The side trip to Tokyo Disneyland is no longer being offered with the Japan Tour. Advice needed.

[helenk]

Hopefully, our trip to Japan will happen, this coming July. I just found out though that ABD is no longer offering the add-on to Tokyo Disneyland. This is the only park that I have not been too and I still want to go when I am in Japan. I know quite a few people have made reservations for the side trip themselves and wanted to know how I might go about doing this part on my own.

 

[AquaDame]

Hopefully, our trip to Japan will happen, this coming July. I just found out though that ABD is no longer offering the add-on to Tokyo Disneyland. This is the only park that I have not been too and I still want to go when I am in Japan. I know quite a few people have made reservations for the side trip themselves and wanted to know how I might go about doing this part on my own.

Hi Helen~! If you have not already I would cross post this in the Tokyo board. I've booked a couple of trips on my own for Tokyo and depending on the room you want it may be vital for you to time your booking to exactly when they open. Harbor View at Miracosta is the most difficult but I've even had to book a slightly higher cat at the Disneyland Hotel before to get the dates I needed. They currently only show two months out (https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/info/detail/1880/) so you have time to play with the website and practice going through the booking process. They could change this at any time - it used to be five months out - so I would keep an eye on that. https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/top/

For a general overview I really like Chris' site if you haven't already checked it out:
https://tdrexplorer.com/ultimate-tokyo-disney-resort-planning-guide/
It is how I knew my credit cards wouldn't work to book..! I had to apply for a mastercard as I only had visas and then still had to call the company when I booked my room so they would allow the charge to go through. It also made me comfortable waiting until I was onsite to purchase my tickets - they have a window in the lobby for this and having an onsite reservation was the only way to get a ticket that allows park hopping the first two days. Ironically we ended up not doing this... whoops.

 

[sayhello]

I know @Cousin Orville and @calypso726 booked TDLR themselves. I'm pretty sure there are others, but I'm not remembering right now.

Sayhello

 

[helenk]

Thank you both. I had not thought of cross posting on the Tokyo board. I just found out today that the side trip is no longer available so I am just starting my research.

 

[Poohlie]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/mira-costa-booking-experience.3574819/

I successfully booked a 2 night package at the Miracosta for August 2019 using guidance from these boards including the thread above as well as TDRexplorer, and like @AquaDame did multiple practice bookings. We were traveling to Tokyo directly from the China ABD, so the add-on package was not an option.

FYI when I called the TDR prior to booking the 2 night Miracosta package they told me that only the Piazza view was bookable on the Harbor side - not the Harbor view for packages. I ended up booking the Venice view because I wanted a triple with three actual beds and not two beds and a trundle. In my practice bookings I noticed that the Piazza views booked much more quickly than the Venice views. Also, my Chase Disney Visa was rejected but my Chase United MasterCard worked. I had Chase on the phone with me as I was booking.

 

[Eastridge]

For our planned June 2020 ABD Japan trip, I bought a Tokyo Disney Resort package on my own to append to that trip. I did that six months in advance at this site: https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/hotel/search/ It accepted the same Disney account (email and password) that I use in the US.

I used a Visa credit card and had no problems getting that accepted. I did call my bank in advance since the site warned the credit card needs to participate in the "Verified by Visa" program but I didn't have to do anything special in advance.

The package I bought had two nights at the Miracosta but park tickets for 3 full days. So I booked an additional night at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which is on the monorail line. That way we could make full use of the park tickets. The package also came with Fastpasses, drink coupons, monorail passes, two breakfasts (which had to be scheduled when you bought the package), and a popcorn bucket.

You would need to handle the transportation yourself. I was planning on taking a taxi from the Peninsula to the Tokyo Disney Resort, asking the guides or the hotel for help with that. It is possible to use subways/trains instead but that would be annoying while carrying a bunch of luggage. You must pick up the package at the Tokyo Disney Resort Welcome Center (close to the JR Maihama station) prior to going to your hotel. To get from the hotel to the airport, buy tickets in advance for the Airport Limousine Bus which runs from your hotel to either Narita or Haneda airport.

Of course, the ABD trip was cancelled. I had no problems cancelling my Tokyo Disney Resort package and received a full refund.

I don't know what the situation is today in terms of buying these packages, or if they are even allowing international guests to reserve these.

 

[Karin1984]

I stayed at the Sheraton and bought my hotel room and tickets via them. No issues with credit card, easy and a lot cheaper. There is hardly a benefit to stay onsite in Tokyo to me. A good plan is worth more than the 15 minutes early entrance.

If I remember correctly, I booked the hotel via a hotel platform like booking.com and the tickets at the reception at check in. I had some issues with the room on forehand as we added a person, the hotel was very helpful and accomodating and gave me a better price.

 

[Poohlie]

Staying onsite may become more important this year according to this press release. A full hour of early entry into Tokyo DisneySea would be a huge advantage. And for our family at least, being able to stay in the only hotel actually inside a Disney park was magical and worth the booking hassle.

