Last night we reported that Tokyo Disney Resort would be heavily investing in its resort with a new bundle of money. As part of the changes we noted that a new FROZEN expansion to the roster of offerings would be coming. Despite all but confirming the Frozen expansion, the extremely vague official announcement by Oriental Land Company included more than just a snow queen and her sister!
The FROZEN stuff specifically was not confirmed but the announcement did say that a new eigth port located south of Lost River Delta was under consideration (Editor’s note: “Port of Arendelle” is our guess).
The primary focus of the release was to tout major expansion in Fantasyland which will likely be Enchanted Forest extension to bring more fairy tales to life as was done in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. The new work in Tokyo’s Fantasyland promises to double the size of the land and include major new attractions, restaurants and shops.
The less glamorous but still interesting other touts for this expansion include what might mean FastPass+ and MagicBands plus improvement of restaurants; congestion issues; measures to protect Guests from hot and cold weather; and “other ways of to make a more comfortable environment for all Guests.”
The press release even calls out improvements of backstage support functions and its operational base.
Full press release below.
Development Plans Announced for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea
URAYASU, CHIBA— Oriental Land Co., Ltd. announced that plans for the further development of Tokyo Disneyland® and Tokyo DisneySea® Parks have been decided. The plans, outlined in the Oriental Land Group’s “2016 Medium-Term Business Plan” (for the period of March 2015 through March 2017) announced on April 28, include a 500 billion yen level of investment in the theme park business over the next ten years.
The plan for Tokyo Disneyland Park centers on the redevelopment of Fantasyland, which will nearly double the size of the themed land. Work on implementing this large-scale area development has already begun. In addition to the renovation of the existing Fantasyland, major new attractions, restaurants and shops are being considered for installation in the expansion site.
Under consideration for Tokyo DisneySea Park is the development of a new themed port in the expansion site located south of Lost River Delta. This eighth themed port will include major new attractions, restaurants and shops.
Oriental Land will also further invest in the two Parks in multiple ways: renovation or creation of attractions and entertainment programs; development of hardware that will enhance the Guest experience in the Parks; further improvement of restaurants; easing of congestion; development of measures to protect Guests from hot and cold weather; and other ways of to make a more comfortable environment for all Guests. Furthermore, investment will be made to strengthen the theme parks’ “backstage” support functions and operational base.
In addition to the above investment in infrastructure, Oriental Land will continue to raise the level of hospitality provided by Cast Members, which is vital to the Disney theme parks, by strengthening human resources development and raising employee satisfaction to an even higher level.
Oriental Land’s aim for the two Disney theme parks is for them to continue to be places where Guests will have unforgettable experiences that are unlike anywhere else in the world. Oriental Land will strive to make this a reality through the above investments to maximize the value of the theme parks.
New Fantasyland Concept Art for Magic Kingdom in Florida.
