Why I’m Going to Tokyo Disneyland Next Year Instead
Traveling is an obsession. The more you travel the stronger this obsession becomes. And there is only one way to keep this “passion” in control and that is by (obviously) traveling. For me, staying put in one place gets harder and harder. This is why traveling is so important to me. Since living and traveling to a dozen different countries in the past several years, my obsession for traveling has grown and has become a part of me. It is something that I think about all the time, which is why every few months I go back home (Southern California) to visit family, friends, and to just get away. But discovering new and desirable places is my main goal. And if these places happen to have an amazing theme park—especially Disney—then that is icing on the cake.
Going to Disney World for the first time—back in 2012—was awesome. I had a great time with friends and exploring one of the best Disney theme park resorts on Earth. After my first trip, I decided to make Disney World a bi-yearly adventure. Unfortunately for me, a couple of things happened: Disney theme park prices went up and learning more about Tokyo Disneyland. I made the choice to forgo my Disney World voyages and invest that money—and time–on a trip would be more thrilling and exciting. Even if that means I will have to pinch my pennies as hard as possible.
Just this past February, Disney theme parks increased their ticket prices across the board. Even though I know that Disney World would be cheaper to travel to than Japan, I’d rather invest my money towards visiting a different Disney theme park–and country–that I have never been to. My favorite thing about traveling is the unknown. Even through you have a plan laid out, does not mean it is going to go that way. That is what gets my blood pumping. This would give me a challenge to discover a new place and take on the task of learning about a different culture.
After reading and talking to TouringPlans’s Researcher Guy about his Tokyo Disneyland trip he took last year, it made me want to go. Now that I am doing the research and connecting with people that live in Tokyo, it makes me even more obsessed with going. I have even read–and heard—from some people that believe that Tokyo Disneyland is better than any other U.S. Disney theme park. This is something I have to see, experience, and judge for myself.
One of the main reasons that I love Disney theme parks is because I transform into a kid when I step into any Disney theme park. My sense of wonder and excitement are heightened tenfold. Even if I have been to a theme park before, I still get that same feeling. But to even consider that Tokyo Disneyland might be better than either Disney World or Disneyland makes me want to take this journey across the world to find out.
Granted, I may go to Tokyo Disneyland and determine that I enjoy the U.S. Disney theme parks more. But not knowing is something that is eating away at me and I cannot wait to discover what is in store for me in the land of the rising sun. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until the summer of 2016 to find out.
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My family and I have recently done the same thing. We went from planning our first WDW trip to now planning a trip to TDL. And after researching we are becoming more and more obsessed with going. I found from a different blog site for planning a trip there that it became even more affordable if we do a 3 day layover in Hawaii and finish the trip with 2 days at Hong Kong Disneyland. Airfare from the west coast was only about 970 each doing it that way. Otherwise round trip to Tokyo was over 1200 per person. That added savings has almost assured our trip to TDL and our excitement is through the roof!
I was thinking of doing a similar thing but having a “layover” in South Korea for a few days. One of the best things about going to South Korea is that it’s really inexpensive and it has such an amazing culture.
Tokyo DisneySea is the number one place on my travel bucket list. However, as a 26-year-old who can only afford a WDW vacation every other year, I’ve always assumed that a Tokyo trip was out of my financial reach (a least for a decade or so). I’d love to see a post or two about the financial realities of visiting the international Disney parks. Maybe something like the sample budgets you guys put together for WDW?
That’s a great idea for a topic for one of our writers to explore. I know TP has a few articles on budgeting for WDW (http://goo.gl/pAkJYw). That particular article is one of my personal favorites and is one I go back to time-and-time again.
Guy wrote one last year – http://blog.touringplans.com/2014/08/12/touringplans-everywhere-budgeting-tokyo-disneyland-trip/ – and I hear he’s returning this summer. Maybe if we ask nicely, he’ll write up this year’s process as the TDL planning pro he is now.
Desperately want to go to Tokyo Disney. Started planning a trip to Japan week of Memorial Day this year. Then looked at the closures list and reconsidered- the Monster’s Inc ride and 20,000 leagues are both closed that week. Still going to Japan, but crossed Disney off the list 🙁 Hopefully I’ll make it back to Tokyo for work one of these days and can just spend a few extra days at the parks. I’m still struggling with that decision.
Tokyo Disneyland itself is not better than Disneyland.
Tokyo DisneySea however is better than any other theme park on earth.
(Disneyland is still my favorite park in the world though.)
Have fun!
Thanks!