Our July 2019 Japan trip report, including TDR and USJ, from a points-and-miles hobbyist, Complete

[LovesTimone]

Day 13: First Day, Tokyo Tour with Mac of Maction Planet

We began our day in the club lounge for breakfast. As lounges go, this one was pretty spectacular. A staff member helps you find a table, if it is crowded, and is available if you need them (as would be the case the next day). One of the biggest surprises for me about Japan was the scarcity and expense of fruits and vegetables. The lounge had some excellent fruit selections, wonderfully ripe fruit, as well as excellent breads, pastries, muesli, and Japanese selections. We were not disappointed in the lounge.

Today was our first day meeting Mac, tour guide extraordinaire who had come so highly recommended by Chris. He started the day bringing us to the Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya. The purpose of this excursion was to bring us to the feeling of being in a forest in the middle of the city. This was also an opportunity for Mac to educate us in buddhism and shintoism. As we observed the temple, Mac asked if we noticed what happened before people prayed, and I commented that there was always money involved. Mac agreed, commenting on how you have "pay to pray" at the buddhist shrines. This was a good time for me to explain to Mac that we were hoping to see more than shrines, and he was responsive, or at least claimed to be.

While walking or in the subway, we had plenty of time for conversation. We were naturally curious whether Mac was able to make it happen for Chris to join us for a bit. DW went as far as to say that she had made a "silent bet," which is to say a bet with herself, that Chris would not be joining us. Mac got a good chuckle from this, saying that he would love to take her to Vegas and claim at each hand that they had made a silent bet which had paid off. Mac explained that Chris was busy packing to move and that if we were going to see him at all, it would be tomorrow.

We had an interesting conversation about the democratic ways of Japan. I shared with Mac that it was almost shocking to spend multiple days in a Disney park and never once see a plaid. Similarly, unlike either Universal location in the U.S., there was no option for VIP tours, group or private. I asked Mac what VIPs do if they can't have private tours, and he explained that they have to do the same thing as everyone else. He pointed out that the wealthiest people don't have mega-mansions like you see in the States and suggested that we think of Japan as a communist country posing as a democracy, and he meant that with the highest praise. He told stories about companies who thought nothing of spending money for the greater good with concern about its share price. And, truth be told, the country's democratic take on communism was one of the reasons why it is such a special country to a visitor. It does feel pretty good when you are waiting to board a ride at TDL without seeing all the plaids and their groups cutting in and has to be one of the reasons why their bullet train and other rail lines are as prevalent as they are. Mac spoke about their healthcare system, which seemed like a hybrid of sorts between traditional socialized medicine and the American system.

It was then time for lunch. Mac had previously informed us that he wanted to take us to his "absolute favourite ramen shops - there are 10000 in Tokyo and I've eaten in 2000 of them." While we were walking, I discussed my disappointment with Jasmine in comparison to Ko and why she did not meet my expectations as a guide whereas Ko exceeded them. Mac said that he understood where I was coming from but that he had some guests who felt the exact opposite, and I could understand that as well. Regardless, Mac offered to pay for our lunch to compensate for the disappointment, which I appreciated. I do not remember the name of this ramen restaurant. We were the first in line, and you purchase a ticket from a machine and give to the chefs at the counter. It was an excellent bowl of ramen but not particularly memorable in the way that, say, our conveyer belt sushi meal in Osaka was. Maybe it's just because I'm not a big ramen person.

After lunch, we walked more around Shibuya, learning that Japanese love Stranger Things, too, and learning about Hachikō, the city's famous dog.
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It was time, then, for the famous Shibuya Crossing. DW really wanted a video of her crossing, and Mac obliged by taking a video of her crossing as well as philosophizing about what has become an obligatory tourist stop: "It's become a thing to see. It makes it weird for me that people try to assess it. You can't put a ranking or a rating on this. This just is what it is. It's a crossing of people who want to get from there to there. My local friends find it hilarious when I tell them that people come here and go, 'Well, 2 out of 5.' She says, 'What, did my son not cross well enough for them?' Should he have done a little dance for the white people watching from the Starbucks, you know what I mean?"
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The station also provided an opportunity for Mac to provide us with an art history lesson about Taro Okamoto's Myth of Tomorrow mural, what Time magazine once described as a "lost masterpiece."
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This moment epitomizes, I think, the difference between having a guide and going on your own. We certainly would have passed by the mural, possibly without a second glass, but our experience was certainly much richer by Mac making sure that we stopped not just to admire the artwork but learn about its significance.

DD was hell-bent on trying rolled ice cream, so it was time to go to Takeshita Street in Harajuku.
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It was Friday, and Mac mentioned that we had to go today because it was too crowded on weekends. Mac had a lot to say about what he called "insta-shammable" foods, especially boba drink cafes that were apparently spouting up everywhere. Harajuku certainly was all about how desserts looked as opposed to how they tasted. I had something like a churro stuffed with soft-serve ice cream. There was not much of a line that day, but Mac said it would have extended down the block had we gone on Saturday. That dessert was completely unmemorable, either the pastry or the ice-cream, and the same could be said of the rolled ice-cream.

