My first solo trip to Japan - Fantasy Springs Opening Day Trip Report

[Disneyhanna]

Thank you so much for such a detailed report of your trip! I am just beginning to plan our trip for end of March/beginning of April (hoping to catch the cherry blossoms), and your early part of Kyoto gave me much to look forward to! I enjoy the tranquility so the bamboo forest and old temples are more my vibe than the busy metro shopping scenes. Good to see your report of the Michelin starred restaurant (we will be looking forward to that ).
Looking forward to read about your Disney days! DLH and FS-GC (MiraCosta as back up) are what I am hoping to book. Still learning about vacation packages.

You will love Kyoto then! I'm not sure I will make time to take the shinkansen on my next trip so I am looking into a day trip to Kamakura. Are you doing Takayama? I am so jealous! I keep thinking about that meal.

Loved your ultra-detailed report! My son is going to Japan with his buddies in a couple of weeks and doing many of the things you did so it was great to follow along

Really curious to see the Disney part of your trip. DS is bringing an entire giant duffle in his carry on just for souvenirs lol and wants to buy me stuff from Disney so I have to see if there’s anything I want

So exciting!!! The extra duffel was so clutch, LOL! I could have bought so much more but I bought a lot less than I expected. Next time I won't hold back I will be writing about the Disney days very soon! Been distracted by the Olympics lol!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/4: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland Hotel Pt 2)

Sorry for the delays in posting, my new role at work has been busy and the Olympics has taken priority over writing this TR

TDH was so beautiful, I didn't get much time to explore but lots of cute little spots to sit.



I checked in at 3:25 and only waited a few minutes. The lobby was gorgeous, lots of similarities to Grand Floridian at WDW.



Check-in only took about 5 minutes, I didn't have any questions so I didn't have any issues with language as I imagine all the CMs are trained to at least do the normal check-in procedures in English. They copy your passport, have you fill out some stuff on a tablet, and that was about it. They asked if I wanted help with my luggage (which I mentioned was delivered) and to show me to my room and I said yes, so they gave me a plastic number and directed me to sit down in the lobby.

I waited maybe 10 minutes and then someone from bell services came over and called my name, and he had my check bags I had shipped! He walked me to my room, his English was definitely very limited but he did his best and was so nice as he showed me around my room! We talked about Fantasy Springs and his favorite ride from cast previews was Peter Pan!

Wow, the room was so beautiful! I will follow up with a few more photos in my next post for the full room tour.

Everything was impeccably clean and I loved how sort of over the top gaudy it was. A very different direction from where the US park deluxe resorts are going!



The art behind the beds was soooo cute. I absolutely loved this room. It was very spacious as well, similar size to the US deluxe resort rooms.



The bathroom had four sets of all of the amenities kits which you can take home (and they replenish daily).



But the best part of the room was my view! I had booked the cheapest room type: Standard Superior Room( 1st - 3rd Floors)

It took quite a bit of stalking to get this room as I planned this trip after rooms went on sale. There were so many cancellations in the weeks prior to the trip so I was able to scoop it up sort of last minute. It was a little less than $400USD (61k yen) with the exchange rate, more than I prefer to pay for a hotel but this was a special trip of course! I also noticed that they raise the room rates (in yen) as the dates get closer, so if you book when rooms are released you'll probably get a better rate (ignoring exchange rates of course).

Anyways, I was so surprised to see I had a park view! I could see the castle, Space Mountain, and Mt Prometheus from my room! (And the monorail, yay.) I believe only the 3rd-6th floors are sold as park view, so you can still luck out on the 1st-2nd floors.



I left my room around 4:20 and wanted to stop at the convenience store in the hotel for a snack before heading to the park.



My room was really close to the lobby which was awesome. The hotel is quite large! The convenience store "Looking Glass Gifts" was amazing. It was huge, very much like a typical konbini, and had lots of Disney stuff as well. I grabbed an onigiri and some cheese shaped like Winnie the Pooh characters. I think prices were a bit more than outside Disney but they still felt cheap to me.



I decided to go back to my room for a sweater as the night was getting chillier. It was early June, so night time still get a bit cooler as the summer humidity wasn't bad yet. I also switched to a backpack instead of my baggu, I am a backpack girlie in Disney parks

It was so nice walking literal steps to the park entrance! Just under the station and you're there!



Security hardly looked at my stuff even when I set off the metal detector maybe 50/50.

This was the line for evening entry around 4:40, not too long but it did double behind me.



I noticed so many people wearing shorts and skirts, way more than outside Disney. Didn't see many people wearing tank tops, but it wasn't really summer yet. Outfits are much more casual at the parks overall, so I would dress for comfort for sure.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Some more DLH pictures

Just like Grand Floridian!






The bathroom had a frosted window through to the bedroom area lol. The bathrooms didn't photograph well but I thought they were quite nice in person. Great shower pressure!






Nice area for storing luggage and bags by the door.


Electric water boiler which I used for ramen! The fridge had four bottles of water which are replenished daily.


Slippers are replenished daily if you take them! The kids ones were too small for my US size 8 women's feet lol. The adult ones were plenty big. They had Mickeys on them! I found the slippers nice to wear around the room on tired feet at the end of the day.


