Here goes:

1) The limited time Park Hopper tickets are not a deal. Check out the prices versus regular 1-day tickets. Honestly, I don’t even know who this ticket is for, especially given how budget-conscious Japanese consumers are. I cannot imagine this moves the needle on crowds even a single percentage point. (There will be variances in crowds, but not due to that.)

I’d do 4/2-3 based on this: https://en.disneyreal.asumirai.info/crowd/disneysea-crowd-calendar.html
Here’s our recent experience using that CC/dealing with heavy crowds: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/best-crowd-calendar-tokyo-disneysea-disneyland/

2) If it’s in your budget, possibly/probably. That $1,200 cost premium is going to save you a lot of potential stress and time. I wish we would’ve done that on our last trip. (Granted, it was a time when crowds were higher than what you’re going to experience…and we have a toddler.)

3) That hotel looks nice! I don’t have any thoughts about it beyond that, sorry. You have experience, so you know the pros & cons already.

We’re considering a 2-day return visit as a stopover to or from Seoul (leaving from the West Coast). Unfortunately because our kids are in high school, we’re limited to traveling during school breaks, so we’re looking at spring break this year. We’re particularly interested in exploring all of the changes since 2018. I’d be interested to get your advice on the following:

(1) We would have the option to go either 3/29-3/30 or 4/2-4/3. The limited time parkhopper deal expires 3/31. I assume that means there will be higher crowds in the days leading up to that date. I’m wondering if the added flexibility of the parkhopper offsets the larger crowds or if we would be better off with single day tickets for 4/2-4/3.

(2) Is it worth considering a hotel package to get the 3 attraction passes per park and extra 15 minutes (if we stay at the Fantasy Springs Hotel) and ensure we get to ride some of the new attractions). Doing some back of the napkin math, that would have about a $1200 cost premium over staying at a non-Disney hotel and separately buying tickets plus Premier Access passes (if they’re even available). Depending on the timing of our flights, we could possibly squeeze in part of a third park day (at DisneySea) as an alternative to expand the possibility of enjoying the Fantasy Springs attractions.

(3) Any thoughts on the new Royal Park Hotel opening in February? https://www.royalparkhotels.co.jp/the/maihama/news/5nr2h3o6r1/

We stayed at the MyStays Mahaima on our last visit, so we’re familiar with being “off-site” and walking, plus it looks like they will have a shuttle if desired. The price point and space looks good for a family of 4.

I’m gonna plug Tom’s other blog, Travel Caffeine. It was a great resource for me while planning the non-Disney portion of my first ever Japan trip in spring 2025 (including neighborhood suggestions).

DisneySea is the more unique, more immersive, much larger, and much busier park. So that’s going to present its own set of pros and cons.

Regardless of which one you choose, one half-day will not be enough, and you’ll wish you had more time.

Check the ticket prices on the website or app; they do offer cheaper prices for just evening visits.