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Tokyo Disneysea Guide: 11 Tips for the Perfect Experience

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Have Halal Will Travel •  Oct 01, 2015

Tokyo Disneysea - the one and only in the world! As the name suggests, the park has a nautical theme to it and there are 7 uniquely themed areas for you to explore. Disney's attention to detail for every single corner of the park is so meticulous that you'll forget you're in a theme park!

Credit:Disney D23 on Facebook

If your Tokyo vacation is really short and you need to pick one park, we recommend Disneysea (especially if you're not travelling with kids)! But that is if you've been to other Disneyland parks around the world. If you're a Disney fan (like us), there is no dilemma. Just dedicate 2 days of your itinerary to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea! It. Is. So. Worth. It!

Credit: giphy

If you want to have the best of both worlds, why not pay BOTH parks a visit while you're in Japan? Whether you wish to spend a single day at both parks to save time or stretch it out within two days, Klook gives you full access to both, complete with shows and entertainment ? We totally recommend ending your entire Disney experience with a beautiful fireworks display at Disneyland. Trust us, a visit to both will make you the happiest kid alive ?

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1. Check The Park Calendar

Similar to Tokyo Disneyland, avoid visiting Tokyo Disneysea during the weekends and public holidays. Also, visiting the Disney parks during the Golden Week is not a good idea. We braved the crowds on a Saturday once. Never. Doing. It. Again.

Credit: giphy

#HHWT tip: Check the crowd forecast before you decide which day to head down: Tokyo Disneysea Crowd Forecast

Don’t forget to use our promo code TRAVELHHWT to enjoy S$5 off your first booking ?

2. Do NOT Visit Disneysea On The Release Date of Seasonal Merchandise

The locals are crazy about Disney merchandise, especially since there are seasonal merchandise (Christmas, Spring, Halloween, Tanabata Festival, etc.) for the more popular characters! You can also find Duffy, Shellie May and Gelatoni merchandise which cannot be found in Tokyo Disneyland. In fact, Shellie May merchandise can only be found in Tokyo Disneysea and Hong Kong Disneyland while Gelatoni is exclusive to Tokyo Disneysea!

Duffy-Shellie-May-Collection-Tokyo-Disneyland-Tokyo-Disneysea
Yep, Japanese LOVE their Duffy/Shellie May merchandise.

Duffy-and-Shellie-May-Otakus
Yes, we mean LOVE.

We were in Tokyo Disneysea on the day that the Duffy, Shellie May and Gelatoni's Halloween outfits were released. Unfortunately, we only found out when we were there as we realized that the park was extremely crowded and there were long queues outside the gift stores. In fact, we wanted to enter the gift store to browse merchandise but the the wait time was a few hours long!

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Gelatoni, Duffy and Shellie May with their seasonal outfits (from left to right)

The release date of official merchandise is usually written in Japanese so we recommend referring to TDR Explorer for updates!

If you would like to get your hands on the Duffy, Shellie May or Gelatoni merchandise, do note that they are only available at McDuck's Department Store, Aunt Peg's Village Store and Galleria Disney!

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McDuck's Department Store

3. Arrive Before The Park Opens

Nope, not 10 minutes before. Arrive at least 45 minutes beforehand to be one of the first few to snag a Fastpass and queue for the popular attractions.

Queue-Outside-Tokyo-Disneysea
This was the queue when we arrived at the park 1 hour before the park opened.

Another way to make sure you get ahead of the insanely long queues is to buy your Tokyo Disneysea entry tickets on Klook ahead of time! All you have to do is present the voucher at the gates- and you’re free to make a beeline for your favourite ride ?Check the park opening hours here before heading down: Tokyo Disneysea Park Timings

4. Get your Fastpass and Beat the Queues!

Disney parks are notorious for the extremely long queues. Don’t want to spend your entire day waiting in lines? You’ll need to get your Fastpass* for the different rides and in the right order too because fast passes run out.

toy-story-mania

The list of Fastpass attractions in Tokyo Disneysea are as follows:

  • Tower of Terror
  • Toy Story Mania!
  • StormRider
  • Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
  • Raging Spirits
  • The Magic Lamp Theater
  • Mermaid Lagoon Theater - King Triton's Concert
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

#HHWT Fastpass Battle Strategy:

