On November 7, Oriental Land issued its “Comprehensive Report 2025” and mentioned the “Disney Cruise” scheduled to start service in 2028 in its featured cruise business.
Disney Cruise is a project underway by the Oriental Land Group to become the third pillar of its business along with the theme park and hotel businesses.
With a total investment of 330 billion yen (290 billion yen for the hull and 40 billion yen for reserves), the ship will have approximately 1,250 cabins, a capacity of 4,000 passengers, and 1,500 crew members. It will operate the largest cruise ship under Japanese registry, boasting a length of approximately 340 meters and a gross tonnage of approximately 140,000 tons. The ship will be able to welcome approximately 400,000 guests a year, who will be able to enjoy activities and entertainment unique to Disney, as well as a wide variety of dining options and various grades and types of rooms.
The company aims to realize a “family entertainment cruise,” mainly targeting families and younger generations who have been unfamiliar with cruises, by making full use of the know-how accumulated through the continuous evolution and growth of the Tokyo Disney Resort. The company expects to be profitable from fiscal 2029, when it will be in operation all year round. After several years of operation, the company expects annual sales to reach approximately 100 billion yen and annual passenger volume to reach approximately 400,000 passengers.
The company cited “a business model that is not easily affected by weather,” “avoidance of the risk of centralization in Maihama,” “scalability without land restrictions,” and a total of six other factors as the significance of entering the cruise business, and will take advantage of its strengths not found in existing businesses.
At the beginning of the report, Yumiko Takano, Chairman and CEO, enthusiastically states, “We will establish a new culture of family entertainment cruises that are unique to Japan. She also stated that this is the mission of the company, which has a track record of establishing “theme parks” in Japan.
In a further feature, Charles D. Besford, Executive Officer in charge of the Cruise Business Preparation Office, commented that the situation is very similar to when the OLC Group first built Tokyo Disneyland. He announces that the ship is currently under construction and that the project is making steady progress in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and other government agencies, as well as with business partners NYK Line, Ltd. and Yusen Cruises Co.
Mr. Naohiko Shimura, General Manager of the Cruise Business Preparation Office (in charge of business planning), also noted that the ship to be introduced is a sister ship of the Disney Wish, which will begin service in the U.S. in 2022, and that some facilities, meals and entertainment on board will be modified to meet the tastes of Japanese guests, In addition, some of the ship’s facilities, meals, and entertainment will be changed to meet the tastes of Japanese guests and incorporate original elements. He said he hopes to provide a unique Japanese experience that is different from other Disney cruises.
The agreement with Disney includes the following: the scope of the agreement is the development and operation of Disney Cruises based in Japan, the agreement can be extended for up to 39 years, and royalties will be paid based on sales (not affected by exchange rate fluctuations).
Mr. Ryo Morioka, General Manager of the Cruise Business Preparation Office (Shipbuilding), also introduced the cruise ship currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany and the process leading up to its launch in Japan, describing it as a “challenge into uncharted territory” that the OLC Group has never experienced before. The OLC Group also describes the extensive consultations and preparations required with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) and other relevant ministries and inspection agencies to ensure compliance with Japanese laws, regulations, and technical standards for the hull and onboard equipment.
The company states that the cruise business “will lead the OLC Group to further evolution based on profitability exceeding that of the theme park business,” and that after the steady success of the first ship, it will consider the launch of a second ship.
© Source travel watch