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Tokyo Disney’s Castle is unusual in that it actually has an attraction inside it – so, what is inside? And is it worth queuing for? Find out in our guide…
Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
At a Glance
Attraction Name: Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall. Area: Fantasyland
Height Restriction: None, and you can use strollers inside
Queue Length: Normally under 30 minutes DPA or PP: No
Time Needed to Visit: About 10 minutes
Opening Hours: 10 am to 9 pm
Must See? No – it’s a nice diversion but not essential unless you have a mini princess with you
What’s The Back Story?
The story behind Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall is that Cinderella and Prince Charming have opened Cinderella Castle to the guests while they are away. Cinderella wished to share the story of the magical way that she became a princess.
What’s Inside?
It’s a self-guided walking tour that uses pictures and other artworks to tell the Cinderella story.
You enter and go up in a lift, and then walk through the corridors to the main throne room.
However, in places, it is a bit like Cinderella had a bad fever dream!
Each painting or model is made by a different artist, and there’s everything from cute Disneyesque murals, to faintly religious-looking white statues and a tableau involving the weirdest-looking Cinderella you’re likely to see and a giant mouse.
Admittedly, the more you learn about the artworks, the better they become.
One is made entirely with paper, others have magnets underneath them that make the figures spin – and, apparently, if you take a picture of the Fairy Godmother painting in the throne room with flash, suprises happen – they normally tell you turn your flash off at TDR though so I haven’t tried that one yet – but, I’m sure as heck going in there when I go back next April!
Other than that, the throne room is the ‘highlight’ – the stained glass window is pretty, there’s a fun place for you to pose with a glass slipper (the women below were there on Halloween, where costumes are allowed in the park – I have had to blur their faces sadly as they deserve credit for looking amazing).
There’s also a throne to have photos on that will delight any mini princess. It would be the perfect place to get pictures after a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique makeover.
You leave the park down a set of stairs outside the castle, and this gives you a great view over the park. I was here at Halloween, and it was the perfect place to spy all the people in their incredible costumes.
It’s also pretty at night when the Carousel and It’s a Small World are all lit up.
So, it’s not THE most exciting thing to do in Disneyland (in fact, it makes my list of the 10 things you might want to skip) but, if the queue is short, it does give you a nice angle over the park, some of the touches are cute – and, it’s a good place to escape from heat, cold or rain.
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.
A Few Fun Facts About the Tokyo Disney Castle
It was actually the first Disney castle built outside of the US.
It’s a little bit smaller than Florida at 168 feet tall. Walt Disney World’s castle is 189 feet tall. It uses forced perspective to make it seem taller than it actually is. The first storey is the actual size, but each one gets increasingly smaller as they go up – you don’t notice this once inside, though, which is interesting.
Apparently, the Cinderella Mural outside the castle has a spot people touch for luck. I heard this in the queue, and I couldn’t find anything to confirm it, but I did see people touching one spot on this wall as they walked past – so maybe it’s true.
Keep an eye out when you’re queuing and see if you see anyone doing it – and, if anyone knows more about it, please do drop me a line and let me know what it’s all about. Oh, and this woman isn’t a cast member; she was just there for Halloween. See what I mean about the costumes!
The mural itself is based on the original one at Walt Disney World by Dorothea Redmond.
There’s a shop behind the mural. The Glass Slipper is where you go if you want to pick up glass-based Disney trinkets – or an entire castle that costs around 7 million yen. You can get items engraved and even watch the makers creating tiny glass sculptures and glassblowing in little display pods around the shop.
So, there’s my quick guide to what’s inside the castle at Tokyo Disneyland. I’ll let you know what happens when I try the flash picture in April!
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
