Why Does Tokyo Disney Get All the Cool Stuff?

 by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 8, 2024

 

This past week was big for the Tokyo Disney Resort. Disney CEO Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, were on hand to open Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

The new themed port featured three areas based on Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan, as well as the Fantasy Springs Hotel.  

 

The Disney Parks Blog offered the following summaries of each area:

 

• Rapunzel’s Forest. “The romantic boat ride ‘Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival’ leads to the annual Lantern Festival where you can experience Rapunzel’s ‘best day ever’ as she falls in love with Flynn Rider and visits various locations featured in the Disney Animation film ‘Tangled.’”

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

• Peter Pan’s Never Land. “During your visit to the mysterious island of Never Land at Fantasy Springs, journey through Skull Rock for this eye-catching view of Peter Pan’s Never Land. This scenic view features the home of Captain Hook and his pirate ship, the Jolly Roger, moored in a large, sparkling lagoon.”

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

• Frozen Kingdom. “The guards have opened up the gates to the kingdom of Arendelle at Tokyo DisneySea. Before you enter Arendelle Castle, immerse yourself in the world of Disney Animation’s ‘Frozen’ with a view of the new Royal Banquet of Arendelle, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey and Elsa’s Ice Palace sitting high on the North Mountain.”

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Meanwhile, the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel includes two buildings – the Fantasy Chateau and the Grand Chateau.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Taking all of this in, plenty of Disney fans in the U.S. are asking: Hey, why does Tokyo Disney always seem to get the cool stuff? Indeed, that was the question many asked when Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel – the fifth Disney Hotel – opened in April 2022. Disney describes the hotel as being “full of playful designs that immerse guests in the creative imagination of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story films.”

 

At the opening of Fantasy Springs, Iger said, “I am so proud of the richly immersive experiences we’ve created together, and I look forward to the bright future ahead of us here at Tokyo Disney Resort. We’ve worked alongside Oriental Land Company for more than 40 years, and this new land exemplifies our companies’ shared commitment to excellence in everything we do.”

 

And there’s the key. The Walt Disney Company doesn’t own the Tokyo Disney Resort, which includes Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disneyland, five Disney-branded hotels, and Ikspiari, which is a shopping, dining and entertainment district. Instead, these are owned and operated by the Oriental Land Co, Ltd., which licenses Disney’s intellectual property.

 

By the way, the resort opened in 1983, and was Disney’s first theme park venture beyond the U.S., with DisneySea opening in September 2001.

 

The bottom line is that the Tokyo Disney Resort tends to get the cool stuff because Disney isn’t paying for it. The Oriental Land Company is, and Disney reaps the rewards via licensing. That’s a great deal for regional and international guests, as well as Disney. As for the rest of us not visiting Tokyo Disney anytime soon, we’ll have to see what lies ahead with the $17 billion plans for Walt Disney World.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

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Tokyo Disneyland to Lower Attendance Cap

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 22, 2021

 

The roller coaster ride continues for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, as COVID-19 numbers in Japan evolve once more.

  
After only raising the attendance cap on April 1, Oriental Land Co., the operator of the Tokyo Disney parks, said Monday that it will “lower the cap of the daily number of visitors to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea each from 20,000 to 5,000.” 

Courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog

The decreased capacities will remain in effect through May 11. Tokyo DisneySea will also close one hour earlier at 8 p.m. through May 11.

 

According to The Japan Times, the government of Japan is considering “quasi-emergency measures” due to COVID-19 in Urayasu, where Disneyland is located, as well as in four other cities in Chiba Prefecture, and Kyodo News reports that “the Japanese government plans to impose a fresh coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo as well as Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures on Friday.”

 

It has not been smooth sailing for the Japanese parks since their COVID-19 re-openings. Tokyo Disneyland was one of the earlier Disney parks to reopen on July 1 after their February 28, 2020 COVID closures. In September 2020, Tokyo Disneyland unveiled the largest expansion in the park’s history, a three-year-long undertaking that had already been delayed earlier in the year by COVID shutdowns. Then came January, and Tokyo Disneyland had to temporarily suspend ticket sales until February, permitting only previously ticketed guests to visit the parks in the face of fluctuating COVID numbers.  Now they are once more adjusting their guest attendance levels. 

