May 1 - The Empress Lilly

Image courtesy wdwforgrownups.com

On this day, in 1977, the Empress Lilly welcomed its first guests on board. May 1 is actually a busy day in Disney history as The Disney-MGM Studios and Pleasure Island both opened on this day in 1989, but I’ve opted for a cozier story for today. As the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village (the area now called Disney Springs) was undergoing its first expansion and name change in 1977, it was clear that more dining options were needed for the area. It was decided that a seafood joint would be a good option and what better place to eat seafood than on an authentic river boat? While that may sound romantic, putting a boat turned restaurant into Lake Buena Vista (yes the lake that borders Disney Springs really exists and gave its name to the ‘town’ that’s Walt Disney World’s mailing address) would be a logistical nightmare. So Disney did the next best thing.

Image courtesy startourists.com

At 220 feet long, with three decks, two smokestacks and a wheelhouse, the lavish riverboat that sprang up along the shore in the Walt Disney World Village (as the area was soon renamed) gave the illusion that it had just steamed in from the Mississippi River. But guests were actually being treated to an authentic building, not an actual boat, even though the detail in the scrollwork on the deck railings, coupled with the giant paddlewheel, fooled a fair number of people over the years. On May 1, 1977, Walt’s widow, Lillian Bounds Disney, was on hand for the official christening ceremony, to welcome her namesake, the Empress Lilly, into the Disney fleet.

Image courtesy waltdatedworld.com

Originally, the Empress Lilly was home to five different dining experiences, most of which were only available for dinner. The exception was a character breakfast, offered, obviously, only in the morning. It was one of the first character dining experiences offered, so new and unique that every kid who did it got a certificate commemorating the event. My family did it once when I was a kid (the certificate has been lost to the flow of time unfortunately) and I remember that just as we finished our meal, we stepped out onto the deck and watched a space shuttle launch. The other four venues ratcheted up the Village’s night life and included the Fisherman’s Deck, Steerman’s Quarters, the uber-elegant Empress Room and the Baton Rouge Lounge.

Image courtesy disneyfanatic.com

One of the truly unique special events that occurred on property took place in the Empress Lilly on Monday evenings during the 1980 football season. Each week, team members from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would gather to watch highlights of their game that weekend and take questions from the crowd. Afterward the Monday night game would be shown on the big screen. The Bucs had a 5-10-1 season that year, which may have influenced the fact that the event was never repeated.

The Empress Lilly was a jewel of the Village for almost 18 years. In a controversial move, the venue was closed on April 22, 1995 to undergo refurbishment. The building reopened eleven months later as Fulton’s Crab House, a third-party restaurant. The paddlewheel was removed, the smokestacks were gone and, a sin many diehard fans found they couldn’t forgive, the building was no longer named after Mrs. Disney. Change is a constant though. In 2016, the building underwent another major renovation, coming out the other side looking both more and less like a riverboat. The smokestacks and paddlewheel are back, but the building has a sleeker, much more modern look to it (the whole thing had literally been gutted down to the studs and rebuilt). Fulton’s was now gone with a new restaurant, Paddlefish, in its place (although both restaurants fall under the Levy brand). I hear the food is really good (I've never been myself) but the building formerly known as the Empress Lilly will never fool anyone into thinking it's an authentic riverboat again.