The reusable tote bags (two) were replenished daily as well, for multi-night stays.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/4: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland Evening Pt 1)

It's gonna take me a million posts to write about all my Disney days with the 10 photo limit

I bought my Disneyland evening ticket ahead of time online, it was 4800¥ or about $31 USD at the time. It was for 5PM-9PM which I figured would be long enough to watch the parade, do a couple rides, and check out the shops. I'm glad I was able to purchase that ticket as I never did get the online ticketing to work again after that and they don't sell evening tickets at the hotels.

They opened up the gate at 4:54 and started scanning people in at 5:00 sharp. The line wasn't too long but I think it is worth getting there 15-20 minutes early to make sure you maximize your park time!



There was a Donald Duck celebration going on, people in Japan LOVE Donald!! So many people were wearing Donald related merch and going all out.

I was in at 5:02 and it looked like Splash and BATB premier passes were still available but only star tours for priority pass. I bought a a Splash pass as I was walking, and didn't care to do star tours. It was 1500¥ or $10 USD and over an hour wait in standby. I totally support the US Parks changing the theming but I won't lie, I was excited to hear the Splash music again.

Wow, it was so beautiful walking through World Bazaar (their version of Main Street). And the castle is huge just like Cinderella Castle!



The hub area was so interesting, the Partners statue was very far from the castle and the hub area was more open without all the gardens and raised sections.



I headed to Pirates first since it was only listed as 10 minutes, and I waited just under that. I went right at the merge and I think it was the right choice as I passed a ton of people very quickly. The loading area felt just like the California version!

The first boat I spotted was Emma, I had to text my mom of course as her name is Emma



I was lucky enough to get row 1! I'm pretty sure I got it to myself? No one was using their phones which was so nice. Most of the ride was in English. I could not believe how clean and well maintained the animatronics were, the animals especially. It was like it had been built yesterday.

The boat went so close to the Jack animatronic at the end as well, otherwise the ride was mostly familiar.

After pirates I bought premier access for the Electrical Parade. This was pricey at 2500¥ or $16 USD but I didn't want to have to stake out a good spot and I knew this was my only chance to see it.

Wow, there were so many strollers! Yet I didn't feel like I saw that many children in general at Tokyo Disney, compared to the US Parks.



I skipped Jungle Cruise since I knew I wouldn't have time to do everything, and it is in Japanese, though I'm sure I would have still enjoyed it.

Next up was snack time! I wanted to try as many popcorn flavors as I could. 400¥ or less than $3 USD meant I wouldn't feel bad if I didn't finish them all. I did not look for popcorn carts, I just bought them as I found them. First up was curry!



The lady at this popcorn cart was so sweet. The other CM filled my popcorn box and she didn't seem to think it was full enough so she made him top it off lol! This was really good, a tiny bit stale, but tasted a lot like my spicy curry crackers from Kyoto (but not very spicy). A nice savory flavor.

Also, I noticed literally everyone at Tokyo Disney walks and eats/drinks. Maybe it's still bit of a cultural faux pas but I too partook in the walking and eating at TDR, I had lots to do

An elderly CM was walking by to pick up popcorn (I was careful not to drop mine lol) and he stopped and waved as the train went by, the CMs were just so nice!

I scanned into Splash at 6:00 and waited just over 10 minutes, one of the longer waits I experienced with a pass. Standby was 70 minutes. Many of the rides you had to scan twice so you should keep your QR code handy. The queue was so dark I had trouble walking

Some Japanese guests were reading this sign out loud (in English) and they thought it was pretty funny!



WOW! This was the best version of Splash I have ridden by a landslide. There were more non-water drops and they were sooo smooth. So many animatronics and effects I didn't know existed, not sure if it was because they were broken in the US or if Tokyo just had more stuff. Everything was working and working well, it was just amazing, it was like I had never ridden Splash before. I don't think I ever saw these turtles working in the US



The seats had individual lap bars too which meant less sliding around which was nice.

Zipadee-doo-dah with an accent was also so cute.



One thing that was weird was planes fly above Tokyo Disney! It was so weird looking up and seeing planes!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/4: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland Evening Pt 2)

People were already in their sports for the parade about an hour in advance. Lots of parade mats! It was much cooler and windier at night, I was glad I had my sweatshirt.



One of the shops in Westernland had the funniest "Western" merch. Lots of Denim and cowboys.





Sadly Big Thunder was under refurbishment during my trip! I swear this ride is always closed on my trips, no matter the park.



I decided to waste some yen at the shootin' gallery.



I scored zero of course.



Snow White was listed 15 but didn't even have two rows of people in line, I waited less than 10 minutes. I love the old scary version, it's a shame they made it all cute in California now

I find the ending so funny!



I didn't do the tea cups since I was alone but they sure looked pretty at night!



I had to check out the Small World facade at night as well. Another plane!



I did some shopping and got some merch, I'll include photos in a later post. Finally it was time to head back to the hub to get in place for the parade! Most people took their photos pretty far from the castle so you could get pictures without many people in them which was nice.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/4: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland Evening Pt 3)

I had to get a quick castle photo of course! It was such a beautiful night, perfect temp that time of year.



