The Ultimate Tokyo DisneySea Guide For First Timers – The Only Guide You Will Ever Need!

When I was planning my day trip to DisneySea in Tokyo, I was slightly overwhelmed by all the details. Therefore, I have decided to create this complete Tokyo DisneySea guide so that you will have an easier time planning than I did.

It contains details on the best rides, logistics, FastPass strategies, ticket information, delicious food, and everything else you need to know to make the most of your visit. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below!

Table of Contents

1. Tokyo DisneySea
2. How To Go DisneySea
3. Best DisneySea Rides
4. Best DisneySea Attractions
5. Best DisneySea Food
6. The FastPass System
7. DisneySea One-Day Itinerary
8. Where To Stay
9. Where To Buy Tickets
10. Useful Tips
11. DisneySea Map

Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea is a huge Disney theme park located in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, just outside Tokyo. It is the only Disney park in the world with a nautical theme.

It opened in 2001 and is mainly targeted towards youths and adults, although there are also many rides and attractions suitable for all ages.

Compared to neighbouring Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea has a much wider selection of restaurants. It also serves alcoholic beverages, which are not available at Disneyland.

Many people consider DisneySea to be the best Disney theme park in the world because of its amazing rides and attractions, impressive variety of restaurants, super polite crowds, and general Japanese efficiency.

Tokyo DisneySea is made up of seven large areas called Ports of Calls, each with a different theme:

1. Mediterranean Harbor
2. Mysterious Island
3. Mermaid Lagoon
4. Arabian Coast
5. Lost River Delta
6. Port Discovery
7. American Waterfront.

Don’t worry about missing out on visiting any of the ports, because they are arranged nicely in a walking-friendly loop around the park (refer to map at the end of this article).

How To Go DisneySea

Highway Bus Schedule

1. By Highway Bus
Personally, I feel that taking the Highway Bus is the best way to get to DisneySea. This is because the coach is quite comfy and you get to sit throughout the ride.

The Highway Buses depart from various convenient locations like Shinjuku Station, Tokyo Station, Haneda Airport, etc. Click here to see the full list of departure points.

For us, we took the bus from Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, which is a large bus station located opposite Shinjuku Station. You can refer to the bus schedule in the picture above.

We bought the bus tickets for JPY1,000 each at the station the night before our trip. Children tickets cost JPY500. The bus goes to Tokyo Disneyland too.

We took the very first bus at 6.40am because we wanted to ensure that we would get the Toy Story Mania FastPasses (more on that later).

It was a very comfortable and smooth 40-minute ride. I was impressed to see that there was even a small toilet on the bus.

We took the Highway Bus to go back to Shinjuku too. The departure point is located at Bus Stop 3 in Tokyo DisneySea Bus Terminal North (five-minute walk from DisneySea).

Duration: 40 minutes
Price: Adult JPY1000 / Child JPY500

2. By Train
It is also possible to take the train to DisneySea. It is slightly slower than taking the Highway Bus, but is significantly cheaper. Below are the steps:

– Take the train to Tokyo Station
– From Tokyo Station, take the train for 15 minutes to Maihama Station
– From Maihama Station, walk 2 minutes to Resort Gateway Station
– From Resort Gateway Station, take the Disney Resort Line for 9 minutes to Tokyo DisneySea Station

If you are departing from Shinjuku Station, the train fare will cost around JPY400. If you are taking the train directly from Tokyo Station, it will only cost JPY220.

3. By Klook Shuttle Bus
I recommend taking the Klook Shuttle Bus only if you are staying near the pickup points AND you do not mind reaching DisneySea later.

The pickup points are Shinjuku Prince Hotel, Tokyo Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, and Shinjuku Washington Hotel. You will reach DisneySea at about 8.30am.

However, if the theme park opens at 8am on the day of your visit, the FastPasses for popular rides will probably be fully redeemed by the time you reach. Click here to see the latest theme park operating hours.

Duration: 45 minutes
Price: Adult JPY1,350 / Child JPY789

Best DisneySea Rides

1. Soaring: Fantastic Flight

This hang-glider simulator ride brings you on an amazing flight over famous landmarks around the world. The advanced flight motion simulators, giant screen, and surround-sound music combine to create a wonderfully realistic flying experience. It has a height requirement of 102cm.

This new ride opened a few months ago on 23 July 2019 and is currently the park’s most popular attraction. Therefore, you should race to get the FastPass for this ride immediately after entering the park!

