Disney Park Braces For Impact as Thousands of Guests Flood the Gates

In 1983, Disney welcomed thousands of guests into its newest resort — Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo Disneyland Resort consists of two theme parks — Tokyo Disney and Tokyo DisneySea — as well as five hotels, with a sixth set to open in 2024. Now, while the theme parks might be Disney, there is one thing that sets Tokyo Disney apart from every other Disney Resort. Tokyo Disneyland is not owned by Disney — it is owned by the Oriental Land Company.

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Tokyo Disneyland quickly gained favor with Disney fans around the world and is now one of the most popular Disney Resorts in the world. Just like other Disney Parks, Tokyo Disneyland has seven lands that all meet at the center hub in front of Cinderella Castle. Tokyo Disney consists of the World Bazaar, Adventureland, Critter Country, Toontown, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Westernland (Frontierland at other Resorts).

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Then, there’s Tokyo DisneySea, which also has a ton of exciting lands. Guests visiting Tokyo DisneySea can venture into Mediterranean Harbor, Mermaid Lagoon, Mysterious Island, Arabian Coast, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, and the American Waterfront.

With so many amazing things to see and do, it’s no wonder that Tokyo Disney is so popular. But, maybe it’s becoming too popular?

On December 9, X (formerly Twitter) user @6666Hyde shared a video of the insane crowd waiting to get into the Resort. Thousands of people were lined up, hoping to rope drop. That means that they were trying to get into the theme parks before they officially opened.

Disneyland
8:57
Parking lot side baggage inspection waiting line is amazing today too~ 💦
The park is already open, so what time can I enter? 😱

ディズニーランド
8:57
駐車場側　手荷物検査待機列
今日も凄いな～💦
もう開園してるのに何時に入れるんだろ？😱#TDR_now pic.twitter.com/EWgHnrsFse

— 瞳の 住人 (@6666Hyde) December 10, 2023

Rope dropping is really popular amongst guests at nearly every Disney Resort because they can get on popular rides without having to wait in incredibly long lines.

And it turns out that December 9 was not a one-off with the crazy crowds waiting to get in. On December 10, @joejoemagic shared another video of the huge lines waiting outside the gates.

2023.12.10 (Sun) Disney Sea
8:56 Current state of the entrance

2023.12.10(日)ディズニーシー
8:56現在のエントランスの様子#TDR_now pic.twitter.com/eV8QiT4P6x

— 【ジョマジ】ジョー・マジック【YouTuber】 (@joejoemagic) December 10, 2023

The huge crowds not only indicate how popular the resort is, but could also be due to the fact that the Tokyo Disney recently made some significant changes to its security protocols. Each guest must now walk through a metal detector/scanner. They can do this with their baggage in order to make things easier for everyone.

That security system is also in place at Walt Disney World Resort. However, if you set off the metal detector, then you must go over to Disney security so they can go through your bags in the more traditional way.

Have you ever been to Tokyo Disneyland? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!

This post is originally appeared on Disney Dining.