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MK Riverboat Refurbishment
- Thread starter mkt
- Start date
Mickeyman819
Member
im not sure about what is going to happen but im sure it will be minor stuff. It will only be closed for a week. Probally paint, or a minor mechanical thing.
DisneyFan 2000
Well-Known Member
Where is this info from? :veryconfu
Like usual, you are right there with all the current updates! thanks Rob!
Pam
Pam
10 min. to wdw
Member
that brings up a question, do they rehab the boat right there in the river it seems I have been there while its being rehabbed and it hasn't been there? but how could you get that out of the river there isn't a wide enough chanel to take it anywhere? just intrested if anyone knows.
Actually there is a wide enough chanel. It connects the Rivers of America to the water pagent canal. They can actually take the riverboat out to the seven seas lagoon. For rehab however they have a dry dock well behing the MK for the boat. This dry dock can also be used for the ferry boats.
DisneyFan 2000
Well-Known Member
DisneyDJ
Member
Spent the summer of 2000 at the Liberty Belle. Typically the refurb consists of re-staining the deck, and blowing out the boiler. They also polish all the brass and re-oil every little peice that moves. As far as dry dock... right past BTMRR there is a green bridge that can swing around, and they pull it back by the parade buildings behind Splash Mountain. This is the same spot they keep the Water Pagent floats. So the Admiral Joe Fowler... I mean the Liberty Belle... should look nice and pretty... and smell real woodsy by the time she returns. Here's a little known fact about out friend the Liberty Belle. In her hull she still has a life preserver from the days she was the Admiral Joe Fowler. It's been kept there for good luck... there is also an oar in the closet behind the control bar (da Johnson Bar). No it's not for rowing her back in when she's lost all her pressure, but all the Skippers that have been trained there sign it after check out. Just more secrets from within...
Oh and don't forget to ask the greeter for a tour of the wheelhouse (we all love that it means we have to work) it's one of the best views of the park... and you might even get a certificate... and the chance to blow the whistle
Until Next Time...
Oh and don't forget to ask the greeter for a tour of the wheelhouse (we all love that it means we have to work) it's one of the best views of the park... and you might even get a certificate... and the chance to blow the whistle
Until Next Time...
10 min. to wdw
Member
they let you in the wheel house? How many people any restrictions to the policy? who do you ask the cm at the dock? never knew about this sounds cool though
SpaceRacer2003
New Member
Richard F. Irvine
My wife and I both worked onboard the Liberty Belle Riverboat (she was a trainer there). The oar is there and we have both left our mark on it.
Thanks DisneyDJ for the great info, this rehab should include a teaking of the decks and other general upkeep... but... the current Liberty Square Riverboat; The Liberty Belle is new from the bottom deck up, and from there down is the hull of the old Richard F. Irvine Riverboat.
The Liberty Belle & the Irvine share a common design in having a single smoke stack. The orignal Adm. Joe Fowler has a desgin much like the Mark Twain series of riverboats at other Disney parks, they have a two stack system.
The Adm. Joe Fowler was named after the retired navy admiral who was in charge of construction for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
In 1980, The Admiral Joe Fowler was taken to dry dock for routine rehab. While the boat was being lifted by crane, it slipped and the hull was completely destroyed. The boat was then retired due to "mechanical problems". The broken boat was taken to the backstage "bone yard" for awhile before being buried somewhere on the property (sunk in the Seven Seas Lagoon/Bay Lake).
The other riverboat, the Richard F. Irvine (called the Liberty Belle since 1996) didn't debut until May 20, 1973. It was named after a Disney designer and WED executive. It is the only riverboat that currently travels the Rivers of America.
The life preserver in the hull of the Liberty Belle is that of the Richard F. Irvine.
For more information check this out:
More info on the WDW Riverboats
My wife and I both worked onboard the Liberty Belle Riverboat (she was a trainer there). The oar is there and we have both left our mark on it.
Thanks DisneyDJ for the great info, this rehab should include a teaking of the decks and other general upkeep... but... the current Liberty Square Riverboat; The Liberty Belle is new from the bottom deck up, and from there down is the hull of the old Richard F. Irvine Riverboat.
The Liberty Belle & the Irvine share a common design in having a single smoke stack. The orignal Adm. Joe Fowler has a desgin much like the Mark Twain series of riverboats at other Disney parks, they have a two stack system.
The Adm. Joe Fowler was named after the retired navy admiral who was in charge of construction for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
In 1980, The Admiral Joe Fowler was taken to dry dock for routine rehab. While the boat was being lifted by crane, it slipped and the hull was completely destroyed. The boat was then retired due to "mechanical problems". The broken boat was taken to the backstage "bone yard" for awhile before being buried somewhere on the property (sunk in the Seven Seas Lagoon/Bay Lake).
The other riverboat, the Richard F. Irvine (called the Liberty Belle since 1996) didn't debut until May 20, 1973. It was named after a Disney designer and WED executive. It is the only riverboat that currently travels the Rivers of America.
The life preserver in the hull of the Liberty Belle is that of the Richard F. Irvine.
For more information check this out:
More info on the WDW Riverboats