Location: Mediterranean Harbor

2. Toy Story Mania

Before Soaring came along, this Toy Story themed ride was by far DisneySea’s most popular attraction. Wearing 3D glasses, riders sit in pairs and move around on spinning vehicles while blasting away at animated targets. Scores are tallied at the end of the ride.

This ride may seem rather kiddish but the wife and I enjoyed it tremendously! It was super fun to shoot at the 3D objects while zipping around in the vehicles. And my score was higher than the wife’s of course.

If you prefer Toy Story Mania over Soaring, then you should race to get this Fastpass once you enter the park. If not, be prepared to queue at least two hours for this ride later on (or it may close and be available for FastPass holders only).

Location: American Waterfront

3. Tower of Terror

This is a thrilling free-fall ride with an elaborate back story. Park guests are first taken on a physical eerie tour of the Hotel Hightower, before entering an elevator that brings them on an exhilarating drop sequence.

Unfortunately, the tour was conducted entirely in Japanese, so we didn’t really understand the storyline. The highlight for us was mainly the drop sequence!

We dropped at a top speed of 63 kilometres per hour, causing us to rise up in our seats, held down by only our seat belts. At one point, the doors actually opened to reveal an amazing aerial view of DisneySea from a height of 48 metres. Needless to say, there were plenty of screaming during the ride.

After the ride, I walked past a TV screen that displayed a photograph taken of us during the ride. Our expressions were pretty hilarious but I didn’t purchase the print-out copy. Instead, I went the cheapskate route and used my phone to take a photo of the screen.

Location: American Waterfront

4. Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

In this exciting ride unique to Japan, guests are taken on an exciting ride in the dark to the “centre of the Earth”. Along the way, you will encounter glowing crystals, giant mushrooms and strange creatures. The ride then accelerates and ends in an intense climax.

We enjoyed this thrilling ride which had lots of special effects. The finale when the ride sped up and went outdoors for a while was especially exciting.

Location: Mysterious Island

5. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull

This Indiana-Jones themed ride brings guests on a high speed ride through the Temple of the Crystal Skull. Along the way, you will see thousands of snakes and gaping skulls lining the walls. Single Rider is available. The wife and I both enjoyed this exciting ride very much!

Location: Lost River Delta

6. Nemo SeaRider

In this simulator ride, park guests are “shrunken down” and taken on an underwater ride in SeaRider, a mini fish-shaped submarine. Along the way, you will meet numerous characters like Nemo, Dory, Marlin, etc. The ride ends in a climatic sequence where guests are sucked into large pipes before being rescued.

Even though this was a pretty kiddish ride, I really enjoyed the special effects and cinematic experience. If you have children this is a must-do.

Location: Port Discovery

7. Raging Spirits

This outdoor roller coaster brings guests on an exhilarating ride with plenty of high speed twists and turns, and it even features a 360-degree loop! This is definitely one for the thrill seekers!

Single Rider is available. Queues are usually very long so try to get a Fastpass for this. Unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance during our visit.

Location: Lost River Delta

8. Sindbad Storybook Voyage

Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage is an indoor boat ride inspired by the legend of Sindbad the Sailor. Guests get to enjoy beautiful Arabian scenes featuring Sinbad and his sidekick tiger cub Chandu.

Personally, I feel that this ride is underrated. While it does not feature a lavish queue or thrilling high speed ride, it offers a relaxing experience with gorgeous sceneries and wonderful music.

The only downside was that the narration was completely in Japanese. Queues for this ride are usually not very long.

Location: Arabian Coast

9. Fortress Exploration

This walk-through attraction features ten interactive exhibits where you can learn about planetary objects, play with antique nautical instruments, operate cannons, and even operate miniature sailing ships for a small JPY100 fee. This is a good attraction for children, and lines are usually not very long by mid-afternoon.

Location: Mediterranean Harbor

10. Caravan Carousel

This fancy two-storey carousel featuring famous Disney characters is a huge draw for young children. I recommend taking it in the evening to enjoy gorgeous sunset views.

Location: Arabian Coast

11. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

This simulator ride brings you on an underwater voyage in search of the mythical Atlantis. The vehicle has space for six people but we were lucky and there were just two of us in our vehicle.

The ride offers beautiful scenes and special effects, but I wasn’t super impressed. I think it is a ride that is more suitable for children.

