Swimming in Lakes?

[bbopper]

Is there swimming allowed in any of the lakes at the resorts? I remember years ago you could swim in Bay Lake.

[big blue and hairy]

Nope, bacteria problem that affects many lakes in Florida....

:sulley:

[BigRedDad]

Correct. Swimming in the lakes can get a little bacteria in you that affects the brain. Not worth it.

[mouseketeer mom]

Its funny, because I always thought that the lakes were a big no no. On our past two trips, I saw many kids wading into the water at the Poly, sitting up to their chest in the water, and I was surprised. I thought they strictly enforced the no going into the water policy.

[Ed]

There's another little problem with the lakes, also:

:gator: :gator: :gator: :gator:


:nono:

[Tinkerfreak]

Its funny, because I always thought that the lakes were a big no no. On our past two trips, I saw many kids wading into the water at the Poly, sitting up to their chest in the water, and I was surprised. I thought they strictly enforced the no going into the water policy.

I saw the same thing at the Poly. There were a couple of kids actually sitting in the edge of the water. I commented to DH that I thought that wasn't allowed. When we stayed at the BC I wouldn't even let my 19 year old neice put her feet in the water. Was I over reacting?

[greengeen]

I saw the same thing at the Poly. There were a couple of kids actually sitting in the edge of the water. I commented to DH that I thought that wasn't allowed. When we stayed at the BC I wouldn't even let my 19 year old neice put her feet in the water. Was I over reacting?


NO, you were not over reacting. The real problem in warm-water lakes in Florida is not bacteria, it's an amoeba called "Naegleria fowleri" which can literally eat your brain. Google it, and you'll see that this happens in Florida almost every year, and it's a tragedy. Most residents know about it and won't go near ponds or lakes, especially the shallow & stagnant ones. But you can't stop the tourists from doing what they want, and if they ignore the signs that are posted around the lake, the liability is theirs and not Disney's. I wish that Disney would provide this info to visitors so there wouldn't be so much MIS-information out there.

And yes, there are gators, too.

[TheRustyScupper]

I wish that Disney would provide this info to visitors so there wouldn't be so much MIS-information out there.

1) Tough to do.
2) Can you see the ads on TV now?
. . . "come to our resort
. . . but, don't swim in the attractive lake water
. . . unless you want your brain eaten"

[rpcwjr]

Stay out of the lakes!!!:nono:

[greengeen]

1) Tough to do.
2) Can you see the ads on TV now?
. . . "come to our resort
. . . but, don't swim in the attractive lake water
. . . unless you want your brain eaten"


I know, I know! Disney can't let reality impinge on the fantasy... but it just kills me when I see little kids wading in that nasty water.

[BigThunderFan]

I was actually wondering about gators in the lakes and was going to post a question anyway, I guess this is the perfect spot. No we weren't planning on swimming in the lakes, but my son LOVES gators and I was wondering what the odds were on seeing one?
We have never seen one on Disney property before, but we are staying at WL so I was curious if anyone else had ever seen one?

[DVC2004]

So is the fungus/bacteria really true? I always figured it was because of the gators and no lifeguards. But then again, didn't they close River Country because of the bacteria? I am just thinking if it's so dangerous- why are you still able to rent watermice in all the waterways? I mean, you get splashed or sprayed sometimes riding those. My brain didn't get eaten (lol although my husband would probably argue that point! :D)!

[DVC2004]

I was actually wondering about gators in the lakes and was going to post a question anyway, I guess this is the perfect spot. No we weren't planning on swimming in the lakes, but my son LOVES gators and I was wondering what the odds were on seeing one?
We have never seen one on Disney property before, but we are staying at WL so I was curious if anyone else had ever seen one?

I saw a gator swimming around at the Rivers of America in MK- right past Tom Sawyer's Island and the Riverboat! It was pretty big. The gators hang on golf courses too. Yep they are everywhere. Check around the edges of the water- sometimes you can see thier eyes reflect.

