Our 1-day Tokyo Disneyland touring plan covers our ideally suited day within the park with points of interest ordered to attenuate time in line and maximize effectivity. To that finish, these are the points of interest we might do, the eating places at which we’d dine, the reveals we’d see, and the main points we’d attempt to take pleasure in. (Updated March 5, 2023.)
In our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Planning Guide we advocate 2 days at Tokyo Disneyland (TDL) when you have the time, because the park has a very spectacular attraction slate (and infrequently, lengthy strains). Accordingly, you’ll should skip some issues if you happen to solely have in the future at TDL. If you’re visiting Tokyo DisneySea, take a look at our 1-Day Tokyo DisneySea itinerary.
This Tokyo Disneyland touring plan has been up to date following the reopening of Japan’s border to worldwide vacationers. Although the parks reopened some time in the past and pent-up demand is thru the roof, operations are nonetheless scaled again for some inexplicable motive. As such, this itinerary could be very a lot tentative and topic to alter. We hope to have one other replace this summer season or at any time when issues get again to regular. With that main caveat out of the best way, right here’s our 2023 Tokyo Disneyland itinerary…
Tokyo Disneyland is principally “Bizarro Magic Kingdom” and this is applicable to points of interest, too. If you solely have a single day at TDL, your time is finest spent doing authentic points of interest which are distinctive to Tokyo Disneyland. Aside from Splash Mountain, any rides you’ve skilled at different Disney theme parks world wide are skippable. You can see the complete attraction lineup in our Tokyo Disneyland Attraction Guide put up.
This Tokyo Disneyland 1-Day Guide assumes you’re visiting throughout a weekday at a moderately-crowded time of yr. Unless you’ve been to Walt Disney World or Disneyland on New Year’s Eve or another main vacation, you most likely have by no means seen the type of crowds the Tokyo parks get on weekends or throughout busy season. If you go to when it’s busier, you’ll wait in lengthy strains for all the things, together with to get into the park. Read When to Visit Tokyo Disneyland in 2023 to forestall your self from having these points.
One last observe earlier than getting began is that you need to contemplate staying at one of many Disney-branded lodges in case your funds permits. See our Hotel Reviews & Rankings at Tokyo Disney Resort for comparisons and suggestions. Staying on the Disney lodges offers you the “Happy 15” perk, which is quarter-hour of early entry into the park.
Once you get up from wherever it’s that you’re sleeping, eat breakfast, after which get began in your day…
Arrive Early – If you’re staying on the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, plan to reach on the Happy 15 entrance a minimum of 45 minutes earlier than official park opening. If you’re staying at a non-Disney resort, it would be best to arrive even sooner than that as a result of the common turnstile strains will probably be even longer than the Happy 15 line.
On busy days, we attempt to arrive an hour earlier than park opening (even if you happen to get there that early, you’ll nonetheless discover different folks in entrance of you in line. If you’re eligible for Happy 15, your first vacation spot is straightforward: Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. This is the blockbuster new trackless darkish journey inside Beast’s Castle in Fantasyland that seats visitors in gigantic tea cups that dance in rhythm to the music from Beauty and the Beast, whereas showcasing scenes depicting the story of the basic Disney animated movie.
Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast additionally sells Disney Premier Access, which is basically a paid substitute for FastPass. If this Beauty and the Beast journey is extremely essential to you, contemplate shopping for that. (It’s additionally included by way of standby on this itinerary.)
Monsters & Pooh/Pan Dash – If you’re not eligible for Happy 15, you need to save Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast till later within the day. The overwhelming majority of the early-arriving crowd heads there first, and also you’ll be behind all of them. You’ll be losing invaluable time caught in line behind hundreds of different folks whereas wait occasions are low elsewhere.
Consequently, our technique for very first thing within the morning is working to Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek (use the shortcut by means of World Bazaar into Tomorrowland on the appropriate) and doing that first. Alternatively, you may proceed on to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt in Fantasyland and try this first. With that in thoughts, there are principally two choices for beginning the day:
Option 1 (Maximize Efficiency):
- Pooh’s Hunny Hunt
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Haunted Mansion
- Jungle Cruise
Option 2 (Minimize Backtracking):
- Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek
- Space Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters
- Cross by means of Cinderella Castle’s Central Plaza to Adventureland
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Jungle Cruise
If you select the primary possibility, which is what we’d strongly advocate, you’ll maintain bouncing round all through the day. Tokyo Disneyland isn’t that giant of a park, and if you happen to can deal with strolling round Japan, you’re most likely high-quality criss-crossing a theme park just a few occasions in a day.
If you select the second possibility, you’ll proceed with the lands in clockwise trend, doing Westernland and Critter Country after ending up Adventureland, ending the day in Fantasyland. This second strategy is definitely a surprisingly natural and environment friendly option to do Tokyo Disneyland (save for Big Thunder and Splash Mountain, which could have lengthy strains if you arrive at these points of interest).
