When did swimming in Bay Lake end?

[Vacationeer]

Somebody took Dr Oz's advice on Oprah to irrigate their sinuses with a neti pot. Up went the amoeba in the tap water, with fatal results

 

[Dead2009]

Yea, my recent stay at POFQ I was disappointed the pools closed at night as I liked to take a swim when the kids were gone and it was nice and quite

Id be disappointed too if there were reasons why pools were closed at night.

 

[John park hopper]

aren't the quiet pools still open. I remember last year we went to the quiet pools around 11 pm. lol we may have been unknowingly breaking the rules but no one chased us out. they never have life guards there so maybe that's the difference.

The POFQ pools closed at 11:00 so we didn't go for a swim may be they would look the other way don't know

 

[eliza61nyc]

The POFQ pools closed at 11:00 so we didn't go for a swim may be they would look the other way don't know

lol naw @John park hopper , it's totally me. l swear I walk around on vacation in a pixie fog. My silly self probably walked past a huge sign saying "pool closed after 11" without noticing

aaah to be there now

 

[stratman50th]

The POFQ pools closed at 11:00 so we didn't go for a swim may be they would look the other way don't know

And the French Quarter only has the one pool. They used to have a hot tub that I saw adults in late at night. I say used to because it's been pointed out to me that things have changed a bunch since I was anyplace besides Ft Wilderness after 2012.

 

[JIMINYCR]

And the French Quarter only has the one pool. They used to have a hot tub that I saw adults in late at night. I say used to because it's been pointed out to me that things have changed a bunch since I was anyplace besides Ft Wilderness after 2012.

There is still a hot tub thats situated separate from the pool area.

 

[Deadphish]

The swimming was stopped due to the bacteria not the gators.

This isn’t true, the amoeba attack happened once in August of 1980, swimming didn’t stop till 1998 or 1999. I think most likely it was a budget cut, it had to cost a lot to maintain those beaches. Having to replace the sand in the lake in the swimming areas and animal control are probably pretty expensive

 

[RussM45]

I participated in the Walt Disney World Triathlons in September 2006 and 2007. In both races the swims were in Bay Lake. In 2006 there were no issues with the swim, but in 2007, there apparently had been some deaths that summer from the warm water amoebas in other central Florida lakes, and the race organizers issued noseplugs to all racers, and also permitted people to skip the swim and participate only in the bike and run parts of the race if they so chose. I believe there was also a triathlon in September 2008, but that was the last time there was a triathlon at Disney. I don't know whether the amoeba issue itself was the key factor in the decision to drop the triathlon - it seems more likely to me that triathlons are not popular enough to bring enough people to Disney to make it economically worthwhile (or perhaps that triathlons in September in Florida became less appealing to nonlocal triathletes in part due to the amoeba issue).

 

[HkPro]

I stayed at the Polynesian in 1980 and 1984. One of my coolest WDW memories comes from when we were swimming at the beach there. We were hanging out, and Mickey, Goofy and Donald came water-skiing by, doing tricks. I swear they water skied right into the shore and did a meet and greet, but I was only 8 by 1984, so that memory might not be entirely accurate.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

This isn’t true, the amoeba attack happened once in August of 1980, swimming didn’t stop till 1998 or 1990. I think most likely it was a budget cut, it had to cost a lot to maintain those beaches. Having to replace the sand in the lake in the swimming areas and animal control are probably pretty expensive

Somehow cash strapped state parks across the country can handle beaches at lakes. I think it was a culmination of increased liability, gator control and amoebas.

 

[Deadphish]

Somehow cash strapped state parks across the country can handle beaches at lakes. I think it was a culmination of increased liability, gator control and amoebas.

Yes and liability insurance and animal control cost money so it was cut from the budget like I said, Disney is a for profit company state parks are not. If they were really concerned about the ameoba they would of stopped the swimming in the lakes and closed river country after it happened not two decades later. Although Disney is incredibly slow at responding to anything.

 

[thomas998]

That's interesting, then. Almost 30 years of swimming in the lakes with nary a gator attack, then the unfortunate incident happens after the rules change.

Unless there was some attack I am not aware of. I know there was an attack at Fort Wilderness, but as I recall, this occurred in one of the creeks and not in the lake.

I think a part of the reason There was never any attacks there in the early days when you had swimming is that you had several things that would make them less likely... 1) more aggressive control of alligators, 2) alligators were still in recovery mode from being almost made extinct from over hunting, 3) a lot more activity on the lagoon with lots of rental boats which would make the place less attractive to alligators. I would expect the biggest thing that was responsible for the 2016 attack was the increase in the alligator population in Florida, remember they were put on the endangered species list because they were near extinction in the late 60's and yearly 70's....They recovered to the point that they were taken off the list in the late 80's... So the number of alligator went up making it much more likely that you would come into contact with one.

 

[Joeamc]

There's also a bacteria in the water that can kill you if you're not too careful.

Yes. I think I remember reading that a few people died of some bacterial "brain infection" after spending time at river country. I thought that was the reason for ending swimming in Bay lake. Not alligators. Although that is probably a valid concern as well.

 

[John park hopper]

I think a part of the reason There was never any attacks there in the early days when you had swimming is that you had several things that would make them less likely... 1) more aggressive control of alligators, 2) alligators were still in recovery mode from being almost made extinct from over hunting, 3) a lot more activity on the lagoon with lots of rental boats which would make the place less attractive to alligators. I would expect the biggest thing that was responsible for the 2016 attack was the increase in the alligator population in Florida, remember they were put on the endangered species list because they were near extinction in the late 60's and yearly 70's....They recovered to the point that they were taken off the list in the late 80's... So the number of alligator went up making it much more likely that you would come into contact with one.

Probably as the population went up more people were feeding them and they associated people with food or as food

 

[stratman50th]

Probably as the population went up more people were feeding them and they associated people with food or as food

This....

 

[ObscurityPoint]

Do they still do parasailing and waterskiing out on the lake?

 

[thomas998]

Probably as the population went up more people were feeding them and they associated people with food or as food

I don't think you have people actually trying to feed alligators the way they do bears or other wild animals. Alligators tend to stay pretty much out of sight if possible and they aren't going to be tempted to come and eat bread crumbs like a duck or fish. If people do try to feed them then they are nuts. I had a pet one when years ago and you didn't dare feed him in any way beyond simply throwing him the food. The last time I tried to feed him with some food on a stick he leaped up out of the water and ripped the end of the pole I was using off. I have a feeling if people were trying to feed them that you would hear of a lot more people getting bitten.

 

[Oddysey]

This isn’t true, the amoeba attack happened once in August of 1980, swimming didn’t stop till 1998 or 1999. I think most likely it was a budget cut, it had to cost a lot to maintain those beaches. Having to replace the sand in the lake in the swimming areas and animal control are probably pretty expensive

I admire how you state something is “not true” as if factual, and then counter with an opinion with no factual basis. Well done.

 

[disney4life2008]

Out of curiosity, wasn't there alligators in bay lake all along? Yes I am aware of that boy getting eaten by an alligator.

 

[John park hopper]

I don't think you have people actually trying to feed alligators the way they do bears or other wild animals. Alligators tend to stay pretty much out of sight if possible and they aren't going to be tempted to come and eat bread crumbs like a duck or fish. If people do try to feed them then they are nuts. I had a pet one when years ago and you didn't dare feed him in any way beyond simply throwing him the food. The last time I tried to feed him with some food on a stick he leaped up out of the water and ripped the end of the pole I was using off. I have a feeling if people were trying to feed them that you would hear of a lot more people getting bitten.

WDW signs posted People will do the craziest things