Tokyo or Disneyland

[tinkandonaldfans]

We have been to disneyworld almost annually for the last 20 years or so. We know the parks well and have it down to a fine art of what we like doing. We usually go for 2 weeks and stay on site as we like the convenience of it all.

However, we are considering now that our daughter is getting a little older to start venturing further. I have recently seen so much about Tokyo Disneyland and thought that this could be a cool trip to do in the next few years. But I have no idea where to start, has anyone ever been? Not sure how many days to dedicate to disney and then also where to go after that?

I have also considered Disneyland in California as I have always wanted to see what it was like and then also see a bit of California too. Again, don't know where to start.

If you have been how do they compare to Florida?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I'm from Ireland and Disneyland California is my "home" park. Anything you want to know about Disneyland or LA or California in general let me know. I'm in the middle of planning my next visit to California in June

 

[Douglas Dubh]

If you have been how do they compare to Florida?

Both Tokyo and Anaheim are smaller but much more compact than WDW. Each has only two parks, built right next to each other, a few hotels, and small shopping districts. However each have unique attractions, and if you like rides there are as many rides in the two parks in Anaheim as the four in WDW.

I grew up going to Disneyland, and took my kids there often. I’ve been to Tokyo twice, each time for four days. I highly recommend both, especially since they are both located near major metropolitan areas where one could spend many days seeing other sites, or even venture out a bit and see plenty more.

There are, of course, forums about both Anaheim and Tokyo here on the Disboards, and while the Anaheim one might have a lot of posts about specific subjects, there have been several general trip planning posts on the Tokyo one where you could get more information.

I’d recommend four or five days at the parks at either resort, and another week or two nearby. I’d be happy to suggest ideas to fill out those days if you’d like.

 

[zavandor]

I recommend this guide: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disney-trip-planning-guide/
It's an excellent starting point and their other site for non-Disney travel (travelcaffeine) has a lot of resources for Japan in general. They are going for the opening of Fantasy Springs so I expect a lot of new posts soon.

It's a difficult choice, because Disneyland + California and Tokyo Disneyland + Japan are two of the best possible destinations in the world. If you can plan 3 weeks, I'd go to Japan without a doubt, with 2 it's tighter.

I'd say 3 days for both resorts is the bare minimum, with 4 being ideal. Of course the longer the better in the Disney parks, but since there are other fantastic destinations outside the resorts, I would not overdo either.

 

[fly girl]

I think you would like both Anaheim and Tokyo. Yes, they are absolutely smaller in comparison to WDW, but they pack a lot of punch into 2 parks.

How old is your daughter? Is she up for the long flight to Tokyo? It is long, and I mean long. However, I found the time change actually easier than when you go to Europe because you are typically landing in Tokyo in the mid-late afternoon. Staying up a few hours is a lot easier than forcing yourself to stay up all day when you land in Europe in the early morning. (of course, everyone is different and it may be harder for you.)

I loved Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo SEA, but if you haven't been to the original I would suggest going there first. You stay 2 weeks at WDW, which is way longer than I would ever go (we are in and out in 4- 5 days) so I really don't know how much time you would prefer but for us we can do it in 3 days and be satisfied.

But I deftinely would venture down to San Diego and/or LA for some sight seeing. Again, I don't know your daughter's age but Coronado beach is a great area that isn't too rough to boogie board for kids.

I don't think you would be unhappy with either of them. Tokyo has a ton of sights too, not to mention the food.

This is a good conundrum to have! You won't regret either choice.

 

[jimmymc]

I've been to Disneyland in California a few times, both on and off-site. Southern California has a lot to offer, and it's not too difficult to get around the state. There are two theme parks, and they have a lot of attractions in a small space. I'd recommend at least 3 days, two in Disneyland Park and one in California Adventure. If you have time for 4 or 5 days, that would be great too. I don't think you need more than a 4 day park hopper or 5 day single park tickets.

For other things in the area, the first option is other theme parks. Universal Hollywood, Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, and Legoland could all be day trips, depending on how far you'd like to go. The last two are pretty far from Disneyland. There is also Seaworld in San Diego.

For a beach day, Huntington Beach and Long Beach are both very nice and close to Disneyland. You can visit the Channel Islands and go whale watching or visit the San Diego Zoo to see animals. You're also close to several national parks and forests. These are easy to get to if you rent a car, but harder with public transit.

If you don't want to deal with driving, there is a train that goes from Anaheim to San Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. There are plenty of taxis and rideshares around the area.

 

[nursejackie]

We went to Disneyland California and really enjoyed. After many, many trips to Disney World we were worried we'd be underwhelmed but definitely weren't. We also used to visit Disney for 2 weeks or more staying on site, in the parks morning and night, but we knew it would be a much shorter 'Disney' holiday. We had 4 day tickets, visiting at the beginning of June, and spent 2 days in each park (so didn't invest in park hopper) with a day off in between. We avoided weekends as I'd read there's many more locals with annual passes who visit at weekends.

It was good to experience other Disney attractions e.g. Cars Land and the Marvel overlay on ToT. The only issue was the internet connection. It was 2018, and I needed to find a hotspot to get fastpasses, which were dotted around, but not always close by, but I appreciate the internet connection may be better now, or you have roaming, which I didn't pay for. Although it may be Genie+ now?

We filled our other days with beach days at Newport and Huntington, and spent a day in Hollywood. Driving was easy, but the traffic was on another level!

It was definitely worth it and would love to return one day.