Here are some further notes, plus how you can fill out the center of your day, whatever the first possibility you select…
Splash Mountain Single Rider – Although Splash Mountain is just like its US cousins, we nonetheless extremely advocate doing it in Tokyo Disneyland. Critter Country at Tokyo Disneyland was constructed particularly for Splash Mountain, and the extent of element on this total space–together with within the queue and on the journey itself–is unparalleled.
The different motive we advocate doing it’s as a result of there’s a Single Rider line that’s comparatively unpopular, that means you may wait about 5-10 minutes for this attraction, even when the posted wait time exceeds 2 hours.
Lunch at Grandma Sara’s – Did you realize that Grandma Sara (who is definitely an opossum that appears a bit too younger to be a grandma) has a kitchen in Tokyo Disneyland? Well, she does, and her kitchen is spectacular. This restaurant is inside Splash Mountain and is definitely wonderful.
The design is the principle draw, with the meals being fairly good, too. Go right here for an early lunch, as this place will get busy at lunchtime. (“Rope dropping” Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, talked about under, could be a very good different.)
Mickey’s Magical Music World Lottery – The fashionable new stage present in Fantasyland Forest Theatre, Mickey’s Magical Music World makes use of a free lottery system for seating. This is now achieved by way of the Tokyo Disney Resort app somewhat than at a bodily in-park location. We advocate choosing a day showtime for Mickey’s Magical Music World.
If you win, nice. If you don’t, oh properly. Mickey’s Magical Music World is sweet and value seeing, however it’s not altogether dissimilar from any montage musical at different Disney parks or aboard Disney Cruise Line. It’s not in the identical league as Big Band Beat at Tokyo DisneySea, which is an absolute must-see.
Afternoon Shows – When crowds are at their peak in the midst of the afternoon, contemplate watching one of many park’s much less fashionable reveals: Country Bear Jamboree and/or The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents “Aloha E Komo Mai!”
The latter is a bit divisive (I prefer it), whereas the previous is undeniably superior. If you’re visiting between summer season and Christmas, observe that you simply’ll get a seasonal model of Country Bear Jamboree, which is principally like profitable the lottery.
Daytime Parade – We actually don’t have a ton of attraction suggestions, which can trigger you to surprise why Tokyo Disneyland will take a lot time: it’s the leisure. There are (at the least) 2 must-see parades, plus different reveals and leisure, all of which eats massive chunks of the day.
Disney Harmony in Color! Parade is the brand new parade for Tokyo Disneyland’s fortieth Anniversary. This will begin on April 15, 2023 and sure run till April 14, 2028. As with its predecessor, Harmony in Color will doubtless be extremely fashionable, so that you’ll wish to seize a spot ~45 minutes earlier than parade time. Consult our Tokyo Disneyland Daytime Parade Viewing Tips for really useful places. (That covers the present parade, however the recommendation would be the identical.)
Dinner with the Queen – So I’m placing the subsequent two objects proper subsequent to 1 one other, regardless that they most likely received’t work out to be that approach except you’re a pig like we’re. You both wish to do an early dinner at Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall and snacking all through the remainder of the night time, or snacking all afternoon and a late dinner.
Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall–primarily based on Alice in Wonderland–is the most well-liked restaurant in Tokyo Disneyland, and its strains will be fairly lengthy proper round supper time. We’ve had the very best luck going right here proper when it opens or 2-3 pm.
Strategic Snacking – There are some mega E-Ticket points of interest at Tokyo Disneyland that you simply received’t discover on any map, and these are the snacks. From the highly-touted popcorn to Tipo Torta (assume churros, besides really superior) to Toy Story Alien Mochi to Squeezers mango drinks to the seafood pizza at Captain Hook’s Galley to the pizza (and bizarrely-awesome present) at Pan Galactic Pizza Port, Tokyo Disneyland has some wonderful snack choices.
Read our Awesome Tokyo Disneyland Snacks put up to get an concept of what different snacks you may wish to attempt all through the day. A doable different to all this snacking is consuming at Crystal Palace, a buffet that features a number of the snacks discovered within the park. This is price efficient, however as Crystal Palace additionally exists at Walt Disney World, it’s form of a boring choose.
Ambiance on the Rivers of America – Right round sundown, contemplate doing the Rivers of America Trifecta: Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes, Western River Railroad, and Mark Twain Riverboat. The canoes are nice with the late afternoon mild in your face, Wester River Railroad is beautiful at nightfall, and by the point you get to the Mark Twain Riverboat, it ought to be darkish.
