When it involves planning for Walt Disney World or Disneyland, value will increase have grow to be a reality of life for the final decade. That has been exacerbated within the final year-plus, with ticket prices going up twice yearly. Adding insult to damage, free FastPass+ was changed by paid the Genie+ service–and not too long ago switched to date-based pricing, which was one other oblique improve.
It’s not simply park admission or line-skipping prices. Walt Disney World and Disneyland have raised costs on just about all the things. To begin the brand new fiscal yr in October, all the things from Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers to lots of of menu objects throughout the parks & resorts at Walt Disney World went up.
Some of that is comprehensible, a minimum of to an extent. Pent-up demand has continued to gasoline client spending, attendance has been sturdy on each coasts, and crowds have but to abate. Then there are Disney’s enter prices. Inflation is working scorching across the globe, with the United States hitting a four-decade excessive above 8% earlier this yr. Wage development has additionally been stronger because of the tightness of the labor market, though actual wages (adjusted for inflation) have decreased barely. However, not in all places is being impacted equally.
Just as sure sectors and merchandise have been disproportionately impacted throughout the United States–take the price of bacon, eggs, and airfare, all of that are outpacing total inflation–so too are Disney theme parks in numerous nations.
Understandably, one factor Americans who spend their cash domestically don’t take note of is the power of the U.S. greenback. Relative to different currencies, the greenback is extremely sturdy–to an virtually unprecedented diploma. This largely because of the Federal Reserve’s hawkish financial coverage stance in response to that very same skyrocketing inflation.
Nowhere is that this extra obvious than when contrasting the U.S. greenback to the Japanese yen. In the previous couple of months, the yen has fallen to ranges final seen in 1990. Beyond that, the true efficient alternate fee of the yen has hit its lowest degree in 50 years. This is basically because of the divergent approaches between central banks within the United States and Japan.
When we traveled to Japan final month, the yen was hovering across the 148 degree in opposition to the U.S. greenback, round a 32-year low. To put this into perspective for these are are unfamiliar with touring to Japan or international forex, a great/regular rule of thumb is a 100:1 alternate fee.
This implies that usually, you may merely transfer the decimal level over two locations and have a tough approximation of the conversion fee (e.g. 100 yen = $1.00). More not too long ago, the higher rule of thumb might be 150:1, or 150 yen = $1.00. As of this month, the alternate fee has dropped to the 136 degree, which isn’t nearly as good–however nonetheless nice by fashionable requirements.
On prime of that, inflation will not be almost as unhealthy in Japan. Thus far, inflation has topped out round 3.6% in Japan, placing it far beneath its G7 friends. To put that into perspective, the U.S. has exceeded 8%, Canada 7%, France 6%, Germany 8%, Italy 8.5%, and the United Kingdom 10%. (However, the timelines differ as a consequence of divergent financial coverage and financial stimulus approaches and it’s attainable Japan has but to peak in consequence.)
There are a variety of seemingly present and historic explanations as to why inflation is decrease in Japan, that are fairly fascinating. To that time, I’d extremely suggest watching this video, which covers why low inflation would possibly sound nice, but it surely’s not all rainbows and sunshine for the individuals of Japan.
That video is a worthwhile backdrop, and one that ought to clarify why it’s not truthful to match costs throughout economies divorced of better context. Median wages and way more are all important for understanding the disparity, all of which is past the scope of this put up. However, none of that’s notably related to you as vacationer who is solely trying to get essentially the most bang to your buck and go to the #1 and #2 Disney theme parks on the earth.
With all of that in thoughts, let’s take a look at the decrease base costs at Tokyo Disneyland–that are made much more enticing for Americans when factoring in present alternate charges. (Note: that is as of December 13, 2022—we paid even much less for the very same objects. If planning a visit for 2023, you would possibly pay kind of nonetheless–it principally is dependent upon the Bank of Japan and U.S. Federal Reserve, so take your complaints up with Jerome Powell or Haruhiko Kuroda if any of this finally ends up altering.)
One ultimate word earlier than we start the worth rundown is that we aren’t suggesting {that a} journey to Japan is “cheap” and even one thing that anybody can do. These days, a visit to any Disney park is financially out of attain for a lot of the world’s inhabitants (so we must always all be grateful ???? ). Our solely level is that costs on the parks in Japan are cheaper relative to Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
We have identified up to now that these worldwide journeys don’t must be as costly as many individuals assume they’re (see our Tips for Saving Money at Tokyo Disneyland put up), and relying upon your celebration dimension, a visit to Tokyo might value about the identical or lower than a trip to Walt Disney World. In equity, that is sometimes solely true for these with out a number of youngsters, those that can journey throughout non-peak occasions, and dwell close to a serious worldwide airport or can save miles for the journey. As with something, your mileage might range.