Our next stop in Harajuku was the Harry Harajuku Terrace, billed as the world's first chinchilla, otter, and hedgehog cafe. This was one of those only-in-Japan moments, and we all enjoyed the animal interactions. Like in Kyoto, the space felt like a pet shop except ones that the pets aren't for sale but because admission included a free drink from a vending machine, it became a café.
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Next was Shinjuku, home to Godzilla Road and our first of two Donki's with Mac.

DW found the "Don Don Donki" theme to be infectious and seemed to never tired hearing of it. Mac and I got into an extended conversation about Kit Kats. It is important to know that there are three levels of quality for the Kit Kats. The bottom level are the ones in bags. Some of the flavor combinations are pretty interesting; when I brought them back as gifts for my co-workers, one loved the Mint Peach. Salt Lemon was pretty interesting as well. I was not particularly enamored of the strawberry-flavored ones, which reminded me of the standard artificial flavor. I teased Mac quite a bit about the soy sauce flavor which eluded us and was so highly recommended by Ko as his favorite, and quite exasperated by that point, Mac said that he was going to have a word with Ko about mentioning Kit Kat flavors which are no longer available. The second tier, also for sale at Donki's, are boxed. For the top tier, you have to go to the special Kit Kat chocolatier in Ginza, which we will get to in the next installment.

By that point, our day was coming to an end. I had mentioned to Mac how Ko urged us to get Mac to take us to the best burger place in Tokyo.
View attachment 454129
Did Mac ever deliver! Again, that's the difference between doing it on your own and a tour guide. We toured the famous Kabukicho red light district on the way to our final destination, Shogun burger. After passing the various Maid Cafés and Soapland clubs, which I had to ask Mac to explain since the pictures of whales on dolphins on the outside were confusing, we made it to this burger restaurant that features smashed Wagyu patties and are better than most any burger you can get in the U.S. The Japanese may not be able to do pizzas very well, but they sure can do burgers, at least if you are fortunate enough to go to Shogun.

Our final stop was a walk through Piss Alley, which Mac said must have been the inspiration in part for Blade Runner's cityscape. A fascinating place, to be sure. It was then back to our hotel after a full day of sightseeing and conversation with Mac.

Next Installment: Final Full Day in Japan

I was wondering how to get in touch with Mac... I really think that we would like to do a tour, just to get our feet wet.... and my DH would so love that burger !!!! Did he give you tips how to use the trains without getting lost... I am a bit... okay ... alot nervous about using the trains...
Looking forward to reading about your last day in Japan...

I have really enjoyed reading it... lots of good stuff...

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 12: Last Day TDR, First Night Downtown Tokyo

First let me apologize, since DW pointed out to me that I had completely forgotten to write about our last day in the parks.

We woke up early to pack, since we were checking out, and for our last breakfast at Sherwood Garden. We got a better table this time, and the buffet, as far as I could tell, was identical. We left our bags at the bell desk and headed over to TDS for the last time.

This time we made it early enough to use our Happy 15 to enter before 8. We rode Journey to the Center of the Earth, Indiana Jones, Raging Spirits, and then used our vacation package A FP for Toy Story again. We explored a bit until lunchtime, when the best and worst of TDS was on display.

We selected Cape Cod Cook-Off because we were enjoying the Cape Cod theming. I got the fish sandwich, which was pretty good, but DS got the Cape Code Cook-Off First Prize set menu, which featured a hamburger. Jay Leno used to tell a joke about the Chrysler K car, asking if you've seen the K car, can you imagine what models A-J looked like. Along those same lines, if this hamburger was the first-prize winner, I can only imagine how honorable mention tasted. I would give this the prize as truly the worst hamburger I have ever eaten on Disney property, which is one of the reasons who DisneySea could not rank as a top park. Food, at least for me, is an integral part of the park experience, and it is just too inconsistent, when not dreadful, here.

On the other hand, the CMs here are better than any who work at any Disney park. When I got back, I described it to people as imagine the best CM you have ever encountered and then imagine a park full of them, and that's TDR. I observed this particular CM in the photo below waving the entire time that we were eating. Even when she was speaking to her fellow CMS, she continued waving. She literally did not stop once. I don't know how she did it.


We then moved over to TDL to end our TDR experience. It was fairly crowded, so we burned off our remaining vacation package FPs. Pooh's Honey Hunt was down, so we rode Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates again. It may have been July, but it was raining, and not the warm kind of summer rain. We had an early Blue Bayou reservation, which I thought would be the best way to close out our visit.