 

Tokyo is also the location of this year’s Olympics, set to begin July 23, but postponed from last summer because of coronavirus. Foreign spectators are not permitted in the stadiums for this year’s games.  

 

In fact, there have also been calls for the Olympic games to be postponed yet again because of Japan’s changing COVID-19 numbers. CBS Sports reports that a recent Kyodo News poll found that the majority of Japanese residents, 72%, are in favor of postponing or cancelling the games in the face of a fourth wave of coronavirus.

 

According to the Kyodo News poll report, “Amid lingering concern over a fourth coronavirus wave and the slow progress of vaccination, the poll found 39.2 percent believe the postponed Olympics and Paralympics should be canceled, while 32.8 percent think they should be rescheduled. Only 24.5 percent responded that the games should be held as scheduled.”

 

As the availability of ticket sales and attendance numbers continues to change at Tokyo Disneyland, and the Japanese government initiates additional restrictions, Disneyland’s plans may need to adjust yet again. Head to the Tokyo Disneyland website for current information.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Limited Ticket Sales Resume at Tokyo Disneyland

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 17, 2021

 

Tokyo Disneyland has begun selling a limited number of 1-day Passports for January and February, following last week’s suspension of sales due to rising COVID numbers and under the guidance of local health authorities. 

 

Courtesy of Tokyo Disney Resort

As we reported here, ticket sales were originally suspended from January 9-February 7, with the parks limited to guests who had already purchased tickets, made reservations, or were successful in the Park Admission lottery.

 

A number of attractions, entertainment options, shops and restaurants also began operating with reduced capacities or experienced closures last week, and those reduced hours and capacities continue. “Happy Fair with Baymax,” scheduled to start January 13, was also postponed.

 

1-Day Passport tickets are now available for admissions up to February 19, 2021, and after February 20, admissions for February 20-26 will begin.  Additionally, tickets will only be available up until the parks hit capacity. According to the Tokyo Disneyland website, “Admissions to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will be limited to Guests who have purchased fixed-date tickets from the Tokyo Disney Resort Online Reservations & Tickets website or the Tokyo Disney Resort App, or Guests who were successful in the Park admission lottery.”

 

Guests may purchase up to five tickets at a time, and as local conditions change, admissions policies may need to adapt as well. Check with Tokyo Disneyland ticket sales for the current restrictions.

 

According to Tokyo Disneyland, “Information about resuming sales for Fixed Date and Time Passports (from 10:30 a.m.) and Fixed Date and Time Passports (from 12 noon) will be announced on this [Tokyo Disneyland] website as soon as it becomes available.”

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Tokyo Disney to Curtail Hours and Park Admissions Amidst COVID-19 Rise

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 9, 2021

 

In response to recommendations from government health officials, and amidst rising COVID-19 numbers, Oriental Land Company, the owners of Tokyo Disneyland, have cut back park hours for the remaining weeks of January by closing the parks earlier in the evening, adding that “park opening time may vary depending on the day.”

Courtesy of Tokyo Disney Resort

In addition, beginning January 9 until February 7, 2021, ticket sales have been suspended, and the number of guests admitted to the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Parks will be limited. The Tokyo Disneyland website notes that at both Disneyland and DisneySea, “Attractions, entertainment, shops, and restaurants will operate with reduced capacity or will be closed.”

 

Guests holding current tickets will still be permitted to visit the parks, with health and safety guidelines in place. According to Tokyo Disneyland, “Based on the state of emergency announced by the Japanese government and requests from local authorities, sales of Park tickets for admissions on or after January 9 will be temporarily suspended as we set up our ticket sales system. An announcement will be made on this [Tokyo Disneyland] website when Park ticket sales become available again. Guests who have already purchased tickets, made reservations, or have been successful in the Park admission lottery at this time will be able to enter the Park.”

 

Restaurant availability may also be affected by these changes. Disney advises, “Due to the change in operating hours for restaurants, you may not be able to use your Priority Seating eligibility even if booked in advance. We will send an email to Guests who are affected by the change.” Changes to dining reservations will be impacted through at least February 7.

 

The Resort has cancelled their nightly fireworks shows as well, and the new “Happy Fair with Baymax,” originally scheduled to start January 13, will also be postponed.

