Before going to Tokyo Disney Resort, I had been on a 16 day vacation with my family throughout East Asia. I’ve already written blog posts with my full itinerary and recommendations for Beijing (https://www.lavitabloger.com/the-complete-travel-guide-for-beijing-china/), Seoul (https://www.lavitabloger.com/seoul-korea/), Tokyo (https://www.lavitabloger.com/the-complete-travel-guide-for-tokyo-japan/), and Kyoto (https://www.lavitabloger.com/24-hours-in-kyoto/).

We’re big Disney people in our family, so we had to visit Tokyo Disney Resort when we were in Japan. Living in LA, we have frequented the original Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. We’ve also been to DisneyWorld in Orlando, so I’m speaking from a place of experience. Disneyland will always be #1 in my heart, but Tokyo Disney Resort was a really fun time! We decided to spend 2 days at Disney, one for each of the parks: Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. If you are highly dedicated, don’t mind a lot of running around, and don’t need to see absolutely everything, I do think it’s possible to see a lot of both parks in 1 day. However, it was nice to split it up into 2 days, especially since part of our strategy was getting there early before the crowds really started to get heavy.

I want to give a shoutout to https://www.disneytouristblog.com. They have a LOT of information about the Tokyo Disney Resort and were a great resource while planning our trip. Having said that, everyone values different things and my perfect 2 days at Tokyo Disney Resort looks a little different from theirs.

We stayed at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. Not only was it absolutely beautiful, but it was mere steps from the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland and it got us into the parks a little bit earlier than general admission. If you can swing it, I’d definitely recommend staying at either the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel or the Miracosta Hotel, which is attached to DisneySea.

Tokyo Disneyland is very similar to Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. However, DisneySea is a completely unique park. If you only have the time/money to go to one park, I’d recommend DisneySea. There isn’t another Disney Park like it in the world.

If you have time to visit both, I don’t really think it matters which park you start with. But first, what everyone is really interested in: the snacks!

Top 10 Must Try Snacks at Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea both have a ton of great snack and dessert options! I’m still loyal to the original Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, but TDR definitely has us beat on the snackage.

At DisneySea, there are so many savory options, I’d recommend snacking your way through lunch and then having a more traditional dinner. Tokyo Disneyland has fewer savory snacks and more sweet snacks, so you might need a more traditional lunch to make it through the day. Without further ado, here are my favorite snacks from Tokyo Disney Resort!

1. Green Alien Mochi: This is my favorite thing I ate at Tokyo Disney! It’s a sweet rice cake dumpling filled with chocolate, strawberry, and cream. You can get this in Tokyo Disneyland at the Pan Galactic Port in Tomorrowland or in DisneySea at the food stand in front of Toy Story Mania.

2. Gyoza Dog: This snack is made with a seasoned, ground pork filling and a steamed bun “bun.” It is located in the Nautical Galley in Mysterious Island at DisneySea. Be prepared that you might need to wait in a line for this very popular snack!

3. Chandu Bun: Tokyo Disney has the best buns in the business! One of my favorites was the Chandu Bun. It’s a chicken curry steamed bun, inspired by Chandu the tiger. You can get this snack at Sultan’s Oasis in the Arabian Coast of DisneySea.

4. Popcorn: Tokyo Disney is famous for their weird and wacky popcorn flavors. We made it our mission to try as many as we could! We had classic salt, Honey, Curry, Chinese Chili, Garlic Shrimp, and Caramel. They were all good (although Garlic Shrimp got a little weird) but my favorites were Caramel and Curry! We also quickly became obsessed with all the cute popcorn buckets you could buy as well. You can find the popcorn and at a myriad of stands throughout both parks.

5. Ukiwa Shrimp Bun: Another favorite bun of mine is the shrimp bun! Shaped like a lifesaver and filled with shrimp, this is a can’t miss snack. You can get it at Seaside Snacks in Port Discovery at DisneySea.

6. Mike Wazowski Melon Bread: Melon Bread doesn’t sound like much, but it is really lovely! It’s a big roll of bread, cooked with honeydew and it is very refreshing. Not to mention how cute it is! You can find this treat at Sweetheart Cafe in Tokyo Disneyland by the World Bazaar.

7. Mango Soft Serve: This soft serve reminded me a lot of the popular dole whip ice cream at Disneyland in Anaheim, but mango flavored instead of pineapple. It was great! This dessert is sold at Squeezers Tropical Juice Bar in Adventureland at Tokyo Disneyland.

8. Mickey Glove Sandwich: The bread of this sandwich is made of steamed bun and shaped like Mickey’s glove. It is filled with teriyaki chicken, egg, and lettuce. I’m not usually that into sandwiches, but this was a great afternoon pick-me-up! You can find this at Huey Dewey and Louie’s in Toon Town in Tokyo Disneyland.