  • The moment the park opens, walk/jog/run as quickly as you can to Toy Story Mania!to collect your first Fastpass. After that, get into the standby queue for Journey to the Center of the Earth.
  • After Journey to the Center of the Earth, head over to to join the stand-by queue for Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull.
  • From our experience, Journey to the Center of the Earth tends to break down quite often earlier in the day, so do check! If it is down for maintenance, we suggest joining the standby queue for Tower of Terror after taking the Toy Story Mania! Fastpass.
  • Your Fastpass will state the time when you can take your next Fastpass so do take note of the time and get ready to grab your next Fastpass then!
  • If you have Wi-Fi, visit the Disney's mobile website to check attraction waiting times. Check out the timings to decide which Fastpass ticket you should get next. Unfortunately, the waiting time is displayed in Japanese. Just click on the button with the clock icon and you'll be able to check the attractions' waiting times.

Tokyo-Disneyland-Attractions-Waiting-Time-Mobile-Site

  • From our past experiences, the Fastpass tickets for Toy Story Mania!, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Raging Spirits, Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull and Tower of Terror run out the fastest so do try to get these Fastpasses as early as you can!

P.S. This is what happens when you do not arrive at Tokyo Disneysea before park opening time. Presenting to you the long queue we had to join to get a Fastpass to Toy Story Mania! As one of the newer attractions in Disneysea, it is one of the most popular! You have been warned...

Tokyo Disneysea Toy Story Mania Crowd

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Toy-Story-Mania-Ride-Tokyo-Disneysea

*The Fastpass is a system that allows you to reduce the waiting time at certain attractions by giving you a specific time to enter the attraction. To get your Fastpass, go to the Fastpass ticketing machines near the entrance of the attraction and scan your Disneysea entrance ticket under the reader. You’ll have to return to the attraction during the time period stated on the Fastpass ticket.

#HHWT tip: If you want a shorter waiting time and don't mind taking the ride alone, we suggest joining the Single Riders queue for Raging Spirits and Indiana Jones!

Psst! Remember you can get $5 off first purchase with Klook when you use the code TRAVELHHWT ?

5. Use the Lottery System to Get Reserved Seats for Big Band Beat

If you enjoy broadway shows, we highly recommend getting reserved seats for Big Band Beat!  You can either queue for the first show or enter the lottery to get reserved seat tickets for the other time slots, which will save you time.

The lottery is held at Biglietteria and you’ll need your park ticket to enter the lottery. Unfortunately, you can only attempt the lottery once.

6. Grab a Spot 30-45 Minutes Before Parades/Shows Starts (and have your meal too)

If you spot people sitting in the middle of nowhere, they’re definitely waiting for a parade/show to start! To save time, what we usually do is to grab a meal while waiting for the parade to begin.

Duffy-Shelly-May-Parade-On-Water-Tokyo-Disneysea

There are always at least 3-5 parades/shows ongoing in Tokyo Disneysea, with one seasonal parade - The Villains World show is the current parade of the season and is ongoing till 1 Nov as it's the Halloween period!

However, if you only have time for one show, we highly recommend Fantasmic!The show takes place when it gets dark on the waters of Mediterranean Harbor, featuring Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Be prepared for a really dramatic show with lasers, lights, fire and huge water screens!

Fantasmic-Tokyo-Disneysea

Fantasmic-Dragon-Tokyo-Disneysea

7. Try the Different Flavored Popcorn

Popcorn is serious business in the Tokyo Disney parks. You won’t believe the variety of flavours available. There’s salted, caramel, milk tea (!!), white chocolate, seasonal flavours and more!

Salted-Popcorn-Tokyo-Disneysea-

What’s even more tempting is to purchase the extremely adorable refillable popcorn buckets. Each popcorn cart features different bucket designs, so check out the different carts to find the bucket you like before you make your purchase! If you're a Duffy fan, you'll be glad to know that there's a limited edition 10th Anniversary Duffy Popcorn bucket in Disneysea this year!

Duffy 10th Anniversary Popcorn Bucket Tokyo Disneysea
One for you and one for Duffy!

Credit: Disney Tourist Blog

With a popcorn bucket, you’ll also be able to try more flavors throughout your day as refilling your popcorn bucket is cheaper than purchasing another bag of popcorn. More reasons to try all the flavours in the park!

