Last year, we walked through Magic Kingdom with eyes wide open when we saw that the water in the Rivers of America had been drained. That hadn’t been done in 25 years!
A lot was left as a mystery as workers could be spotted throughout the day doing maintenance in the drained river and on Tom Sawyer Island. But, now that the river is back to flowing, we’re getting a peek into the work that was done and where exactly the Liberty riverboat was taken.
A lot goes on at Disney World in the early morning hours while guests sleep. And, according to Orlando Sentinel, that’s when the Liberty Square Riverboat took her furthest trip outside of Magic Kingdom. Named Liberty Belle, this Disney riverboat can normally be found taking guests on a scenic tour around Tom Sawyer Island passing by The Haunted Mansion, Liberty Square, and Frontierland.
But, when maintenance work required the river to be drained, Liberty Belle had to go on a bit of a staycation outside of the Magic Kingdom. Before Disney could drain the Rivers of America, they had to take Liberty Belle down a canal, under the monorail line, between the park and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, to its hidden destination on Seven Seas Lagoon.
It was a tricky 2.5-mile journey, requiring a tug boat but Liberty Belle eventually got the break she deserved before making her way back to Magic Kingdom.
While Liberty Belle was resting outside of the view of guests, Disney worked in the drained lake to replace the steel rail that is built into the riverbed and took the opportunity to give Tom Sawyer Island some TLC.
Once Liberty Belle was back in her home waters, diving technicians took to the water to hook her into the refurbished track. Now, guests are back to enjoying trips around Tom Sawyer Island at the Magic Kingdom!
Here’s another Magic Kingdom attraction that will be closing for refurbishment soon!
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
Have you ever ridden the Liberty Belle? Let us know in the comments!
Be neat to have a place in the Magic Kingdom (and the other parks for that matter) where rehabilitation work could be viewed on film. Like the set up movie showing the transformation of Epcot for the Flower and Garden show that is shown in the festival headquarters. It’s always interesting and another place to take a break and get off your feet for a few minutes.