Originally Posted By ssWEDguy The Rivers of America should have 2 big boats. That way you have coverage when one or the other is in drydock or lengthy refurb. Going nearly a year without ANY boat on the ROA like we are now is embarrassing. Heck, Disneyland is smaller and IT has two boats. (Of course, both of them came directly from Walt)
Originally Posted By Cindermomster Absolutely right ssWEDguy. The last time I was at WDW the river was so dead. Sad, no canoes, keel Boats, or steam Boat. It was hard to find the rafts. What is the river for? I don't think it was meant to be this way.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy WDW has so many boats out on the inter-resort waterways. I almost wish they'd put one of them in there for the duration. Even one of the "FriendShip" boats from the Epcot WorldShowcase Lagoon. (Yes, theme clash -- sorry)
Originally Posted By DlandDug Disneyland is smaller, and has more attractions in general. (Including a submarine lagoon that is NOT being turned into a playground!) Say what you will about cranky Annual Passholders, they have, apparently, had some impact on the attraction count, anyway. (Was there ever a second ship on the MK ROA? I thought there was...)
Originally Posted By basas <<Was there ever a second ship on the MK ROA? I thought there was...)>> Yes, our river used to be very crowded. We had two steamboats (the current one, and one similar to DL's Mark Twain), as well as canoes, rafts, and keel boats.
Originally Posted By tonyanton I always thought a "Columbia"-style boat would be perfect at the MK, as it would fit in thematically very well with Liberty Square. If only I was in charge. :]
Originally Posted By brotherdave The "Admiral Joe Fowler" was the 'lost' riverboat. It was damaged severely during a dry dock rehab in the early 80s. It was amazing in the 1970s that the MK had TWO riverboats, with the "AJF" and the "Richard Irvine", which is the current boat that was rechristened "Liberty Belle". I totally agree that the addition of a Columbia sailing ship to the MK would be a huge asset! If they REALLY need to tie it into a movie just so the MK gets one, they could call it the "Dauntless" or the "Interceptor" (from the first POTC movie). As long as they don't call it the "Black Pearl"! (Personally, I would love to see them add one that is an historical recreation of another famous American sailing ship like they did with the Columbia!)
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Its a shame Providence, RI won't let WDW "borrow" the sloop Providence used in the POTC 2 and 3. <a href="http://www.sloopprovidenceri.org/" target="_blank">http://www.sloopprovidenceri.o rg/</a>
Originally Posted By rhodisney I only rode the keel boats once....I was always afraid they'd get run over by the riverboat....why were they taken out and when? My kids were never interested in riding them, they always wanted to ride the big riverboat instead, so I don't much miss them not being there.
Originally Posted By brotherdave >>My kids were never interested in riding them, they always wanted to ride the big riverboat instead, so I don't much miss them not being there<< That pretty much sums up why they were taken out. Lack of interest and very low capacity. Not to mention that they were not ADA complient (although I'm sure if they kept them exactly as they were, they would have been 'grandfathered' in like the Swiss Family Treehouse and much of Tom Sawyer's Island).
Originally Posted By CMM1 Boy, much ado about nothing. Do you think that the fans would flock to keep 2 big boats filled when they normally don't even fill one boat during most times of the day? As for the keel boats, aside from the small two-person bench seat at the bow and the upstairs seats, weren't they pretty boring? The canoes certainly have their charm, but in Florida how many people want to exert themselves even more by paddling around the river? Bring back one big boat and you will probably meet the needs of most of the elderly or non-thrill ride types that would enjoy that attraction. The only thing that would make these rides more interesting would be something to see along the river - a few fake animals and piped-in animal sounds really don't make for a compelling attraction.
Originally Posted By brotherdave I always felt that the Keel Boats could (and should) have been a much larger attraction than they were. They could have had the keel boats follow along the course of the Rivers of America for the areas seen by the public on the shore. But, as the boats entered the 'backwoods' section, they could have diverted onto a narrower (and more treacherous and interesting) tributary canal. Here, the boats could have encountered harrowing scenes and adventures similar in style to the Jungle Cruise, but on with a more American frontier theme. Perhaps they could have encountered numerous forms of wildlife, including an encounter with a not so friendly grizzly bear, pass through a friendly Indian village, then pass by some not so friendly Native Americans (I know, not considered PC today, but, back in 1971....) who were angry for us being on their land, encounter unexpected rapids and waterfalls, and as a finale, actually ENTER (via an indoor building) the den of river pirates that we've passed by on the RoA all these years, with a slam bang explosive finale! After exiting the pirate's den safely, we are then back on the main RoA channel near the Haunted Mansion. Any, that's how I would have plussed and upgraded the Keel Boats to make them MUCH more interesting than they were!
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> Do you think that the fans would flock to keep 2 big boats filled when they normally don't even fill one boat during most times of the day? << No. But NO boats on the river is a little noticeable. I like the idea of a second, Columbia style ship plying the rivers.
Originally Posted By dresswhites at Disneyland, because both big boats are different types of vessels, they are both very popular. They both are always fairly full. Two riverboats might be redundant, but two differnt types of ship would work well i think.
Originally Posted By DlandDug The big river in Disneyland looks quite respectable with its steamboat, sailing ship, canoes and rafts, not to mention the nightly Fantasmic! with pre-show entertainers floating along on rafts. As I've said many times, Disneyland is the smallest of all the Disney theme parks, with the most attractions.
Originally Posted By CMM1 bd: Great idea for the keelboats - one could either have a show building or simply set up some scenes along a part of the river. But if such were the case, then you would be stuck with a ride with very low capacity that might have very long lines - another problem in itself. Don't disagree with those that say that the DL river always seems to be jumping with activity.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros If they needed to add Keelboat capacity, why didn't they just add more boats. I know in the Davy Crockett show there were only two main boats, but there were others encountered along the way, and most people now wouldn't even recognize the names as being from the show. If they were to bring them back with a different path, I'm sure it would be pretty easy to add capacity with more boats.
Originally Posted By brotherdave I'm sure some really creative names for other keelboats could have been added to "Bertha Mae" and "Gullywumper". They could have done an historical check to see what names might have been used on some real keel boats. Heck, some of the imagineers could have worked their own names or family names into some creative additions! With the addition of additional keel boats for the ride, my guess is that it would have been no worse than the Jungle Cruise for capacity. If their are any Imagineers out there possibly reading this, it's still not too late to come up with a very creative (and exciting!) keel boat ride for Frontierland!
Originally Posted By cwade <<I only rode the keel boats once....I was always afraid they'd get run over by the riverboat....why were they taken out and when? My kids were never interested in riding them, they always wanted to ride the big riverboat instead, so I don't much miss them not being there.>> I am guessing they were taken out after our accident out here on the West Coast in which one of them sunk.
Originally Posted By disney pete well one is better than none i can imagine how bleak the river looks at present.
