The Magic Kingdom ferryboat fleet is down to two vessels at the moment, with the Richard F. Irvine ferryboat taken out of service for refurbishment. That leaves the General Joe Potter and Admiral Joe Fowler ferryboats as the only two in service at the moment. Here’s the latest, and when we expect that it will return.
Richard F. Irvine Ferryboat Refurbishment
The refurbishment of the Richard F. Irvine follows multi-month refurbishments of the General Joe Potter back in Spring 2023, and a multi-month refurbishment of the Admiral Joe Fowler ferryboat around this time of the year back in 2024.
It’s unclear when the refurbishment of the Richard F. Irvine ferryboat began, but I would bet that it was somewhat recently. If the refurbishment of the Irvine follows that of the Fowler, we would imagine that it would be back in service either late March or early April.
In terms of the scope of work, we expect that there will be some new paint and work on the engines. In recent months and years, it seemed like the Irvine would be the ferryboat most often taken out of service during the mid-day lulls in crowds. While it appears to be standard operating procedure to take one boat out of the rotation during the middle of the day and bring it back for nighttime crowds, it seemed like the Irvine was a popular choice for that role.
Aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct show the Irvine in dry dock now, and the Irvine taking a mid-day break last month.
Beyond the ferryboats themselves, Walt Disney World has filed a new permit with the state, showing plans to expand the ferryboat dock on the Magic Kingdom side of the Seven Seas Lagoon. We’ve heard some interesting reasons for the expansion, but that’s for another article.
For the latest on the expansion plans, check out our earlier article below!
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!