Staying at Tokyo Disney Resort – Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Review

Planning a visit to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea and questioning if you should stay at a Tokyo Disney Resort?

This blog post shares our experience at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, an official Tokyo Disney Resort hotel located beside Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

This was our first Disney Resort experience as a family, so we spent some time researching travel tips for Tokyo Disneyland. We had much to learn. Heck, we didn’t even know about the Disney Fast Pass! 

The big question – should we stay in Tokyo and take the train to Tokyo Disneyland for the day? Or, should we stay at a Disney Resort hotel instead?

Our plan was to stay in Tokyo for four nights. However, we only had one day set aside for Tokyo Disneyland. We were unsure if it made sense to stay close to Disneyland, even though this meant we would have to take the train into Tokyo city for the other days of sightseeing.

Decision, decisions.

Ultimately, we chose to stay at a Tokyo Disney Hotel. Specifically, the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel (check availability and rates here).

Before booking our accommodations at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, we had questions about the hotel and the benefits to staying at a Disney Resort.

In this post, we share our experience at a Tokyo Disney Resort and a few Tokyo Disneyland tips we learned along the way. See our photos from Tokyo Disneyland.

Tokyo Disney Resort – Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay 

The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel 

We decided to stay at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel for a few reasons.

First, the hotel is located directly across from Bayside Station, which is one of the stops on the Disney Resort Line (more on Tokyo Disneyland monorail below).

Second, this hotel has a big pool and game room for the kids. We planned to spend our first day in Tokyo adapting to the 16 hour time difference – not an easy adjustment for our boys. The amenities at the Sheraton Tokyo Disney hotel checked a lot of boxes for us. 

Finally, it’s priced within our budget. Some of the other Tokyo Disney Resorts are quite expensive. For example, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is approx $600 CAD per night and the Disney Ambassador Hotel is priced around $450 CAD per night.

We assumed that staying at a Disney Resort Hotel would be out of our budget, however the Sheraton was only $200 CAD per night. We think that’s a reasonable price for a 4.5 star hotel. 

We’re happy with our choice and would recommend staying at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel.

Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotel Benefits

Being an official Tokyo Disney Resort hotel, guests enjoy a few benefits.

• Check-in at the Welcome Center at JR Maihama station and have your luggage delivered to your room. This is convenient if you plan to visit Tokyo Disney Resort the day you arrive at the hotel.
• Hotel guests can purchase Disneyland tickets inside the hotel at the Hotel Ticket Counter.
• Guests receive guaranteed entry to the parks. Sometimes the Disney Resort parks sell out, so this benefit provides piece of mind.
• Easy access to Tokyo Disney Resort. Take a 3 minute free shuttle to Bayside Station, jump on the Disney Resort Line monorail and stop at either Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea. You will arrive at the park entrance in less than 20 minutes.

Other Disney Resort hotels in Tokyo:

• Tokyo Disneyland Hotel – check prices and availability here.
• Disney Ambassador Hotel- check out the beautiful lobby and pool here.
• Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel – check prices and availability here.
• Hilton Tokyo Bay – also located near Bayside station. Check availability here.
• Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay – check prices and availability here. 
• Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel – located outside Disney Resort. See location here.

Learn about Tokyo Disney Resort benefits here.

Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Review

The Sheraton Grande hotel lobby is large and welcoming. We arrived at the hotel around 8:00 PM and there was only a short line at reception.

We read that check-in and check-out at peak times can be a lengthy process with long lines. That was not our experience. Our check in was a fast and easy.

While waiting to check-in, our boys found a free video game station in the lobby. See photo below. There’s also a television playing Disney movies (also in the photo below). 

Our boys wanted to visit the lobby every day so they could play free video games.

Views of the property from the lobby at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel.

Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Restaurants 

The Sheraton Tokyo Bay has five restaurants and cafes on its property.

The Grand Cafe is a buffet style restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It serves a variety of international cuisines, so you’ll find familiar dishes here. See breakfast hours and prices here.

You can also grab a drink and small plates at the Grand Cafe Bar and lounge. 

Teppanyaki Restaurant Maihama offers a more traditional Japanese dining experience. It opens in the evening for dinner, however it also offers a lunch buffet on Sunday’s and holidays. See menu options here.

Toastina is a coffee house located in the main lobby. Like most coffee shops, it serves freshly prepared coffee, pastries and take out items like sandwiches, fruit and snacks.

