New Disney Cruise Line Ship Being Built for OLC
Oriental Land Company, owners of Tokyo Disney Resort, announced that they’ve reached an agreement to bring a brand-new Disney Cruise Line ship to Japan as part of an expanded license agreement between the two companies. This covers details from the announcements by OLC and Disney, along with our commentary.
This is the latest evolution in an over 40-year relationship between Disney and OLC, which just debuted the massive Fantasy Springs port-of-call at Tokyo DisneySea. The addition of a locally based Disney cruise ship will offer fun and relaxation for Japanese Disney fans and visitors from around the world during voyages filled with the incredible entertainment, world-class dining and exceptional guest service that set Disney cruises apart.
OLC will operate a new Disney cruise ship to be registered and based in Japan year-round. The ship will be constructed at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, with imaginative designs created by Walt Disney Imagineering. A sister ship to the popular Disney Wish, it will feature many guest-favorite venues and experiences from that ship with select modifications specially designed with Japanese guests in mind. It is expected to be approximately 140,000 gross tons and powered by liquefied natural gas, with about 1,250 staterooms.
As part of the Wish-class, this new unnamed ship will be similar in size and design as the Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny, becoming the 4th ship in that class. The Disney Adventure, which was acquired by Disney when it was partially-completed, is in its own class. This move is not simply the Disney Adventure being moved to Japan–Disney already signed a multi-year agreement for that ship to sail out of Singapore.
Oriental Land Company’s new ship is scheduled to be delivered by 2029 or Japanese fiscal year 2028. Based on the license agreement concluded with Disney, construction for shipbuilding will commence from Japanese fiscal year 2025. OLC indicates that its investing 330 billion yen on this new ship, which is approximately $2 billion USD.
“Disney Cruise Line has ambitious plans to bring family vacations and Disney storytelling to more guests around the world than ever before,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman, Disney Experiences. “We are thrilled to continue the success of this expansion as we collaborate with Oriental Land Co. to introduce another distinctly Disney vacation experience to families and fans in Japan.”
“I am sincerely proud that Disney and Oriental Land will be able to work together to create a world-class cruise business in Japan,” said Yumiko Takano, representative director, chairperson and CEO, Oriental Land. “Oriental Land will use their knowhow from the theme park business to continue pushing boundaries and provide family entertainment cruise experiences filled with inspiration and surprise.”
According to OLC’s press release, the new ship fits the company’s previously-announced goals for the year 2030, with the objective of contributing to Japanese society and achieving long term growth. As part of this effort, plans were being considered for a new business opportunity.
OLC reached a decision to enter into the cruise business in Japan, and has concluded a license agreement with the Disney Company to bring the magic of Disney cruises to the market. This decision was based on the potential growth of the cruise market in Japan, the experience OLC has gained in its theme park and hotel operations, and its strong relationship with the Disney Company which will serve as a great advantage for this business opportunity.
More details about the maiden voyage, itineraries and onboard experiences will be announced at a later date.
Turning to commentary, I can’t say I’m super jazzed on this announcement–at least, not from a purely selfish perspective. We’re huge fans of Tokyo Disney Resort and the way Oriental Land Company runs its parks. Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are the two best theme parks in the world. A lot of that is the result of the rosters of the respective parks–but not all of it. A big component is that they’re operated like Walt Disney World was in the 1990s.
After the success of Fantasy Springs, I was hoping that OLC was about to embark on another decade of expansion, reimagining, and placemaking projects in the two existing parks. One of the goals of their medium-term plan is, essentially, to make Tokyo Disneyland totally unique, and that endeavor is coming along nicely. I’d also like to see another new port-of-call built on the expansion pad previously announced as being Frozen/Norway/Scandinavia.
All of this can still happen, and some of it probably will in the decade to come. But this is about $2 billion less that OLC will have to allocate to all of that, which is unfortunate. This means that at least some theme park projects will be put on the backburner, as OLC simply does not have the resources to do it all. On a positive note, at least OLC is singularly focused on this business, and doesn’t have the distractions (or money pits) of streaming services, television networks, etc.
