Review: Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta

12 months ago 143

Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta is one of the four (soon to be five) Disney hotels in Tokyo. My wife and I originally meant to try it out last year but both of us caught COVID and so had to...

Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta is one of the four (soon to be five) Disney hotels in Tokyo.

My wife and I originally meant to try it out last year but both of us caught COVID and so had to reschedule. Luckily, things worked out well and we were able to stay at the hotel for a night earlier this year together with our daughter. Being the only hotel located directly in a park, at just over 500 dollars for the night, it was not cheap. It was well worth it, though.

Continue reading to see what the hotel was like.

Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCostaTokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta.

Getting to the Hotel

With Hotel MiraCosta being more or less located in DisneySea (although primarily accessed from outside the park), to get to the hotel you simply need to head to the park.

The easiest way to do so is to either take one of the buses serving Tokyo Disney Resort out of Tokyo’s airports and other places or, like in our case, take the train to Maihama Station. From Maihama Station, you can take the Disney Resort Liner monorail to Tokyo DisneySea Station.

There is a well-signposted covered walkway connecting the station with the hotel. The walk takes just a couple of minutes.

Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta LocationUsing the monorail is the easiest way to get to the hotel. Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta LocationWalkway from the Tokyo DisneySea monorail station to the hotel. Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCostaA view of the hotel from the walkway.

Hotel/Park Gateway and Happy Entry

As mentioned earlier, Hotel MiraCosta borders Tokyo DisneySea.

Because of that, it also has a dedicated entrance to the park that is available exclusively to the hotel’s guests. The Hotel/Park Gateway as Hotel MiraCosta calls the entrance can be found on the hotel’s ground floor (it is accessible both by stairs from the lobby as well as by elevators).

Valid ticket holders staying at the hotel can use the dedicated entrance to (re)enter Tokyo DisneySea starting from one hour after the park’s regular opening. The entrance can be used in the other direction (i.e. for entering the hotel from the park) throughout the day.

Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta Exclusive EntranceEntrance into the park. Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta EntranceEntrance from the park into the hotel.

Additionally, guests staying at the hotel also get Happy Entry passes.

These can be used to enter either Disneyland or DisneySea 15 minutes before regular opening. There is a dedicated security check for guests using Happy Entry passes which allows them to skip the regular line.

Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta Happy EntryHappy Entry passes and other documents.

Check-in at Tokyo Disney Resort Welcome Center

While you can check in at the hotel directly, we decided to take advantage of the Tokyo Disney Resort Welcome Center located next to Maihama Station.

There, the staff checked us in, loaded our room keys into our phones, and handed us a variety of documents including the Happy Entry passes mentioned above and an “apology” (more like “make sure you don’t miss this out notices” for Disney fans) about potential noise from show rehearsals.

Tokyo Disney Resort Welcome CenterTokyo Disney Resort Welcome Center. Tokyo Disney Resort Welcome CenterInside the Welcome Center.

Stopping by the Welcome Center allowed us to head directly to our room once we arrived at the hotel. While you can check in at any time, the mobile key will not work until the room is ready (i.e. at or just before 3PM).

In case you plan to do some shopping at the Ikspiari mall near Maihama Station or head straight to one of the Disney parks, you might also want to leave your luggage at the Welcome Center. From there, it will be delivered to your room. Just keep in mind that even if you check in before 3PM, your luggage might not make it to you until 4PM or so.

Hotel MiraCosta Room Key

Lobby & Facilities

Hotel MiraCosta is built in “Italian style” and, being part of Tokyo DisneySea, is marine-themed.

Stepping into the hotel, we were welcomed by a statue of a ship, which was the centerpiece of an impressive atrium lobby. The ship was surrounded by benches. Additional seating could be found throughout the lobby, especially along large columns surrounding its central part.

Like with other Disney hotels, the level of detail that could be seen in the lobby’s design (and throughout the rest of the hotel) was amazing.

Hotel MiraCosta LobbyShip. Hotel MiraCosta LobbyOverview of the lobby. Hotel MiraCosta LobbySeating in the lobby.

In addition to the reception which we were able to skip on our arrival thanks to using the Welcome Center, there was also a bell desk in the lobby. That came in handy on the day of our departure when we needed to store our luggage before heading into DisneySea.

I briefly stopped by the reception desk at some point during our stay to pay for the stay. That way, we were able to use express check-out (via the room’s TV) when leaving.

Hotel MiraCosta ReceptionReception. Hotel MiraCosta Bell DeskBell desk. Hotel MiraCosta Express Check-OutExpress check-out.

Near the reception was also a small area marked “TELEPHONE” that, in addition to a payphone (yes, there are still many of those in Japan), also housed a foreign currency exchange machine and a number of “souvenir medal” vending machines.

Hotel MiraCosta PhonePayphone. Hotel MiraCosta Souvenir MedalsSouvenir medal vending machines.

Lastly, in a hallway extending out of the reception area that led to the hotel’s “Venice Side” were a smoking room, nursing room, and a “home delivery center” where one could ship packages.

There was also a desk with three chairs.

