Health Concerns Mount as Disney Fans Queue Overnight for Entry

Although large crowds are a common feature at Disney parks, Tokyo Disney Resort is known for drawing some of the most significant turnouts. Viral videos have frequently captured the extensive crowding outside Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, with new openings often amplifying the already impressive visitor numbers.

We saw proof in 2024 when Tokyo DisneySea debuted its newest land, Fantasy Springs. Entry was initially limited to guests with a Standby Pass or Premier Access—both available in limited quantities within the park on a first-come, first-served basis—or a Fantasy Springs Passport. As a result, some eager visitors began lining up outside the park as early as 2 a.m. to secure their chance to enter.

Disney Guests Arrive at 1.30 a.m.

Something similar has happened this week as Tokyo Disneyland begins its latest event, Disney Pal-Palooza: Vanellope’s Sweet Pop World. As per Yahoo Japan, guests camped outside JR Maihama Station—the closest station to Tokyo Disney Resort—in sleeping bags as early as 1.30 a.m. to ensure that they could secure the best spots for the event’s new parade.

That’s despite the fact that temperatures reached a low of 36 degrees Fahrenheit overnight in the early hours of January 15, and 32.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening of January 14.

In response to guests gathering outside the park in these conditions, Dr. Hiromichi Ito, director of Ito Oji Kamiya Internal Medicine and Surgery Clinic, warned of medical risks.

Ito told Yahoo Japan, “When your body temperature drops below 35 degrees, you run the risk of hypothermia. The more exposed parts of your body, such as your face, the more heat you lose. In the worst case scenario, if your blood pressure drops, you could go into cardiac arrest.”

What is Vanellope’s Sweet Pop World?

The event causing all the frenzy is the latest in a series of Disney Palpalooza events by Tokyo Disney Resort.