Toastina also offers a breakfast buffet that is similar to the Grand Cafe – we assume this is because the Grand Cafe gets very busy between 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM. 

Asuka Restaurant offers Japanese multi-course dining and an extensive sushi bar. There’s limited seating so it’s best to make a reservation for this restaurant. See menu and hours here.

Galleria Cafe has an upscale food court restaurant setting. It offers a take out menu. See breakfast menu and pricing here. See all day menu here.

The Disney inspired buffet at the Grand Cafe at Sheraton Tokyo Bay Hotel.

Restaurant seating at the Grand Cafe. More hotel info here.

Upscale bar at the Maihama Teppanyaki Restaurant.

Toastina coffee house located in the main lobby of the Sheraton Tokyo Disney.

Entrance to Asuka Restaurant at Sheraton Tokyo Bay Hotel.

Park Wing Room at Sheraton Tokyo Disney

Our room is located in the Park Wing of the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel. Online reviews revealed this section is much nicer than the main hotel rooms. This article states that the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Park Wing was completed in 2016, so these rooms are new and modern.

We reserved the Park Wing room when we booked the room. We used Hotels.com for the reservation – here’s the link. After you input your desired dates, scroll to the bottom where it says ‘Room, Multiple Beds (Park Wing)’. Select that option and you should be fine. 

Our room came with four single beds. This worked out well for us. Japan hotels rooms are typically small and offer twin beds, so we preferred having four single beds instead of two twin beds.

In the above photo, you can see the layout of the room. The four single beds were stacked side-by-side, so the room was quite cozy. 

Our Park Wing room came equipped with a mini-fridge, electric kettle, coffee, free toiletries, USB charging ports for our devices, slippers and robes (see photo below), daily housekeeping, free Wifi and a flat screen television, although it only had a few English speaking channels.  

Read our 25 Japan travel tips for first time visitors

Nice touch – the Sheraton Tokyo Bay provides kids sized robes and slippers.

The hotel rooms are not stocked with dishes or cutlery. However, we did manage to eat cereal for breakfast by using the coffee mugs. You can get plastic cutlery from the coffee shop in the lobby.

This hotel has a small grocery store located near the Park Wing entrance. You can stock up on snacks and drinks before you head to your room. 

Read more Japan travel tips here.

View from our Park Wing room. Tokyo Disneyland is located behind the construction site, which is said to be a large-scale expansion for Tokyo DisneySea rides and attractions. Read about upcoming Tokyo Disney Resort expansions here.

Bonus – we were able to see the nightly Disneyland fireworks from this window. 

Swimming Pool at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay 

We enjoyed swimming in this heated indoor pool. Over the years, we’ve learned that a swimming pool and hot tub is the best cure for jetlag. We knew the 16 hour time difference would be a challenge for everyone, which is one of the reasons why we chose this hotel.

The heated indoor pool is located within the Oasis. It’s complimentary for hotel guests. The pool hours are from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with last entrance at 7:00 PM. 

Swimming pool at Oasis

Surprisingly, this massive swimming pool was empty every time we used it. The hotel has over 1000 rooms, and there were a lot of guests in the lobby and restaurants, so we assumed more people would use the facilitates. This was not the case. 

The indoor pool room also has a shallow pool for infants and toddlers.

The hot tub is a little dated but it does the trick. 

Japanese Bath and Sauna

My-You is a Japanese Style bath and sauna in the Oasis part of the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay.

Hotel guests can use this facility but there are some rules. Tattoos that cover more than 10% of the total body are not allowed to use the public bath due to social and cultural sensitivities of the people of Japan.

The Japanese bath is open from 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM (midnight).

Visiting Japan for the first time? Read 25 Japan travel tips

Namco Land at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay

Namco Land is a games and arcade room located within the Oasis at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. Our boys LOVED this game room and wanted to return multiple times during our stay. 

Games start at 100 JPY per play (around $1.25 CAD). You can purchase tokens from the change machines located onsite. There’s an attendant walking around if you have issues or questions.

Namco Land hours of operation is 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM. 

Our boys are in the Pokemon phase, so they were in Pokemon heaven in Japan.

Some of the games in Namco Land are quite impressive. The above fishing game was a big hit.

Read more posts from Japan here.

This is a popular game. We found this drum game at most arcades in Japan.

Learning to drive a bus at Namco Land arcade and games room.

Connor won this massive Pokemon stuffie at Namco Land on our first day at the hotel. He was very excited about his win. We were happy for him too, but we were not thrilled about having to travel around Japan for 2 weeks with this unexpected travel companion.

