Originally Posted By SuperDry I recently had the opportunity to visit TDR and stay for 7 nights at the Hotel Mira Costa. I've stayed there before a few times, but never for more than two nights at a time. This trip was awesome, and turned out very different than I had expected. When I called to reserve my room, I was told that I was not permitted to stay more than 5 nights! Well, more specifically, not allowed to make a reservation for more than 5 nights without special approval. Huh? What kind of Mickey Mouse rule is that? Then I realized what kind: the Japanese kind. I also quickly decided not to seek the special approval, as doing anything outside of the ordinary rules in Japan is asking for difficulties or "misunderstandings" no matter how inane the rule is. If there's a rule, there's going to be someone who sees to it that it's enforced just for the sake of having a rule. Then I was told that on the 5th night, only a $1400 suite was available, so I said "well, make it only 4 nights then." So that was the plan, with 3 nights staying off-property. Once I got there, by the third day I was having such a great time that I asked at the front desk about extending my stay, and they had it available and it was no problem (no special dispensation from Mickey necessary once you're there, I guess). Also, I got a 2-park AP, as I plan to be back later in the year. This combined to staying on-site made all the difference and was what was so unexpected. The best word to describe a Disney visit (at any location) is "fun." For the city of Tokyo (as opposed to TDR), I'd use "interesting." But Disney is rarely "relaxing" and Tokyo definitely is not. But staying at the Mira Costa for a week in combination with an AP made it such that I didn't feel I had to be park gorilla and have every moment filled with something in order to get my money's and time's worth. I could just come and go as I pleased. Especially with TDS, with the park entrance being about 30 feet from the hotel elevator, it literally could not be any more convenient. I could literally get from my room to the park in two minutes. But that's not such a big deal, as when you're going to a Disney park, you're full of anticipation. Where it's really great is in the reverse direction. As soon as you get tired, want to change your clothes, or whatever, you're right there. BTW, this is why I like staying on-site at any Disney resort, as in addition to remaining inside the magic, it's just a lot more convenient, lower stress, and relaxing. But the Mira Costa takes this to the nth degree. It’s a totally different experience than being the 30-60 minutes from the parks in each direction when staying on-site at WDW. Having Ikspiari right there was really convenient. Thanks Mr X for cluing me into the fact that there’s a supermarket in the basement. I was there every day, and that actually greatly increased my enjoyment of my week there. I bought a lot of stuff that I ate back in the hotel room, including stuff for making sandwiches. It’s hard to describe how this is different than doing it at home, but it is. For one, Japanese markets (and others in Asia for that matter) tend to have a lot fresher options, and in much smaller portions. So for example, I could buy 6 slices of bread and some sliced cooked roast beef that looked like it came from a fine restaurant and not a food factory and be happy. Again, hard to describe. Anyway, it’s hard for me to describe how relaxing that week was, yet with Disney fun at the same time. Perhaps one reason it struck me so dramatically is that I’m usually just not one to relax. For example, some people’s dream vacation is to go lay on a beach somewhere for a week and do absolutely nothing. There’s just no way I could do that – I always need to be doing something for at least part of the day. But after my week at the Mira Costa and TDR, I think I understand the rejuvenation that others feel when they’ve been to the beach doing nothing for a week. I could just relax, “let go†and not have to worry about planning things. I just might have to do this again. As for friends, I did manage to run into and spend some time in the parks with Mr X, TDLFAN, and Magical Nezumi, as well as a recently-arrived entertainment CM whose name I forgot. For those of you that might be planning to visit TDR someday, I would like to point out that the on-site hotels are 40% off peak prices for most days in January and February, and the parks are very uncrowded. Mid-week in January was almost deserted at TDS a couple of the days. You can definitely see a lot without long lines. As a footnote, I did go into Tokyo on my last full day. It was kind of odd, as although you obviously are in Japan at TDR, you’re not in Tokyo, and the “big city†was a bit of a shock. I spent the whole day doing various things, went down to Yokohama, and got back late, completely exhausted. I’m glad I did it for one day. For others reading this that may be planning a first-time visit to Japan and TDR, DO NOT DO WHAT I DID! I’ve been many times already, so I was ready for just a fun TDR break. Get into Tokyo or elsewhere in Japan, especially if you’ve never been there before and may not get back. If you stay on-site at TDR, I recommend that you do so only for a few nights, and stay in Tokyo or another city for the rest of your Japan visit.
