Planning a solo trip to tokyo disneyland

[KELLYSGIRL]

Hi everyone looking to see if i can get bit of help, i'm planning on a solo trip to disneyland tokyo and hopefully the universal parks too i'll be flying from uk, not sure what airlines are the best to use rough costs on flights there. Are the parks expensive there i'm not sure on currency on what would be appropriate amount to take or how long to spend in the parks, any help and advice you can give i would greatley appreciate it. Thank You x

[kk20]

I'll give you my take on things after our trip. We went as a 2+2 so I have no idea on single occupancy rates im afraid. That being said, there were plenty of options for smaller rooms, it was larger ones we needed to look for.

Not sure what airlines are the best to use rough costs on flights there.

We just went for the cheapest, we didnt mind a non-direct flight and didnt mind open jaw or different airports in the same city. Flights seemed to go on sale around 1 year beforehand and cost us just under 650 return per adult (about £400 per child). We ended up flying EDI -> Schiphol -> Narita then Haneda -> CDG -> EDI this was air france.

Price also depends on the time of year, we went in summer which could be classed as low season.

Are the parks expensive there

I thought Disney was decently priced, there are few "deals" around so we found it better to prebook beforehand in U. We booked a 4 day ticket and that was £160 per adult. Universal can work out expensive (IMHO). We had planned on having a Universal day but couldnt factor the cost. Universal crowds are a lot heavier than Disney, we would have wanted to add at least some queue jumping ticket but couldnt budget this. We didnt look at any other theme park.

how long to spend in the parks

we went for 4 days. We are also in the planning stages for 2022 and would do the same with some changes. We landed at 8AM on the Monday and booked a 4 day disney pass from Monday onwards - our thoughts were to take it slow, handle jet lag from day one and nap during the day. This worked but was a bit of a disney waste. For the next year we will be doing Disney in the middle 4 days so we can enjoy more. DisneySea is an excellent park. At a minimum I would spend a day in each, if you only have one day to spare then pick DisneySea and get there EARLY.

i'm not sure on currency on what would be appropriate amount to take or how long to spend in the parks

The $64000 question! We are (not quite) fanatical budgeteers. For a family of 4 we spent around £150 a day on food. We arent big Disney eaters - we would go to a reasonable restaurant but would prefer to spend on "stuff" than food. Merchandise was the same Disney price, we found it no more or less expensive. Food was the same but queues can get long for counter service. Outside of the theme parks, shops are very well priced and completely geared to picnic/eating out. What will surprise you is that train stations are no more expensive than corner shops, they are also much better quality food too! Hotel shops are also no more expensive - even vending machines can be reasonable!

Transport in Japan is very easy, look into JR passes if you plan on doing Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka, the bullet train is efficient and simple.

I would personally look at doing a Tokyo and Kyoto base if you wanted to do Disney and Universal. Universal is around an hour journey from Kyoto station and quite do-able. Kyoto has a lot to offer and was easily our favourite city.

There are a number of queue predictor websites, we found them to be reliable.

[AntonyJ]

i'm planning on a solo trip to disneyland tokyo and hopefully the universal parks too
Ohh exciting – solo, part of me dreams of doing one of those
We went in May 2019 and did 2 days at Disney Tokyo (well a half and a full day) and stayed at the wonderful Hilton Tokyo Bay, then moved to Tokyo itself and stayed in a hotel just inside Shibuya station and made that our base for rest of holiday.
We did a day trip on the bullet train to Kyoto which was a wonder day looking round the older buildings, temples etc and the amazing Kyoto station - a modern wonder!
We are planning on going next March or May – 2 full days at Disney / Hilton Tokyo Bay – move again to a hotel in Tokyo (probably Shibuya again) but also planning 3 nights away in Osaka for a look round there and Universal.

not sure what airlines are the best to use rough costs on flights there
Sorry not too much help for you on this, I am trying to get my flights with Virgin points and ANA airline, we did it last time and got First and Business seats – hope to again
Finnair via Helsinki is a flight I know a YouTuber about Tokyo Disney I follow uses often from London and it looks a good experience.
Think you need to decide on a time of year to go, are you tied to any times of year you can / cannot go?
We loved mid May as it was just after the busy time of Golden Week (series of back to back public holidays that is the busiest time in Japan to do / go anywhere am told), before the rain of June and the oppressive heat of summer.

Are the parks expensive there
The park tickets for Disney are cheaper than Florida, not looked at Universal yet so not sure.

i'm not sure on currency on what would be appropriate amount to take or how long to spend in the parks
Well I know that to convert to dollars you take of the last 2 digits of the Yen price, and then a “bit more” – not scientific I know – so a 4200 yen cost, is about 40 US dollars.
Or if you have the head for it, the current Yen to Pound rate is about 1 pound buys 149 Yen – so 4200 Yen is about 28 quid.
The food is not rip off prices in Disney (but heard different stores for Universal!) but to how much to spend in the parks – that is too open a question!
You a big merch fan, only want a few bits – what sort of person are you?
The parks take cards as well as cash, am a big fan of the Suica travel card (think Oyster card from London) that you can load with money at machines (or even have on your phone) and then “tap” to pay at many many places – in Tokyo at least. 99% of things you want to buy at Disney you can pay for with a card, think it is only the most mobile drinks carts that only take cash now. I used my credit cards / Suica and some cash on my first visit – but loved having no coins left at end of holiday as use Suica for most small / medium purchases around Tokyo – can bore you more on that if you want

any help and advice you can give i would greatley appreciate it
Pick when you want to go first.
Are you “ant to do it all” at Disney type of visitor, or want to experience it and not that bothered if you do not go in every store, see everything – that would guide you on how long to go for.
Ask lots of questions as were all new visitors once, watch YouTubers (we can all recommend our favs) and read up on the TDR Explorer web page / other social media – he lives next to Disney now and is a brilliant source of help for Disney / Universal and parks of Asia.