In Anaheim, Blue Bayou has been mostly a disappointment. They know that guests will come for the atmosphere alone, so the food has rarely been good and always overpriced. In Tokyo, somewhat surprisingly, the food is important to them as well. It was a fantastic meal, superior to anything Anaheim has served at their location. What was peculiar, though, was that the lighting was so dim that you could barely see the passing boats. As a result, the interaction between riders and diners, something that often enhances the Anaheim experience, was almost completely absent in Tokyo.

It was then time to leave the resort and head to Tokyo for our two days with Mac and then flight back to California. While I've certainly shared my opinions along the way, it might make sense for a summation or recap of our stay with a focus on tips for trip-planning:

1. Don't waste your money on the Mira Costa. The Mira Costa left a bitter taste in my mouth. The hotel's occupancy rate and high demand obviously justifies management's decision to charge the most unreasonable rates that I have ever paid for such meager accommodations. Perhaps because this night was sandwiched between the luxurious Japanese suite at the Sheraton and the spacious and wonderfully-themed room at the Disneyland hotel, but there was nothing about our Mira Costa stay which would make we want to return there. Just because you can charge $700 for a miniscule room with a prime park view and entrance doesn't mean that you should.

2. It's hard to find a good meal. I can't remember if the common wisdom is that counter service restaurants are better at TDS and sit-down restaurants better at TDL or if the reverse is true. That should tell you about our experience with quick-service restaurants. Between the Cape Cod hamburger and Grandma Sara's salisbury steak, neither park had much to recommend as far as quick-service restaurants are concerned. There is no buffet in any Disney U.S. park that is worse than TDR's Crystal Palace. Again, just because you have a captive audience doesn't mean that you have to serve them barely edible food.

3. Don't miss the shows or parades. We're not usually a family that stops for parades or stays for shows, but all of the ones that we watched at TDR were well worth the time and trouble. The fact that people actually sit down for them makes a great parade even better.

4. If you can afford it, the package is worth it. We spent some time going over whether or not to get the package. If you break it down to what is included, essentially it means that you are paying an enormous premium for the additional FPs. In the end, I decided to do it and certainly did not regret it. The unlimited drinks, while restricted to certain locations and selections, were a great benefit. When we visit WDW, I usually book an Early Morning Magic experience, and this was about as analogous an experience as TDR offers, if more expensive. Like many decisions not just restricted to travel, ultimately you have to decide as to whether or not you can afford it or are willing to spend the money on it. If you decide to spend the money, I don't think you will be disappointed. If I did not exactly agonize, I certainly did go back-and-forth in trying to decide if the park would be busy enough to justify this perk. Based on our experience, when the park was not exactly low season but not high season, either, as long as you are not going during a thunderstorm, you will more than likely get good use out of the package.

5. Don't spend more than three nights, three days. While I was glad to have had the third day, it was also somewhat unnecessary, as we were able to do everything that we wanted to do in the two days. Certainly if you are waiting on long lines, the third day will come in handy because there may be rides, parades, or shows that you didn't get to experience in the first two days. Except for the absolute die-hard fan, it's hard to imagine how a fourth day would be anything but overkill.

6. Plan for all weather. Just because, say, you're going in July, don't assume that it will be warm. It certainly wasn't during much of our visit, and I had to pay for an overpriced hoodie at the Gap as a result. This picture gives you an idea of how people were dressed in July:


Next Installment: Last full day in Tokyo with Mac

 

[newfamilyman]

Loving your report so far, I'm going in March and have a week to spend between DL and Tokyo. Your information has been so helpful and I can't wait to try one of those burgers! Did you feel too rushed with only 2 days at DL and DS? I'm planning 1 day at DL 2 days at DS and I'm trying to decide if I need a 4th day to finish up stuff I didn't get to. I will be going during a busy time of the year and am not staying on property so no hotel FP so I'm expecting long waits. I am also planning on doing the TeamLab museum thing whichever one it is while I'm there.

Sorry, I forgot to include our last day at the resort, which I've just added.

 

[newfamilyman]

I was wondering how to get in touch with Mac... I really think that we would like to do a tour, just to get our feet wet.... and my DH would so love that burger !!!! Did he give you tips how to use the trains without getting lost... I am a bit... okay ... alot nervous about using the trains...
Looking forward to reading about your last day in Japan...

I have really enjoyed reading it... lots of good stuff...

Mac's e-mail is mactionplanet@gmail.com. Here are his rates as of last October:
TOKYO
Tokyo pricing depends on whether I am the guide or whether you are guided by a member of my hand-picked highly trained guide team.

Mac: ¥9900/hour.
Other Maction Planet guides: ¥7900/hour

A minimum engagement of 8 hours/day is required. Any extension to the tour time is billed on a 15 minute basis.

This includes the tour fee, all our upfront coordination and planning, hotel pick-up and drop-off each day, the guide's transportation by train (within Central Tokyo - this is almost never included) and any applicable taxes.

It does not include your transportation by train or car/taxi or the guide and your food and drink, or any costs such as the guide and your entry into any paid attractions we visit.

