Narita to Hotel Gracery Shinjuku

I'm thinking about getting the one-way Keisei Skyliner + 3-day Tokyo Subway Pass as it seems it's a pretty good deal, though is it possible to get from Narita Airport to Hotel Gracery Shinjuku just using this package? I understand that you can get off at Nippori from the Skyliner and then take the JR Yamanote line that goes directly to Shinjuku, but would it be feasible/convenient just by subway after we get off the Skyliner (two people with one medium suitcase each) or is it just worth it to take the JR instead?

Nippori - Shinjuku are just 194 Yen. I would also consider ease of access, travel time and not only the cost of the ticket when coming to your hotel after a possibly long flight.

Frankly I don't know which lines are included in the pass you mention, but in Nippori there is no subway stop. So you would likely need to go to Ueno (just the next stop on Keisei liner) and then probably take Ginza line and change at some point to Marunouchi line). This will add time and inconvenience to your trip for esssntially the cost of half a beer... (if Ginza line and Marunouchi line are included in your ticket).

Enjoy your travel to Japan!

You can take the JR N'EX right to Shinjuku station, and the Hotel Gracery is just a short walk from there. Look at Google maps, Shinjuku Station, and enter Hotel Gracery. It is to the northeast of the station, 2 or 3 blocks. Pay the extra over the Skyliner for convenience. Why change trains and lug suitcases when you don't have to? There might be a special round-trip ticket from Narita to Shinjuku on the N'EX. Subway passes rarely pay off, as you have to use them a lot, and they don't always go to where you want to go. Just get Suica cards and put a few thousand yen on them.

I agree with Susan. A lot of people visiting Japan are transfixed by all the different passes available, but frankly enough the average Japanese just has his/her Suica/pasmo and jumps on the next train.
I get the whole pass idea for serious traveling through Japan (like JR pass) but for just a city where with a pass you are not allowed to use all transport systems it just adds unnecessary complication to your visit.
Tokyos transport system already can be intimidating enough as to add a further complication to it by needing to check continuously that you take the right train to match with your pass.
Plus you really don't want to add unnecessary time to your transport only because you are "not allowed" to take a convenient JR line.

So in that sense yes, absolutely take the NEX train directly from Narita to Shinjuku. There are apparently some tickets that include the return trip which I think are a bit discounted, but again only make sense if you are 100 % sure that NEX will be the best option for your return to Narita.

As a few has mentioned, get the NEX to shinjuku, if the 1-3 day tokyo metro pass is a must, you can also get that at a discounted price, just like the skyliner+tokyo metro pass, you will also need yout passport.

When in the day is your flight scheduled?

Actually your hotel is a little apart from (JR) Shinjuku Station.
The station which is closest to your hotel is Seibu Shinjuku Station.
You can travel from (JR) Nippori Station to Seibu Shinjuku Station by the following route,
in around 25 minutes, at 320 yen per adult passenger.

Nippori Station
| JR Yamanote Line's Inner Track
| (for Ikebukuro and Shinjuku)
Takadanobaba Station
: Pass through JR-Seibu transfer gate
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e938.html
| Seibu Shinjuku Line
Seibu Shinjuku Station.�@

Shinjuku Station of JR is huge and complicated.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e866.html

A Narita Express ride to Shinjuku Station may seem perfectly nice, but I would point out that the Narita Express platform (for Tracks 5 and 6) is on the further side both to your hotel and to your bus terminal (in front of Keio Department Store).

To avoid walking (with your luggage) for a while on the underground concourse, you can take the fowling route to the taxi terminal on the 3rd floor of Busta Shinjuku.
A one-way taxi fare to get to your hotel is estimated at around 900 yen per car (, i.e. around 450 yen per person, because you are two travelers).
: 1. Go up by escalator to the bridge for Koshu-kaido Gate and New South Gate.
: 2. Pass through Koshu-kaido Gate.
: 3. Turn to the left.
: 4. Walk a little to the elevator or the escalator leading to Busta Shinjuku.
: 5. Go up to the 3rd floor, where the taxi terminal is.

It's a sort of obvious typo, but let me correct "fowling" as "following" in my previous response.

