Yes? No? A possible Nov 2012 TDL Trip!

[EvilinaDM101]

Hi!

SO! This is practically a last minute trip for me because I have ALWAYS dreamed about going to Japan and I thought I would've known more in advance to going but I just found out now that we are going in Nov. So I can use all the tips and advise I can get!

What do you think?

We are planning on doing 4 days Disney and 2 days Tokyo site seeing. Should we stay in Tokyo (Shinjuku to be exact) and just train or bus it the 4 days to Disney? OR stay at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay and travel into the city for site seeing. The idea of staying IN the city (Shinjuku) sounds AWESOME but is the travel to and from Disney a nightmare? Especially at Park closing and taking a bus or train back to Shinjuku? I know many people have hotel hopped but booking our flights with our 1 hotel gives us the better rate.

Another question...

Does anyone know the weather in Nov? 11th-18th to be exact.

UGH! I am SOOOO excited for this but at the same time scared!! It's just me and my DH going and we are really laid back people but want a great trip.

Any thoughts, suggestions or comments are welcomed and I thank you all in advance!!

 

[danceintherain]

Japan is a four season country, so November can vary from cold all day to warm during the day and cold at night.

The thing you have to take into consideration the most is rush hour. The morning is the worst and starts up to 2 hours before 9am which, of course, is when Disney parks open during the week in most cases. I chickened out and decided to stay closer to Disney since that's where we will be spending most of our time. In my mind, it's a lot easier to plan on leaving for central Tokyo attractions later in the day than it would be to leave for Disney later (we're Rope Droppers) Going back in the evening shouldn't be as bad, because the rush hour is more diluted, but the trains only run into 1 am or something like that, so you have to make sure you're back by then.

In general, you should stay close to where you want to be for most of the time. Another option is a Good Neighbor hotel. These have shuttles to/from the parks, so at least you could travel from further into Tokyo and be pretty much guaranteed a seat.

 

[BelleBway]

If you are dead set against splitting your hotel stays, I'd stay by TDR and commute into Tokyo since you are planning to spend more time at TDR.

I wouldn't consider planning for November to be a "last minute" thing because you still have 5 whole months to plan.

 

[EvilinaDM101]

THANK YOU BOTH!! All these tips and suggestions are GREAT!

And in the past few hours since my first post, there is a possibility of a trip bump. Meaning, Nov was the go month and it could possibly be turning into Sept. EEK!

 

[BelleBway]

THANK YOU BOTH!! All these tips and suggestions are GREAT!

And in the past few hours since my first post, there is a possibility of a trip bump. Meaning, Nov was the go month and it could possibly be turning into Sept. EEK!

Warning- at least early September is HOT and sticky. But I've done it. And if you get there late enough in the month, there is the Halloween celebration at TDL which was a lot of fun. And the Haunted Mansion Holiday (themed to Nightmare Before Christmas) is very fun.

Hopefully you'll be going a little later in the month.

 

[EvilinaDM101]

If Sept is the month we go, it will be at the end of the month.

I just realized the hotel we were looking at staying is the same one you stayed at in Shinjuku. Do you think it would be a stressful commute from TDR to Shinjuku for 4 days?

Also, have you visited Sanrio Puroland?

 

[BelleBway]

If Sept is the month we go, it will be at the end of the month.

I just realized the hotel we were looking at staying is the same one you stayed at in Shinjuku. Do you think it would be a stressful commute from TDR to Shinjuku for 4 days?

I haven't ever taken the bus to/from Shinjuku so that's hard to answer; the direct bus is probably less stressful (though more limited in times). I'd honestly find it tiring taking the train back and forth more than once, but others have been fine with it. Note that the time estimate for the train on the TDR site doesn't seem to include the time to walk from one train to another when making the connection. Again, I'd find it more tiring/annoying than stressful per se.

Also, have you visited Sanrio Puroland?

I looked into it... and it seemed to me that it was way more geared to really little kids. I think I'd still go there if I was in Tokyo for, say, a month or more. But it's a little far out and didn't seem to be worth it with limited time.

 

[jsilvers]

We are planning on doing 4 days Disney and 2 days Tokyo site seeing. Should we stay in Tokyo (Shinjuku to be exact) and just train or bus it the 4 days to Disney?

Shinjuku is on the opposite side of downtown Tokyo from TDR. I'm not familiar with the bus, but I can tell you that a rail/subway commute is going to require either an absurdly long walk to change trains at Tokyo Station (Yamanote/Keiyo) or two changes of trains via other routes (for example, Oedo/Yurakucho/Keiyo). If you really want to base yourself in Shinjuku for city sightseeing, I would suggest changing hotels in the middle of the trip instead of commuting - or choosing a base on the east side of downtown.

Does anyone know the weather in Nov? 11th-18th to be exact.

According to the Weather Channel website, the averages low in November is 48F and the average high is 61F See http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/JAXX0085.

