We are going in early October and I did read through the FAQs and tried to skim some posts. A few questions please..
1. We want to go for 5 days but 4 is the max. Would it make the most sense to buy a 3 and a 2 or a 4 and a 1 day pass? I think you have to say which part you are going for the first two days?
2. Advanced tickets online can only be bought 3 months in advance, correct?
3. Do I need to book restaurant reservations far far in advance like DisneyWorld or Disneyland?
4. I can not find a meal plan - I guess it does not exist?
5. We are staying at a partner hotel - Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay. Can I get 5 or 6 day monorail passes or is it pay each time?
6. Where is a good place online to buy the rail pass for Japan trains?
Thank you!!
1- Buy a four day ticket and then a single day. The reason is that after you name your parks for day 1 and 2, day 3 and 4 will be park hoppers. If you buy a 3 day ticket and a two, you will need to name your parks twice and only have day 3 to do as you want.
2- Another option to buy tickets is the Tokyo Disney desk at Disney Stores in Japan. 3 months in advance is the most you can buy them ahead of time.
3- You can do reservations up to thirty days in advance... but its either over the phone or on the japanese reservation website. When I went last january, I got a fast pass at Tower of Terror, ran to Journey to the Center of the Earth, rode it with no wait and then came back to the now defunct Sailing Day Buffet to stand in the same day reservation line. Restaurants will start taking same day reservations at 10am and like gelatoni fan said, some restaurants can be completely booked. This is the link for the japanese reservation website:
https://reserve.tokyodisneyresort.jp/restaurant/search/
4- No meal plan. All meals need to be paid out of pocket. To give you an idea on what prices to expect, figure that the most expensive meal at a park is the amazing Magellan's. At dinner, a "set menu" including a soup, vegetable appetizer, appetizer of scallops, main dish of Kuroge Beef, dessert and soft drink will run 8020 yens or 73$ US. This include taxes and tipping does not exist in Japan. What is Kuroge Beef? Its a family of high end japanese beef that include Kobe Beef. Quick service meals are all around 900-1200 yens.
One thing to note, portions are much smaller than what we're used to in the US there. Don't expect to be able to split a meal unless you're very, very light eaters.
5- Get a four day pass and then a two day pass.
6- Are you expecting to travel outside of Tokyo? For Tokyo only trips, I would suggest not getting a Japan Rail Pass. Get a Suica/PASMO card, load it up and you're all ready to go to travel using the subway and JR train. Buying the Japan Rail Pass from a direct agency will be cheaper than at the airport in Japan.