9. Mickey Shaped Churro: Honestly, I think the churros at Anaheim Disneyland are yummier (I think the cinnamon flavor pops a little more), but a churro is a churro, and these ones are EXTRA CUTE because they’re shaped like Mickey! You can find these across various stands throughout both parks.

10. Sea Salt Ice Cream Monaka: Back in Anaheim, I am loyal to the Mickey Ice Cream Bar as far as novelty ice cream goes, but this Monaka is very good. It’s a wafer shell surrounding a sea salt vanilla ice cream with jam. You can find this dessert at a variety of stands throughout both parks.

DISNEYSEA PLAN OF ACTION

There can’t be a perfect outline for a day at a Disney park. Depending on how crowded things are or what you’re interested in, you’ll have to change it up a little. But this is my ideal day at DisneySea.

Magic Morning is nowhere near as good in Tokyo as it is in Anaheim. You only get to enter the park 15 minutes early if you’re staying at a resort hotel. Additionally, the rides and fast pass distribution machines only open 5 minutes before the park opens. The Magic Morning really only gets you to the front of the line. Having said that, you do still get a bit of an advantage being able to be some of the first people into the park. If you prioritize photos, now would also be a good time to snap a few pics before the masses descend.

Note: We made reservations for Magellan’s Restaurant for 5:30pm ahead of time, which I would recommend.

American Waterfront

When entering DisneySea, I’d recommend following the crowd to the left and heading straight for Toy Story Mania in the American Waterfront. Some guides recommend you skip this ride to save time, because it is exactly the same as Toy Story Mania in California Adventure, but I found that you’ll have time for everything, and it’s such a great ride. Grab a fastpass for Toy Story Mania and then beeline over to Tower of Terror. Tower of Terror is definitely a must-see! Its theming is different from the one that used to be in Anaheim, so it’s fun to experience. If your Toy Story Mania fastpass is open, go ride that ride. If not, move on to Mysterious Island and pop back over here whenever your fastpass opens up. Luckily, DisneySea isn’t a very expansive park, so it’s pretty easy to backtrack if necessary.

Mysterious Island

Mysterious Island has 2 rides: Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Unfortunately, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was closed while we were there, but we did get onto Journey to the Center of the Earth. If your fastpass is open, you can get one for Journey to the Center of the Earth then ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. If both lines are short, I’d just do them standby. You might be getting a little hungry around this time. DisneySea has a LOT of great snacking, so I’d recommend snacking your way through lunch. Head to the Nautilus Galley and pick up a gyoza dog. It’s a hot dog-shaped pork bun and it’s absolutely delicious! Also, pop your head into the restaurant Vulcania to admire the beautiful theming.

Lost River Delta

Next, go to the Lost River Delta. Ride Raging Spirits (or get a fastpass if the line is long and your fastpass is open). Then get on Indiana Jones. If the line is short you can wait in the regular line, but if it’s long you can try the single rider line, which is rarely a long wait, according to my research.

Arabian Coast

After you finish up in the Lost River Delta, head over to the Arabian Coast. Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage was regrettably closed for refurbishment when we went, but I’ve heard it’s a cute ride. Instead, we hit up Jasmine’s Flying Carpet, which is fun because we don’t have that ride in California! Then, we got a couple Chandu Buns to share from Sultan’s Oasis, so yummy! I wish the Disneyland in Anaheim had steamed buns. To finish out the Arabian Coast, we hit up the Caravan Carousel, which is a 2-story carousel.

Mermaid Lagoon

Next, check out Mermaid Lagoon. It is a mostly indoor area with a variety of kids rides, a large store, a restaurant and a theatre. It’s so cute! We went to the Mermaid Lagoon Theatre and watched the show King Triton’s Concert. It was really cute and it was nice to sit in a cool theatre for a little. The entire show was in Japanese, but if you’ve seen the movie, it’s pretty easy to follow along. We also got the Sea Salt Ice Cream Monaka, which felt like an appropriate dessert to eat in Mermaid Lagoon. By this time, you’ve basically made the entire loop, so you’re back to the front of the park at the Mediterranean Harbor.

Mediterranean Harbor

Mediterranean Harbor is really beautifully done! I might be a bit biased because I love Italy, but this is one of the prettiest areas in the park. When I went, there weren’t really any rides in this area. However, since I went to the park, Soarin’ Over the World opened, which is a ride that I always love in California. Mediterranean Harbor does have a lot of stores, so just take a little time to shop and enjoy the ambiance of the park. The souvenirs at Tokyo Disney Resort is so different from the ones you can get in the States. There is definitely an emphasis on the cute (or “Kawaii”, as the Japanese say) and there is a huge demand for Omiyage, food boxes. There also aren’t a ton of “Tokyo Disney Resort” branded t-shirts, which was a little disappointing for me. However, I did go ham on the Duffy merchandizing! After you shop your way through the Mediterranean Harbor, head back to the American Waterfront.