[Ms. Mode]

I was actually wondering about gators in the lakes and was going to post a question anyway, I guess this is the perfect spot. No we weren't planning on swimming in the lakes, but my son LOVES gators and I was wondering what the odds were on seeing one?
We have never seen one on Disney property before, but we are staying at WL so I was curious if anyone else had ever seen one?

Yes, actually we had a WDW Bus Driver point one out to us when we were there in August 2008....Cool :thumbsup:

[KylesMom]

Here's a rather extensive post from earlier in the year which discussed this very thing. :mickey: Swimming in Lakes (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=150285&highlight=Swimming+Lake)

[CU Tiger]

I thought it was because that’s where they put the monsters from 20,000 leagues ride after they closed it.:D:mickey:

[Granny Jill A]

Yes, actually we had a WDW Bus Driver point one out to us when we were there in August 2008....Cool :thumbsup:

We were there in November, and our bus driver pointed out a 5-footer resting near a pond by Pop Century. Wow!

Oh, and I won't set foot in any lake, no matter where it's located. A friend of mine told me about the dangers of lake swimming. Yuck....

[lockedoutlogic]

A couple of things:

Enforcement of the no swimming policy would involve enough employees to monitor everything....something disney now avoids when possible (and sometimes when it's really not)

Bacteria is a big problem....

Gators could be a problem

The COTTONMOUTH is the thing i would avoid like the plague...


Nice bit of trivia: the Grand Floridian was originally labeled the "Grand Floridian Beach Resort"....but they can the swimming in the lake at the same time it opened (Oct 88)...there was some limited merchandise produced with the "Beach" in the title...making it some of the rarest and most valuable in Disneyana...

[MidnTPK]

I am just thinking if it's so dangerous- why are you still able to rent watermice in all the waterways? I mean, you get splashed or sprayed sometimes riding those. My brain didn't get eaten (lol although my husband would probably argue that point! :D)!
Not only rent water-mice, but the triathlons swim in the lake, and water skier/wake boarders/tube riders all get in the water.

So the amoeba is a risk....but the water is not poison, and only very few people are sickened by it. But its an unnecessary risk for the millions of annual visitors to WDW.

[BluewaterBrad]

I thought it was because that’s where they put the monsters from 20,000 leagues ride after they closed it.:D:mickey:

LOL!! River Country was GREAT though!!:mickey:

[mouseketeer mom]

Whats the cottonmouth thing another poster mentioned?? And I never heard of the eating the brain thing!!! I just figured the water was ickey and might make you feel sick. Plus I have a fear of those Florida gators!

[NewDVCowner]

Whats the cottonmouth thing another poster mentioned?? And I never heard of the eating the brain thing!!! I just figured the water was ickey and might make you feel sick. Plus I have a fear of those Florida gators!

The cottonmouth is a type of poisonious snake that lives in the south. I had never thought about those before - thanks for the new nightmares.

Aryn

[KylesMom]

And I never heard of the eating the brain thing!!! Yeah, I actually had looked into the question in depth when it came up before. Needless to say, you won't catch me dunking myself in the lakes anytime soon! Water mice is the closest I'll come. :D Remember, though, that these potential hazards can be located in any lake in Florida - not just Disney World.

[Gator]

I guess my question is "Who would want to swim in a swamp/lake vs a themed swimming pool?"

[RBrooksC]

The water itself is not the problem. You could swim in the lakes as long as you didn't nor anybody else stirred up the dirt at the bottom of the lake. The amoebas live in the mud and muck at the bottom of the lake. They thrive when the water get very warm in the summer in Florida. When people swim in the lakes and stir up the dirt the amoebas get stirred into the water. For it to affect your brain, you need to get water up your nose that has the amoeba in it.

So, riding in the SeaRaycers isn't going to do anything with the water splashing. You really need to do a lot to get this bugger up your nose.

[KylesMom]

Wouldn't the boats constantly be churning up "stuff" from the bottom so that a person would be more susceptible to the amoeba? Not necessarily the smaller boats - but the ferries and such? I get what you're saying, RBrooksC, and I have no concern with the water mice. But I thought it would be fun to jetski one year, and then this subject came up here & I don't think I'd be interested in doing that now!

