- Tokyo Disneyland owner Oriental Land will invest $2 billion to bring Disney cruises to Japan.
- The cruises will operate year-round from Japan beginning in early 2029, serving 4,000 guests per sailing.
- Disney’s cruise business, including parks, accounted for 37% of its revenue last year.
Tokyo Disneyland owner doubles down on Disney magic with new investment in cruises.
Oriental Land, which owns and operates Disney Resorts in Tokyo, said on Tuesday will invest $2 billion to launch Disney cruises in Japan.
The Tokyo theme park, which opened in 1983, operates as a franchise. It is the only park not wholly or partly owned by the Walt Disney Company.
The new deal with the Mickey Mouse and Toy Story producer will bring year-round sailings to Japan, the company said in a release Tuesday. The cruises will sail from Tokyo in early 2029.
The 1,250-room cruise ship will be designed similarly to the Disney Wish, the largest ship in the Disney fleet. It is expected to accommodate 4,000 guests.
The new cruises come as international tourism to Japan is booming. In the first three months of this year, 8.6 million tourists visited the country and spent more than $11 billion, with more foreign travelers booking longer trips and spending more money due to the weaker yen.
The ship marks Disney’s second voyage in Asia, after the company announced sailings from Singapore in 2025 last month.
Experiences, which include cruises and parks, accounted for 37% of Disney’s revenue last year — $32.5 billion.
“The cruise business, frankly, is a business that has a tremendous amount of opportunity for us over time, and that’s why we’re leaning more into that business,” Disney’s chief financial officer Hugh Johnston said on a May earnings call.
Johnston also highlighted a “global slowdown due to post-COVID peak travel” and higher wages as challenges for the company this year.
Disney has five ships in its fleet, sailing to destinations such as the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. A four-night cruise from Florida to the Bahamas starts at about $900 per guest.
