I explain the Tokyo Disney fast pass system for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea here (please be sure to read this first as it will help you understand why it’s important to do things as soon as you arrive) but I’ve written this for those who want to know what I do the very moment I am inside the park entrance.
The way the Tokyo Disney Parks system works is different to other Disney Parks in the world.
Apart from purchasing your Tokyo Disney tickets ahead of time and making sure you’ve downloaded and added them to the Tokyo Disney Resort app (all onto one app on one phone) , you can’t really do anything else to prepare in advance. Then, you just need to make sure you arrive at Tokyo Disney Parks ahead of opening so you get those first passes and shows at the times that suit you and your family.
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.
*You can reserve restaurants online but there really aren’t that many restaurants in Japanese Disneys that take reservations and it can slow you down if, like us, you like rides. There are soooo many restaurants that don’t take reservations at all and you can just line up or use the app to pre-order (once you’re hungry and are in the park) and collect at a time that you like.
Here are pics of some food that we like to eat at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea without ever having to have made a reservation. Most restaurants are just food court style or order as you go so I honestly don’t ever worry about pre-booking restaurants – especially with kids. As I mention in my Tokyo Disneyland with kids post – we often lay down our picnic mat and eat lunch from one of the restaurants while waiting for the parade to begin – it helps us get in some downtime while also getting a proper feed and securing a spot at the front of the parade.
Things to do the night before you go to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneysea
-make sure your app is set up with your name and all of your families tickets are loaded on the one app on the one phone (that way you are applying for shows and fast passes as a group at the same time – can all sit together , can all wait together. etc.)
-check the Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneysea official website to see which rides will be closed for maintenance on that day (this also helps managing expectations for little ones on the day
-check the Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneysea official website for all height restrictions* so you know which rides will be a no-go for some family members
*This is one of the reasons I, in my Japan with Kids: What to Pack blog post, recommend knowing your children’s height and approximate weight in centimetres and kilograms before travelling to Japan.
-then (this is just something we do but) everyone chooses one ride they really want to go on and we try to prioritize that one favourite for each family member throughout the day. Since I know people love to hear examples and specifics, here is what each of my family members often choose. At Tokyo Disneyland: I usually choose Big Thunder Mountain, my husband chooses Splash Mountain or Space Mountain (pre-renovation as Space Mountain is now out until 2027), my son chooses something like Haunted Mansion or Roger Rabbit and my daughter loves Beauty and the Beast. At Tokyo Disneysea: I usually choose Soaring, my husband likes Journey to the Centre of the Earth, my daughter likes Raging Spirits and my son will go for Sinbad (which has a 10 min wait max so we give him a second choice too) or Tower of Terror.
-choose a first ride of the day as a family. Now, if you’ve followed my advice and arrived early, I recommend making this first ride a pretty popular ride that is also not right near the entrance.
Choosing that first ride at Tokyo Disneyland:
(If you have kids under 6-7 or kids that are sensitive when it comes to rides, I recommend going straight to Fantasyland and doing the teacups, the carousel, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Peter Pan… these all have short wait times of 5-10 mins and set the tone for a really fun day – I think it’s really mean to make kids wait for their very first ride. You can then also head to Toon Town for the Roger Rabbit ride, the outdoor play area for toddlers, Goofy and Donald’s houses. I’ve written here which rides I don’t recommend doing at Tokyo Disneyland first thing in the morning.)
If you have kids who don’t need to start with the more gentle kid rides, then at Tokyo Disneyland I recommend walking to the back/further edges of the park for the more popular rides – first thing in the morning – these rides are unlikely to have more than 20-30 mins wait even on a super busy day.
If you don’t need to start with the little kids rides … head for those rides that are not near the entrance that will be really popular later.
Examples: Big Thunder Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt (although I am cautious to recommend this lines here can still get crazy long first thing so if the app tells you it’s more than a 20 min wait once you’re in the park – I’d save it for a fast pass).
Choosing that first ride at Tokyo DisneySea:
(If you have kids under 6-7 or kids that are sensitive when it comes to rides, I recommend going straight to Mermaid Lagoon and doing the rides inside here . All are so pretty and so little kid friendly. It’s beautiful in there. I have more details on my Tokyo Disneysea with kids blog post here. … these all have short wait times of 10-20 mins and set the tone for a really fun day – I think it’s really mean to make kids wait for their very first ride. The Mermaid Lagoon is also all undercover so it is an excellent spot to visit when it’s raining or scorching hot.Another option, is to head for the Double Decker Carousel in Arabian Coast and then Sinbad’s Voyage – the wait time for these rides is 5-10 mins and is a really cute way to start the day with little ones.)
If you don’t need to start with the little kids rides … head for those rides that are not near the entrance that will be really popular later.
Examples: Indiana Jones, Raging Spirits, Toy Story (although the Toy Story Mania ride line can get long quickly so if it says more than 30 mins wait then save it for a fast pass later.)
Okay…
So the moment we are inside the gates at Tokyo Disneyland here is what we do…
See how I talked about “choosing that first ride” above? While you’re lining up for the much shorter queue there – get your passes and shows sorted for the next few hours. I recommend doing this instead of just standing inside the park gates like most people tend to do- get the day started by getting to that first ride! – it’s more efficient AND way more fun.