[RBrooksC]

The chances of anything happening when you are riding on a jet ski or anything that like that is very remote, at best. In 70 years there have only been 121 deaths attributed to this. All of those because the victims have been swimming in the water.

It is like saying, I am not going to fly to Hawaii because a hijacker might take over my flight and blow it up. Sure, it is always a possibility but the chances are so slim, why even worry about it.

You have a better chance of getting hit by a car or having a car accident than getting this bug when doing water sports on the lakes in WDW.

[Goes4FastPass]

Didn't I see kids happily running into the water and back out at the beach at Fort Wilderness?

[TammiMcMan]

Didn't I see kids happily running into the water and back out at the beach at Fort Wilderness?More than likely you'll find parents disregarding the posted warning signs at any of the resorts along the water. Perhaps they don't understand the dangers that can be present. As a poster pointed out earlier, Disney does not hire employees to police the beaches.

[andreallybadeggs]

Is it so much of a danger that Goofy can't water ski anymore? I used to love watching that as we took the ferry to MK but it's been years now.

[bbopper]

After I posted my question, I thought back to what year it was--in 1993 we had a waterfront room at the Poly and there was indeed lake swimming allowed. Two years prior, there was swimming at the beach at FW. Had I known about the alligators, cottonmouths and this brain-eating disease, we would have certainly steered clear!!!

[lockedoutlogic]

The cottonmouth is a type of poisonious snake that lives in the south. I had never thought about those before - thanks for the new nightmares.

Aryn

The cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus is the only semi-aquatic pit viper on earth - inhabiting shallow pools, LAKES, and STREAMS...with a range that covers the southern Atlantic United States. Known for it's aggressive nature, it has a reputation to strike if approached and percieved under duress.
It's northern cousin - the Copperhead - is very similar in nature and is often mistaken for the cottonmouth species.

Also called the Water Moccasin

Now, growing up in rural Western PA...we had an encounter or two with Copperheads in the wooded areas when i was a kid (quite a few, considering it was the northern tip of their range)...and we had a cottonmouth find its way into our backyard when i lived in Orlando....

woah boy...the cottonmouth was quicker and much nastier....and believe me - not something to be ignored easily

Basically rattlesnakes that are faster, meaner, and excellent swimmers


Don't we all feel better now?:thumbsup:

[mom2morgan]

I didn't know about the brain eating monsters (thanks for the info!) but as a naive Northerner, I've always been worried about the gators! Funny story (or not, depending on your perspective) - when we went to POR in 2006, the bus drive joked that he "ran over a gator" when he went over a speed bumb. This freaked my 8 year old daughter out. When we started walking through ALLIGATOR BAYOU to find our resort, she became completely unglued and ran screaming toward the parking lot!! We couldn't get her to go anywhere near the "Sassagoula river" without tears, so forget the boat to DTD!! When we went back when she was 10 we teased her a lot - we found a bunch of those tiny lizards you see there and called them "Kiki's Alligators". :mickey:

All humour aside, COULD an Alligator get into one of those waterways? I know they are man made, but I don't know if they are close enough to any areas real 'gators could travel over from. I've heard of Floridians finding them in swimming pools! And if my question is really dumb, forgive me...but if you want to know anything about mountain lions and grizzly bears I can help you out! LOL

[mom2morgan]

Basically rattlesnakes that are faster, meaner, and excellent swimmers



Fabulous. A snake with 'roid rage! :thumbsup:

[TammiMcMan]

All humour aside, COULD an Alligator get into one of those waterways?Absolutely, I have seen alligators in the water on my walks from the GF to the Poly.

[rubato]

I looked up the amoeba on Wikipedia. I can't believe how horrible that is. Wow!!! I'm not a fan of alligators or cottonmouths (saw my fare share the 4 years I lived in Arkansas), but I'll take something I can see any day over an invisible, brain eating amoeba! And, it sounds like they can't be stopped. It's inevitable death. I don't know if that's because you can't figure out what's caused the symptoms util the autopsy or what, but no thanks!