FastPass is available, but probably not required. We went at around 9am (one hour after the park’s opening) and there wasn’t really any queue.

Location: Mysterious Island

12. Aquatopia

Aquatopia is a trackless ride that transports riders around a small body of water in random directions. While it looked really impressive, it left us feeling underwhelmed because the ride was a little dull. However, queues are usually very short so you might want to hop on if you have time to spare.

Location: Port Discovery

Best DisneySea Attractions

1. Big Band Beat

Big Band Beat is a super popular 30-minute Broadway style musical at Broadway Music Theatre in Mediterranean Harbor. It features Disney characters, dancers, and a live Jazz band. You will even see Mickey rocking out on the drums!

To get tickets for this show, you can use your park ticket to enter the lottery at Biglietteria, which is a five-minute walk from Broadway Music Theatre.

There are usually five shows throughout the day, and a common strategy is to enter the lottery in the early morning and try for a show in the late afternoon or evening. This is because logically the later shows should have more vacancies.

That said, no one really knows how the lottery works and it’s not guaranteed that you will get a ticket even if you try for later time slots. Luck is an important factor here!

I entered the lottery at 11am and failed to win for the 3.20pm show. Perhaps I should have gone for the 5.20pm or 6.50pm time slots instead?

Alternatively, you can join the standby line for the show before it starts. When we visited in late November, the queue was horrendously long, so you probably need to start queueing at least one hour in advance.

Click here to see the daily performance schedules.

Location: American Waterfront

2. Fantasmic!

Fantasmic! is a spectacular daily night performance on the waters of Mediterranean Harbor. It features Mickey Mouse (as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice) and other classic Disney characters. Enjoy the dazzling variety of special effects like huge water screens, lasers, and pyrotechnics.

Viewing for this performance is standing room only. If you want to get the best views, go to the venue at least one hour earlier to secure a spot near Hotel MiraCosta.

Click here to see the performance schedule.

Location: Mediterranean Harbor

3. Disney Light The Night

Watch the sky come alive with this amazing fireworks performance accompanied by popular Disney songs and music.

Unfortunately, we did not manage to catch the fireworks show because it is only available on certain days of the month. Click here for the most updated fireworks schedule.

Location: Park-wide

4. Venetian Gondolas

Venetian Gondolas is a 11-minute gondola ride on the lagoon in Mediterranean Harbor. The gondoliers will even sing during the ride!

The queues are shortest in the morning, and gets longer throughout the day. It is most popular during the evening, when the sunset views are gorgeous.

Location: Mediterranean Harbor

5. DisneySea Electric Railway

DisneySea Electric Railway is a scenic railway ride between Port Discovery and American Waterfront (two-way). You get to enjoy wonderful views during this elevated ride. The queues are usually not too long.

Location: American Waterfront and Port Discovery

Best DisneySea Food

1. Snacks

There are plenty of awesome delicious snacks in DisneySea!

Popcorn is a HUGE deal in both Tokyo DisneySea and Disneyland, and we found many popcorn carts scattered around the park. We tried the Garlic Shrimp popcorns (JPY350) which were quite tasty and savoury.

I also enjoyed eating the Little Green Men Mochi Dumplings (JPY360), which are chilled Japanese mochis shaped like the squishy Toy Story green aliens.

The Gyoza Dog (JPY500) is a large steamed bun with pork meat fillings. It was very satisfying to bite into this soft and warm bun filled with hot savoury pork meat.

2. The Teddy Roosevelt Lounge

This gorgeous American style restaurant-bar exudes an old-world charm with its elegant dark-wood furnishings, brown leather chairs and beautiful parquet flooring. It offers small bites, coffee, cocktails, craft beer, wine, and spirits.

This was the perfect place for us to rest and relax for a short while after the morning madness of rushing for the Toy Story Mania FastPasses.

Service was wonderful. The staff were extremely polite and even accommodated our request to sit at a plush round banquette even though it is usually reserved for larger groups.

We chilled out in the lounge for almost one hour over a Cappuccino (JPY570) and Seasonal Parfait (JPY1230). There is an option of buying the Parfait with a “collectible glass” but we were not interested.

Location: American Waterfront
Opening Hours: 11.15am to 8.30pm

3. Magellan’s

This French fine dining restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in DisneySea. It offers a luxurious setting, wonderful service, and set course menus ranging from JPY3,800 to JPY8,900 per person.