How crowded would the JR Yamanote line be from Nippori on a Sunday afternoon (flight lands around 12:50 p.m)? I've heard that it can be quite packed at times and I would hate to have to pose an inconvenience to other passengers due to our luggage.

frankly enough the average Japanese just has his/her Suica/pasmo and jumps on the next train.

Because "the average Japanese" is not eligible to those passes?

The cars at either end tend to be less crowded, but still quite full.

Thank you for all your replies! It seems we will be taking the N'EX to Shinjuku as recommended and then taking a taxi straight to the hotel.

You don't need to take a taxi to Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. Just walk it. When getting off N'EX look for the EAST Exit. I believe it's at the very end of the platform (just look for the sign indicating EAST Exit). This will be the easiest way to Kabukicho where Hotel Gracery is located. It's just a little over 5 min walk depending on foot traffic (crowd). Walking it even with 2 medium size will be a breeze. I saw other tourists rolling large size. Heck, I even saw 1 person rolling 2 large size down the area (went to a different hotel but walked the same path as I did). Only problem I foresee is the stairs out of East Exit. I'm sure there is an elevator/lift nearby but I didn't see any. But I think you can drag/carry the luggage up if your med luggage isn't already heavy.

I stayed at this hotel my first 2 nights in Tokyo and since I had a JR Pass and activated it for same day use so I could use it for N'EX. I only had my backpack (about 15 pounds) and duffel (20 pounds). I forwarded my medium size luggage from Narita to my Kyoto hotel. I managed to carry my bags all the way to HGS (female solo traveler).

This is the video I watched to get from N'EX platform to East Exit. I arrived at Narita on a Friday just before 3pm. After customs & immigrations, forwarding my luggage to Kyoto, getting my JR Pass and on N'EX....I think I arrived at Hotel around 5:30pm. Not sure though. Since it was Friday late afternoon/early evening, it was very crowded. But like I said in my previous post...I managed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEbFicNIplU&feature=youtu.be

This video is the actual walk from East Exit to Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DTH-lBDh9Q&t=130s

Or you can take the 100 yen bus to hotel through West Exit by following this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH208sHnaE8
You can see on the video, people with medium size luggage. I used the bus several times and not once was it full or even half full. I used it because I was closer to West Exit or was at Odakyu shopping.

Found the escalator video for East Exit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtDGNGD827k

hibell77,

Thank you so much for your comprehensive response and the video links! Having a visual guide is really a weight off my shoulders. It seems we'll be making the trek to the hotel instead of taking a taxi (on a budget, so any money we can save is a good thing).

What is your top priority: saving the cost, convenience or speediness?

Personally I suppose that waking for a while in Shinjuku Station to save your cost may offset the convenience of taking a Narita Express train (that you can store your suitcases at a separate space during your ride).

You seem to have a lower-cost, less-walking option.

NRT Terminals
| The Access Narita bus
| (about 1and a half hour, 1000 yen per adult passenger)
| http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
Ginza Station (Sukiyabashi)
| Walk (a little)
Ginza Station [M-16]
{Track 3}
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/_station_%E9%8A%80%E5%BA%...
| Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
| (about 15 minutes, 200 yen per adult passenger)
{Track 1}
[M-08] Shinjuku Station: Exit B13
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/yardmap_img/_station_%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%...
| Walk (about 400 meters)
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku.

The Access Narita bus stop in Ginza is just near the elevator between Entrances C5 and C7 of subway Ginza Station; you easily get to the Marunouchi Line platform.

In subway Shinjuku Station, you can use two elevators or escalators to get to Exit B13 on the ground.

References
- Route on Google Maps from Exit B13 of subway Shinjuku Station to your hotel: about 400 meters
https://www.google.co.jp/maps/dir/35.6925122,139.7017704/35.6954065,+1...
- Route on Google Maps from Koshu-kaido Gate (near the Narita Express platform) via East Exit of JR Shinjuku Station to your hotel: about 1.0 kilometer
https://www.google.co.jp/maps/dir/35.6888295,139.7007848/35.6915314,13...

Oops! Sorry, let me correct Exit B13 as Exit B11.