On June 6, 2024, the newest expansion at the Tokyo Disney Resort will officially open to the public. Dubbed Fantasy Springs, the expansion cost $2.1 billion and is the largest expansion at the Japanese resort since its opening in 1983. The total development area is about 35 acres.
For Disney and its operating partners, Oriental Land Company (OLC), the hope is that Fantasy Springs will bring even more guests into Japan-based parks. According to financial statements from OLC, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, attendance at Tokyo Disney Resort is set to increase, “primarily driven by the opening of Fantasy Springs.” The financial statements also disclosed that OLC expects inbound tourists to Japan to lead to net sales rising to ¥684,764 million (up 10.7% from the fiscal year under review).
Fantasy Springs is part of Tokyo DisneySea, where eight “ports” showcase real and make-believe destinations. Ports include a hyper-realistic depiction of Venice, Italy, and the Mediterranean; a stylized version of Cape Cod and New York at the turn of the 20th century; and the fantastical undersea world of Disney’s animated classic, The Little Mermaid.
What’s Inside Fantasy Springs?
The new port is divided into three smaller sections themed around the movies Frozen, Peter Pan and Tangled from Walt Disney
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Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel
The Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel is the first at the Tokyo Disney Resort to have a luxury distinction for a section of its rooms. The luxury Grand Château area has 56 terrace rooms, each with a theme park view. Additionally, those staying in the Grand Château have their own dedicated entrance to Fantasy Springs. The second part of the hotel, Fantasy Château, has 419 deluxe-style rooms, which are more akin to the rooms at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel.
According to the popular Disney blog, AllEars.net, the Fantasy Château room pricing starts around $405 (¥63,500) a night. The luxury Grand Château accommodations start at $1,917 (¥300,000), based Yen to Dollar conversions at the time of publication.
The hotel is also home to a buffet-style restaurant, a French-inspired table-service restaurant, a lounge and a merchandise location, the latter of which can only be accessed from the park.
Attractions
At the edges of the port, near the theme park-based entry and the hotel-based entry into the land, massive pieces of rock work feature more than 50 carved characters from other Disney movies like Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Fantasia. These seem to be an attraction of their own, with larger-than-life carvings and whimsical water features.
Fantasy Springs is divided into three main areas for attractions, Frozen Kingdom, Rapunzel’s Forest and Peter Pan’s Never Land. The land boasts four attractions based on Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan.
Frozen Kingdom is home to Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey. This retelling of the movie Frozen is about six and a half minutes long and features Disney’s latest, and highly innovative audio-animatronic figures that move with incredible life-likeness. This animatronic style will also be used at the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
Inside Rapunzel’s Forest, guests can ride Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, the first Tangled-themed attraction anywhere in the world. The five-minute ride takes guests through the story of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider before showing off the romantic lantern scene from the movie.
Peter Pan’s Never Land has two attractions, Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies and Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure. On the Tinker Bell-themed ride, kids of all ages can climb aboard to see the changing seasons around Pixie Hollow during a two-minute tour.
Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure is a 3-D attraction where Peter Pan and the Lost Kids are on a mission to rescue John Darling from Captain Hook. The ride combines 3-D elements with physical sets so you never really know where the screen ends and the physical props begin. According to Disney, “The groundbreaking solid state projection system allows a single lens to create stunning 3D effects. This, coupled with meticulous testing and integration of practical sets, ensured a seamless blend of physical and digital elements, enhancing the overall immersive experience.”
Dining
Each of the movie-themed has a restaurant or two. Inside Frozen Kingdom, guests can get snacks from the outdoor location, Oaken’s OK Foods, or have a quick service meal at the Royal Banquet of Arendelle. Rapunzel’s Forest is home to The Snuggly Duckling, the pub of the same name from the movie Tangled. The quick-service restaurant serves burgers and a cute frying pan-themed dessert.
Peter Pan’s Never Land has two food options as well. The first is Lookout Cookout, a counter-service restaurant that serves boxes filled with chicken strips and other mismatched snacks. The popcorn wagon in this area will feature roast beef-flavored popcorn.
The Impact of Fantasy Springs
In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, Tokyo Disney Resort is forecasting that 29 million people walk through the gates of either Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea, a 5.4 percent increase in attendance from the 2024 fiscal year which saw about 27.5 million people at the parks.
The hotel business segment is projected to have the largest jump in net sales, thanks in part to the new Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel. The segment is projected to have net sales of ¥102.037 million in fiscal year 2025, an increase of 15.4 percent from fiscal year 2024, with net sales of ¥88.383 million.
No matter what the outcome of fiscal year 2025 ends up being Fantasy Springs is sure to spearhead new financial growth for Disney and OLC. Fantasy Springs will showcase more reasons for domestic and international guests to visit Tokyo Disney Resort over the coming years.