KYOTO

¥7900/hour with a minimum engagement of 8 hours/day. Any extension to the tour time is billed on a 15 minute basis.

Inclusions: Vehicle, driver/guide, fuel fee, parking fees (parking is rarely included by others), hotel pick-up and drop-off each day and any applicable taxes.

Exclusions: Entrance fees for driver and you, highway fees if applicable, lunch for you and driver.

If leaving the Kyoto city limits, for example for a trip to Nara or Osaka, an extra payment of one hour is added to the time fee.

HIROSHIMA

¥7900/hour. A minimum engagement of 8 hours/day is required. Any extension to the tour time is billed on a 15 minute basis.

This includes the tour fee, all our upfront coordination and planning, hotel pick-up and drop-off each day and any applicable taxes.

It does not include the guide's or your transportation by train or car/taxi/boat or the guide's and your food and drink, or any costs such as the guide's and your entry into any paid attractions visited.

A minimum 50% non-refundable deposit via PayPal invoice is needed to secure the dates. I say minimum as I have found some people prefer to pay a higher amount upfront. Any balance can be settled in cash or by PayPal after the tour. All PayPal payments are subject to a 5% processing fee.
**
I did not ask Mac for help with trains. I found Google maps and Navitime extremely helpful. Google maps specifically directs you to the specific platform and even recommending which train to board to facilitate the transfer. There was only one time when we were about to board the wrong train, and that was on the way to the airport, so that will be in the last installment.

 

[LovesTimone]

Mac's e-mail is mactionplanet@gmail.com. Here are his rates as of last October:
TOKYO
Tokyo pricing depends on whether I am the guide or whether you are guided by a member of my hand-picked highly trained guide team.

Mac: ¥9900/hour.
Other Maction Planet guides: ¥7900/hour

A minimum engagement of 8 hours/day is required. Any extension to the tour time is billed on a 15 minute basis.

This includes the tour fee, all our upfront coordination and planning, hotel pick-up and drop-off each day, the guide's transportation by train (within Central Tokyo - this is almost never included) and any applicable taxes.

It does not include your transportation by train or car/taxi or the guide and your food and drink, or any costs such as the guide and your entry into any paid attractions we visit.

KYOTO

¥7900/hour with a minimum engagement of 8 hours/day. Any extension to the tour time is billed on a 15 minute basis.

Inclusions: Vehicle, driver/guide, fuel fee, parking fees (parking is rarely included by others), hotel pick-up and drop-off each day and any applicable taxes.

Exclusions: Entrance fees for driver and you, highway fees if applicable, lunch for you and driver.

If leaving the Kyoto city limits, for example for a trip to Nara or Osaka, an extra payment of one hour is added to the time fee.

HIROSHIMA

¥7900/hour. A minimum engagement of 8 hours/day is required. Any extension to the tour time is billed on a 15 minute basis.

This includes the tour fee, all our upfront coordination and planning, hotel pick-up and drop-off each day and any applicable taxes.

It does not include the guide's or your transportation by train or car/taxi/boat or the guide's and your food and drink, or any costs such as the guide's and your entry into any paid attractions visited.

A minimum 50% non-refundable deposit via PayPal invoice is needed to secure the dates. I say minimum as I have found some people prefer to pay a higher amount upfront. Any balance can be settled in cash or by PayPal after the tour. All PayPal payments are subject to a 5% processing fee.
**
I did not ask Mac for help with trains. I found Google maps and Navitime extremely helpful. Google maps specifically directs you to the specific platform and even recommending which train to board to facilitate the transfer. There was only one time when we were about to board the wrong train, and that was on the way to the airport, so that will be in the last installment.

Thanks so much for the link... and the last day trip report for the parks...

DH and I have talked about staying on site, the Disneyland Hotel, for some reason Mira Costa doesn't appeal to either of us, as well as the price doesn't appeal to us either....so if we decide to stay on site it will be Disneyland Hotel..... We have gone back and forth about how many days and nights.... we don't tour commando style, and rope drop really isn't our thing... I know with the crowds and fast passes we should and maybe one day we would... but not for whole stay... as of right now we are thinking 4 nights off site at either the Hilton Tokyo Bay or the Sheraton Tokyo Bay... depending on which one has the best offer at the time... since its just the 2 of us and we are empty nester's, we can just do whatever we want... as far as tickets we are thinking 4 day, so that we have the option to hop on day 3 and 4... and the plan looks more like Disney Sea a full day and half, and Disneyland 2 full days, and half... This way we can see the night-time shows, parades, and a better chance at maybe winning a lottery for one or more of the shows and so we will have 4 days and nights to see it, instead of having to do it all in 2.

I do have a kinda random question... and I ask this as this is the first time I have heard about this.... as our friends that just went, said that they needed a flash light in the parks at night, as there really isn't much lighting to see where you are going, or to look at the park maps... Their future son in law is in the military and he had a small one stowed away in his back pack... so they used that each night.... My friend was like it was so dang dark, that it was hard to keep from bumping into people, and that other guest were constantly saying.. " Sumimasen" that's when they realized it meant excuse me or sorry... as well she said that they need it in the hotel rooms, when they were trying to look for things in the luggage, and without much room to move things around... She said overall that lighting in the hotels were limited... Thoughts on this?

