All references to the Mark Twain riverboat have been removed from the Disneyland Paris website, indicating that there is no intention to fix the abandoned boat.
Disneyland Paris Riverboats
Years ago, Disneyland Paris operated two riverboats — a unique distinction for a Disney park. The Mark Twain was based on the original Mark Twain sternwheeler from California’s Disneyland, while the Molly Brown, named after a Titanic survivor, remains Disney’s only sidewheeler.
In 2020, the Molly Brown had to be rebuilt from scratch. When she returned to service in 2011, the Mark Twain went to dry dock, ostensibly for its own refurbishment. However, the riverboat has never returned.
Reportedly, the decision to park the Mark Twain was due to budget issues. These issues also prevented Disneyland Paris from maintaining the boats, and they rotted away in dry docks. When Molly Brown occasionally needed TLC, the Mark Twain would be moved to make way for the sidewheeler, but it never re-entered service. Over the years, guests have snapped photos of the boat falling apart.
In 2018, Disneyland Paris announced their intention to renovate the boat. One of the only remaining references to it is in a press release from May 19, 2018, which mentioned ongoing attraction renovations and stated, “further renovation work will continue through the years, including Sleeping Beauty Castle and Mark Twain’s steamboat.” The boat would have returned to service in 2020 or 2021. Possibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this never came to fruition. Instead, the boat was wrapped in tarps to hide it or keep it from falling apart (via WDWMAGIC Forums). It was then placed under a themed scrim cover (via Reddit).
Despite the boat not operating in approximately 14 years, the Mark Twain’s name was still on the Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing webpage — until just recently. The webpage now reads:
Take to the water in Molly Brown, a majestic 19th Century-style paddleboat, and navigate Rivers of the Far West at Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing. On your journey you’ll take in a whole new view of Big Thunder Mountain and Wilderness Island, witnessing cascading waterfalls along the way. You may even spy some smugglers’ caves!
However, looking at Google results will show what the webpage used to say.
Take to the water in one of two majestic 19th Century-style paddleboats, Mark Twain and Molly Brown, and navigate the Rivers of the Far West…
There are no other references to the boat on the Disneyland Paris website. It seems Disneyland Paris has given up on the boat once and for all.
How do you feel about the Mark Twain riverboat at Disneyland Paris being abandoned? Let us know in the comments.
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