Disney Announces Ninth Ship to be Based in Tokyo

[brentm77]

I seriously doubt they will do that. If so, it would be a major change in direction by the OLC. It's very hard for somebody in the US to actually book a Disney vacation in Japan. They seem to have restrictions about dealing with foreigners.

Speaking as someone who booked a vacation package to Tokyo Disney last week, with the process starting at midnight and not finishing until 10 am the next day, it's very true that it's hard. But I don't think it has anything to do with restrictions when dealing with foreigners. It's more to do with 1) how different their systems and packages are than U.S. parks; 2) a badly designed website that is hard to navigate; 3) bad translations making it hard to understand everything; 4) computer servers that can't come close to handling the demand; and 5) lack of detailed explanations for what you are buying or what you need to buy. In the end, it takes some serious research and help from great participants here on the Dis Boards (the best fan forums anywhere in my opinion), but it is doable once you figure it out.

I am really excited for this new ship. Although this is our first trip to Tokyo, we expect to be back in the future, probably as an alternative to U.S. Disney visits, and would love to cruise out of there for a few days to relax too. If the OLC does what it does in their parks, they will spare no expense and give an experience that is more akin to Disney before profit trumped guest experiences. It should be amazing.

The more DCL ships that come on line, the better it will be for us customers too in my opinion. They are creating their own competition, which could help with pricing eventually, and maybe force them to offer better itineraries. Of course, two ships in Asia won't help the markets here that much, but it appears their intent is to build a much larger cruise line, which will be good for us in the end.

 

[peder]

I think it's quite likely that this new ship will have some cabins reserved for buyers through disneycruise.disney.go.com, and the rest will probably be managed through local websites, through their own dedicated apps, and through social media apps like Line. Other lines bifurcate their inventory in such a way, and unless you're using a VPN, it's hard to even see local inventory.

 

[tvguy]

Casinos aren't really a thing in Japan. They passed a law to allow up to three of them some years ago (before Covid-19), but I don't think that any have opened, yet. So, at best, you'd get some pachinko machines. But even that probably won't happen since it's out of character for Disney and since they'd have to set up a shop somewhere on land where guests could redeem pachinko winnings in order to avoid the laws. It's all just not worth the trouble.

Really? Wonder why so many cruise sites talk about how much more popular cruise ship casinos are on cruises originating in Asian ports?
I know it is out of character for Disney, but so was alcohol in Disney Parks and that has changed. Guess we'll see when the ship deck plans are released.

 

[imbelle]

Highly doubtful. This will be run and operated by the Oriental Land Company under license who will act as a local operator for the Japanese culture and language. This will be a non-English speaking ship predominantly.

I think there will be a Land/Sea package but it will be marketed for Japanese guests almost exclusively. Just like vacation packages at Tokyo Disney Resort operate now with a second rate English portal that offers a fraction of the Japanese offerings. OLC do not go out of their way to accommodate international guests booking

Yes, that's what I was referring to, the possibility of booking a land/sea package through DCL website instead of going through OLC, since people say that it's difficult to work with.

 

[Mommb]

Really? Wonder why so many cruise sites talk about how much more popular cruise ship casinos are on cruises originating in Asian ports?

I have no actual knowledge of cruises out of Asian ports, but it seems plausible that the popularity of casinos in cruises from Japan could be different than the popularity of casinos in cruises from China and some other Asian ports.

 

[Flossbolna]

Really? Wonder why so many cruise sites talk about how much more popular cruise ship casinos are on cruises originating in Asian ports?
I know it is out of character for Disney, but so was alcohol in Disney Parks and that has changed. Guess we'll see when the ship deck plans are released.

Just like rotten fish being a favorite fish in some Scandinavian countries doesn’t mean that all of Europe loves it, Japan doesn’t equal Asia. Especially if you look at the biggest market there: China, which dwarfs everyone else.

 

[Sykes]

Casinos aren't really a thing in Japan. They passed a law to allow up to three of them some years ago (before Covid-19), but I don't think that any have opened, yet. So, at best, you'd get some pachinko machines. But even that probably won't happen since it's out of character for Disney and since they'd have to set up a shop somewhere on land where guests could redeem pachinko winnings in order to avoid the laws. It's all just not worth the trouble.

