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Sneaking in a quick trip...Tokyo 2012

Tigger71
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Sneaking in a quick trip...Tokyo 2012

Postby Tigger71 » Fri Mar 23, 2012 5:01 am

Yep - you read it right! My youngest DS and I are heading to TDR for 8nts in June (yes I know it's wet and hot...however it IS Disney)!

I have my air booked and I would like to stay at MiraCosta but only first two nights are showing with availablity in my price point (standard room for 6yr old and me). Ambassador hotel has availability for all nights but is more costly. Should I wait and keep checking for MiraCosta or try elsewhere?

Side note - We have been before in Sept/Oct 2010 (halloween was a fantastic time to visit), we will probably only go offsite to visit the multi storey toy stores (for LEGO...), we are not interested in city touring again or other fun parks (unless they build a Legoland in the next few months-lol) and I am not a big shopper (however my left behind, ohh so hard done by, teenagers and wonderful DH may receive gifts)...What hints and tips has anyone got for us?

PS Whilst the outdoor pool will be closed during our visit, the MiraCosta indoor 'facilities' (pool, fitness centre etc) would cost us $58 per day to use!!! I think our Sheraton hotel last visit was about that for all 5 of us! Guess there's no swimming for us. More time for eating!
Past Disney vacations...

DLR - 1995, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2016
DLP - 1998, 2013
WDW - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017
TDR - 2010, June 2012
HKD - 2010, Oct 2012, 2015
DCL - 2013,2015
Aulani - 2015
SDR - 2017

Mel
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Mel » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:04 am

Woohoo!!! I loved the Mira Costa on the one night we stayed there, but we had dinner at Chef Mickey's one night and I really liked the look of the Ambassador as well. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Disney hotels.

Have you looked into the Obstructed View rooms at the Mira Costa? That's what we got and it was a fabulous view for the same price as a standard room. It was amazing to look out over DisneySea from our room. You need to call to book the Obstructed View they don't show them on the website.

On our last trip to Japan we only attempted sightseeing on one day and it was an utter fail. We spent the whole time at the parks :)
The Big Trip: DL, WDW and Disney cruise 2016

churros
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby churros » Fri Mar 23, 2012 4:28 pm

Excellent!

Tigger71
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Tigger71 » Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:37 am

MiraCosta is still not showing any availability for all our nights. :cry:

I am heading off to the local TA tomorrow to see if they may be able to gain any room (just not the one with the 1250 000 yen price tag-lol)
Ambassador has availability but doesn't look appealing...Disney hotel looks way over the top for a 6yr old boy!

I'm beginning to think this was not such a smart idea...
Past Disney vacations...

DLR - 1995, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2016
DLP - 1998, 2013
WDW - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017
TDR - 2010, June 2012
HKD - 2010, Oct 2012, 2015
DCL - 2013,2015
Aulani - 2015
SDR - 2017

Mel
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Mel » Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:04 am

MiraCosta is still not showing any availability for all our nights. :cry:

I am heading off to the local TA tomorrow to see if they may be able to gain any room (just not the one with the 1250 000 yen price tag-lol)
Ambassador has availability but doesn't look appealing...Disney hotel looks way over the top for a 6yr old boy!

I'm beginning to think this was not such a smart idea...
Sure it is :) Try calling the TDR direct. It's not hard to get an English speaking cast member. I remember calling and saying up front "Can I speak to somebody in English". The first time they didn't have anybody available and asked me to call back, the next time I was put straight through.

Good luck!
The Big Trip: DL, WDW and Disney cruise 2016

KeithS
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby KeithS » Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:53 am

I just had a quick look on the Hilton Hotel website - the Tokyo Bay Hilton at the Disney Resort has rooms for June from only 15,400 yen - that's a bargain! I just put in some random mid-June dates, you should check it out if you can.

The website is here:
http://www.hilton.co.uk/tokyobay
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

Tigger71
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Tigger71 » Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:30 am

Thanks for your help!

I fell in love with staying "on the gate" at MiraCosta and even the crazy prices haven't stopped my heart wanting to stay there.

However I am edgy that I couldn't get a Port side room for all my dates so I have booked 6nts at the Disneyland Hotel and just my final two nights the Hilton at Tokyo Bay (these are weekend rates and cost way less than one night at any of Disney's hotels). Don't get me wrong the hotel looks amazing but my DS is just 6 and will not appreciate the fancy Victorian decor-lol.