Watch him win this Pokemon on our Instagram Stories. It’s pretty funny.

Treasures! Island at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay 

If you have young kids, the Treasures! Island at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay is fun place for them to play. It’s an indoor playground and obstacle course with slides and tunnels.

It is located in the Oasis, directly beside Namco Land arcade.

Price is 620 JPY ($8.00 CAD) per hour for children aged 0 to 12 years old. Hours of operation are from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with last entrance at 5:00 PM. 

Related – Our experience attending the Rugby World Cup in Japan

The Sheraton has a Disney store located next to the lobby.

Tokyo Disney Resort tickets 

Tokyo Disney Resort tickets must be purchased in advance, which means you have to select a date to visit Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

Unfortunately, this means that if the weather is bad or something comes up and you want to switch days, it can be challenging. One of the benefits for staying at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel is that you can purchase Disney Resort tickets in the hotel lobby.

This gives you more flexibility because you can buy passes in the morning or the day before you plan to visit Tokyo Disney park.

The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel guarantees Disneyland and DisneySea access, so you don’t have to worry about tickets selling out (this does happen!).

We tried to buy Tokyo Disneyland tickets in Canada before departing to Japan, but the Tokyo Disneyland website would not allow us to pre-buy tickets. I’m still not sure why, but the site kept kicking me out.

We were a little nervous about getting Disney tickets, so staying at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay gave us peace of mind that tickets would not be an issue. 

Disney Resort tickets 

We purchased our Disney tickets from the ticket counter in the lobby of the hotel. We did this the day before our trip to Tokyo Disneyland, so it was one less thing to worry about.

The line to purchase tickets in the morning can be quite long, so it’s best to get your tickets ahead of time, when there are no lines. 

How much does it cost to go to Disneyland Tokyo?

When you purchase Tokyo Disney Resort tickets, you are required to select the dates you plan to visit the park. These dates cannot be changed later. 

Prices will vary depending on age and how many days you plan to visit Disneyland or DisneySea.

For a 1 day passport to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea:

• Adults = 7,500 JPY ($91.00 CAD)
• Junior = 6,500 JPY ($79.00 CAD)
• Child = 4,900 JPY ($60.00 CAD)

For a 2 day passport to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea:

• Adults = 13,400 JPY ($163.00 CAD)
• Junior = 11,800 JPY ($144.00 CAD)
• Child = 8,800 JPY ($107.00 CAD)

For a 3 day Magic Passport to Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea:

• Adults = 18,100 JPY ($220.00 CAD)
• Junior = 15,800 JPY ($192.00 CAD)
• Child = 11,800 JPY ($144.00 CAD)

See updated Tokyo Disney Resort ticket prices here.

You can purchase tickets from the booths at the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea. However, to save time, you should consider purchasing your Tokyo Disney Resort tickets online. 

Disney Resort Cruiser Shuttle Bus 

The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay offers a free shuttle service to the Bayside Station, which is a stop on the Disney Resort Line monorail.

You can also walk from the hotel to the monorail station. It only takes 5 minutes. 

The driver of this Disney Resort Cruiser was always smiling and enthusiastic. 

This is the free shuttle bus pick up location at Bayside Station.

Where is Tokyo Disneyland located?

The Tokyo Disney Resort is located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, to the east of Tokyo City.

The above map of Tokyo Disneyland gives you an idea of where the park is located in relation to Tokyo. The train from Tokyo Station to Tokyo Disneyland takes about 15-20 minutes. 

The exact address of Tokyo Disneyland is 1-1 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba 279-0031, Japan.

How to get to Tokyo Disney Resort 

The closest train station to Tokyo Disney Resort is JR Maihama Station. From JR Maihama, you walk to Resort Gateway Station, which is on the Disney Resort Line. 

The map above shows the train stations on the Disney monorail. There are four train stations in total. It takes about 15 minutes to do a complete circle around Tokyo Disneyland.

Trains arrive every 5-10 minutes, depending on the time of day. More info about the Disney Resort Line fares and schedule here.

Most of the Disney hotels are located at Bayside station.

A free shuttle service transports guests from Bayside Station directly to the Disney hotel. Bayside station has escalators and elevators, so you should be fine if you have luggage with you.

Tokyo Station to Tokyo Disneyland

The train from Tokyo Station to JR Maihama Station takes about 15 minutes on the JR Keiyo or JR Musashino line. Try to catch the express train. Check train times on the Hyperdia website.

