Empress Lily

[Lauriebar]

Did the Empress Lily ever have a restaurant on board? I have memories of getting dressed up and dining on a riverboat in the MK. Am I delusional or just mixing up memories?

 

[ZHoyt]

The Empress Lilly to my knowledge has always been docked at Downtown Disney/Disney Village Marketplace. It did have a restaraunt on board. It was supposedly built for Lillian Disney so she would have something to do, she would occasionally work as a hostess. When she died Disney leased the boat over to Fulton's Crab House. As far as the steamship in the MK (the Mark Twain I believe), to my knowledge there has never been a restaraunt on board. If you look at the layout of the ship it seems impossible. Your probably confusing eating on the Empress Lilly at DTD/DVM.

 

[TimeTrip]

The Empress Lily now houses "Fulton's Crab house". It used to be the empress lily restaurant. However, the boat is (permanently) docked at Downtown Disney, not the MK. The boat at MK is called the Liberty Belle .

 

[Tim G]

Did the Empress Lily ever have a restaurant on board? I have memories of getting dressed up and dining on a riverboat in the MK. Am I delusional or just mixing up memories?

It still does, Fulton's Crab House

 

[barnum42]

It's a shame that some suit decided to change the name - call the restaurant Fulton's Crab House by all means, but the boat should have kept the name of Walt's wife.

 

[Lauriebar]

Thanks for your replies. We were staying at the treehouses, so it would make since that we would go to the Empress Lilly right next door. I had no idea that it was now Fulton's Crab House...we just ate there on our last trip!! It all makes sense now.

By the way exactly what was at DTD before it was DTD and PI?

 

[rosebud's mom]

In 1983 We had what IMHO was our best character breakfast EVER. It was on the Empress Lily - docked at what was then called the Walt Disney World Shopping Village. The characters really went above and beyond to give my son a magical 4th birthday. Goofy even gave him his "birthday spanking". Of course that is an experience that I don't suppose anyone has now since we live in the age of litigation ! He doesn't remember much about that trip, but he does remember the breakfast. He was SO PROUD that Goofy gave him that personal attention. Both my boys also got frameable certificates from the Empress Lily Character Breakfast. Yet another change that makes me yearn for the "good ol' days".

 

[figmentmom]

Before Pleasure Island and the West Side opened, Downtown Disney was just called the Marketplace, and was a smaller (but no less pretty!) collection of shops and restaurants. I remember one store called Resort Wear Unlimited, specializing in ladies' vacation-type clothing, where I spent lots of time (and money!) :lol:

 

[rosebud's mom]

In the early eighties The Shopping Village was a collection of Disney related stores. Most had their own theme. I remember one that was gardening merchandise that also sold topiaries you could take home. I had a bear balancing on a ball that lasted about 9 years before I killed it. I tried re-seeding it but was never successful. There was a pottery and ceramics shop, and we got personalized coffee mugs there. A baby store, of course a toy store, specialty clothing stores, books & stationary.............. The Empress Lily was more or less the centerpiece and the Village spread out around it along the lake. It was a pleasant place to wander around. I also remember a bathroom fixtures shop that had an ENORMOUS copper bathtub !!

 

[Yenfid]

In 1993 The Empress Lily still had a Character Breakfast. It was also the docking place for the boats that came from Dixie Landings and Port Orleans. I remember taking the boat to the Village Market Place and having to walk through the Empress Lily to get to the stores. I picked up the boat back to Dixie some wear else though.

 

[barnum42]

I remember the shopping area as "Disney Village". The sign used to have a white sillhouette of a bird in flight. What is now a bit pin centre used to be where they stocked all the sale goods.

 

[vonpluto]

RIP The Empress Lilly May 1, 1977 - April 22, 1995
Fishermens Deck
Steermans Quarters
Empress Room
Empress Lounge
Baton Rouge Lounge
(The paddlewheel was removed around 1995)

Ineresting pic here of the Village before the Lilly:

http://www.bigbrian-nc.com/wdw-pc13.htm


Here is a fairly complete list of shops and eatries in 1975 (present incarnation in parentheses):

Verandah Resturant (Lego)
Village Ice Cream Parlor & Bake Shop (Lego)
Captain Jack’s
Village Resturant (Rainforrest)
Jazz Lounge (Village Restaurant)
Heidelbergers Deli (Wolfgang Pucks Express )
Lite Bite (Ghiradelli )
Gourmet Pantry, Candy Shoppe & Factory (Earl of Sandwich )

Christmas Chalet, Pottery Chalet, Chalet Candle Shop, Fine China
(World of Disney)
Bath Parlor (Summer Sands)
Port of Entry; Collanade d’ Arts; Cane, Rattan, Wicker & Sons; Von Ottos(Team Mickey)

2R’s Read’n & Rite’n (Basin)
Sportswear, Shoe Time, Miss Merrily’s Madness (Days of Christmas)
Toys Fantastique (Pooh Corner)
Carolyn’s Couture (Disney at Home)
Sir Edwards Haberdasher (removed for Once upon A Toy)
The Apothecary, Village Wines & Liquors (Art of Disney, Scrapbooking Store)
Fine Jewelry (Rainforrest)
Windjammer Mercantile (in Captain Jack’s)
Captains Tower (Disney Pin Traders)
Flower Garden
Women’s Accessories
Men’s Hairstyling
Post Office
Children’s fashions
Posh Pets
Tobacco Shop

HTH,
Frank

 

[OliveMcFly]

We went to the character breakfast in 1990. Back in November I went into Fulton's to see if it had changed. I still enjoy watching the video of Goofy surfing down the stairs on a tray. LOL

 

[Empress Room]

Empress Lilly

As my moniker so indicates, the "Empress Room" restaurant on the the Empress Lilly was a fine-dining venue and one of the best restaurants on Disney property - and one of my favorite places. Small, romantic and tucked away past the Empress Lounge (near the paddle wheel) it served gourmet food with incredible service. In its day, it was everything that Victoria & Albert's in the Grand Floridian now is and was comparable in quality and ambiance (though somewhat less expensive).

The Empress Room was one of three fine-dining restaurants on board -Fisherman's Deck (seafood) and Steerman's Quarters (steakhouse). Although Fulton's is nice, it can never compare to the unique experience of the original Empress Lilly and its three restaurants and assorted bars/lounges.

 

[mrtoad]

I never knew this but it is not even a real boat. It has a foundation like a house. I have seen photos of it being built right there.

I too think it should still be called the Empress Lilly and that it should still look the same.

 

[TimeTrip]

Some more pix of the old disney village

http://disney.timetrip.net/wdw-guide-page62.jpg

http://disney.timetrip.net/wdw-guide-page63.jpg