Make the Most of a 1-Day Passport Ticket at Tokyo Disneyland Japan
It’s best to come prepared, for Disneyland isn’t such a small world after all!
A day at Tokyo Disneyland has the potential to provide you
with 12 hours of child-like bliss. However, even Mickey’s biggest fans can
leave feeling frustrated, drained and penniless if relying solely on what’s in
front of them to guide their choices. Although your eyes will be met with a
feast upon arriving at JR’s Maihama station, the ability to satisfy you desire
to visit every attraction on the map is almost impossible within one day. With
nine lands and over 130 stalls and
attractions, not even your zippy new sneakers will get you through each ticket
gate. The Disney classic ‘It’s a Small World After All’ sadly doesn’t apply in
this situation, which is why we bring you the top tips to ensure you make the
most of your 1-day passport.
When and where to start.
With Disneyland attracting so many holiday makers all year
round, it’s difficult to pick the best
time to go in order to avoid crowds. However, unsurprisingly, there are
times to try and avoid if your schedule permits. With special seasonal events
and elaborate decorations sprayed throughout the park, it’s no wonder that Halloween,
Easter and the Christmas period draw the largest crowds. If you’re unable to
take advantage of the quieter periods immediately before and after Golden Week
or during early winter, it’s most sensible to avoid visiting on Friday or
weekends. Queuing for rides midweek is relatively pleasant considering there
are few young children present. While there may be several hundred high-school
students, it’s usually the obaa-sans (grandmas) screaming and giggling the
loudest on the rollercoaster.
Efficiently navigating through the park is key, as time will
unwarily evaporate whilst you queue. Arriving with a tight game plan and not
deviating too far from it is the best way to avoid becoming overwhelmed or
departing unfulfilled. With an array of inviting shops every which way you
look, be careful not to turn a day of anticipated thrills and entertainment
into an expensive shopping venture; or at least not until you’re on your way
out. Up to an hour before each of the parades, you’ll see people eagerly
claiming ground space with mats. Unless you’re adamant about sitting or getting
the best photo op, take advantage of the slightly shorter queues immediately
before the start time and hurry over when you hear the music. You should be
able to get a good standing view, as the performers and floats wind around a
great portion of the park to ensure all ages can watch on comfortably. To
appreciate the best views over the park, ride Big Thunder Mountain and StarJets
at dusk.
With several entertainment parades and shows featured each
day throughout the year, doing a quick program check on the official website is
advisable. With most featuring popular Disney songs and dressed-up stage
performers, these shows are most suitable for families with young
children.
Warranted queue
jumping.
Take advantage of the FASTPASS ticketing system as it spares
you some precious queuing time. Reserved only for the most popular attractions,
FASTPASS allows you to bypass the standby queue during a specified window of
time. Whilst this can cut waiting time in half, bear in mind that you can only
gain one FASTPASS at a time, and the times are allocated based on first-come-first-served.
Earlier risers who line up to enter the park at 8AM are likely to witness
enthusiastic youngsters run towards their favourite attractions. The rides
attracting the longest queues are Monsters
Inc., Space Mountain and Pooh’s Hunny
Pot, although our recommendations are Star
Tours and Splash Mountain. If you’re
thinking of arriving at midday, don’t be surprised if most of the ticketing
machines are covered up because they’ve already doled out their daily quota. If
lining up the old-fashion way is your only option, expect to wait up to one
hour during low-periods and over two hours on weekends and holiday seasons.
Given the festive mood and unlikelihood of bumping into
anyone you know, even the burliest of bloke will be tempted into purchasing a
silly hat or cape to don for photos. Save yourself in excess of 1,000 yen by
getting decked out in Disney paraphernalia at your local 100 yen shop. Although
at first you may feel like a cheapskate fishing an item from your bag, you can
find comfort knowing that the official version is of a similar quality and
bears no sign of authenticity. 
Leave the bento at home.
Those travelling on a budget may be considering a packed lunch. However, unless you have a similar will-power to one of Disney’s heroic princesses, be prepared to feast on an array of mouth-watering carnival food. A spectacle in itself, are the sheer number of Japanese people gnawing on smoked turkey legs during all hours of the day. With two small carts operating outside Westernland, apron donned ladies somehow manage to distribute enough drumsticks to taunt your tastebuds every few square metres of the park. With sweet caramel popcorn and chocolate-filled churros also invading your nostrils (and the fact you’re at Disneyland—the happiest place on earth), you may as well feed your inner-child’s desire to try one of everything.
If you’re appointed to sit front row of the log ride on Splash Mountain, be prepared to step off
feeling like you’ve just had your second shower for the day. Unless it’s nice
weather, you might want to offer the seat up to the kids in-line behind you. Although
there are plenty of rides involving water, this somewhat deceivingly named ride
is the only one likely to give you a splash—or more. Splash Mountain and Space
Mountain both have affixed cameras; its shutter perfectly timed to capture
the classic expressions of riders as they plummet downhill. Use the photo
opportunity to make new friends by convincing other members in your cart to
create a daring or humorous pose.
Been dreaming of taking a selfie with one of
Disney’s iconic characters? Be prepared for a plethora of unintentional
photobombers in the background. The only way to avoid this is to pay a small
fee which will give you VIP access to Mickey, the backdrop of the Disney Hotel
and his professional photographer. Given that selfie sticks have been banned inside
the park, it’s probably the best way to ensure you get a print-worthy photo. Keep
in mind it takes 90-minutes for your photo to be processed, so it’s a service
you should seek out early on (and perhaps before you go on Splash Mountain). In addition to creating photographic memories,
you may like to indulge in some fine people-watching in front of Cinderella’s
castle. It’s a crowd-fuelled attraction that never ends; with groups of school
girls attempting synchronised jumps whilst their male classmates fix their hair
in each other’s novelty sunglasses.
The Ichi-ban tip.
Make sure you stick around for the lightshow and fireworks
display come nightfall. The character floats and projection extravaganza onto
Cinderella’s Castle will evoke a child-like happiness from within. Without a
doubt, you’re going to want to take pictures of the floats, so position
yourself anywhere along the main roadside. After the spectacular fireworks,
whatever you do, don’t run off during the 10-minute interval and miss the
highlight of Disneyland; when Cinderella’s Castle becomes a giant storybook.
Given that you won’t want to race off mid-show, be prepared to sit for well
over an hour on the concrete ground. Toting around a fold-up foam mat may
appeal to families or the elderly. When packing for the day, keep in mind that
there are storage lockers for hire, however, ridegoers are also given the
option to store bags and bulky purchases at their feet.
