Planning help please

[scrappinmom]

I feel like this might be the only place I can get an honest answer. When I've asked in other places how many days to dedicate to the TDR, I get snippy replies like 0, maybe 1, why waste your time.. I am trying to plan a trip to Japan for my daughter and myself in October 2025. She is currently living and studying in Bangkok and we thought meeting in Tokyo would be a fun way to spend her birthday. I did go to Thailand last year in July, that kind of heat is just not for me. How many days would you suggest to cover both Disneyland & DS including fantasy Springs, knowing in all likelihood, this is a one and done trip. I'm thinking my best bet is to try to get a vacation package and then add on to separate days at the end as well. Basically so we have one day in each park to ride the rides and then one day in each park to just meander shop and enjoy.

I'd also like to see some of Tokyo or other parts of Japan. We don't have a gazillion days to spend there, but I think 10 days would probably be something we could swing.

Looking for any, and all thoughts on an itinerary or a plan. Other than Disney, we like sightseeing, temples, unique experiences, food and shopping. Not huge museum fans.

I'm just starting to watch YouTube videos, so if you have anyone in particular that you think offers, great advice, let me know.

As always, thanks in advance

 

[Apiary]

For all of Japan you might want to get a copy of a lonely planet guide book from the library, and see what's interesting to you. Online https://www.japan.travel/en/us/ has a lot of information on the whole country. There's also a lot of trip reports out there on blogs or reddit to give an idea of how much time people gave to each city and what they did.
For TDR I'm planning on 1 full and 1 half day in each park. Mostly because that's what fits in around all the other stuff I'm planning.

 

[nono]

If you just want to see Tokyo Disney, 1 day each. But, probably 2 days each (esp. with package) will probably cover you as it sounds like you might be an enthusiast.

October can still be warm, but if you want to see some fall foliage, you could head a little north of Tokyo, like to Nikko City, and technically you can do that in a day trip from Tokyo.

Edited to add: I found a link I had buried in trip planning for Nikko Temples and Shrines. Hope it helps.

 

[MinnesotaDisneyFan]

I feel like this might be the only place I can get an honest answer. When I've asked in other places how many days to dedicate to the TDR, I get snippy replies like 0, maybe 1, why waste your time.. I am trying to plan a trip to Japan for my daughter and myself in October 2025. She is currently living and studying in Bangkok and we thought meeting in Tokyo would be a fun way to spend her birthday. I did go to Thailand last year in July, that kind of heat is just not for me. How many days would you suggest to cover both Disneyland & DS including fantasy Springs, knowing in all likelihood, this is a one and done trip. I'm thinking my best bet is to try to get a vacation package and then add on to separate days at the end as well. Basically so we have one day in each park to ride the rides and then one day in each park to just meander shop and enjoy.

I'd also like to see some of Tokyo or other parts of Japan. We don't have a gazillion days to spend there, but I think 10 days would probably be something we could swing.

Looking for any, and all thoughts on an itinerary or a plan. Other than Disney, we like sightseeing, temples, unique experiences, food and shopping. Not huge museum fans.

I'm just starting to watch YouTube videos, so if you have anyone in particular that you think offers, great advice, let me know.

As always, thanks in advance

Tokyo Disney has not resumed offering tickets that include a park hopper option which changes how I answer this question. In the past when you could get a hopper I felt 3 days was an adequate amount of time to see and do enough (even for a first time visitor). Now that they only sell single-day, one-park tickets (sometimes you can get evening entry tickets as well) I would recommend an even number of days since there are 2 parks. 2 days is a little short (but if you splurge on a vacation package for the Fantasy Springs day might be ok) and 4 days is a lot but you will feel like you can do and see most of everything. DisneySea has fewer things to do which means longer lines but also a lot more atmospheric things to enjoy. Tokyo Disneyland park has more attractions and shows which means shorter lines than DisneySea. If you're pressed for time, many of the Tokyo Disneyland park attractions are duplicates of ones you've seen in the U.S., but the care and maintenance make them worthwhile as you'll see effects and animatronics functioning in a way you've never seen elsewhere.

I recently returned from my fourth trip to the Tokyo Disney Resort and stayed 5 nights at the Ambassador Hotel with 4 park days. Even with it being my fourth visit, 4 days didn't feel like too much (obviously I'm a big fan). Without a vacation package it was only possible to do 2-3 Fantasy Springs attractions per day (and that was only possible arriving very early for the early hotel guest admission) so we were glad we had 2 DisneySea days.

I highly recommend doing other things in Japan. A few days in Tokyo to hit up the major neighborhoods frequented by tourists is really fun. On our recent trip we spent a few days in the Osaka/Kyoto area which I would highly recommend. Our 13 day trip started with our Disney days, we then took the bullet train to Osaka for a couple days, and ended back in Tokyo for the metropolitan Tokyo part of the trip. This itinerary worked well for us. While it would have been fun to look forward to Disney at the end, doing it first meant we were the most energetic and able to enjoy it. Feel free to ask additional questions.

