After lunch, we went back to the ryokan to pick up our luggage. They have a free shuttle to the Nikko train stations (Tobu or JR), but it is only at 9, 9:30, or 10 AM. They are strict about that (even though the van was sitting out front), so we asked the front desk to call us a taxi. I think the fare was about 1500 yen. We could have taken the bus, which I think is 310 yen/adult (so 775 yen total with DS being 50% and DD free), but the savings didn’t seem worth it to me having to deal with the luggage and the kids. We arrived at the station just in time to catch the Tobu Skytree Line Section Rapid train (the same line we took to Nikko and the cheapest option). Transfers were at Kita-Senju and Hatchobori (Tokyo) before we arrived in Maihama. There is also a Shinkansen option, which I thought the kids would like. But with a difference of 3710 yen/adult for unreserved seats and only a 50 minutes ride, it did not seem worth it at all. When we got to Maihama, we took the free shuttle to Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. We didn’t see any signs and had to ask, but all the “official” hotel (i.e. non-Disney but within TDR) shuttles are outside the station, walk out a bit and you should see the Disney Resort Cruisers which are white and grey with a big Mickey shape on the side. There is a sign above the windshield for which hotel it goes to. The shuttle took us to the lower level of the Sheraton and I got a little confused looking for the front desk, which is one floor up.
We booked the Ocean Dreams room directly with Sheraton. I selected 2 adults since children 17 and under sleep free in existing bedding (as of when I booked – this may have changed since then). If I put in the kids, then the website thinks I want separate beds for them and only show me the expensive quad rooms. It really paid off for me to keep checking the price. I originally booked refundable rates through JTB when they were cheaper. The price would drop, so I would cancel and rebook. About 2 weeks before our stay, the Sheraton direct rate dropped again and since it was getting close I booked the nonrefundable rate. I thought they would charge my credit card soon after, but they didn’t until I checked out. Saturday night was expensive at 35,000 yen, but Saturdays are just expensive everywhere around TDR. Sunday was 19,000 yen. Monday night was 15,300 yen. Oddly, Tuesday never really dropped and Wednesday was sold out. My guess is there was a conference. I had 2 reservations and it was not a problem combining them. Since I booked direct and had signed up for SPG rewards, wifi was free. Not that we needed it since we had the data SIM, but DH did try to use it (I guess he wanted to stream and was worried about the 1 GB limit), but it was very slow.
When we got to our room, our luggage (sent from Gate Hotel) was already in the room. Yay! The room was spacious by Japanese standards, clean, and newly remodeled (last year I think). I loved the modern, ocean-themed décor.
View from our balcony:
After I unpacked, we set out to look for dinner in the hotel. DH got sticker shock! 
I was already mentally prepared. My original plan was to go to Ippudo Ramen in Ikspiari, I even printed out the mall map to find where it was, but once we go to Maihama, I felt all sticky from the humidity and weighed down with the luggage that I just wanted to get to the hotel. We looked at the menus outside – the Japanese restaurant (Asuka) had adult sets for about 5000 yen and kids’ sets for 2900 yen. Teppanyaki Restaurant Maihama was 9000 yen/adult, although I did see an option online for a family meal (2 adults, 1 kid) for 14,000 yen, additional kid would be 3600 yen (I didn’t see this option posted outside though). The buffet (Grand Café) was 5400 yen/adult (can’t remember what the kids’ price was).
We decided to walk around and find the coin laundry first. The coin laundry is a small room in the Annex building on the second floor next to the arcade. But to get to the Annex, I think you can only go from the first floor (the floor below the front desk) and through a corridor that connects the buildings. There is a convenience store in the Annex and we decided to just grab some things there. We got a sandwich sampler pack, some onigiri (rice balls), and a curry flavor Cup Noodles (I was curious – it was a flavor choice at the design your own ramen at the CupNoodles Museum, but the kids didn’t want to pick it). I was a little wary because the selection of prepared food was very small (only one small case), but like other convenience stores in Japan, it’s actually decent food. The seaweed on the onigiri is separated from the rice by plastic, so it was still crunchy. It was a very cheap dinner at 1590 yen (charged to the room – very convenient!).
We went back to our room to eat and then DS and I set out to do laundry. I think it was 300 yen to wash (400 yen with detergent) and 100 yen per 15 minutes to dry. DS played in the arcade while we waited. There was a coupon for some free games in the room key folder. When I gave it to the attendant, he asked me to pick one of the options. So I’m not sure if I can only do one option per day or if I just needed to go back and ask again. When the laundry finished washing, I put them in the dryer for 45 minutes and went back to our room. DH went back later, I’m not sure how much longer he dried for (30-45 minutes probably), but when he came back all the clothes were still damp to varying degrees. I’d read about this in reviews, so I wasn’t surprised. There’s a laundry line in the bathroom, so we hung some stuff there, some in the closet, and some on the chairs. I was most worried about my jeans since I’d washed both pairs, but they were okay to wear the next morning with some blow drying.
Travels with 2 Kids 