For anyone planning a multi-day trip, Tokyo Disney Resort has a number of different vacation packages available, with a wide variety of options that allow you to mix and match various perks to suit your interests. A recent post on the official TDR blog broke down the benefits into eight points:

Note that only Residents of Japan are able to book Vacation Packages through the Japanese website (you are required to have a Japanese address). If you are visiting from outside Japan, your only option is the Disney Ambassador Hotel. 

1. Vacation packages allow you to book your hotel room sooner, specifically, up to 6 months in advance. This gives you the earliest possible access anywhere. The regular hotel reservation system only books rooms up to 5 months in advance.

2. Vacation packages entitle you to special Fastpass tickets with no set return time. Each package is different in terms of the number of tickets and the rides specified for use.

With Type A, you can use your special ticket on any Fastpass attraction, whichever one you choose.

With Type D, the two most popular attractions—Toy Story Mania! and the new Nemo & Friends SeaRider—will be excluded.

But in either case, you can show up any time of day with that nifty VP (Vacation Package, but it certainly feels like a V.I.P.) ticket. And as people in the standby line look on with envy, you can waltz right into the Fastpass attraction of your choice. You do not have to worry about rushing back or planning around a one-hour bracket of time.

3. Some packages come with reserved seating for parades and shows. If you want to be front and center for Big Band Beat, they have got you covered. If you want to access a viewing area like the Harborside Terrace at Tokyo DisneySea, which is off-limits to anyone but guests with vacation packages, they have got you covered for that, too.

4. Certain packages also have an option for an exclusive character greeting. Currently, they are doing one in the Magellan’s Lounge at Tokyo DisneySea, with Mickey and Minnie wearing some rarely seen Romeo and Juliet costumes.

Image via the official Tokyo Disney Resort website.

5. With vacation packages, you also get first dibs on restaurants that require Priority Seating tickets for entry. On a busy day, these tickets can be as precious as Fastpasses. Otherwise, you will have to take your chances with doing a walk-up at the restaurant, or with trying to navigate the restaurant reservation system on the park’s Japanese website. Read our dining guide for more on the Priority Seating system.

6. Brace yourself for it, but even with 2-day vacation packages, you can do park-hopping … from the very first day! At Tokyo Disney Resort, this is usually a luxury that only 3-Day, 4-Day, or Annual Passport holders can enjoy.

Speaking personally, this writer has probably been to the parks 20 times or more, all without ever having the chance to hop between Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea on the same day. So yes, while Floridians might scoff, the potential for park-hopping in Japan is a big deal.

The Tokyo DisneySea Hotel Miracosta. Photo by The Gaijin Ghost.

7. Guests with vacation packages are also privy to a special ticket holder with a Free Drinks Ticket that gets you one complimentary soft drink per visit at participating outlets.

8. There is also a small array of original goods offered to vacation package guests, such as a souvenir photo frame or tote bag.

Finally, if you are interested in staying at one of Japan’s four Disney hotels, or at one of the other official hotels on the TDR monorail loop, booking a vacation package through Disney does appear to offer a better deal than if you just tried to book the hotel alone.

Duffy monorail on the Tokyo Disney Resort Line. Photo by The Gaijin Ghost.

In addition to the perks listed above, your park tickets are, of course, included in the package, as is a free monorail pass. (Because of railway laws in Japan, the monorail here normally levies a charge.) And in many cases, the packages they are offering look to be about the same, if not a little cheaper, than a hotel stay by itself. Prices start at about 45,000 yen for a two-day, one-night package, and move upwards from there, to over 100,000 yen, in some cases.

In the past, TDR’s online reservation system has proven somewhat unreliable with regards to accepting credit cards issued outside Japan. For some reason, the English version of the TDR website only has a bare-bones selection of packages, as well. So if this is something you are interested in, you would probably be better served using Google translate to try and make your way through the Japanese website.

The good thing is, a credit card is not absolutely necessary. You can also pay by way of bank transfer, postal service transfer, or convenience store transfer.

So what are you waiting for? Book a vacation package!

Feature photo and ride gallery photos by The Gaijin Ghost. Follow him on Twitter.

Image via the official Tokyo Disney Resort website.

Start planning your trip to Tokyo Disneyland with our Ultimate Guide to Tokyo Disney Resort. It covers everything from tickets, hotels, and how to score discounts!

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