Disney Imagination

The introduction of the 2029-built (currently on order/under construction) ship Disney Imagination (ディズニー・イマジネーション) marks a precedent in maritime tourism and theme park history. For the first time, a Walt Disney-branded cruise vessel will be permanently based in Japan. It will be operated locally under license by Oriental Land Co. Ltd. (the operator of Tokyo Disney Resort) through its wholly owned subsidiary Oriental Land Cruise Co. Ltd.

The vessel Disney Imagination (IMO tba) will be Japan-flagged (MMSI tba) and registered in Yokohama.

MS Disney Imagination is Disney Cruise Line/DCL's 9th vessel and the 5th in the TRITON/WISH Class, with sister ships Disney Wish (2022), Disney Treasure (2024), Disney Destiny (2025) and Disney Believe (2027). By gross tonnage/volume (~144,000 GT tons), Disney Imagination will be the largest passenger ship registered in Japan, setting a new benchmark for luxury and scale in Japanese domestic cruising.

DCL's WISH class features LNG-based propulsion (Liquefied Natural Gas) and a capacity of ~1250 staterooms (~4000 passengers/double occupancy) and ~1550 crew members.

Disney Imagination will be operated as part of the newly formed travel brand Disney Cruise Line Japan. The ship will be deployed year-round in Japan, sailing short-term itineraries departing primarily from homeport Tokyo (Tokyo International Cruise Terminal). The brand's inauguration is currently planned for Q1 2029 (spring).

Japanese Hospitality Meets Disney Storytelling: OLC brings over 40 years of service standards from Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea directly onto the high seas. Oriental Land will enable domestic and international guests to embark on Disney-themed voyages year-round without having to travel to the USA or Europe.

Note: As officially announced, Oriental Land Cruise Company's initial capital is JPY 450 million (Japanese Yen/~USD 2.82 billion/~EUR 2,5 B), with shipbuilding costs of JPY 290 billion (~USD 1.85 B/~EUR 1,64 B), and JPY 40 billion (~USD 255 M/~EUR 225 M) secured emergency reserves.

In May 2025, when Oriental Land Group officially announced its plans to enter the cruise market, the announcement also noted that the company was considering building a second Disney cruise ship for Japan, contingent on the success of the first vessel (Imagination).

Shipbuilding History & Milestone Timeline

(Initiation & Feasibility Studies): In 2023-2024, Oriental Land Company began evaluating strategic expansion into the cruise sector to complement Tokyo Disney Resort. Discussions with The Walt Disney Company culminated in plans to adapt the WISH-class DCL ship design for Japanese waters.

(Official Licensing & Shipbuilding Announcement) On July 9, 2024, Oriental Land Company officially announced its entry into the cruise business with an estimated investment of JPY 330 billion (~USD 2.1 billion). OLC executed the official licensing agreement with Disney Enterprises. The formal shipbuilding contract was signed in Tokyo (on July 9th) between OLC and the German shipbuilder Meyer Werft Papenburg. The key executives who signed the order included Kenji Yoshida (Representative Director, President, and COO of Oriental Land Co. Ltd.), Bernard Meyer (Managing Director and CEO of Meyer Werft), and Bernd Eikens (CEO of the Meyer Group).

(Homeport Selection): On November 29, 2024, OLC and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government designated the Port of Tokyo (Tokyo International Cruise Terminal) as the new ship's primary homeport.

(Construction Phases): In 2027 will start Disney Imagination's physical construction (steel-cutting) and assembly (keel-laying) at Meyer Werft's shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

The vessel's completion and delivery by Meyer Werft are slated for 2028 Q4, with revenue operations/Maiden Voyage planned for spring 2029.

(Establishment of Operating Entity) On March 24, 2026, OLC officially established Oriental Land Cruise Co. Ltd. to manage Disney Cruise Line Japan. The company is managed by Wataru Takahashi (Representative Director, President, and COO of Oriental Land Co. Ltd.) and Ryotaro Shiiba (President of Oriental Land Cruise Co. Ltd.).

(Ship Naming & Hull Character Artwork Reveal) On October 14, 2026, Disney Signature Experiences and OLC officially revealed the vessel's name: Disney Imagination. The signature stern/hull artwork was unveiled, featuring Ariel and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid (1989-released animation). The announcement was made at a special ceremony held in Tokyo and attended by Yumiko Takano (OLC's Chairperson and CEO), Ryotaro Shiiba, Natacha Rafalski (Disney Signature Experiences' President) and Tracy Wilson (Disney Cruise Line Operations' SVP and General Manager).

Shipowner (Oriental Land Company) & Disney

The shipowner OLC/Oriental Land Co. Ltd. (株式会社オリエンタルランド) is a Japanese leisure and tourism company founded in 1960 and headquartered in Urayasu (Chiba Prefecture, Japan). OLC owns and operates the theme parks Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu.

Oriental Land pays licenses and royalties to the Walt Disney Company for the use of Disney intellectual property, while Walt Disney Imagineering provides consultation and design services for OLC's theme parks and attractions. OLC is the only Disney resort operator that has no capital relationship with the Walt Disney Company.

In 1979, Oriental Land and Walt Disney Productions agreed to build Tokyo Disneyland (opened in April 1983), borrowing USD 1.4 billion, which OLC paid off in three years.

In November 1995, Walt Disney Productions announced the building of Tokyo DisneySea (OLC-owned, opened in September 2001) next to Tokyo Disneyland. The OLC-Disney licensing agreement was signed in November 1997. To fund Tokyo DisneySea (USD 2.6 billion), in May 1999, OLC sold two sets of bonds: US$200 million and US$406 million.

OLC's largest shareholder is the Keisei Electric Railway (22%), with the other principal owners consisting of major Japanese institutional funds, real estate developers, local government, and large international asset managers. The largest shareholders holding substantial stakes in OLC include: The Master Trust Bank of Japan Ltd. (Trust Account, 10.57%), Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd. (real estate developer, 5.75%), the Custody Bank of Japan Ltd. (Trust Account, 4.86%), Chiba Prefecture (4.02%), Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. (3.08%), BlackRock Inc. (2.78%), and Vanguard Capital Management LLC (2.48%). OLC holds 8.71% of its own shares as treasury stock.

Oriental Land Cruise Itineraries

Oriental Land's fares for 2- to 4-night cruises are expected to range from JPY 100,000 to 300,000 (~USD 630-1900/~EUR 570-1700) per person (standard cabins) based on double occupancy.

All voyages leave round-trip from Tokyo International Cruise Terminal.

Details on the Japanese call ports are expected to be announced sometime in 2028.