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Mike Fink Keel Boats[edit]
The Mike Fink Keel Boats were an attraction in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom.
Attraction History[edit]
Like many of the Magic Kingdom's opening day attractions, the Mike Fink Keel Boats actually got their start in Disneyland, where the attraction opened in late 1955 [1]. The free-floating boats were based on the popular Davy Crockett, specifically the episodes "Davy Crockett's Keel Boat Race" and "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" [2].
As previously mentioned, the Mike Fink Keel Boats opened with the rest of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971 [3]. The two Keel Boats (named the Gullywhumper and Bertha May) boarded from a dock near the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square. The Mike Keel Boats remained relatively unchanged until 2000, when the attraction's loading was moved to the former Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes dock in Frontierland [4]. The move was short lived however, as on April 29, 2001 the Keel Boats were permanently closed [5].
Description[edit]
After boarding the Keel Boats in Liberty Square, guests would be taken on a free-floating motorized tour around the Rivers of America, taking in the various landmarks and vignettes located on the shore. Along the way the boat would be treated to a humorous narration, by their coonskin cap wearing captain.
Fun Facts and Trivia[edit]
- During Walt Disney World's pre-opening previews, on of the Keel Boats (the Bertha Mae) was used to transport guests from the Ticket and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom [6].
- To read a version of the Mike Fink Keel Boat narration Click Here
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://waltdatedworld.com/id184.htm
- ↑ https://www.davelandweb.com/riversofamerica/keelboats.html
- ↑ https://d23.com/a-to-z/mike-fink-keel-boats/
- ↑ This change can be seen on the 2000 Magic Kingdom Map ex https://twitter.com/GoAwayGreen/status/1301498221739606020/photo/1. Thank to How Bowers!
- ↑ https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/mike-fink-keel-boats.htm
- ↑ http://progresscityusa.com/2013/12/08/beachin-bertha/
