Fastpasses

[smeecanada]

How are the Fastpasses handled at Tokyo Disneyland / Disney Sea? Are they done by machine or do you have to reserve via a smartphone?

 

[Lesley Wake]

How are the Fastpasses handled at Tokyo Disneyland / Disney Sea? Are they done by machine or do you have to reserve via a smartphone?

Currently it’s all kiosks and paper FPs (like DL and WDW used to be).

Sometime this summer (possibly in time for Soaring to open) they will add FP booking functionality to the app. Unfortunately it’s only in Japanese, so pretty difficult to figure out without knowing the language and having a Japanese keyboard. Reportedly the way it works will be that you reserve the FP from the app, but then still need to go to the kiosk sometime to print off the pass. I suppose we will find out how it works once it becomes active.

 

[smeecanada]

Thanks. We are very used to the old system at DL and WDW. Possibly doing a trip to Tokyo DL and Seas in the fall. Trying to decide about the a package deal that includes fastpasses. There are two level D and A. Do you know what the difference is?

 

[AngelDisney]

Thanks. We are very used to the old system at DL and WDW. Possibly doing a trip to Tokyo DL and Seas in the fall. Trying to decide about the a package deal that includes fastpasses. There are two level D and A. Do you know what the difference is?

According to TDR Website:

Before July 23
https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/sp/about/fastpass_02
From July 23
https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/sp/about/fastpass_01

 

[SgtTibbs]

Thanks. We are very used to the old system at DL and WDW. Possibly doing a trip to Tokyo DL and Seas in the fall. Trying to decide about the a package deal that includes fastpasses. There are two level D and A. Do you know what the difference is?

Just back home today after our Tokyo Disney trip. I strongly recommend the vacation package that comes with the Fastpasses. No matter how good you think you are a queuing, the Japanese are better. By using our anytime passes for the top attractions (Toy Story, Pooh, Journey to the Center of the Earth) we able to side step the crowds and make extensive use of the normal fastpass system.

The difference between 'A' and 'D' is that D's can't be used on Toy Story Mania or Nemo's Sea riders.

 

[nutshell]

Just back home today after our Tokyo Disney trip. I strongly recommend the vacation package that comes with the Fastpasses. No matter how good you think you are a queuing, the Japanese are better. By using our anytime passes for the top attractions (Toy Story, Pooh, Journey to the Center of the Earth) we able to side step the crowds and make extensive use of the normal fastpass system.

The difference between 'A' and 'D' is that D's can't be used on Toy Story Mania or Nemo's Sea riders.

I second this. Unlike the US parks where many guests don’t know how to use fast passes or queue efficiently, every single Japanese guest has the process down. I consider myself an “expert” when it comes to DL FP and was well prepared for TDR, but the local guests are phenomenally prepared and have the system perfected.

 

[Haley R]

I second this. Unlike the US parks where many guests don’t know how to use fast passes or queue efficiently, every single Japanese guest has the process down. I consider myself an “expert” when it comes to DL FP and was well prepared for TDR, but the local guests are phenomenally prepared and have the system perfected.

We’ll be there June 11-15 without a vacation package so I’ll let everyone know how it goes for us without having the FPS beforehand

 

[smeecanada]

Thanks, Haley - following along on your adventure.

Thanks, everyone for your input so far. We know how the fastpass system works and gathering all the tips that we can in advance.

Currently looking at the vacation package costs. One annoyance is that we need 3 nights hotel and the packages are only for 2 nights. Has anyone had experience doing the package and then a single night at the hotel separately. At the moment doesn't seem worth it to book two packages as we have to leave for our flight around 1pm. So thinking of visiting Ikspiari in the morning of the last day..

 

[AngelDisney]

Thanks, Haley - following along on your adventure.

Thanks, everyone for your input so far. We know how the fastpass system works and gathering all the tips that we can in advance.

Currently looking at the vacation package costs. One annoyance is that we need 3 nights hotel and the packages are only for 2 nights. Has anyone had experience doing the package and then a single night at the hotel separately. At the moment doesn't seem worth it to book two packages as we have to leave for our flight around 1pm. So thinking of visiting Ikspiari in the morning of the last day..

I booked a 2-night package and was planning to add one night hotel only at the end of the package. Then I found out Monsters Inc ride would be closed a day before our package started and Sindbad’s Storybook would be closed two days prior. So I added another 2-night hotel only stay before the package. I booked the package 6 months prior and the hotel rooms only at 5 month prior. I have a total of 3 reservations for our 5-night stay. I will extend the 3-day tickets to 5 days once I get there. Hope this helps!

 

[MinnieWebster]

Has anyone had experience doing the package and then a single night at the hotel separately.

DH and I just did this. We were at TDR May 13-15. We had booked a vacation package, staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay for those dates. Our flight got us to Tokyo in the evening on May 12, so I booked a separate night at HTB for that night. They were for 2 different room types, so we would have had to move rooms, which may or may not matter to you, but they let us pay a little extra (1220 yen) to upgrade our first night to the room that we paid for with our package, so we were in a "Celebrio" room all three nights. It worked out pretty well for us. DH didn't like paying the difference and would have kept our rooms as they were booked, but I liked the idea of not having to move our suitcases to a different room in addition to needing to go to Ikspiari that first morning to pick up our vacation package stuff/tickets.

 

[smeecanada]

DH and I just did this. We were at TDR May 13-15. We had booked a vacation package, staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay for those dates. Our flight got us to Tokyo in the evening on May 12, so I booked a separate night at HTB for that night. They were for 2 different room types, so we would have had to move rooms, which may or may not matter to you, but they let us pay a little extra (1220 yen) to upgrade our first night to the room that we paid for with our package, so we were in a "Celebrio" room all three nights. It worked out pretty well for us. DH didn't like paying the difference and would have kept our rooms as they were booked, but I liked the idea of not having to move our suitcases to a different room in addition to needing to go to Ikspiari that first morning to pick up our vacation package stuff/tickets.