Every really patriotic particular person enjoys a very good nighttime cruise aboard the Mark Twain. In truth, I imagine Mark Twain stated this about nighttime cruises on his namesake ship: “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Sage phrases, Mr. Twain.
Night Parades & Shows – You’ll wish to get good spots for each the seasonally-changing Cinderella Castle nighttime spectacular (at the moment nothing) and Dreamlights. Other visitors will stake out spots early, however the excellent news right here is that visitors within the entrance “rows” are required to sit down and there aren’t any children on shoulders (it’s prohibited–and enforced), so that you’ll be capable of see over different visitors.
Because of this, you shouldn’t have a problem getting spots half-hour earlier than showtime with good visibility. You may theoretically get one spot for each, however with the best way they’re often spaced aside through the course of the night time, I don’t advocate this.
Sometimes the Cinderella Castle present is being proven twice nightly. While the second present is much much less crowded, it additionally interferes with the very best time to do points of interest with minimal waits. As such, we advocate seeing the primary exhibiting of no matter that could be, and doing points of interest instantly after Dreamlights.
Fantasyland Favorites – As quickly as Dreamlights passes, it would be best to excessive tail it to the headliner rides you haven’t but carried out. On a standard night time at Tokyo Disneyland, you’ll have rather less than 2 hours left within the working day after Dreamlights. Here are potential plans of assault:
- Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek
- Space Mountain
- Watch the Happy Ride with Baymax
- Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast
- Ride the Happy Ride with Baymax (if time permits)
- Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast or Pooh’s Hunny Hunt (if time permits)
Option 2:
- Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast
- Pooh’s Hunny Hunt
- Watch or journey the Happy Ride with Baymax
- Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast (if time permits)
Okay, let’s clarify the professionals/cons & issues of those approaches. First, it’s a race towards the clock after Dreamlights ends to your subsequent vacation spot. If you’re not quick and also you choose Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, you’re behind a ton of individuals with the very same concept. Either of the Tomorrowland headliners are decrease stakes and simpler to journey with quick strains.
Second, we’ve lately run into issues with Tokyo Disneyland slicing the road for Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast earlier than park closing. It was the case that you can get in line till the minute the parks closed. That’s nonetheless the case for many points of interest, more often than not. But not all the time. So if Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is actually essential, you want to line up for it at the least 60 minutes earlier than park closing.
Third, we see little motive to truly journey the Happy Ride with Baymax. The enjoyable of that is the power of the viewers, and that exists whether or not you’re driving or standing outdoors the attraction doing the little dance and wave routine. That half is a ton of enjoyable, however the attraction itself is so-so at finest, and a protracted look forward to what it’s. Don’t miss being a part of the enjoyable on the Happy Ride with Baymax…however that enjoyable doesn’t require driving it.
Finally, really outcomes will differ. Post-reopening, we’ve got had success doing Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast back-to-back-to-back, getting in line the ultimate time lower than 5 minutes after park closing, and by no means ready greater than quarter-hour for it (the ultimate journey was a literal walk-on, with empty tea cups). The very subsequent night time, the road was lower ~half-hour earlier than park closing and the posted wait time was nonetheless 45 minutes.
Without query, Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is the most well-liked and inconsistent journey within the park, and this holds true even on the finish of the night time. You could get fortunate driving it three consecutive occasions like we did, however primarily based on subsequent nights at Tokyo Disneyland, it seems that was an outlier.
We have had way more predictable and constant guidelines driving Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and different Fantasyland or Tomorrowland points of interest on the finish of the night. Regardless of what you do final, take the lengthy route out by means of Fantasyland Forest and in the direction of Tomorrowland, the place the dances lights on Space Mountain and the long run is a desolate place.
Slow Stroll Through World Bazaar – World Bazaar closes roughly half-hour after park closing, however I might not plan on procuring throughout that hour. The shops are chaotic, with visitors speeding to purchase trinkets or cutely-boxed meals for family and friends who didn’t accompany them on the journey. Instead, slowly make your approach out, noting the variations between World Bazaar and Main Street. Look on the home windows, which honor Imagineers, Disney executives, and Oriental Land Company executives.
Some of these items are going to should be lower relying upon how a lot time different issues take, however if you happen to’re in a position to do even half of the issues on this 1-Day Tokyo Disneyland Plan, you’ve got knocked out a very good chunk of the park’s highlights. Regardless, you’ll have a good time if you happen to comply with this itinerary.
Planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? For complete recommendation, the very best place to begin 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 novel have 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 carried out Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo Disneyland? How lengthy did you wait? What was your technique for knocking out this and different headliner rides? What would you embody in your ideally suited go to to Tokyo Disneyland? Does your day or technique differ in any respect from what we’ve shared on this touring plan? If you haven’t visited Tokyo Disneyland but, what do you intend on doing? Any questions? Share your questions and ideas within the feedback!