This itinerary does involve more than one loop of the park. To be able to get everything into one day, you need to make a quick loop in the morning to hit all the big rides, then you can follow with more leisurely loops to enjoy everything else the park has to offer. If getting on the big rides isn’t important to you, you can just slowly go through each land one at a time.

American Waterfront, part 2

I snacked enough during my time at DisneySea to not need a full, sit-down lunch, but if you’re feeling like you need a little more protein, the New York Deli has some really delicious sandwiches. This is also a good time to get your Green Alien Men Mochi Dumplings. This is a snack that is as delicious as it is cute! I’d also take this time to pop your head into the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge in the S. S. Columbia and make a reservation for the evening. I’d recommend making it for around 8pm if you’re not interested in the show Fantasmic (8:05pm). If you do want to see that show, make your reservation for about 8:30pm. Continue on through the northend of the American Waterfront, making sure to check out Aunt Peg’s Village Store for all things Duffy!

Port of Discovery

You may have noticed that we skipped the Port of Discovery on our first pass of the park, and that’s because there isn’t anything “unmissable” for me over there. However, you should definitely spend some time there, if only to get another steamed bun. Located at Seaside Snacks, you can get the very delicious Ukiwa Shrimp Bun. As far as rides go, we tried Aquatopia, which was pretty underwhelming. We didn’t try the Finding Nemo Ride, but I’m not a fan of the one at Disneyland in California. Walk on to the Lost River Delta to catch the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line back to the front of the park. It is so fun riding the boat around the park and seeing it all from a different angle. It drops you off in Mediterranean Harbor, which is perfect because that’s where you’re having dinner!

Dinner: Magellan’s

Dinner at Magellan’s was really lovely! It is such a beautiful restaurant and the service and food was great. It is a multi-course sit down meal and it is not inexpensive, but if you can splurge for it, I would highly recommend eating here. If you don’t want to splurge, you should at least walk into the lounge to admire it. Instead, you could eat at Vulcania in Mysterious Island, which a really pretty counter service restaurant.

Dessert & Cocktails: Teddy Roosevelt Lounge

After finishing dinner, the sun had set, so we went back to the Mediterranean Harbor to enjoy the beautiful lights around the water. After enjoying the nighttime scenery for a bit, and getting in a little more shopping, hop on the DisneySea Electric Railway, which takes you back into Port Discovery.

Then walk over to the S. S. Columbia to make your reservation for the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge. We didn’t make reservations, and the line was soooo long! Instead, we just walked through the lounge to see it and moved on. But if you did make a reservation you can sit and enjoy. They have cocktails and ice cream sundaes that I’ve heard great things about!

And that’s it! You’ve fully experienced everything DisneySea has to offer. It is a really beautiful park that is completely unique. You’ll have a great time at DisneySea whether you do everything you possibly can, or just walk around and enjoy the ambiance. Now, onto Tokyo Disneyland!

DISNEYLAND PLAN OF ACTION

Like I said with DisneySea, there really isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” outline for any Disney park. But this is my ideal day at Tokyo Disneyland.

If you’ve been to Disneyland in Anaheim or Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Tokyo Disneyland will probably feel very familiar. Even though it has a lot of similarities to both parks, Tokyo Disneyland really is special in its own way! The Magic Morning at Tokyo Disneyland is basically the same as DisneySea, so not very helpful. You can use that time to take some pictures while the crowds are low and beeline to the first ride you want to go on when the park opens.

One thing I do really love about Tokyo Disneyland is that the park is really interconnected, so it’s easy to get from one land to the next. Like in Tokyo DisneySea, this plan involves a lot of bopping around to make the most of your time. The park is less crowded early in that morning, so you want to get as much done as you can in the morning.

World Bazaar & Tomorrowland

The first thing you’ll notice that is different about Tokyo Disneyland is that they don’t have a Main Street! Instead, they have the World Bazaar, which is a covered area with shops that greets you right when you walk into the park. Make a beeline to Tomorrowland to get a fastpass for Monsters Inc Hide & Go Seek and then head into Fantasyland. Unfortunately, the ride was closed when we were there, so we got a Space Mountain fastpass instead.

Fantasyland

The first ride you’re going to want to hit is Pooh’s Honey Hunt. It is SUCH A CUTE RIDE! It was my favorite ride from the whole trip, just because it is so different from our Pooh Bear ride in Anaheim, and so much better. After we finished the ride, we got fastpasses so we could go back on the ride later in the day. Then go over to Haunted Mansion for standby. It was different than the one in Anaheim, which was really fun and the exterior is a beautiful brick building! If you’ve got time before you Tomorrowland fastpass expires, you can hit up any of the other Fantasyland rides with short lines, if not, go to Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland, pt. 2

If you didn’t get a fastpass for Space Mountain, get one now. It’s very similar to the ride of the same name in Anaheim, but just different enough to make it exciting! Now is also the time to do Star Tours and/or Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters in standby. They are both exactly the same as the rides in Anaheim, so these are optional. If the lines are short and you enjoy these rides, go for it! If not, they are skippable.