Hotel MiraCosta LobbyDecorations in the lobby. Hotel MiraCosta LobbySeating in the lobby. Hotel MiraCosta Smoking RoomSmoking room. Hotel MiraCosta Home Delivery ServiceHome delivery service.

The lobby floor was also home to the hotel’s restaurants and on the first floor was a pool and spa. More about those later in the review, though.

Layout

Hotel MiraCosta offers several different room types ranging from “superior rooms” all the way to a variety of suites. While choosing the right one for you in that regard is important, arguably it is even more important to choose one with the right view. That’s because one of the main draws of Hotel MiraCosta is the ability to see into DisneySea.

Each of the hotel’s 502 rooms is located on one of the following three “sides,” each offering a view of a different part of the park:

Porto Paradiso Side – These rooms are the most desirable as they offer a view of the Mediterranean Harbor and thus of the shows that take place there throughout the day. Venice Side – These rooms offer a view of the canals and the starting/ending point of the Venetian Gondolas attraction in the Venice-themed area of DisneySea. Tuscany Side – These rooms offer a view of the area just past DisneySea’s entrance including of the park’s signature globe fountain.

Hotel MiraCosta Room Locations

We stayed in a “superior room” on the Porto Paradiso Side. If you have a chance, I recommend staying in one of the rooms on that side of the hotel too.

In case they are all taken on your dates, choosing one of the other sides is fine, although I would also strongly consider staying at one of the other hotels like Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Disney Ambassador Hotel, or even Hilton Tokyo Bay as in my opinion, the view of Porto Paradiso from your room is what makes Hotel MiraCosta Hotel Miracosta.

Hotel MiraCosta ViewMy daughter enjoying the view out of our room.

Porto Paradiso Side Superior Room

Hotel MiraCosta’s 502 rooms are spread across all five floors of the hotel. Once our room key was activated, we could see that we were assigned room number 4111, a superior room on Porto Paradiso Side’s fourth floor.

Heading to the room, I continued to be amazed by the amount of attention to detail put into everything from the floors to the walls. I liked the various Disney-themed illustrations that could be seen on hallway walls. In particular, with me being an aviation enthusiast, I liked an illustration of Mickey and Minnie flying.

I should also note that there were ice machines in the hallways and that in the morning, newspapers were available in the elevator halls. That said, they were all in Japanese.

Hotel MiraCosta Elevator HallElevator hall. Hotel MiraCosta NewspapersNewspapers. Hotel MiraCosta HallwayHallway. Hotel MiraCosta DecorationWall decoration.

In the room itself, there was a small entryway with a closet and a counter on the left side and a bathroom on the right side.

Mickey Mouse-themed single-use slippers were available in the closet in both adult and kids sizes.

The counter was home to a tea and coffee set. Above the counter was a mirror and under it was a small fridge with three complimentary bottles of water.

Hotel MiraCosta SlippersSlippers. Hotel MiraCosta Tea and CoffeeTea and coffee. Hotel MiraCosta Complimentary WaterComplimentary water.

Entering the bathroom area, there was a single-sink vanity.

On the left side of that was the shower/bathroom and on the right side was the toilet.

There was a handheld shower and a large bathtub in the shower/bathroom. There were also shampoo, conditioner, and soap in refillable containers. The door leading to the shower/bathroom featured Mickey Mouse.

Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room BathroomBathroom. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room BathroomShower room door. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room ToiletToilet. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room Shower and BathShower and bath.

In addition to face and hand soap, a variety of single-use amenities was available on the vanity.

Those included Hotel MiraCosta-themed plastic cups and amenity kits in metal tins. Both of those made for great keepsakes to take home. There were also dental kits and washcloths.

Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room MirrorMirror, hand soap, etc. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room Bathroom AmenitiesCups and wash clothes. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room AmenitiesAmenity and dental kits.

Along the room’s main part’s left-side wall were a luggage rack, a TV stand, and a table with a single chair.

In one of the TV stand’s drawers were adult-size pajamas. Later on when I called the bell desk to see if it was possible to put the two beds in the room together next to a wall so that it would be easier for our daughter to sleep safely (it was), I was also asked if we wanted kids-sized pajamas for our daughter.

On the table were two tote bags – another great keepsake.

Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room TV And TableTV and table. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room PajamasPajamas. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room BagsBags. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room BagBag design.

As mentioned above, the layout of our room changed slightly once the bell desk sent one of the staff members to move the beds around.

When we first arrived in the room, though, there were two semi-double beds along the right side of the room with a nightstand between them. In the nightstand drawer were some Disney postcards.

Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room BedsRoom overview. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room BedBed area. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room Night StandNight stand.

Lastly, in the very back of the room next to its window was a sofa chair with a small coffee table.

The window – or rather the view that it offered – was by far the highlight of the room. With the window starting almost at floor level, we spent most of our time in the room sitting on the floor by the window, looking inside DisneySea. The fact that the window was placed so low was also great as it allowed our daughter to look outside easily.

While we were not sure how good the view would be back when we were booking our room, we sure were not disappointed. We could see a good portion of the shows taking place in the Mediterranean Harbor fairly easily and it was also fun looking into the park after/before it closed/opened.

