Tokyo Disney - Any Advice?

[JsMom2]

I'm in the process of buying at SSR, and am planning on traveling to Tokyo Disney next April. Has anyone used DVC points there before, and do you have any advice?

TIA!

 

[50 years Too!]

I'm curious, too. My daughter is graduating from college this spring and plans to visit friends in Japan for her grad present. They'd love to spend a few days at the parks.

 

[Princess_Melanie]

I'm interested in this too - me and DBF have discussed that we would love to tag a week or so in Japan onto a honeymoon trip (if it happens ) and as we're DVC members and Disney mad it makes sense to us to stay in Tokyo Disney....just nothing to go with on the boards so far for TDL and TDS!!

 

[juju]

We're DVC but save our points for WDW. Been to Tokyo Disneyland several times and we stay in Tokyo, closer to Tokyo Station. There is so much to do in Tokyo that we prefer to stay in the city as it is an easy train ride to TDL from that area. The last time we stayed in the Shiodome area (close to Ginza)

 

[JsMom2]

We're DVC but save our points for WDW. Been to Tokyo Disneyland several times and we stay in Tokyo, closer to Tokyo Station. There is so much to do in Tokyo that we prefer to stay in the city as it is an easy train ride to TDL from that area. The last time we stayed in the Shiodome area (close to Ginza)

I've never been to Japan before, and was wondering how close Tokyo Disneyland is to the rest of the sites. How far from the city is it? My DD and I are in Belgium, but her DF will be remote in Korea for a year. I'm going to take her to Korea in the spring for a visit, and figured we might as well visit Japan while we are there.

I've got some Developers points that need to be used within the next 12 months anyway. So I wasn't sure if we should stay at Disney and take the train into town to sightsee. I was thinking of 2-3 days at Disney and then a few days of Tokyo. Do you have any suggestions??

Thanks!

 

[simzac]

This thread is why the DIS boards need a TDL board along with the DLP board. JMO

 

[JsMom2]

This thread is why the DIS boards need a TDL board along with the DLP board. JMO

ITA!

 

[juju]

Regarding distance from Disneyland, it depends on where you stay. As I mentioned we stayed near Tokyo Station, which is the huge transit station in Tokyo (there are several large ones, but this is probably the largest). Depending upon the time of day, the parks are probably an easy 20-30 min train ride on the JR Line. There is a train stop right at Tokyo Disney Resort. It is very easy to get to and very easy to get to the city. There are many things to see and do in Tokyo, but not everything is close together. If you have points that you need to use then you should go ahead and stay at the resort. However, since it is so easy to get to TDL from the city, I prefer to stay there and see other things too. We usually spend one day at Disneyland and one day at Disney Sea. If you have never been to Tokyo before, you definitely need to see the sights and just experience the city, it is a lot of fun.

 

[GEB@okw]

We really enjoyed DisneySea while in Japan. It's highly recommended by me!! My son lives in Tokyo and we will be visiting again next year....

 

[tic-toc-croc]

Here's another vote for DisneySea. If you're using points, check out Hotel MiraCosta at DisneySea. That's right in the park, what a spectacular place!

We stayed at one of the Disney partner hotels with free shuttle to the parks, very convenient. The train station at Disney is easy to use. Tokyo and the Disney parks are amazing. A return trip can't come soon enough.

 

[JsMom2]

I have Developers points to use this year, so I wanted to stay at Disney. Plus I'm not sure if this will be our only trip to TDL, so I really want to do the full experience. The Mira Costa is gorgeous, and I love that its right in DisneySea. But the Ambassador looked more kid-friendly, just because of all the different eating options. Any opinions on this? (My DD is 9.)

The information about the train is VERY helpful. So now I'm thinking of coming in on a Sunday, and going to the parks Monday and Tuesday. (Will 1 day in each park be enough?) Then we could stay Tuesday night to have time in the shopping area and then move to a hotel downtown for a couple nights.