From my perspective, OLC continuing to build theme park projects is much more exciting and interesting than the company trying its hand at a cruise ship. For one thing, I suspect there’s less room for innovation or deviation from the formula. The Wish-class ships are what they are, and while the thematic window-dressing can change, not nearly to the same degree as theme parks, which present more of a blank slate.
Moreover, I also think that Disney Cruise Line also operates very similarly to Walt Disney World of the 1990s, so OLC cannot possibly bring as much to the table there. I suspect the service will be even better than DCL, but it won’t be leaps and bounds better as is the case with parks. This is going to be more incremental, just like the changes to the ship itself.
When it comes to the superlative service that American fans always rave about at Tokyo Disney Resort, a big part of this is a product of Japanese culture in general, and not simply a different management approach by OLC. Omotenashi is the Japanese term for this, which means that service is honest and unpretentious, from the bottom of the heart. This is the guiding principle for Japanese hospitality with great attention to detail. You can find this pretty much anywhere in Japan (except places that don’t want foreign tourists), and it’ll undoubtedly extend to this new ship.
Of course, I also have the self-awareness to recognize that this is all selfish based on my personal preferences, and perceived strengths and weakness of both OLC and the Walt Disney Company. Moreover, American bloggers, as lucrative of an audience as we might be, are not the target demo for a cruise ship based in Japan. Given the number of Japanese fans we know who love Disney Cruise Line, this is probably a savvy business decision on OLC’s part. We also know a lot of Japanese fans who are DVC owners, so to end on a positive note, at least they aren’t wasting the space or resources to build a Disney Vacation Club resort in Japan.
Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For more specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews page covers accommodations. Our Restaurant Reviews detail where to dine & snack. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money post. Our What to Pack for Disney post takes a unique look at clever items to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of a brand-new Disney Cruise Line ship coming to Japan? Wish OLC were investing this $2 billion in the parks, or do you think it’ll be interesting to see what OLC brings to the table when it comes to cruising? Agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I had an amazing cruise around 2005 on Holland America in the Caribbean that was excellent, but it was geared towards adults and families without young children. *If* OLC can square the circle between a Wish-class sized ship and that level of service for families with young children (and without, it will be based out of Japan after all), that would be several degrees better better than what DCL has done with its larger ships. Also, since the Adventure isn’t sailing yet, I’m looking at DCL’s latest ship, and OLC can do better than the Wish with one hand full of R&D funding tied behind their back.
More importantly, I agree that investing in the parks would be preferred to OLCL. Still, *right now* I’d rather see this happen than try and build another inferior-for-OLC hotel or buy a third party hotel to Disney-fy or pay down debt.
I too wish they had announced another expansion but given that Fantasy Springs just launched this summer, I cannot see them announcing anything for the DisneySea expansion pad this soon. One does wonder what could go in there given the frozen fjord theme has already been covered in Springs.
I certainly don’t expect a new port-of-call announcement this year, next year, or probably even in 2026. But this is all being spent as part of a medium-term plan that covers now until 2030. So I could absolutely see another large scale expansion plan for TDL or TDS in that time, and this coming at the expense of that.
well, my oldest graduates high school in 2032… so i foresee a tokyo dl/cruise as a high school grad trip for our family
It’s obviously too early to make a definitive value judgment about cruising out of Japan, but my gut reaction is to (still) strongly recommend allocating that time to exploring Japan as opposed to taking a cruise. TDR is worth the trip and time due to the margin of its superiority and/or uniqueness over WDW and DLR. I have a hard time believing the same will be true for their version of DCL. And if it comes at the cost of the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, etc., it is definitely not worth it.
good to know. maybe we can make it work. lol.
Tom, the OLC ran its parks like WDW and DL of the 1970s and 80s, not even 90s. But having recently returned from almost a month in Japan, I can wholeheartedly say those days are over. The insanity of demanding doing everything on a phone while not even providing WiFi in 2024 is really something. The circus of gaining entry to Fantasy Springs is something else as well. The height of truly awful Guest Service. Then, there’s the 9 pm closings that can really be as early as 7-730 for certain dining locations and attractions. It’s not the same place, even if its still a great one and well worth visiting.
