Excluding the brand new Fantasy Springs Resort, we’ve stayed in the entire on-site lodging at Tokyo Disney Resort over the past decade-plus, most a number of instances. This consists of the deluxe choices overlooking Tokyo DisneySea and Disneyland, in addition to the third occasion properties alongside the monorail loop.
Nevertheless, there’s one to which we preserve returning: Hilton Tokyo Bay. Admittedly, a part of that is sentimentality. It’s the primary lodge we ever stayed at in Japan and we’ve made many nice reminiscences there over time. However you don’t proceed frequenting the identical place on account of nostalgia, logging a number of months’ price of stays within the course of. (Or at the very least, we don’t.) Particularly not after getting a style of the top-tier luxurious inns at Tokyo Disney Resort and elsewhere in Japan.
The Hilton Tokyo Bay is our go-to lodge at Tokyo Disney Resort because of its robust slate of facilities, inviting public areas, nice breakfast, and implausible location simply steps from the Bayside Station on the monorail loop. Pricing can also be a giant issue, with rooms right here often obtainable for round and even beneath $200 per evening. The lodge feels trendy and high-end, and also you’re getting numerous bang in your buck. Nevertheless, these aren’t the one causes we preserve returning to Hilton Tokyo Bay.
The most important purpose is our Hilton Diamond Standing, which affords us higher advantages and upgrades when staying right here. This consists of the Membership Degree lounge, which is a superb choice for breakfast and dinner. Earlier than I lose all of you who usually are not Hilton Diamond members, it’s additionally price noting you can pay out of pocket for this stage.
What you’ll need to search for when reserving is the room classes with “Government” within the title–there are a number of them. To verify you’re reserving the correct factor, you’ll additionally see “Government Lounge” listed as one of many facilities, together with this within the description: “Take pleasure in unique entry to the Government Lounge providing complimentary breakfast, refreshments, and night cocktails.”
In response to our full Hilton Tokyo Bay Resort Evaluation, we’ve had a number of readers ask us whether or not the Government Lounge/Membership Degree is price it. Each from the angle of the out of pocket price, and from those that are Diamond members questioning whether or not it’s price their time. This may set to reply these questions, principally by exhibiting you the Government Lounge, since there’s not rather a lot about it on-line.
Since this can be a area of interest matter and pictures fairly properly inform the story, let’s begin with these:
If you happen to’re a Hilton Diamond member, you don’t simply have entry to the Government Lounge for breakfast, you even have the choice to make use of a precedence lane on the principal breakfast buffet restaurant, Forest Backyard. That is positioned on the far finish of the lodge, previous the check-in counter. That restaurant typically has a protracted line throughout peak hours, however you’ll have nearly no wait by way of the Diamond line.
If you happen to go to throughout peak season or one other time that occupancy is excessive (and this will happen even throughout Japan’s offseason–to the extent that’s a factor anymore–as Hilton Tokyo Bay typically hosts college teams), you may additionally have the choice of doing breakfast at Lounge O. Confusingly sufficient, the Government Lounge has a giant “O” in entrance of it…however they’re two totally different locations.
Lounge O is the open-air atrium restaurant that’s centrally positioned within the lodge foyer and crammed with pure daylight from the multi-level floor-to-ceiling home windows–it’s the one which’s seen from the central elevators. It’s changing into more and more frequent for Lounge O to be open for breakfast–one thing that we by no means witnessed in any respect till a yr or so in the past.
The Hilton employees will advise utilizing Lounge O if it’s obtainable. We might concur with this advice, as there are distinctive breakfast gadgets right here that you just gained’t discover anyplace else, akin to made-to-order ramen and tender serve ice cream. (You learn that accurately–ramen and tender serve for breakfast.) Or at the very least, that was our expertise right here at Christmas-time.
All three of those eating places serve a few 50/50 mixture of Asian and Western delicacies. We extremely advocate getting breakfast at considered one of these three eating places, as there are some nice gadgets on the buffet. If it’s your first journey to Japan, we’d additionally recommend stepping exterior your consolation zone–the breakfast is a simple and approachable solution to pattern Asian delicacies. Don’t simply eat the potato waffles, good as they could be. You’ll additionally need to gas up earlier than rope dropping Tokyo DisneySea or Tokyo Disneyland, and consuming breakfast contained in the parks is a poor use of your time.
Forest Backyard has essentially the most selection, with a barely bigger unfold than Lounge O and considerably extra choices than the Government Lounge. Nonetheless, there’s in all probability ~95% overlap between Forest Backyard and Lounge O, whereas solely ~50% of these dishes seem on the Government Lounge. As such, it would stand to purpose that you must do a type of versus the Government Lounge, proper?
Most likely. There are a few causes you may very well need to do breakfast on the Government Lounge, although. For one factor, it’s way more environment friendly. Even with a minimal wait to enter the bigger venues, you’re nonetheless going to lose time on the buffets themselves, and simply navigating the eating places, basically. If you happen to don’t want the complete unfold, that’s one thing to contemplate–particularly since rope drop is severe enterprise at Tokyo Disney Resort.