Airfare – Let’s begin with getting there. This is definitely the least attention-grabbing comparability, as airfare between the United States and Japan is roughly unchanged as in comparison with 2019. I’m together with it principally as a result of flights are incessantly seen because the insurmountable impediment for visiting Tokyo Disney Resort. If you search from a regional airport in West Virginia on Christmas Eve (returning on New Year’s Eve), you would possibly conclude that all dates from all airports should value $2,471 roundtrip. Of course, that’s not reflective of common flights prices, simply because it wouldn’t be for airfare to Walt Disney World.
Our value from Los Angeles was round $600 complete, flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka. In perusing the calendar for January by way of October 2023, virtually each date gives LAX to Tokyo spherical journey airfare within the $600 per particular person vary. (I’ve already seen a number of gross sales bringing that right down to ~$500 RT.) Use Google Flight Search or ITA Software’s versatile calendar function to find out lifelike/cheap costs from your house airport. At absolutely the most, the price must be LAX-TYO + LAX-your residence airport.
To ensure, that is undoubtedly dearer than the overwhelming majority of vacationers would pay to get to Walt Disney World. However, we are going to virtually absolutely shut that hole with our subsequent reserving…
Monorail Loop Hotel – For years, we’ve really helpful guests on a price range eschew the Disney-branded motels in favor of the Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotels which can be on-site and provide monorail entry to each parks (they’re technically inside strolling distance, however that’s not really helpful). To draw a Walt Disney World comparability, these could be like placing the Swan & Dolphin within the Contemporary’s location.
We have stayed at each single one in all these, however favor the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay or the Hilton Tokyo Bay. We often e-book the latter since Sarah has Hilton Diamond Status, which will get us free upgrades, breakfast buffet, and concierge lounge entry for meals. Even with out that, we’d say each of those motels are Deluxe Resorts by Walt Disney World requirements–as long as you get up to date rooms. (If the 2 had been priced precisely the identical, I’d choose Hilton Tokyo Bay over the Contemporary because the superior resort.)
Rack charges range tremendously for these motels, however you may count on to pay 20,000 yen per weeknight at one of many monorail loop motels. In doing a variety of pattern searches, I see the Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama (that’s within the photograph above with the monorail within the foreground), Hotel Okura, and different official on-site motels costing $101-$128/evening for a lot of weeknights in early 2023.
Our after tax complete for a 5-night keep at Hilton Tokyo Bay was 97,774 yen. That’s at the moment $723.12, or $144.60 per evening.
This really is not that nice of a fee–we’ve paid as little as $99/evening within the final 5 years, and $150/evening is about common for weeknights. (And that was when the yen was a lot stronger.) Hotel costs all through Japan at the moment appear increased in yen than regular–particularly on weekends, which is probably going as a consequence of delayed pent-up demand and authorities subsidies for home journey.
Park Tickets – As mentioned in our Tokyo Disneyland Discount Ticket Tips for 2023, we had a tough time shopping for tickets through the official Tokyo Disney Resort web site as a consequence of 3-D Secure Authentication. Consequently, we extremely suggest anybody with U.S. bank cards purchase Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea park tickets as far upfront as attainable from Klook. Due to the current “Wakuwari” low cost, all dates offered out previous to our go to.
As it turned out, Tokyo Disney Resort ended up releasing extra tickets shortly earlier than we arrived and we may’ve bought them on the entrance entrance. (Those staying on the Disney-branded motels can even purchase them there.) That’s exactly what we did for our check-in day, shopping for a same-day Weeknight Passport.
Full single-day park tickets value 7,900 yen to 9,400 yen for adults. That’s at the moment $58.43 to $69.52. Tokyo Disney Resort has not but resumed gross sales of multi-day tickets or Annual Passes.
Baymax Curry – Served on the Center Street Coffee House, which is a desk service restaurant (I’d liken it to the Plaza Restaurant at Walt Disney World–extra on the informal facet and lower-tier finish of the spectrum) in World Bazaar.
The Baymax Curry is described as candy and mellow butter rooster curry and medium-spicy beef curry with chunks of beef. The heart-shaped potato that Baymax is holding can also be cute. (That final sentence is verbatim from the outline.) Everyone in our celebration ordered the Baymax Curry–it tasted nearly as good as it’s lovely.
