Disney Imagination: Japan's First Disney Cruise Ship Named, Sailing From Tokyo in 2029
Ariel is on the stern, Tokyo replaces Nassau, and short 2 to 4 night cruises are the plan. Here's everything we know so far.
By The Walking Cruiser | 14 October 2026
Disney's Japan ship finally has a name: Disney Imagination. It's a Wish-class ship, it starts sailing from Tokyo in spring 2029, and it will run short cruises built to slot around a Tokyo Disney Resort holiday. So, if you were hoping for a new Disney ship you could book next year, this isn't it. But it's the clearest look yet at how different Disney's Japan operation is going to be.
Key Facts
Name: Disney Imagination, the first ship of Disney Cruise Line Japan
Operator: Oriental Land Co. (OLC), the company that runs Tokyo Disney Resort, under licence from Disney
Debut: Spring 2029, homeported at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal
Size: Around 340 metres long, roughly 140,000 tons, 1,250 cabins and up to about 4,000 guests
Itineraries: Short round trips from Tokyo, two to four nights to start with
Price guide: Around ¥100,000 to ¥400,000 per person for standard cabins, with bookings opening about six months before launch
Stern character: Ariel, joined by Sebastian and friends, with Tokyo replacing Nassau as the port on the stern
What Disney Actually Announced
The name went out late on 13 October in the US and on 14 October in Japan, through the Disney Parks Blog and a press conference held by Oriental Land in Tokyo.
Disney Imagination is the first ship under the Disney Cruise Line Japan banner. That's a Disney-branded business, but it isn't run by Disney Cruise Line itself. OLC owns and operates it, the same arrangement that has run Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea for decades. Disney describes the ship as one "powered by creativity and optimism", which is about as much as anyone has said about the interior so far.
The stern got most of the attention. Ariel from The Little Mermaid takes the spot, joined by Sebastian and other undersea characters, and she's using her dinglehopper (the fork, if you need reminding) to write out the ship's name. There's also one detail Disney regulars spotted straight away. As WDW News Today pointed out, this will be the first Disney ship with Tokyo on the stern instead of Nassau.
Work on the hull started this month at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, the yard that has built most of the Disney fleet.
How Big Is Disney Imagination?
Now, this is the part that matters if you've sailed Disney before. Disney Imagination is a Wish-class ship. That puts it alongside Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, Disney Destiny and the upcoming Disney Believe, which makes it the fifth ship in the class.
The Japan Times reported the numbers given at the Tokyo briefing: about 340 metres long, around 140,000 tons, 1,250 guest rooms and room for up to roughly 4,000 people. Those figures line up with the existing Wish-class ships, so if you've been on Wish, Treasure or Destiny, you already have a decent idea of the scale and layout.
Disney's list of what to expect is the familiar one. Broadway-style shows, character meet and greets, separate spaces for kids, tweens and teens, adults-only areas and the usual Disney service. What we don't know yet is how much of the interior will match the other Wish-class ships and how much will be built new for Japanese guests.
Oriental Land is putting about ¥330 billion (around $2.1 billion) into construction and related costs, so I'd expect a fair few bespoke touches. BlogMickey reported ideas such as deeper bathtubs for guests who like a proper soak, but treat that as a direction of travel rather than a confirmed feature.
Where Will Disney Imagination Sail, and What Will It Cost?
So here's the bit that makes this ship very different from anything Disney runs out of Florida.
Disney Imagination will sail short round trips from Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, two to four nights for now. These are designed to sit alongside a stay at Tokyo Disney Resort. OLC isn't trying to sell a week at sea. It's trying to add a couple of nights on a ship to a park holiday people are already taking.
Why Tokyo and not Yokohama, which handles a lot of Japan's big ship traffic? According to BlogMickey, a Wish-class ship is too tall to fit under the Yokohama Bay Bridge, which rules out Yokohama's Osanbashi pier.
