Former Ride // updated 2014
Main Street, U.S.A. · Magic Kingdom · Walt Disney World
Former Ride · the memorial record
Also known as Swan Boats.
This ride is gone, but its history stays documented — the full lifetime log is below.
The Swan Boats' permanent green-roofed dock, which had lingered for decades as a shaded seating area between Cinderella Castle and Tomorrowland, was removed during the Magic Kingdom Hub redesign — erasing the last visible remnant of the attraction.
◆ Most recent chapter
Plaza Swan Boats closed permanently in August 1983, undone by high operating cost (a cast member per boat), recurring mechanical and navigational trouble with the gas engines and guidance system, and limited capacity. The boats were later removed and sold.
The operating fleet dwindled to about five boats by the ride's final seasons, down from the original twelve; one boat had earlier been converted into a canal-cleaning vessel and maintenance on the rest tapered off.
Plaza Swan Boats opened as a D-ticket attraction, a fleet of 12 swan-prowed boats (each named for a Disney animated heroine) that cruised the Cinderella Castle hub moat and circled the Swiss Family Treehouse in Adventureland.
A permanent green-roofed loading dock was built between Cinderella Castle and Tomorrowland, supplementing the original boarding area near the Plaza Restaurant.
Per the documented record, Plaza Swan Boats at Magic Kingdom opened on May 20, 1973.
The most recent closure/refurbishment documented for Plaza Swan Boats is dated Aug 1983: Plaza Swan Boats closed permanently in August 1983, undone by high operating cost (a cast member per boat), recurring mechanical and navigational trouble with the gas engines and guidance system, and limited capacity. The boats were later removed and sold.
The latest documented change (documented 2014): The Swan Boats' permanent green-roofed dock, which had lingered for decades as a shaded seating area between Cinderella Castle and Tomorrowland, was removed during the Magic Kingdom Hub redesign — erasing the last visible remnant of the attraction.
5 documented changes, dating back to 1973 — the fan-kept ride changelog nobody else keeps.
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