Picture It with Priscila

How to Have a “Perfect” Day at Tokyo DisneySea

My last time at Tokyo Disney taught me that flexibility was really important. I’m not as familiar as I am with the domestic US parks so I definitely struggled at times even when I was just prioritizing my must do’s. However, things did work out with that approach. Therefore, I think the best way to have a “perfect” day is to prioritize the must do’s and then build the rest of the day around those. 

I wrote this article around some basic logistics and then my favorites or the most unique things in the main categories of attractions, shows, characters, and foods. This will all be based on what I’ve personally experienced or what I researched about so you have a “buffet” menu to help start building YOUR perfect day while allowing space for your own exploration. NOTE: This won’t be the most comprehensive list, but I have been a few times now and definitely did a lot of research so might as well spread the knowledge! 🙂

General Definitions

  • Disney Premier Access (DPA) – This is the Tokyo Disney equivalent of a FastPass, Genie+, or Express Pass (~$10-20 per person) that works per attraction or show.
  • 40th Anniversary Priority Pass – This is the free version of the DPA for attractions only.
  • Standby Pass – This is the Tokyo Disney equivalent of a free virtual queue. You virtually wait until you’re called again to wait in person. This is only applicable to Fantasy Springs attractions, some merchandise, and a few character meet and greets. 
  • Show Lottery – Unlike the US domestic parks, show seats are allocated through a lottery system since they provide assigned seating. You can only enter for one show time per show once each day. However, the nighttime show is not a part of this lottery system.

Attractions

  • Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey – The best ride at Tokyo DisneySea and a must do! It’s a retelling of Frozen but with the latest special effects, elaborate set pieces, and a creative spin on the standard boat ride. 
  • Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure – This is not your typical Peter Pan attraction. This version combines real sets with 3D screens and is about an adventure in Never Land with Peter Pan, the Darling children, and the Lost Boys. For anyone with motion sickness, this may get a bit uncomfortable towards the end as the ride is about 5 minutes long. 
  • Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies – If you’re a fan of the Tinker Bell movies, this attraction will be the cutest! You get to help Tinker Bell give Cheese a day off from deliveries and travel to all the seasons in Pixie Hollow. 
  • Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival – While beautiful, this ride is too short and not worth a long wait. I honestly would not wait more than 30 minutes or spend a DPA on it unless there’s a really huge Tangled fan in your party. 
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth – This is definitely a unique ride to Tokyo DisneySea and a must do. I believe it follows the Jules Verne book. The ride is mostly a dark ride with a mild thrill at the end. 
  • Aquatopia – This one is most similar to Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters at Disneyland in terms of the ride experience. However, unlike Luigi’s, you’re on water! Honestly, this one is more fun than it looks and a do if the line isn’t longer than 30-40 minutes. 
  • Sindbad’s Storybook Journey – Another unique ride to Tokyo DisneySea and a must do in my opinion! It is a long boat ride that’s great for a rest although the set pieces in this ride are also really impressive. AND, there is a very cute tiger named Chandu. 
  • Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull – This version is very similar to the one at Disneyland aside from a few story tweaks. However, I felt that it had a better upkeep which added to the overall ride feel. This is a great use for the 40th Anniversary Priority Pass.
  • Raging Spirits – This is a short medium/high intensity roller coaster. There’s not a strong story in the actual ride so this is a more second tier attraction for me. 
  • Tower of Terror – Although the fanciest, most themed version in all the parks, I thought this ride version was the most boring if you’re a thrill seeker. It felt shorter, and you’re so strapped in, you don’t get to experience the funny tummy feeling from a drop ride. 
  • The Magic Lamp Theater – Definitely unique, but this attraction had the most Japanese in it. While you can still understand the gist of what is going on, I do think you miss out on certain jokes which I think adds quite a bit to the experience. 
  • Jasmine’s Flying Carpets – A cousin to the classic Dumbo. Not a must do, but an option if other things are busy! 
  • Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster – A small coaster perfect for a kid’s first roller coaster. Not a must do, but fun if there’s no line. 