Pricing is the eye-opener. Standard cabins are expected to run from around ¥100,000 to ¥400,000 per person. Using the exchange rate implied by the Japan Times' own conversion, that's roughly $640 to $2,550 per person. On a two night sailing at the bottom of that range, you're paying about $320 per person per night. That's firmly Disney money, not budget cruise money.
And it's worth noting the top end has already moved. When OLC first shared forecasts in its summer financial results, the upper figure was ¥300,000. It's now ¥400,000, more than two years before the first sailing.
Can You Book Disney Imagination From the US or UK?
Well, not yet, and nobody has said how.
Bookings open about six months before the ship launches, which points to roughly autumn 2028. But Disney Imagination is aimed squarely at Japanese families. The briefing was in Tokyo, the operator is Japanese, and the itineraries are built around Tokyo Disney Resort. Disney hasn't said whether bookings will go through the usual Disney Cruise Line website, through OLC, or both, and there's no word yet on English-language shows or menus.
There's also a regulatory wrinkle. BlogMickey noted that Japan only lets Japanese-registered ships carry passengers between Japanese ports. Neither Disney nor OLC has confirmed the ship's flag or a list of ports, so I wouldn't read too much into it yet. But it's another sign this ship is being set up as a Japanese product first.
So, my honest take for anyone outside Japan. If you're already planning a Tokyo Disney trip for 2029 or later, a two or three night add-on could be a brilliant, very Disney way to finish it. If you want a new Disney ship to actually cruise on sooner, Disney Believe in late 2027 is the one to watch, and Disney Adventure is already sailing from Singapore.
Why Japan, and Why Now?
Disney Cruise Line is in the middle of the biggest expansion in its history. Disney Adventure became the line's first ship based outside the US when it started sailing from Singapore. A new, smaller class of roughly 3,000 guest ships is lined up for 2029 and 2030. And Disney Imagination makes Disney Cruise Line Japan the second Asia-only Disney operation.
For Oriental Land, it's about growing beyond the parks. Chairperson and CEO Yumiko Takano told the press conference that OLC wants to create a new culture of family entertainment cruising in Japan, aimed at everyone from young children to grandparents. Oriental Land Cruise president Ryotaro Shiiba argued the Japanese cruise market has plenty of room to grow. OLC has also previously teased a possible second ship, so Imagination may not be the last.
For the rest of us, it's another sign that the Wish class has become Disney's workhorse. Five ships on the same platform means improvements can roll across the class, and ideas tested in Tokyo could well find their way back to the Florida ships.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the name of Disney's Japan cruise ship?
Disney Imagination. It's the first ship of Disney Cruise Line Japan, which is operated by Oriental Land Co., the company behind Tokyo Disney Resort. The name was announced on 13 and 14 October 2026.
When does Disney Imagination start sailing?
Spring 2029, from Tokyo International Cruise Terminal. Hull construction began in October 2026 at Meyer Werft in Germany, and bookings are expected to open around six months before launch.
How much will a Disney Imagination cruise cost?
Oriental Land expects standard cabins to cost about ¥100,000 to ¥400,000 per person, which is roughly $640 to $2,550. Final fares, and exactly what's included, haven't been published yet.
Is Disney Imagination a Wish-class ship?
Yes. It's the fifth Wish-class ship after Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, Disney Destiny and Disney Believe. It's roughly 140,000 tons with 1,250 cabins and space for up to about 4,000 guests.
Who is on the stern of Disney Imagination?
Ariel from The Little Mermaid, with Sebastian and other undersea friends. She writes the ship's name with her dinglehopper, and Tokyo appears as the home port instead of Nassau.
Final Thoughts
So, Disney Imagination is less about a new ship and more about a new kind of Disney cruise: short, Tokyo-based and built around a theme park holiday. For Japanese families it's a big deal. For the rest of us, it's one to keep an eye on for 2029 rather than plan around right now.
Would you add a couple of nights on Disney Imagination to a Tokyo Disney trip, or is it Florida or nothing for you? Tell me in the comments. And if you want honest reviews of the ships you can actually book today, subscribe to The Walking Cruiser on YouTube.
