Fantasy Springs was the biggest theme park news in 2024. Debuting in June at Tokyo DisneySea, the new port-of-call has drawn rave reviews and is the biggest (and most expensive) theme park expansion ever. Unfortunately, the entry process has not drawn the same praise that the actual land has. Instead that process has been convoluted and frustrating, bogging what should be a massive success down. In this post, we’ll detail why that the entry process for Fantasy Springs should be done away with and when we think that will actually happen.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Fantasy Springs entrance saga then here’s a quick rundown of how it works. The process is very similar to virtual queues in the states. Guests have to get a standby pass (their version of the virtual queue) to one of the four attractions in order to enter the new land. Those passes are offered as soon as the park opens to whoever is inside of Tokyo DisneySea and do run out quickly. The other option is to buy a Premier Pass (TDR’s version of Lightning Lane) for an attraction. That also runs out quickly and guests have to be inside of the park to book those, as well. If able to snag a pass then guests can enter the port during that time frame. If not, well… You might be doing the Charlie Brown walk for a while. The one upside is that more passes are released for each attraction as the day goes along.

Needless to say, this makes for a frustrating experience. Tokyo Disney Resort already had long lines to get in each morning. Now that there’s an extra reward for getting into the gates quickly, lines to enter have gone through the roof at DisneySea. It’s not unusual for these lines to form before the sun rises. I don’t say this to be an alarmist. Guests can still get there an hour before opening and still experience Fantasy Springs, it’s just a stressful experience that requires being in the TDR app all day instead of exploring the world’s best theme park!

As this has been going on for over 6 months and seems to not be getting any better, Tokyo Disney Resort needs to come up with a better solution. Frankly, the calendar will do them a few favors. The parks will see less crowds in the coming months and that should ease a little bit of the demand. I expect plenty of people to still line up early but if there’s less people in DisneySea then there should be more standby and premiere passes available.

But I’d like to see bigger changes than the calendar flipping. It’s time to ease the restrictions on Fantasy Springs. The port has a massive capacity, as does the rest of Tokyo DisneySea. With 4 rides, 3 restaurants and some walking spaces in Fantasy Springs, it’s time to see just how well the area holds crowds. Getting rid of standby passes may make the whole experience more pleasant for everyone involved. Maybe they could test a new process (or going without a process) on weekdays before fully running it out.

I respect that Oriental Land Company went this route when Fantasy Springs initially opened. It may have been convoluted but it did allow guests to experience the new area without overcrowding. On top of the ways to enter that I’ve already detailed, the resort offered a vacation package with unlimited entry onto the the new area’s rides. That specialty ticket (and specific vacation package) is set to end on March 31st. Having that exclusivity upon opening wasn’t always a bad thing, as it probably helped the port be fully experienced to those that were able to enter.

But now that the initial opening period has come to an end, I think getting to experience some of Fantasy Springs is better than nothing at all. Leaving it up to people’s choice on how long they want to wait in a standby line instead of how quick they are inside of an app seems more fair. And not having to line up at 6 AM makes for a more pleasant experience for everyone involved.

Now, if they were to switch to where everything is a standby line there would still be many early risers. Guests would be rewarded for getting there early because they’d be the first ones in Fantasy Springs. It’s a lesser of two evils though and includes less phone time, which I’d like to see all theme parks move toward. Moving to just standby lines (as well as premier pass) may not ease the burden in the morning but can at least give guests a choice and should ease the crowds throughout the day.

The biggest problem with all of this is the confusion. In 2024, the question we are asked the most is “How do we actually get inside of Fantasy Springs?” I promise this post isn’t just in response to us not wanting to answer questions! But it’s clear that the whole entry process hasn’t stuck the landing. I have to think Tokyo Disney Resort is also aware of the problem.

With that in mind, when would an actual change in process conceivably happen? The most obvious date is the one I already mentioned – March 31st. Having the vacation package tickets end that day will ease the burden on the Premier Pass lines, freeing up space to sell more of those and then opening up the standby lines even more. In less words, there will just be more spots available after the vacation package ends.

There aren’t many other obvious options. As I mentioned, mid January is one of Tokyo Disney Resort’s quietest seasons and that would theoretically be a good time to ease into a more freeing entry experience. Knowing the recent history of the resort, I would think they would have already announced something for that time frame but maybe not.

Another option would be in early June, right around the first anniversary of Fantasy Springs. That feels like a ‘if not now, when?’ sort of move but could be possible. I fear that if this doesn’t change before the 2025 summer then this entry process would last for another entire year.

As with most park operations, the reason TDR and the OLC have gone with this current entry is because they are able to track and manage the flow of crowds. It’s reasonable and I generally believe most theme parks mean well when they do that. I still think that’s the case here. But they could manage that to a degree even if they ease restrictions. For example, keeping all of the dining locations as mobile orders only would go a long way. That’s far easier to navigate for guests too.

We hope to see this whole process change soon because it’s hurting the Fantasy Springs and DisneySea experience as a whole. People are so caught up in doing what they need to on their phones that they don’t get to see the best theme park in the world. And that’s before factoring in the maddening experience of not getting a spot for one of the attractions. I think it’s past time to make these attractions available for standby lines and for guests to have regular entry into the port as a whole, whether they go on a ride or not. 2025 could be a chance to fully showcase the best theme park addition of 2024.

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