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If you’re staying in one of the hotels around the Tokyo Disney Resort, you’ll probably use the monorail at least once during your trip, not least because it’s very cute with lots of details inside.
Here’s what you need to know when you do.
Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
This post is updated when major changes occur, but also checked annually to ensure details are still accurate. The last check was in January 2026. Sources: Personal experience, Tokyo Disney website and Oriental Land Company website.
1. They Don’t Call it The Monorail
It’s called the Resort Liner. I have no idea why, but, just go with it.
2. It’s Not Free
Unlike the monorail in the US Parks, this is not another ride included in your ticket; you have to pay. A single ride costs 300 yen for adults, 150 yen for children, or you can buy passes for multiple rides.
These cost…
| No of Days | Cost (Adults) | Cost (Kids) |
| 1-Day | 700 yen | 350 yen |
| 2-Days | 900 yen | 450 yen |
| 3-Days | 1200 yen | 600 yen |
| 4-Days | 1500 yen | 750 yen |
This means that a pass is a better value if you plan to take more than two rides a day.
Another benefit of the passes is that they are cute paper tickets that you can keep as a souvenir. Check out my Duffy and Friends one below.
3. Credit Cards Are Tricky
The ticket machines at the monorail are cash only.
You can only buy tickets with a credit card if you get on at Resort Gateway and buy your ticket from a human at the ticket office.
The ticket office is only open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., so if you’re travelling outside of these hours, make sure you have cash or an IC card.
The other option to pay for your fare is an IC card like Suica or Welcome Suica. This is easy to use but doesn’t give you the discounted fares that the monorail passes do.
If you don’t know what an IC card, Suica Card or Welcome Suica card is, have a look at our Suica guide here.
4. It Only Goes One Way
The monorail goes in a one-way loop that takes about 15 minutes to cover. It stops at four stations and makes a loop of about five kilometres.
If you start at Resort Gateway (the connecting stop to the Maihama train line and the closest to the Ikspiari Shopping Centre), the next stop is Disneyland for the park, and the Disneyland Hotel.
You then go to Bayside Station, home to the Toy Story Hotel, Fantasy Springs Hotel and the Tokyo Disney partner hotels like the Hilton Tokyo Bay, Sheraton Tokyo Bay and the Grand Nikko Maihama.
Then you arrive at DisneySea, where you leave for the park and the Miracosta Hotel.
Finally, you’ll return to Resort Gateway.
Don’t Forget to Buy Your Disney Tickets
If you’re within two months of your trip, why not order them now so it’s done? Unlike the Disney site, Klook takes all foreign credit cards. Plus, if you’re buying other tours or tickets, add the code JAPLANEASEKLOOK at checkout and you could save up to 10 per cent.
T&Cs apply; Tokyo Disney tickets and USJ tickets are not available for discounts.
5. Not All Hotels Are on the Monorail
Of the official Disney Hotels, Disneyland Hotel, Miracosta, Fantasy Springs and Toy Story are all served by the monorail.
However, the Disney Ambassador Hotel doesn’t have a very close monorail stop, although you can walk there from Resort Gateway.
Celebration Hotel is outside of the main park area and is only served by a shuttle bus.
Of the official Disney Partner Hotels, the Sheraton, The Okura Tokyo Bay, The Tokyo Bay Hilton, and the Grand Nikko are closest to Bayside Station – but even the furthest hotel, the First Resort Tokyo Bay, is only a ten-minute walk away.
However, the hotels also offer shuttle buses to and from Bayside Station every 8-10 minutes. I stayed at the Grand Nikko and beat the bus back every time, so in most cases, they’re only really worth waiting for if you’re exhausted. I’d use it if I were staying at the First Resort, though.
6. Resort Gateway Station is a Bit Hidden
A few trips ago, I arrived on the Tokyo Metro, ready to hop on the monorail to DisneySea. I followed all the people coming out of the station down a set of stairs… and only once I’d been walking about five minutes did I realise none were actually using the said monorail. I ended up walking to the park.
My mistake was that the entrance to the monorail is a bit hidden if you don’t know where you’re looking.
If you don’t want to make the same mistake, turn left when you come out of Maihama station. Walk toward the Ikspiari entertainment area, and you’ll see the Resort Welcome Centre on our left.
The entrance to Resort Gateway Station is behind this – you can see it in the picture below between the Welcome Centre and the blue gate to Ikspiari.
7. All of the Stations Have Lifts
Whether you’re carrying luggage, wheeling a stroller, or have accessibility needs, there is a lift at every station.
The monorail is also wheelchair accessible. For full details, see the official guide to barrier-free travel in and around the resort.
Otherwise, you can use stairs and escalators to go up and down at each station.
8. There’s Plenty of Room for Luggage
If you’ve been travelling around Japan before your Disney visit, you’ll know there are a few challenges to travelling with luggage on some Japanese trains.
The Shinkansen requires you to book space if your suitcase is over a certain size, while travelling on more local trains with a suitcase can be a bit stressful as you work out where to put it among all the people.
There are no such concerns on the Tokyo Disney Monorail. The carriages are large, there’s lots of space between the seats. and there are big open areas at each end. Don’t worry about taking your bags on the monorail. But if you’re prefer not to, there are a few other ways to handle luggage at the Disney parks.
RELATED READ: Japan has a fantastic service called luggage shipping, which means your luggage can travel without you. Find out more about it here.
9. It’s Not a 24 Hour Service
The first monorail leaves Resort Gateway at 6.03 a.m., and the last one leaves at 11.30 p.m. Keep these times in mind if you’re coming into the park early to beat the crowds or to check into your hotel before a busy park day, or if you go into Tokyo for an evening and come back late.
Riding the whole loop takes about 13 minutes and the cars run every 4-13 minutes depending on the time of day.
10. You Can ‘Drive’ It.
The Tokyo Disney Monorail is a driver-free system with a big-picture window at the front, allowing you to ‘drive’ the monorail. These seats are very popular, but, you’ll usually manage to snag one if you do a full loop of the circuit.
11. You Might Not Always Need It
You can walk from Maihama Station to Tokyo Disneyland fairly easily – although you might want to save your feet.
Fantasy Springs guests can also use a special gate into DisneySea, which bypasses the need to use the monorail.
However, the important change for 2026 is that, while the front gate of Tokyo DisneySea is being updated, rules have been changed so that guests at Toy Story Hotel can also use this gate to enter the park after 10 am and to exit the park at the end of the night. This can save you a long walk to the front gate, so definitely use that if you are eligible.
You need to be inside the Fantasy Springs area by 9 pm to go out this way, so don’t leave it too late.
So, there you have it – the quick guide to the Tokyo Disney Monorail service. If you do have any further questions though, head over to our Tokyo Disney and USJ Facebook group and ask them there.
