Originally Posted By kelliat Hi everyone: I have been reading the discussion board to gather information for my son's" trip to Japan. My family has vacationed in DL a number of times and and WDW once, and so I thought if he "anchored" his trip around visiting TDR & TDS, he would feel comfortable. He also wants to go to Osaka Castle, shopping areas, etc. At this time, it looks like he will be travelling by himself. So, when I look at the albums posted (awesome pictures!!) I am immediately amazed at the number of people in the lineups and wonder--when is it NOT busy at the resorts in Tokyo? Ever? We like to go to Disney properties during the "down" months, like February or after Thanksgiving--before Christmas---in California, etc. and don't mind dealing with crappy weather if we can avoid giant huge crowds. You won't find us at a resort during July & August for example. ARE there down-times? Or..does he need to prepare himself for "sharing" the parks with many more guests than in US? Looking forward to your help & advice and TIA!!!
Originally Posted By MagicalNezumi kelliat, below are general times of the year when crowds are expected. Please note that there may be pockets of days where the Parks can have manageable crowds in the middle of busy holiday times. Also, a good indicator of expected activity can be seen in the way the local Disney hotels set up room rates. See the Ambassador Hotel's calendar here: <a href="http://www.disneyhotels.jp/english/reserve/dah_price_e.html" target="_blank">http://www.disneyhotels.jp/eng lish/reserve/dah_price_e.html</a> Down times: January - early March mid-April mid-May - late June early September Busy times: late March - early-April (Spring Break) July (Summer Break) mid-September - early October (Halloween) Very busy times: late April - early May (Golden Week) August (Summer Break) mid-October (Halloween) November - December (Christmas / New Year's Season) -- MagicalNezumi
Originally Posted By Mr X Good take on the seasons there MN. One thing to keep in mind is that DisneySea is usually much less busy than TDL, so if you're there on a weekend or holiday DisneySea is a better place to head for (it too gets crowded though, especially during those very busy times MN mentioned). Also, although Halloween and Christmas/New Years are very crowded, there are tons of special shows and decorations and such so it's still worth a trip even if it's somewhat busier (still, avoid weekends especially!).
Originally Posted By kelliat OK - thanks everybody-- that's awesome info. So, just to put it in perspective for me, "the Mom" - suppose we choose a time from the least busy times from the hotel calendar: how would a 3 day (weekday) adventure at TD & TDS "feel" in terms of BUSY when compared to Disneyland? Are there times when one can walk on rides at Tokyo Disneyland + Sea just as there are in California? Would he feel like "oh man, there's just a ton more people here". Like, when we go to DLR - if we want a good view of the parade, we get our spot on Main Street 2 hours ahead of parade start, and that's in the off season, like after Thanksgiving, or say, weekdays in Feb. Would he find it LESS busy, or MORE busy than DL during quiet times? Thanks!!
Originally Posted By SuperDry I spend a week at TDR in mid-January 2006, and the parks were very quiet. Most stuff at TDS was a walk-on on most days. Also, the parades are a bit different as many of the viewing areas are quite deep (they might go 10+ layers of people back) and most importantly, at TDL, guests are requested and required to stay seated on the ground during parades (unless you're well behind the last layer of seated guests). So, adults and children alike can see the parade just fine, even if the crowd is several layers back when you get there.
Originally Posted By karlg I was just at TDS on Sunday April 22 and it was reasonably un-crowded. I used FP to help and we were able to go on every major attraction twice. It was very windy which may have put some people off of the park (and it kept the major shows from being done except for an abbreviated Braviseamo). A couple of years ago I was at TDS and TDL in early December and it was jam packed. They put on a lot of extra things for Christmas (yes they celebrate Christmas in big way in Japan). It was even very busy on a weekday which surprised me. Since there is a large local base that attends TDL, things like the weather can have a bigger impact on attendance than say at WDW where trips are planned months in advanced. MN gave to some good general time frames and more importantly, key days to avoid. TDR can be brutal when it is crowded. It becomes a "team sport" where you need a "fast pass runner," an "attraction line stander, and a "vending food fetcher" to keep up. A “team†of people can outdo a single person that can on be in one place at a time. There can be 20+ minute lines for popcorn! (you need a team member to get vending food). On a week day in early December, there was a 30+ minute wait to just to get a fast pass for Buzz Light year, yet it was a 10-minute standby first thing in the morning and the only way I got to see it on a week day (I think many of the people waiting for FP had a "team" "line waiter" at some other attraction - note Buzz was new at TDL 2 years ago). Buzz helped me out as it siphoned off people from Pooh's Hunny Hut (near Buzz) which I was much more interested in.
