The Liberty Square Riverboat at Magic Kingdom is opening an extra hour early before its permanent closure in July.
Liberty Square Riverboat Hours
According to the sign at the boat’s launch as well as the Walt Disney World website, the Liberty Belle is now opening at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. It will continue to open at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. through July 6, its last day of operation.
The Liberty Belle, Rivers of America, and Tom Sawyer Island are all closing permanently to make way for a “Cars” expansion to Frontierland. July 6 is the last day to experience the riverboat and island, but construction walls won’t be erected until a few weeks later. Demolition permits were approved earlier this year.
Imagineering is still talking with their partners at Walt Disney World to figure out what to do with the Liberty Square Riverboat. Watch our full ride video of the Liberty Belle below.
The Rivers of America have been part of Magic Kingdom since opening day on October 1, 1971. The original riverboat, the Admiral Joe Fowler, entered service on October 2 and operated until 1980, when it was destroyed in a dry dock incident.
The Liberty Belle started as the Richard F. Irvine, joining the Admiral Joe Fowler on May 20, 1973, the same day Tom Sawyer Island opened. In 1996, it was refurbished and renamed the Liberty Belle. The Admiral Joe Fowler and Richard F. Irvine names were then given to the ferry boats traveling between Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Rivers of America previously offered the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes from 1971 to 1994 and the Mike Fink Keelboats from 1971 to 2001. The keelboats dock has been used as an extended queue for The Haunted Mansion, but will be demolished as part of the upcoming work.
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