Could Somebody tell me....

[jclightchasr]

Whatever happened to Discovery Island? The one in the middle of Bay Lake. I would assume it was shut down when AK came on the scene. Is it currently used for anything today? How long had it been opened? Thanks.

[MMouse6937]

It was open from 1974 through 1999 and most of the animals were moved to AK. It was used as a bird sanctuary for a while, but now is pretty much overgrown and jungley. You can see it on certain ferry rides like at WL. :mickey:

[EPCOT84]

It was closed permanently sometime ago, at least sometime before my 1999 trip so yes it may have been tied to AK's development or just became an underutilized attraction. One of the CMs on the Wilderness Lodge boat said it is no longer in use to this day.

[KylesMom]

I'd like to know if this story is true . . .

When we were flag family this past June, I inquired about the island specifically. The "on-call ranger" (not Stan) told us it began as an island pirate adventure quite a long time ago. But everyone who participated ended up being more into the birds, so they turned it into Discovery Island. Then, with the addition of AK, they moved them so that they could better protect them.

Is any of this true? :mickey:

[Jasper]

I'd like to know if this story is true . . .

When we were flag family this past June, I inquired about the island specifically. The "on-call ranger" (not Stan) told us it began as an island pirate adventure quite a long time ago. But everyone who participated ended up being more into the birds, so they turned it into Discovery Island. Then, with the addition of AK, they moved them so that they could better protect them.

Is any of this true? :mickey:

They did do some signs and things that were pirate related but I don't remember it ever being an out and out pirate attraction of any type. Of course I could always be wrong and others with better memories may correct me.

And yes, it was closed to make way for Animal Kingdom. I don't remember exactly when it shut down but it was somewhere around the time that Animal Kingdom opened.

I have found it rather sad to ride by on the boats and see it slowly being overgrown. Of course, there are the stories about the missing cast members that have been sighted on the island, especially on nights with a full moon. Hmmm, could it be?

[SpecJoe Magic]

I'd like to know if this story is true . . .

When we were flag family this past June, I inquired about the island specifically. The "on-call ranger" (not Stan) told us it began as an island pirate adventure quite a long time ago. But everyone who participated ended up being more into the birds, so they turned it into Discovery Island. Then, with the addition of AK, they moved them so that they could better protect them.

Is any of this true? :mickey:

I don't know if that's true, but I seem to recall that the original name of the island was Treasure Island. So, there may be truth in that statement.

[Mackflava99]

Wasn't there another water park there to? River country I think? is that closed also?

[JPL]

Wasn't there another water park there to? River country I think? is that closed also?

River Coutnry was closer to Fort Wilderness and was closed some time ago and has not been reopened.
Several rumours have come up over the past few years about it being re-themed and opened, none of which came to fruition.

So basically both areas are left to rot away in the elements :(