The Liberty Belle Riverboat  Liberty Square
This authentic replica of a wheel paddle steamer takes guests on a very pleasant 17 minute ride past forest scenery, animals, and occasional events on the river banks....
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The Liberty Belle Riverboat is an impressive stern wheel paddle steamer, reminiscent of the paddle steamers that used to ply the waters of many of the Southern states. Despite appearances however, It's not an original paddle steamer, having been built from scratch in dry dock at Walt Disney World. It's also not entirely free to pilot it's own course around the Rivers of America which surround Tom Sawyer's Island, because the Liberty Belle runs around a hidden steel track sunk below the water level.

The steamer takes the guest on a very pleasant 17 minute ride past forest scenery, animals, and occasional events on the river banks. It runs from the time the park opens, until around 3:30 PM daily.

The Liberty Belle is an authentic replica of an old paddle wheel riverboat. It travels down the Rivers of America and circles Tom Sawyer Island several times a day. This scenic tour offers a variety of props along the riverbank to simulate a wild west effect. While not a thrilling adventure, this 16 minute long attraction offers a short respite from the busy crowds. The boat holds approximately 450 guests and has 3 decks from which to view the passing scenery. The boat is wheelchair accessible.

Visitors are taken on a leisurely 18-minute tour around Tom Sawyer Island. Frontier 1850s scenes on the journey include a burning cabin, deer, and moose, while listening to a Mark Twain-ish narration.

 The riverboats boiler produces steam that runs the paddle wheel but the Liberty Belle moves on an underwater rail.

 The riverboat leaves the dock on the hour and half hour.

The Liberty Belle Riverboat is just that. It's a boat that you can ride down the "river" in Liberty Square and Frontierland. On the way, you see some scenes that have been set up for you and overlook some of the rides.

My parents really enjoyed this ride. It was away from a lot of the crowds and noise of the main park. The boat gets filled each time it gets sent off, so a large amount of people can get in each time. We rode it twice, and I don't think we had to wait longer than 15 minutes either time. The boat ride is also relaxing. It's not a high-speed thrill ride, by any means. It's just a slow trip down the river. But it's a chance to sit down and watch the scenery go by.

To me, this ride was nice but also somewhat of a waste of time. It _was_ nice to be able to sit down and let the sights come to me for a while. However, I'm a big Disney World fan, and I got impatient after a little while, because I kept thinking about all of the stuff I could be seeing if I weren't on this boat.

I would not recommend this ride to anyone with kids, especially those older than about seven. They're probably going to be too impatient to experience all of the other things the park has to offer. However, for people visiting without kids or with older kids, this might just be a chance to escape some of the kids constantly running around them.

The best time to try this ride is at night. If you ride during the day, you see Disney World and the throngs of people. However, once it gets dark, the boat is all lit up, as are all of the attractions that you go past. Everything looks festive, and you could almost believe that you were floating down the Mississippi River on a peaceful riverboat.

When everyone starts getting tired of walking through the Magic Kingdom, The Liberty Belle Riverboat is a great place to take a break.
The triple decker Riverboat departs every 1/2 hour for a 20 minute cruise around Liberty Square and Frontierland. Arrive early if you want a seat, because there are not enough benches for everyone.The boat departs on the 1/2 hour and on the hour.

The distance that the boat travels is a half of a mile. Along your journey you will see The Big Thunder Mountain Rollercoaster, Ton Sawyer's Island,The Haunted Mansion, and an Indian Village.It gives you the feeling of being on the Mississippi River, at the turn of the century.

The ride is nice during the day time, but it is better experienced at night time. If you ride during the Electric Light parade, you will have an excellent view. The entire boat is all lighted up. The fog comes off of the water, adding to the effect. As you turn the corner , near the Haunted Mansion, you can hear the music, and sound effects. It is really eerie.
The upperdeck offers some of the best photo opportunities in the Magic Kingdom.The boat goes slow enough, not to blur your pictures.

During the Summer and Peak Season, the characters Chip, Dale, Meeko , Pocahontas,and John Smith have been known the take the cruise.They will poses for pictures and sign autographs.

I would like to see the addition of Restrooms on the boat. 20 minutes is a long time to wait for most children, if they have to use the bathroom.

I would also like to see Disney offer drinks or Ice Cream for Sale on the Boat.In the Summer, the temperature in Orlando can reach the high 90's, and I would like something cool to drink on the boat.

The boat is great if you have several days to spend at Walt Disney World,But if you have a limited amount of time, I would skip it.

