When most people say they’d like to go to Disney, they usually are referring to Walt Disney World in Florida or Disneyland Resort in California. These two parks are home to only half of the international Disney theme parks though! If you’d like to plan a Disney vacation in 2025 or later but you’re not 100% certain on visiting either Florida or California at the moment, here are 45 reasons to check out one of the other four Disney locations globally, plus 2 extra reasons why visiting any international location is an amazing experience.
Tokyo Disneyland Resort
- Japan has always been considered an expensive vacation due to the distance, but the Japanese yen is exchanging at one of the lowest rates it has in decades, so your money will go much further once you arrive in Japan.
- On top of the exchange rate of the yen being excellent against your dollars, the cost of living in Japan is a lot better than in North America. The price of everyday expenses will be noticeably lower than what you would pay in either domestic park.
- Almost every professional Disney vlogger seems to agree that Tokyo DisneySea is the best Disney park on earth, and many argue it is the best theme park on earth in terms of theming and quality.
- Tokyo DisneySea has a new expansion, Fantasy Springs, and the theming and the overall quality of the land has earned rave reviews across the board. This land is home to amazing immersive lands themed to Peter Pan, Tangled, and Frozen, and has some really cool new rides.
- Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland was the very first use of the trackless ride system within the Disney parks. 25 years later, the technology is still on par with other rides using the same system such as Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatoulle Adventure. When you combine that technology with the Tokyo Disney Resort Imagineers’ incredible theming and the exceptionally high standards that Tokyo Disneyland is known for, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt remains a contender as one of the best trackless rides to this day.
The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is another trackless ride that is considered one of the best rides on earth thanks to the incredible immersion and attention to detail put into every moment of the ride experience. Most Disney vloggers find they cry at least once during this ride because they’re so amazed by the beauty of it. The transformation scene and the final ballroom scene are especially notable.- You may not look at Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage at DisneySea and think you immediately need to get on it, especially since it normally has one of the shortest waits in the park. You would be wrong to miss this ride though, because the theme for Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage is “Compass of Your Heart” by the incredible Alan Menken and the song will be stuck in your head for the rest of your life. While the ride version is in Japanese, here is an English performance of Compass of Your Heart to check out. It gives me goosebumps everytime. Also, Chandu the tiger cub is cute and needs a lot more love and merchandise.
- Speaking of merchandise, Japanese fans LOVE their exclusive merchandise, so almost all of the goods for sale will be new and (usually) limited edition to the event or season. You’ll also find there are MANY limited time events to enjoy, so every trip is unique.
Most of the food options will be unique to the Tokyo parks, and many of them are foods you probably haven’t seen at home either. Some of the most popular foods available are:
- Green Alien Mochi
- Baymax Curry
- Ukiwa buns
- ALL of the flavoured popcorns
- Mickey Glove Buns
- Mickey Waffles (they’re different here!)
- Tokyo Disneyland Resort is the first home of Duffy and all of his friends. The Japanese Disney fans love Duffy and company, and after meeting them, you will too.
- There are six resorts onsite at Tokyo Disney Resort, from affordable value resorts to incredibly luxurious ones. They include the Tokyo Disneyland Resort, the Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo DisneySea MiraCosta, Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs, Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel, and the Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel.
- Two of the resorts on-site have direct access to the theme parks. The Fantasy Springs resort has its own entrance into the Fantasy Springs land at DisneySea, and the MiraCosta resort has rooms that look directly into DisneySea and are a part of the theming in the park! Both resorts are an incredible experience.
- Since Tokyo is a commuters dream, Tokyo Disney Resort is easily accessable from off site as well. The parks have both partner hotels and good neighbour hotels, including a Hilton (in case you are a savvy point collector and want to cash in) but you could set up a home base anywhere in Tokyo and be able to commute to Tokyo Disney Resort in under an hour thanks to the subway system.
- Tokyo Disney Resort’s website may be complicated for the unfamiliar (which is why you should work with a travel agent such as myself) but the packages that are available can help ease a lot of the concerns you might have. When you book a Tokyo Disney Vacation package, not only are your tickets and your hotel included, but you can pay for your dining reservations in advance, receive snack and drink tickets, pre-book your attractions and get exclusive merchandise. If you’d like to learn more about the packages available, I’d love to help.
- Tickets for Tokyo Disney Resort can range from ¥8400-10900, which currently is about US$54-70. Even when the yen is stronger, these prices are a fraction of domestic ticket prices.
Hong Kong Disneyland
- Hong Kong Disneyland is home to the first World of Frozen land. Many Disney vloggers have raved about the detail put into the land. It has two rides, Frozen Ever After (as seen in Epcot) and Sliding Sleighs, a roller coaster that has cool night views.