One other factor to know is that each one three of the buffets have distinctive dishes. Two of my favourite choices on the unfold within the Government Lounge are smoked duck breakfast and smoked salmon. Neither of those “higher-end” choices can be found on the different buffets. There may be smoked salmon salad, however that makes use of different components (together with mayo) to dilute the smoked salmon. There’s additionally some fruit and one other dish or two you can’t often discover exterior the Government Lounge.
We additionally a lot desire the espresso machine on the Government Lounge, which produces increased high quality and stronger drinks. There’s additionally a Coke Freestyle machine, in addition to glass bottled drinks within the Government Lounge. There’s one thing to be stated for having glowing water from a glass bottle with a view of Mount Fuji within the distance.
Dinner is extra of a differentiator for the Government Lounge, but additionally, in all probability not one thing you’ll use as typically except you’re taking a break from the parks (one thing we wouldn’t advocate). The unfold at dinner revolves extra round consuming and desserts than it does entrees. There’s beer on faucet, in addition to quite a lot of of wines and different spirits. There are additionally a number of desserts obtainable on a rotating foundation.
So far as common meals goes, you must as soon as once more discover salmon and duck, together with quite a lot of cheeses, breads, salad, and some scorching dishes. We’ve discovered dinner to be very hit and miss. Generally, there gained’t be something we need to eat aside from the salmon and duck and we’ve resorted to consuming on the in-lobby Lawson. Different evenings, there are a variety of intriguing choices.
When you have restricted time in Japan, frankly, you shouldn’t be consuming dinner on the Government Lounge. It is best to both be maximizing your park time, consuming within the metropolis, and even at Ikspiari. All of that could be a higher use of your time, even when it does save cash to do dinner on the Government Lounge. Breakfast is a unique story as a result of it’s saving you time to eat right here or at one of many different buffets.
One other benefit of the Government Lounge from our perspective is the vibe.
Whereas the opposite breakfast buffets are loud and chaotic, the Government Lounge is often serene and peaceable. It’s a pleasant, calm solution to begin the day earlier than the rope drop insanity begins. The employees within the Government Lounge can also be implausible, and has remembered us over time (it in all probability helps now that we’ve got a child whose blonde hair and blue eyes stand out in Japan).
If we’re being completely sincere, this can be a huge a part of why we love the Government Lounge. Not simply the service, however the reminiscences we’ve made right here over time. Little issues like crashing right here on the finish of a protracted journey day from Kyoto and having one of the best (glass bottle) of Coca-Cola ever; wide-eyed marvel on our daughter’s face when the employees gave her a toy duck; sitting collectively in an empty lounge as we loved espressos whereas ready for the Airport Limo to choose us up–reflecting on a satisfying journey to Japan and already plotting our return. Now we have so many reminiscences from the Government Lounge on the Hilton Tokyo Bay that it’s unimaginable for me to present an unbiased evaluation.
On condition that, hopefully the above pictures and descriptions suffice in serving to reply no matter questions you might have concerning the Government Lounge/Membership Degree on the Hilton Tokyo Bay. What I can add is that, if we weren’t Diamond members who acquired this totally free, we in all probability wouldn’t pay for it. As with most Membership Ranges, it’s extra “price it” on an emotional stage than an goal one.
I may also add that the Government Lounge doesn’t maintain a candle to its counterparts in Tokyo. Our go-to lodge within the metropolis (we at all times switch for our non-Disney days and extremely advocate the identical) is the Conrad Tokyo. The Government Lounge at Hilton Tokyo Bay doesn’t even maintain a candle to the Membership Degree there. Nor ought to it! The Conrad Tokyo typically prices 4 instances the value of the Hilton Tokyo Bay!
Talking of which, we typically see factors and journey hacking web sites which might be quite harsh on the Hilton Tokyo Bay and make unfair (given the respective prices) comparisons. This isn’t to say that the Hilton Tokyo Bay is ideal (should you get “upgraded” to one of many Joyful Magic rooms you would possibly need to decline–particularly now that the common rooms have been redone), however we predict it’s a wonderful, feature-laden lodge that punches above its weight. Getting access to the Government Lounge is simply icing on the cake!
Planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? For complete recommendation, one of the best place to begin is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Journey Planning Information! For extra specifics, our TDR Resort Rankings & Evaluations web page covers lodging. Our Restaurant Evaluations element the place to dine & snack. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash put up. Our What to Pack for Disney put up takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Seek the advice of our Final Information to Kyoto, Japan and Metropolis Information to Tokyo, Japan.
Your Ideas
Have you ever used the Government Lounge on the Hilton Tokyo Bay? If that’s the case, do you advocate consuming breakfast right here, or just sticking to the bigger buffet eating places? Did you discover the improve to be price your cash (or time, as a Diamond member)? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even once you disagree with us—is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