 

[Kickstart]

We're also planning a tip to Japan and TDR, but coming up much sooner (late June / early July)... so was interested in this thread.

I've never been before, so I can't speak from experience, but I'd second the 2-4 day estimate. That seems to jive with the research I've done so far.

I've been reading a lot of this blog:
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disney-trip-planning-guide/

As well as TDRexplorer videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@tdrexplorer

And a pretty good explainer on the vacation packages:
https://howtododisney.net/2025/01/1...f-tokyo-disney-vacation-packages-2025-edition

 

[Agent 86]

I'd generally recommend four days at Tokyo Disney Resort, two at each park, but that would only leave you six days for "Tokyo and other parts of Japan" which just isn't practical. Six days would barely cover the main sights in Tokyo, let alone travelling to Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Nagoya and other popular tourist destinations.

As such, you will need to weigh up what is most important to you - Disney or Japan.

Also, even with two days in each park, your plan to "have one day in each park to ride the rides and then one day in each park to just meander shop and enjoy" isn't really possible. Even on the best, quietest day in each park, I wouldn't expect to be able to ride all the rides I wanted to. You will likely need to look at doing rides both days and fitting in shopping and meandering (and shows, parades, character meets, food / eating, etc) around the rides.

You mention that you will be travelling in October and not enjoying the heat in Thailand. In our experience, Japan's "summer" is lasting longer, so you should be prepared for some hot days in October. We travelled in October 2024 and it was definitely warmer than we would like and we travelled from a hot and humid climate.

 

[Goofy4]

You can look at what ABD does and borrow from it (sorry, I see the link formatted poorly).

You can also DM me. My daughter lived there for a few years.

Thread 'Changes to Japan itinerary'

Jan 10, 2025

We got an email today listing several changes to the Japan ABD:

Day 1 – Guests arriving early for their adventure may choose to join an optional tour with their Adventure Guide for a visit to Kiyomizu-dera, a Buddhist temple overlooking Kyoto and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Adventure Guides will also be happy to provide alternative recommendations for activities or restaurants in the area.

Day 2 – Following exploration of the Arashiyama area, you will express your artistic skills by preparing Yatsuhashi, Kyoto’s signature sweets made of various fillings in an elegant...

• TXAKDisneyFan
• Replies: 42
• Forum: Adventures By Disney

 

[scrappinmom]

Thanks everyone! I do think we need 4 days, Might be able to stretch the plan.

Ive watched several TDR videos & I see that Japan residents use a different website & have access to different packages. Does anyone know if its just Japan or all of Asia? My daughter has a Thailand addy and a Thai phone number & bank account too.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Thanks everyone! I do think we need 4 days, Might be able to stretch the plan.

Ive watched several TDR videos & I see that Japan residents use a different website & have access to different packages. Does anyone know if its just Japan or all of Asia? My daughter has a Thailand addy and a Thai phone number & bank account too.

You need a residential address in Japan to receive mail but can pay using a non-Japanese credit card. They will not mail the Japanese vacation package items to a hotel or address outside of Japan.

 

[Kwami]

You need a residential address in Japan to receive mail but can pay using a non-Japanese credit card. They will not mail the Japanese vacation package items to a hotel or address outside of Japan.

Do they filter out forwarding services like Tenso? I've never actually tried it.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Do they filter out forwarding services like Tenso? I've never actually tried it.

I do not know if Tokyo Disney will filter out package forwarding services but the package is supposed to be sent as valuable which requires the person it is intended for to sign or stamp. I believe that Tenso doesn't accept this type of delivery.

 

[scrappinmom]

You need a residential address in Japan to receive mail but can pay using a non-Japanese credit card. They will not mail the Japanese vacation package items to a hotel or address outside of Japan.

Thank you - I didn’t know if the site was Japan only or more widespread for Asia. (Kinda like WDW has different packages for all of the UK). I might have her see what she can pull up there just to see if theres any difference at all or if shes directed to the US site

 

[MinnesotaDisneyFan]

Thank you - I didn’t know if the site was Japan only or more widespread for Asia. (Kinda like WDW has different packages for all of the UK). I might have her see what she can pull up there just to see if theres any difference at all or if shes directed to the US site

I think the primary difference is being able to have the package delivered versus having to pick it up. It doesn't seem like people coming from the US have had much difficulty booking packages as the supply and demand is kept in check by the premium pricing. Years ago there were many aspects to the Tokyo Disney booking site that had no English language translation (advanced dining for example). Today I feel the booking site for English-speaking, non-Japanese guests is very robust and you're able to do just about everything (other than have a package delivered). It's the same booking site, just translated into a variety of languages.

