Is the island in the middle of Bay Lake still called Discovery Island even though it's closed? Or did they remove the name and rename it Riles Island(to not confuse guests) because the name was given to the main island in Animal Kingdom?
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question about Bay Lake!
- Thread starter animal_king1990
- Start date
MickeyTigg
New Member
animal_king1990 said:
I don't think that they renamed the island yet...
So is it still called Discovery Island?
Connor002
Active Member
The island is no longer in use. I cannot be sure, but it is my interpretation that, since it no longer is used by guests, the name was not changed. AK superceeded Discovery Island, and now that it is out of use, there is no incentive/reason for Disney to change the name. Honestly now, even if the name were changed, what difference would it make; there are very few reasons for an average guest to even think about the island.
Connor002 said:
If I rememeber correctly, I could of sworn it was on a map of some kind. Hmm...if it is no longer considered an attraction at WDW, it's possible it has no name or has returned to whatever it was called before they decided to make it into an animal attraction.
Edit: Yep they are currentely calling it Riles Island on the maps and have abandoned the Discovery Island name. http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Bay_Lake
WDWcrazy626
New Member
I wonder what they did with the animals on Discovery Island. And why was it closed?
WDWcrazy626 said:
It was closed due to lack of attendance and other problems that appeared when Animal Kingdom opened. Most of the animals were moved to Animal Kingdom.
MickeyTigg
New Member
animal_king1990 said:
If you read the text it says that it is "mapped" as Riles Island but still referred to as "Discovery Island"
According to Lou Mangello (Walt Disney World Trivia) the history of the island -
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. oh, sorry. wrong story.
Well, a long time ago, in a swampland in central Florida, there sat. well. swampland. But in the middle of that great, murky, muck, sat a large island. Legend around these parts states that it was this island that solidified the location for Walt Disney's secret new theme park project.
The story goes that as Walt Disney was flying over the land he was interested in purchasing to locate his new Florida theme park (reported to be on November 22, 1963, around the time that JFK had been shot), it was the sight of this 11.5 acre island in the center of Bay Lake that convinced him that this was the ideal place to build.
Currently known as "Discovery Island", it shares that moniker with its "distant cousin" in Disney's Animal Kingdom. However, this Discovery Island is not man-made, and has a long history that predates the arrival of Disney.
From the early 1900s, it was known as Raz Island, named after the family that lived there. In the late 1930s, it was purchased for $800 by a man named Delmar "Radio Nick" Nicholson, who renamed the island "Idle Bay Isle" for 20 years with his wife and pet crane.It was later purchased, renamed "Riles Island," and used as a hunting retreat long before being bought by Disney (under a fake name, of course), in 1965.
Disney originally planned to add a pirate "theme" to the island and call it "Blackbeard's Island", but that name was discarded, and was eventually changed to "Treasure Island." (However, the Blackbeard Island name was recycled and given to one of the three man made islands of the Seven Seas Lagoon). Although the name of this new island attraction was changed to "Treasure Island", the original concept for a pirate themed adventure would remain, as it would take elements from the 1950 Disney film of the same name.
A unique diversion from the theme park attractions, the island was planned to be a retreat for exploration and relaxation, with wrecks of pirate ships, "Ben Gunn's Fort", the "Benbow Inn", and lakes and waterfalls to enjoy.
In 1974, however, plans to add a wide variety of tropical birds to the island emerged, thereby putting the pirate theme on hold. In order to accommodate the more than 600 feathered friends that were going to take up residence here, more than 50,000 cubic yards of soil and 500,000 tons of boulders were brought onto the island, increasing the size of the island to almost 11.5 acres, as well as a variety of flowers and trees from around the world. New, man-made bodies of water were created, and the one time flat, scrub brush filled island was transformed into a tropical paradise.
"Treasure Island" opened to the public on April 8, 1974 as a relaxing bird sanctuary, with a few remnants of the pirate theme still present, as evidenced by a reproduced wreck of a ship on the island's southern shore. (Although many Disney marketing materials referred to it as the wreck of the Hispaniola, it was actually the remains of Captain Flint's ship, the Walrus).
A separate "Special Adventure" ticket was required to visit the island, which could only be accessed from a boat from either the Contemporary or Polynesian Resort, or by taking a tour of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake called (appropriately enough), the "Walt Disney World Cruise." Billed as a half-day adventure, the island unfortunately did not welcome as many visitors as Disney had planned.
In 1977, to coincide with the theatrical release of "The Rescuers,", Disney, in conjunction with General Electric, ran the "Rescuers Diamond Sweepstakes." It offered the opportunity for one lucky family to win a trip to Walt Disney World, and search and dig for a diamond on Treasure Island worth $25,000.
