The Admiral Joe Fowler recently returned from a multi-month refurbishment, and we caught a glimpse of the ferryboat while visiting Magic Kingdom earlier today. In fact, we were able to grab some really unique photos thanks to some wonderful Cast Members, but more on that in a bit!
The refurbishment began earlier this year, sometime in early January after the surge in holiday crowds started to moderate a bit. At the time, the rumor was that the Admiral Joe Fowler would receive a new blue paint scheme, in addition to a top-to-bottom refurbishment.
First, here’s a look back at the old paint scheme for the Admiral Joe Fowler as spotted last year before the refurbishment.
Before we take a look at the updated ferryboat, here’s a writeup about Admiral Joe Fowler, the man, from Disney.
Admiral Joe Fowler
No matter how implausible the task, retired Admiral Joe Fowler got things done. That is why, in 1954, Walt Disney personally invited the retired ship builder to lead construction of his latest dream—Disneyland. Fellow Disney Legend Bob Matheison once recalled a day when Joe and Walt stood looking at a stage in Adventureland, which featured a waterfall and a dressing room off to the side. According to Bob, “Walt turned to Joe and said, ‘I’d like to part the water and let the entertainers come out, and then have the waterfall close behind them.’ Joe never batted an eye. He just said, ‘Can do, can do.’ I know he had no idea how he was going to part the water, but he said it without hesitation—’Can do.’ And, by golly, he did it.”
Born on July 9, 1894, in Lewiston, Maine, Joe graduated second in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1917. He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a master’s degree in naval architecture in 1921. A veteran of both world wars, Joe designed and supervised the building of gunboats in Shanghai, China, during the 1920s; he later designed and built aircraft carriers, including the U.S.S. Lexington and the U.S.S. Saratoga, which were the largest aircraft carriers of World War II. He was also in charge of all U.S. Navy work conducted in the West Coast shipyards during World War II.
While with the military, Joe met such notable figures as Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon Johnson; he even roomed with Edward, Prince of Wales, on a British gun ship steaming up the Yangtze River. After 35 years with the U.S. Navy, Joe had reached the rank of Rear Admiral and retired in 1948—or so he thought.
Within a few years, not long after celebrating his 60th birthday, Joe met Walt Disney through a mutual friend and soon began his successful 25-year career with Walt Disney Productions.
Joe oversaw construction of Disneyland and went on to manage its operations after it opened. Appropriately, Walt also cast him as technical advisor of the award-winning live-action film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
During the 1960s and ‘70s, Joe was charged with the Herculean task of planning and building Walt Disney World. At one point during the Florida project, Joe held three posts, simultaneously: senior vice president, engineering and construction, for Walt Disney Productions; chairman of the board of WED Enterprises, now known as Walt Disney Imagineering; and director of construction for Disney’s Buena Vista Construction Company.
Joe retired from Disney in 1978. He passed away on December 3, 1993, at age 99, in Orlando, Florida. Tributes to the Admiral can still be found in the parks that he helped build; the harbor used as dry dock for Disneyland’s S.S. Columbia and paddle wheeler Mark Twain is dubbed “Fowler’s Harbor,” and features a building known as Fowler’s Inn. At Walt Disney World, one of the ferries that transports guests across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom was re-christened the Admiral Joe Fowler in his honor.
The Admiral Joe Fowler ferryboat returned to service earlier this month, and we spotted it as it was going back to the marina for a midday break before returning to service this evening. This is rather typical for the ferryboat fleet. Usually, all of the ferryboats will be in service at the start of the day to accommodate rope drop crowds, then one will go back to the marina as crowds moderate during the middle of the day, and then return in the evenings to assist with end-of-day crowds following the fireworks. The monorail and buses follow a similar pattern. Before we get too lost in Disney transportation operations, let’s take a look at what we came for – a refreshed Admiral Joe Fowler!
While we were too late this morning to step onto the boat, some absolutely wonderful Cast Members were able to help us grab more photos as the Admiral Joe Fowler made its way back to the marina for the midday break.
We even were afforded a rather rare view of the ferryboat passing Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower while traversing Bay Lake.
UPDATE: We were able to get some onboard photos during a recent visit to Magic Kingdom. Here’s a look around!
ADMIRAL JOSEPH W. FOWLER (1894-1993)
Former Navy Admiral Joe Fowler came out of retirement to help Walt Disney build “the Happiest Place On Earth.” For the next two decades of his career. Joe supervised the planning, building, and operation of both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!