The Baymax Curry prices ¥1,580. That’s at the moment $11.69.
Christmas Sweaters – As a local Michigander who lived in snowy states for the primary 30 years of my life, I’ve an affinity for sweaters. That stopped making sense some time in the past, as they’re much less “appropriate” for day-to-day life in Orange County (Florida and California). Nevertheless, I nonetheless bought three Christmas sweaters this yr at Tokyo Disney Resort. I’d’ve purchased a fourth at Super Nintendo World, but it surely was a ‘simulated’ sweater that was really a sweatshirt.
The value of every sweater is ¥5,900. That’s at the moment $43.64 or roughly half the price of a Spirit Jersey. (These had been every $39 once I purchased them, which is why I went wild and bought 3 totally different ones. I type of remorse not additionally getting the blue model of the citadel sweater above.)
Little Green Mochi and Personal Pan Pizza – Pan Galactic Pizza Port is the primary pizza restaurant within the photo voltaic system, organising store as a counter service spot in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland. Manager Tony Solaroni operates the PZ-5000 absolutely automated pizza machine and takes orders.
The sausage private pan pizza is ¥740 and the little inexperienced mochi are ¥400. That’s at the moment a complete of $8.43.
Lil’ Rin Rin Christmas Shoulder Bag – For the final couple of years, Tokyo Disneyland has had a line of vacation merchandise that includes Lil’ Rin Rin, who is called that for the sound of the bell connected to the tip of his pointed hat and appears like a cross between Mickey Mouse and a gnome.
Little else is thought about this mischievous character, however he’s believed to be a feared troll that roams the Nordic countryside between St. Lucia Day and Christmas. Feared for his (or her) ferocity, Lil’ Rin Rin emerges from his (or her) cave and solely spares the households that depart bowls of porridge outside to appease the urge for food of Lil’ Rin Rin. Japan famously loves devious and darkish characters, so I assume Imagineering will verify this backstory quickly.
The Lil’ Rin Rin shoulder bag value ¥2,900. That’s at the moment $21.45.
Disney Premier Access – We don’t need to be accused of cherry-picking examples to make our level, so it’s solely truthful to level out that paid FastPass has unfold to Japan, and is on the market at standard rides and leisure at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. The finest comparability for that is Individual Lightning Lanes, because it’s out there on an a la carte foundation and prices ¥1,500 or ¥2,000 for every trip, and ¥2,500 for the brand new “Believe! Sea of Dreams” nighttime spectacular at Tokyo DisneySea.
We didn’t purchase Premier Access for any sights, as a substitute utilizing early mornings and late nights to knock all the things out (together with a number of rides on Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast) with out a lot difficulty. However, we did buy Premier Access as soon as for “Believe! Sea of Dreams” at a present value of $36.98 for the 2 of us.
Putting leisure behind a paywall has been extremely controversial amongst locals and TDR diehards, and I get that perspective. However, as an rare vacationer who was dreading having to gamble on the lottery or camp out for hours, I used to be blissful to have this feature. I reserve the precise to alter that opinion if this spreads to different leisure or sticks round as soon as the ‘new entertainment smell’ wears off the nighttime spectacular at TDS.
Crazy for Curry – We ate curry a number of occasions this journey to Tokyo Disney Resort. Another such meal was at Hungry Bear Restaurant in Westernland, which is my favourite spot for curry in both park. I additionally love the comfortable inside, which feels becoming for Christmas and is inviting on a chilly evening earlier than Dreamlights.
The pork cutlet curry prices ¥1,100 and the rooster curry is ¥900. The Pistachio Cream & Pudding with Souvenir Cup value ¥900. (We purchased each number of these–not for the dessert, however as a result of the little cup is perfectly-sized for espresso, is dishwasher protected, and surprisingly high-quality.) The complete present value of this all is $21.45.
Crystal Palace Buffet – This grand buffet restaurant with a Victorian-era conservatory design gives a nice number of delectable dishes. The three-domed glass constructing is a direct clone of the sit-down buffet restaurant in Magic Kingdom. The key variations are that no Winnie the Pooh characters are current, and the delicacies is healthier (in our opinion) at Tokyo Disneyland.
In addition to quite a lot of meats, sushi and seafood, Crystal Palace additionally has a formidable dessert lineup. The little inexperienced mochi are, to borrow a phrase from Joey, the place we win our a refund.
The Crystal Palace buffet prices 4,500 yen per grownup, which is at the moment $33.28.