Now, just four years after its opening, the natural inhabitants of the island grew faster than its popularity with guests. The island abandoned any references to the pirate theme in 1978 and was renamed "Discovery Island," which focused on the island's rich, botanical settings, and wildlife such as flamingos, pelicans, eagles, alligators, peacocks, swans, rabbits and deer. The island featured a 40 foot tall, 320 by 102 foot walk-through aviary, bird shows, a flamingo pool, and Turtle Beach. The "Thirsty Perch" snack bar was constructed, and it even had the "Jose Carioca Flyers" bird show, which was performed in the CooCoo Cabana. There were also bird demonstrations, as well as a scavenger hunt which was available to Guests as they arrived on the Island. The 20-question hunt had clues, with answers that could be found on signs throughout the island. Successfully answering all of the questions entitled a Guest to a Jiminy Cricket EnvironMentality Earth Day button.
Disney's conservation efforts on the island were recognized in 1981 when it was made an accredited zoological park by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. Eight years later, however, things took a turn for the worse, when charges against the island's director and four employees was filed for the mishandling of wild birds and vultures, as well as the destruction of nests and shooting of falcons and hawks. Disney claimed the employees were trying to relocate the birds, with unfortunate results. Disney settled the case and updated their environmental policies throughout the Resort, while still keeping their AZA accreditation.
When Disney's Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, it seemed to sound the death knell for the unpopular island. That, coupled with poor attendance to the island, led to its ultimate demise. Finally, 25 years after it opened, Discovery Island closed on April 8, 1999. Rumors swirled for years as to what was to become of the abandoned island. Talks of a tie-in with a popular video game (Myst), as well as rumors of a private retreat for honeymooners (with lots of cash to spend) came and went, but the island remains deserted to this day.
Want a closer look? Take one of the many watercraft available for rent from the Contemporary Resort and drive by (Sorry, but you cannot gain access to the island, and I strongly discourage you from trying).
Although Discovery Island has closed seemingly for good, its name lives on in Disney's Animal Kingdom, as it is the land which contains Tree of Life.
Actually, I think since that is from over several years ago, they have now stopped calling it Discovery Island because it is no longer the same attraction as before. And in the last paragraph, it says its name will live on in the one at AK stating that they will take the name away from the one in Bay Lake. Since nobody goes there or refers to it anymore, it is fair to say that no one refers to it as Discovery Island anymore because they will have no reason to talk about it as if it were open. They would simply refer to it geographically on the map as Riles Island. Again, since it no longer exists, it would not make sense to refer to it as something thats not there anymore.
Pongo
New Member
animal_king1990 said:
Mainly it was closed BECAUSE the animals were getting shipped to AK. Without animals, there's just a lump of land in the middle of a lake.
Discovery Island in AK used to be called something else in her formative years, though offhand, I can't remember the name.
Discovery Island in Bay Lake is still referred to as Discovery Island within all the circles I know of. Disney may have "technically" changed the name to Riles Island, but it is still going to be called Discovery Island just because the name sticks.
Pongo said:
It was called Safari Village before. Why it was changed to Discovery Island I don't know. Scientifically, the name was changed back to Riles Island because everything was moved to Ak but you are right when you say that people still call it that(but who still refers to it?) mainly because its what they remember it's called.
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
Safari Village was changed to Discovery Island because the name caused confusion with some guests, who assumed that Kilimanajro Safaris departed from the island. Apparently, enough guests complained to Guest Relations to warrant a name change. I really don't know whether they changed the name of the Bay Lake island back to Riles Island, or whether they even bothered to change the name back to anything at all. It appears that they tried to spend as little money on the transition as possible: they didn't even dismantle most of the major structures.animal_king1990 said:
And don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia: anybody can edit it (Wikipedia is the cited source for the link provided earlier).
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
I do wish something would come to this island. I think having it as a destination could still work if it became more kid-friendly. Returning this to Treasure Island where various parts have activities could be an interesting concept (out of the Pirate ship adventure that already happens). This could be a great way for parents to have a day alone without the kids at the parks. Just my $0.02.
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
Agreed. It was really sad seeing all of the old, overgrown structures on the island. They're fully visible to guests on the Wilderness Lodge/Ft. Wilderness/Contemporary launch. They could really do something cool with the island, like you suggested with a pirate adventure. I do believe that it is still considered a national bird sanctuary, because of migratory patterns, though, so that could limit its usage.Epcot82Guy said:
Captain Hank said:
But I see no point in calling it Discovery Island anymore because the name is already in use by AK. And all the "discovery stuff" was moved to AK. It makes more sense to change the name back to Riles Island or if they decide to make something again, "Treasure Island". If I remember correctly, a CM said somewhere that the name Discovery Island was no longer in use becuase it confuses guests and that they changed any logo that had Discovery Island on it. So I guess if you look at the map for WDW, you'll see them label it as Riles Island.
Badger Brent
Active Member
I never got the chance to visit while it was open. I did take a water mouse ride around the island. Not much to see from the water. It just seems like it's a place you aren't allowed to go to anymore, but seeing it sit there make's you want to know and explore it for yourself. Kind of like backstage, not much to see back there, but you still want to take a peak!!:lol:
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
animal_king1990 said:
The island is empty now, it is not going to be used for anything, why would they go through the trouble of renaming a lump of land that no one is using...
Tigger1988 said:
They didn't rename it. They just took off the previous name.The current island has no name unless you refer to a map which says it's called Riles Island.