A Day at DisneySea: Tickets, Attractions and Top Tips

Published on 2023-12-22

The Disney Parks are some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with many booking a trip to a certain country just to visit this family-friendly amusement park.

Back in 1983, Tokyo Disney Resort opened its gates for the first time and made history as the first Disney Park to be located outside of the United States. Tokyo Disney Resort is home to two parks; Disneyland and DisneySea and has been visited by many Tokyoite and tourists.

Many Disney fans wish to go to Tokyo Disney Resort for a very specific reason – to spend the day at DisneySea. This is because there is no other DisneySea park in the world. Having opened back in 2001, this park has a rather unique concept to it, being centered around nautical exploration.

For those choosing between the classic Disneyland park or try out DisneySea, here are some things you may want to take into consideration:

DisneySea is said to be better suited for adults as it has some of the more bigger rides and unique concepts which may not be as appealing to younger children
Only at DisneySea can you meet the original characters of Duffy Bear and his friends

Where to get Tickets

The best way to get tickets is to buy them directly from the official website. You can buy tickets up to two months in advance, with new tickets being released at 2:00 pm each day. Prices vary depending on ticket type, age, the date and are displayed below:

1-Day Passport – can be used for one day from the park’s opening time.

Adult: ¥7,900 – ¥10,900
Junior: ¥6,600 – ¥9,000
Child: ¥4,700 – ¥5,600

Early Evening Passport – can be used from 3:00 pm on weekends and holidays

Adult: ¥6,500 – ¥8,700
Junior: ¥5,300 – ¥7,200
Child: ¥3,800 – ¥4,400

Weeknight Passport – can used from 5:00 pm on weekdays

Adult: ¥4,500 – ¥6,200
Junior: ¥4,500 – ¥6,200
Child: ¥4,500 – ¥6,200

1-Day Passport (for Guests with Disabilities) – for guests who have a disability certificate and accompanying guest

Adult: ¥6,500 – ¥8,700
Junior: ¥5,300 – ¥7,200
Child: ¥3,800 – ¥4,400

Although tickets can usually be bought at the Ticket Booths by the entrance of the park, they are currently closed so the only way to get a ticket is to buy one online. Tickets can be bought on the day, however, it is recommended that you have to buy one beforehand as tickets often get sold out and cost more on the day.

Make sure that you can easily access the special barcode on the ticket to save time when entering the park as well as allow you quick access to premium features on the app.

How to get to DisneySea

To get to Tokyo Disney Resort, you will need to get off at Maihama Station which can be accessed via the Keiyo Line and Musashino Line. From Maihama Station, take the Disney Resort Line, a special train line which stops at major destinations within the Resort. This train not only has a unique design, featuring Mickey shaped windows and handles, but will get to Tokyo DisneySea Station in around 3 minutes.

A single ticket costs ¥260 (ages 12 and over) and ¥130 for children (ages 11 and under). Alternatively, you can just use your Suica or Pasmo card. It is worth mentioning that many people do opt to buy a ticket because of the exclusive Disney designs which come on them.

When to get to DisneySea

For those with a 1-Day Passport and want the best chance of securing spots for the park’s most popular attractions, it is recommended that you get to the park before it opens at 9 am. Since the queues to enter the park can get long fairly quickly, try to get there at least 15 to 20 minutes early.

Before the park opens, there is one thing you need to do: download the official Disney Resort App. This app helps improve your experience at the park, giving you access to live wait times, advanced books, current location and more.

The Seven Themed Lands

There are 7 different themed lands, also known as ‘port-of-call’, to explore – all with their own unique feel and attractions.

The first themed land that you will see as soon as you enter is Mediterranean Harbor. Based off a fictional Italian port city ‘Porto Paradiso’, this section of the park is home to the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line, Soaring: Fantastic Flight, Fortress Explorations and Venetian Gondolas Fortress Explorations “The Leonardo Challenge”.

Mysterious Island is the smallest “port-of-call” and is where you will find the giant volcano, considered the centerpiece of the park. Two of the most popular attractions can be found here; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Based on the characters and aesthetics of the Little Mermaid, Mermaid Lagoon is one of the only themed areas which is mostly indoors. Here, you will find some of the more family-friendly attractions such as Ariel’s Playground, Jumpin’ Jellyfish, Scuttle’s Scooters, Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster, Blowfish Balloon Race, Mermaid Lagoon Theater and The Whirlpool.

Arabian Coast takes inspiration from the film Aladdin, more specifically the world depicted in the song “Arabian Nights”. This themed land has four attractions; Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage, Caravan Carousel, Jasmine’s Flying Carpets and The Magic Lamp Theater.

