DISCOVERY RIVER BOATS VIDEO LET'S GO! My family gets so tired of me pointing out the rock bits
@jessicacallaghan80829 күн бұрын
Reminds me of one day where me, my best friend, and my band director (long story there...) were at DAK together. As were we crossing the bridge between Pandora and Discovery Island, my friend abruptly pulled us over to point out the dragon rock. Later on the Maharajah trail, I led everyone to the tigers and introduced them by name. My band director just stared at us like... "why the heck do you guys just know this stuff"
@dreamw0rlds5 ай бұрын
Such a lovely unicorn statue. I'd like to think it's just in someone's backyard garden somewhere, still being admired and preserved.
@dreamw0rlds5 ай бұрын
Nvm I just reached the end of the video that reveals the unicorn's fate! Happy for mister unicorn! He's getting a good life
@kevinmsmith615 ай бұрын
I rode this when I was young during the Radio Disney re-theme. Even as a Disney-loving kid, I just kept thinking "Wow, this is bad" while riding it.
@Dumplys5 ай бұрын
I love how he’s roasting the ride mid vid and then the image pans to the animatronic dinosaur and he’s like “Your cool” 😂
@Laurendamon5 ай бұрын
Biggest Disney World let down as a kid was that dragon cave - I had been promised a dragon! Even had (still have) the promo Happy Meal toy of it!
@Solo135085 ай бұрын
As someone who's done a ton of research into the history of cancelled Disney attractions this somehow completely passed me by. Great research on this! That scene with the mangled Knights is shockingly disturbing especially for 1990s Disney.
@jackclark45985 ай бұрын
& if that's the preview, how far did they intend on going with the dragon coaster?
@Solo135085 ай бұрын
@@jackclark4598 It seems it was still planned until a couple years after the park opened.
@jackclark45985 ай бұрын
@@Solo13508 I meant how far were they going to take the dark themes & gruesome violence in the ride itself
@Solo135085 ай бұрын
@@jackclark4598 Oh. Yeah I don't know. Usually I'd say that anything particularly dark or gruesome would be at a minimum if even present. But I also wouldn't have expected all the Knight corpses either so I don't really know. If anything had Disney planned on including anything of that nature in the ride it likely would've been either reduced or removed after the backlash over the Knights.
@Anthony-rb8ib5 ай бұрын
90s Disney was pretty hardcore actually. Way more than now or before the 90s.
@timothybeuth23825 ай бұрын
I got to ride this during a park preview! It was my dad’s favorite attraction at opening. Next time we went to animal kingdom, we asked a CM about it and they repeatedly denied that a boat ride ever existed!!! It was wild! No pun intended..
@Brocksqd5 ай бұрын
This video has cleared up so many questions I have had about what was on that river, why is it so wide and what about those "abandoned" barely used buildings along it's shores. Crazy how many things at Disney World are built and abandoned on their huge property, just barely visible under the overgrowth.
@Keish035 ай бұрын
They just made the boat available in Disney Dreamlight Valley and it comes in two versions, the nice boat and the abandoned half sunk version 😅
@Koopaklown5 ай бұрын
The closest thing to a visible abandoned attraction I can think of is the tracks for the People Mover/Rocket Rods at Disneyland. I actually rode both attractions, and will always point out the abandoned tracks, and loading dock just out in the open.
@slob50415 ай бұрын
In disneyland in the tommorowland cafe there's a paintjob for the abandoned redo on the ceiling.
@thefalsekingslayer37175 ай бұрын
Wanted to come here to add, the boats are neither in storage nor at Epcot. They were bought by the Magic Kingdom (yes they had to pay for them) and used for the pirate themed fireworks cruises, and then used as regular transportation after Covid. Afaik they aren’t being used at all right now, they are very slow and quite old. Source: you’ll just have to trust that I know
@GeorgesSpace5 ай бұрын
ah that's strange, the sources I read said they were used for Epcot's World Showcase Lagoon. Thanks for clarifying
@HeatherSummerRaine5 ай бұрын
That is some really cool facts!
