We've decided to go to Disneyland Tokyo in 2026 need budgeting advice.

[tikilyn]

Yay! We've officially decided to go on our first overseas Disneyland vacay! It'll be me (52f), my dh (53), my DD(25 and still in college) and my DS (22).We want to go for at least 14 days not including travel days. I was so excited until I ran some non official numbers (airfare, vacation package and extra nights to extend, ect...). It's looking like we're going to be spending a little over 20,000. I wasn't anticipating that kind of money. Airfare alone from Texas is going to cost us close to 10,000.00 (if I was booking today). Plus the kids want to spend a couple of days exploring Japan outside of Disney too. So I got a few questions before we go even further planning this trip.

First question, When is the cheapest time to book a vacation package? With my daughter going back to college we're stuck going during her off times. So it might be a mute point anyways. We're looking at May - August, and possibly/maybe December-January (we don't like the cold).

Second question- How far in advance should I book airfare? What type of prices should I be looking for as a good deal. Right now they are ranging from 1800.00 to 2400.00 round trip from Texas.

Third question - We want to do 2 days at each park. My understanding is we should book a vacation package and then add on a day or two and buy tickets for the extra days? Is it better to purchase a 1 night/2 day package or a 2 night/3 day package? With the 1n/2day we would get 2 park tickets (DL and DS) but will need to add on 3 more nights and purchase 2 more park tickets (1DL and 1DS day each). If we chose the 2n/3day package we would only need to add on 2 more nights and purchase a 1 day ticket to Disneyland as I believe the 2n/3d package comes with 1DL day ticket and 2 day Disney Sea tickets. In total we're looking at 5nt/6 days total for the Disneyland portion of our trip. Doing it like this will give us a check in day, 4 park days and a check out day so we don't feel rushed go to or leaving the parks.

Fourth question - Which resort should I be looking at booking? I know, I know such a personal decision, but which one offers the most amenities and access in the parks?

Thank you for all the help. I'm sure I'll have many more questions but this is a start. First I need to pick a date for the trip, then look for airfare and get a vacation package and book extra rooms. The rest of the vacation will fall into place after I deal with the Disney portion.

 

[Keetchino]

When I have gone I've been on both ANA airways and JAL and I refuse to look at any other airline lol. The service alone is worth the extra cost. I'm on the East coast and it seems like the best airfare prices are either right when they release the airfare or 3-4 months beforehand. I've been looking at Premium Economy which from the East coast I've been finding for between $1800-$2500 RT pretty regularly, and economy for $1000-$1300 RT. I'd recommend going with premium economy if you can swing it, seats recline pretty far and have a footrest that comes up so it feels like you are in a reclining chair. JAL premium economy notably has a hardshell seat, which means space is not encroached on at all if someone reclines in front of you. Both ANA and JAL also give lounge access to premium economy passengers which is great. Use Google Flights calendar to see cheapest dates.

It can definitely get cold at the park in the winter months, I went February 2024 during a particularly cold week which was in the 40's the whole time and mostly rainy.

I have priced out both room only rates and vacation packages and for myself I cannot justify the vacation package's large increase in price. I never had any issue getting my dining reservations or anything on my own and I'd rather save the money to put towards a good hotel or souvenirs. You can also get half day tickets for access after 3 or 4 pm or something like that if you don't need it for the whole day. Plus side to a vacation package though is the head start on room and dining availability and being able to get all your dining/ fast passes locked in in advance.

MAKE SURE you get a E-Sim for your phone to get internet access otherwise you can't do much on the Disney app on your phone. Hotels will have free internet as well as the front gate of the park, but once you leave the park entrance you're out of range.

Resort hotel wise, my top pick is the MiraCosta. It is hands down the best one, easily beating out Fantasy Springs Hotel as far as I'm concerned. It is IN the park so you can't get closer, certain rooms look out directly *into* DisneySea park, which means you can check out after-hours operations. On my last trip we got to see them rehearsing two of the shows on watercraft at like midnight which was amazing. After MiraCosta I'd say Disneyland Hotel, as you are right outside the front gate. If you are looking to save some money I'd go with Toy Story hotel, it is right behind Fantasy Springs and is on the monorail loop, and I heard that Toy Story guests will be allowed to use the Fantasy Springs Hotel entrance starting in June to enter/ exit the park *after* 10:00 am.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

You mention a 14 day trip, but only 4 days in the parks and a few days outside Disney. How many days do you plan on a Tokyo Disney hotel?! Also, are you aware that TDR doesn't open up VPs for booking until 4-5 months before the date, and individual rooms are 4 months out? You'll be buying airfare well before then, or at least you'll consider it!

I agree and disagree with Keetchino. First, Miracosta would also be our first choice and an easy recommendation. The resort and the proximity to DisneySea is amazing. Where we disagree is that we thought Fantasy Springs resort was a very close second, and we're very glad we stayed there. The only other resort we considered was the Disneyland Hotel. But the theming and the service at these hotels is absolutely outstanding.

I'd definitely recommend the vacation packages. They are expensive, but get you access to things more easily (rides and meals). You can also book them a couple weeks before the room-only. If you're going for a once-in-a-lifetime event, I'd recommend it. You might even consider back-to-back VPs. We did one at FS and one at MC - we actually had a pseudo-park hopping day in the middle. And the staff at the resort picked up our luggage in our first resort, from our room after we checked out, and it was waiting in our new room in the new resort when we left the parks.

There are a lot of guides and references out the for planning at TDR. Read up as much as you can! Also, become familiar with the TDR web site and how it works - it's easy to use, but different from WDW or DL. The site is also always down in the middle of the afternoon (ET) here in the US, because they do nightly maintenance in the middle of the morning over there! All of your work will be well worth it - the experience is amazing!