 

Currently, there is a travel ban in place, preventing non-resident foreign travelers from entering Japan. Residents arriving in Japan must also undergo a two-week quarantine upon arrival, and show proof of negative COVID test results.

 

Tokyo Disneyland reopened July 1 after earlier COVID-19 closures in February, and was one of the first parks to bring back fireworks shows, parades, and traditional character meet-and-greets.

 

For up-to-date announcements on ticket sales and park closures, head to the Tokyo Disneyland webpage.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Tokyo Disneyland To Introduce Variable Pricing Tickets for Parks

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 27, 2020

 

Beginning March 20, 2021, Oriental Land Co., Ltd., the owner of Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea, will introduce variable price park tickets. The new admission prices will be based on the day of the week, as well as the season.  Florida’s Disney World introduced a similar system in October of 2018.

Courtesy of Tokyo Disney Resort website

According to a release from Oriental Land Co., Ltd., the new variable pricing “will enable a more equal distribution throughout the year of guests visiting the Parks, further enhancing the Park experience for guests.”

 

Oriental Land Co., Ltd. will also begin selling “Early Entry Tickets,” which will allow guests entry to Tokyo DisneySea as early as early as 8:00 a.m.  The new tickets will be available for admissions starting February 20, 2021, and are exclusively for guests staying at a Disney hotel. (Guests using an Early Entry Ticket must also have a valid 1-Day Passport.) An extra perk of the early admission ticket is that guests will also be able to access Standby Passes before other guests are admitted to the Park.

 

For information on the new price structure, head to the Tokyo Disneyland website.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Additional Disney Parks Set to Reopen; Paris and Tokyo Announce Return Dates

by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 25, 2020

We already know that Disney’s parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong are open. Vero Beach and Hilton Head are saying “Welcome Home” to guests. Disney World is set to reopen Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11 and Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. And Disney Springs is already serving up burgers and Dole Whips.

We reported yesterday that, unfortunately, the reopening of Disneyland California has been pushed back to a yet-to-be-determined date (it was supposed to reopen on July 17), though the Downtown Disney District will be opening on July 9.

Now comes news that Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will reopen July 1 (having been closed since February 28). Tickets for Tokyo Disney Resort will go on sale June 25.

Disneyland Paris has also announced that it will be re-opening its parks on July 15, with a phased reopening of its Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park, Disney’s Newport Bay Club Hotel, and Disney Village. Disneyland Paris has been closed since March 12. Paris will also use a new online park reservation system similar to the one in use at Disney World this week. The Paris reservation system will go live in early July.

Each of the parks will be adhering to reduced attendance strategies, as well as requirements for social distancing and health regulations in place for each of their governing agencies.

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See related...

“Disneyland Reopening Delayed Beyond July 17”

“Disney Spreads Out Opening Dates for Additional Resort Hotels”

“Making Reservations for Entry Into the Parks: Our Experience”

 

“Disney Opens New Reservation System for Theme Park Entry”

“Disney Cancels Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and H2O Glow Nights; Makes Changes to Food and Wine Festival; Park Hopping Suspended”

“Dining Reservations Now Available for Walt Disney World Resort Hotel Guests”

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

Don’t Expect Disney Parks To Open Anytime Soon

by Ray Keating

Analysis/Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 18, 2020

The Walt Disney Company has shut down Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as well as Disneyland Paris, through the end of this month in response to the coronavirus. But does anyone believe that these parks – or for that matter, Tokyo Disney, Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland – actually will open on April 1? If so, they shouldn’t. These closures promise to run longer than many originally thought.

Keep in mind that the Shanghai and Hong Kong parks have been closed since the end of January, and Tokyo Disney since the end of February. The Tokyo parks – Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea – will be closed at least through early April, according to the company.

For the U.S. parks, the Tokyo target of mid-April would seem to be a wildly best-case scenario. Indeed, it is highly doubtful. 

Consider, for example, that Major League Baseball had originally pushed the start of its season back from late March to mid-April, and is now saying that it will go beyond that date while not offering any target for Opening Day.

I’m not sure why we should expect much different from Disney, especially given that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 15 recommended canceling in-person events of 50 or more people for the coming eight weeks. That would take us into mid-May.

This week, Disney also suspended its Disney College Program, Disney Culinary Program, Disney Cultural Exchange Program, and Disney Academic Exchange Program. The company is sending participants/cast members home, as is the case with international cast members in guest relations as well. This also speaks to a shutdown going beyond the end of this month.

