Tips for Visiting Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea is undoubtedly our family’s favorite Disney park. We have visited this park twice in a span of seven years. We highly recommend this park for its uniqueness. Keep in mind these tips for visiting Tokyo DisneySea.

This water-centric park is located along Tokyo Bay. It has seven “ports of call” which are their versions of theme park lands not found anywhere else. The attention to details on everything is incredible. There were plenty of attractions and rides to entertain the whole family no matter what age or interests.

1. Buy Tickets in Advance

Making use of your limited time is a given when visiting theme parks. Don’t spend precious moments at the ticket lines. Buy your tickets before you get to the park.

Buy your park tickets through the Tokyo Disney Resort Official website since the ticket booths are still currently closed. You can buy up to five park tickets at a time.

The park currently only sells fixed-date tickets which means you can buy for a specific park and date of admission. The fixed-date ticket ensures that you gain entry to the Disney parks even when there are restrictions on admission.

If you cannot visit on the date you purchased, you can change the ticket to another date as long as that ticket is still within the period of validity. You can purchase fixed-date tickets up to two months in advance.

But, many resorts surrounding the parks sell tickets to their hotel guests. We stayed at Hilton Tokyo Bay which was a Disney partner hotel and were able to buy tickets the day before. No discounts were offered but tickets were a lot cheaper here than the US Disney parks.

Tickets can also be purchased at convenience stores (Family Mart or Lawson), major travel agencies, and JR (Japan Railway ticket) windows in Japan. There’s a ticket center in front of JR Maihama Station which is where most tourists get off from trains coming in from Tokyo center.

2. Getting to the Park

Most visitors and tourists use The Disney Resort Line or monorail that circles around the hotels and two theme parks. It connects it to the JR Maihama Station for trains to the rest of Tokyo. Unfortunately, it’s not free and costs 260 yen ($1.86 USD) for adults and half price for children under 11 years old for one ride. Day passes for 660 yen ($4.71 USD), as well as two, three and day passes, are available.

Have cash on hand to make it easier to buy the tickets from the machines. The circle route takes about 13 minutes. We loved the Mickey-shaped windows and hand straps here.

3. Go Early

Like many theme parks, it pays to come early. Opening times vary by season. The park opened at 8 AM during the summer but by 7:30 AM, there were already several queues into the entrance. So, if you can get up early due to jet lag, get there as early as you can. Being in Japan, expect efficiency and order though while in line.

If you’re staying at Disney hotels like Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, MiraCosta, etc., guests can enter the park 15 minutes before the park’s regular opening hours and before other guests through a Special Entrance. This benefit only applies for the morning after check-in and not the day of check-in.

4. Pick your Days to Visit

Both of our visits here have been on weekdays (Tuesday and Friday) during the summer. From what I’ve read, weekends can get very busy too. Avoid national and major public holidays.

The last week of December into the first of January are also known to be very busy as well as March (Spring break) and August (summer school holidays).

5. Get to Know Duffy and ShellieMay

Forget Mickey and Minnie here in Tokyo. The King and Queen of the Tokyo Disney parks are Duffy Bear and ShellieMay. Duffy is Mickey’s lovable teddy bear and ShellieMay is his girlfriend. Gelatoni (a cat) and Stella Lou (a ballerina rabbit) accompany them as their friends.

The Japanese Disney fans adore Duffy and his friends. They are everywhere from fans carrying different sizes of Duffy and ShellieMay with homemade costumes to miniature Duffy bears around their waists and bags. We saw petite Japanese girls carrying stuffed Duffy bears as big as them.

It was so interesting to people watch at this park and see the Duffy and Friends merchandise phenomenon. Buy these bears as souvenirs.

Look around the park for special photo spots to put the bears in areas called “Duffy Photo Points”. Interestingly, my teens still have their Duffy and ShellieMay bears since their first visit as elementary-aged kids.

6. Download Apps and Stay Connected

Visit the website to see which rides are closed for renovations or find special events happening during your visit. Download the official Tokyo Disney Resort App which allows guests to buy tickets in advance (Japanese version only). Other versions allow advanced bookings for various attractions, restaurants, and experiences.

7. Take Advantage of FASTPASS [Suspended until further notice]

Fast passes, similar to those available in other Disney parks, provide free timed passes for specific attractions. Guests return on the designated time and go to the front of the line or with minimal wait. Unfortunately, these passes run out especially for very popular rides.

Each visitor ticket is provided with a FASTPASS ticket. The bottom portion of the tickets tell you when you can get the next FASTPASS for another ride after you’ve used up your current FASTPASS ticket.

Get a FASTPASS for Toy Story Mania, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Tower of Terrors and Nemo & Friends SeaRider which are the park’s most popular rides. The line to get a FASTPASS for Toy Story was longer than the line for the ride at 8:15 AM during our last visit. Plan out your day and see which ride you want to get on first.

