Walt Disney World to Receive First New Ferryboat in Over 50 Years

For the first time since 1976, a new ferryboat is on its way to the Seven Seas Lagoon at Walt Disney World.

What's Happening:

• As part of all the changes coming to Magic Kingdom in the coming years, the first new ferryboat at Walt Disney World since 1976 is on its way.
• Many fans know there are two (and often three!) ways to get to Magic Kingdom from the Transportation and Ticket Center - Monorail or Ferryboat (or walking through the hotels, pending construction).
• Now, the first brand new ferryboat to cross Seven Seas Lagoon at Walt Disney World is coming, currently under construction at a marina in Florida where it will be shipped in pieces to Walt Disney World over the next few weeks.
• It still has to be assembled, painted, and adorned with flourishes, but it is slated to launch in 2027.
• The new ferryboat will also be named after former Walt Disney World president, Meg Gilbert Crofton, who presided over the resort from 2006 - 2013.
• Similar to the other ferryboats - Admiral Joe Fowler, General Joe Potter, and Richard F. Irvine - her portrait will be found on the first deck of the new boat, developed by Walt Disney Imagineering, complete with plaque that will share her story.
• Overall, the new boat will fit in with the rest of the ferryboat fleet with a similar capacity, look, and feel.

What They're Saying:

• Meg Crofton: “I was humbled to learn that my name would be on this new ferryboat. It means so much to be recognized by the cast members I had the privilege of working with for so many years.”

About Meg Crofton:

• Meg Crofton is a longtime executive at the Walt Disney Company, who spent about 35 years at the company. Starting in 1977, she rose through roles in operations, hotels, and human resources eventually becoming a senior executive in the parks division.
• She became the president of Walt Disney World in 2006, the first woman to hold this role. In 2014, she became the President of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (U.S. and France) until she retired the following year.
• Under Meg Crofton, Walt Disney World went through a period of modernization and expansion, as she launched the New Fantasyland expansion at Magic Kingdom and was a key driver in the MyMagic+ and FastPass+ projects, and Magicbands. Disney's Art of Animation Resort also opened under her watch in 2012.
• Some point to Crofton's impact as a complete shift in the Walt Disney World experience - bringing the destination from a show up and have fun idea to a fully planned-in-advance vacation using tech to manage your day and reservations.
• Meg was honored with a window on Main Street U.S.A. in 2015.