[Ed]

All humour aside, COULD an Alligator get into one of those waterways? I know they are man made, but I don't know if they are close enough to any areas real 'gators could travel over from. I've heard of Floridians finding them in swimming pools!

Remember that WDW is a piece of property larger than Manhattan Island, and most of it is undeveloped. You better believe that there are all kinds of critters living in those woods; after all, their ancestors lived here long before humans invaded their territory.

So basically, anywhere there is water in Florida, gators can be expected. :gator:

And sometimes they turn up in the most unusual places; imagine the surprise a WDW maintenance worker had when he/she found this in a restroom in Frontierland around 3am one morning ~~

[mom2morgan]

LOL - thanks for the picture! I won't be showing that to my daughter, or she won't be able to go to the bathroom in Disney! :-)

[goofyskier]

Remember that WDW is a piece of property larger than Manhattan Island, and most of it is undeveloped. You better believe that there are all kinds of critters living in those woods; after all, their ancestors lived here long before humans invaded their territory.

So basically, anywhere there is water in Florida, gators can be expected. :gator:

And sometimes they turn up in the most unusual places; imagine the surprise a WDW maintenance worker had when he/she found this in a restroom in Frontierland around 3am one morning ~~

Hey!!! When you gotta go you gotta go. :D

[Nascfan]

LOL - thanks for the picture! I won't be showing that to my daughter, or she won't be able to go to the bathroom in Disney! :-)

I don't think I'M going to the bathroom in Disney anymore! I'll hold it 'till I get home! ;)

[Patricia]

I wondered how long till Ed posted that picture.

When staying at the Shades of Green, for an Intercot meet in 2001, my fellow Intercottie Janet and I had many a gator spotting on our walks to the Poly. When we checked in they even had a little tent card with instructions on how to run from gators.


:bolt: :bolt: :bolt:

[MOJoe]

Hey!!! When you gotta go you gotta go. :D

So was that Gator on his way from Peter Pan's Flight to The Jungle Cruise or vice versa?

[beksy]

LOL :funny:

[mom2morgan]

I wondered how long till Ed posted that picture.

When staying at the Shades of Green, for an Intercot meet in 2001, my fellow Intercottie Janet and I had many a gator spotting on our walks to the Poly. When we checked in they even had a little tent card with instructions on how to run from gators.


:bolt: :bolt: :bolt:

Ummm...fast and zig-zag? But really - if they are so common that they actually have to give you instructions on escape, isn't that kind of a serious safety issue, especially considering the large numbers of children staying in the resorts?

[lockedoutlogic]

Ummm...fast and zig-zag? But really - if they are so common that they actually have to give you instructions on escape, isn't that kind of a serious safety issue, especially considering the large numbers of children staying in the resorts?

Florida is still a swamp...and swamps are inhabited by swamp animals...

Even though there is over 20 million people in Florida...they are usually concentrated in specific areas....in fact...Orlando is really the only thing "in-land" that even approaches a decent sized settlement....so you are in a swamp, plain and simple

And yes...gators live in swamps....they don't have a department titled "animal control" at WDW for dealing with squirrels....

There are Bobcats (bus almost hit one in front of fort wilderness once)...there are alligators frequently caught and relocated from all over the place (funny how everything built in a swamp REQUIRES you to build a pond or pool to stabilize the water table....kinda makes for good gator environments), and many are not bothered...the palm golf course (they are often found in the water hazards near buena vista drive...right across from the backsides of the poly and grand), the seven seas, crescent lake (mgm/epcot) and bay lake (personally saw two floating while jet skiing near the far corner past fort wilderness in 04)

there are also foxes....deer (always behind the magic kingdom on the service roads at night)

and tons of snakes....mostly racers and garters....but alot of the very UN-endangered cottonmouths i commented about (supposedly they have struggled with them on tom sawyers island forever)

Snakes are very common...though luckily humans only see them by accident...as snakes will feel the vibrations of footsteps long before you would see them and high tail it outta there....

