Yesterday, there was hope. Today, all hope has been dashed by a Friday afternoon rumor.
Yesterday, fans took to social media to devise a plan for the Liberty Belle, the ship that was removed from Rivers of America after the attraction was closed earlier this month. Most of the plans involved reusing the ship, either as a cruising vessel across Bay Lake or incorporating it into the new Villains Land as an homage to Magic Kingdom’s past.
However, it appears that once again, Disney has not taken fans’ advice. A new rumor popped up on Blog Mickey suggesting that the Liberty Belle was set to be “dismantled.”
The boat is housed in the backstage area of Magic Kingdom, which is currently being cut off from Bay Lake. That means the ship will be dismantled in its place rather than being moved to the drydock area across the lake.
The backstage water transport area is being blocked as Disney clears the land for the new Cars and Villains Land. You can see where the boat is being docked on Google Maps if you’re interested.
Unfortunately for fans, that’s about as far as the boat will go, and none of the fan ideas are viable. The Liberty Belle cannot be used as an actual boat.
Yes, it is a boat, but when it was in Rivers of America, it was on a track and could not move side-to-side. That eliminates the possibility of it moving onto Bay Lake unless Disney decides to retrofit it, which seems unlikely.
Few decisions have divided Disney fans more than removing Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. The only ones that were more controversial were changing Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and removing Muppet Vision 3D from Hollywood Studios.
So, for now, the last vestige of Rivers of America seems to be gone forever, and the Liberty Belle will just be another Disney memory.
What do you think of Disney’s plan to dismantle the Liberty Belle? Let us know in the comments.
The post Rumor Confirms Disney Fans Worst Fears: Liberty Belle To Be ‘Disassembled’ appeared first on Inside the Magic.
