River Country and Discovery Island have been closed down for a while now. Does anyone know why theyre still closed. And does anyone know what will become of these places, because they both seem like theyre not worth reopening.
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Fate of River Country
- Thread starter donnybisme33
- Start date
HI! Welcome to the fourms!!! Im not totally sure what the answer to your questions are but I'll tell you what I've heard. First off, River Country supposedly closed due to water polution or somthing of that nature and from what I heard it will be a very costly thing to fix, so with two other newer and nicer water parks they aren't wiling to spend the money to get it up and running again. Discovery Island closed when Animal Kingdom Opened bucause it's some what the same concept on a much smaller scale. I heard some talk about turning it into a place for private partys and weddings but no one really knows at this point.
Hope this helps,
--Austin--
Hope this helps,
--Austin--
mickey04
Member
Disney actually announced a few months ago that River Country is closed for good. I'm not sure anyone knows the true reason it closed- the condition of the water in Bay Lake seems to be something of an official reason- but most likely it was a matter of money. The attendence levels just weren't high enough.
Probably the same thing with Discovery Island, along with the reason Austin gave, which is that the idea of seeing wild animals in a natural habitat is more or less what DAK is all about.
Probably the same thing with Discovery Island, along with the reason Austin gave, which is that the idea of seeing wild animals in a natural habitat is more or less what DAK is all about.
wl
did river country close BEFORE the widlerness lodge opened? if so, then maybe they could justify spending the money for both WL and FW guests to use.
River country looks so cool too, like frontierland but with waterslides!
discovery island looks neat just with the boat wreckage and birds on the island. they could add more props, but it might be awhile before anything is done there, i'm sure there are some cool ideas out there.
i always liked the idea of a myst island, though not sure what that would even ential, it just sounded different!
maybe they could put a gift store on it hah.
did river country close BEFORE the widlerness lodge opened? if so, then maybe they could justify spending the money for both WL and FW guests to use.
River country looks so cool too, like frontierland but with waterslides!
discovery island looks neat just with the boat wreckage and birds on the island. they could add more props, but it might be awhile before anything is done there, i'm sure there are some cool ideas out there.
i always liked the idea of a myst island, though not sure what that would even ential, it just sounded different!
maybe they could put a gift store on it hah.
donny - welcome! Do a thread search (in the blue bar at the top of the screen) since both these topics have had some great discussions recently.
Whatever happens to them, it needs to be soon; officially entered or not the whole area looks like a ghost town.
Whatever happens to them, it needs to be soon; officially entered or not the whole area looks like a ghost town.
POOHKILLEDTOAD
New Member
I was told by a cast member (boat driver) it was due to microbes that live in the warm freshwater here in Florida. I grew up on the intercoastal and swam in FAR worse stuff when i was a kid...with no health problems. I think the final straw was when that kid died from a freshwater microbe down south.
I don't know why they closed but I can tell you what I would like to see them do with it. for river country close the beach area to bay lake but keep the swimming pool part open to Ft Wilderness guests and use the beach area as like a picnic grove and hold some activities there for the kids. as for discovery island make it like a lovers island, build a ornate bridge to the island (walking bridge) light the paths really romanticly maybe a queen of hearts maze on one side of the island and a small resterant overlooking the castle. all with lots of secluded coves where you and your special someone can sneek away for a little romance. they could even schedule outdoor weddings there in a tropical setting.
joel_maxwell
Permanent Resident of EPCOT
LOL, not saying if it is true or not........ but be careful what boat drivers tell you..... they are a little wackyPOOHKILLEDTOAD said:
OnWithTheShow
Member
Well the official story from Sports and Recreation is that River Country closed for many reasons:
- The park was nearing 30 years old and was beginning to deteriorate, this would require large capital expenditures and a long down time to repair.
- Because of the smaller size of the park they were only able to charge guests 16.75 for admission, half that of its bigger brothers, one more ticket in the system does have a cost associated with it and they would rather the guests go to the larger water parks.
- The park had ADA compliance issues.
- Believe it or not most guests would complain about the lack of attractions.
Overall it came down to the cost of running the park versus the fact that the larger two water parks could absorb the guests from river country at a higher price point.
- The park was nearing 30 years old and was beginning to deteriorate, this would require large capital expenditures and a long down time to repair.
- Because of the smaller size of the park they were only able to charge guests 16.75 for admission, half that of its bigger brothers, one more ticket in the system does have a cost associated with it and they would rather the guests go to the larger water parks.
- The park had ADA compliance issues.
- Believe it or not most guests would complain about the lack of attractions.
Overall it came down to the cost of running the park versus the fact that the larger two water parks could absorb the guests from river country at a higher price point.
Captain Chaos
Well-Known Member
I don't really have a thought about what could be done with River Country. But, I did think Discovery Island would be a great place to establish the first official LOST attraction. The entire island can be themed to the set of LOST. Guests can get the LOST experience by joining in some activities set up by Disney, such as scavenger hunts and search and rescue missions. Build some huts for guests to make reservations in, naming it DISNEY'S LOST RESORT. Price it as a moderate resort. And upon making reservations, the CMs can give the guest the itinerary for the LOST experience.