Full-blown casinos don't really exist (although they're finally actually building a full-blown MGM resort in Osaka), but gambling is everywhere in Japan. Pachinko itself is gambling, but pachinko parlors are also full of slot machines as well. Pachinko parlors in Japan alone do ~4x the gambling revenue of the entire worldwide gambling market outside of Japan. (Might be slightly lower now, though, because pachinko has seen a slight decline and Vegas has been on the upswing.)

Having said that, I agree with the second half of your statement and feel like it is unlikely that Disney will have a casino on this ship. I wouldn't have been shocked to see it on the Adventure, but I suspect that the itineraries for a Japan ship won't spend enough time at sea to justify it there.

 

[StarCruzer]

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet, but the cruise has incredible potential to be a dream vacation for those who want to visit every Disney park in the world. Imagine Tokyo-Shanghai-Hong Kong. Shanghai and Hong Kong Disney parks are only a 30 minute drive from the closest cruise terminal.

 

[tvguy]

Just like rotten fish being a favorite fish in some Scandinavian countries doesn’t mean that all of Europe loves it, Japan doesn’t equal Asia. Especially if you look at the biggest market there: China, which dwarfs everyone else.

Like I said, we will see when the deck plans come out.

 

[OKW Lover]

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet, but the cruise has incredible potential to be a dream vacation for those who want to visit every Disney park in the world. Imagine Tokyo-Shanghai-Hong Kong. Shanghai and Hong Kong Disney parks are only a 30 minute drive from the closest cruise terminal.

But a very long cruise between them

 

[tvguy]

I have no actual knowledge of cruises out of Asian ports, but it seems plausible that the popularity of casinos in cruises from Japan could be different than the popularity of casinos in cruises from China and some other Asian ports.

Ships that home port in the region seem to enjoy above average business in their casinos. But, yes, it is Disney, and it would be a departure, just like alcohol in the parks was.

 

[StarCruzer]

But a very long cruise between them

I've seen Tokyo-HK cruises with a Shanghai stop at about 12 days. And that's with 8 total stops, two of which (Osaka/Shanghai) stop for two days.

If it was more Disney-focused (Tokyo-Shanghai-Hong Kong) they could probably shave it down to 8 days. Still long for a Disney cruise but much more reasonable.

Shanghai-Tokyo is about two days at sea. Shanghai-Hong Kong is 2 days at sea (these are estimates based on other cruise lines, so time may vary depending on ship size I suppose).

An itinerary may look like:
Day 1 - Tokyo (Yokohama)
Day 2 - At Sea
Day 3 - At Sea
Day 4 - Shanghai
Day 5 - Shanghai
Day 6 - Cruising
Day 7 - Cruising
Day 8 - Hong Kong

Then simply run the itinerary in reverse for the next cruise. Obviously. this type of cruise would have pretty specific appeal to Disney fans. With a ship that size the bigger question would likely be could they fill it with folks who are pretty much only booking the cruise to hit up all the Asian parks in one week

 

[holula]

Then simply run the itinerary in reverse for the next cruise. Obviously. this type of cruise would have pretty specific appeal to Disney fans. With a ship that size the bigger question would likely be could they fill it with folks who are pretty much only booking the cruise to hit up all the Asian parks in one week

I think if they did it once every three years or so then it would be a big hit for people just to hit the Asian parks. I’ve been to them all except Shanghai but I’d absolutely do this!

 

[JM_97]

So does this increase the chances of the Magic being retired?

 

[mamaburrito]

Since it’s not a us based ship - probably not.

 

[Karin1984]

Are claw machines still a big thing in Japan? I remember from my trip in 2017 that we saw so many business men running to the nearest machines during their luch breaks.

If it's going to be anything like Disneyland Tokyo, it will have tons of nooks and crannies for cute pictures. When I visited Disney Sea was mainly a park where people went to (in groups and coordinated their outfits), to take pictures. See and be seen.
The rides sometimes seemed an afterthought for these groups.

Also wonder how character meet & greets are on these ships, and how long the lines for characters will be, especially on shorter cruises.

 

[OKW Lover]

So does this increase the chances of the Magic being retired?

Not in the least

 

[mlayman7]

I guess this is a win/win for Disney. Seems there are lots of Japanese visitors on all the cruises we have been on. Will they travel over here with something closer available to them? So loss of business there but opens it up to a lot more who are now able to cruise who can't travel the long distance to get on a mickey ship in the U.S. Though they won't get the same share of the sale, less of a risk.

 

[JM_97]

Not in the least

Good! I wanted to get an opinion from those who would know more about those things than me.

 

[Kwami]

Are claw machines still a big thing in Japan?

Of course!