As Magic Kingdom undergoes its largest expansion ever, Walt Disney World will prepare for more guests with a fourth ferryboat, confirming a years-old rumor.
Fourth Magic Kingdom Ferryboat
This is the first ferryboat added to the fleet since 1976. The boats transport guests across the Seven Seas Lagoon between Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center.
The 120-foot-long boat will set sail in 2027. Engineers and craft workers have been designing and building the boat at a marina in Florida. They will ship it in pieces to Walt Disney World over the next couple of weeks.
But it will take another year to assemble the pieces, paint, and add final touches.
The new ferryboat will be named after Meg Gilbert Crofton, Walt Disney World’s fourth president. This will be the first ferryboat named after a woman. The existing boats were rechristened in 1997 as the Admiral Joe Fowler, the General Joe Potter, and the Richard F. Irvine. They each went through extensive refurbishments in the past few years.
Just like the other ferryboats, Crofton’s portrait will be found on the first deck of the new vessel. It was developed by Walt Disney Imagineering and will be accompanied by a plaque sharing her story.
“I was humbled to learn that my name would be on this new ferryboat,” said Crofton. “It means so much to be recognized by the cast members I had the privilege of working with for so many years.”
Meg Crofton’s Disney Legacy
Crofton joined The Walt Disney Company in 1977 as a marketing manager. After several roles in the company, she became Walt Disney World president in 2006 and remained in the role until 2013.
During her tenure, Crofton ushered in the opening of New Fantasyland, the resort’s first major theme park expansion since the opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The expansion brought Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Be Our Guest Restaurant, and more to Magic Kingdom. She also opened Art of Animation in 2012.
Disney Parks Blog states, “Just as impressive was the legacy she left with the people she led along the way. Guided by the belief that what truly lasts is how you make others feel, Meg always had – and continues to have – a genuine interest in the dreams and aspirations of cast members from across the company.”
Crofton also received a Main Street, U.S.A. window in 2015, identifying her as the founder of the “Center for Leadership Development” with the slogan, “We start leaders on their journeys.” She retired from Disney in 2015.
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