8. Bring Cash

While gift shops and restaurants accepted US credit cards, most snack carts only accepted cash. I have read somewhere that the ATMs inside the park only accept Japanese issued bank cards. So, get plenty of yen for this trip at airports and around Tokyo like the 7-11 stores.

9. Stay cool during summer visits

Both of our visits here have been very hot and humid. Get those free paper fans you see around Tokyo. The park also sells long wash towels that double as souvenirs you can soak in cold water and wear over your heads and around your necks. You can also get small ice packs from the First Aid center near the Zambini Brothers restaurant in Mediterranean Harbor.

10. Look for exclusive souvenirs

You may be lucky enough to visit during special events and months when the park comes out with commemorative souvenirs found nowhere else. Our last summer coincided with the resort’s 35^th Anniversary celebration so there were plenty of things to buy. We also had fun looking for all the Golden Mickeys around the park to commemorate the anniversary.

Check for special mouse ears only found in Tokyo. The kids will also love anything with Duffy or ShellieMay and friends and not available in other parks around the world.

11. Rest your tired feet

Walking around theme parks is exhausting especially on hot days. Use the transportation systems within the park to go from one port of call or land to another while enjoying the scenery. There are various options and some are pretty neat to ride in.

DisneySea Transit Steamer Line – This boat ride travels between Mediterranean harbor, American Waterfront and Lost River Delta. It’s a wonderful perspective of the park from the water and a great way to travel between the ports of call. Check on the dock times and they stopped operating early to get ready for the Fantasmic show.

DisneySea Electric Railway – We rode this electric trolley on an elevated railway platform a couple of times between the Port Discovery port of call (located by the Nemo ride) and the American Waterfront train station by the Tower of Terror.

The ride takes about 2.5 minutes but the scenic views of the park and Tokyo Bay are wonderful from all angles. Lines were shorter at the American waterfront station.

Big City Vehicles – It was fun to see these vintage, 20^th century inspired cars transport visitors between Cape Cod and New York Harbor in the American Waterfront port of call. Transports are only one-way but it was a great way to travel in style.

12. Look for Mickey shaped soaps

We found the “Hand Washing Areas” on the American Waterfront by the entrance to the square facing Tower of Terror and near the train station. There was a dispenser here that released Mickey-shaped soap foam that are guaranteed to make kids enjoy washing their hands. It’s another small little touch that makes this park special.

13. Don’t Miss the Shows

The shows we’ve seen at Tokyo DisneySea have been amazing and were so entertaining. Do not miss them! They were unique and fully took advantage of the Mediterranean Harbor lagoon centerpiece.

They also constantly change the shows depending on seasons and special celebrations. We’ve seen Fantasmic! at the American parks and the Tokyo version is the best.

We found people securing spots to watch shows over an hour before shows started and even right when the park opened. The most popular spot seemed to be on Mickey Square right in front of the harbor.

We’ve always enjoyed the shows at the Lido Isle which is the area by the bridge overlooking the canals. Keep in mind that some of the shows will get you extremely wet.

Also, look at the times for the shows you’ve already seen on the park map. This would be a good time to go on some of the rides since many others will be watching the shows. We walked easily into a couple of rides during those performances.

14. Don’t worry about the language barrier

It may be a little intimidating going to an overseas theme park with foreign language and letters at first. But, don’t worry about any language barriers here. Signs and announcements are in English. Maps are also available in English.

The cast members here are the friendliest. Everyone we approached spoke some English. They answered our questions with no issues. And if they don’t have answers, it is almost a guarantee that they will hurriedly find someone who can.

15. See These Attractions

These are the can’t miss rides and attractions my family and especially the kids highly recommend doing:

Nemo and Friends SeaRider– This was our first ride during out last visit because it was the park’s newest attraction. This indoor attraction took us on a motion-simulated submarine that “shrunk” it to a size of a fish. We got to explore the underwater world and follow the adventures of Nemo, Dory and friends. It’s like Disneyland’s Star Tours but underwater.

Aquatopia – We loved riding these future-looking watercraft vehicles that spun us around whirlpools and waterfalls. There was a dry and wet version so be prepared to go in the right queue.

Caravan Carousel – Don’t miss the two-story carousel. It was two levels of adorable animals and the Genie from Aladdin. Make sure to go on the upper floor for fantastic views of the surrounding areas.

Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage – If you’ve ever visited a Disney park, think of this ride like a “Pirates of the Caribbean” or “It’s a Small World” rolled into one. But, it is using the story and adventures of Sindbad and his tiger, Chandu. The story and music are in Japanese but it’s still a wonderful boat ride adventure through magical lands with colorful characters, mermaids and even a giant ogre.

