The Ultimate Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea Strategy Guide: Must-Do Rides and Family Routes

Dec 25, 2025

Share with other Parents or Go Back

Visiting Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea? Here's how you can make the most of your visit - tried and tested!

Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort is vastly different from other Disney parks. With unique ticketing systems like Disney Premier Access (DPA) and Priority Pass (PP), having a plan before you scan your tickets is the difference between a 20-minute wait and a 120-minute wait. Based on our family trip with kids aged 9–12, here is our guide.

If you have not read it yet, you can get our 13-day Tokyo and Hokkaido itinerary here too.

Pre-Trip Essentials: Don't Skip These!

Download the Tokyo Disney Resort App: This is your lifeline for wait times, mobile food orders, and booking passes.
Log into 1 Account on 2 Phones: After both parents downloaded the Disney App, log both phones into the same account. This will allow you to purchase DPAs and PPs at the same time using both phones for all linked tickets.
Link Your Credit Card: Ensure your card is linked to your Disney App account beforehand to avoid payment errors when rushing for DPA.
Klook/Third-Party Tickets: If you bought tickets on Klook, you can scan the QR code from your PDF into the Disney App beforehand and use these to enter the park and "activate" them for bookings.
Disappearing QR Codes: We had a scare after scanning our QR codes the day before and they disappeared from the Disney App. While it is definitely nerve wrecking, keep calm as the codes came back the next day for us. A search on Google also shows that it is a known common issue.

DPA and PP - What Are They?

In Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, understanding the difference between Disney Premier Access (DPA) and 40th Anniversary Priority Pass (PP) is essential for managing wait times.

DPA is a paid service (between ¥1,500 and ¥2,500 per ride per pax) that allows you to purchase a specific time slot for the park's most popular, high-demand rides, such as Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast or Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey.

In contrast, the Priority Pass is a free service—similar to the former FastPass—that lets you book a return time for other popular attractions, like Pooh’s Hunny Hunt or Raging Spirits, at no additional cost.

Both are managed entirely through the Tokyo Disney Resort App, and because both systems "reset" once your current pass is used or after a specific time interval (60mins for DPA and 120mins for PP), the best strategy is to book your first of each immediately upon entering the park to maximize your day. Both passes are first-come-first-served with limited quantity, with PPs running out quite quickly.

DPA: Buy another after 60 mins OR after your current slot starts.
PP: Book another after 120 mins OR after you scan into your current ride.

You can only purchase a DPA or book a PP after entering the park (scanning the ticket's QR code). By logging into the same account on 2 phones, you can immediately get the DPA and PP (one on each device) at the same time once you enter the park.

Happy Entry at Tokyo DisneySea and Disneyland

Only Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta, Disney Ambassador Hotel, and Fantasy Springs Hotel offer early access to DisneySea and Disneyland, the other Disney hotels offer early access to Disneyland only.

So make sure to book your hotel early, especially for the ones with DisneySea access, we hear they sell out 3 months in advance!

Getting Your Tickets

Our tickets to Disneyland and DisneySea were purchased from Klook. Take note that theme park tickets are only available 2 months in advance and you should standby to get them as early as possible especially if you are going on peak seasons!

Day 1: Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea is now more popular than ever due to the new Fantasy Springs land. Here's our suggested strategy but most importantly, keep it flexible as there are many variables like whether certain rides are close or the time that you manage to grab the DPA and PP.

Plan, but don't get too stressed about it!

The "Golden Hour" Morning Routine

7:30 am – 8:00 am: Arrive at the queue. The doors opened about 15 mins earlier, so it is good to arrive early and be at the front of the queue.
8:00 am – 9:00 am (Once Inside): Divide and conquer on your phones.
- Phone 1: Purchase DPA for Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey (earliest slot).
- Phone 2: Book a Priority Pass (PP) for Raging Spirits (aim for a 1:00 pm slot).
9:00 am: Walk directly to Fantasy Springs and ride Tangled: Rapunzel's Lantern Festival.

Suggested DisneySea Route

9 am: Head straight for Tangled: Rapunzel's Lantern Festival and you will hopefully skip the usually long queue. The ride is a short one and really nothing much, but the scene of the floating lanterns is one of the most shared online.
9:30 am: Ride Frozen (your DPA slot) and immediately book your next DPA for Toy Story Mania!.
10:00 am: Head to Mysterious Land for Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
1:00 pm: Lunch followed by your Raging Spirits PP slot.
2.30 pm: Queue for the Tower of Terror
3:30 pm: Hit your DPA slot for Toy Story Mania!
4.30 pm: Try queuing for Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure or have dinner and take a break
7:30 pm: Believe! Sea of Dreams. Best spots fill up 1.5 hours early. Aim for Lido Isle or Piazza Topolino for the best views.

8 pm: The lights at Toy Story Land at night is amazing! We recommend heading back to grab photos and a final ride on Toy Story Mania!.

Day 2: Tokyo Disneyland

Staying at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel granted us Happy Entry, letting us into the park 15 minutes before the general public. This head start made Disneyland feel much less hectic; and allowed us to stay ahead of the massive crowds flocking to the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast attraction.

The Morning Routine

7:30 am – 8:00 am: Arrive to queue (15-min Happy Entry for hotel guests).
8:45 am (Park Entry): Head straight to Fantasyland for Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. While walking, use the app to get a Priority Pass for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and purchase DPA for The Happy Ride with Baymax.

Suggested Disneyland Route

9:30 am: Ride Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. Once done, book your next PP for Splash Mountain.
10:30 am – 12:30 pm: Tackle the classics: Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain. Grab lunch after that - remember to look out for the many (weird) flavoured popcorns!
1:30 pm: Splash Mountain PP slot. Check the app to see if any more PP slots are available for the afternoon, usually there will be none.
2:30 pm: Pirates of the Caribbean (usually a shorter wait).
3:00 pm: Head over to Baymax for our DPA. This is the surprise find of the trip! We really thought we wasted our DPA but the queue was REALLY long and the ride was SO MUCH better than expected!

6:00 pm: Grab an early dinner and try to reserve your seat for the evening parade.
7:00 pm: Electrical Parade Dreamlights. This is the highlight of Disneyland and should not be missed!

Final Pro-Tips for Parents

Skip the Fireworks: We don't highly recommend staying late for the fireworks. They are only 5 minutes long and can be canceled easily due to wind. Use that time for one last ride instead!.

Try the Snacks: Only in Tokyo Disney will you find popcorn with unique flavours, but our favourite is the Toy Story Alien Mochis. There are 3 different flavours in the set, and not only was it a cute snack, it was tasty too!
Collect Signatures: We did not do this but we saw many kids (and adults) asking the Disney characters to sign their signature books. We are not sure if it is a thing, but it must be pretty cool to have a book with signatures from Mickey, Minnie and the other characters.
Mobile Order is a Lifesaver: Queues for food are usually long. Use the app's "Advance Order" feature to order your meals and choose a pickup time for lunch so you aren't wasting prime ride time standing in line. Head over to the restaurant during your time slot and click on the 'I'm here' in the app to trigger the kitchen to start preparing your food. You'll get a notification with a counter number as soon as it's ready for pickup!

Souvenir Tickets: If you use the Disney Resort Line (monorail), buy the day passes. Each machine and each station offers a different ticket design, making them perfect free souvenirs for the kids.

As an ending, we just want to remind parents to enjoy the moment and not get too stressed over the schedules and routes. Use these as a guide but be prepared for changes too. Most importantly, have lots of fun!