Tips for Tokyo Disney in the rain?

esc38372

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Our group (4 adults, 2 pre-teens, and 2 early teens) is headed to Japan next week and plan to be at the parks Tuesday through Friday. According to the weather forecast, there will be two dry days and then two wet days.

Crowd levels are supposed to be low, but Toy Story Mania will be closed (we have ridden TSM multiple times, so we won't miss it but were hoping it would draw some of the FP crowds). Instead, I guess everyone at TDS will be heading straight to Nemo...including us!

Do you have any suggestions for what to do during the rainy days? Is one of the parks better in the rain than the other?

Will it be rainy enough that I should pack rain boots?

We fly in on Monday at 4:30 pm from the West Coast. I was planning on going to TDL first to get adjusted to Japan by visiting a semi-familiar park and saving TDS for Wednesday. Or should we go to TDS first since we will probably be wide awake early on Tuesday and TDS opens earlier (8:30 am) than TDL (9 am)? Would it be worth going to a park for a short time on Monday night after we check in?

We will be staying at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay. What time do we need to get to the gates if it's supposedly a low-crowd day (20,000 people the first three days and 26,000 people on Friday, according to the Japanese crowd calendar)?

Thanks for your help and any other tips, especially about trying to ride Nemo! It will be our first time in Japan, and reading everyone's trip reports has been wonderful - we are really looking forward to our trip!
 
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It's getting into the rainy season here in Tokyo, so keep an eye on the weather throughout your trip. I wouldn't be surprised if the rain forecast changes over the course of the next week. That said, TDR is still great fun in the rain, and I think you'll still have a great time!

Rainy Day Tips!
-TDR does sell ponchos, but you may have to take them off on some rides. Most people tend to bring umbrellas that they stow during the rides. If you want ponchos, I recommend picking them up and bringing them with you from the US.
-Rain boots are a great investment for the rainy season, and if you have a pair that are comfy to wear all day, I'd bring them. Also be sure to take some changes of socks in your bag.
-Most of the rides should be in operation, but just prepared to get wet on things like BTM, etc.
-Parades will likely be cancelled, and instead they will do a rainy-day version with characters in ponchos. Depending on the severity of the rain, they may ride the usual floats and not have dancers, heavier rain will have the cars with characters riding on them. The former is still quite fun to watch!
-I've only done TDL in the rain, but I think that one would be better in the rain since there are more indoor activities/rides. Plus much of the fun of DS is walking around and absorbing the atmosphere, which you might not want to do as much if it's pouring.

I'd also advise against going to the park on your first night (Monday.) Is 4:30 when you arrive at the airport in Tokyo? You'll have to go through customs, get your bags, and then get to your hotel, which will likely put you much later. Even so, jet lag can be killer. Instead I'd suggest take it easy, go get showered and set up in your hotel, and go out for dinner. After that, try to stay up till 8 or 9pm before hitting the parks the next day. I don't think it matters which park you do first, just pick which one you'd like! :)

Good luck and have a great trip!
 
Thanks so much, Kyjin! I will keep watching the weather forecasts as you suggested.

Thank you for your rainy day tips and for advising against going to the park on the first night. Yes, 4:30 pm is when we arrive at the airport, so you are right that it would be better to get some rest that night!

I have read that you should be at the park gates 1 hour before opening. Do you think that's still true on a "low-crowd" day? We will try to get Nemo FPs in Tokyo Disney Sea and Pooh/Monsters FPs in Tokyo Disneyland.
 
Glad to help!

Honestly I've gotten to the parks just past park opening on low-crowd days and been fine, but if you can get there earlier, all the better! I haven't been to the parks since Nemo opened, so I'm not sure how bad the rush is for those fastpasses. On low-crowd days in TDL, I've gotten in twenty to thirty minutes past opening and still gotten fastpasses for Monsters or Pooh. The wait goes up very quickly in that first half hour though, so if those rides are your priority, I'd try to get to the park earlier so you can grab fastpasses for one and ride the other with a low wait. Those two are definitely the first fastpasses to run out in the park.

(Personal opinion: Pooh is WAY better than Monsters, and I will try to ride the former two or three times if I can. In my experience, Pooh goes down quite a bit, so you may be able to catch it right when it comes back up after a close, thus minimizing wait.)

If you don't want to get to the parks too early, and since it looks like you're going to have two days for both parks, prioritize one ride for each morning. First day go for Monsters or Pooh for first fastpass, second day in TDL go for the other. If you can get fastpasses for both before they run out, great! If not, at least you know it's your priority ride the other morning. For TDS, go for Nemo one day, and I'd either go for Tower of Terror or Journey for your second day.

If you have any other questions about the parks or Japan let me know. :)
 


Thank your lucky stars! Because TDR mainly attracts locals, they can choose when to visit and will avoid rainy days. That means less crowds!

I would take as much wet weather gear as possible. I don't mind spending the whole day in wet pants / shoes, but if you can avoid it then do so.

The smaller crowds mean that you can enjoy longer lunches, so maybe choose places where you're happy to soak up the ambience and dry out a little.

They're pretty understanding about umbrellas at TDR, in terms of taking them on the rides, but they will ask you to remove your wet ponchos / rain jackets before going on rides so that you don't get the seats too wet. Ultimately, I go with both an umbrella and a mostly waterproof jacket when at TDR in order to try and stay as dry and warm as possible.

On my visit in April, our first day at Disneyland was wet all day. Everything was operating which was a pleasant surprise, even Thunder Mountain which I'd previously found to close at the mere hint of rain. Activities like the Jungle Cruise and Railroad are a nice way to sit down out of the rain, but still see an attraction.
 
Thanks, Agent 86 and Kyjin! Will take your advice to embrace the rain and take advantage of the lower crowds, longer lunches, and hopefully dry socks!

We love Pooh and are hoping to ride it multiple times. So excited to see all the kawaii things in Japan!
 
I love to go when it is raining! The crowds are smaller and you can get more done! Like others have said, if you wear ponchos they will make you take them off for rides. This is such a hastle so i would opt not to wear ponchos, but instead just wear a light water proof jacket and bring an umbrella that is small enough to be folded down a shoved in a purse or backpack. In june my guess is that it won't be cold just wet and a bit humid, so you could even get away with wearing shorts and sandals. That may sound weird, but socks and pants take awhile to dry and can be uncomfortable when wet.

We only go during the "slower" times and have arrived anywhere from 15 minutes after rope drop to 30 minutes early. We have never felt "behind" or at a disadvantage.

We always get the after 6 pass on our arrival night and have a relaxing evening just taking in the atmosphere. It would be too hard for me to sit in the hotel on arrival day and see the park but not go in it :)
 


Thank you, planningjollyholiday! The shorts and sandals method is my DH's preferred rainy day attire

Thanks also for confirming that we may be ok not going super early to the gates.

I guess we will see how tired we are after the flights - if everyone naps a little bit, we may end up getting an After 6 pass too!
 
We didn't make it to the parks on our arrival night, but we had a great first day at TDS yesterday!

Entered a little after opening and were able to get Nemo FPs for 1:15 pm. Nemo was down when we entered but opened right when we were getting our FPs, so we jumped into the line for a posted wait of 20 minutes, but it felt more like 10!

We spent all day at the park (left after Fantasmic - the kids were barely able to keep their eyes open, but I enjoyed it - even though it was the "alternative" version).

Didn't get to do everything, so we are glad for a second day to try out Fortress Explorations, Big Band Beat, and go back to the rides/areas that we loved!

Thanks for all your tips!
 

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