I asked a girl to take my photo and she took multiple angles lol! I had no trouble asking for photos throughout my trip.

When you buy a DPA for the electrical parade you get an assigned seat. Mine was A4-68, and it ended up being an end seat next to a walkway which was amazing! There were so many rows behind me so I think being solo means you often get a better seat if there are any left on the ends. I imagine they are distributed in order and since I booked during evening hours I probably lucked out a bit. It was very easy to find my spot on the ground which was labeled, simply amazing! I only arrived 10 minutes before the parade start and that was no problem, most people were already seated.



And of course the best part is you stay seated! I would pay so much money for this option in the US, please please please WDW/DL!!!

Being next to the walkway meant I could easily take photos without blocking anyone's view. I had never seen any version of the electrical parade before, but I listen to the music all the time, so it still felt nostalgic to me.

I could hear the parade and suddenly saw it just before 7:40. Seeing the Blue Fairy was amazing. It really hit me I was at Tokyo Disney! Unfortunately Disboards makes the photos super small so these are potato quality but I really did have an amazing view, worth every penny





The CMs were so polite but took their jobs seriously! A little girl stood up briefly and they immediately were there to ask her to sit down! Amazing!!!





One thing I thought was interesting, I believe in the US parks they try to cast face characters that look similar for continuity. A lot of the face characters in Tokyo looked extremely different to me, not in a bad way, just very different!



I was starting to get a bit hungry and I was glad that the DLH had a konbini open until midnight

The parade wrapped up just after 8:00, wow it was so amazing. The floats were all beautiful and I am so excited a new nighttime parade is coming to WDW in 2025. This is a can't miss for sure!!! I wish I had seen the US versions to know the difference though.

I browsed shops as I went, I did see this shirt which I had my eye on before the trip but it was cheap screen printing so I passed. A lot of the cutest shirts were only kids sizes!



The park was open until 9 so I decided to do another ride. HM was listed as 5 minutes and that's how long it took from getting into the queue to being on the ride! I loved the location of HM, much closer to other rides.

I'm no expert but I thought there were some different features, or perhaps WDW/DL has them and they just aren't working! Lots of neat portraits. Loved the bride too...so creepy! The ghosts popping in that room were terrifying!



The ghost host part was in Japanese but I think the rest of the ride was in English.

I caught the fireworks after the ride, they are just a few minutes and nothing special. They do get cancelled often, I think that might have been the only night they happened.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/4: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland Evening Pt 4)

The walkways are so nice and wide at TLD, the entire park just felt so spacious. Yet it didn't feel like I had to walk that far to get anywhere either, it was so nice. It felt much less chaotic than close to park close at Magic Kingdom!



There were so many adorable shop displays, I wish I had taken more time to see them all.



I saw a cap I wanted but the fit was so weird, it's like that hat wasn't deep enough to fit a head. Bummer because it was so cute!



I decided to get the Marie ears, I couldn't resist. They were only 1800¥ or less than $12 USD. I saw tons of people wearing these.



They had a lot of these pastel shirts but they didn't really appeal to me.



These short sleeve spirit jersey type shirts were interesting, a more practical option than long sleeves I suppose!



One last shot of the castle at night! I was already sad this would be my only evening at TDL!



I left TDL just after 9:00, unfortunately I couldn't walk steps back to the hotel as I had to head to MiraCosta to pick up my package. Not many people were waiting for the monorail, it was such an odd experience compared to the crushing crowds when the park closes in the US.

The monorail went often, and I was on the next one that came. I made it to the MiraCosta check in around 9:20 and there was a pretty long line. Luckily they had all the counters open so it moved quickly.



I'm not sure the CM 100% knew what I was asking for (I asked to pick up my package) but I gave him my passport and he typed it in and obviously saw I had a vacation package starting the next day, so he said one moment and went to look for my VP folder. It only took him 1-2 minutes so I imagine they are already pre-printed and just filed in the back?

Overall it only took a few minutes and I was on my way! Since my package ticket was for DL the next day, I was glad to pick up the package the night before so I could just walk straight from my hotel the park in the morning.



MiraCosta was very beautiful, I was pretty tired and hungry at that point so I didn't linger there much.

Since I was hungry and hadn't had time to get food, I headed to Ikspiari via monorail as it was a stop on the way back to the DLH. Unfortunately almost everything closes at 9:00 or 10:00. The McDonalds line was cut off already at 9:45 for a 10:00 close. They are serious about closing time!

I gave up and headed back to the DLH to get something at the konbini, which I should have just done from the start. Oh well!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/4: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland Evening Pt 5)

I loved the DLH at night so much, so beautiful! I felt so lucky to get to stay there! If the prices in yen are the same it has already gotten more expensive in USD with the current exchange rate.



My view at night! So cool for the "cheap" room!



Of course I got tons of snacks at the DLH konbini, as did many others. It was a popular place after park close! I was finally back to my room at 10:30. All of this was about $17 USD.



The mandarin gelato was delicious. They had quite a few ice cream options which was awesome. There is no freezer in the room, and a sign on the ice cream case reminded people of that lol. I liked the fruit jelly as well. I believe I saved the onigiri and yogurt for the morning to save time.

