Another new ship? Disney Cruise Line will add a ninth vessel to its fleet in 2029
As if four new ships over the span of four years weren't enough, Disney announced Tuesday that it plans to launch yet another new cruise ship in early 2029 — this time in partnership with Oriental Land Company, which operates Disney's Japan-based theme parks and resorts.
The still unnamed new ship will be based in Tokyo and offer short sailings that Disney fans should be able to easily combine with a theme park vacation at Tokyo Disney.
The construction of the Tokyo-based ship is part of a 10-year, $60 billion expansion of Disney's theme parks and cruise business. Oriental Land Company will build and operate the Disney-branded cruise business in Japan.
Modeled after Disney Wish, the ship will be Disney's ninth vessel and is expected to carry 4,000 passengers. The ship will be designed with Japanese guests in mind and will mainly operate short sailings year-round from Tokyo.
Construction on the new ship is expected to begin at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, in 2025.
After a decade of no growth, Disney will now more than double its fleet within a few years with the introduction of this ship. After Disney Fantasy launched in 2012, the four-ship cruise line did not increase in size until 2022 when the line debuted its next new ship, Disney Wish. Sisters Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny are set to launch in 2024 and 2026, respectively, and the Singapore-based Disney Adventure will debut in Asia in 2025.
Disney's other new investments in Asia include a massive expansion at Tokyo DisneySea, its ocean-themed amusement park in Japan. The theme park recently opened Fantasy Springs, which recreates the worlds of "Frozen," "Tangled" and "Peter Pan." Additionally, in late 2023, the first-ever World of Frozen opened at Hong Kong Disneyland, and a "Zootopia" experience debuted in Shanghai Disneyland. Just last month, Disney also announced an expansion of Marvel-themed offerings for Hong Kong Disneyland.
More details about Disney's Tokyo-based ship will be revealed at a later date.
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