Planning for TDR - some newbie questions (on both TDR and Japan)

losfp

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 25, 2014
Hi all,

Just a quick post to introduce myself and get the ball rolling on planning for TDR. We've decided that TDR will be added to our family trip schedule (after this August's Canada/Alaska/Disneyland trip, and next March's solo Disneyland birthday trip for wifey and our family cruise to New Zealand in Dec 2018/Jan 2019.... yes, I do love planning ahead haha). Japan seems like a fascinating place to me and I've heard really good things about TDR.

I'm going to do a ton of research of course, but this seems as good a place as any to get started.

1. We're really going to be restricted by Australian school holidays on this trip, which will likely be: Late Dec-End Jan (5-6 weeks), Mid-late April (2 weeks), Early-mid July (2 weeks) or Early-mid October (2 weeks). I'm going to discount July due to weather concerns - does anyone have any strong feelings one way or another about any of the other times? April would be great because of the Cherry Blossoms but that might have larger crowds too.

2. I see you can only get up to 4 day passes - is this enough time? I understand that there's big differences between mid-week and weekend crowds, and would endeavour to schedule TDR for Mon-Thurs or something

3. Am I correct in assuming that the only real difference between the "official" Disney hotels and the other hotels on the monorail line is the theming and some degree of early-entry? The price difference appears to be significant.

4. Are there any good websites on touring Japan that anyone can recommend? I've read some great info on the japan-guide website. I'd love to get out and explore some of the country but obviously unless we go in January we're limited to 2 weeks total.
 
1. October is something that pops up frequently along with spring as the two best times to go. Fall color or flowers? But I'm like you and two weeks is two short of trip for me, so I'm going in summer. I think it really does depend on how temperature sensitive you are. And what you want to do. If you like snow, winter would be fine. I like parks and winter is kind of difficult in that regard.

3.
I know that if you stay at a Disney resort, you're guaranteed entry if the parks close at capacity. But that seems to only happen on holidays and weekends. An obvious difference is that the miracosta is actually in the park. Also, I believe that dining reservations are difficult to make ahead of time if you aren't staying at the Disney hotels. But there is no EMH (I think early entry is only 15 minutes). The Disney hotels sell a special type of park hopper, but I don't think that's a big advantage. So as usual, it's just that you're paying premium for the Disney theming. I'd do it if you had the money and were into it; I wouldn't if you didn't and weren't. I don't stay on property in US parks either. If you do want to stay somewhere specific and you're budget conscious, I would book that part of your trip at the earliest possible date. You could always cancel if you find a better deal.

Japan Guide is the best one I've found so far. There are subgenre blogs that are useful if you like food or art. So browse through other forums and google your individual interests.

As far as crowds go, pretty much every source has said that Japan is a crowded country. There are some weeks that you really don't want to travel- one is Golden Week. But in general, seasonal stuff means only big crowds at a few popular places like shrines (ones famous for cherry blossoms). So it's pretty much like any other destination in that respect.
 
In terms of dates:

I was once in Japan on New Years, everything practically closes down for 3-4 days. It's a huge holiday there and even a lot of restaurants and coffee shops are closed for several days in a row. As a tourist it can be hard then because limited things are open and those that are open can be very crowded. It can also be quite cold in January. However, if you wanted to ski, it might be a great time to go.

Mid-Late April can be good for chasing sakura, you won't necessarily have it in places like Tokyo or Kyoto though where by mid April it's sometimes past peak. If you want to make sakura a priority though, you will catch it somewhere in the country. I went up to Kakunodate and Hiroksaki in late april to catch peak. Late April gets close to the Golden Week holiday when Japanese people have off. I actually like being in Japan for Golden Week because there tends to be lots of conventions and events. I use to go to two doll shows during that week.

I've been late June/early July to Japan and if you don't mind heat, it's not that unpleasant.

I love the weather in October there.

Just make sure you also don't schedule for a holiday. A weekday holiday will be as crowded as a week end.

I mostly use Japan-Guide for help now. There is a lot of information on a lot of different destinations and great access information. Sometimes I will also look up individual websites for different locations to see if they have other info. I generally have some idea of what I want to do though, like Licca Castle which is not listed on their website. I also use their forum occasionally for additional help.