Get a Suica Card if you plan to be in Tokyo for a few days.

The Suica Card is a prepaid smart card that allows you to use most public transport (metro, trains, buses, monorail). You are NOT able to use Suica cards on the Disney Resort Line.

There is an additional charge for the Tokyo Disney Resort train.

Read more Japan travel tips here.

Disney Resort Line to Tokyo Disneyland

The Disney Resort Line is a monorail that connects the Disney Resort hotels to both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea parks. There is an additional fee for the monorail – see photo below. 

If you are staying at an Official Disney Resort hotel we recommend you purchase a multi-day pass. We purchased a 3 day pass for 1200 JPY ($15 CAD). 

However, if you are not staying at or near Disneyland, it may actually be cheaper to purchase single tickets. If you’re staying in Tokyo City and plan to take the train to Disneyland, you would only need 2 x single tickets on the Disney Resort Line (one to arrive & one to return).

This would total 520 JPY, instead of 660 JPY for the one day pass.

Above is a photo of the ticket prices for the Disney Resort Line (as of October 2019).

You purchase Disney Resort Line tickets at the vending machines located at each station.

This is what the Disney Resort Line ticket looks like. You input the ticket at the turnstyle before boarding the train and once again when you arrive at your destination.

Related – 25 travel tips for Japan

Hanging hand rails on the Disney Resort Line are shaped like Micky Mouse ears.

Inside the monorail train on the Tokyo Disney Resort Line.

Airport Shuttle to Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay

The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay offers a shuttle service to and from Tokyo Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport. It’s called a limousine service, however it’s actually a large shuttle bus. This is a convenient and inexpensive way to get to the airports.

Haneda Airport to Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, and vice versa

Fare: Adult 850 JPY ($11 CAD), Child (aged 6 to 12) 430 JPY ($5.50 CAD)
Duration: Approximately 55 minutes

Narita Airport to Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, and vice versa

Fare: Adult 1,900 JPY ($24 CAD, Child (aged 6 to 12) 950 JPY ($12 CAD)
Duration: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes

Book your transfer through the Airport Limousine website here.

Ikspiari Mall at Disney Tokyo Resort

One of the great things about staying at a Tokyo Disney hotel is the nearby amenities. This area is built for tourists. Ikspiari Mall at the Resort Gateway Station has several restaurants, bars, coffee shops and shopping available. 

It is a touristy shopping center and the prices reflect this. However, we enjoyed having easy access to Ikspiari Mall from our hotel. 

The mall is home to a few familiar restaurants, including TGI Friday’s, Rainforest Cafe, Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse and Kristy Creme Donuts.

Ikspiari mall also has a food court and grocery store. We visited the grocery store multiple times to stock up on breakfast items, fruit and veggies, snacks, beer and drinks. 

See the list of Ikspiari restaurants here.

Cinema Ikspiari at Tokyo Disney Resort

Ikspiari has a cinema inside the mall. You can watch some of the movies in English. It plays many of the new release movies you’d find in North America.

Cinema Ikspiari boasts of state-of-the-art theater equipment and stadium style seats. Seats require a reservation. You can purchase tickets online or at the vending machines in front of the cinema entrance.

Check movie schedule and ticket prices here.

The above photo was taken inside Ikspiari mall, just outside the entrance to Cinema Ikspiari. The painted ceiling and lights make it feel as if you’re outdoors.  

Rainforest Cafe at Ikspiari at Tokyo Disney Resort 

We ate lunch at Rainforest Cafe at Ikspiari. It’s located across from Cinema Ikspiari. We visited a Rainforest Cafe in Tempe, Arizona a few years ago, so we were familiar with this unique dining experience. 

This jungle themed restaurant is famous for its light and sound show. Every 15 minutes the entire restaurant shakes to the sound of thunder and animal’s roaring. It’s a fun atmosphere for kids.

The food at this restaurant was not great. This is often the case when trying to replicate North American cuisine overseas. We would still recommend visiting the Rainforest Cafe for its decor and jungle atmosphere, but stick with an appetizer and drink. 

Entrance to the Rainforest Cafe at Tokyo Disney Resort.

Inside the Ikspiari Rainforest Cafe in Japan. The big elephant blasts its trunk as if it was alive. 

