Overnight crowds at one Disney park became so large that officials were forced to change the rules for entry on September 30. Guests who had gathered in line for hours were told that entry would no longer follow a first-come, first-served system. Instead, access would be determined by a lottery held at dawn.
The sudden shift came after hundreds of people packed into a hotel guest-only gateway, overwhelming staff and prompting a visible police presence.
Guests Line Up at Fantasy Springs Entrance
The incident occurred at Tokyo Disney Resort, where Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea regularly attract some of the highest attendance in the Disney portfolio.
The resort is known for massive queues — viral clips and images of Tokyo DisneySea’s crowds often circulate online — but the night before September 30 saw an unusually intense turnout.
Due to expected crowding for the Happy Entry admission on September 30, entry order from Grand Château Gateway will be determined by lottery.
We ask for your cooperation in ensuring safe operations.【Assembly Point】
Date and Time September 30 6:00
Location Grand Château LoungeThe lottery will be limited to one representative per room. If staying in two or more rooms, it is possible to enter them together in the lottery.
If you exceed the time, you will not be able to participate in the lottery, so please understand this in advance.
※Baggage inspection will begin from the Happy Entry admission start time.
＜ハッピーエントリーのご案内＞https://t.co/EEIhVyRR9i
９月３０日のハッピーエントリーご入園に関して混雑が予想されることから、グランドシャトー・ゲートウェイからのご入園順は抽選とさせていただきます。
安全な運営にご協力をお願いいたします。【集合場所】
日時 ９月３０日 ６：００… pic.twitter.com/eFlJUTcwdc— ໊ (@_fantasysprings) September 29, 2025
Guests began lining up at the Grand Château Gateway, the exclusive entrance connecting the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel directly to Fantasy Springs.
“Even in front of the entrance inside the Fantasy Springs Hotel, there are already dozens of people waiting for tomorrow’s Happy Entry,” one guest wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
ファンタジースプリングスホテル内エントランス前にも既に明日のハッピーエントリー待ちが数十人います
キャストさんに確認したところ、こちらはあくまでも宿泊ゲストが自主的に並んでいるだけのようなので、実際の順番は前後する可能性があるとのこと。#TDR__now #TDR_now pic.twitter.com/JHQztajD1u— BKのディズニーChannel (@maihama_sanpo) September 29, 2025
“I checked with the cast member, and they said that this is purely hotel guests lining up on their own initiative, so the actual order may vary back and forth.”
By late night, the line stretched so far that some guests said they couldn’t even see the front. Another visitor added, “The cast member guy also said that since it’s all too unprecedented, he couldn’t fully grasp the situation…”
Crowds Draw Police and Trigger Lottery
On the morning of September 30, Tokyo Disney Resort confirmed the emergency change. “Due to expected crowding for the Happy Entry admission on September 30, entry order from Grand Château Gateway will be determined by lottery,” the statement read. “We ask for your cooperation in ensuring safe operations.”
The process allowed one representative per hotel room to enter the drawing at 6 a.m. inside the Grand Château Lounge. Groups with multiple rooms could join together, but missing the scheduled time meant losing entry rights. Police had arrived during the night, though according to guests, their role was minimal: “The police were here until just now, announcing over the speaker that a report had been made, but they basically did nothing and left.”
Crowd intensity was heightened by the final day of Big Band Beat: A Special Treat, a Mickey Mouse jazz production that has been a fixture of Tokyo DisneySea since 2006. Demand for Disney Premier Access tickets to the farewell performance was so strong that they sold out by 8:01 a.m.
Fantasy Springs itself, which debuted in 2023, remains one of the most in-demand expansions in Disney history. Attractions include Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, and Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure. Rooms at the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel are among the most expensive at the resort, pricier than the Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel or the Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel, making them a premium route to guaranteed entry.
Yet the September 30 scenes made clear that even top-tier access can be complicated when demand surges. For Tokyo Disney Resort, the resort-wide popularity of Fantasy Springs and the emotional farewell of Big Band Beat combined to create a rare instance where a lottery became the only way forward.
Have you visited Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel?
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