I have written in great length regarding my tips for visiting Tokyo Disneysea with kids here. But I now want to add a little bit more information about visiting the brand new Fantasy Springs section (opened June 2024) of the theme park here.
There is soooo much hype and information already online for adults visiting Fantasy Springs but I wanted to focus on families (and, in particular, families who are visiting Japan on holidays.)
2025 UPDATE:You can see the predicted numbers per day by using a crowd prediction calendar here.but I strongly strongly do NOT recommend promising children that they will be able to ride the 3 rides inside of Fantasy Springs ahead of time. However, it is VERY difficult to get on the rides inside Fantasy Springs. There are 3 rides in this section and they all require fast passes (from April 1, 2025 guests will be allowed to queue at any time – HOWEVER- the lines here are going to be longer than 90 minutes + so I still don’t recommend attempting this with small children.) Even if you arrive at the earliest time (which I speak about here) it can be hard. (You can see the predicted numbers per day by using a crowd prediction calendar here.). I speak about Fantasy Springs in more detail and give reasons here – but I recommend NOT promising children that they will get on any rides here – to avoid disappointment. ESPECIALLY if visiting in March, April or May. I recommend focusing on the other sections of Tokyo Disneysea instead.
BEFORE YOU BOOK DISNEY TICKETS!
Use the calendar on the official Tokyo Disney Resort website. The reason? Some days close early and the calendar on the site will tell you the open and closing hours for each day.
The upside to a long day ? More time in the park
The upside to a shorter day? Less people book for days where they park closes earlier (and earlier means around 6:30pm.) This can be handy if you are visiting with young children who won’t last longer than this time anyway.
Here are my tips on buying tickets for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea.
Okay… a brief but vital introduction….
Japan’s Disney Parks are some of the most successful and financially lucrative in the whole world.
The reason? “Disney Adults” are not a sub-genre of Disney visitors – they are the majority.
This is fabulous news for Disney as adults have money to spend!
And Japanese disney adults don’t just spend on themselves ! Due to Japan’s omiyage culture (Japanese people buy large bags or tins of individually wrapped sweets to bring back for their colleagues, family members and friends when they go somewhere special) the shopping money means that they also leave Disneyland with bags and bags of treats for others.
I’ve spoken about this in detail in my Tokyo Disneyland post but it is actually quite hard to find many gifts for children at Tokyo Disney Parks. Japanese Disney Merchandisers know exactly what their shoppers want and also are very clever. You see, they keep changing the goods for sale often – seasonal flavours, limited edition versions of characters etc.
So why is this information about Tokyo Disney clientele important for visiting with kids?
Well, because I want to let families with kids know that openings of new sections like this are NOT built with kids in mind.
The visitors “competing” for a spot in the lines for the new attractions are full blown adults – and adults (and students) who are willing to wait for hours and hours inside and outside of the park in order to ensure their spot.
For this reason, for the next 3-4 months – if you have children and are visiting Disneysea… this is what I advise doing:
1) Just like any other day, I advise arriving approximately one hour before Disneysea gates open (as I explain in my Tokyo Disneyland posts, the online queuing and reservation is different in Japan and being late will limit what you can do all day.)
2) As soon as you are in the park, apply for standby and premiere passes using the Tokyo Disney Resort app and, if you acquire fast passes for the rides at Fantasy Springs (paid or otherwise) you are super dooper lucky! but definitely don’t make promises to kids that you can’t keep. In fact, I would tell kids to assume that is one section you won’t be able to access this trip.
3) Enjoy literally every other section of Tokyo Disneysea! The focus is no longer on the rest of the park during this hype season.
Other Parent – to – Parent tip re: Fantasy Springs
Don’t make ANY promises regarding any rides or Fantasy Springs entry. It will just get everyone cranky and disappointed. It’s better to just try for a fast pass once you’re in there and be pleasantly surprised if you’re lucky. *It can happen! I do know lots of people who arrived only one hour prior to opening and still got to go to Fantasy Springs” But almost never ever in March, April or May*
If you are hardcore disney people who really want to enter Fantasy Springs – many people are lining up from 3am (!!) I don’t recommend doing this with children. It will die down, hopefully, in a few months – this is all because it is so new.
Extra note: many of the official Tokyo Disney hotels have changed their early entry rules for guests since the new section opened. Please be sure to check the new rules if you are thinking of making a reservation / package reservation at one of these hotels.
Do you need a special pass to enter Fantasy Springs?
.When the park is busy – not everyone can walk through this section. However, from April 2025, guests will be able to join the queue for any rides in Fantasy Springs. The lines will be insanely long (more than 90 mins each.).
See here for more information on how fast passes and anniversary passes work at Tokyo Disney Resort.
