Erin De Santiago

Are you planning your first trip to Tokyo and wondering how to get to the Tokyo Disney Resort from the airport? First off, it’s important to start off by explaining that there are TWO international airports in the greater Tokyo area — Narita and Haneda.

Should I Fly Into Haneda or Narita Airport?

Both airports receive international flights, so it really comes down to cost and schedule for what’s cheaper and most convenient for you to get into Japan itself. When I’m coming from the US or Europe, Narita is typically cheaper despite its high airport taxes. When I’m coming from within Asia, I prefer to fly low cost carriers that land in Haneda, which is significantly closer to Tokyo and Tokyo Disney than Narita. I recently saw one well-known US Disney blogger say that Narita is closer, which couldn’t be further from the truth. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to the Disney Resort from Haneda whereas it’s 1.5 hours from Narita in most cases.

If you’re staying at one of the official Disney Hotels or Partner Hotels in Tokyo Bay, you need to figure out how to get to the Disney Resort itself.

Airport Limo Buses

My preferred method of transportation is the Airport Limo Buses. There are counters in both Narita and Haneda airports, and it’s relatively painless to get back and forth — provided your flight arrives within the window of service. Unlike more popular destinations in Tokyo, the limo buses to the Disney Resort area end relatively early in the day.

My usual routine flying Delta or KLM into Narita is to walk out of the customs area and head straight to the limo bus counter and then to the ATM (which I also highly recommend). The limo bus is impossible to miss and usually never has too much of a line. Reservations don’t need to be made in advance, as they don’t allow advance call in, etc. You can pay with credit card (American Express included) and the representatives all speak English so they can help you get on the right bus.

There are schedules posted on the website that tell you the buses that depart from each airport and what time they will arrive at your desired hotel. For example, my usual schedule from Narita to the Hilton Tokyo Bay is:

Here is the timetable for Haneda to the Hilton Tokyo Bay:

It’s the same bus that makes the runs to the entire Tokyo Disney Resort area so it’s just a matter of confirming your final destination. You can even choose to buy a ticket that will take you directly to the resort or Resort Gateway as well. The rep will tell you which numbered stop you need, and the stops are all right outside of the terminal doors and are easy to locate. Don’t freak out if you’re early and your bus is not showing yet – they run 3-4 buses minutes apart from each spot. The guys will look at your tickets, and tell you where to stand while waiting. You should plan to be out by your stop no later than 10 minutes before your bus is scheduled to depart, but I will admit that I’ve bought a ticket for a bus leaving in 5 minutes and sprinted out there so I didn’t have to wait hours for the next one.

When it comes to booking your return ticket, you book it directly at the hotel at least 24 hours in advance. Important things to note — many of the hotels require cash — Japanese Yen — to purchase the return ticket. This is why I prefer to get money at the airport, as most of the ATM’s at Tokyo Disney do not take international cards. The 7-11 branches used to, but they no longer work with my European Maestro-branded ATM card. I hear there may be one in the Ikspiari shopping area, but I’ve yet to try it (I will report back when I’m there later this month). If you don’t have Yen, you can try to plead with your hotel to let you purchase your ticket and put it on your room, but they may not be able to. I had the Hilton do it for me once, but we also have Diamond status with them and the girl recognized me as I’m there every few months, so I wouldn’t rely on that strategy necessarily.

Also, when booking your return, tell them your flight time. You want to ensure you allow plenty of extra time if you’re returning to the airport on the limo bus as traffic in Tokyo is chaotic and unpredictable. Pick a return time that still gets you to the airport at least two hours ahead of your flight time, especially for flights out of Narita.

Tip: Make sure to have your passport handy on the bus back to the airport as officers come on to check ALL passports before the bus enters the airport itself. 

What do you do if your flight arrives after the latest bus? Depending on your flight origin, you may miss the last bus to Disney. If you are still determined to take the Airport Limo Bus, ask the representative what is the closest stop — I’ve found several in the Tokyo Bay area that run later at night. Get off the bus and catch a cab — my last trip was around $20 US in cab fare, which was easier since I was traveling with my 68-year-old mother and splitting the fare.

Narita Airport Express Train – N’EX

Another option departing Narita airport is to buy a ticket for the Airport Express train that stops at  select stations in Tokyo itself. The best option is to get off at Tokyo Main Station and change trains to the Keiyō line, which takes you to the Tokyo Disney Resort Gateway (Maihama Station). Some people prefer this option, but here’s my reasons for not taking it.

If you carry a lot of luggage (especially rolling bags) Tokyo metro trains aren’t the easiest to navigate, especially for me as a solo traveler sometimes. I’ve found the elevators and escalators closed at the most inopportune times — and have been stuck hauling 50-lb roller bags up stair by stair. If you’re not familiar with navigating Japanese trains, the nearly-mile walk between the Airport Express and Keiyō trains can double after a few wrong turns. For people carrying only backpacks, small duffels, or carry-on-size roller bags, the train may be a preferable option, but I’ll gladly take the limo bus service every time if I’m staying at the Tokyo Disney Resort.

For those times I stay in town, the Narita Airport Express Train is awesome — usually I’m staying near Shinagawa or Shinjuku Stations, which are stops on the express train.

Haneda Airport Trains

If you’re planning to take the train from Haneda, here’s the basic map showing you which trains you need to take to get to the Tokyo Disney Resort. I’ve never taken the train from Haneda, so I can’t honestly tell you how easy or what the length of connection is once you reach Tokyo Main Station.

Important Info about Haneda

Whether you’re taking the train or Limo Bus from Haneda International Terminal, it’s important to know that which escalator you take down matters! If you purchase the Limo Bus tickets, they should tell you which escalators to take. Follow the signs for “route buses.” Don’t mess it up or you’ll wind up on the street, unable to access your bus, and have to go back up. There is only one early morning bus from the International Terminal, which is great for me when I take a cheap red eye flight from Hong Kong. I arrive at 5am and have two hours to kill. But, if you’re in a hurry, taking the wrong escalator can be a costly mistake. If you take the train, you can see the escalators are first and then the route buses are next.

Arriving at Tokyo Disney Resort’s Maihama Station

Ok, so you’ve opted to take the train from either Haneda or Narita Airport and you get off at Maihama Station, but now what? There are buses at the station for some hotels, and if you’re staying at an official Disney hotel, you can check in near the station and drop your bags (before a certain time). Otherwise, if you’re at a partner hotel, the easiest thing to do is walk to the Disney Resort Line Station just inside the Ikspiari shopping area and buy a ticket for the Disney Monorail. You’ll want to look into multi-day passes as it often works out cheaper, and they are a collectible souvenir in Japan.

NOTE: Tickets are only available using cash, which is another reason I get money at the airport ATM first!

The second stop (after Tokyo Disneyland itself, which you should use if you’re staying at the Disneyland Hotel) will be Bayside Station, and you will want to exit here for the shuttle buses to the partner hotels. Once you get down the escalator, you’ll find several numbered stops that correlate to which hotel you’re staying at. The Sheraton is literally across the street and the easiest to walk…except when it’s pouring rain or freezing cold out! Buses run every few minutes throughout the day.

Taxis

Don’t take a taxi from the airport to the Tokyo Disney Resort unless you’re rich and don’t mind throwing money away. The rumors about taxis being expensive in Tokyo are not exaggerated, and a trip from Narita to Disney can easily top $100. The starting fare (the last time I was in a taxi) was 810 yen, which at the time was around $8 US, which is why taxis in town can be expensive as well. I had to take a taxi from the nearby Chiba area to Disney and it was still nearly $85 one time — lesson learned.

 

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