Adventureland

As you travel from Tomorrowland into Adventureland, you’ll pass Sweetheart Cafe where you can get a Mike Wazowski Melon Bread.

Once in Adventureland, ride Pirates of the Caribbean first. It’s mostly the same as the ride in Anaheim, but slightly different, and usually that line moves pretty quickly. We got ramen noodles for lunch at China Voyager for lunch. They ramen was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. In Adventureland we also saw the Tiki Room Show, featuring Stitch. It was entirely in Japanese, but we got little devices that translated for us. It was cute, but I prefer the original Tiki Room Show without Stitch. If you’re interested in it, now is also the time to walk through the Swiss Family Tree House. We finished off our time in Adventureland by getting mango soft serve ice cream from Squeezers, so yummy!

Westernland

If you follow the natural path of the park, you’ll end up in Westernland next. This is Tokyo Disney’s version of Frontierland in Anaheim. If the line for Big Thunder Mountain is long, get a fastpass. If not, wait in standby. This ride is definitely worth it! I actually prefer the Tokyo Disneyland version to the Anaheim Disneyland one. The Tokyo one feels a little zippier and it’s definitely a longer ride. We also went to the Country Bear Theater. It was nice to sit down for a little while, but it’s a little hokey for my taste. My parents liked it because it felt nostalgic to them.

Critter Country

Westernland turns into Critter Country, so head there next. Unfortunately, Splash Mountain was closed for refurbishments while we were there, so we couldn’t ride it. If it’s open, you can try to wait in the single rider line, I’ve read it moves faster than standby. Instead, we walked around and admired the theming. It really is a cute little area!

Fantasyland, pt 2

Next, continue your loop to end up in Fantasyland. Now, you can go on any of the rides you didn’t get to on your first pass through. We rode It’s a Small World, which is always fun and we did round 2 of Pooh’s Honey Hunt. We also did Cinderella’s Fairytale Hall where you can walk through Cinderella’s castle. Tokyo Disneyland also has my favorite Disney show: Mickey’s PhilharMAGIC. Even in Japanese, it’s easy to follow along and the story is so cute! And any excuse to rest your feet for a bit is always good.

Toon Town

Toon Town in Tokyo is very similar to Toon Town in Anaheim. It’s cute, but it definitely has the highest capita of little kids and always feels more run down to me than Fantasyland does. Still, Toon Town in Tokyo Disneyland is a must because this is where you get the Mickey Glove Chicken Sandwich! We also rode Roger Rabit’s Car Toon Spin. It’s been a while since I rode that ride in California, so I can’t tell you if it’s exactly the same. The general plot is the same, but it’s always a fun/wacky ride if the wait isn’t too bad.

Dinner: Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall

We ate dinner at the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. The food was pretty good, not great, but it was 100% the right call because this is the cutest restaurant I think I’ve ever seen! The theming is so detailed, it was great to sit there and enjoy a meal, even if it wasn’t the best food I’ve ever had. Overall, Tokyo Disney definitely has Anaheim beat on the snackage, but I think Anaheim has better meals.

Electrical Parade

We ended our day by watching the best Disney Parade, the Electrical Parade! People start lining up an hour in advance for this parade. I would recommend going to the area in front of the castle, and finding seats on the planers near the parade route, unless you want to be in the first row for the parade. I’m not usually a big fan of Disney parades, but the Electrical Parade has always been the exception for me. I’m always so sad when Anaheim Disneyland doesn’t have it. The Tokyo version even had more high-tech lights, which made the parade extra enjoyable. On our way out of the park, I swung by the Pan Galactic Port in Tomorrowland to get one more round of the Green Alien Men Mochi Dumplings.

We spent one more night at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, and then headed into Kyoto the next morning. https://www.lavitabloger.com/24-hours-in-kyoto/

We had a great time at the Tokyo Disney Resort! Disneyland in Anaheim will always be my favorite, but the Tokyo Disney is a great time, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone, especially Disney fans.

My Other East Asia Itineraries:

Beijing, China: https://www.lavitabloger.com/the-complete-travel-guide-for-beijing-china/

Seoul, Korea: https://www.lavitabloger.com/seoul-korea/

Tokyo, Japan: https://www.lavitabloger.com/the-complete-travel-guide-for-tokyo-japan/

Kyoto: https://www.lavitabloger.com/24-hours-in-kyoto/