@thefalsekingslayer37175 ай бұрын
@@GeorgesSpace I would assume that’s confusion with the friendship boats (which are similar in design but wholly different boats You can actually see one of the boats on Google satellite maps if you know where to look… I’m not saying one should look for a dock slightly northeast of the contemporary… but If one were to look in that area they may find a familiar boat
@CheriseChattoway5 ай бұрын
@@GeorgesSpace hi! I’m a cast member that used to work on the boats at Magic Kingdom and that user is right. We had the option to learn how to drive those boats for the pirates firework cruise. They’re very fun! They were also occasionally brought out for our “purple route” which was for the contemporary resort to magic kingdom after Easter Service (for Easter Sunday Disney would hold a Christian service in one of the convention halls)
@loweflyer77783 ай бұрын
If thats the case, looks like there is one at 28°25'29.0"N 81°34'23.3"W on google maps?
@ScallywagBeowulf5 ай бұрын
I always wondered what the rock feature was at that walkway from Pandora to Africa in Animal Kingdom. Never knew it was supposed to be a "cave" for a dragon.
@blapis-blazuli4 ай бұрын
It's wild to me that it's somehow the unicorn statue that managed to make it out of this ride not just okay but with its own Instagram page meanwhile everything else was either left there or taken out and not cared for.
@HeatherSummerRaine5 ай бұрын
YES! My poor teen! I always point out the loading dock area over the bridge every time we enter AK as I quiz her on what used to be there. She was not amused when I got excited about this video! I absolutely loved it! There was so much history packed in it! Thank you for making my day/year!
@Greeneflower5 ай бұрын
the radio disney renev... that was so comically disney... gotta love it (sarcastically)
@HelloMissJordan5 ай бұрын
I’ll never get over them cancelling Beastly Kingdom 😢 it would have been incredible!
@djinnspalace21195 ай бұрын
of course its forgotten even by explorers, because whats even there to explore? the one animatronic is gone, and the unicorn barely was there to begin with. thats already 90% of the attraction
@AlienDude515 ай бұрын
The failure of EuroDisney had so many weird knock-on effects, I wanna see someone do an alternate history story where the park succeeded
@flipcoin63014 ай бұрын
Disney Paris is still the worst of all the resorts/parks.
@kentslocum4 ай бұрын
I wanna see an alternate history video where Disney didn't build EuroDisney at all, and reinvested that money into their existing parks!
@kittybum5 ай бұрын
I had never heard of this! Great video. I'm planning to see what remnants I can spot on my next trip!
@robertcalifornia75054 ай бұрын
Eisner’s Magical Creatures Riverboat Adventure sounds like it would’ve been fun. Sad I missed it.
@Geektarts5 ай бұрын
I’m glad I can watch a video on this ride’s history, as it had such a short life no one else who had been in those early years really remembered it. I believe it must’ve been when the attraction was supposed to be a “taxi” and there were no animal handlers, I remember the drivers wanting us to wave and shout a saying at people passing by on bridges as we approached. I thought it was so cheesy even being fairly young.
@mrcoffee17165 ай бұрын
I knew that a river ride was originally planed for AK, but wow I had no idea it actually existed and operated very temporarily. Very Interesting to see!
@skychaserthedragon20465 ай бұрын
Get onto this slow-ass boat and get a sunburn! Sights & sounds may vary. Also, really disappointed that the beastly kingdom was completely cancelled. Another reason to dislike Eisner, I guess.
@JohnathanWilliamson8495 ай бұрын
stay away from animals
@skychaserthedragon20465 ай бұрын
@@JohnathanWilliamson849???
@JohnathanWilliamson8495 ай бұрын
@@skychaserthedragon2046 I know what furries do to animals
@skychaserthedragon20465 ай бұрын
@@JohnathanWilliamson849?huh??? First, that's completely unrelated to my comment. Second, that's very presumptuous of you. And also, you're thinking of bestiality, which is gross. Pretty sure furries are different.
@JohnathanWilliamson8495 ай бұрын
@@skychaserthedragon2046 haven't you heard of the zoosadism leaks?
@cupcakeluvztwinkies38085 ай бұрын
6:33 bro recording with the flip brings so much nostalgia lololololol
@velociraptor4you32915 ай бұрын
*R.I.P.,* Aladar animatronic (😢).
@gc78204 ай бұрын
My parents took me to Disney in early 1998 (Easter was early and coincided with my 12th birthday) just before animal kingdom fully opened and it was soft open for those staying in resort hotels. I remember the boat ride plus I loved discovery island and my favourite water park was river country
@dylanjimenez19525 ай бұрын
the knights death is the coolest part beside the dinosaur
@ahnospell445 ай бұрын
This was such a weird ride, it wasn't very fast, and I forget about it regularly. I have a picture on it somewhere but I can't ever seem to find those old Disney photos (family pictures and all)
@phillinsogood3 ай бұрын
As much as I love Animal Kingdom looking back they opened this park with barely anything to do for the guest. Did they think people would stay in the park all day?
