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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!

Best Bites of the Big Apple

I had the chance to spend a week in New York (Manhattan) earlier this year in spring. Thanks to my amazing friends who hosted me, here are my top 10 eats amongst a lot of other good bites. Let me preface by sharing that I definitely have a sweet tooth so there are definitely some places that are solely for desserts. But I think they’re definitely worth a visit too! 

  1. Patiala Indian Grill – This was definitely my favorite meal of the trip! We got a tandoori mix grill, lamb biryani, shrimp saag, and naan. But honestly, I think anything would be delicious here which is crazy because the menu has so many options! Everything was super flavorful (as in spicy with spices and not just spicy heat) and I kept eating even after I was full. It was just so good! If I lived in NY, I would want to come here once a week just to try something new each time. The level of quality and flavor was comparable to the food I got to eat in the UK during my year abroad so if you know, you know!
  2. Glace – I was slightly doubtful, but this hot chocolate lives up to the viral hype. The hot chocolate is chocolate-ly enough (not too watery and not too viscous), the “whipped cream” is a creamy froth of creme anglaise (maybe? hard to describe but it’s so good!), and the ring of marshmallow is a perfect meringue. The whole thing is the definition of an elevated hot chocolate and is so worth the $10 price tag! Note: If you’re there in time for the frozen hot chocolate, I think it’s even better than the hot!
  3. Russ and Daughters – A classic for good reasons! This place was so good I went back twice in one week and got the same thing – a classic bagel and lox with scallion cream cheese. The everything bagel had a nice chew and was flavorful. The proportions of salmon and cream cheese were also perfect. You know how sometimes there can be too much of one thing and the balance is off? Not here! We also tried an egg cream, chocolate babka, cabbage salad, and potato salad the second time we came back! I definitely think the savory items (salads) are better than the sweets of all the ones we tried, but there’s so many choices in general so maybe I just didn’t get the right sweets. And by choices, I mean that the place has dried fruits, nuts, caviar, roe, soups, smoked fish, and also herring! Note: The place is definitely popular so expect a 20-30 minute wait or you can order ahead online about an hour before! There’s also a few locations so make sure to do a little research!
  4. Sarge’s – Another classic! Why do all the classics have so many options? We stuck to the most popular items and got matzo ball soup, blintzes, potato salad, cole slaw, sauerkraut, pastrami sandwich, and cheesecake. Honestly, everything was delicious and the service was warm as well. Note: They are also on GoldBelly if you can’t get to NY for some world-class pastrami!
  5. S’MAC – This was my solo adventure night and small confession, I centered it around this place just because of the photos. And now that I’ve been, it really is as good as it looks! The bubbling cheese, the cheese pull, and the actual cheesiness of the dish were sublime. They have a variety option (medium size pan) but it’s probably best for sharing as even the small option (that I got) was definitely enough for one person!
  6. Pio Pio 8 – What a way to start a Monday! There’s not a lot of Peruvian options in SoCal, so I was so very excited when my friends suggested this as it is one of their favorites. Must gets are Juanita’s Chicken (tender, juicy rotisserie chicken), Camarones Cuzco (shrimps in this creamy, garlicy, pepper sauce), and Chicha Morada (Peruvian spiced corn drink).
  7. Chip City  – This was a sleeper hit for me. I had never heard of it before but it was my friend’s recommendation of another cookie shop besides Levain. Chip City makes cookies the way I love cookies – warm, gooey, and decadent. Perfect for those late night cookie cravings if you’re like me. Did you know they also have ice cream?!?! And a weekly menu so the flavors are constantly changing? Note: There are multiple locations outside of New York so it was a little lower on the list. Unfortunately, those do not include SoCal (mostly East Coast).
  8. Urban Hawker – This was the food hall we visited after our Broadway show but note that most places were closed by then (a little before 9). Since most places were closed, we only got to try a couple things so I would love to go back! The vibe was great, and there were quite a bit of options for Malaysian/Singaporean street food which I don’t think is very common, at least in SoCal.
  9. Red Rooster Harlem – A great Southern food option if you’re craving it! The decor is delightful and homey and if you’re lucky, there’s live music which always just provides the best vibes! We got crab cake, fried chicken, mac and cheese with lobster, shrimp and grits, and collard greens. For drinks, we got a pitcher of Garvey’s Punch – definitely the way to go! I think we got at least 6 glasses out of the pitcher! It had a punch (pun not intended) but was easy to drink, just sweet enough, and complimented the food well. All the food was really solid and was a nice reminder of all the Southern food I had when I lived in Texas and traveled around in the south. The dessert was fine but not as good as the savory items.
  10. Shanghai Time – There’s nothing that quite hits the same as pizza and dumplings after a day of flying! Although I don’t think it’s a must eat, it’s a solid option if you’re in the area and are craving soup dumplings or wontons.

Runner ups include cookies from Levain, patatas bravas from Mercado Little Spain, snack cakes (fancy “Twinkies”) from Empire Cake, chocolate babka from Kossar’s, snow sundaes from Sweet Laboratory by Hanamizuki, and the banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery. 

Overall, New York City is such an amazing hub for foodies and I don’t think I ever had a bad bite. Not to say that’s not possible (as I had great local tour guides), but I also think there are other great places yet to be discovered. Hopefully, this list provides a helpful start!

Best of Pixar Fest 2024

Pixar Fest is back at Disneyland (for another month), and I don’t think I every truly participated aside from watching the original parade a long time ago. However, I was so excited to get to experience all the fun things that were announced. Below are my rankings of my favorite to least favorite festival offerings!

#1 Pixar Pals Playtime Party – I honestly thought this was a hoot-and-a-half. Not only does Troubadour Tavern serve us some spectacular seasonal treats. I personally had the Adventure is Out There! Cold Brew and the Una Papa Loca! which were both delicious. There’s also either a dance party happening, Pixar shorts playing, or characters meeting Guests so there’s entertainment while you eat! The only con is that it ends early (around 6P every night). 

#2 Food – There’s lots of fun Pixar Fest treats all around the Disneyland Resort – the Disney Parks Blog came out with a great and detailed Foodie Guide. This year, festival booths were added, and they are very cute and well themed. Although I only got a chance to try a handful of treats, my favorite was definitely the Gusteau Macaron. Any else got a sweet tooth?

#3 Fireworks – Coming in third is the Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular. Be sure to check if fireworks are planned or you might only get the projection show! The show is great and they definitely added a few new scenes to include the newer Pixar films, but unfortunately, it’s just not my favorite Disney fireworks. I don’t get as much nostalgia when I watch it, but it’s definitely a celebration of the Pixar films and characters.

#4 Parade – Lastly, since Club Pixar closed down, my least favorite offering was Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!. I know, I know, I feel like it’s a favorite for a lot of people, but I honestly prefer the Magic Happens parade. I just think the music, choreography, and float designs are better. However, Better Together definitely embraces the Pixar theme and the new floats were cool to see at least once. If you’re planning to go, the first parade goes from Hollywood Land (Guardians) to Paradise Gardens Park (Silly Symphony Swings) and the second parade goes in the opposite direction. Just a helpful hint to know since it can take 10-15 minutes after the parade time starts for the floats to start reaching the ending land.