(Incidentally, my wife and I may be there for some of the same time, which is why I've been checking the weather ... anyone up for a DIS meet?)

Any thoughts, suggestions or comments are welcomed and I thank you all in advance!!

It's now a bit out of date, but when i was a semi-regular visitor to TDR in 2007-09, I put together a web page of some tips: http://www.thirdamendment.com/tokyodisney.html.

 

[EvilinaDM101]

WOW! Awesome! Thanks for the tips JSilvers!!

The trip is now OFFICIALLY BOOKED! The dates changed and here is our itinerary!

Flying out of Orlando 12/1 to LAX
Meeting up with a friend in LA and heading to Dland and California Adventures to check out the new Cars Land.

Leaving LAX 12/2 @ 12:10am for Tokyo (Narita)!

Arriving Monday 12/3 at 1pm and making our way to the Sheraton Tokyo Bay. I've heard the shuttle is the best way to go.

As much as we would LOVE to stay at one of the actual Disney resorts, we just couldn't fit it in the budget.

From that point, we will have 4 days of parks.

Saturday, we plan on making the trek into the city and having a day of sightseeing and possibly checking out Sanrioland AKA Hello Kitty land.

Sunday, we fly out at 4:55pm (arriving 3 to 4 hours prior to the flight is best since it's international?) to Hong Kong.

We have a friend working in Hong Kong that week and we will be crashing his hotel! LOL

Monday, spending the day at Hong Kong Disneyland

Tues, flying out back to Los Angeles and spending the night visiting with friends

Wed, flying back home to Disney world.

We are EXCITED! It's just my Husband and I and we have been wanting to take this trip for a LONG time now.

 

[Feistygirl916]

This is the trip I REALLY want to be taking next May!

Are you up for writing a pre-trippie? That would be awesome to see what else you included in your sightseeing day!

 

[BecBennett]

That's awesome! You totally have to go to WDW just after you get back so you can say you've been to 4 parks in 2 weeks!

 

[EvilinaDM101]

A trip report will definitely be done!

And we will definitely be doing that, I think we are going to the MK as soon as we get back. My DH and I want to ride and take pics of the rides that are the same in each park. As an example, DL and TDL do the Nightmare Before Christmas in the Haunted Mansion. And then the regular HM done in WDW and at HKDL. I'm sure I am going to have BUNCHES and BUNCHES of pics and videos.

Question for those that have recently been!!

Does anyone remember seeing a Stitch Lunch Box (kids meal?) in either parks in Tokyo?

A non-TDL question(s).
Take****a, Harajuku and Shibuya can they all 3 be done in 1 day? Just checking things out and shopping? And would you see the Tokyo Sky Tree or the Tokyo Tower?

I would love to see temples and parks and what not but my DH is more interested in things to see in the city. And I will admit, I am a freak for cute stuff and the clothing style of the Harajuku girls.
Has anyone done any of the themed restaurants?

 

[DreamSweetsLove]

A trip report will definitely be done!

And we will definitely be doing that, I think we are going to the MK as soon as we get back. My DH and I want to ride and take pics of the rides that are the same in each park. As an example, DL and TDL do the Nightmare Before Christmas in the Haunted Mansion. And then the regular HM done in WDW and at HKDL. I'm sure I am going to have BUNCHES and BUNCHES of pics and videos.

Question for those that have recently been!!

Does anyone remember seeing a Stitch Lunch Box (kids meal?) in either parks in Tokyo?

A non-TDL question(s).
Take****a, Harajuku and Shibuya can they all 3 be done in 1 day? Just checking things out and shopping? And would you see the Tokyo Sky Tree or the Tokyo Tower?

I would love to see temples and parks and what not but my DH is more interested in things to see in the city. And I will admit, I am a freak for cute stuff and the clothing style of the Harajuku girls.
Has anyone done any of the themed restaurants?

I would pick Sky Tree over Tokyo Tower for sure. You can definitely do Takesh1ta, Harajuku, and Shibuya in one day. As for themed restaurants we did Alcatraz ER a couple of times but you may need a reservation in advance, it was really fun.

I don't know if the Stitch lunch box is still available but maybe I can check tonight! Halloween is one of my favorite times at the park, you are going to have a great time! One thing to make sure of is to plan your TDR visit on the weekdays no matter what.

 

[EvilinaDM101]

I would pick Sky Tree over Tokyo Tower for sure. You can definitely do Takesh1ta, Harajuku, and Shibuya in one day. As for themed restaurants we did Alcatraz ER a couple of times but you may need a reservation in advance, it was really fun.

I don't know if the Stitch lunch box is still available but maybe I can check tonight! Halloween is one of my favorite times at the park, you are going to have a great time! One thing to make sure of is to plan your TDR visit on the weekdays no matter what.

Thanks DreamSweetsLove!!

I officially started our PTR on another thread. Thank you for your tips and suggestions!!

 

[ben1993]

What an amazing itinarary! Now if only you could fly over to Paris quickly and cheaply haha. Can't wait for the TR!