Roti’s House Bier Hall at Ikspiari

We visited Roti’s House after our full day at Tokyo Disneyland. It’s located on the 4th floor of Ikspiari mall, adjacent to the Harvest Moon craft brewery. We discovered this restaurant on our first day in Tokyo when we were eploring Ikspiari mall. 

The beer selection at Roti’s House is good. We sampled a few different dishes, including calamari, handmade chips, fried chicken and this sliced beef over rice dish pictured below. 

Have you visited Tokyo Disney Resort?

Share your travel tips in the comments below.

Craft beer at Roti’s House – now that’s a tagline!

Above is a photo of the grocery store at Ikspiari Mall. It has everything you need.

The bakery at Ikspiari sells these delicious Halloween inspired pastries. 

When is the best time to visit Tokyo Disneyland?

It’s best to avoid visiting Tokyo Disneyland on weekends and/or national holidays. This is when the crowds will be the biggest. Summer is typically the most popular time to visit Tokyo Disney Resort. 

Try to avoid visiting around Golden Week (29th of April to early May) because there are a number of Japanese holidays at this time.

Other peak times are Obon Festival Obon Festival (August 13 to 15) and New Year (December 31 to January 5). It’s best to avoid these dates if possible.

Visit the Tokyo Disney Resort website to see the temporary closure of park facilities. Rides and attractions are often scheduled for maintenance and repairs, so it’s wise to check this list before you visit the park. 

Another useful website is the Disney Crowd Calendar because it has a scoring system that rates how busy the parks will be on any given day. Typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the best time to visit. 

Tokyo Disneyland Tips

Here are a few tips for Tokyo Disney Resort:

• Arrive early. Like all Disney Resorts, Tokyo Disneyland is very busy ALL the time. Plan to arrive at the entrance at 8:30 AM, even though the doors do not open until 9:00 AM.
• Don’t wing it – plan your visit. Research the rides and attractions you want to visit. Take a look at the Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea maps (see maps here) and consider travel time between rides. 
• Take advantage of the Disney Fast Pass! Learn how here. The first thing to do when you arrive is head to a Fast Pass location and get your ticket. Times will fill up quickly.
• Download a Disney app to check wait times for rides. While you’re waiting in line, it’s best to track wait times for rides so you can plan accordingly. Here’s the Disney wait time app for IOS and Android. There are several apps, so you may want to test a few before your visit.
• Avoid visiting on weekends. Big crowds and long lines are more noticeable on weekends. Typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays are the least busy. 
• You may exit and re-enter the park. If you want to take a break and leave the park for a few hours (another benefit to staying at a Tokyo Disney hotel), you are allowed to re-enter the park until it closes for the evening.  

Tips for eating at Tokyo Disney Resort:

• Make restaurant reservations. If you want to dine at a Tokyo Disney restaurant during lunch and dinner, you are wise to make reservations once you enter the park. To do this, either visit the restaurant in person or use one of the Tokyo Disney Resort apps. 
• Special dietary menus are available at select restaurants. See the list here. 
• Avoid eating at peak times. We read that it is best to eat before or after peak times. This was good advice. We ate lunch at 11:00 AM when there was no lines. By 12:00 PM the lines for restaurants and cafeterias was very long. 
• You cannot bring food or alcoholic beverages in the parks. Here’s a list of items not allowed in the Tokyo Disney Resort parks.

Don’t forget to bring these items:

• Bring water bottles. You can refill at water stations throughout the park.
• Hat and sunscreen. It can get very hot inside the park. You may find yourself standing in line or watching a parade without shade – plan for the sun. 
• Bring cash with you. Surprisingly, cash is still the preferred method of payment in Japan.
• Leave your tripod and selfie stick in your hotel room. These items are not allowed in the park.
• Bring a portable power charger so you can charge your devices. We use this model.
• Make sure you charge your cameras the night before. And make sure your memory cards are empty.

Tokyo Disneyland tip – take advantage of the Disney Fast Pass! Learn how here.

Arrive early! The above photo shows the crazy lines in front of Tokyo Disneyland. This photo was taken around 8:30 AM. Some people arrive over an hour before opening time to be the first to enter the park. 

Read more posts from Japan

• Our experience attending the Rugby World Cup in Japan
• 25 Japan travel tips for first time visitors
• 100 Photos of Tokyo Disneyland, Japan 
• We made a few Disney World mistakes. Here’s what NOT to do.
• Our experience at Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando

Have you visited Tokyo Disney Resort?

Share your experience and travel tips in the comments below. Our readers thank you!