Spend a Day at Disney Sea in Tokyo, Japan!
Hi Friends! If you're even thinking about going to Tokyo DisneySea, let me stop you right now and say: do it. Seriously, this place is unlike any other Disney park that we have been to! The theming for the park is like next-level, and rides are just done so well! When we were planning our trip to Tokyo we knew Disney Sea and Disneyland had to be on our must do list! We went in early April and I feel like it was just the right time to go because the weather was perfect and the crowds weren’t too bad either. Dustin and I packed in as much magic, food, rides and fun as we could in the one day we were there to see it!
🎟️ Getting There + Buying Tickets
We bought our tickets ahead of time through the official Tokyo Disney Resort website, and I definitely recommend doing that — they can sell out, especially during busy seasons or when there's a new attraction or event happening (like right now the Fantasy Springs area is still new and you need to book ahead to get access to that area. You can also use third-party platforms like Klook if you prefer something in English, but we found the official site worked just fine and I didn't have to worry about transferring anything over or dealing with extra steps.
Getting to the park was very easy because we were staying at Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama (we loved our stay here so much) and it was a quick 5 minute walk to the Disney Resort Line! But if we weren’t staying right in the area it was also super and we could have taken the train to Maihama Station and then transferred to the Disney Resort Line. The Disney Resort Line feels like the first ride of the day because of the Mickey-shaped windows and handles, which are adorable)! We got there at about 8:15 AM and it opened at 9:00 AM. There was already such a long line forming and I recommend getting there about 45 minutes to an hour early to not be at the back of the line when the park opens. The gates opened a bit ahead of schedule (like at 8:50ish). Make sure you have your tickets on the app, it made things so much smoother! Walking through the entrance and seeing Mount Prometheus towering above the Mediterranean Harbor was unreal. It really does feel like you’ve stepped into a fantasy world — less like a theme park, and more like looking at an insanely detailed movie set!
🏰 How to Skip the Lines at Tokyo DisneySea
I am not an expert by any means, I just wanted to note what we did and noticed about the fast pass system when we were visiting. From what I understand, the classic paper FastPass system is gone much like other Disney parks, and Tokyo DisneySea now uses Disney Premier Access (paid) and Standby Passes for some attractions. We used the Tokyo Disney Resort app to keep track of wait times, reserve access to certain rides, and even order food — it’s a must. We bought Disney Premier Access for Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival for right away when we got there and once we scanned into the ride we were able to look on the app again and choose another option from Disney Premier Access. We kept doing this throughout the day and adjusting our plan as we knew the next ride we were going on, it helped a ton with avoiding crazy lines.
One big tip: if there's something you must ride, go straight there at rope drop or pay for Premier Access.
Make the most of your visit with these handy tools available in the Tokyo Disney Resort app:
🎟️ 1. Disney Premier Access (Paid)
What it is: A paid reservation system that lets you skip the regular line at select popular attractions.
How to use it:
Open the Tokyo Disney Resort app, link your park tickets, choose an attraction and select a time slot, pay directly through the app and show your QR code when it’s time to ride!
🆓 2. Standby Pass (Free)
What it is: A virtual queue system that gives you a time window to join the line—no payment required.
How to use it:
Reserve your Standby Pass through the app (subject to availability), come back during your time window and join the physical line.
🎢 The Rides We Went On (And Which Were Totally Worth It)
Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival - This was a new ride in Fantasy Springs where a boat ride took us on a journey through Rapunzel’s world, where they recreated scenes from Tangled all while listening to music from the movie. This was the first ride that we went on this day and it was such a cool experience, I loved the end with the floating lanterns which made us feel like we were in the movie!
Peter Pan’s Neverland Adventure - This ride was such an immersive and high-tech dark ride like I have never experiences. It reminded me a lot of the Rattitouli ride that is at Epcot in Orlando but done so much better. The video was such high quality, the ride was so smooth and I didn’t once feel sick even with my glasses being off and the 3D glasses being on. It was a longer ride too which was nice, especially with the long wait. The ride is really just getting to soar with Peter Pan through Neverland and getting to come face-to-face with pirates, mermaids, and Captain Hook while listening to music and enjoying the show. We loved it and really thought it was done so well and worth the wait in line if you can’t get a fast pass to ride it.
Journey to the Center of the Earth - We didn’t really know what to expect from this ride, we just knew the outside of it was really detailed and cool. We quickly found out that this ride is an expedition into the subterranean world. The ride was a high speed storytelling adventure and we were so happy to check this attraction off of our list! Between the ride’s detailed theming and the giant lava monster encounter at the end, it makes it a must-do ride!
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull - We also really liked this ride, it reminded me of Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom in Orlando. We got into a jeep and then raced through a cursed temple that was filled with traps, fireballs, and other effects that were inspired by the Indiana Jones movies. It was a fast-paced ride and I wish we had something similar to this at Disney World.
Sinbad’s Storybook Village - Going into this ride we had absolutely no idea what we were going to see. But this is a cute little ride that follows a character named Sinbad and his tiger cub Chandu. Think It’s a Small World but with better music. Basically you are taken on a musical adventure through the different scenes from this show, we didn’t even know what it was and we enjoyed it! Definitely a good ride for all ages.
Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies - It was the cutest (family-friendly) ride where we were “shrunk down” to pixie size and then got to explore the cutest and most vibrant fairy garden in buggies. If you like Peter Pan or the Tinker Bell movies on Disney + I really think you will like this ride. It isn’t too fast and perfect for all fans of Tinker Bell.
Raging Spirits - I am not even going to try to sugarcoat this, this ride was the biggest let down of possibly any ride I have ever been on before in my life. It says that it is going to be this super fast roller coaster with a 360 degree loop but that was literally the extent of it. I really think the ride lasted for like 15 seconds and that was it, the loop was a let down and there wasn’t really anything exciting that happened. I can’t even think of a ride to compare it to.. don’t waste your money, I promise it isn’t worth it.
I know I have said this a few times but we were only there for one day so there were a few rides we didn’t have time to go on. We chose to skip Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, and Soaring: Fantastic Flight. We wanted to make sure that we got to go on rides that we wouldn’t be able to here at home. So yes we skipped out on some of the bigger rides but we were definitely okay with it because each of them seemed so similar to rides that we have here in Orlando at Disney World.
🍴 What We Ate
Okay, real talk: everything I watched about the food at Disney Sea was that it was so great and some of the best food they had ever had at a theme park and so on… guys, we weren’t fans of the food at the parks, like at all. There were some things that weren’t horrible but besides the food being really cute and themed well, it didn’t taste great. This is obviously just my opinion but I would lower the idea of the taste of the food at Disney Sea and Disneyland Tokyo quite a bit before you visit! We also really didn’t eat a ton of food on this first day!
🥐 Breakfast
We ate breakfast at our hotel, Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama! We weren’t sure if there were going to be a ton of options for breakfast in the park so we just ate before we went. I’m glad we did this because we were able to get right to going on the rides!
🍛 Lunch
We ate lunch at The Snuggly Duckling in the Fantasy Springs. We got the Fried Shrimp Burger with a side of fries. It was pretty good, the texture of the shrimp was starting to get to me towards the end of the sandwich but the slaw and sauce on it was really good! They also had other burger options to ear here as well!
🍗 Snacks
Popcorn – There were so many kinds of popcorn to try. They had flavors like black pepper, caramel, and curry was flavor. They had the option to buy popcorn in regular boxes or you could go all-in with a souvenir bucket — we saw people collecting them like trophies, they were so cute but I couldn’t bring myself to get one and then try to fit it in my suitcase on the way back to the states.
Churros – The churros were really good, I got the creme brûlée churro and really liked it!
🍣 Dinner
We kept it casual and grabbed something small in the evening because we were still kind of full. But we both got the Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets and sides of fries. Again, it was pretty bland and there were only two sauce options, spicy harissa sauce and garlic shrimp sauce which weren’t our favorites. But we got these cute nuggets from Cape Cod Cook-Off.
🛍️ Souvenirs We Bought (Because You Have to)
Shopping at Tokyo DisneySea was honestly in my top 5 favorite things that we did while we were there. Every store we went into there was SOMETHING that I couldn’t resist picking up. They had so many fun Mickey-shaped snacks that I felt that I couldn’t live without. The merch here is seriously next level, with tons of Japan-exclusive items you won’t find anywhere else—especially all things Duffy, which has a massive fan base here so if you are also a fan, prepare your wallet! Haha We tried to go into all of the stores, like the little kiosks near each land those had themed goodies that you might miss if you walked past. I also couldn’t leave without getting some of the themed plushies that I wouldn’t find here in the states as well as the iconic Mickey Mouse shaped sunglasses that I have seen everywhere! We definitely bought way more than we planned, but I have zero regrets! A little tip, shopping during parades or early morning was much less stressful because the crowds were preoccupied and not shopping, so I would shop during those times if you want to browse in peace!
💡 Tips for First-Timers
Download the Tokyo Disney Resort app before your trip and use it!
Make sure you log in and link your tickets before getting to the park, you will want to use the app with your linked tickets to get into the park!
Check availability for rides and make reservations right after park entry. Availability for the fast pass options can go fast—especially on weekends and holidays!
Make sure you bring a portable charger, you’ll be on your phone all day and it will come in handy, I promise!
Utilize mobile ordering when it is available at select quick-service locations in the app! It is great for skipping food lines!
Pack compact umbrella or raincoat — Tokyo weather can change quickly and again you will be happy you brought it.
Make sure you arrive early to the park to wait in line. I would aim to get there at least 30–45 minutes before park opening. The earlier you get in line the earlier you will get into the park and be able to get the fast passes that you want for the rides on your list.
I would have a plan going into the day but at the same time be flexible. It is smart to have a few rides on your list that are must-do attractions for you but also be ready to adjust the plan based on crowd levels and wait times for the day that you are at the park!
Tokyo DisneySea completely lived up to the hype—and really then some! From the park being so insanely detailed with theming, to the fun and unique rides and all the themed snacks and merchandise, it was such a magical day! If you're going to Japan and a Disney fan and you are on the fence about going, I promise it’s 100% worth it. Like I mentioned, we fit all of Tokyo DisneySea into one day and we made the most of every minute. If you have any questions while planning your own trip or want to know more about anything that I mentioned above, feel free to reach out—I’m always happy to chat about anything Disney! You can comment below or you can send me an email at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible! ✨
Much Love,
Emma
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