Magellan’s is extremely popular so I advise going early to get a “Priority Seating” ticket, which guarantees a seat at a later allocated timing.

When we went to the restaurant at 10.30am, we managed to get a Priority Ticket for 12pm. Unfortunately, we could not make it for this time slot because it was too near our Toy Story Mania FastPass window.

It is also possible to make online reservations up to one month ahead.

Without getting a priority ticket or making online reservations, you will probably NOT be able to get a table here.

Location: Mediterranean Harbor
Opening Hours: 10am to 9pm

4. Ristorante di Cannaletto

This Italian restaurant is known for its delicious wood-fired oven pizzas and other classic Italian dishes. Expect to pay around JPY2,800 person. Make sure you request for the outdoor patio seats overlooking the scenic Venetian canals and gondolas.

Location: Mediterranean Harbor
Opening Hours: 10am to 9pm

5. Horizon Bay Restaurant

This beautiful restaurant offers Western dishes like Baked Chicken with Gravy (JPY1,130), Corn Chowder (JPY43), Grilled Salmon (JPY1,130) and more.

It used to feature the super popular “Character Dining”, where Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie and Pluto will walk around the restaurant and interact / take photos with guests. Sadly, this feature ended in July 2019.

Location: Port Discovery
Opening Hours: 8am to 10pm

The FastPass System – All You Need To Know

1. What is a “FastPass”?
The FastPass is a free priority ticket that you can claim at a machine usually located near the ride or attraction. You claim the FastPass by scanning the QR code on your park ticket.

The FastPass will have a one-hour window period printed on it. You will need to return to the attraction within that period to join the FastPass line, which will move MUCH faster than the normal standby queue.

The FastPass will also have a printed time indicating when you can get your next FastPass, which is usually one to two hours later.

This means that it is possible to hold multiple FastPasses simultaneously. There is no limit to the number of FastPasses you can hold.

2. Why Should I Get a FastPass?
Getting the correct FastPasses can literally help you save hours in line. Saving time was crucial for us because we only had one day to spend in the park!

On the day we visited DisneySea, some popular rides like Toy Story Mania and Indiana Jones Adventure had closed their standby line by mid-afternoon, and only FastPass holders could continue taking the rides.

3. Which DisneySea Rides Have FastPasses Available?

1. Soaring: Fantastic Flight
2. Toy Story Mania
3. Tower of Terror
4. Journey to the Center of the Earth
5. Indiana Jones Adventure
6. Nemo & Friends SeaRider
7. Raging Spirits
8. Mermaid Lagoon Theater
9. Magic Lamp Theater
10. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Seasonal)

4. Which Rides Should I Get FastPasses For?
The first five rides listed above are the most popular and will usually run out of FastPasses the fastest. In fact, the FastPasses for Soaring and Toy Story Mania will usually be fully redeemed within an hour after the park’s opening.

5. What Is The Best FastPass Strategy?
Step 1:
Once the park opens, immediately race to get FastPasses for either Toy Story Mania or Soaring: Fantastic Flight.

If you are going for Toy Story Mania, it’s best that you join the queue at Park Entrance South. For Soaring, queue at Park Entrance North instead. You can refer to the map below to see the locations of the entrances and rides.

Step 2:
After that, proceed to join the standby queue for either Tower of Terror, Journey to the Center of the Earth, or Indiana Jones Adventure. This is because the queues for these three rides are usually not too long in the morning, but will increase significantly as the day goes on.

Alternatively, you can join the standby queue for Toy Story Mania or Soaring, but be prepared to queue for at least two hours. After that, your FastPass cool down time will be over and you will be able to get a FastPass for another popular ride.

Our Strategy:
For us, we rushed to get the FastPass for Toy Story Mania once we entered the park. It was the most organised and polite mad rush I had ever witnessed in my life. Even though everyone was in a hurry, I did not experience any rudeness or shoving at all.

Therefore, please respect the rules and do not run – walk briskly at most! I couldn’t resist and sprinted briefly, and was soon told by a park staff to slow down.

After that, we went to join the standby queue for Journey to the Center of the Earth, and only waited for 15 minutes.

Once the FastPass cool down time was over, we got the FastPass for Tower of Terror.

You can check out our full FastPass strategy in the one-day itinerary below.