Good luck!
 
Many thanks for your feedback :)

I actually love the cold so winter isn't a big deal for me - and in fact, running around parks in the cold is great! I think we're still leaning towards April, but the 2 week limitation there is a real killer. Mostly when we go on big overseas trips, we like to do 4+ weeks. I'll keep researching, as it'll likely be 2019 or later that we will be able to go.
 


I'd probably go with October, but if you're not heading there until 2019, things could change in the interim. I can't recall when the Disneyland "expansion" is meant to be completed, but obviously things will be crazy busy if you happen to be there around the opening of an almost entirely new "land".

April is a lovely time to visit, but crowds are pretty crazy. The peak tourism due to Cherry Blossom season seemed to result in a lot of additional visitors to Disneyland (i.e. we couldn't turn around without spotting foreign tourists and on previous trips spotting any other Westerners was pretty rare). It also means that hotels are busier and more expensive. They're also very difficult to plan for given that the blossoming is weather dependent and there is no guarantee they'll blossom during your two week window.
 
I actually love the cold so winter isn't a big deal for me - and in fact, running around parks in the cold is great! I think we're still leaning towards April, but the 2 week limitation there is a real killer. Mostly when we go on big overseas trips, we like to do 4+ weeks. I'll keep researching, as it'll likely be 2019 or later that we will be able to go.

If you like cold and you wait until after New Years, like arriving the 4th or 5th, January is a fine time to go. It's slow season so hotels are easier to book (outside of skiing) and everything is a lot quieter. But I would not arrive until the 4th or 5th. I was rather shocked by how long things were closed in Tokyo. I would also recommend if you visit in January stay in a hotel. Many Japanese apartments and homes do not have any insulation and are freezing in the Winter (except in Hokkaido and maybe Tohoku) Walking around outside in 30 F with a good wind is bracing, having it be 50-60F inside your apartment where you can feel the wind blowing through is a lot less fun. I've stayed with several friends in coastal Wakyama-ken in the Winter and their apartments were very cold. Kotatsu and Kerosene heaters are very popular for a reason.

If you're in Japan in April, somewhere will have sakura. You just might need to travel to find it. In '09 I caught peak sakura in Fukuoka at the end of the March and the start of it in Tokyo. At the end of April I caught peak in Kakunodate and Hirosaki. I had to travel to Fukuoka, Kakunodate and Hirosaki, to get sakura though.
 
I agree with rkold, January is a fine time to go, but do avoid the New Year's holiday. I actually had my brother visit right at New Years and the first ten days of January, and we had to do some planning around what was open and crowds. We waited to do Disney till the 8th or 9th, and it wasn't crowded at all. Still pretty cold though (sitting outside waiting for Fantasmic was a bit much!) but aside from that it was a great time in the park. I'd also advise doing a hotel if you come in January; houses do not have insulation or good heating. My house in Tokyo is freezing in winter, and I rely on space heaters in rooms that I stay in. (Not ideal, but what can you do?)

I'll also put my vote in for October: lovely weather, not too busy, plus you'll hit the parks for the Halloween festivities. You really can't beat the villain stuff they have every year!

Aside from websites, I recommend picking up Lonely Planet's Japan guidebook. It's one of the best in my experience. :)
 


I am heading there this January from Australia. I am in the process of planning now. From my early planning stage, it seems most things can only be booked from the 6th month mark. If I find anything particularly helpful I shall let you know.
 
I am heading there this January from Australia. I am in the process of planning now. From my early planning stage, it seems most things can only be booked from the 6th month mark. If I find anything particularly helpful I shall let you know.
Many thanks :) I'm really at the early planning stage.
 
2. I see you can only get up to 4 day passes - is this enough time? I understand that there's big differences between mid-week and weekend crowds, and would endeavour to schedule TDR for Mon-Thurs or something

3. Am I correct in assuming that the only real difference between the "official" Disney hotels and the other hotels on the monorail line is the theming and some degree of early-entry? The price difference appears to be significant.