I was able to get a book on Japan from the library last night, but haven't had a chance to open it yet. Any recommendations on "must see" stuff in the Tokyo area?

 

[tic-toc-croc]

This thread is why the DIS boards need a TDL board along with the DLP board. JMO

Perhaps adding HKDL to the TDL board too.
We went to both on the same trip. I had to gather info from other websites out there. It would have been more fun planning with DIS.

JsMom2: my vote is Mira Costa. Make sure you explore all options before booking. The exchange fee is nonrefundable if you change your mind. Try to google Tokyo Tourism Office.
Depends on park hours, TDL can be done in 1 day if you want to skip some things. DSea is a 2-day event for us. The shows are very good, and there are new and different rides than WDW. You may want to reconsider moving hotels because it takes up too much of your precious time. Pick one hotel and stay there. Tokyo public transportation is very good. Feel free to PM me if you like.

 

[Princess_Melanie]

A TDL/DS and HKD board would be great - it's not that easy finding stuff on the net and these boards are great for info sharing and help....

There is supposed to be another Disney hotel opening next year right? A Disneyland style one?

We'd be going in 2009/2010 probably so we'd have lots of choices...would be great to have a specific place on here to come to and plan and discuss!!

 

[JsMom2]

Perhaps adding HKDL to the TDL board too.
We went to both on the same trip. I had to gather info from other websites out there. It would have been more fun planning with DIS.

JsMom2: my vote is Mira Costa. Make sure you explore all options before booking. The exchange fee is nonrefundable if you change your mind. Try to google Tokyo Tourism Office.
Depends on park hours, TDL can be done in 1 day if you want to skip some things. DSea is a 2-day event for us. The shows are very good, and there are new and different rides than WDW. You may want to reconsider moving hotels because it takes up too much of your precious time. Pick one hotel and stay there. Tokyo public transportation is very good. Feel free to PM me if you like.

Thank you for sharing! I'll do some more research and will probably PM you with more questions. I appreciate the help!

 

[simzac]

I'm hoping Disney eventually will build DVC resorts in both Tokyo and Hong Kong

 

[Princess_Melanie]

I'm hoping Disney eventually will build DVC resorts in both Tokyo and Hong Kong

Now THAT would be really cool....

 

[juju]

This is what we have done twice. I live in Seattle so it might not work for everyone. United and Northwest both have flights that go thru Tokyo to get to Hong Kong. We book a flight to HK that has a layover in Tokyo (usually a couple of hrs). However, we have delayed our final leg from Tokyo back to Seattle by several days and there was no fee to do so, most recently was in March. We went to both HKDL and TDL. Often the fare is cheaper to HK than Tokyo. TDL was crazy busy and HKDL was dead,dead, dead.

 

[simzac]

TDL was crazy busy and HKDL was dead,dead, dead.[/QUOTE]

No shock there

 

[JsMom2]

This is what we have done twice. I live in Seattle so it might not work for everyone. United and Northwest both have flights that go thru Tokyo to get to Hong Kong. We book a flight to HK that has a layover in Tokyo (usually a couple of hrs). However, we have delayed our final leg from Tokyo back to Seattle by several days and there was no fee to do so, most recently was in March. We went to both HKDL and TDL. Often the fare is cheaper to HK than Tokyo. TDL was crazy busy and HKDL was dead,dead, dead.

Any advice on what are the best days to go to the park? I'll be there in April and was looking at the Monday and Tuesday before "Golden Week."

 

[juju]

we usually try to go during the weekday and avoid the weekends. Your Monday and Tuesday might work, but you might want to check a calendar for holidays (besides Golden Week), cause those will be busy too. I think the Tokyo Disney website has a list of dates and prices and I seem to remember you can tell when the higher prices are, which would indicate busier days. Definitely avoid Golden Week and you need to watch your travel to and from Japan around that time, because the hotels and flights will be really busy. Good luck!