Looking forward to more on your trip report...

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 14: Last Full Day in Tokyo With Mac

Mac had asked us the previous day if we wanted to attend a religious ceremony involving drums and fire at a little-known temple. You may recall that I had advised Mac multiple times that we were not interested in visiting too many shrines or temples, but he assured me several times that this experience was the highlight of many of his previous clients' visits. With some reluctance, I agreed, requiring that we begin our day a little earlier than we would have wanted in case the temple filled up.

We made our way by subway to the temple. We were plenty early enough, since there was ample seating. The monk began drumming loudly and then lit a fire. If you picture someone hitting a loud drum and then lighting a fire in a fireplace, you will get some idea of this experience. Now imagine sitting for an hour, watching someone beat a drum in front of a rather mundane fire. Instead of it being a calming experience, basically the whole time I kept wondering why I was paying $60 an hour to witness a monk beat a drum, stare at a fire, and then bless various attendees' personal properties, including Mac's cell phone, which he described as the most-blessed cell phone in Tokyo. I guess this was my fault for not refusing Mac's suggestion, but I thought of this as a lesson learned: when using guides, don't be afraid to put your foot down on what you are willing to do, especially when the guide has a high hourly rate. Needless to say, it was definitely not the highlight of our trip. On the way out, Mac asked that I not publish the name of the temple so as to limit the number of tourists who visit the ceremony. Clearly, Mac both underestimated my influence as a writer and overestimated my opinion of the experience.

Following the ceremony, we went to the Tsukiji Fish Market, which was similar to the fish market that we visited in Kyoto, and then had sushi for lunch. Mac steered us to an uncrowded restaurant where we sat at the sushi bar. He asked about our experience with sushi on the trip, and we shared our glowing experience at the conveyer-belt sushi restaurant in Osaka. Mac was somewhat dismissive of conveyer-belt sushi restaurants, even ones such as the one we visited in which we ordered almost all of our selections from the video screen and took few items from the actual conveyer belt. Mac described this particular restaurant as more of a mid-level restaurant. This restaurant, which proved to be Mac's only slip in dining recommendations, was more expensive than its Osaka counterpart without being better in quality or value. In fact, this was the only time that I wondered if Mac received some sort of kick-back for bringing customers there. We paid for Mac, since I decided in lieu of a tip, which are generally discouraged in Japan, that we would pay for his meals. There was only one other party who dined at the restaurant while we were there, which Mac attributed to its location on the second floor, so it received less business than street-level restaurants. While he claimed that it was a find, unfortunately, this disappointment continued my negative impression of the tour so fat that day.

Things went uphill after lunch, thankfully. We began by visiting Ginza. We went into the Nissan showroom, where they decorate the foam in cappuccinos in the image of your face. Mac brought us to a Sony store where they had a realistic dog robot which made us miss our dogs at home. We visited the upscale Kit Kat chocolatier, which only sells the Kit Kats made with high-quality ingredients so that the raspberry pistachio was obviously made with real raspberries and pistachios, unlike the artificially-tasting flavors of the mass-produced varieties. They were considerably more expensive, but the quality justified their price.

We then traveled to Akihabara, where all the electronics stores are located, reminding me a little of New York. Once we got off the subway, Mac had a surprise for us. I was looking at a pastry shop located near the subway station's entrance when all of a sudden I realized that Chris of TDR Explorer fame was waiting for us. As I mentioned previously, Chris was our primary trip-planning resource. We listened to all of his relevant podcasts at least once for more than a year as well as buying his e-books and purchasing an hour of individual planning, which was done through Skype. Chris is very likeable, so it was pretty cool just to hang out with him and Mac for a couple of hours.

What did we do? We strolled through the neighborhood. It was a warmer day, and many of the stores were handing out fans, which was wonderfully helpful. We spent some time in one electronics store that had the first 8K television that I had seen. The picture was actually not as crisp as the 4K TVs surrounding it. We went to our last DonKi, where Chris showed me some of his favorite snacks. I purchased five bottles of Bulldog katsu sauce, though I subsequently noticed that it is also son on Amazon. After getting some great pictures, we said good-bye to Chris. This was easily the highlight of the day for us and a good reminder why we like to use guides.


As we prepared to end our day, Mac took us through an area that looked like a swap meet of sorts which he said was run by the yakuza and that we should not say that name aloud. I ended up buying a cheap piece of luggage which I needed in order to bring our souvenirs back home. It was then time to say good-bye to Mac as well.

