The future of the Liberty Belle riverboat may not be what fans were hoping for. The boat, which has been removed from the Rivers of America but remains in a nearby backstage canal, is rumored to be dismantled. The Liberty Belle riverboat joined the Rivers of America in 1973 and continued operating until its final day of operation this past Sunday, July 6th.
Where Is the Liberty Belle Riverboat?
So, where is the Liberty Belle right now? As of today, we’re told that it is in a backstage area just behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. While Disney has a proper dry dock area located on the northwest corner of Bay Lake, there is a smaller, secondary dock that the Liberty Belle sometimes parks at just behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
In fact, if you wanted to “see” where the Liberty Belle riverboat is currently located, you can pull up Google Maps and find it docked in the location where we’re told it currently resides. Here are some screenshots showing where the boat is docked as of today.
Liberty Belle Rumored to be Dismantled
While we recently published an article that showcased how Walt Disney World has transported the Liberty Belle riverboat in the past, it is rumored that the Liberty Belle will not make the voyage across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the dry dock area. Instead, it is rumored that the Liberty Belle will be dismantled right here.
Zooming out a bit on Google Maps, we can see how close the Liberty Belle is to a backstage access road that would allow crews to dismantle the boat and haul it away.
Another caveat that is complicating the movement of the Liberty Belle is nearby land-clearing work. The wonderful photo below comes courtesy of bioreconstruct. For more of his photos of the land clearing taking place, check out our earlier article.
As you can see, the backstage canal that the riverboat would travel down is currently blocked by an aqua-barrier to prevent anything from traveling into the Seven Seas Lagoon. I can’t imagine that it would be complicated to remove the water barrier, but I’m not sure if that is allowed during the land clearing project, which is still ongoing and likely will be for at least a couple more weeks (if not much longer).
A few caveats to close out this article. The first is that this is a rumor. As with any rumor, you should treat the information here as unofficial unless and until Walt Disney World confirms it. Disney did not return multiple requests for comment on the future of the Liberty Belle riverboat.
Another caveat is that the Liberty Belle isn’t really a proper boat. Yes, it floats, which is pretty much the number one requirement of a boat, but it doesn’t have any proper steering. It has forward and backward, but no side-to-side. That means that if Disney wanted to use it as a moving vessel, it would either have to be on a track again, or it would need to be fitted with maneuverability functions.
The final caveat may be the most important. Dismantling isn’t the same as “demolished”. We’re not ready to report that the Liberty Belle is headed for the wood chipper just yet. That very well could be its final destination, but right now, we’re going to stick with “dismantled” over “demolished”.
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!
Dismantling could point to Paris as its destination. They did just recently remove all references to their long-languishing Mark Twain. Also, Liberty Belle’s superstructure was rebuilt many years ago with aluminum and vinyl board because wood in Florida just doesn’t last. So woodchippers are definitely off the table! It also means she’s in great shape!
It would be a real shame if the Belle(formerly the Richard F. Irvine) was d r polished. It only needs a rudder to be able to operate on one of WDW’s waterways. I’d like to see her working alongside the two ferry boats that take guests from the TTC to the MK and back!
DHS’ Fantasmic needs a full sized riverboat. The tiny boat is terrible compared to Disneyland’s Fantasmic.
I suppose the Liberty Belle might be dismantled now, and reassembled later on, elsewhere, as a display attraction. After all, the Queen Mary 2 was retired in 2008, and is currently a permanent hotel and museum in Dubai, UAE.
Disney is about to design and built its seventh theme park, in Dubai, as well.
Maybe the Liberty Belle could be reassembled there, once the new Disneyland Dubai is completed.