Hosted by Michael Young (remember from Kids are People, Too) and had a special guest star co host each week.

It was a half hour show that started in early 1983 and ran for only about one year. Remember seeing stars of the late 70s and 80s like Phyllis Diller, Ruth Buzzi, Jacklyn Zeman, Dana Hill (Audrey Griswold in the European Vacation movie), the woman that founded Jazzercise, and others.

 

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The Empress Lilly is replica of a paddle steamer riverboat, and is 220 feet long by 62 foot wide, and was located on Village Lake. She was built in 1976, and was home to three restaurants and a lounge. She opened officially on May 1, 1977 and was christened by her namesake, Walt Disney’s widow, Lillian. Notable was the decorative paddlewheel at the aft of teh ship that turned, although the boat never moved an inch.

The Lilly was home to one of WDW’s first character brekafasts, apty titled the “Disney Character Breakfast.”

The Baton Rouge Lounge was located forward on the main deck, and had a full bar and entertainment provided by the Riverboat Rascals.

The restaurants were:

The Steerman’s Quarters  – a steakhouse located in the aft section of the Main Deck.

The Fisherman’s Deck – a seafood restaurant located on the Promeade Deck, forward.

The Empress Room – a formal dining room located aft on the Promenade Deck. Rickly decorated and always busy, this restaurant required reservations and was lavishly decorated in gold.

On April 22, 1995, the Empress Lilly closed her doors, and had the interior gutted in preparation for a new dining experience. The smokestacks and paddlewheel were removed from the exterior, and on March 10, 1996, it reopened as Fulton’s Crab House.

The carpet of the Empress Lilly Riverboat is notable because it is the same as the carpet that inside the Disneyland Railroad VIP Car. When the Riverboat was being built, they wanted to use the carpet from the VIP Car for the Lounge area of the Riverboat. (Photo courtesy of Mike Bronstein)

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Many of the toys inside were also handmade, and came from both America and Eurpoe. There were stuffed character plushes, model kits, die-cast collector cars, tin toys, trains, Madame Alexander dolls and teddy bears (some ranging in price to up to $800!). 

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That’s right – when the Village first opened, there was no location to buy character merchandise. However, as the demand grew, Disney opened the Character Shop, which sold plush figures, porcelain dolls, shirts, hats, toys, games, bags, pens, pencils, costumes… you name it!

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What made this store unique from other locations on property where Guests could get some cereals, snacks, etc. was that this was a full-blown market that also sold cheeses, meats, beer, coffees and teas and more basic items that Guests could use to prepare their own meals. Remember that the Villas and Treehouses were nearby, where Guests had their own kitchens. And to make life even easier for Guests, the store would deliver the items you ordered by phone to your room. Not there? Don’t worry – they would have even put them in your refrigerator for you!

There was also a walk-up coffee and pastry window which was open daily.

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Here, merchandise from around the world was sold, including items from Europe, Mexico, India, Guatemala, Asia and Africa.

European items included Delft (Dutch) goods such as windmills and piggy banks; Mexican goods consisted of pinatas, clay pots and figurines; carved items, toys and other jewerly came from India; pots and baskets were imported from Guatemala; leather goods, jewelry and marble came from Africa and the Orient.

The store was found near the Captain’s Tower and Village marina

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The shop was located between the Toledo Arts store and the Port of Entry store to the east. 

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