Springs Hotel and the room was okay for 1 night. The furniture looked pretty beat up and IMO kind of gross (especially the couch). I was in an Alice in Wonderland themed room which is its own booking category for reference. I chose the Tokyo Disneyland hotel as you get Happy Entry for TDL and that worked out well with TDL being the first day of your package. But you said you need a night in the middle so that doesn't really matter in your case.

Tokyo Disneyland Hotel also has the largest convenience store out of the hotels. The drink and snack selection was huge and I ended up stocking up on stuff to bring into the parks.

I also did a night stay at Ambassador the night after my package and the room was better kept than TDH. Convenience store was small but you're also very close to Ikspiari which is a large shopping and dining center by the parks.

Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Ambassador were the ones I saw pop up the most often when it came to last minute cancellations. Never saw cheaper Fantasy Springs rooms or Toy Story Hotel become available and I was checking multiple times a day every day.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Just a couple comments, based on our limited experience (one trip!). If you have to get a night in the middle and cannot get FS, I'd recommend DL hotel. A big reason for that is the Disney staff will move your bags while you're at the parks. Moving your own bags on the monorail would be cumbersome and time consuming. They will pick up your bags in your FS room and have them waiting for you in the DL room. They will not do that to the Hilton. Then they'll do the same thing from DL back to FS.

Yes, you need to go to FS the morning of your package to get your tickets and passes.

Keep checking for FS, but that's a tough one to get just for that one specific night. I don't think I'd pay all the extra for the really fancy side of FS. That being said, that new hotel is amazing - we loved it (non-fancy side!).

 

[suzymouse724]

We just returned from Tokyo Disney. We had two back to back (overlaping) packages at the Fantasy Springs hotel. The night before the 1st package started we stayed at the Disneyland hotel. First, we were able to pick up our first package the night before around 7pm. We took the monrail to FS . There is a cast member outside the entrance by the monarail. . We explained we wanted to pick up our package. She was able to look it up and have another cast member bring it out to us. It was very easy. Second, they will transfer your luggage from room to room if you have to switch rooms. They moved our bags directly from the Disneyland Hotel to FS room. Third, when we offically checked in at FS the evening after our first park day they were able to check us in for both packages (room catagory was the same) and gave us the folder with all the tickets for our 2nd package which was not starting for 2 days. We liked both Fantasy Springs and the Disneyland hotel although prefered FS. It would be great if you can get FS for the night in between your packages, but if you have to transfer hotels, DL would be fairly easy.

 

[wanderlust7]

We're doing Hilton Tokyo Bay -> FS Hotel (1 night package) -> Hilton. They do look very close. Google maps says 5 minutes walk. I plan to have the Hilton hold our bags and we'll just take an overnight bag.

If your case, if you stay at the Hilton, I would envision on your first FS checkout day, at the end of your DisneySea day, you'd pick up your overnight bag and then walk across the street to the Hilton. The next day, you'd take your overnight bag, drop it off at FS Hotel, then get on the monorail at Bayside Station (also right there) to TDL.

I'm not positive you can still access the FS Hotel after you've checked out. But I would think most locals are having them hold their bags on checkout day for pick-up at the end of the day.

ETA: Think I was overthinking it. FS Hotel provides luggage storage after checkout, so no reason why access would be an issue.

 

[mmmears]

Thanks everyone. It seems like it's very much a YMMV issue whether or not we can pick up the package tickets the night before.

I'm going to try to get FS, and if not we will book either DL or MC plus the Hilton in case that option works better for us in the long run.

We don't plan to have a lot of luggage (we travel carry-on only) but since this would be at the end of the trip and because everyone tells me that they love shopping in Japan, we may have an extra bag with us. Great idea to leave it at the first hotel overnight!

Thank you all for the replies. I really appreciate it.

 

[mlaw]

We have a one night VP at FS Hotel in April. I had the Disneyland Hotel booked the night before but then starting reading that we would not be able to pick up the package until the day of. I was obsessive and was able to switch my hotel to FS Hotel but now looks like that wasn't necessary. I have now been obsessive about trying to get another night at the FS Hotel but no luck yet. I have, however, seen Toy Story Hotel and Miracosta Hotel come up several times. I would keep trying for FS Hotel but I think staying at any of the other Disney hotels just makes the switch so much easier because of the luggage transfer. I did just read, however, that there are also lockers that fit luggage by the FS Hotel monorail station so another option would be to store luggage there if then moving to the Hilton for a night. These hotels are definitely challenging though. lol

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Thanks everyone. It seems like it's very much a YMMV issue whether or not we can pick up the package tickets the night before.

I'm going to try to get FS, and if not we will book either DL or MC plus the Hilton in case that option works better for us in the long run.

We don't plan to have a lot of luggage (we travel carry-on only) but since this would be at the end of the trip and because everyone tells me that they love shopping in Japan, we may have an extra bag with us. Great idea to leave it at the first hotel overnight!

Thank you all for the replies. I really appreciate it.