Now the countdown is on to wait to book dining for the Horseshoe Saloon with Woody and Bullseye (very keen Toy Story child...)
Past Disney vacations...

DLR - 1995, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2016
DLP - 1998, 2013
WDW - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017
TDR - 2010, June 2012
HKD - 2010, Oct 2012, 2015
DCL - 2013,2015
Aulani - 2015
SDR - 2017

Tigger71
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Tigger71 » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:09 pm

Do you still need a ticket to enter the Duffy shop?
Last visit the place was swamped and entry was limited to those who had tickets. Do we rush here first or head to Indy's ride?
Our visit to WDW since TDR has shown us that Duffy's clothing is the perfect size for my son's teddy. You know the trendy teddy who now sports an outfit like Woody!
This teddy now wants to be Buzz-lol.
Past Disney vacations...

DLR - 1995, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2016
DLP - 1998, 2013
WDW - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017
TDR - 2010, June 2012
HKD - 2010, Oct 2012, 2015
DCL - 2013,2015
Aulani - 2015
SDR - 2017

KeithS
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby KeithS » Tue Apr 03, 2012 3:30 pm

Do you still need a ticket to enter the Duffy shop?
The last time we went, you didn't need a ticket and that was during the peak Halloween time.

They now sell Duffy clothes throughout Disneysea - not just in Cape Cod, so it isn't a big drama to buy anymore.

That said - they have launched a new range of limited edition Duffy couture clothing under the "Cannery Clothing Company" label which I believe is only available in Cape Cod - so that may change the shopping dynamic if it is available when you are there as these items are in high demand (and cost 89yen a set!)

Gerard - do you mind lining up six hours to get a Duffy and Shellie set for Della? :D :lol:
Keith

Trip history:
DLR: 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18
DLRP: 2006
HKDL: 2006 (Mar & Sept), 11 (Apr & Dec), 14, 19
SDR: 2017
TDR: 2008, 10, 17
WDW: 2006, 13 (Mar & Sept), 16, 19
DCL: 2013, 15 (Alaska & Hawaii), 18
Aulani: 2015

Mel
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Mel » Tue Apr 03, 2012 3:57 pm

We didn't have to line up for the Duffy shop either. It was busy, but not too crazy. Craig thought I was nuts for wanting to get Duffy so badly, but I was determined to get one for our baby - who now beats poor Duffy up.
The Big Trip: DL, WDW and Disney cruise 2016

Tigger71
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Tigger71 » Fri Jun 15, 2012 11:29 am

Hi everyone - I'm back!

We had a fantastic time in Tokyo and life is somehow making it's way back into the home routine...

Highlights of our trip were -

-upgraded at Disneyland Hotel!!! OMGosh the room was HUGE (sadly still no wifi there. They are still using LAN cables)
-bonus monorail tickets due to error at check in covered us for the two days we spent at the Hilton
-we wandered in to the last "My Friend Duffy" seating and had our pick of seats!
-no line ups at the Duffy store in Cape Cod and teddy just got one outfit
-we got front row for so many attractions and even once for "A Table is Waiting" show - my son was stoked!
-crazy weather meant the crowds went from 210mins on Splash Mountain to walk on the next day???
-We rode Pooh's Huney Hunt several times but the best was being the VERY last folks to ride one evening after walking on at park closing

Low points (yes there were a few)-

-On our first day at DisneySea they had an incident on the Raging Spirits attraction (although we didn't know that for days later) and it was closed our entire visit
-Our first day at Disneyland line times were horrendous - 220mins for Monsters Inc, 100 mins for Haunted Mansion (and they were NOT using fastpass)
-Fastpasses were always gone by lunchtime (our best was on two days we managed to use two fastpasses!)
-The poor system for character greeting at the front of DL - one day we 'chased' Donald for almost 15mins and had to request the CM step in and help us. Donald was stealing items from young girls and then getting sidetracked with photos of a new group and moving further and further away from his original spot, never finishing the original guests who were waiting and the CM did nothing to encourage orderly waiting!

High number of closed attractions was very disappointing. I had researched and found that Magic Lamp theatre and Space Mountain would be down and Star Tours & Goofy's house were still not ready but we also found that Mark Twain riverboat and Davey's Canoes were also in rehab. This meant no access to Tom Sawyer either! Add to this StormRider (it later WAS running but two attempts left us uneager to return) and Raging Spirits (understandable but still disappointing) and we were beginning to think we has seriously picked the worst time to visit.

