After unending maintenance problems, finally sank the infamous Phantom Boats in 1956 a new boat ride open at the start of the summer of 1957. Where as the Phantom Boats had toured the big lagoon in Tomorrowland the motor boat cruise crept along a new Fantasyland waterway. When the new Fantasyland Autopia and Monorail open in 1959 their pylons and overpasses carried them right over the Motor Boats. Walls of oleander along the banks shielded external views keeping this a cozy cruise.
For years photos in the park souvenir books showed boats easing past big boulders and mild waters and the accompanying caption "Steering through rapids is fun on the Motor Boat Cruise" rapids was undoubtedly a technical term meaning gentle waves.The design of the boats appears very similar to those illustrated in a "Boat Ride Apparatus" patent filed by Edgar A. Morgan and Karl W. Bacon, of Arrow Development. Arrow Development was involved in the design of many attractions at Disneyland between 1953 and 1973.The boats looked like sleek little speedsters all of them with aerodynamic shapes open cockpits brightly colored hulls and white decks. The Motor Boat Cruise was to boating what Autopia was driving.
It’s now your turn to board a genuine motorboat. The single bench seat is perfect for two adults and one or two small children. The large steering wheel is in the middle, so everyone has access to it.There are floating channel markers to provide guidance, but are you sure you want to trust a young child to steer? The waterway includes treacherous looking rapids, with boats missing dangerous rocks by just a couple of feet. There are also Monorail pylons and steep embankments.Don’t worry. The boats are on a track. The steering wheel is just as useful as on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. In other words, it doesn’t do anything.So just sit back and enjoy the ride. Wave to the kids driving Autopia cars. And try to figure out whether the gas pedal on the floor is any more functional than the steering wheel. (It does seem to make the boat’s engine somewhat louder.)
The boats operated on a submerged guide rail and so offered limited returns no matter how much effort was put into cranking the wheel in addition the gas pedal have little effect on the whole experience. Some have suggested that all it did was increase the engine volume.Kids probably enjoy the illusion of control while adults could relax peruse to rocky river and enjoy the disparate vehicles that slipped through the vicinity and take comfort in knowing they only spent a B ticket for this attraction
Of course, new attractions do not come without issues, and one of the flaws that was noticed after the opening was the fact that guests could not control the speed of their own boat, so often the boats would get stuck or bump into one another. This added more work for the cast members, who sometimes had to jump into the water just to get the boats going again. To avoid this problem going forward, guests were given gas pedals in their boats, just so they could keep moving. The ride never turned into a speeding attraction and attempted to stay leisurely.
From March 15 1991 to November 10 1991 Motor Boat Cruise was redecorated to be Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen.
From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968 Motor Boat Cruise takes guests aboard motor boats that cruise through white-water channels past the submarine lagoon and alongside super freeways.
Though passengers did have control of the wheel aboard the Motor Boats, they were guided by a hidden track. The cruise wound around large boulders and along floral embankments, including a few turns directly beneath the Monorail tracks.At the conclusion of the loop riders find themselves back at the dock. Once again returning to the bustling area.
From Steve Birnbaum brings you the best of Disneyland 1982: Though far from being the most exciting of Disneyland's offerings for most adults, visitors with children often call this a favorite attraction. The faces of the youngsters as they steer the small three-passenger craft through the channels underneath the freeways are the equal of any Disney-made show. The names on the boats are those of favorite Disney characters.
Although the Motor Boat Cruise survived the 1959 reconfiguration of Tomorrowland, it did not survive the 1993 opening of Mickey’s Toontown a few hundred yards away. The word on the internet was that to control overall park operating expenses, the operating budget for the Motor Boat Cruise had been reallocated to Mickey’s Toontown. So, on January 11, 1993, the Motor Boat Cruise closed permanently.
In 2007, the former Motor Boat Cruise waterways were drained during construction of the neighboring attraction, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. During this time, around 2/3 of Motor Boat Cruise's former waterways were filled in with landscaping, creating more of a space buffer between the freshwater-based submarine lagoon and the 'green system' water of Motor Boat Cruise's area. During this time, the former tracks that lay hidden beneath the green water were covered up or destroyed. In April 2007, a new dam was built, and water filled back into the area known as Fantasia Gardens (the former Motor Boat Cruise loading dock). The Motor Boat Cruise's old dock was repurposed into a waterside dining area for the neighboring Edelweiss Snacks, and is used as one of many locations to hand out candy during Mickey's Halloween Party.
Specs: Capacity per hour 915 -- Capacity per boat 3 -- Cycle Time 4:41 -- Load Time :10 -- Unload Time :06 -- Trip Time 4:20 Dispatch Interval :20 -- Trips per hour 180-- Distance Traveled 852 feet -- Speed 2.5 MPH