Overall, we were impressed with Mac and glad that we had used his services. While we did not turn out to be one of his clients who he said booked their next tours with him while they were on the plane flying home, we enjoyed his personality and the knowledge that he imparted. DW said that she still wants to climb Mt. Fuji, and Mac said that he would be glad to escort us on our next trip.

We were pretty beat after the long day and preparing for the dread of our return home the following day. We ended up just eating dinner at the club lounge. It fit the bill for a pretty good, free meal, especially since DS wasn't feeling well. I did appreciate the lounge for the helpfulness of the concierge that night. I thought a nice way to end the trip was by seeing Toy Story 4, which was just opening in Japan that weekend. I love seeing movies in different countries to see how the experience can vary, but I was unable to book the tickets because the website was in Japanese. The concierge booked the seats for us, so we were set to go to the movies the following morning before leaving for the airport.

Next Installment: Final Day in Tokyo and the Flight Home

 

[newfamilyman]

DH and I have talked about staying on site, the Disneyland Hotel, for some reason Mira Costa doesn't appeal to either of us, as well as the price doesn't appeal to us either....so if we decide to stay on site it will be Disneyland Hotel..... We have gone back and forth about how many days and nights.... we don't tour commando style, and rope drop really isn't our thing... I know with the crowds and fast passes we should and maybe one day we would... but not for whole stay... as of right now we are thinking 4 nights off site at either the Hilton Tokyo Bay or the Sheraton Tokyo Bay... depending on which one has the best offer at the time... since its just the 2 of us and we are empty nester's, we can just do whatever we want... as far as tickets we are thinking 4 day, so that we have the option to hop on day 3 and 4... and the plan looks more like Disney Sea a full day and half, and Disneyland 2 full days, and half... This way we can see the night-time shows, parades, and a better chance at maybe winning a lottery for one or more of the shows and so we will have 4 days and nights to see it, instead of having to do it all in 2.

I do have a kinda random question... and I ask this as this is the first time I have heard about this.... as our friends that just went, said that they needed a flash light in the parks at night, as there really isn't much lighting to see where you are going, or to look at the park maps... Their future son in law is in the military and he had a small one stowed away in his back pack... so they used that each night.... My friend was like it was so dang dark, that it was hard to keep from bumping into people, and that other guest were constantly saying.. " Sumimasen" that's when they realized it meant excuse me or sorry... as well she said that they need it in the hotel rooms, when they were trying to look for things in the luggage, and without much room to move things around... She said overall that lighting in the hotels were limited... Thoughts on this?

Thanks for your kind words, and sorry for the late reply.

That is really strange about the lighting. Are these the same friends who claimed their sauces were confiscated from their luggage? I'm starting to wonder if they actually went to Japan or are making all these crazy things up?! No, you will see just fine without a flashlight. Nobody bumped into us.

As for the strategy of going late and staying late, just remember that these parks are extremely crowded. I was underwhelmed by the number of attractions and if you are going when many are closed, as was the case for us, the lines get even longer. Also, FPs can run out pretty quickly, especially for the more popular attractions.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[LovesTimone]

[QUOTTE="newfamilyman, post: 61475799, member: 78487"]
Thanks for your kind words, and sorry for the late reply.

That is really strange about the lighting. Are these the same friends who claimed their sauces were confiscated from their luggage? I'm starting to wonder if they actually went to Japan or are making all these crazy things up?! No, you will see just fine without a flashlight. Nobody bumped into us.

As for the strategy of going late and staying late, just remember that these parks are extremely crowded. I was underwhelmed by the number of attractions and if you are going when many are closed, as was the case for us, the lines get even longer. Also, FPs can run out pretty quickly, especially for the more popular attractions.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
[/QUOTE]


Thanks for the info... Yes theses are from my friends who sauces went missing... and they never found the sauce... so who know what really happened, maybe the sauces never made it into the luggage... It would not surprise me at all if this is what really happened... They are really nice and good people, and really wonderful friends and we have alot of good times with them... They tend to fly by the seat of their pant, and never really have a plan for anything, then stand around wondering what just happened... lol... The husband say's getting my family together just to leave the house is like herding cats around... LOL

After mentioning the flashlight thing to DH, he was like "Honey I always take the small flashlight with us"... I was like duh... once I stopped and thought about it we have used it a bunch, looking in the back pack or day bag, looking for earring backs in the carpet of hotel room, and cruise ship cabins, Walking through Paris very late at night, and at DLP walking back to the Newport Bay at each night...

So we are going in mid. November of this year... for 10 nights.. not including travel day... Right now we have decided on 3 nights, at either the Hilton or Sheraton... ( planning on using points for the hotels) and a 3 day ticket, we might get the 4 day ticket, as its not really that much more... depending on what we think when we arrive... I think that all the refurbishment's look like they will be done, and we are going well after the Olympic are over... so that's a plus... I have checked and re-checked the crowd calendars, and picked the best time for our time frame.... and the rest will fall where it may...

Looking forward to your next installment..