Shows

  • Big Band Beat: A Special Treat – Go for the choreography and costumes alone! The theme is Old Hollywood and it truly embodies that. 
  • Believe! Sea of Dreams – Classic nighttime extravaganza! This was like a water parade with essences of World of Color, fireworks, the storytelling of Fantasmic, and a delightful soundtrack to boot. There is a DPA option, but I don’t quite recommend it. It is just a designated section without any assigned spots. Therefore, the first come first serve element still applies. If crowds are not too heavy, I think it is still possible to get a decent spot if you plan early enough. 

Foods

  • Gyoza Sausage Bun – This lives up to the hype of being a solid savory snack choice! The flavor is a standard pork and cabbage Chinese bao but well done – the bun is soft and there is a good ratio of filling to bao.
  • Fried Chicken – A whole chicken leg/thigh was a very popular snack in Tokyo Disney with it being cooked in a couple of ways (fried, smoked) and in a few flavors (teriyaki, spicy, etc.) all scattered around the parks. My favorite version was a plain fried chicken leg/thigh with a Coke from the vending machine. Fried chicken in Japan is elite!
  • Pop n’ Shrimp – This was surprisingly good. There was a good amount of shrimp in a serving, and the coating was hot, crispy, and not too thick. We also had the Seafood Calzone – this was less exciting, but pretty good if you want another item to make your meal a bit heartier. 
  • Mickey Churro – This one was more for the photo, but how classic is a Mickey-shaped churro? It was also a delicious classic churro so what’s not to like about that?
Fried Chicken – all my other food photos were pretty bad!

Characters

It was very rainy when I was last there so I didn’t see too many characters roaming around. However, from videos, that seems to be more of the regular scenario than actual “set times” of character meet and greets. Character meet and greets tend to be a circle formed around the character and they will choose people to interact with rather than getting into a queue. I’ve also heard there are character Standby Passes but I’m not sure which characters! 

Final Thoughts

I hope this post was helpful for planning your DisneySea day. Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!

 

How to Spend 3 Days in NYC

I’ve been lucky to go to NYC twice now, and it’s definitely one of my favorite places on Earth (aside from the rats – I can live without them). There’s so many things to do and when you mix in seasonal offerings and limited time exhibits, it’s definitely a place you can come back to over and over again whether it be revisiting old favorites or trying new things.

Why Go?

I think NYC is a must for any city lover. It has food from almost any cuisine, world class museums, historical monuments, and a multitude of nighttime entertainment. It’s also ever changing and is host to more than a few, very famous global events (think Met Gala, Fashion Week, New Year’s Eve in Time Square).

Where to Stay?

My visits have been mostly focused in Manhattan so I definitely recommend Manhattan for this itinerary. Within Manhattan, I think if you’re staying close to a subway stop, you’d have convenient access to the places on this itinerary. I personally stayed near Hudson Yards, but a place near Times Square, Central Park, or Madison Square Park would also put you in a good location.

How to Get Around?

Luckily, NYC is a fairly easy city to navigate. Not only is it walkable but there’s an easy public transportation system. I have to admit I’ve only used the subway lines but there’s always a stop near the major, popular sites. Recently, when I went in May 2024, you can use your credit card as your metro card so you can take advantage of the weekly max amount. Last but not least, there’s also Uber/Lyft. 

Day 1

The first day is a typical city tourism day. I would start off at Central Park. The Park is actually much, much larger than a typical park with numerous walking paths, beautiful gardens, big sport fields, and even a lake for rowing. You can easily spend an hour, a half day, or even a whole day there. Luckily, since it’s a park in the middle of the city, you have easy access to restaurants and even museums if you want to take a breather from the green space! I personally would spend the morning at the Park, have lunch, and then head over to a nearby museum for the afternoon. 

For a museum, I personally would choose the Met. I have yet to go but it’s so iconic not only because of the Gala but because of the art pieces as well. Other options are the Guggenheim Museum or the American Museum of Natural History. If museums are not your thing, there’s also the Central Park Zoo!

