Tokyo Disney expectations

[HiddenMickey]

(Sorry, just realized this is in the wrong forum)

Now that I've officially fallen in love with Tokyo Disney & Disney Sea, I was wondering if any of you who have been there can answer my questions:

-What can I realistically expect to spend, for 2 people, on airfare (from CA), hotel and park tickets (to both parks for about 6-7 days), food, and souvenirs? You can give a range too, I know its cheaper in the slow season and so forth.

-Will it be easy to navigate if you don't read/speak Japanese, both at the parks and the airport/trains getting to the resort?

-What are the best hotels to stay at, and how close are they to the parks (is monorail convenient?)?

-Is it relatively easy getting from the airport to the hotel?

-What is the weather usually like?

Any help appreciated. Thanks! :)

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by HiddenMickey

(Sorry, just realized this is in the wrong forum)

Now that I've officially fallen in love with Tokyo Disney & Disney Sea, I was wondering if any of you who have been there can answer my questions:

Alright, I'll give this a shot...

-What can I realistically expect to spend, for 2 people, on airfare (from CA), hotel and park tickets (to both parks for about 6-7 days), food, and souvenirs? You can give a range too, I know its cheaper in the slow season and so forth.

Well I last went in late May/early June '06 and '07. In '07, the airfare cost about $1200 for roundtrip coach. That wasn't the cheapest, but it was one of the cheaper flights out there. With the rising cost of jet fuel, I'd guesstimate a range of $1100-$1700/person in the coming months. That's a big range, but it's a big cost. In any trip to Tokyo, unless you go extremely lavish in hotel accomodations, the airfare will be about 60-70% of your budget.

-Will it be easy to navigate if you don't read/speak Japanese, both at the parks and the airport/trains getting to the resort?

Absolutely. Just about every sign in the airport, train stations, and Disney Resort is bilingual in Japanese & English. Also, just about anyone working in those three areas likely knows at least a little bit of english, and will be more than happy to help you if you need it. I've been there twice, still don't speak a lick of Japanese...still had a great time & made back alive.

-What are the best hotels to stay at, and how close are they to the parks (is monorail convenient?)?

Since the Disney Hotels (Ambassador, Mira Costa & coming in May, Disneyland Hotel) are all extremely expensive, your best bet is one of the TDR Official Hotels. These are a group of 6 hotels tucked away into a corner of TDR. Those hotels will run about 30-60% cheaper than the Ambassador/Mira Costa, and all provide free bus transportation to the Bayside Station on the Disney Resort Line monorail loop. (Even though its faster to walk from the Hilton Tokyo Bay.)

-Is it relatively easy getting from the airport to the hotel?

Yes, but the easier it is, the more it will cost. The easiest is the Limousine Bus (motorcoach) that will pick you up at Narita Airport and drop you off right at your hotel, but it's the most expensive.

Slightly cheaper is the Narita Express train that you can take to Tokyo station, then pick up the JR Keiyo or Musashino Lines to JR Maihama Station where the Tokyo Disney Resort is.

Check out www.hyperdia.com and research ways to get from Narita Airport Terminal 1 or 2, depending on your airline, to Maihama Station. That site will map out multiple routes and fares for your ease in comparing and choosing your desired route.

-What is the weather usually like?

Think a humid New York City. In the winter it can get really cold & might even snow. In the summer, it can get really warm and pretty humid. In the times I went, the weather was mostly good. A little on the warmish side, might rain on occasion, but overall pretty good.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!

-- PMM

[HiddenMickey]

Thanks Matt! I know you had a great time there. They don't send out those vacation-planning DVDs or brochures like DL & WDW do, right?

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I don't think so, but I could be wrong. There's a plethora of information out there on the 'net though already so you really don't need one of them to get the trip planned. Go through the links & pages on www.tokyodisneyresort.com and use www.hyperdia.com to plan train routes to/from the airport & whereever else you'd like to go.

-- PMM

[HiddenMickey]

Cool, thanks! And one thing I forgot to ask, are the rides and shows in English or Japanese?

[PeoplemoverMatt]

It actually varies, believe it or not. Most ride spiels are in Japanese like Jungle Cruise, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, etc. But then Big Band Beat (awesome show) at Tokyo DisneySea and just about every sign in both resorts are in English. The Magic Carpet Theatre show also freely offers a hand-held electronic device (like a PSP) that displays english subtitles for that show. The parades also feature both English and Japanese parts in their songs.

It's majority Japanese, but enough English so I never felt completely out of what was going on.

-- PMM

[scorchy96]

Airfare will depend upon who you book through, what airline you opt for, etc. I'd recommend trying to go through JTB - they helped book my first trip to Tokyo and were really helpful and got me good airfare rates.

I don't know how much money you want to spend on your accomodations, but my experience with Tokyo was that anything above a business type hotel is too expensive. I've heard really great things about the Tokyo Weekly Center (website in Japanese only - but if you go through JTB they could arrange everything for you) - you pay a weekly rate for what is basically a small apartment. Other cheaper options include guest houses, ryokan (Japanese style inn, though some can be just as expensive as hotels), and youth/student centers (though these may have curfews).

I don't know what kind of budget you're on, but I would really recommend spending the least money on your hotel. If you're going to be in Disneyland the whole time, it will probably just be a place to sleep and relax. Be prepared to spend a lot on transportation as well - train fares are one way an can range between ￥120 if you're not going to far or go well over ￥500. Weather changes by season - summer is extremely hot and humid, there are typhoons in fall, winters are cold (though from what I've gathered it rarely snows in Tokyo).

Tokyo is easy to navigate - all the train lines are written in English and Japanese and there are big maps all around the city that should help you find your way.

