Tomorrowland Boats or “Speedboat Rides” (July 30, 1955* - August 16, 1955)

Phantom Boats (August 16, 1955 - January 15th, 1956)

*By some accounts July 20th, 1955.

“Blue Sky for the Phantom Boats”

One can easily slip into the jargon of “ride,” but at Disneyland there is a "story behind the story" of every attraction, every attraction is a living experience for the guest. Disneyland ride-through attractions or adventures have officially been defined as an “individual show, ride, or exhibit designed to produce an entertaining Guest experience. Disney attractions stir the imagination, enliven the senses, and provide the participants with positive, innovative entertainment, which is the essence of the DISNEYLAND Show.” It is important to review the story of the attraction, tell the story, explain it, and create interest. This is the story of the Phantom Boats and Motor Boat Cruise.

Nautical adventures were seemingly always a part of Walt’s earliest plans for an amusement center! As early as 1953 and 1954, concepts for a Mickey Mouse Park (proposed for a 11-acre triangular plot of land near Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California) featured a “Boathouse” and a boat attraction. When a larger plot was purchased (in Orange County) and the working title of the project was changed to “Disneyland”, nautical attractions were continually developed. “The Disneyland Story” was produced (on September 3, 1954), in order to tell the story of what guests would experience upon entering Disneyland and Tomorrowland. Page 4 described the “Freeway of Tomorrow”, stating that “In our ride, the child actually learns to handle an automobile, and the ride is a safe one. We will do a similar thing with the lake in Tomorrow Land where a child or an adult can take a scaled-down speed boat which will be about 8 1/2 to 9 feet long and learn how to handle it along its course on the lake.”

This illustration was included inside the Disneyland Musical Map (one of the first pieces of licensed Disneyland Park- themed product) produced by Mattel, c. 1955. Not far from the Freeway of the Future, the “island dotted” Motor Boat Lagoon, for sleek Motor Boats to navigate around.

The realization of the previous illustration was the predecessor of the Motor Boat Cruise - the Phantom Boats! The Phantom Boats was also referred to as the “Speedboat Ride” in both “The Story of Disneyland” [a promotional document prepared for potential participants by Disneyland, Inc. Public Relations, published 1955 by Disneyland Inc.], and in “Your Guide To Disneyland” [published for distribution to guests in 1955]). The Phantom Boats (with fiberglass hulls manufactured by the Crystaliner Corp.) would travel through a man made lagoon with a landscaped island in the middle.

By July 1, 1954, George Whitney of Disneyland, Inc. directed Amusements, with Ron Miller overseeing analysis, philosophy, capacities, planning, operator training, and amusement procurement. A lake (“Tomorrowland Lake”) was planned to be situated where the modern Submarine Lagoon sits.

The construction crews didn't begin work on any of Tomorrowland until six months into the project. In the early days of Disneyland, the same waters of Tomorrowland Lake used to also move through the Canals of the World (in a “continuous flowing gravitational water system”) via a canal which ran along a Backstage Service Road and the northern rails of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. Pumps were installed during November of 1954, “for circulating water systems,” according to Disneyland LINE magazine (November 22, 1979).

After Chris Mueller had sculpted the body, fourteen fiberglass bodies were fabricated by Crystaliner Corporation in Costa Mesa, California. There were “14 boats including a police boat,” according to the Nomenclature List Replacement prepared by Disneyland, Inc. Despite their appearance on (c. 1955) maps, these boats were “plastic-glass boats of ultra modern design!” Each has twin fins with “jet engine air scoops.”

Soon, one authorized “Disneyland Information & Nomenclature List” (prepared by Bill Cottrell of Disneyland Inc., May 25, 1955) announced the working title as the “Speed Boats,” adding “this name may be changed.” The same document continued with this description : “Fiberglass boats of ultra modern design. Lake Cruise,” describing “14 boats including police boat (1 police boat).”

As of June 2, 1955, C.V. Wood Jr. sent an Inter-Office Memorandum to Walt Disney regarding the best estimates that could be obtained at the time regarding the completion status of individual sections of the Park and Opening Day. C.V. wrote: “Speed Boats: we can make it. Track and boats tight but it appears that we can make it. Need boat landing drawings immediately.”

Early maps labeled the attraction as the “Tomorrowland Boats” and some publications referred to their waters as Tomorrowland Lake!