@Drebe735 ай бұрын
Got to ride the original version and the radio Disney version. Too bad they still aren’t running. I remember when they started having cast members on the boat with small animals or insects in small containers and would educate guests about the creature during the journey.
@jamesknight30704 ай бұрын
The more time goes on the more inclined I am to believe that Walt was truly one of kind, and no one else at Disney has any remote clue beyond trying to make money. Case in point, the brick and mortar of the People Mover is still standing today, despite lack of maintenance, and that was one of Walt's projects that he didn't see completed.
@justimagine24035 ай бұрын
Yes I did this year 1... 1998. Skewered knights and a roaring hole with fire effect. We left the park to go see Buzz Aldrin go up in the space shuttle.
@dannygrau29835 ай бұрын
That would have been awesome if beaustly kingdom happened.
@CynicalBeard5 ай бұрын
Effects at the Dragon Cave were still present through like 2014-15. I can’t remember exactly which ones, but I recall it lighting up or smoking.
@kevinpage10425 ай бұрын
Went on that boat ride during an industry preview with a friend. Afterwards, we were both like "Wtf was that supposed to be?"
@spoolyboi94344 ай бұрын
Rode this around 2005 haven’t been back since but interesting to see the changes to the park through KZbin over the last near 20 years
@garcia2074 ай бұрын
Eisner ruined so many things. He got rid of the PeopleMover at Disneyland and brought in the Rocket Rods ride. Only problem is that he put a fast moving ride on a track made for a slow moving ride. It’s amazing no one got killed on that ride due his stupidity. Now the track is still there with nothing on it. It can’t be removed, replaced or updated due to its large size and all those decades not being maintained, Disney can’t do anything with it.
@ChrysCat5 ай бұрын
"That was so scary! I was sure we were gonna crash and die at the dragon rocks!" - Libby & Valerie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch 1998 Disney Special
@jenniferelizabeth174 ай бұрын
on SUPER busy magic kingdom nights they use the boats sometimes!! The last time I was on one was Pre-Pandemic, but it was so interesting! It looked completely unchanged from these videos. I've only been on them twice, and both times was on 7 Seas Lagoon. That was actually the only reason I knew these even existed.
@magicallysadie3484 ай бұрын
what were the boats used for? i wonder why disney chooses to reuse these ride vehicles but scraps other ones from defunct attractions.
@jenniferelizabeth174 ай бұрын
@@magicallysadie348 in both cases i rode, it was for overflow crowds transportation to the resorts. the cast members said they have a few of them available in 7 seas lagoon when needed to get people back to resorts.
@sarahumlaut4 ай бұрын
If I was Bob Iger I'd announce a Beastly Kingdom revival then turn off my phone lol
@Meatball20225 ай бұрын
I went on those. I was there opening day. Wish they brought them back. It was weird to me they got rid of them so quickly. We got on them with the thought we can buzz through the park to get a quick visual on everything. My biggest complain about this is how low it is compared to the river in magic kingdom, or the lake in Epcot. The river is a good 20’ below walking level. Impossible to see anything in the park from there.
@sbthree5 ай бұрын
I was trying to remember if I rode this when my family visited AK in it's first year of operation. When the Radio Disney version was mentioned in the video, the memory came back. I was the type of kid who loved Disney but found Radio Disney to be cringey - I did not enjoy the ride because of the Radio Disney aspect.
@debraball26415 ай бұрын
This was fascinating!
@marsenthusiast5 ай бұрын
another great video :)! love the work you do, keep it up!
@Firearmjitsu4 ай бұрын
I just watched pretty much all your Disney videos man great content! The 3 times I went on Expedition Everest I have seen loads of hair ties thrown by guests on the top of the mountain when the ride stops. Maybe you could look into this for a video idea?
@MattMcIrvin2 ай бұрын
Tokyo DisneySea actually has a simple transportation/ sightseeing boat ride similar to this that circulates around the park. The difference is that the way DisneySea is laid out, there's a lot to see from the boat. They don't even really need special theme elements for the ride.
@collectabl5 ай бұрын
this has always been my favorite defunct ride!!!!!
