Oriental Land Company announced in 2024 that Disney Cruise Line was coming to Japan. Now, the Japan-based entertainment company has established a new subsidiary–Oriental Land Cruise Company–to oversee the Disney Cruise Line operations in Japan as it continues to partner with Disney Cruise Line.
The Oriental Land Company press release stated, “…the Company has decided to establish a subsidiary to accelerate the commercialization of its cruise business and to manage and operate its future cruise ships in a specialized and agile manner.” The company will be led by Ryotaro Shiiba, Representative Director and President, who will be tasked with the management and operation of Japan-based cruising, which includes planning, development and marketing.
Oriental Land Cruise Company will operate Japan-based Disney cruise services under the name Disney Cruise Line Japan and is tentatively set to launch on April 3, 2026. The first ship of the brand is a Wish-class ship with construction scheduled to begin later this year at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. It will be registered and based in Japan year-round. While the ship will be based on Disney Wish with many guests-favorite venues and experiences onboard, the design, onboard content, styling and other elements are being coordinated with Disney Enterprises to meet Japan’s standards and guests expectation.
The press release also stated that with the launch of Japan’s first Disney cruise ship, guests would enjoy a new type of experience, family entertainment cruises. The first Japan-based Disney cruise ship is set to launch in 2028.
There are a few things to note in this announcement:
- The subsidiary, Oriental Land Cruise Company, will be fully owned by Oriental Land Company and based in Urayasu
- This will be the first time Disney Cruise ship will be homeported in Japan
- This is the first time a Disney Cruise ship will owned and operated outside of the Walt Disney Company