- Their night time show, “Momentous” Nighttime Spectacular, is an incredible 20 minute show that uses music, lights, fireworks and water effects to tell classic Disney stories.
Mystic Manor! While the building is inspired by Haunted Mansion, it’s where most of the similarities end. Mystic Manor is a light-hearted ride with a fantasy theme. Since Chinese culture has a much different way of looking at death and spirits, the story of Haunted Mansion didn’t fit the park, so we got Lord Henry Mystic and his monkey Albert. Bonus, Mystic Manor leans into the hidden Disney lore of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (SEA) so big Disney fans will find LOTS to look at every time they ride this ride.- Hong Kong gives Tokyo a run for its money when it comes to loving Duffy and all of his friends. Hong Kong Disneyland fans love Duffy so much that there are events like the Duffy Fans-tasy, where the entire purpose of the event is to create Instagram moments for your Duffy plushies. Hong Kong Disneyland brings “doing it for the ‘gram” to a whole new level.
- Hong Kong Disneyland has one of the lowest attendance rates out of all of the Disney parks (second only to the soon-to-be-rethemed Walt Disney Studios park in France) which means that you will find the Hong Kong park a much more relaxing experience if you are not a fan of the normal crowds that fill the domestic parks.
- Hong Kong Disneyland has a really unique layout thanks to the fact that Disney Imagineers took inspiration from Chinese culture and incorporated feng shui whenever possible to adhere to cultural norms.
- Tickets for Hong Kong Disneyland start at HK$669, which is about USD$85. Even during the most busy travel season of the year on the Chinese calendar, Lunar New Year, the tickets are HK$939, or US$120, so tickets are still reasonable compared to domestic parks.
There are three resorts for Hong Kong Disneyland – Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, the Disney Explorers Lodge, and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. For a VERY Hong Kong experience, you can take part in a morning Tai Chi exercise with a Disney character at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel.- 2025 is Hong Kong Disneyland’s 20th anniversary, so there are going to be lots of celebrations to enjoy in the next year. Make sure you’re following Have Fandom Will Travel on any of our socials (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube) so I can keep you posted on any celebrations happening!
Shanghai Disneyland
- “Authentically Disney, Distinctly Chinese” This is the motto that Bob Iger promised when they broke ground for Shanghai Disneyland, and they kept that promise. The park was designed with the intention of keeping a strong connection to nature while making sure the park is a family bonding experience for all generations. This can especially be seen with the Gardens of Imagination, an 11-acre Chinese garden, using the 12 characters of the zodiac for theming using Disney characters.
- Shanghai Disneyland has a MASSIVE castle. The Enchanted Storybook Castle is the tallest of all of the Disney castles globally. Because sometimes, bigger IS better.
- Shanghai Disneyland is the newest of the Disney parks. Since it’s a newer park, even some of the more familiar attractions are a bit more modernized, which means it’s a new experience at every park.
- Shanghai Disneyland is the home of TRON lightcycle, which we all now know from the Magic Kingdom, but it also is home to another incredible ride, their unique version of Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride vehicle is a whole new experience and you are completely immersed in a ship battle. If you are a fan of the original ride, Jack Sparrow, or just love pirates, you need to check out this ride.
- There are some Toy Story rides that are unique to Shanghai Disneyland, such as Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue and Rex’s Racer. Slinky Dog Dash becomes Slinky Dog Spin in Shanghai, and is a lot more family-friendly.
Shanghai Disneyland recently built a new Zootopia expansion which is unique to this park. The Zootopia land is a really neat immersive experience and is home to the Zootopia: Hot Persuit ride. This ride is really cool and has the CUTEST animatronic with Officer Clawhauser.- Shanghai Disneyland is slated to have an Avengers Campus expansion with its own unique spider-man attraction. There are few details available right now, but it is coming in the future.
- There are two on-site resorts at Shanghai Disneyland – the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the Toy Story Hotel. The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel provides a more luxurious experience while the Toy Story Hotel is a family-friendly hotel that is a lot of fun for everyone.
- Shanghai Disneyland ticket prices are competitive compared to domestic parks, with the price ranging from ¥450-799 ($60-110 USD). Even during peak travel season, the ticket price is lower than the lowest ticket promotional price in a domestic park.
Disneyland Paris
- Disneyland Paris is possibly the most exciting of the international Disney parks in the coming years because it’s going through a BIG refurbishment! The biggest change is going to be the redevelopment of Walt Disney Studios Park into Disney Adventure World. This project will open in 2026, so if you’re the type that likes to plan far in advance, it’s never too early to start thinking about France.
- Disneyland Paris has six resorts on site: the Disneyland Hotel, the Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel, the Disney Newport Bay Club, Disney Sequoia Lodge, Disney Hotel Cheyenne, and Disney Hotel Santa Fe. Each hotel has its own unique theme.