@dizzydevil5474 ай бұрын
lol i love how when you mention the Kraken @ 6:19 ..in the art work (im assuming its a disney park map from the time OR concept art) the Kraken is depicted NOT as a scary Kraken from Mytholigy BUt looks SUSPICOUSLY like the loch ness monster from Scotland ! 🤣 ROFL ther is a BIG diference between what a kraken looks like in Mythology and the suppoesed loch ness monster in scotland ! .....i suppose Disney were going for a hybrid in there marketing / map/ concept art ...called Nessie the kraken! 🤣😂
@sthooch_SaintHooch5 ай бұрын
Discovery riverboats was not originally meant to be an attraction. They tried to make changes to keep the boat “afloat.“ The fact that people took it as an attraction rather than a transportation is what ultimately did it in.
@davidfeltheim25014 ай бұрын
Especially in comparison to Discovery Island, the Peoplemover, the old Pop Century, most of Epcot or 20,000 leagues, there was so little to start with for the river boats that all the abandoned theming just kinda becomes rock work.
@Bmcd35655 ай бұрын
fun fact i went to disney land with my family in 2016 and animal kingdom is still active
@SanoKei5 ай бұрын
You know its a good day when george uploads. Second to defuntland ofc sorry love
@feliciteacup17 күн бұрын
i've never even heard about the radio disney retheme until this video
@nickallain4 ай бұрын
I remember seeing the unicorn with a smoke effect and being so confused as to why it wasn't moving.
@bradye21playsIndieHorror5 ай бұрын
Oh nooo poor Disney they were running low on money 😢 It's ok, we understand, the colored plaster rocks are fine...
@guardian085274 ай бұрын
July 1998. First trip to the new park and this was easily the worst ride they had at the time. Sitting on a slow moving boat in 90 degree heat as they blast random radio pop songs on the boats speakers and you putz around looking at nothing interesting. This ride goes down with all those lousy Disney Land rides that disappeared shortly after the park opened in 1955.
@LucyAttwell265 ай бұрын
Love this content.
@sabregunner14 ай бұрын
i never got to ride this when it was available. TBH, i wouldnt have minded a nice slow ride around the lagoon
@ShareaDreamComeTrue4 ай бұрын
I rode the Discovery River Boats and the Radio Disney River Cruise and both were lame. They had wait times around 1 hour due to the slow loading. The coolest part was the dragon cave. Even though I didn't like the ride, when it closed I was sad because I never filmed it with my camcorder. I wish I got footage of it.
@oliknow4 ай бұрын
budget cuts like ... we make it but bad instead of just do nothing, save money and spare everyone the bad experience
@bdluejay5 ай бұрын
i think i was too young to have ridden the river boats, but ill have to ask my parents if they remember us riding them. what a neat remnant! next time i visit animal kingdom ill definitely have to seek out the dragons cave rocks
@davidyarborough85825 ай бұрын
Honey come quick! The new George Browning video just dropped!
@jshersher5 ай бұрын
God I love this video
@ajoepetrucceJr5 ай бұрын
Perhaps put the current Disney executives on a continuous loop trip until they make a profitable movie
@oddmontsoddington89614 ай бұрын
My grandparents paid extra to get into Animal Kingdom early, when we took our Disney trip. The tree wasn't done yet, they were still building it. we took that stupid boat ride, and i remember being absolutely miserable, it was so hot and boring. Highlight was a kiosk selling baboon plushes that me and my cousins got, and had a blast messing around with. I'm in my 40s now and still lament we wasted a day on this park. Yeeeesh.
@egyptfreaka5 ай бұрын
I am still so bummed that the Beastly Kingdom never fully materialized. I would easily take it over Pandora
@scarletthunder37835 ай бұрын
The part with the elephant joke actually made me laugh because of the emoji
@ladyofthelake933 ай бұрын
I love how the ride was bad, so they decided being stuck on a boat with scorpions was better.
@mattproductions4 ай бұрын
Awesome video
@Bowling_Dude4 ай бұрын
the Magic Kingdom Swan boats are another one that you should do a video on.
@cjones37104 ай бұрын
Disney ruined everything. 94 was grand.
@BlargBlarg-z7k4 ай бұрын
in 1996 my mom made the Jaws ride operator break character by petting the shark when it popped up. (while stifling a laugh) "Mrs.. Please don't pet the Giant Man Eating Shark..." (My Mom) "But Bruce looks sad!" (open Laughter) "That is besides the point!"
@Bowling_Dude4 ай бұрын
if only I could have been there to say "you know, Bruce might not want to eat humans he might just be looking for attention. Bruce deserves love, too!"
