Major Expansion Announced for Tokyo DisneySea

[EmmaUK]

Thanks. From what i can see you can no loner buy fast passes in advance, you have to buy them as one shots whilst in the park via the app?

If that's the case i'll probably make a decision when i'm in Japan and scope out how the queue times look once the new area opens.

Get the App. You get free past passes in there. If you're familiar with the US fast pass / genie system you'll find it easy.

In addition, around 3/4 of the best rides in each park are additional fees (think like Individual Lightning Lane at Disney World). Again, dead easy to do. Just make sure that the app is set up and ready to go.

You can book both as soon as you get into the park. This is part of the advantage of people getting at the Disney Parks so early - it gives a huge leg up on the popular fast pass rides.

 

[Bowser]

Get the App. You get free past passes in there. If you're familiar with the US fast pass / genie system you'll find it easy.

In addition, around 3/4 of the best rides in each park are additional fees (think like Individual Lightning Lane at Disney World). Again, dead easy to do. Just make sure that the app is set up and ready to go.

You can book both as soon as you get into the park. This is part of the advantage of people getting at the Disney Parks so early - it gives a huge leg up on the popular fast pass rides.

I'm not familiar with the US parks. So how does a free fast past system work? Is it a first come first served virtual queue thing you can only access on site?

It's the only time i'll probably ever go to the park so i'm fine to spend money on making it doable, just not sure i can handle 6am start and 3 hour queues in the sweltering heat anymore.

 

[EmmaUK]

I'm not familiar with the US parks. So how does a free fast past system work? Is it a first come first served virtual queue thing you can only access on site?

It's the only time i'll probably ever go to the park so i'm fine to spend money on making it doable, just not sure i can handle 6am start and 3 hour queues in the sweltering heat anymore.

Yeah it’s pretty much like that. You onto the app. I think it’s called priority pass or 40th anniversary pass. Click on which ride you want and then you pick a time. You can then pick another in 2 hours or as soon as you use the fast pass that you just booked, whichever happens first

 

[AidanCKY]

I'm hoping to go to Tokyo again later this year, in December absolutely dreading trying to get into this new area and riding the rides.
Tempting to just pretend they dont exist and enjoy the rest of the park.

 

[Geeky Pastimes]

We got into Fantasy Springs today as part of the soft opening!

We just entered the park as normal then could select a standby ticket for Peter Pan via the app and paid for a fast pass for tangled. Once inside we managed to go to the Lost Boys restaurant and go to the gift shop in the hotel (you had to queue to get a return time for the shop).

I'll spoiler the rest for anyone who wants to go in blind:


The Peter Pan ride wasn't fantastic. It was basically Transformers from Universal but showing the story of Peter Pan. They didn't do a good job of hiding the edges of the screens, but the movement was good!

Tangled was very pretty but insanely short. Closest to Navi River Journey I think.

The Lost Boys restaurant was fantastic, really nice chicken and well worth the money!

We couldn't get any more passes to try Frozen or Tinkerbell. Frozen was down most of the day anyway. Peter Pan was down for the first hour but we were at the gate when it reopened so were first through and didn't have to queue despite having standby tickets. We had the fast pass for Tangled so no queue for that either.


If anyone has any questions I'm happy to try to answer!

 

[cocoa]

does it suck up crowds so i can just reride journey till i get bored?

 

[cookie]

does it suck up crowds so i can just reride journey till i get bored?

Based on the average queue times from this past weekend, probably not enough.

 

[Bowser]

They do love a 3 hour queue in Japan.

 

[Geeky Pastimes]

It definitely didn't feel like many people were in the area at any given time, queues for everything else were still about an hour, with Soaring at 2

 

[Trax]

Maybe it’s because of the official opening date being tomorrow? I do imagine that most guests interested in the expansion will have a trip planned for after it’s opened and just a comparably small amount coming earlier after hearing of a soft opening.

 

[Geeky Pastimes]

Yeah I think we got lucky getting in then, can imagine it'll be manic for the proper opening.