The impact of an extended closure will hit Disney hard. Consider what The Wall Street Journal reported on March 12: “Closing the U.S. resorts has the potential to be costly. Domestic parks accounted for about $17.4 billion in revenue last year—and 30% of the company’s total operating profit.” Using those numbers and doing a back-of-the-envelope tally, each month that the U.S. parks are closed would cost The Walt Disney Company $1.5 billion in revenue.

Of course, one has to also add in lost revenues from the Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong parks, the Disney Cruise Line, lost dollars at the movie box office, and ESPN being hit by sporting events coming to a halt, including the NBA.

For good measure, the U.S. economy, as I wrote in a recent column, likely already is in recession, and that promises to run at least through the second and third quarters of this year – adding to Disney’s woes.

In its latest update on Walt Disney World Resort operations, the company noted: “We will continue to make adjustments to our operations as appropriate and look forward to welcoming Guests back as soon as it is advisable.” When it will be advisable, no one knows. 

Looking at the CDC recommendations, how this has played out elsewhere and the magnitude of the response so far, I’d be shocked if Walt Disney World or Disneyland re-opened before mid-May or even June. Let’s hope and pray, though, that the U.S. response presents unexpected benefits, and we bounce back quickly.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Tokyo Disney Closing – What’s Next?

by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

February 28, 2020

Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea will be closed starting Saturday, February 29, to March 15, due to the coronavirus.

Shanghai Disney and Hong Kong Disneyland have been closed since late January.

As of February 28, there have been 2,800 deaths linked to the coronavirus, and more than 83,000 cases – with mainland China taking the brunt of the trouble.

Both the Shanghai and Hong Kong parks have no targeted date for re-opening, and while the Tokyo parks are scheduled to re-open on March 16, that, of course, depends on the circumstances.

Indeed, if the coronavirus continues to expand, DisneyBizJournal would not be surprised to see Disneyland Paris as the next park slated for a temporary closing.

As for the impact on the company, the Disney stock price has taken a dive from $141 on February 19 to $118 on February 27. That, of course, is in part due to the overall market tanking in reaction to the coronavirus, and the specific ills for Disney.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Quick Update: Disney Parks Construction Walls Opening New Doors

by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 27, 2019

In case the pace of construction and expansion wasn’t adequate for you, and you aren’t seeing enough big construction walls around the properties here in the states, Tokyo DisneySea will be opening its eighth port sometime in the realm of 2020. Let’s review.

Florida’s Disney World prepares for its 50^thanniversary with...

• a myriad of new hotels in various stages of progress (among them Riviera, Gran Destino, and Reflections), 

• fresh restaurants opening soon (including the rooftop Toledo and water-surrounded Three Bridges at Coronado Springs, the Beauty and the Beast-inspired lounge at Grand Floridian, signature dining at Topolino’s Terrace at Riviera, Takumi-Tei in the Japan pavilion, a crêperie in France, Galaxy’s Edge venues such as Docking Bay 7, Ronto Roasters and Oga’s Cantina, and several as yet unnamed restaurants including a Toy Story themed BBQ restaurant in Hollywood Studios, and a space themed one in Epcot), 

• new rides going up (including TRON, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster, and the since-delayed Runaway Railway and Rise of the Resistance), 

• development of a play pavilion at the former Wonders of Life facility and an experience center at the Odyssey building, 

• relocation of the Legacy walls at Epcot, 

• near completion of the Skyliner/gondola system, 

• and ground breaking of the coveted Star Wars hotel.

Disneyland has also been removing the walls around its newly unveiled Sleeping Beauty Castle refurb.  Of course, Disneyland has just opened their own iterations of the Galaxy’s Edge eateries for cast member previews, with new waves of Jedi disembarking on the planet on May 31st.

Across the ocean, Tokyo DisneySea awaits the debut of the newly named Fantasy Springs, an area themed to Frozen, Peter Pan and Tangled, complete with dramatic waterfalls, lush foliage and plenty of magic. It will be the biggest expansion of the park, which has already made it to the top of most Disney fans “bucket lists.”  The expansion will include a new hotel, four new attractions and three new restaurants.

As Walt would say, “We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things.” And that means putting up lots of construction walls.

Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

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