 

[NaptownMom]

Did you already look at flights on Zip Air? We did that (flew ourselves to CA to make it work) and it was much cheaper than alternatives.

 

[Keetchino]

Forgot to add, most Japanese rooms seem to only accommodate 2-3 in a room (outside of the Disney Hotels), and require 2 rooms for a normal family of 4 with older kids. I would highly recommend looking at apartment-style hotels like &Here (Tokyo only) and Mimaru (Tokyo, Osaka Kyoto). Both can easily sleep 5 and more, have full kitchens, and I found the prices even less then a lot of standard hotels in Tokyo

 

[Kwami]

Just a few notes.

If you have credit card points, see if you can use them for your flights. On our last trip to Japan, the two of us flew business class from the northeastern US to Tokyo for $1,000 total. We had to buy the tickets through Cathay because we could transfer credit card points to Cathay and Cathay is in the same group as JAL (Oneworld).

The summer months in Japan are very hot, especially in the cities. Very hot! Also, June tends to see a lot of rain.

MiraCosta is neat. It's really pretty and it's in Disney Springs, so that's nice. But for my money, I'd rather stay at Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. It's a gorgeous hotel with fantastic theming, it's right outside of Tokyo Disneyland, and it's on the monorail for easy access to Disney Springs and Ikspiari. It's usually cheaper and easier to book than MiraCosta, too.

 

[Agent 86]

Why do you need a Vacation Package? We've visited Tokyo Disney Resort many times, have never purchased a Vacation Package and have an awesome experience each and every time. It does require a bit of planning, but nothing too extreme.

June, July and August can be hot. We visited in July 2023 and it was unbearably hot and humid. I was soaked head to toe in sweat just from waiting in line for a ride at 10am while sheltering under a UV umbrella, with a neck fan, etc. For me, it's much more pleasant to travel in the cold, especially when you're doing a lot of walking, exploring, etc. You may want to aim for May, but double check when Golden Week is to avoid that time period, although I generally understand that post-Golden Week is a good time to visit TDR.

 

[tikilyn]

Thank you all for the great info. My daughter and I (the trip planners) sat down yesterday and went over the basics of the trip. First was figuring out the dates. She finishes her spring semester on May 14th. We've decided the dates for our trip to be May 17th-30th, 13 nights/ 14 days. These date include our travel days. We also looked up their golden weeks and google says its April 29th through May 5th, 2026, so were good there. We've also decided to sight see Japan the first 5 days after arrival then do Disney the rest of the days.

The Disney portion will be 5 nights/ 6 days. The first day is check in and not a park day. Day 2,3 and 4 will be a vacation package. My family wants the perks if offers. Day 5 will be an extra day at Disneyland and day 6 is checkout and fly home. According to my math (which isn't so great LOL) I need to reserve 3 nights separate from the 2nt/3day package. How hard is it to actually get a package deal and then add on non package nights?

I really wanted to book economy plus but the prices are double the cost of basic economy. My poor husband about had a heart attack when he saw the 10,000 price tag. I did find some flights from Texas for 900.00 each r/t for economy. I don't have credit cards with travel points and dh does not want to open any new cards. So using points is out. My daughter and I youtube videos all day yesterday looking at airlines. JAL had the best economy plus. Those seats looked so comfy! Since pricing hasn't been released yet for our dates, I'm hoping I can find a good deal. Wish us luck!

We're also looking at AirB&Bs for our first week. Looking at the hotels and seeing how small the rooms are and their prices, It looks like it's actually cheaper just to get an AirB&B. We plan to print out a map and each of us gets to pick one place they want to visit. Then plan our Airb&b stay somewhere in the center. We haven't really gotten to this portion of the trip and it might not even be possible to do depending where everyone wants to go. LOL

Anything else I should know and anymore advice y'all want to give me. I'm open to hearing it. The only thing set are the dates and Disneyland! I kind of want to do Universal studios too but that might be to much and I don't want to take away seeing the country either.

 

[Kwami]

How hard is it to actually get a package deal and then add on non package nights?

That depends on which hotel you choose and what kind of room you want. If you want a themed room at Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, then you shouldn't have any trouble at all. If you want a park view room at MiraCosta or Fantasy Springs, then good luck!

My daughter and I youtube videos all day yesterday looking at airlines. JAL had the best economy plus. Those seats looked so comfy! Since pricing hasn't been released yet for our dates, I'm hoping I can find a good deal. Wish us luck!

If you're flying out of Dallas, then you'll get JAL's new A-350 seats. Unfortunately, they're arranged in a 3-3-3 pattern, so you'll probably have seat friends if you split 2-2 or 3-1. The old 787 didn't have that problem with a 2-4-2 layout! Premium economy still has the old 2-4 layout, so that's something to consider. And those new premium economy seats look really nice, too!

If you're flying from elsewhere in Texas, then I don't have any useful info. JAL is generally really good stuff, though.

Anyway, good luck!

We're also looking at AirB&Bs for our first week. Looking at the hotels and seeing how small the rooms are and their prices, It looks like it's actually cheaper just to get an AirB&B. We plan to print out a map and each of us gets to pick one place they want to visit. Then plan our Airb&b stay somewhere in the center. We haven't really gotten to this portion of the trip and it might not even be possible to do depending where everyone wants to go. LOL

Japan passed some strict rules in preparation for the Olympics that restricted rentals. So, make sure that whatever you rent has some good reviews and is definitely legitimate.

The metro system in Tokyo is really great. I'd prioritize being near a convenient station rather than worrying so much about what's nearby.

You can use this site to see how long it takes to get somewhere from wherever you want to stay:

https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/route/

With only about a week to explore, you probably want to stay in Tokyo instead of traveling out to Kyoto or anything like that.