boat transportation

squad51 · #1 07-20-2012, 07:34 PM

I have seen some YouTube video of launches coming from the direction of the Wilderness Lodge. Are these boats the ones that used to be the Discovery boats at AK?

vicster · #2 07-20-2012, 07:47 PM

Not sure - for as long as I can remember they've had boats going from WL to MK, Ft. Wilderness, and CR.

squad51 · #3 07-20-2012, 08:35 PM

I know they have had boats, however, I have never seen these platform boats before.

VWL Mom · #4 07-20-2012, 08:46 PM

Are you referring to the pontoon boats? Those are not launches but are available for rental and have been around since opening. They're still using the original boats for transportation between Mk and WL.

squad51 · #5 07-21-2012, 01:14 PM

I know about the rental boats and the two different sizes of launches. I swear that I saw video of a moderate sized platform boat coming from the direction of Wilderness Lodge.

steamboat willy · #6 07-22-2012, 04:59 PM

As an original boat captain from back in the 70's, I Google Earth'd and got an arial view of the dry dock located on the NW corner of Bay Lake and I did see a platform type vessel that was not normal to the 6 Launches and 2 Super Cruisers used to transport guest to and from the Resorts, Ft. Wilderness Campground and the Magic Kingdom. Not sure where it originated, but I'm sure with the addition of The Grand Floridian, the Wilderness Lodge and now the Bay lake Towers they needed additional boat transportation. I sure do miss the "Ports A Call paddlewheller used for the World And Moonlight Cruises used on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.
Remember Discovery Island?

faline · #7 07-22-2012, 07:18 PM

We did see a different boat being used for transportation on our last trip. I didn't even think about the ill-fated ride at Animal Kingdom which we did once before it disappeared. No idea if it's the same craft but it did, to me, resemble, the boat that they use for the Pirate Cruise out of the Grand Floridian in the evenings.