I also think this is OLC realizing it needs to diversify its Disney business even further (I’m sure you’ve read some of the negative coverage the resort has been getting in mainstream media, particularly Forbes, of late).
I think it’s a stretch to say these days are over. It’s absolutely true that OLC is taking way too long to restore normalcy post-closure and reopening. A lot of what you’re describing is the lingering effects from staffing shortages–I know that’s still a very big issue. (Perhaps you noticed the ‘now hiring ads’ for TDR throughout the city of Tokyo?) My hope is that they figure out a solution, but I fear they won’t since they haven’t yet and Japan has an aging population.
Nevertheless, the earlier closing and even earlier attraction closings is frustrating. Then again, “frustratingly slow to adapt” is a phrase that could be applied to many Japanese businesses, so it’s not like OLC is unique in that regard.
Fantasy Springs is really something. I had higher expectations for them finding their footing quickly and better allocating capacity, but it seems like they still aren’t even close to firing on all cylinders there. That’s downright baffling and incredibly frustrating–especially seeing ride vehicles dispatched only partially full and nearly empty queues at some points.
Agree to disagree on the reliance of the phone because, as you point out, it’s 2024. Using Mobile Order with instant return times and breezing by a long line at the register is fantastic. Ditto not having to walk to FastPass machines for Priority Pass, etc. Agree on the WiFi point, though.
I saw the Forbes piece; it was perplexing. Made some very good and granular points that I wouldn’t expect of mainstream media (that normally have trouble using the right castle photo), but tried tying it all to the stock price. Somehow I doubt investors are ‘pricing in’ any of that when trading shares. Japanese media has definitely been more critical of TDR, too, though.
The Fantasy Springs issue really was maddening and in a way I can’t understand. We had three days at TDS, none consecutively, over two weeks. The last day was the height of frustration. Now, we had already been on Frozen and Peter Pan multiple times. We had spent plenty of time taking in the beauty of the land (although another great argu … I mean debate topic is the land doesn’t fit in the park at all as wonderful as it is). We had dined at Snuggly Duckling. On our final day, a Wednesday, we got there about 8:15 and were in the park within 30 minutes and immediately snagged Standby Passes for Rapunzel, our top goal. We rode at 3 p.m. and then went to Olaf’s Arendelle Mess Hall for drinks (menu didn’t appeal to us at all, and we had best theme park pizza ever a few hours before). We thought we’d be able to snag passes, or even Premier Access, for more attractions. Every single ride had waits of 5 or 10 minutes. And, yet, whether it was the free passes or the paid passes, nothing would show available. We just sat on the patio there refreshing the app mindlessly for almost 45 minutes. It was a level of frustration honestly beyond what I have with the insanity of virtual queues at WDW. We had paid to be there. We were even willing to pay extra to ride, something I have never done in any other Disney park ever. The attractions were all running with almost no one on them. And … nothing. Just smiling waving Japanese CMs who weren’t letting us on anything without some type of online pass.
It seemed like they are actively trying to drive people away. I feel so bad for friends there who can’t buy an AP (you absolutely can at USJ, we almost did!) and having no multi-day tickets as well. It just makes no sense. These parks used to have what I would call the best operations in the world (not simply Disney) and the pandemic clearly broke that. And whether it’s coming back is as big of a mystery as what truly drove the decision to get into the cruising biz.
Oh, and I’ll save you another rant, but they NEED to bring back paper park maps and those cool entertainment/food/merch guides.
“tried tying it all to the stock price”
Better yet, that article compared the stock price not to those of similar travel/tourist companies, but an index of Japanese companies which get most of their income from inside Japan rather than internationally. Many of those were, for lack of a better expression. positively impacted financially by COVID-19, and make for poor comparison over that period.
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but they’re the Oriental LAND Company!
I understand your perspective, but selfishly for me, I’m very excited about this. We just got home from our 3rd DCL cruise and have already booked a 4th. We haven’t been to Japan yet, but it’s on our bucket list. Doing TDL and a cruise would be a dream come true!
Considering Japan culture of not tiping, I would be interested to see how this is handled.
Apart from that, I am jealous. I wish (no pun intended) that we could have based cruise ships in Europe all year round.