Flashback: Discovery River Boats

Guests crossing the bridge from the Oasis to Discovery Island may notice this dock (above) just off to the right. This is the former home of the Discovery River Boats, one of the shortest-lived attractions in Disney's Animal Kingdom history.

The Discovery River Boats debuted with the park and were intended as a means of transportation for Guests wishing to take a leisurely trip from Discovery Island to the outskirts of Asia. Along the way, passengers had an encounter with a sea monster (an effect created by traveling vibrations under the boats), a hidden dragon spewing fire from the bowels of a dark cave, and geysers shooting high in the air near the coast of Harambe village. The return trip passed by Banteng cattle on the steppes of Asia, colorful whirligigs along Discovery Island and a huge, Audio-Animatronic Iguanodon which had wandered beyond the halls of the Dino Institute and into the river near Dinoland.

As exciting as some of that may sound, Discovery River Boats and the sites along the river never quite lived up to expectations. What ultimately sealed the attraction's fate was Guest perception.

For decades, Walt Disney World Guests had come to expect that they would see "wild animals" from a boat, as on the Jungle Cruise. Coming into Disney's Animal Kingdom for the first time, visitors knew little about the park, except for the fact that it would feature live animals. Since the first attraction they encountered was the Discovery River Boats (in a land called Safari Village at the time), it was natural to assume that was where the animals were to be found.

Wait times for the Discovery River Boats would frequently exceed one hour. Imagine the disappointment when Guests were dropped off ten minutes later in Asia, after having seen little more in the way of animals than some birds and goats.

Several attempts were made to alter those perceptions. In November 1998, the name of the attraction was changed to Discovery Island Water Taxis to try and better convey the transportation aspect, and Animal Presenters were placed aboard the boats to help address concerns about a lack of animal presence. Unfortunately, the Presenters were limited to what they could easily carry around the boat (typically spiders, lizards and insects), and confusion persisted.

In March 1999, the attraction changed once again to the Radio Disney River Cruise. This time, the boats were given a fresh coat of paint and a wacky, contemporary narration from Radio Disney on-air personalities Just Plain Mark and Zippy, "broadcasting live" from atop the Tree of Life. This final attempt at a boat tour attraction also failed to appeal to audiences, and the Discovery River Boats were ultimately closed before the end of 1999.

Today, the boats are occasionally put into service as floating stages for live bands and Disney Characters, entertaining Guests gathered along the shores of Lake Discovery from Flame Tree Barbecue to Expedition Everest. The Discovery Island dock is now home to Character greetings with Winnie the Pooh & Co., while the Upcountry Landing (Asia dock) has been furnished as a relaxing, out of the way rest spot... with the occasional bar set up during peak attendance periods.