Travel Agent Recommendations for Disney/Japan

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Mar 9, 2022
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We are in the beginning stages of planning a “trip of a lifetime” to Japan. We’re trying to make ABD work schedule-wise (life is complicated), and also want to do Disneyland Tokyo. Did anyone have a good experience working through a travel agent for Disneyland? Is it necessary, or can we figure it out on our own?

We are DVC so will probably just book ABD directly.
 
Travel agents cannot book hotels, vacation packages, etc. for Tokyo Disneyland. You'd have to do it on your own and it's not easy but there are plenty of resources to help you. TDR Explorer is the best English speaking resource for TDR.

You can also use Klook to buy tickets if the TDR website does not accept your credit cards.
 
Travel agents cannot book hotels, vacation packages, etc. for Tokyo Disneyland. You'd have to do it on your own and it's not easy but there are plenty of resources to help you. TDR Explorer is the best English speaking resource for TDR.

You can also use Klook to buy tickets if the TDR website does not accept your credit cards.
I was recently told by a US TA that I don’t know, that they can. However, they don’t get commission, so you need to book other commission stuff with them or pay them.
 

I was recently told by a US TA that I don’t know, that they can. However, they don’t get commission, so you need to book other commission stuff with them or pay them.
Do you mean that they don't know if they can? In my early trip planning, I was looking into a TA and only found ones that could do Shanghai and Hong Kong, but not Tokyo.

TDR Explorer and this board's tips helped me book my Vacation Package so I feel like I didn't need a TA in the end anyway.
 
Do you mean that they don't know if they can? In my early trip planning, I was looking into a TA and only found ones that could do Shanghai and Hong Kong, but not Tokyo.

TDR Explorer and this board's tips helped me book my Vacation Package so I feel like I didn't need a TA in the end anyway.
This US TA said they had booked TDR hotels before. However, their client also booked other stuff in Japan for which the TA got commission. TDR doesn’t give commission at least to foreign TAs. So, it’s possible.
 
there are local Japan TA's but you have to live in Japan. The availability is also extremely scarce, practically as scarce as booking the FS Hotel. I'm not sure how a travel agent could possibly guarantee a reservation outside of Japan. I know a tour company that could secure you Disney tickets, but could only book non official TDR hotels. The general consensus really is you're mostly on your own, and I'm not sure I would trust a TA from outside of Japan that could get you a reservation. It just seems to me that they would be trying to book just like everyone else and not be affiliated with OLC in anyway.
 
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We are in the beginning stages of planning a “trip of a lifetime” to Japan. We’re trying to make ABD work schedule-wise (life is complicated), and also want to do Disneyland Tokyo. Did anyone have a good experience working through a travel agent for Disneyland? Is it necessary, or can we figure it out on our own?

We are DVC so will probably just book ABD directly.

As others have said, you will need to book your Tokyo Disney trip portion yourself. The first thing you need to notice with their booking website, is that it is down between 3am and 5am, Japan time. If you're on the east coast, that means that between 2pm and 4 pm during daylight saving time, you can't consult anything when it comes to prices and package availability.

How many people are traveling? Many rooms are for 2 people or 3 people max, such as the Chip n Dale character room I stayed in at the Ambassador Hotel last year. There were two single beds and what I figured was a pull open sofa bed at the end of the room.

You can book rooms for 1 to 5 nights on your own. Depending on the hotel you book, starting the day after you check in, you have access to the Magic 15 entrance at one or two theme parks. 15 minutes before everyone else, a special set of turnstiles opens, allowing hotel guests with the proper document to enter the park without waiting in the massive lines before opening. This sounds like nothing, but japanese guests are very punctual and will start lining up at 6am for an 8 or 9am official opening. They are also very savvy regarding Premier Access or Priority Pass (free fast pass equivalent), so they will already have started to scoop up the good rides.

If you're willing to prebook a large portion of your trip at a price premium, you can do a vacation package. Those are for 1 or 2 nights max and depending on the one you book, you need to select your dates and length of stay. It will then ask you for what style of package you want and then you select an hotel based on availability. You then book premium access to rides, restaurants, etc. and then you get the price of the package. You also get a drink voucher, which another poster did a list of places where you can use it on another forum thread.

Food is very different compared to the american parks. For example, you want a burger? Only one or two venues per park will serve them. Substituting or removal ingredients from the dishes is culturally not a thing in Japan and you will need to use their Special Dietary Menu if you have allergies or intolerances to food.
 
As others have said, you will need to book your Tokyo Disney trip portion yourself. The first thing you need to notice with their booking website, is that it is down between 3am and 5am, Japan time. If you're on the east coast, that means that between 2pm and 4 pm during daylight saving time, you can't consult anything when it comes to prices and package availability.