 

[scrappinmom]

I think the primary difference is being able to have the package delivered versus having to pick it up. It doesn't seem like people coming from the US have had much difficulty booking packages as the supply and demand is kept in check by the premium pricing. Years ago there were many aspects to the Tokyo Disney booking site that had no English language translation (advanced dining for example). Today I feel the booking site for English-speaking, non-Japanese guests is very robust and you're able to do just about everything (other than have a package delivered). It's the same booking site, just translated into a variety of languages.

Thanks ...I think the challenge now is going to be just to wait & see...We are pretty big Disney fans spending 2 days on each park is perfectly acceptable to me no matter how long of a trip I am able to manage to Japan overall. The question is going to be how or if they change the vacation pacages before October. Staying at a Disney property would be awesome, but I'm not opposed to staying at a "neighbor" hotel if the package doesn't get me any perks. & perks for us means access to the rides. I have to do some math, If I can purchase access to all the rides in the 2 parks within 4 days I might be inclined to save the $ and buy more merch!

 

[MinnesotaDisneyFan]

Thanks ...I think the challenge now is going to be just to wait & see...We are pretty big Disney fans spending 2 days on each park is perfectly acceptable to me no matter how long of a trip I am able to manage to Japan overall. The question is going to be how or if they change the vacation pacages before October. Staying at a Disney property would be awesome, but I'm not opposed to staying at a "neighbor" hotel if the package doesn't get me any perks. & perks for us means access to the rides. I have to do some math, If I can purchase access to all the rides in the 2 parks within 4 days I might be inclined to save the $ and buy more merch!

I had a similar rationale for not doing the vacation package. But I did still find value in staying at a Disney hotel without a package. The extra 15 minute early entry for Disney hotel guests might not sound like much, but it gives you a great advantage. Everything is done in the app (Disney Premier Access, standby pass for Fantasy Springs, show booking, etc.) and getting in the park early to start booking those give you a leg up on everyone else. We used Premier Access for a few Fantasy Springs attractions and the Beauty and the Beast attraction. Because we hadn't paid for a package I didn't mind paying for a handful of these premium passes (and they're quite a bit cheaper than any paid line skipping service in the U.S. Disney parks).

 

[mathgeek]

Just came back from doing 6 days in the TDR parks (plus 2 each SHDR and HKDL). We stayed at the Sheraton, which was fine. It got us monorail access and was convenient for afternoon breaks. (I did not have much control over the itinerary or number of days b/c I was traveling with a TA who put together a travel group to go to all 3 Asia parks.) That many days at TDR was a lot, but for a first trip there, and over Christmas day, which was crowded, it allowed for us to get on all of our must do attractions and also explore the lands and shops and wander a bit too.

I also had Duffy's show meal as a priority, so this took up a block of time on our first DisneySea park day. I also felt like getting the priority or standby passes for Fantasy Springs plus the 40th free passes had us running across the parks, and it made it harder to plan the day efficiently.

I'm already planning for my next trip, and I'd prefer to stay at one of the Disney owned hotels if possible, with probably the Hilton as a backup plan, for 5 nights - 4 park days.

 

[Kwami]

I think the primary difference is being able to have the package delivered versus having to pick it up. It doesn't seem like people coming from the US have had much difficulty booking packages as the supply and demand is kept in check by the premium pricing. Years ago there were many aspects to the Tokyo Disney booking site that had no English language translation (advanced dining for example). Today I feel the booking site for English-speaking, non-Japanese guests is very robust and you're able to do just about everything (other than have a package delivered). It's the same booking site, just translated into a variety of languages.

It's not quite the same. The Japanese vacation packages usually have different benefits than the international ones. For example, there are areas reserved for parade and fireworks viewing that are only available to vacation package holders, but the international packages don't offer that perk.

Or, at least, they didn't when I visited in October. It's possible that they've changed the benefits since then.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

It's not quite the same. The Japanese vacation packages usually have different benefits than the international ones. For example, there are areas reserved for parade and fireworks viewing that are only available to vacation package holders, but the international packages don't offer that perk.

Or, at least, they didn't when I visited in October. It's possible that they've changed the benefits since then.

Yes, we saw the same thing. Definite perks for resident VPs.

 

[MinnesotaDisneyFan]

It's not quite the same. The Japanese vacation packages usually have different benefits than the international ones. For example, there are areas reserved for parade and fireworks viewing that are only available to vacation package holders, but the international packages don't offer that perk.

Or, at least, they didn't when I visited in October. It's possible that they've changed the benefits since then.

Thank you for the clarification. The perks of each package remain an area I'm not familiar with. I was only speaking to the fact that the actual sites used for booking have become more streamlined and consistent regardless of your language or country of origin. I personally did not feel that as a westerner I was using a completely different site or had vastly different options (vacation packages notwithstanding). Compared to the first time I went to Tokyo Disney 15+ years ago when many options were only available over the phone and only if you spoke Japanese.

 

[scrappinmom]

I will keep everyone posted… when we get close enough to book we will both be on in different countries & we’re going to compare