I think I just tried the red cup ramen using the electrical water kettle in the room, it was just fine. The sparkling juice was good.

The pooh honey soda gummies were unique and quite tasty! Very chewy but I'd get them again!



I scanned my vacation package tickets into the app and saw that it showed my attraction reservation times which was awesome. It was just the times, you still had to use the physical tickets to scan in (no QR code) but it was handy for planning purposes.

The pillows on the beds were different, two were softer and two were more like a gel or memory foam.

Finally around 12:30 I finished organizing everything. I brought paper clips and binder clips with me and they were handy for all the package tickets! Happy entry tickets are basically a receipt and you don't want to lose them! For DL, happy entry the next morning was at 8:45.

Overall 20k steps for this day.

I didn't get to bed until around 1:30 as I was just so excited, oops!

My purchases for the day:

Ear holder - this was amazing, it was pricey for what it was but so worth it, I wish I bought a second one (they had two styles)
Marie sunglasses - super cute, not too expensive
Mickey sunglasses - these were pretty expensive, they had a couple shades, and they're super heavy and not super practical as the shape is so weird, but they are fun!
Tokyo Disney shirt - love this shirt, similar style as the yellow WDW shirt!



I also got a bucket hat which was really nice quality. I would have preferred a cap but this will do! I have a huge head and it still fit lol!





This was the free tote bag in the room. So cute and it had a little pocket inside too. I think I said this already but if you stay multiple nights they will give you more the next day if you take them.

 

[Agent 86]

This was the free tote bag in the room. So cute and it had a little pocket inside too.

IF it's the same design as the very similar bags available from Daiso, the little pocket allows you to fold it up into the pocket - making it the size of a small handkerchief.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 1)

I am a broken record, my apologies for being so slow on this TR! I had 272 photos from just this day to sort through and resize, I'll blame that for taking so long. So let's get back to the TR so I can stop thinking about work for a little bit

I woke up at 7:30AM, paid my bill via the TV and also did the baggage transfer from the QR code on the TV. My card didn't work at first so you have to generate a new QR code if you need to try a different card, you can do that by going back a screen on the TV or turning it off and back on. Nice to skip the front desk.

In the form you fill out online for the baggage transfer, it will ask you the pickup time. It means when you want them to pick up your bags from your room, not the time you want your bags. Bell services called my room almost immediately after I submitted my form since I put an evening pickup time, the person who called spoke perfect English and confirmed I wanted my bags transferred immediately to my next hotel (Mira Costa) from the DLH. I'm guessing this happens a lot!

I left my room around 8:15 and was in the happy entry line for DL by 8:20. It was SO sunny! I was very glad I had my UV umbrella as did many others. I was so happy I picked up my package the night before so I could just walk right into line from the DLH!



The park opened for happy entry at 8:45, or 15 minutes before regular opening. Being 25 minutes early, I estimate I was maybe 2/3 back in line. I couldn't really see the regular lines to know how many people were there already, but I admired the dedication of everyone waiting so long with how hot the sun was!

They started scanning everyone in at 8:45 on the dot, they take your happy entry receipt before you even scan in.



People in Japan are READY to scan their tickets, there is no hold up like in the US parks. I couldn't believe how quick it was. No ID verification or finger prints or anything helps of course, since tickets are on an honor system I imagine (unless there is some hidden facial recognition )

I was in by 8:48, and immediately booked a free Pooh priority pass for 9:10, the first slot available for me. I then paid for a pass for Splash at 12:00. Since I did the Electrical Parade the night before, I didn't have to worry about booking that.

With my package, I had three pre-booked attraction tickets. I did Space Mountain (3 hour time slot) and two BATB (1 hour time slot). Happy Ride with Baymax was closed during my trip or I probably would have booked that. This alleviated a lot of booking stress for me!

Now, for the free priority passes, you can book another after either two hours or after the time starts for your next pass, whichever is earlier. So I was eligible to book again at 9:10 even if I hadn't ridden Hunny Hunt yet (had until 10:10). So you definitely want to book something with an early return time so that you can book a second priority pass quickly. This is where happy entry really gives you an advantage, as it's unlikely anyone without happy entry would get such an early time for their first priority pass.

My internet (paid for T-mobile international pass) was a bit slow but usable while waiting for happy entry, but once I scanned into the parks it worked well. I do recommend having your paper ticket or a screenshot of your ticket in case you can't get internet on the way in.

Since I had two tickets for BATB I decided to do Space Mountain first. Not many people were choosing this to rope drop! While walking through the line I did an entry request to meet Mickey at 10:10. I think it's a lottery similar to the shows, so I was happy to be successful!



I was on Space Mountain by 8:58. Omg, it felt so intense! Maybe the track just felt less predictable but it was great, and I think I am getting old because I felt no need to ride it back to back, though I did really enjoy it

After I got off I could tell the regular guests had been let in as there was a rush of people going by to BATB. It was only listed as a 50 minute wait at that time. There were definitely people running lol.



I didn't get anything from the vending machines in DL but they were adorable. I haven't seen Big Hero 6 yet!



Pooh was only 8 minutes just after regular opening, so I opted to get in the standby line so I could ride at least twice!