I've never been to TDR, so this is just based upon my experiences in Tokyo. I'd recommend picking up one or two guidebooks before you go (I liked Fodor's Tokyo guide) and try to see the city while you're there too, there are a lot of really fun things to do there.

[Ezra]

Originally Posted by HiddenMickey

(Sorry, just realized this is in the wrong forum)

No problem.

[blue donkey]

Airfare:
Your best best is using a travel agency that specializes in Japan to get your best deal for airfares. I, myself, have never used JTB for airtravel but know that they are a very well known company. I usually use H.I.S. International & my last coach airflight in late march (not value season) cost $640. It was a flight that had a stop over in Tokyo & went on to my destination so Tokyo would be cheaper. But if your schedule is flexible & you fly out of CA major airports they have sales with flights in the $400-$500 range.

Hotel:
We also stayed at Hilton Tokyo Bay & loved it. King size room for 2 people with Disney view 23,000 JPY/night from apr. 8-11 (week after their spring break). Internet 1,200 JPY/24 hrs. The monorail was super convenient. There are buses are waiting for you when you get off to take you to your hotel at the monorail stop but it seemed silly to ride a bus when the hotel was right in front of you. I must admit, however, I did ride the bus when I first got there with my baggage.

We went inside the mira costa hotel attached to DisneySea. It was beautiful & a great place to relax. I couldn't get ressies then, but maybe next time. I don't know about the extra benefit of staying there vs. "good neighbor" type hotel. But literally, you walk out of your hotel into the park. The security check point is in the actual hotel.

Airport Transpo:
We took the Limosine Bus on the way to the airport when we left. It was the most convenient. It took us directly from the hotel to our aiport terminal. I forget how much it cost, but remember it being a full bus. Keep in mind that seats were made with typical Japanese sized person in mind. My husband, not tall for US 5'10", found it rather cramped. We thought to ourselves, next take a taxi, it's not much more than the Limosine Bus, for 2 people.

All the train stations in the major ciities of Japan are written in English too. You can definitely take the trains. However, the Tokyo Station is HUUUUGE with TOOOONs of people. Its like LA traffic, but with people instead of cars at times. But, you can find info booths with people who speak English to help you find you tracks pretty easily.

Park Tickets:
I don't remember much except that the tickets were not park hoppers like in the US. Ours were single park tix but they for only for 2 days.

Speaking English:
You'll be fine. Most non-elderly people speak some English, especially in service jobs. So, no worries. Plus, you'll have a completely different experience in DisneyLand than you normally do. (Don't forget to ride the Pooh ride).

Weather:
Avoid summer if at all possible, if you're from the coastal area. INMO, it's much too humid for non-inlanders.

Have fun!

[scorchy96]

Originally Posted by blue donkey

Airport Transpo:
We took the Limosine Bus on the way to the airport when we left. It was the most convenient. It took us directly from the hotel to our aiport terminal. I forget how much it cost, but remember it being a full bus. Keep in mind that seats were made with typical Japanese sized person in mind. My husband, not tall for US 5'10", found it rather cramped. We thought to ourselves, next take a taxi, it's not much more than the Limosine Bus, for 2 people.

All the train stations in the major ciities of Japan are written in English too. You can definitely take the trains. However, the Tokyo Station is HUUUUGE with TOOOONs of people. Its like LA traffic, but with people instead of cars at times. But, you can find info booths with people who speak English to help you find you tracks pretty easily.

I took the Ueno Skyliner (I believe that's what it was called) and really loved it. It costs about half of what the limo bus costs (I think limobus is about 3.000 yen while seats on the limited train were only 1,200 yen, regular service trains are even cheaper). There was plenty of legroom, luggage storage was not an issue.

I would advise against taking a taxi. I took one for about 4 blocks and it literally cost about 1,300 yen. I would expect a ride from Narita to Tokyo to cost well over 10,000 yen. This was not a freak incident either, Japanese taxis are notoriously expensive.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

So silly to think you need a taxi when there are umpteen other, cheaper alternatives.

Keisei Skyliner was the way I went a few months ago. Got off in Funabashi, walked over to the JR Funabashi station (while passing a KFC & a Subway on the way!), got on the JR line there and headed straight for TDR at less than half the cost of the Limousine Bus!

-- PMM

[blue donkey]

Originally Posted by scorchy96

I took the Ueno Skyliner (I believe that's what it was called) and really loved it. It costs about half of what the limo bus costs (I think limobus is about 3.000 yen while seats on the limited train were only 1,200 yen, regular service trains are even cheaper). There was plenty of legroom, luggage storage was not an issue.

I would advise against taking a taxi. I took one for about 4 blocks and it literally cost about 1,300 yen. I would expect a ride from Narita to Tokyo to cost well over 10,000 yen. This was not a freak incident either, Japanese taxis are notoriously expensive.

Does the Ueno Skyliner pick you up at your hotel & drop you off at your terminal too? If so, I may have to try it next time.

You're definitely right about taxis. They are expensive but convenient with multiple luggage bags.

[scorchy96]

Originally Posted by blue donkey

Does the Ueno Skyliner pick you up at your hotel & drop you off at your terminal too? If so, I may have to try it next time.

You're definitely right about taxis. They are expensive but convenient with multiple luggage bags.

The Ueno Skyliner is a train. It goes from Narita Airport to Ueno Station in Tokyo (and probably Tokyo Station as well, I got off at Ueno so I can't be 100%). The train system in Tokyo is extremely convenient and you could literally travel across the whole country on regular commuter trains. With that said, there will probably be a train station very close to your hotel.

I know people are used to some of the conveniences of the US, but if you're going to Japan you should really take advantage of the differences there and take some extra time to experience life outside of the US.