The pre-opening “Go Santa Fe to DISNEY-LAND” brochure printed sometime between July 4 and July 18 mentioned “Speed boats” among the rides to open. The media briefly described the attraction: “Speed Boat Rides -14 boats..”

Soon, the Tomorrowland Boats were planned to debut during the Disneyland Opening Day broadcast, introduced by Ronald Reagan. However, the attraction experienced a closure and opened a few days later. The attraction officially opened to the public (on July 20th, 1955) exactly three days after Disneyland’s Press Preview “Day One” in 1955. Each of the 14 Phantom Boats had the capacity to carry up to three people, and was manned by one (of 14) Pilots during peak periods. Given these figures, it was projected that the Phantom Boats would have a theoretical maximum capacity of 1,126 guests per hour of operation. The price of admission for this adventure in 1955 was one “B” Coupon, or 25 cents (the same price of a show in the air-conditioned Mickey Mouse Theater, or a ride aboard one of Frontierland’s covered Conestoga Wagons).

The designs of the Phantom Boats were sure aerodynamic-looking, but a just little problematic. Each boat was propelled by an air-cooled outboard motor enclosed in a compartment and their motors would regularly get “burned out” faster than they could be repaired. According to “Disneyland Inside Story”: “each boat that left the dock seemed to have only a fifty-fifty chance of making it back without having to be towed.” Owning to this, the Phantom Boats would close during the day of January 15th, 1956.

At a meeting of the Disneyland Merchant's Association (held January 25, 1956), the “development of Boat Ride in Tomorrowland” was announced. A few months later, the Phantom Boats would make a brief return for what was predicted to be a peak summer period (from July 1956 to approximately August of 1956). Partially owing to the reopening of the Phantom Boats (and their maximum guest capacity), “The Complete Guide To Disneyland” (published 1957) states that “On one day on the month of August, 1956, Disneyland’s visitors took a total of 25,000 boat trips on the Park’s seven water rides.” By August of 1956, the Phantom Boats attraction featured the greatest number of water vehicles (than all six other Disneyland aquatic-based attractions put together). So, we can conclude (without a doubt) that the Phantom Boats contributed to this impressive figure!

“Although their retro design, featuring large ‘space age’ - inspired tail fins, was appealing, their high operating costs and constant maintenance problems were not,” according to “Disneyland: Now, Then, and Forever” by Bruce Gordon & Tim O’day. Now, those issues of the overheating outboard motors could not be resolved, so the Phantom Boats would become one of the shortest-lived Disneyland attractions, and hold the distinction as one of the first attractions to be completely removed from Disneyland. The attraction would experience a “Show Failure” situation and go “101.” However, the Phantom Boats would soon be replaced by yet another aquatic-based, nautical-themed attraction!

For one reason (or another), those who were present as Guests or “Disneylanders” in 1955, would not soon forget the Phantom Boats! In fact, a few legendary Disneylanders (like Broney Ciesluk) began their Disneyland career, assigned to the Phantom Boats. As a “sidelight”, Broney moved on to operate the Submarines (another nautical adventure Imagineered on the same location) and would thereafter spend much of his 28 years of service as the Supervisor of the Disneyland Record Center.

Before we move on, I would like to highlight how fortunate for Disneyland historians, that the Costa Mesa Historical Society has created this helpful homage to preserve the memory of many forgotten (and seldom mentioned) contributors to Disneyland development! Unbeknownst to many Guests, a number of local coastal businesses contributed to the construction of nautical-themed Disneyland attractions. The Jungle River Cruise’s boat hulls, Tom and Huck’s Rafts, the Storybook Land Canal Boats, and the Motor Boats were all built by local Newport Beach and Costa Mesa manufacturers.

With that, our story takes us about 19 miles south of Disneyland, to Newport Beach.

This structure is important to the next incarnation of Tomorrowland’s nautical-themed adventure, because it was once home to Bob Dorris Boatworks! Today the location (not far from Cannery Village) is home to the cozy Alta Coffee Warehouse, in Newport, California.

Bob Dorris (a young, established, Costa Mesa boat builder) and his wife lived upstairs, while the lower level held an office. Here, Bob created and realized the naval designs of many beautiful yachts, checking their figures and measurements. Here, Bob created designs for the local Beach Lifeguard Rescue Unit - a boat christened with the name Sea Watch! During the 1950s and 1960s, Sea Watch handled well in rough waters and rip tides, and participated in more than 3,500 rescues, towing 200 disabled boats to safety. Bob also designed a boat for the Orange County Fire Department, and even designed a tug boat built for Newport Harbor Shipyard. Of course, Bob also had a hand in fabricating some of the most-recognized boats of Disneyland. In fact, though his name is seldom mentioned in regard to Disneyland, many iconic and colorful watercraft which helped assure Disneyland’s “first fabulous decade,” were built right here by Bob Dorris!

