My Review of Tokyo Disneyland
Updated: Oct 14, 2021
Tokyo, to this day, is my favorite city in the entire world. Disney parks are also one of my favorite things.... so, you best believe that I was going to go to Tokyo Disneyland during my last visit!
This was my first experience traveling to a Disney park outside of the U.S., and I was exposed quickly to how different it can be in another country! After spending a few days getting acquainted with Japan, we hopped on a train over to the resort.
Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel (Wish)
The Tokyo Disney Resort has quite a few different options of hotels on property; most ranging from a moderate price to luxury. The Celebration hotel was the cheapest option for us, roughly around $300 a night, and was completely worth it! There are two different buildings: The Wish and Discover. We stayed at Wish, which was almost completely themed off of Alice in Wonderland... it was so adorable!!
The room itself was really cute, and fit the three of us perfectly. Standard rooms will have two twin beds and a couch (that is basically the size of a twin bed!) One thing we really loved was the 24 hour convenience store on the first floor of the hotel - After being pooped after coming back from the parks, it was so nice to grab some snacks and relax in our hotel room. They also have different meals to try too! If you're looking for restaurant service, there is the Wish Cafe, which had a nice breakfast buffet.
Tokyo Disneyland Park
The Tokyo Disneyland Park is essentially Japan's Magic Kingdom. In many ways, it is just like the other Magic Kingdom parks. But, however, there are also a LOT of differences which really make this park unique!
You'll find your classic attractions here like Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and so on. But there are quite a few rides at this park that you cannot find anywhere else! For example, Pooh's Hunny Hunt (the Japanese LOVE Winnie the Pooh!) Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek and the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. And even for the rides that are at other parks, the Japanese versions all have their own little bits of uniqueness to it, so I never really felt like I was just in Orlando or Anaheim.
Okay, now let's talk about the food (my favorite part of the Tokyo Disney Resort!) You cannot visit these parks and NOT try all the crazy cool foods that they have. A few must-trys are the alien mochi from Tomorrowland, one of the quirky flavors of popcorn (BBQ, honey, curry, etc...) and the melon bread (which you should totes get in the shape of Mike Wazowski...) This is just to name a few, but this is where this park really stands out.. it's a foodie's paradise for sure!
Another thing I really loved was how everywhere felt much more spacious. The walkways seem bigger than the American parks, plus it is SO clean everywhere! Not to say Orlando and Anaheim aren't, but this is one thing Japan really excels in as a whole. I also really like the fact that Main Street USA is covered by a glass dome-like ceiling (which made for a great escape when it started to rain!
Tokyo DisneySea
I didn't realize how awesome this park was going to be until I got here. If you were just planning to go to the regular Disneyland park, I HIGHLY suggest you squeeze in DisneySea too... It's a unique park and is the only one like its kind in the world. You can think in some ways that it is kind of like Epcot, but only by a little. Each section of the park is themed by different parts of the world. For example, Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront and Arabian Coast... It's truly beautiful here! And bonus points for having a Little Mermaid themed indoor cove!
The ride situation is pretty much the same here: You'll find some classics like Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones, but also some new rides that are exclusive to this park. I was really excited to get to ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (and old Disneyland classic that is no longer in the U.S.)
DisneySea also has some really cool shows that you should check out. If you're a pirate lover, they have a fun pirate show in the central lagoon of the park!
Overall Thoughts
For me personally, it is too difficult to claim one Disney park as my favorite. But I was REALLY impressed with Tokyo Disney and was so glad that we carved in a few days here. If you're from the States like me and grew up with the American parks, you'll be in for a treat with a completely different experience here. It only makes me want to get my butt on a plane to Paris and China to see what other Disney parks around the world have to offer!
