Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly is a 220 by 62 foot Paddle steamer riverboat on Village Lake in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Built for the Walt Disney World Resort in 1976, the ship contained three restaurants and a jazz lounge. She greeted guests for the first time on May 1, 1977, when Lillian Disney, Walt Disney's widow for whom the ship is named, christened the ship.

Ship Design

The Lilly was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering to be as true to the eye as possible. The gingerbread scrollwork and stained glass detailing gave the ship an authentic feeling, harkening back to the days of Mark Twain's Mississippi River. The paddle-wheel at the aft end of the ship churned constantly, though the ship never went anywhere.

In reality, the Lilly couldn't go anywhere. She was not a boat at all, but a large boat-shaped building, erected on the edge of the lake. A submerged concrete foundation gave the Lilly the stability to weather a hurricane.

Restaurants and Entertainment

Baton Rouge Lounge was located forward on the main deck. Here is where patrons could spend some time relaxing at the bar, and enjoying the musical sounds of the Riverboat Rascals. Many of these musicians played in the Baton Rouge for years, and became local legends. Some of the players who have played with the Riverboat Rascals were Denny Zavett, Fast Eddie Erickson, Ralf Reynolds, Mike Gentry, Randy Morris, John Charles and Bill Dendle.

Steerman's Quarters was located in the aft section of the Main Deck. It specialized in certified Angus beef entrees. The décor focused on imagery from America's western cattle nostalgia. In the aft end of the room, giant windows revealed the churning paddlewheel, nearby.

Fisherman's Deck was located forward on the Promenade Deck. As its name implies, this was a seafood restaurant.

Empress Room was located aft on the Promenade Deck. This was a formal dining establishment, requiring reservations in advance. The room was extravagantly decorated, with gold trimmed walls and Rococo (Louis XIV) style flourishes. Hungarian Chef, Garry Reich, developed the original menu, to cater to upscale tastes.

The Empress Lilly was one of the first locations of the now famous Disney Character Breakfast.

Final Days

In the mid 1990s, Disney began finding outside management to take over many of its restaurants. As a cost cutting move, it was decided that the Empress Lilly would come under new management. Levy Restaurants signed a contract to operate the ship for 20 years. On April 22, 1995, the Empress Lilly served her last meals. The restaurant was closed, all interiors were ripped out, and a new décor, for a single restaurant (not three) was put in place. In addition, the old smoke stacks and paddlewheel, which gave the Lilly some added authenticity, were removed due to rust and rot. They were not replaced. The restaurant reopened as Fulton's Crab House on March 10, 1996.