How to visit Tokyo Disney Resort & Universal Studios Japan

July 19, 2024

How to visit Tokyo Disney Resort & Universal Studios Japan
Last Updated:
17-07-2024
Prices quotes are for guide purpose only. For an accurate price, request a quote today

Let’s take an adventure to Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan. Unlike in Orlando where the thrills and magic of Disney and Universal can be found on each others doorsteps, Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan are at the complete opposite ends of the Japanese island.

Tokyo Disney Resort is located just outside Tokyo in Urayasu (Tokyo Bay) and has two separate parks: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. These two Disney destinations are Japan’s most visited theme parks and drawing in millions of visitors every year.

Tokyo Disneyland is your classic Disney style park, with Cinderella Castle at its hub, 6 immersive lands including their version of Main Street USA called World Bazaar (under cover for those rainy days) and hosts many beloved attractions like Space Mountain (currently being reimagined), Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s A Small World, alongside unique to Tokyo’s Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast and Happy Ride with Baymax.

Tokyo DisneySea is a destination unlike any other in the world and features nautical themes inspired by stories from the sea in its many ‘ports’. Tower of Terror in this park has a completely different storyline to its counterparts for example, going with a more mystical adventure rather than the traditional twilight zone styling.

Tokyo DisneySea also offer the newest and most advanced expansion of any Disney resort, the first ever ‘Fantasy Springs’ port which in itself featuring three lands dedicated to the movies of Tangled, Frozen and Peter Pan, each with never before experienced rides.

Universal Studios Japan is located just outside Osaka, some 340 miles (544km) away from the Disney resort, and was the first Universal to open outside of the US. The park has a familiar feel about it, combining beloved attractions from both Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jaws and Waterworld.

Universal Studios Japan opened the first ever Super Nintendo World in 2021 featuring state-of-the-art augmented reality ride technology to bring a whole new dimension of thrills to its park visitors. This is definitely an ever-evolving park with new lands on the way like Donkey Kong Country and a rumoured Pokémon coaster.

The park holds a number of seasonal parades like the Universal Summer Parade – We Are One, Minion Hacha-Mecha Christmas Party parade, and the nighttime Universal Spectacle Night Parade. The park also hosts a day time parade called No Limit” which features many of the parks character inhabitants from Hello Kitty and Pokémon to Sesame Street, Sing and Mario Kart.

Exploring the different areas of the park is fairly straightforward. However, accessing the Wizarding World or the new Super Nintendo World can be tricky on busy days as they have limited capacity. To guarantee access to all areas, you can purchase a Universal Express Pass ahead of arrival as part of your package.

Located outside Universal Studios Japan, is the huge American-style dining and shopping complex called City Walk,  filled with American chain restaurants and a few local, Japanese dining options as well.


So between Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan there is a lot of magic and thrills to be discovered and our guide itinerary below is designed to give you an idea on a travel plan and how much this type of adventure could cost you.

Our Idea Itinerary

First things first, this is just an idea of itinerary to visit both Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan. Every aspect can be changed, amended, added to and explored in a million different ways to fit with your desired dream holiday and budget.

This holiday package includes flights from the UK (London Heathrow), however we can always package with flights from anywhere in the world in your own currency. All you have to do is request a quote.

The price quoted is based on live pricing, so is subject to change at any time. It’s simply designed to give you an idea of what the costs could be. Your package may cost more or less depending on what you want included.

We would also mention that booking an adventure to both Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan can only done 11-months out from your preferred departure date since most of the flights, hotels, tickets etc that you will require will not be on sale before then.

We never quote for holiday elements that are not physically bookable or offer quotes based on a best guesses. No company should be booking you a holiday they can not guarantee would take place.

It’s also worth noting that the Disney hotels in Asia are currently only available to book 3-4 months out from an arrival date, and generally for a maximum of 5 nights only, but there are a lot of excellent off site hotels at both Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan which are of really good value in comparison and only steps away from the parks. These off site alternatives are what we have based the itinerary below on and can offer a way to discover the magic & thrills found in Asia while keeping the overall costs down.

There are other extra items we haven’t included costs for as these are subject to the individual such as possible visa costs, depending on the country you hold a passport for. Food & Drinks costs are also not included, and other general expenses such as buying merchandise and add on sightseeing options are also not included.

Idea Itinerary Costs
Total £12,276
£3,069pp
  • Based on 2 Adults - 2 Children (3-11yrs)
  • 6th - 16th December 2024
  • GoZero Deposit
  • Balance Due: 1st October 2024
Tokyo Disney Resort
First Leg of the Adventure

Departure Day
London Heathrow – Haneda International 
Japan Airlines – Economy – Flight Time 13 hr(s) and 30 min(s)

While economy can be the cheaper travel option, you may want to upgrade to premium economy for your outbound and return journeys. These are very long flights and that little extra leg room and more comfortable seating is a blessing (trust me, it’s worth the extra expense). Plus with premium economy you generally get access to an airport lounge for a little pre-flight champagne (or soft drink if you prefer)

With this flight you will be taking off one day and landing the following day due to crossing international date lines.

