Disney Cruise Line has signed a joint venture with Oriental Land Co. (OCL) to establish a Japan-based subsidiary of the cruise line, offering year-round departures from various ports in the country.

As part of the partnership, Disney Cruise Line and OCL have ordered a new Wish-class ship from Meyer Group, which will be based on the same design as Disney Wish and the upcoming Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny, but will be tailored to the local market.

The new ship is due for delivery in 2028, with operations expected to begin by early 2029, marking the next milestone in the partnership between Disney and OCL, which already operates the Tokyo Disney Resort.

“Disney Cruise Line has ambitious plans to bring family vacations and Disney storytelling to more guests around the world than ever before,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences. 

“We are thrilled to continue the success of this expansion as we collaborate with Oriental Land Co. to introduce another distinctly Disney vacation experience to families and fans in Japan,” he added.

The as-yet-unnamed new ship will be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and will feature designs by Walt Disney Imagineering. It will include many favorite venues and experiences, and will be powered by LNG. 

“With this new order, we look forward to continuing our relationship with Disney and working with Oriental Land Company, which also has a long-standing relationship with Disney, as a new customer. This is a strong signal for shipbuilding in Papenburg and shows that companies from all over the world rely on the quality of Meyer Werft,” said Bernd Eikens, CEO of Meyer Group.

“We have long-term relationships with both Meyer Werft and the Oriental Land Company. We are delighted to be working with both of them to create a Disney cruise experience for the Japanese market,” added Thomas Mazloum, President, Disney Signature Experiences.

Meyer Werft delivered Disney Wish, the first ship in the Wish class, to Disney Cruise Line in 2022. Her two sister ships Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny are already under construction in Papenburg and will be delivered in 2024 and 2025.

Disney’s expanded partnership with OCL in Japan comes amid the cruise line’s wider expansion in Asia, with its upcoming vessel Disney Adventure, the largest ever to be operated by the line, due to homeport in Singapore from 2025.