Most of the rigorous physical labor and construction was carried out outside, in Bob’s wood shop on the sandlot. This covered boatyard was the site on which many of Disneyland’s watercraft were worked on - Tom Sawyer Island Rafts, Canal Boats, Fantasyland’s Motor Boats, and even the original Jungle River Cruise boat hulls (evident through brief scenes appearing in “A Pre-Opening Report From Disneyland”). This was also the birthplace of the “U-Drive Boats” that cruised guests through the waters of the Motorboat Lagoon!

Joe Fowler and his team began research on an experimental “Airboat” considered to serve as a replacement for the Phantom Boats of Tomorrowland Lake ; or for use in the canal that ran along the north side of the Park). The team travelled to Florida to research the craft. Development concluded that the boats should be 25 feet long, with a 14 passenger capacity, and travel at a speed of 40 miles per hour.

During 1956, Robert Dorris Boat Works was already contracted to fabricate the rafts that would transport guests to the new Tom Sawyer Island attraction. Now, Robert Dorris Boat Works was asked to work on this experimental “Airboat.” Meanwhile, marquee featuring coming attractions and even attraction posters soon featured the Airboat, coming June 2nd. The Air Boats were also featured in poster art, guidebooks, magazines, and even a map illustration appearing in the May 1956 Disneyland News.

Bruce Bushman (born Francis X. Bruce Bushman) attended Choinard Institute and was hired by Walt Disney Studios. He went on to fulfill the role of layout artist for several Walt Disney Productions. In 1954 Bruce served as layout artist for “Casey Bats Again,” “Social Lion,” and “Daisy’s Diary” (1954) before working on Walt Disney’s Disneyland!

Bob Dorris constructed a scale-model, powered by a model air-plane engine and tested the tiny boat in Newport Harbor. Soon Bob began construction on a full-size hull constructed of plywood and covered with fiberglass. Engineer Ted Mangles (of MAMECO) attached a Jacobs 225-horsepower radial engine (used on crop dusters). The first Airboat (called the “Bayou”) was completed by April of 1956 and even appeared in Bruce Bushman and Bjorn Aaronson’s designs for the Skyway attraction poster. However, tests proved the Airboats to be quite loud.

After much research and development, the project was shelved for a couple of decades before being utilized in Florida.

You may recall hearing how Walt Disney, on the eve of Disneyland’s first day of operation, promised that “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow, to add new things, as long as there is imagination left in the world.” About two years later (during the spring of 1957), Bob Thomas, upon being invited to Walt Disney Studio enigmatically mentioned, “Walt gave me a preview of his ambitious plans at his Burbank studios. He showed models and sketches…plans call for a revamped speedboat ride.” A month later, his comments were published in one Associated Press article “Plan Trip Into Drop of Water, Liberty Square for Disneyland” (by Bob Thomas, published April 20, 1957). By this time, the big innovation being developed for the aquatic area was well under way and visible to Disneyland guests.

Now, Robert Dorris Boat Works was (again) called upon to create a new fleet of motor boats, to replace the Phantom Boats. Each fiberglass and wooden boat had an overall length 12 ft. 6 inches; Beam 5 ft. 2 Inches. The craft was propelled by a one-cylinder water cooled gasoline engine.

Pictured (above) are the fleet of the near-complete Motor Boat Cruise motorboats in a Backstage area, before their big debut! As mentioned, the entire fleet of these U-Drive Boats was constructed by Bob Dorris, whose work was already prevalent around Disneyland by this time. His company was previously responsible for the original fleet of Canal Boats (of the Canal Boats of the World and later Story Book Land Canal Boats).

To support this massive expansion, Disneyland, Inc. required a loan through Bank of America. By September of 1958, a Park-wide appraisal was conducted of all cash, accounts receivable, employee benefits, liabilities, deposits, advances, stockholder’s equity, Park assets (including land, adjoining properties, service areas, and utilities), and even those aforementioned jobs in progress.

During the summer, on June 6, 1957, and after a 9-month refurbishment, excursions of the craft began on enlarged waterways between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Guests could now navigate their very own Motor Boat through treacherous white-water rapids and tricky swift currents belonging to the controlled channels of the Fantasyland River locatedbetween Fantasyland and Tomorrowland!