More Tokyo DisneySea Rides to Explore

Journey to the Center of the Earth –  This indoor roller coaster ride takes visitors on special subterranean vehicles within the erupting Mount Prometheus volcano. It’s an unforgettable adventure through tunnels, caverns and weird creatures

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea– This was a small watercraft ride that took us to a simulated underwater world and was very family-friendly. There were porthole windows to look out. It felt like we were on an exploratory vehicle underneath the ocean.

Venetian Gondolas – The recreation of Venice’s buildings and frescoes was so authentic here. The gondola ride was a pleasant way to go around the Mediterranean Harbor. Our gondoliers even sang an Italian song for us. This was more entertaining than the actual gondola ride we had in Venice a few years ago.

Mermaid Lagoon – If you want to escape the summer heat and have kids under 10 years old, this was the perfect place to hang out. There were many rides here sure to entertain the younger set especially ones who don’t meet the height requirements in the park’s roller coasters. The attention to details on the exterior of this area was so amazing.

Tower of Terror – My family loves this elevator ride with extreme drops inside the Hightower Hotel. It was hard to miss this imposing structure on the American Waterfront. There’s an interesting story that builds up the ride to a service elevator and the “freefall” ride afterwards.

16. Do Character Meet and Greets

Check on the park map to see where to meet favorite Disney characters. Mickey, Minnie and Goofy have a special area at the Greeting Trails by the Indiana Jones ride. Duffy and ShellieMay can be found at Cape Cod Cook-Off restaurant. “My Friend Duffy” show is presented while eating at this counter service restaurant.

We also found ShellieMay by the plaza in front of Tower of Terror. If you’re in the Arabian Lagoon, you may run into Jafar, Aladdin, Jasmine and Daisy Duck dressed as an Arabian princess (we’ve seen her here during our visits).

17. What and Where to Eat at Tokyo DisneySea

One of the great things about Tokyo DisneySea are the food and snacks. Prices were actually quite reasonable and for the adults, alcohol is widely available. Numerous snack carts were scattered around the park. These were some of our favorite things.

Gyoza Sausage Buns – Found in Mysterious Island’s Nautilus Galley, this is one of the park’s most popular snacks. It’s a pork bun stuffed with sausage and other fillings.

Popcorn – There were several popcorn flavors found throughout the park to try. The park map showed where to find these unique flavors. We loved the strawberry ones but curry, garlic shrimp, black pepper, caramel, milk chocolate, herb-tomato and salt (for those who want the classic flavor) are also available.

Look into getting the refillable and different character-shaped popcorn buckets as souvenirs.

Churros – For the 35^th anniversary, we found cotton candy flavored churros with purple sugar coating at Arabian Coast. There were also the popular potato churros which tasted like a large french fry coated lightly with salt instead of sugar on traditional churros. We found it on a snack cart by Mysterious Island.

Little Green Men Mochi Dumplings – Shaped like the aliens from Toy Story, these were mochi (rice paste) filled with chocolate, strawberry and custard cream. These were our favorite desserts. We found them on a food cart by the bridge close to the SS Columbia ship.

Restaurants

Compared to other theme parks, eating at Tokyo DisneySea is affordable for families. Many of the restaurants offer children’s meals and meal combos that come with drinks. We ate at counter service restaurants, which were easy, and fast to order and pick up meals.

New York Deli (in American Waterfront) – They serve various sandwiches (a bit small than what we’re used to). They are great for eating quickly and on the go. The most popular item here was the Mile High Deli Stack sandwich.

Zambini Brothers Ristorante (in Mediterranean Harbor) – It felt a bit weird eating pasta and pizza while in Tokyo but this two-story restaurant offered plenty of options for families. Try the pasta meal that comes with strawberry mousse and a drink. The pasta wasn’t heavy and we liked the pizzas.

Café Portofino (in Mediterranean Harbor) – There were many options here including children’s meals. Go for the pasta set that comes with appetizers, dessert and drink. We had two different kinds of pasta here and they were delicious. The chicken was also very good.

Yucatan base Camp Grill (in Lost River Delta) – This has several Mexican plates served with smoked chicken smoked pork or spicy smoked salmon and Mexican rice and vegetables. Considering we live in Southern California, these Mexican plates weren’t very impressive but satisfying.

Disney character dining is available at Horizon Bay Restaurant where characters come around to greet and pose with guests. This is buffet dining. Priority seating is available with minimal waits ad can be booked in advance (via online in Japanese or through the phone)

And if you’re here on a repeat visit…don’t forget to recreate your photos. You can read more about our first visit to Tokyo DisneySea.

*Have you visited Tokyo DisneySea or anything to add for tips to visiting Tokyo DisneySea?

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