First, you need to understand how to optimize the Tokyo Disney Resort app. If you’ve used the Disneyland or Disney World apps before, this should seem familiar, however the execution is slightly different (and better). In the US, you have Virtual Queue, Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, and Lightning Lane Single Pass.

Tokyo Disney has these systems just under different names.

Stand-By Pass = Virtual Queue:

Stand-By Pass reserves you a time slot to visit the stand-by line. Without this pass, you cannot enter the queue for any Fantasy Springs attraction.

40th Anniversary Priority Pass = Lightning Lane Multi-Pass

While the concept is the same, the passes have different intricacies. First of all, Priority Passes are still FREE! Yep, free! These are only going to be available for a few choice attractions. Usually moderate or lower. None of the Fantasy Springs rides have this pass currently. However, these passes work on other attractions in the park to keep you occupied while waiting for your Fantasy Springs passes to become active.

Disney Premier Access (DPA) = Lightning Lane Single Pass

This is one-for-one the same system. These are for top tier rides, they cost extra, and only can purchased individually. These passes are available for three of the four Fantasy Springs rides: Rapunzel, Peter Pan, and Frozen

You can one of each right as you enter the park. All of these passes are available the moment your park ticket has been scanned at the turnstile. Book one pass for each three types the moment your entire party is through the gate.

What should you book first?

Go for Stand-by for Rapunzel first, DPA for Frozen second, and Priority Pass for Indiana Jones third. Some people flip Rapunzel and Frozen, however we suggest this method due to the longer stand-by wait for Frozen. You might miss the themed queue, but waiting 100+ minutes is not worth it. Rapunzel seemed to max out on our stay at about 50 minutes which was probably over posted with how fast that queue moves. Indiana Jones will book out pretty quickly for Priority Pass so definitely do not forget to grab one especially since they are free to use.

How early do I need to arrive?

If you are not stay at the Fantasy Springs Hotel, Mira Costa or Ambassador Hotel, you’re going to want to arrive at the park gates at 6-6:30am. I promise you, it will be busy ANYDAY you visit. Locals love to arrive well before rope drop and the parks will open their gates 15-30 minutes prior to schedule opening.

If you are staying at the previously mentioned hotels, you get much more time to sleep in. We arrived at 7:30am for Happy Entry. Happy Entry started on our trip at 8:30am with regular ticketed guests let in at 8:45am. Happy Entry is well worth it for the extra sleep. Even arriving at 7:30am, there was only about 10 guests in front of us once they moved everyone to the turnstile holding area.

We grabbed a Stand-by Pass for Rapunzel from 9:00-10:00, a DPA for Frozen from 10:30-11:30, and a Priority Pass for Indy from 9:10-10:10. We used our thirty minutes of early time in the park after the passes to get in line for Journey to the Center of the Earth. The rides still won’t open until the scheduled time. We waited maybe 20-25 minutes once we got to the entrance of the ride. They opened right at 9am and we were on the first vehicle of the day. We went right over to Rapunzel afterwards. Once scanned in, we could book another Stand-by Pass, which we got for Tinkerbell since that ride is Stand-by Pass only. Our return time was scheduled for 13:05 (1:05pm).

After Rapunzel, we made it to Indy and booked our next Priority Pass and DPA for 20,000 Leagues for 10:25am and 12:05pm for Peter Pan. We grabbed some of the amazing Soy & Butter Popcorn on the way to 20,000 Leagues. Immediately after, we were able to ride Frozen with our DPA.

We had mobile ordered food for Lookout Cookout in Fantasy Springs while we had been waiting for Journey earlier in the morning for a time slot right after we would get off Frozen. Food was ready instantly, and we were able to eat before Peter Pan. After food and Peter Pan, we rode Sindbad located right outside Fantasy Springs. This is my favorite ride in the park and Delaney’s favorite outside of Fantasy Springs. Sindbad will be your saving grace. The wait time is always short, its indoor, and its one the best Disney rides ever made. If you don’t have another Priority Pass booked and you’re waiting for a Fantasy Springs return time, ride Sindbad.

We ended our time in Fantasy Springs with a 53-minute wait for Tinkerbell. Longest wait of the day for a ride definitely not worth wasting a Stand-by Pass on, but we wanted to prove how easy it was to get. We got off before 2pm leaving the rest of the park available for our enjoyment!

What if everything already booked out?

Unlike in the US, any Stand-by Pass that another guests canceled, someone else can pick up. You do this with a Virtual Queue in the US, its just gone. However, the timing is tight. A lot of locals know about this and are refreshing the Stand-by Pass page for any that pop up. You’ll see them pop up all the time and if you don’t click it within a fraction of a second, someone else will get it first. This can actually be done with Priority Passes too. We picked up Star Tours (at the Disneyland park), 20,000 Leagues, and Rapunzel with this method. We also got Frozen a bunch and kept releasing them back to the wild, because we didn’t want to bother with the 100-minute wait. Other the one full day we spent and two half days, we got on every Fantasy Springs ride twice and Peter Pan three times since it was our favorite!