1. Line up your Entry Requests for Shows (if you don’t like shows – ignore this step.)
On the Tokyo Disney Resort app, tap on Entry Request. This is a lottery for seats to one of the shows. We have the most success when trying for times later in the day – example the 4pm or 6pm shows. The reason I recommend this step first is so you can arrange the other fast passes around the show times.
At Tokyo Disneyland, I recommend applying for “Mickey’s Magical Music World” and at Disneysea I recommend trying for “Big Band Beat.”
An entry request doesn’t cost any money. You will see straight away if you “won” seats to a show at that time. You can’t try again so I recommend applying for a later time in the day and hoping for the best (using this strategy – we have only missed out 1-2 times ever.). If you miss out? More time for rides – it’s ok.
2. Lock in your first 40th anniversary pass
This is the fast pass that doesn’t cost any money. Click the “40th anniversary pass” on the Tokyo Disney Resort App and then see which rides are an option for you.
Top tip: don’t pick a time too far in advance. Example: if it’s 9am – don’t choose the free fast pass for 4pm. The reason? You can’t line up your next free fast pass until that one has finished. Therefore, the smarter thing to do is to choose the 10 or 11am option – then, once you’ve been on that ride – you line up the next one!
I can’t really give advice on which anniversary passes to go for as the options vary with each day – however, at Tokyo Disneyland we definitely choose Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Monsters Inc if they are available. And at Tokyo Disneysea we hope to see Indiana Jones, the Nemo Ride, Aquatopia and Jasmine’s Flying Carpets. (basically check out the options compared to the ride wait times on the app to see which is the best time saver for you, on the day.)
For more of a detailed write up of the rides my kids like and which ones also have queues that are undercover etc see my Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea with kids detailed blog posts.
3. Line up your Premier passes (if this is something you want to do.)
A premier pass is a paid pass. It skips the queue for certain rides. Prices are usually 1500-2500 yen per person. I, personally, recommend paying for 1-2 passes for the day. Just for the really good rides that would normally mean waiting for more than 1 hour. We have a family rule that we never wait longer than 30-35 mins for rides – but with this “family rule” that would mean missing out on some of the more memorable rides. So, we pay for 1-2 rides.
For us the following rides are worth paying for and skipping the queue :
Tokyo Disneyland: Beauty & the Beast for sure. Another good option to skip and pay for is Splash Mountain.
Tokyo Disneysea: The Frozen ride in Fantasy Springs, Soaring, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Journey to the Centre of the Earth (if any of these are an option for the 40th anniversary pass – jump on them straight away. At this point in time, the Fantasy Springs rides (Frozen, Rapunzel AND the Tinkerbell Ride are only available as paid premier passes so you will need to pay to ride on these – unless you have a Vacation Package, of course.) The Rapunzel ride is lovely but it is VERY short and the Tinkerbell Ride is aimed at very small children.
5. Souvenir Shopping
If you haven’t been to Japan before – you may not know about omiyage culture yet. Omiyage mean souvenir – but in Japan it almost always refers to buying boxes of individually wrapped sweets or crackers. In Japan, its customary to buy these boxes of treats for friends or colleagues when you go somewhere special or on holidays. Kind of like a “I had fun but I still thought of you guys!” kind of thing. They need to be individually wrapped as the box sits on the staff room table in the office at work so everyone can help themselves.
Because this is the “done thing” in Japan – this is big business for both of the Disney Parks. Shops full of these treats are mostly near the park entrance/exit so guests can stock up before they leave. The result though? Insanity around 1-2 hours in these shops before the parks close (makes sense because you don’t want to carry around that shopping haul all day.)
So avoid doing your shopping during those last 2 hours if you can.
Try and buy things late afternoon (I speak about it in my blogs on both Disney Parks – but there aren’t that many toys for little kids sold at either park. There are some but more collectors items or seasonally themed goods (a Mickey Halloween Themed Stuffy, a Donald Photo Frame with the Tokyo Disney’s 50th Anniversary Logo on the front etc.) So just be careful what you promise kids – or pre-warn them if they have pocket money saved. If they really have their hearts set on buying something at Tokyo Disneyland – I recommend going to “Toy Station” next to the Monsters Inc ride first. I actually think the Disney Store (there is a big one at Ikspiari – the shopping complex next to Maihama Station near Tokyo Disneyland has more options for kids and teens – I have pictures of what I’ve found and bought here if you want to see). Another option is to go to Bon Voyage, the gift shop between Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland the day before or day after your Disney day instead (I also have pictures of the kinds of things sold at Bon Voyage in my Disney area with kids blog post here) – they sell a large portion of the park merch – and then you don’t have to worry about lugging it around all day.
6. I keep track of passes and show times in my notes app
In between the scheduled rides and shows – we went to the rides that don’t have a long wait or stopped for food.
This helps me see what we have coming up and which times not to set up passes for – for example, if we want to see the “Reach for the Stars” projection show on the castle I add in the time to make sure I don’t book a ride over that time.
It’s possible to pay for a Premier Pass for front row seating for this show. 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.
So, what do we do for the rest of the time then?
We fill in the spaces between free and paid fast passes with the short wait times. We eat the cute food! We watch the parades! We shop and just explore!
See my Tokyo Disneyland with kids and Tokyo Disneysea with kids blog posts on the shortest wait times and other fun things to do in each of the parks.