After dinner, I would start the night with a Broadway show. There’s always so many shows to choose from. If you’re going with a bigger group or seeing a popular show, I would definitely book tickets ahead of time. However, if you’re willing to be flexible, I had some good luck getting great deals on last minute tickets at the box office day of or even a few minutes before. After the show, I would head over to Times Square as I think everyone should experience the bustle and the lights of Times Square at least once in their life. There’s also a fantastic Disney Store right in the middle where I had once picked up New York exclusive pins!

Day 2

The second day is all about New York specific tourism sites! I would start off at the 9/11 Museum. There are early morning tours if you want a more quiet experience as it is very popular and can get crowded fairly easily. The museum is very somber so be prepared but it’s also very informative especially to what it was like and what was going on in the city during the attack. I remember where I was during 9/11 but it was educational to see it from a different time/place as California is 3 hours behind. 

After the museum, I would definitely allow for some time to recover. One of my friends was slightly depressed after coming out and that isn’t the best feeling to go exploring with. We got lucky that day that Smorgasburg was outside so we had lunch there from a few booths, but on your way to the second activity, you’ll be walking through the Financial District if you want to research ahead for where you want to have a bite to eat! A couple notable stops in the Financial District include the Charging Bull and Trinity Church (the Cemetery is where Alexander Hamilton and his wife, Elizabeth, are buried).

The second activity for the day is the Statue of Liberty. I haven’t actually been since the last time I went, it was a bit cold already and it would be even colder riding the boat. However, it is on my list of things to do the next time I go back! We just took a sneak peek from Battery Park through the fence. However, as I was linking the website, it looks like reservations are highly recommended especially if you want to visit the Crown or the Pedestal. Note: The best part of the park is the Seaglass Carousel! You sit in colorful opaque fish that rotate around and up and down. It’s $6 (as of Oct 2024) and the ride is actually fairly long. But the best thing is that it’s just such a simple, joyous thing to do especially as the sun hits in and the colors reflect all around you! 

To close out the second day, there are awesome bars to check out. Or, if you’re not feeling up for that kind of adventure, there are plenty of dessert shops, ice cream parlors, or cookie establishments that have late hours! 

Day 3

The third day is going to be filled with my other favorite activities that I’ve done in New York along with a couple of things I still want to do! Feel free to mix and match what sounds interesting to you! 

The first is the New York Library. I love libraries in general, but the New York Library is massive and has a Winnie the Pooh display in the children’s section! It’s honestly delightful to walk around and see some of the different research rooms. There’s also tours and a visitor center for information. Note: Plan to spend a couple hours. When I went, an hour was not enough! The library is also located on 5th Ave so it’ll be a fun stroll afterward looking at all the luxury brand storefronts. 

Another option is the Morgan Library and Museum. We went on a free night which was on a Friday. The “museum” portions that comprise his private collections are a bit random… rich people sure do collect odd things. But the library itself is very beautiful and the rest of the building houses other exhibits that were quite interesting. For instance, we got to see an exhibit on Beatrice Potter and learn about her life and how she got into illustration and writing. The free time is limited but I think it was a nice sample of the place and we got to see everything we wanted to see.

My last recommendation on things I’ve done is the High Line. It’s a nice nature walk in the concrete jungle that’s not Central Park. There’s also art pieces randomly along the path with benches to sit down on to chat with friends or to admire nature. 

Now for things that I have not done but want to! The first is the Empire State Building. While I know a lot of people go for the view from the top, I personally want to know more about the history of the building and send a postcard from there since it literally has its own zip code! The second one is Grand Central Station. In addition to being a pop culture filming location, it’s known for beautiful architecture, shopping, and food. My personal goal is to try the oyster pan roast at the Oyster Bar!

Final Thoughts 

As you can see, it is so easy to pack a full 3 days or more! It’s one of the few places on Earth that I would happily go back to because there is genuinely always something going on, something to eat, or something to see!

Getting into Fantasy Springs on a Budget

Going to Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea before March 31, 2025 and wondering what it’s like to not book a vacation package but still wanting to see Fantasy Springs? Let me share how I did it and how to manage expectations! 