[Gill H]

Also recommend Cakes With Faces and This Natasha on YouTube.

[MrsEgg]

Have a look at aclaireytale on youtube, she did a great vlog series on her trip to Tokyo Disneyland

[AntonyJ]

Another vote for thisNatasha on YT - she managed to get me (via her videos) past the fears I had before going to Japan. Lovely lady to boot - so helpful.

Others for me are:
Paolo fromTOKYO - he does more things around Tokyo and Japan, places to eat, fun things to see etc.

YamatoStyle - 100% Japanese text on screen, little spoken word - but they keep doing lots of "wandering around" the parks videos that I like to get my bearings on what is where etc.

DvideoZ - another 100% Japanese one who is sort of like the above, but often shows food, shows there too.

Rion Ishida - Japanese but speaks in English. He covers my Kyoto / Osaka but has done videos around Japan and Tokyo Disney. Has a... ahem... quirky style

gyouzamikoshi - Japanese and posted a lot of VR videos of Tokyo Disney - I got a cheap second hand VR set and his videos of walking around the parks, but you turn head and see folks all around, make you feel you are there!

L & R Dreaming - great guys who have been twice to Tokyo Disney I think, I like their style and they cover lots of things.

[RockTheDots]

Disney Tourist Blog have some really useful blogs about visiting Japan and Tokyo Disney. They're based in the US but visit Japan a lot. TDR Explorer also has some really useful blogs, particularly around etiquette and useful Japanese phrases. I used both of these sites a lot when planning our 2019 trip.

We flew direct with BA - the flights cost £650 pp. It was slightly cheaper to fly indirect but we decided it was worth the extra not to worry about connections etc.

We had 6 days in the parks and still didn't get to do everything. I would suggest a minimum of 3 days - 1 for Disneyland (as it's similar to the other castle parks) and 2 for Disney Sea. But you definitely wouldn't get to do everything in that time. If you like parades and shows then I'd suggest 5 days (2 Disneyland, 3 Disney Sea) as there are some really excellent shows in both parks - don't miss Big Band Beat in Disney Sea! I suggest watching some vlogs so you get an idea of what you most want to do and plan from there.

Another vote for using suica here too! I have an iPhone so I was able to download the suica card app to Apple wallet and top it up as needed via ApplePay. It was really easy and as AnthonyJ said it's accepted most places around Tokyo and at Disney.

My other recommendation would be to look in to hiring a personal wifi device. We hired one in advance which we collected from the airport when we arrived and then dropped off before we flew home. It was quite reasonable and meant we always had access to google translate, maps etc without worrying about data costs or finding public wifi.

[disneywiseowl]

My daughter does solo trips so I just asked her about the parks & this is her reply. I thought it might be useful. If you have any specific questions re solo travel I can ask her.

Hotel Maihama Mystays - cheapest within easy walking distance of both Disney parks and Ikspiari. Look on maps. Took me 8mins to walk through turnstiles at Disneysea and walk through hotel door but I’m fast Walker.

Disney - suggest 4 days for first visit. Make sure you research and use park “lottery system”. Free to enter with park ticket to get entry to shows, etc. Some don’t have standby lines.

Universal park is dearer because of the express passes. The queues are so long, even single rider can be hours. You also may not be allowed items so could be in a queue alone for over an hour with no entertainment. Express passes are limited use, set time entry for one time on main rides. Can cost as much as entry.

[AntonyJ]

Originally Posted by RockTheDots

Another vote for using suica here too! I have an iPhone so I was able to download the suica card app to Apple wallet and top it up as needed via ApplePay. It was really easy and as AnthonyJ said it's accepted most places around Tokyo and at Disney.

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Great to see another fan - am on bit of a mission to spread the word on how useful it is for us visitors - love not fumbling with coins in stores. I would not be surprised if recent events have not meant it is taken in ever more places now around Tokyo - Starbucks in Shibuya was one place I remember it not being taken.

Am told that it is pretty much 99% taken at Disney - even the drinks machine at Bayside station now takes it - you can see the reader is now on the machine

[KELLYSGIRL]

Hi Antony J, thank you for your reply, i was watching tim tracker/krispysmores japan trip vlogs and they stayed at the hilton tokyo bay that looked a really nice hotel so i was thinking of that one to stay at.

I can go anytime really i'm not tied to school holidays but i do have to put my holidays in to my work a year in advance which is a pain, i saw from a website may was one of best times to go after the golden week so thinking around then to go.

I'm not really a huge merchandise shopper i usually get odd couple of items but i don't go mad on it but i do like to have a mooch round the shops.

I'm not one for cards i prefer cash so i know exactly how much money i'm spending cards are easy to clone so i don't trust them