Swimming in any non-pool water?

[Nascfan]

I think I know the answer to this, but wanted to verify......is there any swimming in any non-pool water at WDW? IE: do any of the resorts that have beach areas allow any swimming off those beaches?

I thought I saw something awhile ago that wasn't allowed, but now can't find it when I search.

Thanks!

[buzznwoodysmom]

No, swimming is not allowed at any of the resort "beaches".

[cuteduck223]

something about brain eating parasites...

[DVC2004]

something about brain eating parasites...

...and gators...

[Goofy-n-Alabama]

I remember back in the early 80's staying a Poly and swimming every day in the lagoon!! Those were fun times.:D

[floridamom]

I remember back in the early 80's staying a Poly and swimming every day in the lagoon!! Those were fun times.:D

I didn't get to see/experience that at Poly- my folks loved CR. But I do remember River Country.

[dnickels]

As mentioned, no longer allowed so you have to go off-site for swimming in any non-pool areas.

FWIW, the brain eating amoeba thing is one reason but it gets far more attention than it deserves due to the incrementally small odds of getting it. Millions swim in Florida lakes, rivers and springs every year, in fact there was an article in the Orlando Sentinel today about a doctor in the area who has swum across the lake behind his house every morning since 1989. From the article it also says up to 200 (yes hundred) people join him for the swim each day.

If you're looking for some non-pool swimming places in the area let me know and I can relay a few.

[joonyer]

Yes, far more likely to get attacked by a gator or struck by lightning than infected by the amoeba, but we don't like to think about risks in a realistic fashion. We fear the unlikely and ignore the most common risks (like car accidents, smoking, etc.) Too bad, because River Country was really cool!

[mom2morgan]

Yes, far more likely to get attacked by a gator or struck by lightning than infected by the amoeba,

Oh yes, THAT make me feel much better, LOL! On our first trip our bus driver made a joke about a speed bump going into POR being a 'gator, and I had to check every path and bush all week long before my daughter would walk on them without freaking out. Just when she got over it, and I told her that there are absolutely NO alligators in any "Disney" water some genius very sincerely assured me I was wrong. Kiana was not taking "extremely unlikely" as an answer by that point ;-)

[javamama]

Like the pp say the brain eating parasites will make you the newest cast member of the walking dead!
A few years ago myself, and 20 other parents didn't realize while we let about 25 of our kids make a huge wading pool at the polys beach...should have known better.

[Catzle]

What's amazing is the number of parents who still let their children swim at the Poly. Every trip we have gone on tons of kids are swimming in the water. We let ours play on the beach by the water but never swim in sit in the water.

[AmandaChan]

It might have been on a post that I made a while ago, about MIL wanting to stay at CBR b/c she thought she could wade in the beach. Yeah no, brain eating parasites and gators is pretty much a big enough turn off for me.

[AmandaChan]

Like the pp say the brain eating parasites will make you the newest cast member of the walking dead!
A few years ago myself, and 20 other parents didn't realize while we let about 25 of our kids make a huge wading pool at the polys beach...should have known better.

I can totally picture a zombie with mickey ears on. I have thought of WDW myself while watching that show, like ... would it be abandoned or will people have wandered in there??

[Polynesian Dweller]

As mentioned, no longer allowed so you have to go off-site for swimming in any non-pool areas.

FWIW, the brain eating amoeba thing is one reason but it gets far more attention than it deserves due to the incrementally small odds of getting it. Millions swim in Florida lakes, rivers and springs every year, in fact there was an article in the Orlando Sentinel today about a doctor in the area who has swum across the lake behind his house every morning since 1989. From the article it also says up to 200 (yes hundred) people join him for the swim each day.

If you're looking for some non-pool swimming places in the area let me know and I can relay a few.
While all of that is of course true but it's the consequences of getting the associated menigoencephalitis that is the real issue. The amoeba enters through the nose and infects the brain. If the encephalitis occurs survival rates are only about 1%. Even though it's very low risk the consequences are huge. That doesn't seem like something I want anyone in my family to get on a vacation.

[Gusgus]

However water skiing is fine :confused:

[Polynesian Dweller]

However water skiing is fine :confused:

Deeper colder water seems to be ok. The greater likelihood appears to be when you stir up the bottom in warmer water. The amoebas thrive in warm water not colder.

[Tygger7]

And it's absolutely no joke or exaggeration about gators. We were waiting for the boat at the Wilderness Lodge dock and a small gator was swimming right next to the dock....and I have a photo to prove it. What baffled me was that same night, we were watching the electric water parade on the WL beach and people were letting thier small kids run along and lean over into the water. A couple told the parents that there were gators in the water and the parents just laughed. Since I was sitting near by, I said, "No, they're not kidding and I have a picture of one from earlier today taken just at the dock if you'd like to see it." Fortunately, they had their kids play further away from the water's edge after that.

[Cinderelley]

So what keeps the gators from going up on the beach instead of staying in the water?

[brownie]

So what keeps the gators from going up on the beach instead of staying in the water?

:pixie:

They're allergic to the pixie dust in the sand.

[joonyer]

So what keeps the gators from going up on the beach instead of staying in the water?

Mainly people being around. Most gators will avoid us if possible. We are dangerous!

[dnickels]

So what keeps the gators from going up on the beach instead of staying in the water?

Disney also captures alligators on property regularly and removes them. By the time something got big enough to injure a person it would already have been spotted and removed. You'll see little ones occasionally but with the amount of traffic on Bay Lake and the number of people around it would be nearly impossible for a large alligator to go undetected.