HOW DO TOKYO DISNEY PREMIER & ANNIVERSARY PASSES WORK?

kids riding Toy Story Mania Tokyo DIsneysea

I have written extensive (they really are my longest and most detailed) blog posts on visiting Tokyo Disneyland with Kids and visiting Tokyo DisneySea with kids.

If you haven’t visited Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneyland for the past few years, one major change is the way that fast passes work.
I have gone into how the Disney Premier Pass and 40th Anniversary Priority Passes work here.
Tickets for these fast passes cannot be purchased until you are physically standing in the park using the Tokyo Disney Resort App.

This blog post contains some affiliate links. This means that I will receive a small commission if you book a hotel or make a purchase using one of my links – at no additional charge to you.

I recommend buying tickets directly for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea directly via the Tokyo Disney Resort. However, some people find that the site won’t accept their overseas credit card ( I know, as it’s happened to me a LOT!). So the next best option, in my opinion, is to book via Klook. Click here to book Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneysea via Klook. Klook send you an email with a QR code – scan that code into your Tokyo Disney Resort app and you’re good to go (go into the Tokyo Disney App to show your ticket for scanning at the disney gate. Remember to scan everyone from your group onto the same app on the one phone – that way you are able to apply for the fast passes and show lotteries as a group and can ride and sit together etc.)

If you buy Tokyo Disney tickets on Klook, you can just scan them in to the app using this QR code – like I did here.

Scanning in Klook purchased tickets for Tokyo Disney Parks into the app.

There are currently two kinds of fast passes. Both passes can be accessed via the Tokyo Disney Resort app. Please make sure you have the app on your phone prior to entering Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea. Make sure you put all tickets for your group onto the app – onto the same one phone in the same one app. That way you will get to put in fast passes and show tickets and food orders as a group.
Please also make sure you will have internet access inside the park (there is no free wifi.)

1) There is a Disney Premier Access (kind of the new version of what used to be called a fast pass) option and this costs money to skip the queue at an allocated time.
Tickets for these fast passes cannot be purchased until you are physically standing in the park using the Tokyo Disney Resort App.

It’s possible to pay for a Premier Pass for front row seating for the night time “Reach for the Stars” projection show on the castle at Tokyo Disneyland. For us? We can see fine just by standing near the castle (near the entrance to Tomorrowland just before the bridge.)
Warning: everyone leaves right after this show – so if you don’t like the idea of filing out with the masses – leave before or during this show.

This is a picture taken during the Reach for the Stars show. The show includes projections, fireworks (that aren’t cancelled as often as the regular fireworks), pyrotechnics and lighting. The show is to music and features Baymax, Dumbo, Coco, Marvel and some others.

2) There is a Disney 40th Anniversary Pass
This pass does not cost money but cannot be accessed until you are in the park. This pass will also give you an allocated time to skip the long queue for certain rides.
You are unable to apply for your next pass until your ride time for the first anniversary pass has come. So, for example, let’s say I enter the park and I want to apply for my first complimentary Disney 40th Anniversary Pass and the options presented to me on my app for that day is Pirates of the Caribbean, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and Big Thunder Mountain. And let’s say I choose “Pooh’s Hunny Hunt” and the allocated time is between 11am-12pm – I can then not start to apply for my next Disney 40th Anniversary Pass until 11am.

3) There is an additional option that very ocassionally is available. It’s called the Standby Pass. This is often used for new rides or special events. This doesn’t mean that you can skip the line. It just means that you are able to join the line (it’s not readily available for just anyone to line up.) We have had this happen for one of the newer rides in the Fantasy Springs section. We applied to be able to line up for a ride at a certain time of day – still had to wait more than 30 mins so it didn’t exactly feel like a “treat.”

This is what the passes look like inside of the app.
*Up until recently, we were told that the complimentary anniversary passes would end in April, 2024 – but they have just been extended!

Do fast passes on the Tokyo Disney App ever run out?
So Disney decides which rides will be available for fast passes of the paid or complimentary type based on the crowds for that particular day.
In order to be able to promise those who have got their hands on those fast passes that they will be able to skip the queues at the designated time – they have done the calculations on how many they can offer and up until what time.
So once those spots are full for the day – the offer for fast passes stop. This is why, unlike some other Disneys around the world, it’s not a great idea to just turn up for the afternoon/evening. You will miss out on even the free fast pass options on the app.
Naturally, they run out more quickly on weekends and busy national holidays – usually around 2 or 3pm (which means that the later evening time slots have all been taken up.)

Can you get multiple fast passes at once?
Yes – if you are using a mixture of paid and complimentary anniversary passes – it’s fine for them to overlap.
If it’s one type of pass, you need to wait until you have hit the ride time opens for that pass . For example, if you grab a pass that allows you to skip the line between 10:30-11am .. you’ll be able to apply for and/or purchase your next fast pass after 10:30am.

What happens with kids who didn’t need to buy tickets when it comes to fast passes at Tokyo Disney?
When children are too young to require a ticket to visit Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneysea they can still jump on in on your fast pass tickets (complimentary or otherwise) – provided they are tall enough to ride on that particular attraction, of course. The heigh trequirements are all listed on the official Tokyo Disney Resort website. If they can ride wth you, they just line up next to you and you show your adult fast pass at the entrance to the attraction – good to go!!

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.

Fantasy Springs Entry. Photo taken mid July 2024

Please note that the parks often open early (another reason to make sure you line up at least one hour before the parks open – I explain more here.)

See the time at the top left of this screenshot of mine? This was when Disney was meant to open at 9am and they opened their doors 15 mins early. So then I was able to enter the lottery for the Mickey’s Magical Music World show. Tip: we’ve had more luck “winning” this lottery when we choose a session later in the day. Seats are automatically allocated to you (you cannot choose.)

This blog post contains some affiliate links. This means that I will receive a small commission if you book a hotel or make a purchase using one of my links – at no additional charge to you.

I speak further about restaurants and how we pretty much NEVER make restaurant reservations ahead of time for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea restaurants (as there are actually more restaurants that don’t take reservations and plenty of places to grab food whenever- and using the app you don’t need to wait either – so that it doesn’t interrupt your ride times at all.) HOWEVER, if you would like to make a reservation, jump on the official Tokyo Disney Resort website exactly one month before your park day.