6. FastPass vs Single Rider
The Single Rider queue is for people who are riding alone. There are two rides in DisneySea with this option: Indiana Jones Adventure and Raging Spirits.

The Single Rider queue is usually much shorter than the normal standby queue. Therefore, if you do not mind riding alone, you do not need to waste your FastPasses on these two rides.

DisneySea One-Day Itinerary

This is my complete one-day itinerary for Tokyo DisneySea. You can use it as a reference for creating your own itinerary and FastPass strategy.

It does not include Soaring: Fantastic Flight because this ride was not open yet when we visited in November 2018.

I have indicated the respective locations of the rides and attractions using numbers, which you can find by referring to the official park map at the end of this article.

As you will see, most of the activities are grouped together based on their locations.

If you find it too troublesome to create such a detailed plan, then just remember one important task: immediately after entering the park, race to get the FastPass for “Toy Story Mania” or “Soaring: Fantastic Flight”!

6.30am
We catch the first Highway Bus from Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal.

7.30am
We reach DisneySea and join the queue outside the entrances. There are already hundreds of people queueing across different lines.

8am
The gates open! After entering the park, we immediately join the throngs of people briskly walking towards Toy Story Mania (American Waterfront 31). The wife and I are really amused because this is the most polite and fun mad rush ever.

8.15am
After queueing for about 10 minutes, we manage to claim our Toy Story Mania FastPasses! It is one of the proudest moments of my life. Our return timing is between 12.40pm and 1.40pm.

8.30am
We join the standby line for Journey to The Centre of The Earth (Mysterious Island 104), queueing for about 15 minutes. It is a thrilling ride in the dark with many special effects.

9am
Next, we decide to ride 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Mysterious Island 103) because it is nearby and the line is super short. We queue for 5 minutes only. It is a fun ride but more for children I feel.

9.15am
After the ride, we are just in to time to catch a performance on the Mediterranean Harbor and soak in the AMAZING Disney atmosphere! We take many pretty pictures too.

10am
We have breakfast at Nautilus Galley (Mysterious Island 107), ordering one famous Gyoza Dog (JPY500) each. This large steamed bun with pork meat fillings is hot, savoury, and satisfying. However, it is very filling and we should have just bought one to share.

10.30am
Our tummies filled, we proceed to Magellan’s (Mediterranean Harbor 22) to get our Priority Seating Ticket. We are given a fixed allocated time of 12pm.

10.45am
The wife and I split up in different directions to undertake different tasks.

The wife proceeds to get FastPasses for Tower of Terror (American Waterfront 28). After queueing for about 15 minutes, she gets them and is given a return timing of between 3.55pm and 4.55pm.

I go to the Biglietteria to enter the Big Band Beat lottery (Mediterranean Harbor 20). After queueing for about half an hour, I get my chance but fail to win the 3.20pm time slot. I am super disappointed. Perhaps I should have gone for the 5.20pm or 6.50pm time slots instead?

11.30am
We regroup to chill out at the gorgeous Teddy Roosevelt Lounge (American Waterfront 45) over a Cappuccino (JPY570) and Seasonal Parfait (JPY1230). We LOVE the classy atmosphere of this elegant lounge!

We realise we do not have time to go back to Magellen’s and decide to just relax longer in the lounge instead.

12.30pm
It is time for the highlight of our DisneySea trip: TOY STORY MANIA! We are not disappointed! It is super fun to zip around in the fast-moving vehicles while shooting at 3D objects!

1pm
We explore the surrounding American Waterfront area and take pictures of the themed streets, colourful vintage vehicles, and majestic SS Columbia.

We come across a popcorn cart in American Waterfront. In case you are unaware, popcorn is a HUGE deal in DisneySea, with many flavours available across the park.

We buy a box of Garlic Shrimp Popcorns (JPY350). If you have children you may want to splurge on an exclusive Disney popcorn bucket (JPY2,300).

We spot a small Refreshments Stand nearby and to our delight, it sells the super cute Little Green Men Mochi Dumplings (JPY360). The three mochis each has a different flavour: chocolate cream, custard cream, and strawberry cream. These delicious snacks are chewy and sweet.

2pm
We walk towards the adjacent Port Discovery and take some selfies in front of the Aquatopia ride. Unfortunately, I am stopped by a staff when trying to set up my tripod.

However, she is nice enough to offer to take a picture of us, which turns out great. I guess she probably has a lot of experience taking pictures of park guests!