Tokyo Disney Resort Hooded Sweatshirt – This is one in all my favourite sweatshirts of all time–it’s comfy and shockingly high-quality for the worth, which has all the time been a cut price. I’ve purchased two different variations of it up to now, and opted for the refreshed blue model this time.
This hoodie is 3,800 yen. That’s at the moment $28.10.
Gaston’s Feast – Since our final journey to Tokyo Disneyland, the park’s giant growth undertaking has completed, with the Beauty and the Beast space (and extra) opening. So after all we needed to eat all the things on the menu at La Taverne de Gaston. Pictured right here is the sausage ‘big bite’ croissant, french toast/grilled cheese sandwich, candy mousse, hunter’s pie, and apple-caramel churro.
Total value of all the things above is 3,200 yen, or $23.67. Next time, I’ll get two of the sandwich and the hunter’s pie as a substitute.
Coffee Mugs – On our flight again from Japan, every of our carry-ons had been about 50% mugs and cups. We purchased all kinds of choices at Tokyo Disney Resort, Nakano Broadway, Kyoto vintage retailers, and Starbucks all through Japan.
As for the mugs above, the 2 on the left have heat-activated results and all 4 have tactile, dimensional designs. All of them are microwave and dishwasher protected.
These 4 mugs had been a complete of two,800 yen–at the moment $20.71.
Suffice to say, it’s a good time for Americans to go to Japan if you wish to reap the benefits of our stronger forex and better buying energy. To some extent, that ought to stay true in 2023, making Tokyo Disney Resort a sexy vacation spot on paper. Of course, this assumes you’re capable of rating cheap airfare, are comfy touring internationally, and have the will to go to Japan.
It’s most likely apparent to common readers, however we’re big followers of Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. For years, we’ve been imploring diehard Disney followers to go to these parks, that are our two favourite theme parks on the earth. They are a breath of recent air for Walt Disney World followers who’ve grow to be disillusioned with value will increase and all of the nickel & diming. (A number of years in the past, we wrote “Want to Recapture the Disney Magic? Visit Japan,” which underscores all of this.)
With that mentioned, Tokyo Disney Resort isn’t good–particularly not proper now. Japan is a minimum of a yr behind the United States in its reopening course of (for lack of a greater time period). Societal attitudes, expectations, and lingering well being security theater displays all of this. Plexiglass dividers and face masks are ubiquitous, staffing shortages and venue closures are nonetheless frequent. Entertainment and different choices are nonetheless scaled again at Tokyo Disney Resort, at the same time as authorities journey subsidies drive demand increased. (In this and different regards, our Christmas 2022 journey felt very very similar to U.S. journey in Spring 2021.)
Our hope is that a variety of this shall be rolled again or in any other case resolved by Spring 2023 when Tokyo Disneyland’s fortieth Anniversary kicks off. Realistically, the after-effects will most likely linger for a number of years. Walt Disney World and Disneyland are nonetheless in restoration mode, a course of that has taken over a full yr longer than anticipated. It may very well be an analogous situation in Japan–the growing older inhabitants actually compounds issues, and immigration is one other difficulty. (To ensure, the United States has an analogous dynamic, however we’re a decade or extra away from it being as pronounced right here as it’s in Japan.)
Ultimately, we’re very a lot wanting ahead to returning to Japan in Spring 2023, and would suggest it to first-timers and repeat guests alike at that time. Tokyo Disney Resort not firing on all cylinders continues to be one thing particular, particularly at an efficient low cost because of the weak yen and robust greenback. At Tokyo Disney Resort, you’ll get pleasure from a number of parades per day (together with Dreamlights, Disney’s finest evening parade by far), seasonal celebrations are included with admission, and costs are inexpensive and extra truthful.
If you’re a Walt Disney World fan who has grow to be disenchanted with the Florida parks, there isn’t a higher method to recapture that misplaced magic than by visiting Tokyo Disney Resort. Seriously. The solely draw back is that it’ll endlessly change the way in which you view each different theme park.
Planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? For complete recommendation, one of the best place to start out is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For extra specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews web page covers lodging. Our Restaurant Reviews element the place to dine & snack. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money put up. Our What to Pack for Disney put up takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you visited Japan because the border reopened? What was your expertise with the sturdy greenback and weak yen? Even if you happen to visited pre-closure, what did you are feeling in regards to the worth proposition of Tokyo Disney Resort? Pleased with the bang-for-buck you bought out of the journey? Excited to expertise Tokyo Disney Resort within the coming years? Are you delaying your first go to to maximise seeing ‘new stuff’ or shifting it ahead to keep away from the crowds? Any questions we can assist you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!