December 22, 2020

Variable Pricing to be introduced for
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Park Tickets

URAYASU, CHIBA— Oriental Land Co., Ltd. announced today that variable pricing will be introduced for Tokyo Disneyland® Park and Tokyo DisneySea® Park tickets. Prices will be set for Park tickets depending on the day of the week or the period during the year based on holidays. This new pricing will take effect starting from March 20, 2021 Park admissions. (Please see the attachment for the new prices.)

Tokyo Disney Resort® has continued to expand offerings for guest enjoyment including the opening of new facilities as represented by the Tokyo Disneyland Expansion areas, as well as the introduction of new technology for guest convenience. The new variable pricing will enable a more equal distribution throughout the year of guests visiting the Parks, further enhancing the Park experience for guests. Information about any additional changes in Park ticket prices will be announced on the Tokyo Disney Resort Official Website.

In addition, sales will start for “Early Entry Tickets” exclusively for guests staying at a Disney hotel. This new ticket, which must be used together with a valid 1-Day Passport, will allow guests to enter Tokyo DisneySea as early as 8:00 a.m. Early entry will be available for admissions starting from February 20, 2021. Guests taking advantage of this ticket will be able to make good use of the extra time to experience selected popular attractions and can obtain Standby Passes before other guests are admitted to the Park.

Tokyo Disney Resort will continue to focus on the health and safety of our guests and cast members, with measures including controlled capacity through limits on attendance. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.
The entire cast of Tokyo Disney Resort is looking forward to welcoming guests and providing an enjoyable experience at the Parks.

For inquiries from the general public, please give the following contact number:
Tokyo Disney Resort Information Center 0570-00-8632 (10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Note: From overseas, and from some mobile phones and IP phones, please call 045-330-5211.

 

[AquaDame]

The 15 minutes were kind of silly.. just enough to get into the park and get in line for either a FP or standby but I also don't like that it sounds like you have to pay more for that hour on top of a very expensive hotel price.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

For our planned June 2020 ABD Japan trip, I bought a Tokyo Disney Resort package on my own to append to that trip. I did that six months in advance at this site: https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/hotel/search/ It accepted the same Disney account (email and password) that I use in the US.

I used a Visa credit card and had no problems getting that accepted. I did call my bank in advance since the site warned the credit card needs to participate in the "Verified by Visa" program but I didn't have to do anything special in advance.

The package I bought had two nights at the Miracosta but park tickets for 3 full days. So I booked an additional night at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which is on the monorail line. That way we could make full use of the park tickets. The package also came with Fastpasses, drink coupons, monorail passes, two breakfasts (which had to be scheduled when you bought the package), and a popcorn bucket.

You would need to handle the transportation yourself. I was planning on taking a taxi from the Peninsula to the Tokyo Disney Resort, asking the guides or the hotel for help with that. It is possible to use subways/trains instead but that would be annoying while carrying a bunch of luggage. You must pick up the package at the Tokyo Disney Resort Welcome Center (close to the JR Maihama station) prior to going to your hotel. To get from the hotel to the airport, buy tickets in advance for the Airport Limousine Bus which runs from your hotel to either Narita or Haneda airport.

Of course, the ABD trip was cancelled. I had no problems cancelling my Tokyo Disney Resort package and received a full refund.

I don't know what the situation is today in terms of buying these packages, or if they are even allowing international guests to reserve these.

You could take the trains and just use the black cat service to send your luggage from the airport to the hotel.

"From Yokohama we had the exciting opportunity to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) for the first time to Osaka. We would need to take a couple of trains just to get to the station where the Bullet Train left, so we once again opted to arrange the door-to-door suitcase delivery service. Our friend was also travelling with us, so we called up in the morning (they have an English speaking call centre too) and booked for the luggage to be picked up in the afternoon, and it gets delivered next day. Pretty amazing right!? You just have to make sure you have a change of clothes in your backpack and your pjs and you are set. This service is called Takkyubin (operated by KuroNeko or BlackCat) – and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It cost around $16 each time to have my suitcase picked up, and then delivered the next day to my hotel/home residence door. Well worth the money and not having to struggle with a stroller and a suitcase on trains and busy train stations. http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp is their website and its extremely easy to navigate. "
https://babytourist.wordpress.com/osaka-kyoto-japan/


http://www.japanpowder.com/Travelin... very efficient,and down platforms and stairs

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I'm surprised that ABD has stopped offering the add-on. I wonder what happened. We debated whether to go for a reservation on our own or do the add-on for our Japan ABD in 2019 and went with the add-on. It was way more expensive and whether the hassle value was worth it is debatable, but I'm glad we did it. We had one or two more of the good tickets (I'm not remembering the levels now), and those really came in handy as Soaring had opened that week.