Plans were drawn for new metal bumper strips along the Loading Area.

The admission for Motor Boat Cruise was one “C” Coupon (35 cents).

Now, many attractions had both a Tomorrowland and Fantasyland station (and queue) to them. The Skyway had two stations - one in Fantasyland and one in Tomorrowland. The Viewliner Train of Tomorrow had trains themed around Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. The Autopia Freeway of the Future would come to include both a Fantasyland Autopia track and a Tomorrowland Autopia Track. The same would come to be true of the Motor Boat Cruise! By 1958, “two complete Motorboat Cruises have been designed on a new lake in the Fantasyland area. Guests pilot their own boats through whitewater rapids and rock-filled currents on this winding, swiftly-moving stream.”

Disneylander and ”55er” Maynard Swenson worked on the Motor Boats for a time, trying to keep the boats operating.

For a brief year, Motorboats cruised under the wooden trestles of that carried passengers of the Viewliner Train of Tomorrow between Fantasyland to Tomorrowland!

The waterways of the Fantasyland River were home to rocky, turbulent rapids, which Motor Boats would successfully navigate! During the 1960s, the surface and shoreline of the Tomorrowland waterways were tended to regularly to retrieve papers and wrappers that were accidentally dropped or sometimes thrown in. The water itself was constantly being filtered and replenished.

By 1958, Disneyland continued to grow and expand, and some changes were in store for the Fantasyland River and its nautical-themed Motor Boat Cruise. Soon after the Viewliner Train of Tomorrow ceased operation (in September of 1958), the rails and wooden trestles were removed. The following year (1959), land allocated for the Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid Space (and its Submarine Lagoon) replaced most of the area that was previously occupied by the Phantom Boats and the Fantasyland River.

The land was graded, and a new ride system was designed by Arrow Development. In a Backstage area, the Motor Boat Cruise attraction was given its very own Naval Yard, complete with Dry Dock and a Shop for maintenance and repair of the Motor Boats! In this location, the 40 Motor Boats would be among 100 boats that were “reworked” annually (from 1955 to 1965), according to Disneyland Backstage (Summer, 1965). “Patch work is done throughout the summer and the permanent patch work in the fall of the year.” For now (early in 1959; before opening), the gasoline-driven, track-guided Motorboats adventure was appraised, the lagoon valued at $152,900 and the vehicles (with equipment) valued at $89,800.

The big day came, and two all-new thrilling Motor Boat Cruises were accounted as one of “six spectacular adventures” to debut in June of 1959"! Though the attraction had been around since 1957, it now featured an extended route underneath the Monorail beam way. Beneath the monorail, two new lakes were created in order for guests to take “memorable Motorboat Cruises through rapids and rushing ‘white water’ to serene mirror-like lagoons.”

By 1959, Joe Fowler was Vice President of Disneyland Operations Committee and Doc Lemmon of Disneyland Operations was overseeing Operators of Rides & Amusements (like the Motor Boat Cruise), Livestock, Parking Lot, and Ticket Sellers.

The theatrical release of the 25-minute technicolor, Buena Vist film announced the debut of “Six Spectacular New Adventures” to movie-goers across the United States, in 1959. Among these new adventures - the Motor Boat Cruise!

This excerpt of the colorfully rendered one-sheet, was produced for the theatrical release of a film created to promote the Disneyland debuts of 1959. Many of the attractions featured were of Tomorrowland.

Perhaps one of the biggest changes came when the location of the “new” attraction was re-defined! Though the Motor Boat Cruise’s route previously overlapped with the Viewliner Train of Tomorrow, and currently crossed paths (or came near) the Disneyland ®️ ALWEG Monorail, the Tomorrowland Autopia, and Submarine Voyage, the attraction was actually located in Fantasyland. Walt Disney’s Pictorial Souvenir Book of Disneyland (published 1965) account the Motor Boat Cruise as one of Fantasyland’s “exciting adventures”. Much later, maps like the Dial Guide to the Magic Kingdom (published c. 1970) still identified the location of this attraction in Fantasyland!

(Pictured Above : Oleanders bordering the Motor Boat Ride provide a colorful floral display as separate the boat ride from adjacent activities.)