- Disneyland Paris has a unique resort option in the Disney Davy Crockett Ranch. It’s a bit further away from the park but is a lot more focused on a wilderness and adventure theme. It is similar to the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at Walt Disney World (and similarly priced.)
- Disneyland Paris has one of the most beautiful castles and was designed with a lot more of a fantasy theme in mind. This is because many residents in Europe are used to seeing historic castles, so the castle needed to be completely different to normal castles seen throughout Europe.
Speaking of Sleeping Beauty’s castle (Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant), one of the secret about this castle is that it has it’s own attraction. Hiding in the lower dungeon is the Lair of the Dragon, where you can get close to a MASSIVE audio-animatronic dragon. If you find it at the right time, you may see the dragon waking up for a moment, so be careful!- Walt Disney Studios Park / Disney Adventure World has recently had two new land expansions with their Avengers Campus and Worlds of Pixar. Both of the rides in Avengers Campus, Avengers Assemble: Flight Force and Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure, are popular, and a lot of the character interactions from the other parks can be found here too.
If you’re a fan of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, you can experience the original ride in Worlds of Pixar. The OG version of the ride is the superior version for two reasons:
- The ride does not require 3d glasses, which helps reduce the motion sickness feeling that some people feel during 3d rides.
- Once you have finished the ride, you can actually dine in Remy’s restaurant at Bistrot Chez Rémy. You can enjoy classic French cuisine while sitting on champagne corks and bottle caps and sitting under a cocktail umbrella. It’s an incredibly unique experience.
- As Walt Disney Studios Park becomes Disney Adventure World, even more amazing worlds will become available, such as a whole new World of Frozen location. They’re building a manmade lake now, but it’s not just some normal lake. Adventure Bay will have a stage in the middle with a 360º viewing area, with fountains, lights, music and all of the coolest special effects available.
- Adventure Bay will also be the home of a new Tangled ride, Raiponce Tangled Spin, which will be set during the floating lanterns scene. There will also be a new restaurant, The Regal View Restaurant and Lounge.
- Disneyland Paris is known for having really cool stage shows. Alice & The Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland returns in May 2025 and is a very unique outdoor show, complete with acrobatics, BMX riders, and really energetic performers. You’ll leave this show thinking “Wow, that was very… French!” in all the best ways.
- Disneyland Paris has their own adaptation of Haunted Mansion with Phantom Manor. This ride is considered a bit darker and scarier than Phantom Manor, and also has a thoroughly developed back story that is quite different to the original ride. In Phantom Manor, you’ll learn about Henry Ravenswood, the founder of the Big Thunder Mountain Company (aka the ride right next door) and his family in the wild west, specifically his daughter Melanie and her seemingly doomed love life. I won’t spoil the story, but it is a big departure to the original story.
- There are so many amazing rides to mention at Disneyland Paris, but the last one I will highlight is Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. If you love Space Mountain but wish it had more Star Wars theming, then you need to check out Hyperspace Mountain. Disneyland Paris decided to keep the Star Wars overlay that is sometimes available in Disneyland year round, so you can experience the familiar ride of Space Mountain with all the added glory of John William’s Star Wars soundtrack.
There are SO MANY REASONS to visit any of the international Disney parks. After years of dealing with lockdowns through covid, many people found themselves wanting to travel abroad, and it’s still the perfect time to get to explore the globe and check off a few more parks on your Disney bucket list. If you need a bit more convincing, I have two reasons that I encourage you to travel to ANYWHERE internationally in the future.
Why Travel Internationally?
- Travelling abroad lets you experience other cultures, and exposing yourself to other people and cultures is always a good thing. You can learn more about how other people think and live and look at your own lived experiences in a new light. You may find yourself appreciating your home more, or you may find yourself seeing parts of your own culture that can improve even more. For example, many people can’t imagine living without their vehicles until the visit Tokyo. After experiencing a city built with public transit at its core, it’s a lot easier to understand the appeals of it.
- All of the other Disney resorts are located in countries that don’t have English as an official language. While you will find English services easily in the parks, you will find yourself needing to use Google Translate at times, and while it might be overwhelming at first, after a day or two you’ll impress yourself with how much you pick up and figure out! Also, using other languages, even just a little, is excellent for your brain health, so visiting the international Disney parks is like exercise for your brain.
Did I miss one of your top reasons to visit one of the international Disney parks? Let me know in the comments below! And if I’ve convinced you to check out one of the many Disney locations globally, I’d love to help you plan your vacation abroad. You can get in touch through the form below or check out my contact page. As Aladdin sings, “I can show you the world,” so let me help you visit some of these amazing parks!