Transfers: Private Car Airport To Hotel Included

Day 1

7 Nights | Hilton Tokyo Bay | 4 Star
Room:
Happy Magic Family Room with Breakfast

Situated on the eastern shore of Tokyo Bay, Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel is the official hotel of Tokyo Disney Resort. Offering spacious rooms with ocean or Disney Resort views and features 5 restaurants, plus an indoor and outdoor pool. Bayside Monorail Station on the Disney Resort Line is just a 5-minute walk or 1-minute shuttle ride away, and goes directly to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea as well as Tokyo Disney Resort versions of Disney Springs called ‘Ikspiari’.

Disney Hotel Upgrade: You may want to consider upgrading to either the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel, Tokyo DisneySea MiraCosta, Tokyo Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo Celebration Hotel, and the Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel when they go on sale. Generally this is from around 3 month out from arrival.

Day 2 – Day 7

Tokyo Disneyland & Tokyo DisneySea
Inc. 1 day park entry ticket per person

Tokyo Disney Resort does not operate a park hoping option so our recommendation would be 3x Tokyo Disneyland park days, and 3x Tokyo DisneySea park days. These are two very large parks and there is a lot to see and do.

Day 8

Transfers: Private Car Hotel to Train Station Included

Travel to Osaka 
Tokyo Central Train Station – Universal City Walk Osaka
Shinkansen Bullet Train – Green Car  – Flight Time 2 hr(s) and 22 min(s)

Train leaves at 6:00am, arriving at Shin Osaka at 08:22am. From Shin Osaka you’ll take the local line to Osaka Station (approx 4 min journey) before crossing over to the Osaka Loop Train to Universal City Walk (approx 5 min journey). Yes, it’s a three train route but its very simply and very well sign posted. For all our guests, we provided a detailed guide to this entire bullet train journey experience.

Universal Studios Japan
last Leg of the Adventure

2 Nights | The Park Front Hotel at Universal Studios Japan | 4 Star
Room: Park View Room including Breakfast

Our premier location offers direct entry to the theme park as well as the surrounding CityWalk area. All it takes is one quick minute to arrive at the front gates, where you can snap a photo with the iconic Universal Globe before strolling through the grand archway towards a day filled with non-stop excitement. Staying right next door means more time to spend at Universal Studios Japan and more memories to make in Osaka.

Universal Studios Japan 
Inc. 1 day park entry ticket per person

Day 8
Universal Studios Japan 
Inc. 1 day park entry ticket per person

Consider including a Universal Studios Express Pass (additional cost):
Make the most out of your time at Universal Studios Japan with the Express™ Pass. These Express Passes allow you to bypass the standard lines at select the rides and attractions and skip the queues at the theme park’s most sought-after attractions, including Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, & Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Day 9

Transfers: Private Car Hotel to Airport Included

Travel Back To UK
Itami International – London Heathrow
indirect via Haneda International – Layover 1 hour(s) 10 min(s)
Japan Airlines – Economy  – Flight Time 16 hr(s) and 45 min(s)

Additional Information:

Making dining reservations for each resort: 

It is worth getting to know the various dining locations when you visit in both Tokyo Disney Resort & Universal Studios Japan, from the table service options to quick service dining, via the various official park apps. Then make a plan of where you would like to eat each day. Some places may need advanced reservations and others will be quick service locations where you queue up and wait. .

Tokyo Disney Resort – Opens 30 days prior to your desired dining date via the Official App
Universal Studios Japan  Reservations can be made through the Restaurant Priority Seating Online Reception from 11:00 am (JST) one month before the day of your visit up to 24 hours before the time of your visit).

Official Park Apps

Available to download from both the Apple App Store & Google Play Stores.

Tokyo Disney Resort:
Link your park tickets ahead of arrival to save time on site. Most of the app features will not work until you are in resort and scanned through the gates. Scan tickets at the gates via your mobile device to gain entry then we highly recommend staying on the app once through and, before doing anything else, reserve your free standby passes & priority passes, request show access (lottery) and purchase any paid premier access attractions that maybe available. While you may begrudge paying to access rides, you will thank us for this advice when you see just how long some of the most popular attraction queues can be. Worth every penny!

The app will give you times to which you can return and secure further passes so make sure to take note and be ready to reserve your next batches. These options go fast and once gone, they are gone. The show request lotter system you can only do once a day and is incredibly difficult to secure, however our understanding is the app will allow you at least one during your stay to access one of these shows via the lottery, assuming you have linked all your tickets ahead of time.

Universal Studios Japan:

The app will come in handy especially on busy days as you can use it to register your park admission tickets and obtain a digital timed-entry pass for certain attractions. The app will give you a time frame for when to show up at a specific attraction to cut down your wait time. Note that the number of timed entry passes you can get is limited.

Local Extra Information 

Tokyo & Osaka

  • We recommend having about JPY¥20,500 (£100) in cash.
  • Use your credit card inside Tokyo Disney Resort & Universal Studios Japan for many purchases (including food). Small food carts and monorail tickets are cash only. Monorail day pass JPY¥700 (£3.45)
  • Once you go into each city, it’s hit or miss if shops accept credit cards.

Extra Tip: Always choose local currency when paying by credit card to potentially avoid foreign transaction fees.(check with your credit card provider first). Always good to save a little extra off those merchandise purchase costs when you visit Tokyo Disney Resort & Universal Studios Japan on your next big adventure.

Let's Go To Disney & Universal!

Let’s start planning your Tokyo Disney Resort & Universal Studios Japan adventure today.

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