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River Country Officially Closing?
- Thread starter ToTBellHop
- Start date
Debbie
Well-Known Member
Since I live along bayous and lakes with plenty of bacteria in them, I can see where they would be concerned for the average "Joe" and infection. A guy I know had a cut on his hand and went frogging and the hand got so infected he almost died. He had to wear an intraveinious drip for 30 days. And alot of people are dumb when it comes to gators. We swim in lakes like that but not often. we know what to do and know when a gator is real aggressive especially when they are nesting and we have a pistol at all time for those situations. But the average tourist; Disney doesn't need the headaches that go along with natural, untreated water
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
I would love to know how gators get to the lakes. They are all man made and not connected to free flowing lakes, how can the gators get there unless Disney puts them there, which I don't think happens.
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
Bay Lake is Man Made...I'm almost sure of it
DisneyPhD
Well-Known Member
Bay Lake is NOT man made. At one point during initial construction it was completely drained so removal of seaweed, silt and general muckiness was easier. Underneath it all was the white sand that is found on many of the beaches around Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. (Check out the book SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN) I also heard a rumor about a family once living on the former Discovery Island. Not sure about that one though.
Most people who live in Florida for any length of time learn that one should always assume that any body of water larger than a puddle (whether natural or man-made) will have gators or snakes in it! Retention ponds, which are almost always man-made, are notorious for having gators appear after a while. If you consider that the whole state is pretty much swamp (even though a lot has been drained and filled) and gators can travel, it's not surprising.
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info guys. Since I live up North the only gators you see are in a zoo. So I didn't know they go in to man made lakes. That could be dangerous though can't it. What if someone falls off their boat or something, and there is a gator nearby. Can't they be eaten or at least really hurt. I would like to know how Disney handles this situation. Also, thanks for the heads up on Bay Lake, didn't even know it was real.
Unless it's breeding season and you get too close to their nest, or some idiot has been feeding them (which makes them associate humans with eating) most gators avoid humans. They very rarely attack adults, except in the aforementioned instances. I would be extremely careful with children in any fresh water situation. We have a weekend home on the St.John's river, and ALWAYS have someone on "gator watch" when we're on or swimming in the river. My husband sculls, and has passed gators, but they always move away. Only once have we seen a gator come towards us while swimming, and I pulled my son put of the water immediately!! So, to answer your question. Are there gators in WDW? I would say yes. Are you likely to be bothered by them? Probably not. However, the more construction that takes place, with the subsequent lose of habitat, the more likely it is that they will become more obvious.
Orlando isn't in Gator Alley and there is no shortage of wetlands in the immediate area (when you fly into Orlando, this is quite obvious...small lakes and ponds everywhere). I think this is why you don't hear of gator attacks on disney property. They also have patrols throughout Bay Lake, so if someone were to fall out of a...Water Mouse...someone would see it. Best recommendation...when you are in a Water Mouse, stay near other boats and they will notice if you fall out.
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
We used the Water Mouse boat in Bay Lake an in Crescent lake and there is a big difference. In Bay Lake you get a lot of seaweed around you. But, Crescent Lake seemed much cleaner.
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
We used the Water Mouse boat in Bay Lake an in Crescent lake and there is a big difference. In Bay Lake you get a lot of seaweed around you. But, Crescent Lake seemed much cleaner. My favorite boat Journey though is taking the Sassagoula River all the way from DTD to PO Riverside.
General Grizz
New Member
There was a rumor that the three water parks would be connected by one tube river. Is this POSSIBLE? Also, the imagineer had no idea about River Country.
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a good idea but think how long it would take to get from one Water Park to another. It takes about 30 minutes when it isn't crowded to go around the lazy river at typhoon lagoon, think how long it would take to go from River Country to say Typhoon Lagoon. Also to do this they would have to make a path through Bay Lake and some other Waterways that might not be around or that we don't know about.
General Grizz
New Member
That's what I thought, but I suppose the Imagineer wasn't doing the math right...
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
That would be an amazing system if it would work. But in order to get from one park to another in less than say 2 hours, they would have to make the current in that passage VERY fast. If anyone has ever been in one of their lazy rivers you know that the current is pretty strong. One going from Waterpark to Waterpark would have to go about 3 times as strong and it would still take about an hour. But the current would be so strong that a weak swimer (or even a good one) could possibly drown. Also, on the 3/4 mile lazy river there are about 7 exits. What if someone gets bored to tears on the passage? They can't get out. Even though the idea sounds great it would be near impossible to pull off.