We buy the famous Ukiwa Buns (JPY500) at Seaside Snacks wagon (Port Discovery 60). This Chinese style bun with shrimp fillings is delicious.

2.30pm
Next, we walk to Lost River Delta and join the FastPass queue for Indiana Jones Adventure (Lost River Delta 64). We manage to get FastPasses for 6.30pm to 7.30pm after waiting for 30 minutes. By this time, the standby line is closed and only FastPass holders can take the ride. Crazy!

3pm
We walk back to Port Discovery and queue about 30 minutes to ride Nemo SeaRider (Port Discovery 57). We are taken on a simulated submarine ride in the ocean, meeting Nemo, Dory and Marlin along the way. The special effects and cinematic experience are great, and if you have children they should love it.

4pm
We continue walking along the path to Arabian Coast, and are surprised to see that there is almost no queue for Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage (Arabian Coast 81). I really enjoy this relaxing boat ride with soothing music and beautiful Arabian scenes.

4.15pm
We walk past the beautiful Mermaid Lagoon and take some pictures of it. However we do not go in because the attractions here are mainly for young children.

4.30pm
We walk back to American Waterfront, completing a loop of the entire theme park.

We use our FastPasses for Tower of Terror (American Waterfront 28), queueing for just 5 minutes. This thrilling free-fall ride is another highlight of our visit!

We drop at a top speed of 63 kilometres per hour, rising up in our seats and held down only by our seat belts. At one point, the doors actually open to reveal a bird’s eye view of DisneySea!

After the ride, I walk past a TV screen displaying a photograph taken of us during the ride. I am a cheapskate so I use my phone to take a picture of the screen instead of purchasing the print-out copy.

5pm
Because we are visiting in late November, the sky is already getting dark by now. We proceed to Mediterranean Harbor and stake out a spot in front of Hotel MiraCosta for the best views of Fantasmic.

5.45pm
The Fantasmic show begins! We are super impressed by the amazing special effects like huge water screens, lasers, and pyrotechnics.

6.30pm
We make our way to Lost River Delta and use our FastPasses for Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of The Fast (Lost River Delta 64).

This Indiana-Jones themed ride brings guests on a high speed ride through the Temple of the Crystal Skull. We enjoy this fun and exhilarating ride.

7.30pm
Feeling hungry, we buy a Yucatan Sausage Roll from Expedition Eats (Lost River Delta 74). This delicious snack consists of a hot sausage wrapped in crisp toasted bread. Hard to go wrong with this one.

7.45pm
For our last DisneySea ride of the day, we go to Aquatopia (Port Discovery 55). There is no queue at all. Despite looking really impressive, this trackless water ride is rather dull and we feel a little underwhelmed afterwards. At least the night views are pretty.

8pm
By now, we have spent more than 12 hours in the park and are feeling exhausted. We catch the DisneySea Electric Railway (Port Discovery 56) back to American Waterfront, which offers great elevated views.

After alighting, we slowly walk towards the exit, enjoying the beautiful night views of DisneySea along the way.

8.15pm
After exiting the theme park, we walk for five minutes to Tokyo DisneySea Bus Terminal North, and take the Highway Bus at Bus Stop 3 back to Shinjuku for some late night ramen. It has been a tiring but super fun day!

Where To Stay

If you are visiting Tokyo DisneySea or Disneyland for two or three days, it would make sense to stay at a hotel inside or near the theme parks. For us, we only planned to spend one day at DisneySea so there was no need for us to stay nearby.

There are three accommodation options: Official Disney Hotels, Hotels Along The Disney Monorail, and Hotels Near Disneyland.

1. Official Disney Hotels
Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta is one of the best Disney hotels in the world. One of the reasons is because this luxury hotel is located INSIDE DisneySea. Hotel guests are also allowed to enter DisneySea 15 minutes before opening time.

However, the rooms are notoriously expensive and difficult to book – click here to find out how to book. If you are visiting Disneyland instead, you can check out the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel.

2. Hotels Along The Disney Monorail Loop
Hilton Tokyo Bay is a great value-for-money 4 star hotel that offers pretty rooms, good service, a great gym, spa, indoor pool, and outdoor pool. The hotel also provides free shuttle service to the nearby Bayside monorail station and Disneyland. Hotel guests get guaranteed park admission even on peak days. This is a great hotel if you want to stay near DisneySea without burning a hole in your wallet.