 

[Trax]

Apparently I was completely wrong. As of now (3pm local time), the maximum wait in Fantasy Springs is just 20 minutes.
For comparison: Space mountain at the neighbouring Tokyo Disneyland sits at a comfortable 85 minutes wait right now

If I recall correctly, they only let you in if you have a reservation for a ride - maybe it’s for that reason?

 

[Geeky Pastimes]

Apparently I was completely wrong. As of now (3pm local time), the maximum wait in Fantasy Springs is just 20 minutes.
For comparison: Space mountain at the neighbouring Tokyo Disneyland sits at a comfortable 85 minutes wait right now

If I recall correctly, they only let you in if you have a reservation for a ride - maybe it’s for that reason?

Ans you need a reservation fornthe ride, even for the standby line. I guess they're not giving out many standby passes each day, so the queues won't get long unless there's a lot of downtime

 

[Bowser]

I just saw a POV of the Frozen ride, it looks absolutely mindblowing. I can't believe what they've done. Which leads me to 2 questions:

1. Is there any chance they'll be replicating this in Paris?

2. When i'm there in September do i have any chance of getting on it if i'm going last minute?

 

[0rdinary-her0]

If I remember correctly, there was a layout uncovered and it was an identical copy of the EPCOT and Hong Kong Disneyland versions.

 

[Geeky Pastimes]

I just saw a POV of the Frozen ride, it looks absolutely mindblowing. I can't believe what they've done. Which leads me to 2 questions:

1. Is there any chance they'll be replicating this in Paris?

2. When i'm there in September do i have any chance of getting on it if i'm going last minute?

You definitely have a chance of getting on it, even this week people have been getting in with the general public and there's still been standby passes available, just need to get there early to be near the front of the queue. Or if you're staying at the hotels with the early entry, then you'll be fine!

 

[Bowser]

You definitely have a chance of getting on it, even this week people have been getting in with the general public and there's still been standby passes available, just need to get there early to be near the front of the queue. Or if you're staying at the hotels with the early entry, then you'll be fine!

No i'm in Japan for work and already have Universal scheduled for my day off. Technically i can go on the day i leave as very late flight but seems its also a bank holiday (this is September btw) so it would be more of a spontaneous visit than a long term planned thing.

 

[AidanCKY]

I'm visiting Tokyo Disney Resort later this month, any tips for getting into Fantasy Springs?
How do people rank the rides in case I have to choose 1 or 2 to ride?

 

[Trax]

I'm visiting Tokyo Disney Resort later this month, any tips for getting into Fantasy Springs?
How do people rank the rides in case I have to choose 1 or 2 to ride?

You can get access to Fantasy springs by obtaining a free Standby Pass (that is available on top of the free fast pass they offer) or by paying for Premier access (2000 Yen, about 13$) for any one attraction.
Frozen is usually sold out first, with Rapunzel and Peter Pan following in that order. Keep in mind that there is no paid option for Tinkerbell, you can only ride it with a standby pass.

My ranking:

Frozen
-
Rapunzel
Peter Pan
(I didn’t get the chance to ride Tinkerbell)

Do you stay at a Disney hotel? If yes, make use of your early entry by going to the park 45 minutes to an hour before opening (trust me, you need it). Get all your tickets scanned in the app before entering the park. Once your group is through the gate, immediately grab a standby pass for Frozen, if you’re lucky you’ll get a slot starting between 9 and 9:30.
You might also want to get a Premier Access for one of the other rides at Fantasy Springs as well, as you can only pay for one premier access every hour.

When you’ve done that, you should go to either Soaring or Toy Story Mania; those rides do open before 9 and had easily the longest queues during my recent visit. Then head to Fantasy Springs for your first ride. Immediately after scanning your standby pass at the ride entrance, try to get another one (I think there still has to be an hour between reservations, so watch the clock if this applies to you).
If you are willing to shell out a bit of money, I’d recommend to get Tinkerbell with your second one, if they are still available and pay for the remaining ride with Premier access.