 

[ophkw]

Thanks for the great report. I had a question about you picking up your Disney vacation package the day before. Did you have to call to arrange that or was it just ready? The website says you cant pick it up until the day your package starts which isn’t very convenient.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 15: Last Day in Tokyo, Flying Home

After another great breakfast in the club lounge, we headed to the Toho Cinemas connected to the adjacent Rappongi Hills mall. The tickets were in Japanese, with no English, so it was impossible to know the theatre number. I first hit the concession stand, where the employee did not speak English. I ordered a popcorn and soda mostly by pointing, though she did seem to know the word popcorn. It came with a sticky, caramel sauce on top. It was as if instead of caramel corn, there was regular popcorn with the caramel sauce all on top instead of coating all of the kernels. I showed the manager our tickets, and he informed me of the correct theatre in English.

Upon entering the theatre, everyone was given Toy Story 4-themed kids' activity sheets. The auditorium itself was extremely large and divided into three different levels of seats. The standard level was traditional, stadium seating. The second level, which took up the premium space in the center section in the middle of the theatre, consisted of a type of seats that we don't have in the States. It was like a suite consisting of the same stadium seating in the rest of the theatre but enclosed on three sides. It was no more comfortable than the other seats, and the suite was unnecessary, but location was ideal. The highest level of seating was relegated to a space too near to the screen to be desirable but was in the kind of premium, reclining seats that are found, for example, in AMC's Dine-In and Dolby theatres. Arguably the best feature of the theatre, again something that we don't have in the States, is that once the lights dimmed, the theatre was completely dark. There are no illuminated exit signs. Luckily, there were no emergencies, so it made watching the movie very pleasurable. I highly recommend you see a movie in Japan, if you have the time.

Once the movie ended, it was time to get to the airport. We were going to Haneda, not Narita, so it was theoretically a convenient and relatively short subway ride there. For some reason, my usually reliable Google maps and Navitime failed me when it was time to switch train lines. We were about to get on a train without being sure if it was the right one when a friendly local stopped us and told us that that was not the right train to go to Haneda. This interaction is a great example of why Tokyo is such a great city. I can't think of too many other cities that we have visited where a local might not have had a good chuckle at a dumb American rather than lend a helping hand.

Once at the airport, it was easy to find the drop-off location for our WiFi buddy which had served its purpose efficiently and affordably, and we were definitely glad that we invested in the loaner, especially since our cell phones are still locked. After checking in and going through the short security line, we passed various duty free shops, and I was glad that I had purchased my Kit Kats already. The selection was quite poor compared to our beloved DonKi, and I think in general duty free shops are rip-offs, since they tend to make up for the savings in taxes by raising their prices.

It was a bit of a struggle to find the Delta-affiliated lounge, but that will be a moot point for future travelers, as Delta is opening their own Sky Lounge at Haneda. Delta's stellar reputation as the domestic airline with the best service certainly was not evident on our flight home except for the wonderfully private suites in Delta One. A flight attendant practically yelled at me when I went to the galley to ask for a drink. Their snack basket, when I was allowed in the galley area, was filled with Japanese snacks, and the in-flight entertainment (IFE) had a decent selection of Japanese movies. One that I watched, "You Are the Apple of My Eye," had many of the themes common to Japanese coming-of-age stories that I have seen and read in which (spoiler ahead) the central female character dies. As tear-jerkers go, it was a good one and a nice way to end our journey.

And then we were home. Returning to the points-and-miles focus of this trip report, many premium credit cards offer reimbursement for Global Assist, which bypasses customs and immigration lines when returning to the U.S. The depression about which I had read in so many reports from the Facebook Japan travel planning forum was definitely true. We had a wonderful trip which we won't soon forget and hope to return again.

Here are some summarizing final thoughts/tips/suggestions:

Japan is a great destination for points-and-miles hobbyists. Not only was there availability for up to four Delta One seats using Virgin Atlantic points, but couples can generally fine ANA first class seats or business class seats for less than what Virgin charges for Delta seats. There is also widespread hotel availability on Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, and IHG. If you can use miles and points to cover your airfare and hotel stays, the trip becomes a lot more affordable. It is definitely easier to redeem miles for premium cabins going to Asia as compared to Europe, Australia, or Africa (I haven't tried South America).

If you can afford it, the TDR vacation package is worth it. I had a lot reservations before booking it as far as whether the package would be necessary or a waste of money. As it turned out, due to both the limited number of attractions with FP and the number of attractions in total at both TDL and TDS, the extra FPs that you get with the package were worth it, and this will certainly be even more true now that Soarin' opened, with the Beauty and the Beast attractions soon to follow. The free drink benefit also came in handy, though it caused us to drink many more sugary drinks than we otherwise would have.

Avoid the Mira Costa. Unlike the vacation package, this hotel was truly a rip-off. I would have much rather enjoyed our second night at the Sheraton in a Japanese-style suite instead.

