Have you ever heard the phrase, “Date your spouse”? Once kids enter the picture that is easier said than done. Romantic getaways and fancy restaurants make way for “not it” on who changes the next diaper. That said, if you do find the unicorn of an opportunity to enjoy a kid-free day, you take full advantage of it. After a friend graciously offered to watch our three adorable, tyrannical minions overnight, I booked the discount Disney Celebration hotel “Wish” for a date day at DisneySea. Click through to see some of our highlights as well as a few quick tips to make the most of your DisneySea experience!
The two Disney Celebration hotels, Wish and Discover, are wonderfully themed, affordably priced and provide easy access to the parks with regularly running buses. You get some nice views out the window of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the world’s tallest tower, as a bonus to the bus ride. The hotels are located across the street from one another with “Wish” having a Fantasyland feel while “Discover” focuses on adventure. Make sure you remember which hotel you are booked with for when your bus driver asks at the end of the day!
The gardens at night are absolutely adorable and reminiscent of the Disneyland Electrical Parade with whimsical lit-up characters surrounding a wishing well. There is also a convenience store in the hotel with sandwiches, to-go dinners, and an assortment of useful items which makes for an affordable and easy dinner option the night before you hit the parks.
If you book a hotel the night before your Disney adventure, enjoy your evening in the Ikspiari! It is sort of the Tokyo Disney Resort version of Downtown Disney in California. We had delicious appetizers and drinks at the Bar Rica Cerveza which is near the entrance to the Ikspiari.
A short walk from the Ikspiari is the beautifully-lit Disneyland Hotel, which is directly at the entrance to Disneyland Tokyo. We enjoyed a lovely walk through their courtyard before riding the bus back to our (much-cheaper) hotel for a good nights sleep!
Early Entry is a must if you have the option! Tokyo Disney Resort alternates which park offers Early Entry to guests staying in Disney hotels. We were lucky that DisneySea was the current park offering it and got there bright and early to take full advantage of our additional time. Speaking of bright…Japan’s sun can give you a killer sunburn in no time flat and can make standing in hot weather feel miserable. You could risk it with your normal sunscreen routine or you can take a tip from the locals and bring a sun umbrella! I was skeptical when we first moved to Japan but it truly made a world of a difference in enjoying our Disney day! Japan also bears some similarity to Florida with strong rain storms showing up out of nowhere so having an umbrella that can do both is a smart move.
We used our Early Entry to be one of the first guests of the day on Journey to the Center of the Earth. It’s exciting, iconic and will often have one of the longest lines in the park. The other line that we debated using our Early Entry for as it will get similarly long was Soaring: Fantastic Flight. That said, we went with Journey because it’s a shorter ride so we might be able to fit in a second and who doesn’t want to get shot out of a volcano first thing in the morning?!?
Another ride not to miss is Tower of Terror. It’s story is entirely unique to the park and the queue itself memorable. You’ll learn the story of its missing owner, Harrison Hightower, and the dark secrets surrounding him. It gave me vibes of Indiana Jones meets the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and was a definite highlight of the day.
While we enjoyed plenty of amazing rides, much of our day was spent simply wandering and enjoying the many gorgeous views of the park. The level of detail taken with each aspect of the park is astounding. Don’t forget to hop on a Transit Steamer for a waterside perspective when your feet need a break! You can either ride round-trip or get off at individual stations to move easily throughout the park. It’s the highly-appropriate DisneySea equivalent of the Disneyland Railroad and an experience not to miss!
We headed out early to brave Tokyo traffic and pick up the minions but only after making many magical memories with my always Disney Date!