We knew that Toy Story Mania would not be open yet and hoped to visit prior to the expected crowds the attraction would bring. Sadly for us TDR is ALWAYS busy! We did experience one day (Wednesday) where we walked onto every Fantasyland ride except PPF which was experiencing issues and meant that more than 60px ahead of us exited the queue and once going again we waited less than 10mins! Longest wait was the longest queue ropes at Pooh!

The one food highlight for us was that TGIFridays was open (we had misread the signage as opening Spring and thought of Australian seasons -doh!)
Our two nights at the Hilton were also very pleasant. We paid for a basic (cheapest) standard room and got a Celebrio room (a rude shock after staying a DL hotel but still loud and lovely) were we scored free wifi and drinks from the mini bar (no alcohol in room). The room faced the parks with a fantastic view of the carpark and a dry view of the fireworks! We were able to Skype home and show them the view of the fireworks through the rainy window!

I can't wait to go back!
Past Disney vacations...

DLR - 1995, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2016
DLP - 1998, 2013
WDW - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017
TDR - 2010, June 2012
HKD - 2010, Oct 2012, 2015
DCL - 2013,2015
Aulani - 2015
SDR - 2017

churros
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby churros » Fri Jun 15, 2012 5:52 pm

-/

Sounds like a great trip! Here comes the Disney Depression which can only be cured by planning for the next trip

mushu mama
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby mushu mama » Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:03 am

sounds like an eventful trip. :D Glad you still found the magic despite the downed rides.

clearly you still need a bullbar to get close to the characters at TDL :lol: , which I always find surprising when every other park has them well handled.
1999- Tokyo DL, 2008- DLR/Cal Adventure, 2012-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2013-Tokyo DLand/Sea, 2014-DLR/Cal Adventure, 2015- Paris DL, 2016 - WDW/Disneycruise , upcoming - May 2018 - HongKong DL

Tigger71
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Tigger71 » Sat Jun 16, 2012 11:34 am

We had a fantastic time even with rain (or the threat of it).

Western Railroad was also closed which disappointed my son but he soon got over it on repeat runs through POTC or the Jungle Cruise (yes we just laughed when everyone else did)!

The thing I think is strange about the character greetings is that Mickey and Pooh both had roped off, CM manned end of line signage and photopass CMs when greeting out front of the park but in the same area, random characters are left to roam about with just one CM who does nothing to keep guests in order and each one of them was mobbed by young teenagers who showed none of the usual respectful Japanese patience and courtesy. Seeing Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket, Gideon, Fairy Godmother or the seven dwarves was a treat for us considering the standard characters met at say WDW. We didn't manage to get any of these out front of DL but did get Fairy Godmother in WB, Jiminy in Fantasyland and some not so great shots of Gideon somewhere else in the park. It didn't ruin our vacation but some order could have made it better (we didn't mind that we spent one hour queued for Stitch at D/Sea in a roped off line and then days later did the luau lunch and had him appear for photos at our table-lol)

With the new Cars Land advertising DH is planning a side trip on his Vegas run next January so I'm thinking another "quick trip" to say DLHK to see Toy Story Land would be in order for me and one lucky kid...any ideas on how to get this over the line?
Past Disney vacations...

DLR - 1995, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2016
DLP - 1998, 2013
WDW - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017
TDR - 2010, June 2012
HKD - 2010, Oct 2012, 2015
DCL - 2013,2015
Aulani - 2015
SDR - 2017

Mel
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Re: Sneaking in a quick trip...

Postby Mel » Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:07 pm

Sounds like a great trip - and yay on the upgrade at the hotel!

Yeah, the non-queuing for characters is weird considering how orderly and calm everybody usually is in Japan. We were super lucky on our first trip as the characters seemed to make a bee-line for us, being very white, very blonde and standing out like sore thumbs! Unfortunately we lost all those photos (including Scrooge and few other rare characters) when my camera died a horrible death. The second trip, not as much, but we still seemed to get a bit of preferential treatment.

I read about the Raging Spirits accident. It's a shame you didn't know what was happening.

We also had all of those Westernland rides shut down when we were there on BOTH of our trips - talk about rotten timing!

Planning another 'quick trip' sounds like a great plan :)
The Big Trip: DL, WDW and Disney cruise 2016


kuchnie Czeladź

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