Just beyond the entrance to the Motor Boat Cruise (to the left), you’ll notice a Souvenir Stand where guests could find nautical themed Disneyland souvenirs. To the right you’ll notice oleanders which form a partition. According to Disneyland World of Flowers (published 1965) : “Much of the…wall around the Motor Boat ride is composed of oleander, a mainstay of warm climate gardening. Native to the Mediterranean, it is equally at home in such diverse locales as Phoenix and Waikiki Beach. In Disneyland it is generously employed in the landscape both as a summer bouquet and for…screening. Oleanders are rapid growers and can be trained in various forms, either as a shrub, hedge, or tree.”

“Motor Boat Maintenance”

Nightly the pools and fountains of the Motor Boat Cruise were cleaned.

Rehabs were planned to follow the Disneyland waterway flow: (1) Storybook Land Canal, (2) Motor Boat Cruise, (3) Sleeping Beauty Castle Moat, (4) Rivers of America, and (5) Jungle Cruise.

Around 1982-83, a typical Motor Boat Cruise Job Sequence Sheet described rehabilitation work like transporting boats from the Service Garage to the Sub Dry Dock, locating them by hoist, placing the boats in the water and removing the boats to be rehabbed. Next came the preparation and cleaning of the boats for their operation. This would have been repeated every two weeks until all 40 boats were rehabbed.

Extra Motor Boats were stored hear during a non-peak day, and off-season weekdays. For instance, during the 1962-1963 winter season, the Motor Boat Cruise operated only on weekends.

Here, the oleanders block non-operational Motor Boats from the view of guests. In this area, the hoods were often left ajar to ventilate and cool the outboard motors. In another part of the Park (called the Disneyland Service Garage, or the “Autopia Garage”), the 40 Motorboats were cared for by mechanics. By c.1989, there were nine mechanics performing this duty. There, the vehicles received daily maintenance and cyclical rehabilitation. Each year, 20 (of the 40) Motorboats were stripped down to bare parts and entirely rebuilt as brand new vehicles. Meanwhile, the Cycle Shop would refurbish the body with a new coat of paint.

Regular rehabilitations (like in ‘78) maintained the show quality. Since it costs a fortune to drain the ride, Machinists (or highly skilled craftsmen) would learn scuba diving, and dive down to where the action is to check the equipment and the rails.

Disneyland Guests temporarily enjoyed the 20¢ value of passage aboard the Motor Boat Cruise. This was a decrease from the attraction’s previous 35¢ value, and a change from the previous “C” Coupon status.

During the period spanning a portion of 1964 to 1966, Motor Boat Cruise fare was equated with flight in a Tomorrowland Jet (a short-lived name for the AstroJets) and admission to Walt Disney’s “The Art of Animation” a temporary traveling exhibit in Tomorrowland! During this time, the general cost of admission was increased to 25¢, which remained constant almost until Coupon books were discontinued.

“55er” Dave Bartchard recalled: "I was very impressed when we transferred the vehicles to natural gas. They asked for my opinion about it and I said that I favored the change because I like clean air. The Omnibus was the first to go over to natural gas, then the Jungle boats, and the Motor Boats, Rafts and the Keel Boats followed along. We couldn't do it for the Submarines because there was no place to put the tanks.”

The attraction was down for rehabilitation from Apr. 29-May 10, 1963.

Excursions usually began during the late morning.

During warmer weather, the Motor Boats tended to overheat. In this case, the hood was left ajar for ventilation during operation.

New “Bouy Locatons” were prepared for the relocation of water level markers, in November 1970. The water levels were calculated from the slips to the dock, after which, the locations of (34) stainless steel eyelets (for securing the bouys) were detailed. When these plans were completed, they were issued for construction estimates.

A little later, safety railings were added in the loading area to assist guests and prevent falling.

You may have heard otherwise, but the popular Motorboat Cruise generally had long lines during warm weather!

The boats of the late 1970s and early 1980s were built at Walt Disney Studio, and carried such names as “Faline”, “Flora”, “Shaggy Dog”, and “Queen of Hearts”, to name a few.

Once departing from the Loading Dock, plaques on the dashboard still reminded passengers of safety protocol while riding the Motor Boats. For those who can’t read the sign, I would like to issue the following reminder : “Permanece sentado por favor!”

The Submarine Lagoon, the Super Autopia Freeways, and Motor Boat white-water channels passed alongside each other.

Fantasia Gardens topiary water gardens attraction would ultimately open at Disneyland, replacing the Motor Boat Cruise. 

