News Liberty Square Riverboat closing for long refurb

[KBLovedDisney]

The temporary Exit walkway for Space Mountain has signs that say Danger of Gators and Snakes. The people that were walking behind me thought it was a joke/Disney "Magic"/Animatronics and they stopped and went near the grassy area taking pictures.

 

[geekza]

The temporary Exit walkway for Space Mountain has signs that say Danger of Gators and Snakes. The people that were walking behind me thought it was a joke/Disney "Magic"/Animatronics and they stopped and went near the grassy area taking pictures.

I mean, I can totally understand their thinking. The general consensus (100% promoted by Disney, of course) is that WDW is a place that has been designed and managed down to the smallest detail. I'm not surprised that they might think it was all just a part of the "world building" that Disney does. Sometimes logic takes a back seat when you're surrounded by the Disney Bubble. I must admit to feeling a little stupid that I hadn't seriously considered the large amount of wildlife that calls the property home.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

I mean, I can totally understand their thinking. The general consensus (100% promoted by Disney, of course) is that WDW is a place that has been designed and managed down to the smallest detail. I'm not surprised that they might think it was all just a part of the "world building" that Disney does. Sometimes logic takes a back seat when you're surrounded by the Disney Bubble. I must admit to feeling a little stupid that I hadn't seriously considered the large amount of wildlife that calls the property home.

Since a lot of visitors to the World are out-of-towners, maybe Disney should give them a cautionary heads up that the property was built on swampland and the swamp dwellers are still there, but you are safe within Disney as long as you follow the park rules and restrictions.

 

[monothingie]

Mostly Drained. Not a pleasant odor by the shore though.

 

[geekza]

Mostly Drained. Not a pleasant odor by the shore though.
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Thanks for all of these pictures. I'm always fascinated at seeing the "world inside the World," as it were.

 

[Phil12]

I sometimes forget that the hyper-planned WDW is built amongst the habitat of scary giant lizards. Where I live, we mostly get deer, rabbits, squirrels, and skunks. There are black bears and wildcats up in the mountains, but they tend to stay away from people.

 

[Anders Limpar]

Slightly off topic. Typically you hear stories of gators near certain hotels, in the Rivers of America, or near Space Mountain. Of course, the tragic incident a couple of summers ago took place on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon. Does anyone know of a gator sighting in the World Showcase Lagoon or in Animal Kingdom near Discover River?

 

[peter11435]

Slightly off topic. Typically you hear stories of gators near certain hotels, in the Rivers of America, or near Space Mountain. Of course, the tragic incident a couple of summers ago took place on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon. Does anyone know of a gator sighting in the World Showcase Lagoon or in Animal Kingdom near Discover River?

Yes to both

 

[trainplane3]

Slightly off topic. Typically you hear stories of gators near certain hotels, in the Rivers of America, or near Space Mountain. Of course, the tragic incident a couple of summers ago took place on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon. Does anyone know of a gator sighting in the World Showcase Lagoon or in Animal Kingdom near Discover River?

They can be sighted just about everywhere in WDW (don't take this as a certainty, just as a way of saying they have a habit of popping up in "least" expected areas occasionally). Disney does a good job with controlling them but you aren't going to keep them out of their natural habitat. They'll find a way back.

I remember seeing one over by Saratoga Springs last year.

 

[Tobes58]

Anybody know were the Riverboat, Liberty Belle, is during this draining?

 

[JoeCamel]

Anybody know were the Riverboat, Liberty Belle, is during this draining?

Bay lake

 

[Tobes58]

Bay lake

Just another stupid question, I'm sure, but how they get it past the RR tracks. Does that swing open?

 

[Captain Barbossa]

Just another stupid question, I'm sure, but how they get it past the RR tracks. Does that swing open?

The Liberty Belle is at the dry docks at the back of Bay Lake. And yes, that is a swing bridge.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

From 15 mins ago.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

From TSI

 

[RaveOnEd]

The Liberty Belle is at the dry docks at the back of Bay Lake. And yes, that is a swing bridge.

And according to information I've read, she only has a really small amount of clearance on each side to clear that bridge when it's swung open!

It's a relocated, hand-crank swing bridge from the Florida East Coast Railway.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

And according to information I've read, she only has a really small amount of clearance on each side to clear that bridge when it's swung open!

It's a relocated, hand-crank swing bridge from the Florida East Coast Railway.

Yup! There is very little clearance. I believe it’s somewhere between 6in to a foot. I still can’t believe that they can get her through that narrow canal. Also, it takes 4 hours to successfully swing the bridge.

 

[larryz]

Yup! There is very little clearance. I believe it’s somewhere between 6in to a foot. I still can’t believe that they can get her through that narrow canal. Also, it takes 4 hours to successfully swing the bridge.

How long does it take to unsuccessfully swing it?

 

[MaximumEd]

Bout 10 minutes.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

That looks fairly clean from an algae standpoint, albeit in disrepair, all things considered.