Quick Check In from TDR

[Kestryl]

Hi all. We just left Tokyo Disney Resort. I’m going to write up a full trip report after the rest of our vacation, but I wanted to offer up myself to answer questions or anything in the meantime.

Very quickly: We’re two adults in our 30s and from the US. This was part of a larger Japan trip (three nights Tokyo, four nights Disney, seven nights Osaka). We stayed two nights at the Ambassador, two nights at MiraCosta. One full day and two half days at Tokyo Disneyland, two full days at Disney Sea. We don’t speak any Japanese (beyond saying hello, sorry, thank you).

Some differences we noticed from the US parks: Fireworks get cancelled a lot. Rides close early- as in they’ll shut the line down, you can’t just hop in at the last minute (or maybe earlier, depending on what’s going on). Lots of food options, but not customizable. Everyone is super, super friendly. Walkways are wonderfully large. Everything is gorgeous and thematic. It feels like the animatronics are closer? I don’t want to leave!

Anyways, if you have any questions, let me know!

 

[Disnewbies]

Hello there! Hope you have a great time in Japan. Just a few quick questions from me. Did you have trouble paying for Disney Premier Access using credit card? And how were the evening parades? Highly recommended? TIA!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Looking forward to hearing more. Did you have any issues reserving rooms at those 2 resorts? How far in advance were you able to get the rooms? Thanks!

 

[Kestryl]

Hello there! Hope you have a great time in Japan. Just a few quick questions from me. Did you have trouble paying for Disney Premier Access using credit card? And how were the evening parades? Highly recommended? TIA!

I did not have any issues with credit cards for premier access (or anything else, really, once I was in Japan). I used a Citi Mastercard once before I swapped over to an AmEx. We’ve mostly been using AmEx overall (no international fees on our cards), but we’ve been able to use Citi MasterCards and Chase Visas!

So the Electrical Parade got rained out the night we planned on seeing it- I wish we had tried to make time our first night there, but we were just so excited about rides, ha. We did get the rainy parade, Nightfall Glow, which was super cute but very short. We got “front row” in the hub about 20 minutes prior to the show for that (probably because it was raining). I think the regular parade would be highly recommended based on the little we saw.

The day parade, Harmony in Color, was a lot of fun. People line up for the parades pretty early- like 3 or more hours, we noticed! So Premier Access may be worth it- I think they assign specific “seats” at Tokyo Disneyland, as our unused Electrical Parade had markings like A-2-12 and A-2-13 and there were circle marks on the ground in the reserved section that said A-2-12, A-2-13, etc.

But near the front and certain sections you sit the whole time, which is freaking fantastic. (Except the rain parade. You don’t sit for that.)

 

[Kestryl]

Looking forward to hearing more. Did you have any issues reserving rooms at those 2 resorts? How far in advance were you able to get the rooms? Thanks!

We were pretty late in booking (too much indecisiveness, ha.) We booked March 28 for June 4-6 (Ambassador Hotel) and June 6-8 MiraCosta). It wasn’t my intention to split stay, but by the time we went to book the rooms we wanted had random dates unavailable. I expect this is because I wanted the Donald room at Ambassador and his birthday is June 9; and MiraCosta in general books up relatively quickly. Theme park room views were unavailable by the time we booked, as far as I could tell.

It seemed like there was good availability for “standard” rooms outside of MiraCosta at the time we booked. I don’t think we’re here during a relatively high travel season though. I mean, for us, yes, because it’s summer in the US, but it’s not Golden Week or anything like that here.

 

[zanzibar138]

Thank you for checking in! I don't have any questions right now, but I'll be looking forward to reading your TR when you get back. Hoping that you might be posting something about Universal Studios since you're going to Osaka

 

[Kestryl]

Thank you for checking in! I don't have any questions right now, but I'll be looking forward to reading your TR when you get back. Hoping that you might be posting something about Universal Studios since you're going to Osaka

We have USJ planned for Monday!

 

[shaycamp21]

Did you eat at any of the restaurants at the Ambassador Hotel? We are staying there for 3 nights in August and were thinking about doing Chef Mickey's.

 

[Kestryl]

Did you eat at any of the restaurants at the Ambassador Hotel? We are staying there for 3 nights in August and were thinking about doing Chef Mickey's.

Yes, we ate at Chef Mickey’s for breakfast! Right now, Chef Mickey only has a Mickey meet and greet stop. They have us a number and told us what time we would go to see Mickey, and it was limited to one posed photo per group. (They did take extra pictures of us hugging him.) This could change by August- I know they used to do the walk around characters like Disney World’s Chef Mickey.

There was an interesting variety of food- western breakfast items like pancakes and bacon, but also chicken curry, udon soup, etc. Also free refills for drinks!

I think it was about 8000 yen for two adults- so about $60 based on current exchange rates. We’re glad we did it once, but we probably wouldn’t do it again unless they changed the meetup and more characters were included. Our reservation meant we had to give up the Happy 15 entry, which we found was a fantastic tool to get in the bigger attractions.

 

[shaycamp21]

Yes, we ate at Chef Mickey’s for breakfast! Right now, Chef Mickey only has a Mickey meet and greet stop. They have us a number and told us what time we would go to see Mickey, and it was limited to one posed photo per group. (They did take extra pictures of us hugging him.) This could change by August- I know they used to do the walk around characters like Disney World’s Chef Mickey.

There was an interesting variety of food- western breakfast items like pancakes and bacon, but also chicken curry, udon soup, etc. Also free refills for drinks!

