Quirks and Surprises at Disney Tokyo Resort
“Speed. I am Speed.”
If you’re a Disney adult, you already know this quote from Cars. Our 8-month-old doesn’t have the attention span for much TV yet, but he loves any moving vehicle, so the first 10 minutes of Cars is on repeat at our house.
Despite our limited Disney movie repertoire, we were excited to visit Mickey’s Magical Land in the Sunrise Kingdom. We noticed some funny and key differences, including an increase in Donald Duck presence, height limits, and other quirks. I’ll dive into these details, provide some park information on tickets and fast passes, and list the food, rides, and sights you shouldn’t miss.
Donald Duck Reigns Supreme in Tokyo
At first, it was subtle—yellow shoes, blue shirts, and white pants. But Donald Duck is everywhere in Tokyo Disneyland. He greets you when you enter the park and is pictured on banners along Main Street. We joked that Mickey rules California, but Donald has Tokyo wrapped around his fingers. It turns out this is a temporary event: Disney Tokyo is celebrating the legend of Donald Duck. From now through the end of the month, Disneyland in Tokyo is transformed into Donald’s Quacky Duck City. Enjoy the Donald Duck parade and don’t forget to snap a picture with his statue before you leave!
You Could Be Too Tall to Ride
We only encountered this on one ride: the classic Space Mountain. Daniel is 6’2” and easy to spot in the crowds here in Tokyo, making it hard to lose him. However, every worker on Space Mountain noticed him and stopped us to explain that he can only sit in certain rows and needs to cross his legs to fit. They were adamant that we understood these instructions. Daniel can confirm that the seats were tight; if you’re much taller than 6’4”, it might not be the most comfortable ride. It depends on how much you like Space Mountain.
Early Morning Lineup: A Tokyo Disneyland Tradition
Listen, I’m not one to shy away from long wait times, but the people headed for Disneyland Tokyo lined up just to line up. The park opens at 9 am, and the crowds start forming well before 7 am (it helps that our jet-lagged baby wakes up at 4 am). We were not even close to the front of the line! I’m told that this trend started because at Disney Tokyo, you can’t start getting fast passes until you are in the park, so everyone lines up outside the gates to be the first in. There’s also a rumor that they sometimes open a little before 9 am, if you’re lucky, around 8:30 am. However, for us, it opened on time. After standing outside for 2 hours, we ran in to stand in another line for 2 more hours. YAY Disney.
Popcorn is the Churro of Japan
Everyone was shocked when I told them I hadn’t had a Disneyland churro, but in Tokyo, popcorn is the must-try snack. There are popcorn stands all around the park, offering a variety of flavors. Be cautious, though—the line for caramel popcorn was longer than the line for some rides. Most importantly, don’t forget to pick up your souvenir popcorn bucket, available in all shapes and sizes. I wanted the Lightning McQueen bucket, but the Beauty and the Beast one was a close second.
You’ll Need Fast Passes for These Unexpected Rides
The Beauty and the Beast, Big Hero 6, Monsters Inc., and Buzz Lightyear Astro Shooters have longer lines than I expected. In addition, you can anticipate long lines for the traditional popular attractions like Big Thunder, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain. But the parades and shows shocked me the most—we didn’t see any of them because we didn’t get any through the lottery fast pass system and didn’t save our seats for 3 hours. Oh well. I’ll forever remember sitting on top of a trash can behind a kitchen and next to Peter Pan with Daniel, trying to see the top of the parade while Kendrick slept in the stroller next to us.
It’s worth mentioning that some fast passes you have to pay for and some you don’t. We are cheap and chose not to pay for any, opting to stand in line for Beauty and the Beast and skip the parades.
Take Home Advice
Janae’s Must-Dos
- The Beauty and the Beast Ride
- Alien Mochi in Tomorrowland
- Mickey’s Philharmagic
Janae’s Maybe Later List
- All Characters
- Monsters Inc
Daniel’s Must-Dos
- Find some food
- Eat some food
- Repeat
Daniel’s Maybe Later
- Photoshoots in front of the Castle
- Souvenirs
Kendrick’s Must-Dos
- It’s a Small World
- It’s a Small World
- It’s a Small World
Kendrick’s Maybe Later List
- Nap 1
- Nap 2