Walt acknowledged “Everything here at Disneyland and the Studio is a team effort.”Countless Disneyland Cast Members have contributed to the Motor Boat Cruise stage, like Mike O’Brien (one-time Foreman, c.1966). Many notable Disneylanders had a privileged part in the Motor Boats rotation - the set order of operating positions established by the attraction's Working Lead. One such was Debbie.

“I became a ride operator in 1978, but hadn't been trained on Motorboats for maybe a year (I was learning other rides), so [I eventually started operating the Motor Boats around]…1979. Many of the rides were paired up to work, so if you were scheduled on Teacups, you rotated through both Teacups and Mr. Toad every hour. Motorboat [Cruise] was an exception. Because it was off by itself, it didn't share a rotation. Also, Motoboats was one of the few area attractions that remained open during the Fantasyland remodel.

The uniforms were better than what the rest of Fantasyland had to wear! They had shorts and white knee socks!

Duties were the same as other rides. There was a position for grouping guests into boats and another for operating the panel. By pushing a button corresponding to a number on the dock, you could stop or release a boat. So, once riders were seated you could open the "gate" and let them go. One busy day, both sides of the main dock were open and it required 4 people to work. On a quiet day or night (we had those back then!) One person could handle it, but there were always two for the purpose of breaks. The adding or removing of boats from the track was done depending on the crowd that day. Boats were released from the track and we had a long pole with a hook to maneuver the boat around the smaller dock to park it. Once in awhile this resulted in the ride operator falling in!”

[This] “picture was taken before we were abandoned. One of the guys just thought it would be funny to climb in the engine compartment.“

“Summers were fun because you worked the same shift with the same crew and really got to know each other. We decided to get some group photos and came up with the idea of riding all the way around the route and each of us jumping out on a rock. This required careful planning and an extra person to take the photo AND ride a boat around to pick us up. The picture came out great, but the rescuer sent an EMPTY boat to get us, so no one to step on the accelerator.”

“It's a pretty long ride when idling and all we could do was wait. It was in the morning before opening so employees at other rides were busy themselves. We were also at the far end of the dock where anyone passing by would likely not see us. it was a long wait and that boat came around at about opening time. Thankfully Motorboats is not a ride guests run to first and our lead was with us, so no getting in any kind of trouble!”

Perhaps you had the pleasure of performing a supporting role on the Motor Boat Cruise.

The Motor Boat Cruise was still listed on batches of May, 1981 tickets (bearing the date code 815). However, beginning June 20, 1981, the Disneyland Passport included unlimited use of this attraction too!

A part of the “Ten Year Master Plan” of growth for Disneyland was a unique Fantasia-like attraction entitled “The Garden of the Gods.” By May 1961, the ride-through adventure was master planned by Marc Davis (who worked from D-Wing office at Walt Disney Studios) and Claude Coats. The ride was scheduled, researched, and developed to replace the Motor Boat Cruise. Proving that nothing ever dies, the idea was later adapted for a development that would have replaced the Swan Boats at The Magic Kingdom, after their closure in 1983.

On March 15, 1990, the Motor Boat Cruise (with its 1,125 lb. Motor Boats) was briefly renamed and re-themed to “Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen” in honor of “The Disney Afternoon Live! at Disneyland.” In Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen guests follow Cubbi Gummi and his friends as they produce a new batch of Gummiberry Juice. Guests needed to beware of Duke Igthom and his evil ogres!

But ultimately, Disneyland Guests would embark on their last Motor Boat Cruise on January 11, 1993. That same month, another aquatic attraction would open in its place - Fantasia Gardens topiary water garden, preserving the name of the aforementioned undeveloped attraction.

Through the years, Guests have enjoyed the outdoor seating area of Fantasia Gardens (located across from the Matterhorn) as one of the quieter nooks in the Park. Meanwhile, Walt Disney Imagineers have reviewed the area as a potential site of a “New Magic Opportunity” yielding dramatic, efficient, quality enhancements to the Disneyland Show. For instance, back in 2008, WDI Master Planners entertained the idea of a Tinkerbell and the fairies theme at the Motorboat Lagoon in some sort of “Entertainment/Foods & Merchandise” collaboration.

This is the site of Fantasia Gardens (and the former Motor Boat Cruise Dock) as it looked at the time of publishing this article (c. 2018). I can neither deny nor confirm the following legend that some Disneyland Cast Members relate, how “on particular dark and misty mornings, you can see the distant sails of a Phantom Boat skipping about, accompanied by the faint hum of an outboard motor.”