Status Closed Closing date August 21, 1999 Closed 21 August 1999 | Opening date April 22, 1998 Attraction type Boat ride Opened 22 April 1998 | |
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Vehicle type Natural Gas powered boats Vehicle names The Darting Dragonfly, Otter Nonsense, Leaping Lizard, Crocodile Belle, Hasty Hippo Similar Kilimanjaro Safaris, Wildlife Express Train, Primeval Whirl, Kali River Rapids, If You Had Wings | ||
Discovery river boats igonadon
Discovery River Boats was an attraction at Walt Disney World's Disney's Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Contents
Attraction facts
Ride History and present status
The boats docked at the Safari Village and in Asia. The ride was a non-stop trip that brought the passengers near to the Tree of Life and past all the lands of the theme park. During the journey, the guests would be shown small animals that had been brought on board. The captain would walk the aisles and point out other items on the trek. The ride was similar to the Jungle Cruise at the Magic Kingdom, however there was little to see exclusive to the ride.
In 1999 the attraction was renamed Radio Disney River Cruise and played commentary from Radio Disney DJs Just Plain Mark and Zippy. The guests were told that the songs were broadcast from the top of the Tree of Life. The boats were all re-painted in new colors, and animals were no longer brought on board. The routes were also modified, with boats returning to the departing dock instead of stopping at the other dock for guests to disembark.
The ride closed in late 1999 due to large numbers of disappointed guests who had not realized that the ride's original purpose was transportation and showed a minimal number of animals that, with the exception of the Banteng, could all be seen from the paths surrounding the Tree of Life. The docks, however, can still be seen in the park. The Asia dock is now a baloo and king louie meet and greet with the other dock now used as a prop,
The boats are still on Disney property sitting in there maintenance dock in a cast only area on Marina Alley behind Primeval Whirl and Finding Nemo - The Musical