The Liberty Belle Riverboat, a replica of a Mississippi Steam Boat, takes Magic Kingdom guests on a relaxing cruise through Frontierland's Rivers of America. It definitely isn't a state-of-the-art ride with lots of special effects, and it may bore some thrill-seeking children and teenagers, but for most others this is an excellent way to get away from the crowds for a while and take a break.

The ship departs every 30 minutes from its dock in Liberty Square, near the Hall of Presidents.

The taped narration for the ride is provided by your "captain" and Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), who point out the various sights along the route.
During the cruise you can catch spectacular views of Big Thunder Mountain, the mill, fort and other theming of Tom Sawyer Island, the Haunted Mansion and a variety of sets including Native American camps and burial grounds.

Tips and suggestions:
1. Except during extremely busy times of the year, the ship doesn't usually fill to capacity. Waiting in line is seldom necessary
2. Strollers are not permitted aboard
3. The top deck offers the best views
4. For an alternative cruise of the same waterways, Mike Fink's Keelboats depart regularly from Frontierland near Big Thunder Mountain.
5. Limited seating is provided in small "cabins" in the center of the boat
6. On a very hot day, stand close to the smokestacks, and you will be cooled off by a gentle mist of precipitating water vapor

Note: I visit Walt Disney World almost weekly. Since the Opinion Details do not provide options for regular visitors, the "Type of Travel", "Length of Visit", etc data are not completely accurate.

Imagine yourself back in the times of Mark Twain's character, Tom Sawyer. Your floating down the lazy Mississippi River on a raft when this magnificent River Boat with it's beautiful Paddlewheel slicing thru the water comes near. You hold your breath and the sounds of the boat as well as the sounds of the water keep you magnetized to the beauty of it all.

Some of the BEST pictures that we took on our last trip to Disney World were taken from the Liberty Bell. The scenery that you pass while riding, is so breathtaking. You pass several rides along the way, which includes the Tom Sawyer Island. The kids wanted to go there, but we never seemed to find the time to make it over to there. :(

The first time that part of our group rode this, was at night during a portion of the Fireworks display. The view was pretty good, but with the combination of the lights of the Liberty Bell and the Fireworks in the sky it was just one of those "magical" moments.

Our second ride on the Liberty Bell was somewhat of an adventure. Everyone in our party was there and it was daylight. Our feet were hurting from all of the walking that we had been doing so we opted to ride the Liberty Bell. The wait in line wasn't much more than twenty min. or so, even though we arrived just after it had taken off for the trip ahead of ours. Our party was the first in line, so when we were allowed to board, the boys in our group raced up the stairs to the upper deck. Michael my son noticed a couple of kids going to the area of the captain's office. Michael is curious and doesn't want to miss out on a thing, so he went to follow the other children. They were wanting to get to pilot the riverboat. At a much slower speed, the rest of our group followed Michael to get in line at the captain's office. The children at the front of the line had to leave when they were summoned away by an older sibling to go and join the family. This turned out to be our "LUCKY DAY"!

The captain came to where our group was standing when Michael asked if he could pilot the boat. Now I really didn't know if that was something they allowed, but sure enough, he was allowed to "pilot" the boat. The captain told the kids in our group when they could blow the whistle or ring the bell. They had so much fun and thought that they were really something special. I took several pictures during this trip from the wheel house.

When the ride was over, the captain gave the three children in our group a dated and signed Pilot's Certificate. We had to fill in their names, but this was on of the many souvenirs that we didn't even have to pay for.

Although this ride was VERY enjoyable both times for us, it is about twenty min long, then the time to stand in line. It's a nice place to sit and rest to catch your second breathe, but if you are on a tight schedule, you can ride the boat from the Transportation landing area. It's not as beautiful, but it can suffice.

The Liberty Belle is a big, beautiful "riverboat." It has 3 levels that hold a ton of people, with most of them standing for the ride. There are a limited number of benches available to sit on. There are some interesting rooms set up that you can walk through, and you can also view the "paddlewheel" close up from on board the boat.
The ride makes a circle around the river, returning to where it started. Along the way, a voice over speakers will tell you about the places you pass on your journey. (Various Disney World attractions, and scenes set up just for viewing from the river.)
This is a long, slow ride which doesn't take you anywhere, and isn't particularly interesting. If you ride the Liberty Belle Riverboat, you can safely skip riding Mike Fink's Keel Boats, and vice-versa. You'll hear the same story, and take the same path around the river.