While in line, I became eligible to make another priority pass booking at 9:10 and was able to snag Monsters Inc for 9:45. Score!

I only waited a couple minutes for Hunny Hunt and got front row, hooray! I had been avoiding watching ride throughs so I didn't really know what to expect other than the ride being trackless.



I absolutely loved this, it's one of my favorite rides in WDW but it was so much better in Tokyo. It's hard to capture how much more immersive it felt in a picture/video, the sets were so dynamic and everything felt more real!



The bouncing with Tigger scene was adorable.



The Heffalumps room was so long, lots of fun new things and then a tunnel at the end.



Overall this absolutely lived up to my expectations and the queue itself was very detailed as well. Lots of props and spots to take photos.



I was off Hunny Hunt by 9:17, and the line was SO long. It said 30 minutes and it was crazy how much it built up just in 10 or so minutes. Happy entry really is key! Space Mountain was up to 60 minutes.

So thanks to happy entry, I booked two priority passes in the first hour of park opening, as well as almost walking on Hunny Hunt and Space Mountain. 15 minutes doesn't sound like much but it really makes a difference.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 2)

Signage was sooooo English friendly at TDR, if anything I felt like signs were more geared towards English speaking than Japanese speaking guests!



Snow White was a total walk on, just look at that line!



I thankfully got my own car too. (Disneyland in California would never have such a short line!)



I always forget how spooky the trees are!



Next up I headed to Peter Pan via standby as it was only listed as 15 minutes. It was just before 9:30 at this point.

The only show I wanted to see in DL was closed that day (Mickey's Magical Musical World), I did the entry request for Club Mouse Beat just to try and didn't win, no big deal.

Pooh was at 82 minutes at this point, why were the times so random? Or do they just always need to include an 8? Space Mountain and BATB were both two hours waits, phew!

While I was in line, Peter Pan went up to 40 minutes. I ended up waiting less than 20 minutes so I can't complain!

It was pretty much just like the other parks, but who can say no to such a short standby wait!



It was time to make my third priority pass at 9:45, even though I still hadn't used my first two (9:10 and 9:45). I grabbed 10:30 Haunted Mansion. Passes for Hunny Hunt and Monster Inc were completely gone at this time. BATB was still available for DPA purchase for 1PM or later. I don't think it ever sold out the days I was there.



Finally I headed back to Hunny Hunt, scanning in at 9:54. Standby was up to 90 minutes! There were two scanning points so keep your ticket out. The CM outfits were so cute for this attraction.



There was a nice garden area for the queue, but I bet it gets so hot waiting outside in the peak of the summer. It reminded me a bit of the Forbidden Journey queue at Universal!



Thank goodness the TDR app keeps track of your package attraction rides times in the app or I would forget them (you still need the paper ticket so scan in). I'm pretty sure it even sent me reminders when times approached. I found navigating the TDR app a piece of cake since I am familiar with the WDW/DL apps in the US, and it's not any more complicated than that. But if you're not tech savvy it could be tough. I believe the app does tell you when you can book passes next which is helpful.

I was in front row again for Hunny Hunt by 10:02 so less than a 10 minute wait through the priority access line.

This time I noticed the smell of honey at the end, yum!! The autumn leaves made the ride look so lush and warm and inviting, I just loved this ride.

After I got off Hunny Hunt I realized my character entry request was only a 20 minute window, not an hour. So I rushed over, stopping to buy a pair of ears on the way, cuz priorities

My window was 10:10-10:30 and I made it there by the park entrance with plenty of time to spare. There were only a couple people waiting, they must really limit the number of people that get entry request. It was Minnie for me! I believe the CM said I could wait for Mickey if I wanted to, but I was perfectly happy to meet Minnie. It was very quick and they tell you while you are waiting to have your phone ready for photos, and that they will only take one photo. Of course the CM takes photos as soon as they get your phone, so really you should end up with lots of candid photos and a couple posed ones! But they are very efficient and I was done in a few minutes, including my wait time!



Minnie loved my shirt and wanted to pose with our skirts. So fun!



I believe this character greeting is the only one in DL that requires entry request, and does not have standby. The other lines are standby only and I did not wait for any of them. You can always meet Mickey & Minnie in Toontown if you don't get the entry request, it will just be a bit of a wait.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 3)

I saw Toulouse from Aristocats! And Pooh, Fairy Godmother, and the mice from Cinderella.



Lots of characters hang out by the front of the parks and there aren't really lines, you just crowd around them sort of wait for your chance. Everyone is very polite about it but I just looked from afar



At 10:30 I was able to make my FOURTH free priority pass, I was able to grab another Hunny Hunt for 4:15 to my surprise. So if things sell out I guess they can come back if people cancel, similar to refreshing in the US parks. Now you can't modify passes at all in TDR (you have to cancel and rebook) so refreshing isn't quite as easy, but it is possible, so keep refreshing when things are sold out. I'm not sure if you're limited to number of bookings per ride, obviously at least two is possible.

I scanned into Monster's Inc at 10:32, and was on my 10:44.



The queue was really fun, lots of fun signs in English. Standby was listed at 50 minutes.



There is a flashlight that you use to point at the safety hats in the ride, it makes a sound when you hit them with your light so it's really easy to tell if you're hitting things or not! They worked way better than I imagined!



