After the last visit to Disneyland & Disney Sea, we went back to Tokyo less than six months later before a work trip. This time, we just spent one day in Disneyland. We chose Disneyland over Disney Sea because there were more rides in Disneyland for our 2Y3M daughter and it was easier to navigate.

Getting to the park

This time, we left the hotel in Asakusa later at about 7:20 AM, got in the line around 8:25 AM, then into the park about half an hour later. The official opening time was 9 AM, so the wait time in the Disney Resort app wasn’t available until then. The crowd felt about the same as last December, with significantly more international visitors.

📝 From July 26 2023 (after our visit), Tokyo Disney started offering a 40-year anniversary Priority Pass for free for select rides that are available 120 minutes after the last one.

First encounter with a Disney character

We decided to go on a less popular ride, Snow White, as our first ride (too scary for our toddler). Then we went to meet a character, Donald Duck, as requested by our daughter. Mickey and Minnie had a much longer wait throughout the day, 50 minutes on average. Donald Duck was in the same place as Daisy at their campsite with two separate lines side by side, the line for Daisy felt a bit shorter (hopefully not because of gender bias). The official wait time was 35 minutes, but it was actually shorter about 20 minutes. We liked the experience, the character was very friendly and playful with my husband and our daughter while I tried taking photos on the side. The staff had my husband’s iPhone and took many precious live photos.

Lunch at Hungry Bear Restaurant

Our original plan was to have soup noodles. However, the line was long at 11 AM probably due to some exclusive souvenir at the restaurant. We decided to check out the Japanese curry restaurant Hungry Bear sponsored by the Japanese House curry brand. The interior was very cozy, and we sat by a window with a view of a self-playing piano. It was a perfect spot to people-watch and also enjoy the music a few tables away. The curry rice was tasty, I kept wondering how they made the Mickey-shaped hard-boiled egg.

Rides/attractions

We had a full day going to the following rides with our daughter in order: Snow White’s Adventures, (meeting Donald Duck), Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, (after nap) Alice’s Tea Party, Carousel, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Small World, Beauty and the Beast (DPA), and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey.

Minnie’s house in Toontown

Last time, we didn’t spend much time exploring Toontown other than going to the Roger Rabbit ride. After going on a few rides in the afternoon, we went to a few houses in Toontown and Minnie’s house was our favorite. The house wasn’t big, but it was fun walking through her garden and into the house with many household items that intrigued our toddler. The kitchen was the most interesting, where a few appliances could turn into action after some trigger.

Beauty and the Beast, once again

We thought about getting DPA for either the Happy Ride with Baymax or the Beauty and the Beast that we already did last time, and decided to still go for the latter because we loved this ride a lot. Even though it wasn’t new to us, the immersive experience with some of my favorite songs always amazed me in every part of the ride.

Snacks around the park

We got 3 different snacks this time – the green alien mochi, a Mickey-shaped ice cream sandwich, and Tipo Torta (orange chocolate flavor) toward the end. The alien mochi was my favorite, it was very cute and came in three flavors (chocolate, strawberry, custard) that weren’t easy to distinguish. The orange chocolate Tipo Torta was also very heartwarming in the evening when it got a bit chilly.

Cinderella’s castle

The castle might seem decorative, but it actually housed Cinderella with a nice view of the park. We went up as our last stop of the day and took the elevator with minimal wait. The floor wasn’t that big, but it was also not very crowded to our liking. We walked through a few artworks of Cinderella and found her glass shoe. In the end, we climbed down the stairs and took in the beautiful night view.

Dinner at Saizariya

Same as last year, we enjoyed our feast at Saizariya below the Maihama JR station after leaving the park and before heading back to the hotel. We didn’t have to wait this time at 7:40 PM and changed the diaper and pants at the accessible restroom. We got three entrees sad a few sides to share with our toddler, and had a perfect ending to Disney Day.

Differences from the 2022 December visit

• We visited Disney the day after arriving in Tokyo, compared to toward the end of the trip last time. Our daughter seemed more patient near the end of the day, it might be a good idea to plan Disney days in the first few days of the trip
• This time, we didn’t win any lottery for the shows and activities. Arriving earlier might make a difference.

Wrap

Disney was such a happy place with surprises and fun activities throughout the park. Even with the long waits for the popular rides and activities, it was worth seeing our daughter’s excitement and smiles throughout the day. We’re sure to be back to experience the magic and stories once again.