In fact, outside opening hours – i.e. when there were no people or music and when there was the occasional car driving around the park, it felt less like staying in a Disney theme park and more like staying somewhere in Italy.

Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room SeatingSeating next to the window. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room ViewView from the room. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room ViewThe room offered views of the Mediterranean Harbor. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room ViewA view that can only be had outside opening hours – a car driving around DisneySea.

Before continuing with the rest of the review, I also want to highlight the level of detail that could be seen throughout the room.

Everything from the framed artwork on the walls through the walls all the way to the bedding was on theme.

Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room DecorationTapestry. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room DecorationDisney map. Hotel MiraCosta Superior RoomCoverlet. Hotel MiraCosta Superior Room DecorationWall decoration.

Dining

There are three restaurants in Hotel MiraCosta:

Oceano: A Mediterranean-themed restaurant offering buffet breakfast and lunch and a la carte dinner. For some DisneySea shows, guests are allowed to go to a terrace that provides views similar to those I wrote about when I talked about the room we stayed in. Silk Road Garden: A Chinese a la carte restaurant open for lunch, tea time, and dinner. Unlike the other two restaurants on this list, it does not offer any views of DisneySea. BellaVista Lounge: An Italian restaurant/lounge offering buffet breakfast, as well as a selection of a la carte dishes during lunch and dinner time. It offers an unrivaled view of DisneySea’s Mediterranean Harbor and Mount Prometeus.

During our stay, we had breakfast at BellaVista Lounge and were lucky to score a table by the windows. Earlier in the year, we also had lunch at Oceano (you can reserve all three restaurants even if you are not staying at the hotel although guests get priority). I haven’t dined at Silk Road Garden yet.

Hotel MiraCosta OceanoOceano’s terrace. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista LoungeBellaVista Lounge. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista LoungeBellaVista Lounge offers great views of the morning character greeting.

Oceano Buffet Lunch

When my wife and I visited Oceano back in the summer, they had a Believe! Sea of Dreams-themed (Tokyo DisneySea’s show) lunch buffet. The price was 6,300 yen (approx. 45 dollars) per person on a weekday. The weekend price was slightly higher.

Both the selection and the quality of dishes were excellent.

To start with, there was a wide variety of bread and pastries, salads, and appetizers.

Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch SaladSalad. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch AppetizersAppetizers. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch AppetizersMore appetizers. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch AppetizersCold pork, etc. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch BreadBread.

Then there was a vegetable soup and bouillabaisse.

The wide variety of hot dishes included everything from roasted spicy lamb and braised pork to seafood/sausage pilaf and pasta with tomato sauce.

There was also a counter where one of the restaurant’s staff members was serving roast beef.

Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch BoullabaisseBouillabaisse. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch Chicken NuggetsChicken nuggets, etc. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch Hot DishesTomato sauce pasta and meatballs. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch Hot DishesSteamed salmon, roasted chicken, etc. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch Hot DishesSeafood pilaf, etc. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch Hot DishesGratin, etc.

Lastly, there was an excellent selection of desserts.

Of course, I tried almost all of them.

Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch DessertsMelon cake and madeleines. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch DessertsCheesecake and peach mousse. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch DessertsWhite chocolate tarts and more mousse. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch DessertsCream puffs and roll cakes. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch DessertsFruits and panna cotta. Hotel MiraCosta Oceano Lunch DessertsTiramisu, etc.

BellaVista Lounge Buffet Breakfast

The breakfast buffet at the BellaVista Lounge cost 4,800 yen (approx. 35 dollars) per person.

Seating mainly consisted of dining tables for four. With it being a lounge rather than a regular restaurant, there were also some sofas with coffee tables.

The four or so tables placed along the large windows overlooking the Mediterranean Harbor offered by far the best views. That said, many other tables offered limited views of DisneySea too. Those sitting away from the windows could, of course, also go and stand by the windows when something interesting like a show or a greeting was taking place.

Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista LoungeDining tables. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista LoungeSofas.

As for the breakfast buffet, starting with drinks, there were pitchers with apple and orange juices, water, flavored sparkling water, and green smoothies.

Hot tea and coffee were served by the staff.

Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast DrinksJuices and water.

A good variety of cold dishes could be found on a large table in the middle of the lounge.

They ranged from octopus carpaccio and cold cuts through salad with a variety of dressings and cut fruits all the way to cereals and yogurt.

Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast Cold CutsCold cuts, etc. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast SaladSalad. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast CondimentsCondiments. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast FruitsFruits. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast CerealsCereals.

There was also a soup – clam chowder at the time of our visit.

Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast Clam ChowderClam chowder.

Hot dishes were on a counter along one of the lounge’s the walls.

The variety of hot dishes was great. In fact, it would even make for a great lunch. There were eggs and grilled vegetables, mushroom pilaf, as well as a variety of meat and seafood dishes.

Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast EggsEggs. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast Hot DishesVegetables and gratin. Hotel MiraCosta BellaVista Lounge Breakfast SeafoodSeafood with vegetables. View Entire Post

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