 

[Mathmagicland]

Re getting to TDR post-Japan AbD - the AbD website for last day itinerary shows transfers to either Narita or Haneda airports or to Tokyo Disney Rsport. While the AbD extension is no longer offered, it appears they may still get you to TDR if you do your own booking there. Or is this something they forgot to remove from the website when the extension option was removed? I think it read differently as it doesn’t mention TDR transfers only for those who booked the extension. You’d then only need to arrange transfers back to the airport at the end of your TDR visit. Here is the Day 10 itinerary wording -


Transfer to Narita International Airport (NRT), Haneda International Airport (HND) or Tokyo Disney Resort
Say sayonara to your fellow Adventurers as you transfer to Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda International Airport (HND) to begin your journey home. Transfers to Tokyo Disney Resort will be provided to those Guests who are extending their Adventures by Disney Japan vacation.

 

[sayhello]

Re getting to TDR post-Japan AbD - the AbD website for last day itinerary shows transfers to either Narita or Haneda airports or to Tokyo Disney Rsport. While the AbD extension is no longer offered, it appears they may still get you to TDR if you do your own booking there. Or is this something they forgot to remove from the website when the extension option was removed? I think it read differently as it doesn’t mention TDR transfers only for those who booked the extension. You’d then only need to arrange transfers back to the airport at the end of your TDR visit. Here is the Day 10 itinerary wording -


Transfer to Narita International Airport (NRT), Haneda International Airport (HND) or Tokyo Disney Resort
Say sayonara to your fellow Adventurers as you transfer to Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda International Airport (HND) to begin your journey home. Transfers to Tokyo Disney Resort will be provided to those Guests who are extending their Adventures by Disney Japan vacation.

I still have the pdf for the Japan ABD for 2019, and the wording was identical.

Say sayonara to your fellow Adventurers as you transfer to Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda
International Airport (HND) to begin your journey home. Transfers to Tokyo Disney Resort will be provided to
those Guests who are extending their Adventures by Disney Japan vacation.

So I'm assuming they just forgot to remove it when they discontinued the add-on.

Sayhello

 

[Mathmagicland]

I still have the pdf for the Japan ABD for 2019, and the wording was identical.

Say sayonara to your fellow Adventurers as you transfer to Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda
International Airport (HND) to begin your journey home. Transfers to Tokyo Disney Resort will be provided to
those Guests who are extending their Adventures by Disney Japan vacation.

So I'm assuming they just forgot to remove it when they discontinued the add-on.

Sayhello

Thanks for this info - I did not look for my itinerary. I think you’re right in that they forgot to update the itinerary website after the change.

 

[helenk]

Well, I have looked at the Tokyo Disney website to familiarize myself with the site when it is time to book the room. I liked the fact that ABD took care of this in the past, I did not mind paying extra knowing that everything was taken care of. But I am determined to get to Tokoyo Disney, and if that means booking myself so be it. I am reading everything I can so that when the time comes I can book our room and tickets and see about getting transportation from the last hotel with ABD to the Disney resort.

 

[WeLoveABD]

Sort of surprised-- but not really. We were on the inaugural trip in April 2019 and management was looking at it then. We did it on our own, but happily ABD dropped us off at Miracoasta. It was pretty easy to book it all-- and not a big deal to head over to the park package pick-up spot. Well worth the savings between DIY and what ABD offered!

 

[Hannah nz]

DH and I did Japan on our own as our honeymoon in 2019 and it really is easy to get around, we had no issues at all. We stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay with a ocean view and we could see Mt Fuji! They did have theme park views for a bit more. The lounge was so good too with enough for breakfast and dinner, plus drinks and snacks during day. We took the train from Tokyo Station to Maihama Station with our day bags and had our suitcase sent via Takkuybin which was very easy. We bought our tickets online and then paid extra maybe 200 yen each at guest services to get the normal tickets rather than our print out. Went during May and had no trouble getting on rides we wanted. We didn't find the 15 min made much difference as we lined up early and felt like we caught up quickly to the crowds.

We had no trouble using our NZ credit cards to buy tickets and book hotel, we even extended our stay and combined 2 reservations and the hotel was able to help us easily. They spoke pretty good English.

We use Japan Guide and TDRExplorer to plan.

I'm sure no matter what you pick it will be worthwhile! Let me know if you have any questions, I could talk about my Japan trip all day!

 

[MouseyMin]

I took a different Japan tour last year and added Tokyo DL by myself. I booked the Sheraton (one of the hotels on the monorail system) on line on their website. The hotel was beautiful and very convenient. I was able to purchase my park tickets in the hotel lobby. Everyone was very friendly and, if they didn't speak English very well, would find you someone who did. You can easily get to Tokyo DL from either airport using the Limousine Bus. It makes stops at each of the hotels and announcements are made in English as well as Japanese. The bus back to either airport can be reserved by the staff in the hotel lobby. The only thing I remember that was a slight issue was that park tickets have to be paid for using cash - no credit card. Why I have no idea. The entire thing was stress-free and wonderful. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

 

[helenk]

Thank you all for all your input. I am hopeful that we will be able to go to Japan in July. I was initially worried about booking the side trip on my own but now I am excited to plan this. I have some reading to do to get familiar with the parks. I am thinking of staying 3 nights instead of the 2 that ABD had offered. More time to enjoy the parks.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I found this site to be extremely helpful when researching my TDR trip - tons of great information.

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disney-trip-planning-guide/