@gregoryfaith43035 ай бұрын
Really didn't mean to call it a little bit of a boring ride after getting clear of the boat talking to a ride cast member, so when it stopped running, I really didn't miss it.
@gabbyhaynes53945 ай бұрын
Those boats need to come back because I am sorry but Animal Kingdom is barely walkable. We need the fucking transport.
@slob50415 ай бұрын
I think we technically did get beastly kingdom but as avatar. The boat ride is the unicorn cave and the flight is a dragon ride in a castle.
@Colin.Smith.Pianist5 ай бұрын
I want to see the home video of the unicorn moving! It's probably bad though...
@lavenderkisses94614 ай бұрын
They had pets on the boat like when we used to be able to take home the class pet for the weekend back in the day 😂
@Rick5864 ай бұрын
Even if they did build Beastly Kingdom, they may have replaced it with Pandora eventually anyway.
@Karasaph4 ай бұрын
You can't say "Disney Park" without the words "Budget cuts".
@behindthespotlight79835 ай бұрын
15:06 👱🏼♀️”be sure to try a $16 slice of frozen pizza and $8 juice box after your sense of underwhelming fizzles”
@michaelmcenery75155 ай бұрын
yea, as I call it the profit kingdom!
@LexFerraro5 ай бұрын
oh i’m early?!?😍 excited for this one!
@bradye21playsIndieHorror5 ай бұрын
11:08 D- oh this is a different thing 😂
@Galxebff4 ай бұрын
5:06 the boatblooks like a nail and a finger
@AgentGodzillaRP17012 ай бұрын
I really wonder how everything built after Euro Disney would’ve been like had Euro Disney not been a financial disaster
@kevinm40695 ай бұрын
I think the river is wasted space especially since they recently stopped even the character barges. They should reinstate a boat ride, make it awesome, market it properly.
@Postaldude20035 ай бұрын
The knights looked so fucking cool! 🔥
@Braykinbad4 ай бұрын
Your coo!!..😊😊 13:23
@kentslocum4 ай бұрын
I'm just gonna come right out and say it. Live animals are a liability. Sure, Animal Kingdom's conservation and educational work are important. But I don't personally know anyone who goes to Animal Kingdom for the express purpose of seeing a live animal--especially since many of those animals are sleeping or napping or simply out of sight or unavailable when guests are around. Disney never should have cancelled Beastly Kingdom, but now that Disney has removed the prehistoric dinosaur part of Animal Kingdom, it seems unlikely that such an incredible idea will ever see the light of day. 😢 Perhaps the Beyond Big Thunder Mountain expansion at the Magic Kingdom will be the spiritual successor, but I doubt it.
@notgray882 ай бұрын
RIP Harambe. Dixout
@MrBashn2me3 ай бұрын
I was at AK the first week it opened. I was expecting a Jungle Cruise type ride. It was so boring. Nothing to look at.
@Rmry_Gryffin5 ай бұрын
Would have loved Beastly Kingdom
@CSReed4 ай бұрын
I would’ve preferred Beastly Kingdom over Pandora. Mythical creatures are cooler than science fiction aliens.
@rrsaga4 ай бұрын
I rode those boats because I was and am a cast member, cast memes preview. It was soooooo boring because none of what you described happened. It was just that, a boat ride.
@rrsaga4 ай бұрын
And I DO remember the knights but not the unicorn. Funny.
@Toon_Lucario4 ай бұрын
11:08 the town was named WHAT now
@BigDavoNorriwong2 ай бұрын
RIP. Pour one out for our homie
@fifthrider5 ай бұрын
If guests didn't like the impaled knights, then I hope they stay off Pirates or never ride Mr. Toad's in Anaheim. From the start, Disney never avoided violence or danger, but they will make it comedically palatable. ....to all but the overly sensitive and PC, and God forbid if we offend them. Reeee!!!
@tonyborasio71875 ай бұрын
The Best Laid Plans Of Mice And Men , to me everything that is defunct, should be reopened and thought out more thoroughly, to me it so sad , it really is poor upper management planning, to me they don’t really care about the ideas and fun , they really care more about corporate greed . I feel sorry for the visitors and workers, visitors don’t really get what they pay for, and workers don’t get paid right. Truly Budget Cutting is just a poor excuse, for what is really going on pure GREED .
@Happybunny062 ай бұрын
The dinosaur animatronic could’ve been used in Dinosaur if they had kept it.
@cjones37104 ай бұрын
Animal kingdom who they think they are Busch gardens?