Olympics 2020

[mathgeek]

Any predictions on how bad travel will be to Tokyo a few weeks before the 2020 Olympics? I had planned on going in 2019, but some another opportunity became available instead. This trip keeps getting delayed for me...it was supposed to be this summer, then next summer, and now I'm looking at 2020. I'm nervous about the impact the Olympics will have.

 

[Laundress]

Thank you for your question. interested in opinions of others too. we will travel summer 2020 and are very nervous about my planning. Will they open reservations earlier because of the games? go with ABD?

 

[Colleen27]

No help, just subbing in because I'm wondering the same. Our tentative dates would have us at TDR about six weeks before the 2020 games start and I'm a little nervous about whether that will be close enough to see an appreciable increase in crowds or have more difficulty with booking our resort stay.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I went to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and prices for lodging started skyrocketing about a month out. But China had several hundred thousand more volunteers and staff than any other Olympics so I can't predict if Tokyo will be the same. Six weeks out, workers are arriving to prepare things but spectators and athletes don't arrive till later. Thankfully, the main Olympics Stadium is on the west side of Tokyo while Disneyland is out East so the hotels East of the resort are less likely to be affected but airfare will still be higher than usual. I expect at least one of the parks to reach capacity each day during the Olympics. Also, several new attractions and changes are expected to finish by spring 2020 meaning that locals may swarm the parks during the summer as well even if they aren't going to the Olympics.

 

[Colleen27]

Thanks, that sounds promising! My initial plan would have us starting and ending the trip in Tokyo, with the city sightseeing at the start (May 24-28ish) and TDR/DS at the end (June 10-12 or so), since we'll be flying in/out of Narita. But I had been waffling on whether to revise the schedule to do the whole area at the beginning of the trip because of the potential impact of the Olympics. After going to the trouble of convincing my daughter that it would be better NOT to plan her return trip during the games, I don't want to accidentally end up in the Olympic crowds anyway!

 

[gelatoni fan]

Thanks, that sounds promising! My initial plan would have us starting and ending the trip in Tokyo, with the city sightseeing at the start (May 24-28ish) and TDR/DS at the end (June 10-12 or so), since we'll be flying in/out of Narita. But I had been waffling on whether to revise the schedule to do the whole area at the beginning of the trip because of the potential impact of the Olympics. After going to the trouble of convincing my daughter that it would be better NOT to plan her return trip during the games, I don't want to accidentally end up in the Olympic crowds anyway!

Crowds aside, May is likely to be the end of the Easter event while June is likely to be the beginning of Tanabata. While Fashionable Easter is one of my favorite Disney shows, Tanabata is a uniquely Japanese experience. If you are unlikely to return to Tokyo Disney for many years, May is probably safer in terms of crowds and chances of rain.

 

[Colleen27]

Crowds aside, May is likely to be the end of the Easter event while June is likely to be the beginning of Tanabata. While Fashionable Easter is one of my favorite Disney shows, Tanabata is a uniquely Japanese experience. If you are unlikely to return to Tokyo Disney for many years, May is probably safer in terms of crowds and chances of rain.

My daughter loved the Tanabata celebration she attended with her host family this summer, so that would probably be the special event that would appeal to her more. Then again, both of my girls raise & show rabbits so the Easter stuff would probably appeal too... It seems like there are a lot of kawaii bunnies in the spring seasonal merchandise! And if we do TDR at the start of the trip, we'd be there for my birthday.

I'm treating this as a once-in-a-lifetime trip, though I hope it won't actually be that. Older DD recently spent eight weeks in Japan on an exchange program, half of it in Tokyo and the other half in Shimane Prefecture, and she came home talking not only about going back as a family but also about the possibility of looking into Japanese universities for college or grad school because she would like to live there for an extended time at some point in the future. I've already arrived at the conclusion that three weeks isn't going to be enough time to see everything I'd like to see so I know the temptation to return will be strong, and it'll be stronger still if she does spend an extended time there. Still, life is unpredictable and this is going to be our first major international trip (not counting Canada because I can walk there from my house!) so it feels wrong to assume we'll be back, you know?