Two days ago I visited Disney Sea with my host sister and the 学主因International Club. After a day of learning how to navigate this sprawling ‘city’, I picked up some handy hints that can cut down your time spent in those long lines.

The first helpful hint is to arrive before the opening time, and pre-purchase your tickets. We arrived half an hour early and the lines were already massive – so I really recommend doing this. Plan your route and head off early to ensure you are able to spend the whole day at the theme park. And yes, it really is a full day experience. In addition to this, I recommend looking up which ride has been released the most recently, which will come in to play with my next trip.

Once you get in to the park, head straight to the most recently built ride. Instead of hopping in line, hold tight on to your entry ticket and find the fast pass line. Here you can scan your ticket and receive a fast pass – for free – that allows you to skip the line at a certain time. You can have up to two fast pass tickets at any time, and then you need to use one before scanning for another.

Currently at Disney Sea, the most recently released ride is the Toy Story themed one – and if you are heading there soon I seriously recommend lining up for the fast pass, because everyone in Japan is crazy for it! My personal recommendation for fast pass is the Journey to The Centre of the Earth ride, the line is usually around 100 minutes, and it is the number one ride in Disney Sea {set in a huge volcano}.

My third tip is to go as a single rider. I can understand that it is nice to ride with friends, but if you are limited for time going as a single is a really good idea. Often, the lines are really quick, and chances are you will be in the same cart as your friend anyway.  

There you have it, my top three tips for Disney in Japan. Even though waiting in lines can be tedious, sometimes it’s worth it for a good ride {Indiana Jones, anyone?}. My friends and I found it really useful to buy some food and chow down whilst shuffling along. A final note, it isn’t called Disney Sea just because of some small water features, it can get really windy! So bring a jacket in winter or face the cold.

-H