Japan's First Disney Cruise Ship Named Disney Imagination, Set for Spring 2029 Tokyo Debut
Oriental Land Co. and its subsidiary Oriental Land Cruise announced on October 14 that Japan's first Disney cruise ship will be named Disney Imagination. The vessel is scheduled to begin commercial sailings in spring 2029, with Tokyo International Cruise Terminal as its primary homeport.
Disney Imagination will be approximately 140,000 gross tons and about 340 metres long, built by Germany's Meyer Werft and based on the design of Disney Wish, which entered service in 2022, with adjustments for operation as a Japanese-registered ship and for the preferences of guests in Japan. The ship is planned to have approximately 1,250 cabins, capacity for 4,000 passengers and a crew of about 1,500. Total investment is approximately 330 billion yen — 290 billion yen for the ship and 40 billion yen in contingency funds — with an annual passenger target of around 400,000.
The ship's stern will feature Ariel and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. Onboard plans include a theatre seating more than 1,300 guests, approximately 30 food and beverage venues including three main dining restaurants with different themes, dedicated children's areas and adult-only areas. Voyages will generally last two to four nights, with proposed fares for the most common cabin category spanning 100,000 to 300,000 yen per person per voyage. Delivery of the ship is scheduled for autumn 2028, and reservations are expected to open approximately six months before the first sailing. The NYK Group is expected to handle ship management and operational management.
The naming announcement in Tokyo brought together Oriental Land chairperson and CEO Yumiko Takano, Oriental Land Cruise president Ryotaro Shiiba, and Disney Signature Experiences president Natacha Rafalski. Oriental Land Cruise has cited cruise participation equivalent to 0.2% of Japan's population, compared with 5.9% in the United States, saying it aims to make cruising a familiar leisure choice in Japan through the short-voyage format.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: "迪士尼想象号"的设计原型船"迪士尼愿望号"抵达卡纳维拉尔港（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，MissPlaying 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权
