How hard would it be to bring back the Swan Boats?

[JimboJones123]

Especially during the busy seasons?

 

[kap91]

Well, they'd have to build a bunch of new boats for starters. I don't know if the original boats were on a track or had guiderails but if they did then those would have to be reinstalled. Finally, a bunch of foliage would have to be removed towards adventureland as it has completely overgrown the waterway there.

Also the new Liberty Square bridge might not have the same clearances as the old bridge and thus the boats might have to be significantly reconfigured.

These are only the obvious things I can think of off the top of my head. It's not the most practical thing in the world for them to do, but if they desired it probably wouldn't be that difficult. It's not simple though either.

 

[gwhb75]

I can't do it.

 

[New2WDW]

The ride originally went down due to the maintenance cost of the boats themselves, so yes new boats would have to be created. The bridge clearance as mentioned by kap91 would be a major concern especially since Disney had to do work on that bridge to Liberty Square as few years back.

They could go with a gondola style ride with a energetic CM guide since the original natural gas engines had too many problems. :lol:

That ride was said to be very popular and I think it would be very cool to cruise around the moat, into Adventureland and by the castle.

 

[Rob562]

In addition to building new boats, they'd have to remove the radio-controlled boats between the Jungle Cruise and the Treehouse.

I'd be surprised if the new Adventureland/Liberty Square bridge plus the rebuilt Liberty Square/Hub bridge didn't have the same clearances as the other bridges.

-Rob

 

[MarkTwain]

I would LOVE for this ride to come back. It'd be great to have another relaxing ride to kick up your heels on, like the PeopleMover and Liberty Belle... plus, it's easy capacity. :shrug:

I think one problem with it might be that a Cast Member was historically assigned to every boat, an expense Disney doesn't seem to like these days (looking at the Backlot Tour and Living with the Land) for a ride that ultimately doesn't provide much in the way of active ride experience.

Still though, I can dream...

 

[Kev1417]

do anyone have pictures of these boats or any pictures of the route they ran? i'm very curious to see what this looked like back in the day.

 

[ChrisFL]

In addition to building new boats, they'd have to remove the radio-controlled boats between the Jungle Cruise and the Treehouse.

Huh? I don't see how those would be in the way :shrug:

 

[David S.]

do anyone have pictures of these boats or any pictures of the route they ran? i'm very curious to see what this looked like back in the day.

http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/psb.htm

Huh? I don't see how those would be in the way :shrug:

The remote controlled boats would be in the way because the Swan Boats didn't just circle the Hub - the also went into Adventureland and made a loop around the Swiss Family Treehouse, and the remote control boats are currently in that waterway.

 

[Mickey_777]

So MK got rid of them because the engines caused too many problems?

 

[ChrisFL]

The remote controlled boats would be in the way because the Swan Boats didn't just circle the Hub - the also went into Adventureland and made a loop around the Swiss Family Treehouse, and the remote control boats are currently in that waterway.

Interesting

 

[kaos]

Phantom boats worked very well in DL... They would be perfect in the MK... or maybe a newly designed 4-person boat with a load system like the Peoplemover... Bridge clearances would not be an issue at that point, and the R/C boats could easily be reloacted.

 

[blm07]

They would never get rid of something that makes a couple dollars a day!

 

[Buried20KLeague]

So MK got rid of them because the engines caused too many problems?

I believe the real reason was that they always had huge lines, and there really wasn't much to see... Much like the Discovery Riverboats at AK when it first opened.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I recall.

 

[MarkTwain]

I believe the real reason was that they always had huge lines, and there really wasn't much to see... Much like the Discovery Riverboats at AK when it first opened.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I recall.

I think it was a lot like the Discovery River Boats, in both the attraction experience and the reason for its demise. I also think both attractions would benefit their respective parks if they were reopened.

Reading the article posted above, it sounds like maintenance was expensive because the boats were actually steered and kept colliding into the riverbanks. Maybe just keeping them on a rail like some other boat rides would solve that.

 

[mp2bill]

I would LOVE for this ride to come back. It'd be great to have another relaxing ride to kick up your heels on, like the PeopleMover and Liberty Belle... plus, it's easy capacity. :shrug:

I think one problem with it might be that a Cast Member was historically assigned to every boat, an expense Disney doesn't seem to like these days (looking at the Backlot Tour and Living with the Land) for a ride that ultimately doesn't provide much in the way of active ride experience.

Still though, I can dream...

Ditto