At the rear of the park is Lost River Delta, a “port-of-call” which is home to the ruins of an ancient pyramid and some of the park’s most thrilling rides Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull and Raging Spirits. The DisneySea Transit Steamer Line which takes guests back to the Mediterranean Harbour is also located here.

At Port Discovery, you will not only find the ‘Marine Life Institute’, which has the Nemo & Friends SeaRider ride, but the retro futuristic-themed attraction, Aquatopia.

The last “port-of-call” is American Waterfront which is split into two themed areas; Old Cape Cod and New York Harbor. It is here that you will find the SS Columbia, a large ship which is often used as a venue for the various shows and one of the park’s most-loved attractions, Tower of Terror. Guests can also easily travel around this area in one of the Big City Vehicles.

In the American Waterfront, you will also find Toyville Trolley Park, an area dedicated to Pixar’s Toy Story. The immensely popular 4-D attraction Toy Story Mania is located here.

Wait Times & Fast Passes

Given that DisneySea is one of the most visited amusement parks in Japan, you won’t be surprised to hear that waiting times can easily go up to 2 hours, on a weekend and holidays. The most popular attractions in the park which include Soaring, Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones and Toy Story Mania, can get long queues in just a matter of minutes.

As soon as you enter the park, you should open the Disney Resort app and try to get a Standby Pass for one of the popular attractions. For those unfamiliar with what this is, a Standby Pass allows you to choose a time to visit an attraction.

Each park ticket also allows you to purchase one Disney Premier Access, which will give you a designated time to visit the attraction. Though it should be noted that after you have gotten your first Disney Premier Access, you cannot get one for another 60 minutes.

If you are willing to pay ¥2,000, you can use Disney Premier Access to secure a place on Soaring: Fantastic Flight or Toy Story Mania.

Seeing the Characters Up Close and in the Parades

One of the main highlights of visiting a Disney Park is that you can meet some of your favorite Disney characters. At DisneySea, you can meet Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck as well as the original characters, Duffy and ShellieMay.

Similar to the attractions, the queues to meet these characters can get long quickly. For some such as Mickey Mouse, you will need to make an Entry Request on the app and confirm a time slot. These do go pretty fast as well, so make sure to do it as early as possible.

If you aren’t too fussed about seeing the main characters, you can also find some other characters like Marie and Rafiki roaming around the park. You do not need to have an Entry Request to meet these characters.

You can also try and see the characters in the parades and shows. During the day, you can watch a number of shows including Jamboree Mickey! Let’s Dance and Big Band Beat: A Special Beat, in addition to the boat parade Let’s Celebrate with Colors. At 8:30 pm each night, guests can enjoy Sky Full of Colors, a magical 5 minute firework display.

Though just like the characters meet and greet, it is best to secure an Entry Request so that you can watch the shows from a designated viewing area.

Disney Dining

There is no shortage of food options at DisneySea. From restaurants to food stands, there is a solid selection of different Disney cuisine to choose from. Some places do require bookings in advance so make sure to look on the app before you stop somewhere to eat. You can even book some of the restaurants up to the day before you visit.

One of the most popular restaurants is the New York Deli, located in the American Waterfront. Here, you can try some classic New York sandwiches as well as special Disney snacks such as Green Alien Mochi.

Many visitors often end up going to one of the many food stands in order to try one of the recommended menu items such as Mickey-shaped Churros, Character Buns or Turkey Legs.

However, the most popular food item available at the park is actually the popcorn. This is because each “port-of-call” has its own unique popcorn flavor as well as an exclusive popcorn bucket which fans like to collect. From matcha popcorn to curry popcorn, there are a bunch of interesting flavors out there to discover and try. Prices range from ¥400 for a normal box to ¥2,000 for the popcorn bucket.

Shopping Disney Merchandise

DisneySea is filled with many shops selling things from household goods, to clothes, to sweets. Like the attractions, some of these shops do require a Standby Pass.

For many visitors, one of the most important things to do is to buy ears or a hat to wear around the park. There are a few different places to buy these including Splendido in Mediterranean Harbour and Discovery Gifts in Port Discovery, just to name a few.

If you do not want to spend a long time wandering around all the shops, these are some of the main ones to visit:

Emporio: has the largest selection of merchandise in the DisneySea park
Aunt Peg’s Village Store: for Duffy merchandise
Figaro’s Clothiers: the Park’s largest clothes shop
Merchant of Venice Confections: selling chocolates, cookies and other sweet treats