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.)
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 get entry to 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”*
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 a lot by the end of the year – 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?
Yes. In order to enter the area and in order to ride the rides. As with other passes, this can only be organized once you are inside the park on the day.
See here for more information on how fast passes and anniversary passes work at Tokyo Disney Resort.