Just in our situation, we had a 2-night package at FS and a 2-night package at Miracosta. We asked and could not get our Miracosta package tickets early - they wouldn't allow it. But it sounds like there might be scenarios they do. Hope things work out and you have a great trip! It's a beautiful, fun place to visit. A great experience. And yes, you're very likely to go home with much more than you came with!! Although, I will say, the TDR clothing options for us were rather limited, so we didn't do much there......

 

[gelatoni fan]

Assuming you end your first package at DisneySea, it's not too bad to just head back to the Fantasy Springs Hotel and then move your luggage across the street to the Hilton (or any of the other hotels there). The advantage of this is that the next morning you can head right back across the street to pick up your 2nd vacation package materials. If you really hate moving luggage, the Toy Story Hotel is also just across the street from the Fantasy Springs Hotel and would be my pick if you must stay at a Disney hotel for the luggage transfer. You just have to make sure that you leave DisneySea by 9PM and don't get in a line for a ride that will cause you to miss the Fantasy Springs Exit closing.

For the other Disney hotels excluding Celebration, it's a trade off between how long it'll take you to return in the evening from DisneySea on your second day and how long it'll take you to get to the Fantasy Springs Hotel on the morning of the 3rd day. So Miracosta will be the fastest for DisneySea and the longest to get to the Fantasy Springs Hotel. Ambassador should be the middle and Disneyland Hotel would take the longest from DisneySea but be the fastest to get to the Fantasy Springs Hotel in the morning.

 

[mmmears]

Thought I'd post with an update. Last night when bookings opened I was only able to get a room at the DL hotel, so we booked it and figured we'd think about whether to move there or to the Hilton Tokyo Bay. This morning I kept checking and found nothing, but DH found a room at FS and booked it. It's not the same category as our packages, so we will still have to move unless I can manage to find the right room, but I'm thankful we will still be in the building. They really make this difficult.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Thought I'd post with an update. Last night when bookings opened I was only able to get a room at the DL hotel, so we booked it and figured we'd think about whether to move there or to the Hilton Tokyo Bay. This morning I kept checking and found nothing, but DH found a room at FS and booked it. It's not the same category as our packages, so we will still have to move unless I can manage to find the right room, but I'm thankful we will still be in the building. They really make this difficult.

The popularity, the newness (and in the case of FS, the size of the resort) do make it difficult most of the time. But absolutely keep checking - if you can find the one night at FS that's the same room type, they will merge your reservations so you don't have to move. Lots of questions and hassle now - but you'll enjoy it when you are there! Fantasy Springs (hotel and the section of DisneySea) are beautiful - they remind me of what I always used to think of with Disney - attention to detail, amazing imagination, and just plain whimsical.......

 

[WilliamNels]

If you're looking for a comfortable stay with great amenities, a 4 star hotel Perth could be a solid choice. Many of them offer spacious rooms, good dining options, and convenient access to public transport, making it easier to get around. Some of the hotels even have pools and gyms, which can be a nice bonus if you want to relax after a long day of sightseeing or walking around.

 

[Lewisc]

I've stayed at Drury Plaza and loved the included hot breakfast and evening snacks. Rooms were clean, and the service was great. The location made getting to the parks super easy.

The nearest Drury Plaza Hotel to the 2 parks is at least a 12 hour flight. Not super easy.

 

[mmmears]

Well, persistence paid off. I was able to get the middle night in the exact same room category as my first and third nights.

Can someone please tell me what I need to do now so that we won't have to keep changing rooms?

 

[gmi3804]

Well, persistence paid off. I was able to get the middle night in the exact same room category as my first and third nights.

Can someone please tell me what I need to do now so that we won't have to keep changing rooms?

Great feeling, no?

Now go to the TDR website and look for the contact form (I think it's under Hotels), and fill it out with your three reservation numbers to link. They'll get back to you in a couple of days once they've linked the three bookings.

 

[mmmears]

Yes! And thank you we just wrote to them - I hope it works. Changing rooms nightly is not something I was looking forward to. I rarely spotted the room I wanted there (FS) but by the time I clicked on it (almost instantly) it had already been taken. I was shocked that it went through this time.

 

[Tippytoes925]

Yes! And thank you we just wrote to them - I hope it works. Changing rooms nightly is not something I was looking forward to. I rarely spotted the room I wanted there (FS) but by the time I clicked on it (almost instantly) it had already been taken. I was shocked that it went through this time.

You did so great managing to get the mid stay FS room! I gave up trying in the end and just booked the DL hotel. It gives me HE to DL that morning so I'm good with it. I'm in DS the day before, so will pick up my VP that afternoon. I did see it on the official website that you can collect your VP after 3pm the day before, which is awesome as it will save a lot of messing around on the actual day!

 

[mmmears]

Thanks. I'm really relieved that we don't have to switch because it meant moving twice since it was the middle day. I'm still working on our return flight home (I have a flight but it stops at LAX and I would prefer a direct).