Make your dining reservations in advance for table-service restaurants at TDR. I didn't find counter service restaurants to be of particularly good quality at either park. Between the Cape Cod burger and salisbury steak at Grandma Sara's, neither park has much of which to be proud when it comes to counter-service restaurants.

If you've been to either of the Universal resorts in the States, there won't be much in Osaka to justify a visit there. It was fun to experience Jaws once, and Backdraft provided a nice walk down memory lane. Otherwise, unlike the TDR, there is nothing unique about USO.

We love tours with private guides, whenever it is affordable (and sometimes when it isn't). Especially if you are having some anxiety about going to a truly foreign country with a significant language barrier, a private guide is really helpful.

I hope these tips have been helpful and that you have a great time in Japan.

 

[newfamilyman]

Thanks for the great report. I had a question about you picking up your Disney vacation package the day before. Did you have to call to arrange that or was it just ready? The website says you cant pick it up until the day your package starts which isn’t very convenient.

When I tried to go at the beginning of the day, I was told to come back later that day. I can't remember if the CM told me 3 or 4. It would not have been convenient to pick it up the same day, agreed, but unless the procedure has changed, you can get it the afternoon beforehand.

 

[soniam]

Lovestimone here,
Sorry I had to talk to my friend, she said the letter inside the luggage it's self, they did not realize that the contents had been gone through until they got home... She said that once they left the bags at the ticket counter and the luggage was locked ( TSA approved locks) when they dropped it off, she said that everything was all locked when they picked it up.... She really doesn't have any idea of when or where the sauce's were taken out of the luggage, They flew out of Narita, then onto LAX, stop and stayed overnight at an LAX airport, she said they never opened the check baggage, that had moved everything that they would need into the roll on's for the one night.... then the next morning from LAX, stopped in Atlanta, before landing in Tampa... she said it was just a printed form letter, and she just threw it away... I asked her did they take anything else she said only the sauces, she said they several packages of loose tea leaves, in a large zip lock baggie, which they said looked like something that you would see on PD live... and tons of other stuff that they bought, her DD's bought lots of Korean and Japanese beauty products, lotions and oils, shampoo and conditioner, body scrub and on and on... the sauce were in my friends DH's bag...So they are not sure if they randomly pulled his bag for inspection, or what happened... just the letter and the sauce were gone....

She said that the only thing that when going back through customs in Japan, that they wanted to see the camera's that they had bought, and some other electronic items... which they all had in their carry on's... the receipt's were in the passport... they just looked at the camera's, the boxes, the receipt and sent them on their way... now this was last year, in March 2018....

I wonder if the liquid was confiscated due to US liquid allowances on flights. We were in Chile during xmas break. On our return flight, while sitting in the airport waiting to board, they made some announcements about no liquids over 3oz allowed on the plane. We thought we were misunderstanding, but no. Since other countries, and Chile itself, don’t have any liquid restrictions, they let you bring it into the airport. No one said anything until after we, and many others, had purchased large bottles of water inside the airport. They did a secondary security screening before boarding, where they searched all carry-ons and made people dump their liquids. I wonder if they did it when inspecting the bags before loading them at the airport in Japan

 

[soniam]

Enjoyed the informative report. I am just starting our planning for summer 2022. I don’t see many people talk about USO, so it was nice to see that. Also just subscribed to the TDR podcast; I didn’t realize they had one.

 

[DianaMB333]

Thanks for writting and sharing.! I am starting to plan the trip for 2022 and your report has helped a lot!

 

[soniam]

Thanks for writting and sharing.! I am starting to plan the trip for 2022 and your report has helped a lot!

Planning for summer 2022 too. Hoping they have worked out the virus stuff and are letting tourists in.

 

[TwingleMum]

Enjoyed the report. Could you give a rough estimate of the cost per night of the Disneyland Hotel?? The cost of the package and what it included? Very confusing. There is no way I can do 15 days. We are thinking maybe 7.

 

[newfamilyman]

Enjoyed the report. Could you give a rough estimate of the cost per night of the Disneyland Hotel?? The cost of the package and what it included? Very confusing. There is no way I can do 15 days. We are thinking maybe 7.

I tried to find the charge for the package, but I couldn't find it. It was definitely a splurge, from my memory. If I recall correctly, the packages came in an option of one or two nights. They included breakfast each morning, unlimited non-alcoholic drinks from most locations in the parks, a popcorn bucket, and particular souvenir from the hotel's store. They also included a number of FastPasses, which we selected, or you could choose a package which included show reservations and fewer FastPasses. It was a high premium to pay for the FastPasses, as I recall, but we decided to splurge.

If you only spend a week there, you'll probably want to skip Osaka and Kyoto. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[soniam]

Enjoyed the report. Could you give a rough estimate of the cost per night of the Disneyland Hotel?? The cost of the package and what it included? Very confusing. There is no way I can do 15 days. We are thinking maybe 7.

Those packages are not currently available and may or may not return. I would just keep an eye out when they start catering to foreigners more again.