3. Hotels Near DisneySea / Disneyland
Pearl Hotel Kasai is a budget hotel that provides small, clean, and affordable rooms. It is a 15 minute car ride to Tokyo Disneyland.

Where To Buy Tickets

1. Official Disney Website
I recommend buying your tickets online in advance from the official Disney website so that you have one less thing to worry about on the day of your visit. These print-at-home tickets will let you enter the park directly.

2. At The Disney Ticket Counter
It is also possible to buy tickets from the ticketing booths in front of Tokyo DisneySea. However, if you are visiting on popular days like weekends and Japan public holidays, there is a chance that tickets will be sold out quickly on the day.

3. Changi Recommends
If you are a Singaporean, you can buy the tickets from Changi Recommends and enjoy discounts of up to SGD80 using promo codes. However, you will only be able to collect the tickets between 8.30am and 12pm. If the park opens at 8am on the day of your visit, the FastPasses for Toy Story Mania and Soaring will probably be fully claimed by the time you reach. Click here to see the latest DisneySea operating hours.

4. Klook
For us, we bought the tickets from Klook because it was cheaper by about JPY300 per person, and we got to save even more by using our previously earned credits. However, as of November 2019, the Klook tickets are currently sold out.

Useful Tips

Queue situation half hour before DisneySea opens

1. Go Early!
I can’t emphasise this enough. Go as early as possible so that you can be further ahead in the queue! We reached DisneySea 30 minutes before it opened at 8am, and there were already literally hundreds of people queueing across many lines.

In our line, there were about 50 people ahead of us, most of them locals. Many of them came well-prepared with folding chairs, picnic mats, snacks and water.

The park has different operating hours on certain days. Use this official park operation calendar to see the daily opening hours.

2. Have A Game Plan
It is best that you have a rough itinerary before visiting the theme park. If not, you will definitely spend most of your time queueing and will miss out on many popular rides and attractions.

3. Queue at The Correct Entrance
There are three DisneySea entrances: Park Entrance South, Park Entrance North, and the Priority Entrance.

The Priority Entrance is reserved for Disney hotels guests ONLY. Normal ticket holders must queue at the two other entrances.

We almost wrongly joined the Priority Entrance queue, because it was the shortest.

4. Avoid Going On Busy Days
On weekends, Japan public holidays, and school holidays, DisneySea gets SUPER crowded and you will need to spend a large amount of time queueing! We visited on a Wednesday in November and the park was still quite crowded, so I cannot imagine how crazy the crowds must be on busier days.

You can also use this Crowd Calendar to check the park’s daily crowd level. AVOID going on the black-coded days as it will be super crowded.

5. Check For Closure of Rides and Attractions
During our visit, we were disappointed to see that a few of the popular rides were closed for maintenance. Therefore, you may want to check this official Temporary Closure Page before booking your tickets.

6. Tripods Are NOT Allowed
I was stopped by a friendly staff while setting up a tripod to take a selfie of the wife and me. Apparently, tripods are not allowed anywhere in the park. However, she was nice enough to offer to take a picture of us.

7. Buy Duffy Merchandise
While relatively unknown outside Japan, Duffy is hugely popular Disney character in Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea! We saw many Duffy products being sold in the park such as soft toys, bags, stationeries, etc. These are mostly unique to Japan and are not sold in any other countries.

8. Storage Lockers Are Available
If you need to use lockers, they are available near the entrance. Full day locker fees range from JPY400 to JPY800 depending on size.

DisneySea Map (click to enlarge)

This official DisneySea map was very useful in helping us to navigate the park during our visit.

Conclusion

And that’s it! Congratulations on finishing this super long Tokyo DisneySea guide. If you are lucky enough to be visiting in April 2020, you will be able to catch the NEW Beauty and the Beast trackless ride! This blockbuster addition will officially open on 15 April 2020.

Note that this guide is mainly for people who only have one day to spend in the park. Therefore, I have left out several popular attractions and restaurants in my one-day itinerary above. If you can, I recommend visiting DisneySea for two days so that you can check out more attractions and enjoy the park at a more leisurely pace.

Tokyo DisneySea
Website: www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tds
Address: 1-13 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba 279-0031, Japan

This article is part of our super awesome Ultimate Tokyo Travel Guide For First Timers. Everything you need to know about Tokyo is just a click away!