So, when you did your booking. Did you book the package thru Disney and then book your additional hotel night thru the hotel site?
Also, you have to go to Ikspiari to pick up vacation package - I thought this would be given to us when we check in at the hotel?

 

[AZMama2016]

Just got back from TDR. We did this very thing: vacation package with two nights at MC and added one night at DLH. I booked the package 6 months out and the extra night 5 months out. We arrived late morning on Tues and left on Fri morning, so park days were Tues starting around 1 pm and all day Wed and Thurs.

For reference, we are a family of 3 with a 6 year old, so not heavy on the big thrill rides where FPs would be most useful. We did use them judiciously and ended up giving away the last four on Thurs night when we were finally ready to leave. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a ride.

As noted, you get two A tickets good for any FP ride and six D tickets good for any ride except TSM and Nemo. You can also combine with picking up paper passes, so you use the package ones sprinkled between the ones you pick up to give you continuous FPs all day. We were able to do Monsters with the Happy 15 and got FPs early for Pooh, so didn’t need the package passes. We did end up using several on Pooh because we enjoyed it so much.

One advantage of the package is you don’t have to specify a park each day and you can park hop. I think if you buy regular multi-day passes, you can’t park hop until day 3. We went to DS on Tues, DL on Wed morning, DS on Wed evening, DS on Thurs morning, and DL on Thurs night. Having direct access to the parks helped us decide what we did and when.

You have to pick up your package at Ikspiari. We did a pre-check-in around 10:30 am and left our bags at the bell desk. If staying at MC, you go out the main entrance, turn right, give over the overpass, and go downstairs to the monorail terminal. The front desk gave us 2-day monorail passes because we didn’t have the package passes yet. When you get to Ikspiari, you’re on Level 3 and have to go down to Level 1. The hotel desk will give you a map with instructions, which you will definitely need! The docs come in a folder with all of your park tickets, FPs, breakfast coupons, freebie items, and drink tickets on perforated sheets (just tear them apart to use). Once you have your times, you have to go back out to the monorail and go back to the park station.

You can pick up the ticket holders at the main gift shops in the hotels. I used mine the whole time to keep park, monorail and drink tickets easily accessible. You can also get the freebie items at the same place. There is a choice: we picked the water bottle, tote bag, and one other thing I haven’t opened yet.

Note the drink tickets are good pretty much anywhere fountain drinks are sold. You can also get coffee and same price special drinks (for example, I got the tapioca drink at Pan Galactic Pizza Port and was able to use the tickets). They are unlimited use, as far as we could see.

 

[AZMama2016]

Oh and yes, we booked both reservations through the website. Make sure your CC is set up for foreign transactions and do a walkthrough beforehand so you know what you want to reserve. There are a lot of steps to making the reservation.

The package was expensive but so worth it, especially for our first time. We loved seeing inside DS from our room, watching shows performed in the piazza, seeing the rope drop runners sprinting towards TSM, even seeing the characters come out before opening and getting ready by goofing around.

It felt really overwhelming at first. By the second day we figured out where all the locations were and where to find everything. I did hate not having an app and having to use paper maps!

 

[smeecanada]

Thanks for all the info AZMama2016. We are thinking of staying at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. So, would have to book the package thru the Disney site and then book the additional night thru the Sheraton site. Currently trying to price everything out to see the price difference. Leaning towards booking the package though. I love the idea of having the special fastpasses and being able to get the regular ones as well.

Not worried about not having the app as we don't travel with our phone. Very used to paper maps.

 

[aviva5675]

Hmm I thought the packages are only for actual Disney hotels. So you can book say, at the Hilton, and get all the perks-- early 15, extra fast passes etc?

 

[smeecanada]

Hmm I thought the packages are only for actual Disney hotels. So you can book say, at the Hilton, and get all the perks-- early 15, extra fast passes etc?

You are unable to get the Happy 15 - but you can book for the Tokyo Hilton and the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. They are official Partner hotels - you are guaranteed admission and all the other extras.

 

[MinnieWebster]

So, when you did your booking. Did you book the package thru Disney and then book your additional hotel night thru the hotel site?
Also, you have to go to Ikspiari to pick up vacation package - I thought this would be given to us when we check in at the hotel?

We booked our package through Disney, but then used Chase Ultimate Rewards to book our additional night at HTB. I received an email the week or so before about picking up the vacation package stuff at Iskpiari.

 

[ten6mom]

For those of you who booked a package, did you do it through the Tokyo Disneyland website? When we tried to purchase just park tickets on the website before our visit last fall, none of us could get any of our credit cards to work (we knew from reading these boards it might be a challenge). What type of card did you use to be successful?

 

[MinnieWebster]

For those of you who booked a package, did you do it through the Tokyo Disneyland website? When we tried to purchase just park tickets on the website before our visit last fall, none of us could get any of our credit cards to work (we knew from reading these boards it might be a challenge). What type of card did you use to be successful?

I used a Capitol One VISA card. I had called them just before booking, to be sure that I wouldn't have any issues with the transaction. They told me I wouldn't, but I still went through the booking to the confirmation with the representative on the phone. I didn't have any problems.

 

[AZMama2016]

For those of you who booked a package, did you do it through the Tokyo Disneyland website? When we tried to purchase just park tickets on the website before our visit last fall, none of us could get any of our credit cards to work (we knew from reading these boards it might be a challenge). What type of card did you use to be successful?

I used my Citibank Costco Visa card. I called ahead and let them know when I would making a charge on a foreign website and had no problems with it going through both times.