First, some basics! You will need either a 1-Day Passport: Fantasy Springs Magic, a Disney Premier Access (DPA), or a Standby to access Fantasy Springs. Now, how do you get any of these 3 things? For the 1-Day Passport: Fantasy Springs Magic, you can only purchase it as a part of an eligible vacation package. This means that you’re tied to paying a higher cost as a vacation package includes a hotel night, tickets for 2 days (DisneySea and Disneyland), unlimited drinks, other Premier accesses, and souvenirs. It’s definitely a more stress-free experience but if you were to purchase all the components separately, you are paying a convenience fee (~$100-200 per person per day) and would make your overall trip more expensive. For the DPA, that is the Tokyo Disney equivalent of a FastPass, Genie+, or Express Pass (~$10-20 per person). Lastly, Standby is a free option where you are guaranteed a time to queue for the attraction. The key to getting as many DPA and Standby options is to be the first ones in. The earlier you book your first one, the earlier you can book your second one and so forth. This explains the long morning queues you might have heard about that are so popular at the Tokyo Disney Resort. 

An option to bypass the long morning queues is to stay at either the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel or Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta for Early Entry access into Tokyo DisneySea. This should also be the cheaper option compared to the vacation package as long as you’re able to book a standard room opposed to a suite. Unfortunately, these hotel reservations can be quite difficult to snag. 

However, if you do not want to spend your coins on a vacation package and were unlucky enough to not get a room at either the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel or Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta (like me), there is still hope! Here are some of my tips from my 2 day experience. My goal was to ride every Fantasy Springs attraction (Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies) at least once. 

  1. Try to go on a weekday, if possible. I read that Fridays were better than Mondays so we opted for a Wednesday and Friday. It still seemed busy, but I think it definitely could have been worse.
  2. You have to queue early. I know. It sucks, but it’s so true. The first day, we got there at 8A, and we only had Peter Pan for a DPA option and Rapunzel or Tinker Bell for a Standby option. The second time, we got there at 7A, and we were able to snag Frozen as a DPA option (with only 1 time slot left) and Peter Pan, Rapunzel, or Tinker Bell for a Standby option. If you do have Early Entry, make sure you get there by 8:30. They typically allow day Guests in at 8:45 so make sure you don’t miss out on that perk! 
  3. In my experience, weather does not seem to be a factor. Tickets are nonrefundable so I think people still show up. It was raining 2 out of the 3 days we were there, and it did not stop people from queuing early at all. 
  4. Don’t be afraid to call out people who are trying to squeeze their way through! There are going to be a LOT of people, and some people get creative. We called out 3 groups of people who just squeezed their way to the front because no one else did. You might have to give up some personal space to own your space, but don’t be afraid to do it. 
  5. Be prepared for 2 sets of queues. The first is to get through a preliminary security screening. Then, you either keep going or you have to get your bag inspected before going through a metal detector. After that, you get in line again to get your tickets scanned. 
  6. Don’t stop after getting scanned in to book your DPA or Standby! The signal is slower in the front of the park since everyone is also there. I started the process while walking briskly into the park and definitely noticed my Internet working a lot faster the further I got inside.
  7. Make sure you have international data. Tokyo DisneySea doesn’t have free WiFi and you’ll definitely need reliable internet to book those DPAs and Standbys.

My experience was definitely stressful, but I did manage to achieve my goal, and I definitely think it was worth it to do it at least once. I think next time I’d try more intentionally to book either the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Spring Hotel or Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta just because some extra sleep would have been nice! 

However, I wanted to share my experience because I did wish I knew what it was like as a “regular” person. On one hand, a vacation package is incredibly stress free. On the other hand, if you wanted to save those coins for snacks rather than a souvenir popcorn bucket or an extra Show DPA instead of unlimited drinks, I don’t think a vacation package is really the right choice for everyone. AND it doesn’t mean that Fantasy Springs is out of reach. You might just have to work a little harder for it. 

Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer! And who knows, everything is changing in a few months so this might just be fun throwback read for me one day!