I think it was about 8000 yen for two adults- so about $60 based on current exchange rates. We’re glad we did it once, but we probably wouldn’t do it again unless they changed the meetup and more characters were included. Our reservation meant we had to give up the Happy 15 entry, which we found was a fantastic tool to get in the bigger attractions.

I don't think I want to give up the Happy 15, especially since we are going during Obon week. I guess we could do the breakfast on our check out am though that may be too busy. That's disappointing though that character interaction is so limited, but you are right that may change by August. Do they have characters for dinner or also just wondering even without characters if it's worth going for a meal on our arrival night since we'll have to eat anyway?

 

[Kestryl]

I don't think I want to give up the Happy 15, especially since we are going during Obon week. I guess we could do the breakfast on our check out am though that may be too busy. That's disappointing though that character interaction is so limited, but you are right that may change by August. Do they have characters for dinner or also just wondering even without characters if it's worth going for a meal on our arrival night since we'll have to eat anyway?

Yes, Mickey is around for lunch and dinner, so that would be a very valid option! I know breakfast is only offered for hotel guests- lunch and dinner are open for everyone, so I think you need to book pretty early.

 

[shaycamp21]

Is it 30 days out that you can book dining?

 

[Kestryl]

Is it 30 days out that you can book dining?

I never got a real solid answer for this. We booked about 30 days out for our park dining, but we booked the hotel breakfast earlier than that. There’s a separate reservation system you can use for the main dining reservation system if you stay at the hotels, and I noticed just prior to our 30 day mark that I could book out for our whole trip. I’m not sure when they actually became available- I suspect it was sooner than that.

 

[shaycamp21]

Did you find the separate reservation system section on the TDR app or on the website?

 

[Kestryl]

Did you find the separate reservation system section on the TDR app or on the website?

The website. I’m struggling a bit on my phone, but I think if you go here: https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.j...*MTY4NjQ0NjU5MC4yNy4xLjE2ODY0NDY2MTkuMzEuMC4w

And then navigate to “My Booking,” there should be a way to book dining options. I can’t seem to find it- I expect that’s because my trip is over. But it let me look at my plans for hotel stay, restaurant bookings on one page, and I was able to book through that. This system appears to be separate- I noticed that there was availability through this when there was no availability through the “standard” dining reservation page.

 

[Kestryl]

Thank you for checking in! I don't have any questions right now, but I'll be looking forward to reading your TR when you get back. Hoping that you might be posting something about Universal Studios since you're going to Osaka

Well it’s the end of the day Monday, and we went to USJ! We did have Express Passes for 7 rides. General impressions: I do not understand when this park opens. (We showed up an hour early and rides were already running.) Lines can grow large. We were constantly asked to remove our glasses, but they let us continue when we showed our straps. (Super, super near sighted, like we could not safely navigate from lockers to ride vehicle nearsighted.) They are in general very concerned about loose articles. Some of the checks feel over the top. Super Nintendo is super cute, highly recommended. We had passes to get in, but we also got later times entry passes.

Also, Jaws! I don’t speak Japanese, but the team member was great, and it was lovely to see the ride again (even if I was terrified on the Orlando one).

 

[zanzibar138]

Well it’s the end of the day Monday, and we went to USJ! We did have Express Passes for 7 rides. General impressions: I do not understand when this park opens. (We showed up an hour early and rides were already running.) Lines can grow large. We were constantly asked to remove our glasses, but they let us continue when we showed our straps. (Super, super near sighted, like we could not safely navigate from lockers to ride vehicle nearsighted.) They are in general very concerned about loose articles. Some of the checks feel over the top. Super Nintendo is super cute, highly recommended. We had passes to get in, but we also got later times entry passes.

Also, Jaws! I don’t speak Japanese, but the team member was great, and it was lovely to see the ride again (even if I was terrified on the Orlando one).

Thank you! That's very helpful. I actually noticed at Universal in Singapore that they seemed to be far more stringent than Disney - I got told off when I started taking photos on the Jurassic Park ride. Although I was allowed to take photos on Jurassic Park in the US, so maybe it's a cultural thing.

How do the express passes work at US? We'll be aiming to do the same for our few must-do rides. And what about Nintendo World? This is the main reason we're going and is probably the one must-do above all others, so I don't want to miss out! It sounds like we'll need to get separate passes for that area?

 

[Agent 86]

How do the express passes work at US?

There's a wide assortment of options with different combinations of rides: https://www.usjticketing.com/expressPass

I think the express passes which include Harry Potter or Nintendo rides also include a timed entry to those areas, but if you don't have an express pass, then you also need to get a (free) timed entry for the Nintendo area and, if it's busy, the Harry Potter area: https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us/enjoy/numbered-ticket

There are (free) fast passes available for some of the children's rides: https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us/enjoy/numbered-ticket/yoyakunori

 

[zanzibar138]

That's great, thanks very much!

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

There's a wide assortment of options with different combinations of rides: https://www.usjticketing.com/expressPass

I think the express passes which include Harry Potter or Nintendo rides also include a timed entry to those areas, but if you don't have an express pass, then you also need to get a (free) timed entry for the Nintendo area and, if it's busy, the Harry Potter area: https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us/enjoy/numbered-ticket

There are (free) fast passes available for some of the children's rides: https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us/enjoy/numbered-ticket/yoyakunori

How do the "timed entries" work-- do they get assigned at the time of purchase, or when you arrive, etc? I am worried if we buy the express pass in advance and they give us a very early Mario Kart time that we might not actually make it to the park early enough to ride it.