How many people are traveling? Many rooms are for 2 people or 3 people max, such as the Chip n Dale character room I stayed in at the Ambassador Hotel last year. There were two single beds and what I figured was a pull open sofa bed at the end of the room.

You can book rooms for 1 to 5 nights on your own. Depending on the hotel you book, starting the day after you check in, you have access to the Magic 15 entrance at one or two theme parks. 15 minutes before everyone else, a special set of turnstiles opens, allowing hotel guests with the proper document to enter the park without waiting in the massive lines before opening. This sounds like nothing, but japanese guests are very punctual and will start lining up at 6am for an 8 or 9am official opening. They are also very savvy regarding Premier Access or Priority Pass (free fast pass equivalent), so they will already have started to scoop up the good rides.

If you're willing to prebook a large portion of your trip at a price premium, you can do a vacation package. Those are for 1 or 2 nights max and depending on the one you book, you need to select your dates and length of stay. It will then ask you for what style of package you want and then you select an hotel based on availability. You then book premium access to rides, restaurants, etc. and then you get the price of the package. You also get a drink voucher, which another poster did a list of places where you can use it on another forum thread.

Food is very different compared to the american parks. For example, you want a burger? Only one or two venues per park will serve them. Substituting or removal ingredients from the dishes is culturally not a thing in Japan and you will need to use their Special Dietary Menu if you have allergies or intolerances to food.
We will be a family of 5, so 2 rooms. My kids actually do better when separated anyway so it is not a big deal.

We have no problem paying for better access (we’d actually prefer it). IIRC they don’t offer VIP tours, right? We know Florida/California so well, that the idea of “learning” how to do a new park feels kind of daunting.

Japanese food is quite popular in our house, so I’m hoping food won’t be an issue. Surprisingly my impossible-to-feed daughter was less picky in Disneyland Paris than she is at Walt Disney World. Fingers crossed that happens again!
 
We will be a family of 5, so 2 rooms. My kids actually do better when separated anyway so it is not a big deal.

We have no problem paying for better access (we’d actually prefer it). IIRC they don’t offer VIP tours, right? We know Florida/California so well, that the idea of “learning” how to do a new park feels kind of daunting.

Japanese food is quite popular in our house, so I’m hoping food won’t be an issue. Surprisingly my impossible-to-feed daughter was less picky in Disneyland Paris than she is at Walt Disney World. Fingers crossed that happens again!
they offer VIP tours but they are only in Japanese. You have to provide your own translator.
 
We will be a family of 5, so 2 rooms. My kids actually do better when separated anyway so it is not a big deal.

We have no problem paying for better access (we’d actually prefer it). IIRC they don’t offer VIP tours, right? We know Florida/California so well, that the idea of “learning” how to do a new park feels kind of daunting.

Japanese food is quite popular in our house, so I’m hoping food won’t be an issue. Surprisingly my impossible-to-feed daughter was less picky in Disneyland Paris than she is at Walt Disney World. Fingers crossed that happens again!

If you're not able to do the VIP tour that was posted by dunkindonut, Tokyo Disney released a new vacation package for november/december 2024 where it includes unlimited premier/priority access to every ride in each park. It's a 3 nights package/2 park days (1 day at Tokyo Disneyland/1 day at Tokyo DisneySea) package that is quite popular now. For example, when I looked for one of the few available dates in december for two persons, it came up to around 3000$ USD. This is the name of this package: Fantasy Springs: Enjoy Attractions Even More ― 3DAYS (with Park Tickets for 2DAYS)

On the food topic, snacks are absolutely amazing there and I tend to go for one meal, plus snack my way around the parks. The Spicy Smoked Chicken Leg served at the Lost River Cookhouse to the left of Raging Spirits is my favorite chicken dish in the world. With the beverage voucher, you can try some of the more exotic drink options too. I attached photos of some of the more fun ones I had over the years there.

Spicy Smoked Chicken Leg.jpg

Spicy Smoked Chicken Leg

Yucatan Base Camp Grill Snack Tokyo DisneySea.jpg

At the Yucatan Base Camp Grill, which is set in an extension of the Temple of the Crystal Skull and can be seen as an Indiana Jones restaurant, they served this "Assorted Snacks" which had some freshly smoked beef jerky and two types of sausage. Price was incredible too: 3.50$ USD in 2023! The latest version served at the restaurant has Sausage, Chorizo, Fried Potatoes, Mixed Nuts for 600 yens (3.80$ USD)

Soaring Fantastic Flight Litchee Tapioca drink.jpg

When Soaring Fantastic Flight opened, they served this delicious Litchee Tapioca drink.

Avatar Way of Water drink Tokyo DisneySea.jpg

For Avatar: Way of Water release, they served this unique lemonade at Tokyo DisneySea.
 
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