The ride itself was very similar to what I can remember from California, but the gamification of the ride was really fun. I really enjoyed this ride and would definitely do it again, I thought it was more fun than the California version for sure.



Now, if score was being tracked anywhere, I missed that...I'm sure I did terrible



At 11:00 I stopped at Pizza Port to get the popular alien mochi. They had lots of electronic kiosks to order from so no wait. It was funny because the person who ordered before me forgot their receipt so I ran it to them, then I forgot mine too and the person behind me brought me my receipt



You can't use your beverage ticket from the vacation package there sadly! It was after this that I did more research on the beverage ticket and found the eligible restaurant list so I wouldn't be disappointed again!

The alien mochi were a mere 400¥!



These were served cold to my surprise! Each had a filling, I think it was vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.



The chocolate filling was like chocolate pudding, strawberry was more of a cream, the vanilla custard was really rich and very vanilla flavored. I liked all of them equally, the mochi was so soft and chewy. No point in sharing with how cheap they are and you will want to try all three flavors!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 4)

I scanned into Haunted Mansion at 11:22, standby was listed at 45.



Got a nice picture with my hitchhiker this time.



The bride at the end is definitely different!



Of course all of the tombstones are in English!



At 11:45 there was no wait for milk tea popcorn stand by the Carousel, I got my vacation package bucket. I think you can get the VP bucket at any of the stands? I wanted to try the milk tea since it was unique to Disneyland and it was my last day in DL already



The flavor was more floral than I was expecting. If you've had oolong milk tea it was more like that vs brown sugar milk tea. It was okay but not my favorite, and I am a big milk tea fan.

The VP bucket was nice! It fits two square containers.



The lid has room to put in wet wipes, and the back has a little pocket.



A very practical bucket that you can toss around since it's soft-sided.

While I was sitting on a bench eating popcorn, I saw Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio.



So many characters I'm not used to seeing out in the parks, though I have met most of them due to runDisney



Here is a picture of the ear holder keychain I bought the night prior, AMAZING. I thought it was a bit pricey but it worked so well, 100% recommend.

 

[Tippytoes925]

Ohhh my goodness!!! I just binge read this entire thing!!! Absolutely fantastic!! I felt like I was right there with you!!!

You have given me so many ideas for my solo trip in June 2025.

I'm definitely trying the Michelin dining experience and will do a split stay between DL hotel and Miracosta.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for your next instalment!!!

Dang....You got me so excited for my upcoming trip girl!!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Ohhh my goodness!!! I just binge read this entire thing!!! Absolutely fantastic!! I felt like I was right there with you!!!

You have given me so many ideas for my solo trip in June 2025.

I'm definitely trying the Michelin dining experience and will do a split stay between DL hotel and Miracosta.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for your next instalment!!!

Dang....You got me so excited for my upcoming trip girl!!

So exciting!!! I literally think about that Michelin meal so often Thanks so much for reading and enjoying!! I will hurry up and write some more updates!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 5)

Sorry for so many parts, the 10-photo limit is really hard

I scanned in for my Splash DPA at 12:17 and it was soooo dark again in the queue. I feel like in the US parks they have little lights along walkways but definitely not at TDR! Standby was listed 65 minutes. This was one of the longer waits even in the priority lane, I waited just over 10 minutes.

Unfortunately I ended up in front row



I enjoyed this ride just as much as the day prior, so much fun having everything working.



The final drop made a little kid behind me cry, so both times I rode a child cried

My hair got wet but overall not bad. I think they turned the extra splash version on shortly after my trip, since the summer is so hot!



They are serious about not dropping things, I saw lots of nettings throughout the park.



I didn't get a chance to ride the train, next time!



At this point I was very hungry, for breakfast I had just had an onigiri and yogurt while in line. I checked out mobile order in the app and saw there was immediate available for Huey, Dewey and Louie's Good Time Cafe. I got the shrimp cutlet burger which was 600¥ or $3.88USD. Prices included tax (or maybe there was none?) which was nice. I am trying to add in the USD prices now that the exchange rate has changed so much

Toontown was so cute! I didn't spend much time there but it was huge.



The line at the cafe was crazy long for regular orders so I didn't get a drink there with my beverage ticket. The parade was also starting soon, so many people were in their spots with their parade mats!

Hunny Hunt was down to 35 thanks to lunch time and the parade I imagine.

Mobile order was super quick and the burger was adorable!



It was a good size, and the lettuce looked so fresh. Finally I was eating something green



I shoved my sandwich into my popcorn bag since I wasn't sure about bringing outside food into other restaurants, and Gaston's was nearby and had the berry cheers. I waited about 7 minutes which wasn't too bad since it was inside and the AC was strong. This was included with my vacation package beverage ticket which was good for both days of my package. You just have to show them the ticket and they look at the dates and your drink is free! It's not every restaurant, but it is most of them. When you have a package you get an email right before the trip with a guide that has links in it that include the eligible places.



Again I wasn't sure about having my outside sandwich in Gaston's so I found some shade to eat outside lol. Still traumatized from earlier in the trip I guess

I loved the berry cheers, it was like a Shirley temple with whipped cream.