This is our popcorn bucket collection from our past trips:

Tokyo Disneyland Mickey Popcorn Bucket Limited Edition

Tokyo Disneyland Marie Popcorn Bucket

Tokyo-Disneyland-Green-Man-Popcorn-Bucket

8. Here's The List Of Seafood/Vegetarian Options In Disneysea

Disclaimer: The eateries featured here may serve pork/alcohol on their menu so we advise that you check with the staff before dining.

Unfortunately, there are no halal-certified food options in Disneysea. We have complied a list of seafood and vegetarian options in the park but do double check with the staff when you're there and dine at your own discretion!

  • Sebastian Calypso Kitchen (Mermaid's Lagoon): Seafood options (seafood pizza)

  • Ristorante Di Canaletto (Mediterranean Harbour): Seafood options (Seafood pizza and pasta). One of our readers shared with us that the bread, caesar salad and tiramisu are fine for consumption! Do note that the kitchen uses alcohol to sanitise their utensils.

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Vegetarian pasta from Ristorante Di Canaletto

Credit: Mr and Mrs Vegan

  • Cafe Portofino (Mediterranean Harbour): Seafood options (seafood pasta)

  • Cape Cod Cook-Off (American Waterfront): Cod Fish burger set

  • New York Deli (American Waterfront): Smoked salmon and shrimp bagel. Our reader informs us that the French fries in this deli uses vegetable oil and the fryer is used exclusively for this purpose, making it safe for consumption!

9. Rent a Pocket Wi-Fi Device Before Arriving In Japan

Just like Tokyo Disneyland, there are NO public Wi-Fi spots in Tokyo Disneysea so if you’re a social media junkie, rent a pocket Wi-Fi device before arriving in Japan! Tokyo Disneysea is so gorgeous that you'll want to remember every detail of the park.

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American Waterfront

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Mermaid Lagoon

We usually rent a pocket Wi-Fi device a month before our trip from Global Advanced Communications which has one of the best prices. Do place your order early because there are limited devices!

Want high quality connection at an amazing price? Simply purchase a pocket WiFi exclusively on Klook to enjoy 4G coverage!

10. Have Halal Bento Delivered Straight To You (Unfortunately, Japan Halal Kitchen is no longer operating :( )

Tuck into authentic bento sets while you're here. And the best part - these HALAL bentos are sent straight to you! Japan Halal Kitchen cooks up a storm with choices like Karaage Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, Grilled Salmon with Prawn, Beef Rendang and even Malaysian Satay ? These yummy bentos are even specially prepared in a halal-certified kitchen!

Fuel up with these bento sets that come with a self-heating function! Simply pull a string attached to the container and after five minutes, your food is ready to be enjoyed. While you can heat them for up to 3 days, we hardly think our grumbling tummy can hold back from chowing down these delicious meals straightaway ?

#HHWT Tip: This function is for selected bentos only, so do check before purchasing each set.

Bring along your bento set as you're exploring the park and have a picnic at the designated picnic area. Explain to the staff your diet plans so they'll understand ☺️ From ¥780-¥1580, you can have the bentos delivered anywhere in Tokyo! While delivery within Tokyo will cost you ¥500, delivery to Disneyland costs ¥1000. We recommend getting your bentos delivered to Tokyo first and then bringing them along with you on your trip to Disneyland.

Credit: Japan jaha bento on Facebook 

Place your orders by dropping Japan Halal Kitchen an email ([email protected]) or a DM on Facebook ?

#HHWT Tip: Quote HHWT when placing your order and enjoy 10% off your total bill! Sign up on our website to enjoy this exclusive deal!

11. Perform Your Prayers In Disneysea

Did you know you can request for a prayer room? The friendly staff at Guest Relations will happily provide you with one so you can perform your prayers in peace. The prayer area varies, so you won't be able to book a room in advance ? Still, taking a moment to recharge anywhere is certainly rewarding.

Credit: Giphy

#HHWT Tip: Do remember to bring your own prayer mat, Qibla compass and garments.

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Are you a Disney fan or planning a trip to Tokyo Disneysea soon? Let us know if our guide has helped you to conquer Tokyo Disneysea like a pro! Pass on the Disney love and share this with all your friends and family members ?

P.S. Looking for greater savings on your Tokyo holiday? Get your Tokyo Subway Ticket from Klook for unlimited rides all Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines NOW!