several places with "elaborate landscaping" are very cozy for the serpents....i'll give you a hint: they are Coronado, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Caribbean....something about undergrowth and ample water supply attracts mice...and mice are yummy:mickey:

did i mention that cottonmouths are one of the few snakes that have been known to actually approach intruders?.....yeah....that was delightful to discover:sick:

[beksy]

This may sound strange, but since I was little I've loved seeing alligators (not in a bathroom though). I've never seen any on Disney property even though I always look. The snakes I can definitely do without seeing! So are there any places in particular that I would have a good chance of seeing an alligator? :blush:

[badkitty]

I saw a small alligator at AK in the water down behind Tusker House.

If you take the "Behind the Seeds" tour at EPCOT, you can see the alligator enclosure up close. Those gators are fast and mean!

[DisneyBarb]

My brother in law has done the triathalon at Disney and they had to sign a waiver about the chance of a gator attack.. They said that generally they will stay away with all the commotion of the swimmers in the water.. I know the thought of it would make me swim faster!

[milhouse]

Last week we had a Disney bus driver point out a gator next to one of the ponds on our way to the Studios. A small one, maybe 3 or 4 ft.

[ToashaF]

I saw a gator at the Grand Floridian down at the beach one night. My ex was throwing sand at it to get it out of the water and it came out alright.....not a bright guy (also my EX) LOL!:blush:

[Joannelet]

There are also coral snakes there. I had the privledge of calling animal control when I was a cast member at animal kingdom to come and remove it.
If you youtube it you can see there was a small alligator that lived in the splash mountain water. Someone mentions on the comments that it was there for a couple of years from what a cast member commented on it when someone pointed it out to him.

My brother in law also saw an alligator laying out at Saratoga Springs. I always look for them when I'm there and haven't found anything, luckily. My coral snake encounter was enough.

[Djscherr]

I looked up the amoeba on Wikipedia. I can't believe how horrible that is. Wow!!! I'm not a fan of alligators or cottonmouths (saw my fare share the 4 years I lived in Arkansas), but I'll take something I can see any day over an invisible, brain eating amoeba! And, it sounds like they can't be stopped. It's inevitable death. I don't know if that's because you can't figure out what's caused the symptoms util the autopsy or what, but no thanks!

I agree, I say the same thing when I go hiking up here in the north. I'm not so scared of bears (I am of moose though they are mean) or snakes you can generally see both of those. Those darn deer ticks though that are near invisible are what scares me in the woods.

[Figaro]

As has been said, Disney avoids allowing guests to swim in the lake because of the temp and the possibility of bacteria. Swimming in the lakes are NOT permitted and it is "monitored" during hours that Lake Patrol is on the lake, which is normally between 10am and 5-6pm. They will motor by and let you know it's not allowed. Disney official rule is you are allowed into the water ONLY up to ankle height. I was formerly a lifeguard and lake patrol cast member and have swam in the lake MANY times. I've never gotten sick from it, or had a face to face encounter with the gators, but the gators and snakes are there. I have seen MANY gators in the lake, especially at night. Gators are all over Disney and in the various waterways. Let me tell you this though, swimming in Bay Lake and/or 7 Seas is nothing special. Many times as soon as we got out, we'd all shower because you smell of lake water and it'll stain your clothing. I've lost a rash guard to the lake because it stained it...

[jonahbear2006]

scary. i hate animals. i dont trust any of them, not even small ones. dogs even scare me because they can be nice and loyal for years and then turn on you. Animals are not meant to be in our homes and in our children's faces. We always obeyed the swimming rules there at Disney, mainly bc of the signs, but lakes gross me out. I swam in the lewis and clark state park lake as a child and was bitten by something a toad or who knows what, and it scared me to death so I don't allow my kids to swim in lake water. If I can't see through the water, no way. Oceans scare me too and we got in briefly in September but after I read about New Symrna and seeing how close we are to it, when we are in Florida, I doubt we ever let our kids in the ocean again. Just too dangerous.