2. We went from Tuesday to Friday in "low season" (supposed to be rainy but didn't end up raining very much) and thought it was enough time...although I am always happy to soak in the Disney experience longer! But I also didn't want to experience the weekend crowds, which are supposed to be horrific, so there was not much incentive for trying to extend our Disney experience over the weekend, and the Friday crowds were definitely higher than the other days of our trip. If we could have come back the following week and went to Disney on a weekday, that would have been nice.

3. As PP said, it's easier to make reservations for dining, etc. if you're staying at the official Disney hotels, and two of them are much closer to the parks. Hotel Miracosta is inside TDS, and the Tokyo Disneyland hotel is at the monorail station for Tokyo Disneyland. I like the idea of being able to walk out of your hotel and knowing that you will be at Disney in X minutes instead of wondering whether you will catch the monorail or need to wait for the next one (although TBH, the wait is not long!)

We stayed at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay and were very pleased, but the Disney hotels were certainly tempting, and I would seriously consider staying there if we ever went back and had the funds to spare!
 
Just wanted to say we are here right now, June 28-July 3 and the crowds are very very manageable. I think we accidentally booked one of the slowest times of the year. We did everything there was to do at Disney Sea and Disneyland in 3 days. We have four days for parks, so our last day is filled with all the silly little things like the river boat and the country bear jamboree and just soaking things in. We have had some rain, but nothing am umbrella won't help with, and it cools down at night. I would totally come back this time of year. Plus it's Disney's Tanabata Festival, which I think is bringing in a bunch of people wearing their full gorgeous kimonos and they are just fantastic to look at.
 
Just wanted to say we are here right now, June 28-July 3 and the crowds are very very manageable. I think we accidentally booked one of the slowest times of the year. We did everything there was to do at Disney Sea and Disneyland in 3 days. We have four days for parks, so our last day is filled with all the silly little things like the river boat and the country bear jamboree and just soaking things in. We have had some rain, but nothing am umbrella won't help with, and it cools down at night. I would totally come back this time of year. Plus it's Disney's Tanabata Festival, which I think is bringing in a bunch of people wearing their full gorgeous kimonos and they are just fantastic to look at.
I love catching the Country Bears in Tokyo since I can't see them at my home Park (Anaheim).
 
I am heading there this January from Australia. I am in the process of planning now. From my early planning stage, it seems most things can only be booked from the 6th month mark. If I find anything particularly helpful I shall let you know.
Hi

Me too. Heading there in Jan 2018..most bookings haven't opened yet.. Still keeping a tab on those...as we're from India, we guess the cold still take a bit getting adjusted to...but we get to do skiing so we're good
 
Just wanted to say we are here right now, June 28-July 3 and the crowds are very very manageable. I think we accidentally booked one of the slowest times of the year.
You did! The crowds really pick up end of July and through August as that's the summer holiday season. Kids are still in school right now so it's not as busy. They're still doing the local weekday discounts for tickets too since they don't expect a lot of locals right now.
 
1. My vote is the first week of July. Tanabata days will have started, which means many locals come to the parks in their summer kimonos which are a beautiful to see. You would need to go very early in the month though or else you will run into the "dreaded summer crowds" which starts roughly mid July.
2. Yes four days is enough if you go midweek. Something to think about though is to get an after 6 pass. Usually i am too excited when we get to the resort that i cant wait to go the next day, so we alwsys do the night pass followed by 4 full days.
3. The hotels on the monorail are great and i would strongly recommend them. We have stayed at both the sheraton and the hilton. The rooms we have gotten have either had beautiful views of the ocean or the theme parks for a fraction of the price of onsite. If they were located in wdw they would be considered deluxe. The 15 minute emh is not a big deal breaker especially if you are going midweek for four days, it just isnt that important or worth it. I find that the quickservice restaurants are great, and so we rarely eat sitdown, So the advanced reservations you get from staying onsite haven't been important to me. For what its worth the rare time we have done sit down we were able to get what we wanted the morning of. Just wanted to add that i still feel "in the disney bubble" when staying on the monorail hotels unlike the offsite hotels in disneyland in anaheim.
4. No advice on japan books, but if you want more disney info, i find tdrexplorer to be a helpful website.
 

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