My shrimp burger was excellent as well.



It was warm (even after being in my popcorn bucket for a while) and the bun was soft with a very crisp shrimp patty. The sauce was flavorful and complimented the shrimp.

I checked the premier access and BATB was returning 6PM at that point.

Overall I was very pleased with my meal, filling but not heavy at all! And so cheap! Although I probably shouldn't do the math on how expensive the package was for my "free" drinks...

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 6)

I wandered through a few shops and found some nice Tokyo Disneyland pins in the shop across Gaston's. I didn't buy them at that point but I think I did later in the trip since I found them at DisneySea too. I checked the app and Haunted Mansion had no wait, and Star Tours was 5 minutes. Definitely seems like lunch/parade time is a good time to do rides.

Determined to make good use of my beverage ticket, I headed for another drink. This time at Tomorrowland Terrace, it was around 1:30 and there was no line for ordering. I got the cola lemon vanilla jelly drink, which had lemon pulp and lemon jelly. The coke seemed to have real vanilla which gave it a bit of "spice" and was very interesting.



This drink was only 12oz or so which was nice because it meant I could try more things without wasting much! This one would have been 700¥ without my beverage ticket, definitely on the pricier side for TDR. As someone who never spends money on soda it was fun trying all of the stuff with the beverage ticket. When I left it was much busier (post-parade I suppose) so I timed it well!

Finally it was time for my first ride on BATB!!! I hadn't watched any ride throughs so it was going to be a total surprise!
I was into the line to scan around 2:00 and standby was 85 minutes. I'm not sure that many people use the vacation packages, I don't think I ever saw anyone else using a paper attraction ticket in Disneyland.



Since the VP ticket is paper they punched a hole in it, there is no barcode. But my app updated my ride as "experienced" so it must use location services or something! So cool!



I was into the pre-show after 10 minutes. Wow, it was amazing. The stained glass show and the beast animatronic were just spectacular. Even though it was in Japanese it was beautiful, the music is so nostalgic.



There is another queue after the show, I went left! There was a single rider sign but like Remy at WDW, I don't think it is used.

I was pulled up ahead of some people at 2:28 and was in the front row of my teacup. So overall almost half an hour wait!



The dining room scene was really fun! I loved the animatronics throughout the ride, so detailed.



I was pretty far from the transformation scene so I hoped I would be closer on my next ride (I was, yay).



My favorite scene was definitely the ballroom scene. You really linger in there, I loved that about TDR rides, they seemed longer and less rushed.



The ballroom was huge and the lighting was absolutely gorgeous!





I was off the ride by 2:36, it felt much longer honestly! Overall I loved this ride. It was so beautiful and I loved the music and you will definitely want to go again, so I was glad I booked two times for it with my package. The DPA is 2000¥ which I think is absolutely worth it if you have limited time at TDR. Now if you have a few days the standby line wasn't so long during my trip so I would probably rope drop it if you want to save money.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 7)

At 2:42, the line at the Good Time Cafe was only a couple people so I decided to get their specialty drink with my beverage ticket.
It was a sparkling mango & lemon drink with pop rocks, I think!



The mango chucks were huge and this was so refreshing and fun. More mango than lemon flavor for sure.

In Toontown there was the corn potage (soup) popcorn which had no wait. This flavor was unique to DL at least when I was there. 400¥, and despite being the end of a batch, it was very fresh!



I thought this popcorn was excellent, it tasted like fresh sweet corn. Definitely for people who like sweet and salty like kettle corn.



I passed by the honey popcorn next and the line was super short, so I had to get my Pooh bucket. Right before my trip I had been seeing the popcorn lines were really long, but I think Fantasy Springs opening scared people away as it was pretty quiet during my trip, and lines were not long at all.



It was 3400¥ for the Pooh bucket and popcorn tongs, which I'm not sure why I bought to be honest



They give you two boxes of popcorn if you ask for the paper boxes and not to fill your bucket. The buckets do fit a LOT of popcorn. I think you can get a voucher if you don't want that flavor but I never bothered to do that.



This popcorn was not for me. I don't mind honey in things, but it's not my favorite flavor on its own.



I got some Pooh pressed pennies in the Pooh Corner shop, I think I started collecting them a bit at that point of the trip. They were only 100¥ and I had a lot of those coins left from the capsule shop coin machines!

I also spent another 2420¥ buying a Hunny Hunt pin and a Pooh keychain plush for my backpack.

It was time for my Space Mountain window using my package ticket which was from 3-6PM. The priority line was SO long at 3:50!



The line stayed pretty long all day since it was closing soon. Standby was 130 minutes, wowza!

Once in line I realized it wasn't actually that long, the priority line just went right next to the regular line so it looked longer. I merged with the regular line after about 5 minutes in the priority line.

You can see Tower of Terror and Mt Prometheus from the queue which was interesting!



I was onto the ride in just under 15 minutes, so not too bad at all.



This was my second ride on Space Mountain that day, and my conclusion was the lighting was so much better than in the US Parks and it actually felt like flying through space! Of course it doesn't matter now that the ride is closed forever and is being redone!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 8)

It was time for my third ride on Hunny Hunt using my second priority pass for it, I scanned in at 4:24 and standby was back up to 60 minutes.



So much fun, I will miss the trackless vehicles!

It was time for the Donald Duck parade soon, there were SO many people dressed up like Donald waiting for the parade. Some had clearly been waiting hours, one woman was all dressed up like Donald and was surrounded by duck plushies and even had her computer to do some work while waiting. It was something else!

Small World standby was down to 5 minutes so I decided to hop in line.



The queue had a lot of fun props.



Some beautiful artwork as well! I was onto the ride in just a few minutes.



Wow, the animatronics were so meticulously maintained, all of the dolls looked brand new.



Like DL in California, they have Disney characters throughout the ride, which I think makes it more fun and interesting.



I have only ridden the US DL version once or twice so I can't really say how different it was, but it was certainly a million times better than the WDW version.



I was off the ride in about 15 minutes, and time for another snack!

This time I decided to get a churro, I headed to Pecos Bills and mobile ordered the popular crème brûlée churro. It was ready immediately, and yummm. The filling tasted a lot like the frosting packets for toaster strudel.



The outside of the churro was so sweet and crisp, 100% recommend getting this snack (600¥).



I was hoping to try the Hungry Bear curry but I wasn't really hungry enough, too much snacking

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 9)

Time for my second BATB ride with my package ticket! I was in line at 5:30, the line looked much shorter than earlier that afternoon.



Still cannot get over how stunning the castle was, and you can get so close!



This time I basically walked right into the preshow. I made sure to get a more centered spot this time!



The queue after the show was much shorter this time, and I went right to see a different side of the queue.



I was on deck to ride by 5:45, unfortunately ended up in the middle of the back of my teacup, oh well!



Lucky for me, our teacup was right in front of the transformation this time, and I had a great view!



The ballroom scene actually made me emotional this time, the nostalgia and feels just all hit! And my trip was almost over, I know I still had two full park days, but my time in DL was about done and I was feeling it! I loved Tokyo Disneyland so much. I think it's my favorite park I have ever visited, by a long shot.



Also, does the lighting in the ballroom change to match the time of day? Seems way darker in this photo than earlier, doesn't it! If so, WOW!

I was off the ride just before 6PM, and had to leave soon to make sure I had time to check into MiraCosta and be in place for the Believe show that evening at 7:30PM, since I was paying for that Harbor View room!

I wished I had had the rest of the evening to spend in DL as there was more I wanted to do, but alas. I think if you're a really big Disney parks fan, you will want two full days for Disneyland. You can definitely do most of it in one full day, especially if you have package tickets and do well at getting priority passes and DPA, but there is just so much to take in! I definitely missed a lot of the details.

Before this trip I had my eyes on the Small World popcorn bucket, so I decided to stop at Big Pop to make a decision.



The Tangled bucket was tempting too, but I decided to hold strong and just get Small World. Plus it was cheaper!



2800¥ later, I had my Small World bucket and the Strawberry Napoleon popcorn. We had some translation issues and they put my popcorn directly in the bucket, yuck lol! I know they are not washed so I feel kinda grossed out by that so I just had a few bites of popcorn before dumping the rest. It was good popcorn though, loved the strawberry pieces!

Then I hit up a few more shops and spent another 1800¥ on the Marie ears It was less than $12USD at the time which is such a deal, right? I just HAD to get them, right?!

Anyways, that is a wrap on my day at Disneyland with my vacation package! I feel like I accomplished SO much! Here's a quick summary, times approximate for 9AM open:

• 8:20 In line for happy entry at Disneyland
• 8:50 Space Mountain (standby)
• 9:10 Hunny Hunt (standby)
• 9:20 Snow White (standby)
• 9:25: Peter Pan (standby)
• 9:55 Hunny Hunt (priority pass 1)
• 10:20 Minnie meet & greet (entry request)
• 10:30 Monsters (priority pass 2)
• 11:20 Haunted Mansion (priority pass 3)
• 12:15 Splash (premier access)
• 2:00 BATB (vacation package ticket 1)
• 3:50 Space Mountain (vacation package ticket 2)
• 4:25 Hunny Hunt (priority pass 4)
• 4:45 Small World (standby)
• 5:30 BATB (vacation package ticket 3)

I think that is a pretty stacked day! I waited less than 20 minutes for the standby rides, and most of the priority lanes were under 15 minutes except that initial ride of BATB. If I hadn't done a second priority pass for Hunny Hunt (which was later in the day) I could have done more rides. And of course I had four different popcorns, three drinks on my beverage ticket (which you have to wait in line for), and a handful of snacks.

I missed Buzz, Jungle Cruise, and Star Tours, none of which I was too sad to miss. Sadly Big Thunder and Baymax were closed. I definitely recommend doing your vacation package tickets for later in the day since priority passes will be gone or mostly gone, and you should prioritize getting those or waiting in shorter standby lines earlier in the day. Of course my experience was probably a bit unique since it didn't seem that busy.

My next posts for this day will be a room tour of my Harbor View room at MiraCosta, the Believe show from my room, and some dinner at Ikspiari and shopping haul for the day. I will try to post them this weekend so then I can get on to the Fantasy Springs opening day (finally LOL). Thanks for reading!