Abandoned resorts

[VAN]

Thanks to all who corrected my posting. I knew that "Adventure" Island didn't sound right - it was "Discovery" Island.

 

[krise]

Wow how interesting! I knew coming to this board I would learn something new every day! :lol

 

[TK-Fett]

awesome thread, I love soakin up all this little know stuff about Disney

 

[Tara922c]

Is it possible that some of the tree houses are already in use? In August of 2007 I stayed at POR and took the boat to Downtown Disney. We passed by what I thought was the tree houses, there were people in them and they weren't construction workers. We could see beds with clothing items on them and food on tables.

I did the College Program in 2006, and they Tree House Villas were being used for the College Program kids from Brazil. I was jelious that they got to stay there because each villa had a washer, and dryer!

 

[AndyMcV]

It amazes me each time I see that mess when I stay at Pop. This is the kind of thing Walt Disney would have never allowed!...

I agree with Amy&Dan. There's no way Walt would have allowed this. The amount of energy and detail he put into a show and what he wanted his visitors to see... no way he would have allowed his guests to see that at Pop.

 

[ree123]

WOW! Those pics from River country make me sad.... I had so much fun there when I was little

 

[buffettgirl]

Discovery Island - also had a sunken pirate ship . You can still sort of see the remnants of the dock if you take the boat to FW.

snakes - had a snake in our room at CBR in 1991. good times.

River Country - I remember getting hurt on the slides - they were metal and had rivets joining them together. They also had a large "tube" type ride where you rode multiple people in a tube and it had a big drop at the end. And then there was the pool and a kiddie area. It was fun, but the whole place smelled like Lake water. (obviously, that's what it was filled with) and so it just never felt clean to me as a kid. But, I feel sad and nostalgic when I see pictures. It was a wonderful place and i have so many good memories.

 

[spiceycat]

though Discovery Island got closed because the blizzards would not leave it alone.

Disney tried what SW did - shot something to make a loud noise - and the animal rights people were on Disney bad.

so closing DI make sense when AK opened. just moved the birds over there.

Pop I think was started in 1997 - don't ask me why I remember it. it was a BIG project. there should be something somewhere about it being build. It was going to be the biggest resort in Florida.

they had completely most of it before 9/11 - but it never opened. It sat there unused until 2003 when Disney decided to open it.

though WDW still had to kept their promise to the stockholders about no WDW resort building for 5 years - just don't remember when that promise was made?

Finishing Pop would be consider a new WDW resort.

Now DVC resorts are different. Disney gets the money back from DVC within a few years of their construction. So no new resorts don't apply to DVC resorts.

now if BLT/AKV/TH(SSR) does not sell out in a reasonable amount of time - that may stop too.

to me reasonable would be 5 years - but think Disney believe it is 3 years or less. Definitely less for BLT.

 

[zstyles]

If you have google earth downloaded onto your computer, type in WDW and look at the aerial view. It's amazing how much property Disney owns and how many buildings there are that seem to be in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure most have a purpose, but seeing the previous pics, I wonder.

Honestly, I was amazed that there are abandoned buildings or unfinished buildings at the Pop resort, especially since there have been new DVC resorts built since then. If anyone knows of another "scrapped" project, please share it with us.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...495745352484&phscl=2.15873831601281&encType=1

Zoom in on that..you can see a great photo of the buildings they already tore down.

 

[zstyles]

I had never heard of discovery island before. If it's abandoned and sits across from WVL, what does it look like today???

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...182908154779&phscl=2.81838293126445&encType=1

Might this be it?

 

[mrsklamc]

though Discovery Island got closed because the blizzards would not leave it alone.

This typo entertains me way too much today.

 

[buffettgirl]

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...182908154779&phscl=2.81838293126445&encType=1

Might this be it?

yes, that's it.

Right below it you can see the remnants of River Country. Just below and to the left of that piece of shore that juts out (which is to the left of the FW dock)

 

[WillCAD]

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...495745352484&phscl=2.15873831601281&encType=1

Zoom in on that..you can see a great photo of the buildings they already tore down.

No buildings have ever been torn down at Pop Century.

What you see in that aerial pic are foundations for buildings that were not yet begun.

 

[ddawg]

What about Pleasure Island? They closed that down. Is anything happening there?

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

This whole River Country thing creeps me out a lot, I wish I could see it in real life though!

 

[gk90]

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...495745352484&phscl=2.15873831601281&encType=1

Zoom in on that..you can see a great photo of the buildings they already tore down.

What is the area to the right of Pop? It looks like bombing or industrial waste?

 

[WillCAD]

What is the area to the right of Pop? It looks like bombing or industrial waste?

That's just undeveloped area. From the straight lines of trees, I would guess that it was once an agricultural area, as much of WDW property was before Walt bought it back in the 60s.

The resort just to the north of the empty area is the Bonnet Creek Resort, which is a non-Disney resort located on the only plot of land in the middle of WDW that is not owned by Disney. The configuration of the roads in Bonnet Creek Resort make me wonder if the undeveloped area is part of the same parcel of land, and might be developed as expansions to Bonnet Creek or some other project in the future.

 

[countrycandie]

I remember River Country!! I wanted to go there SOOO bad when I was a kid. We'd taken our first trip when I was 5 to WDW, pre-Epcot days. We went to Disneyland when I was 8, came back to WDW when I was 16 and back again when I was 18. It was a LONG 13 YEARS before I got to come back. I didn't get to go last year like I wanted, but I'll be "hornswaggled" if I miss out this year. I am so glad there are Disneyphiles like me who understand.

 

[spiceycat]

What is the area to the right of Pop? It looks like bombing or industrial waste?

you are looking at an old map - it doesn't even have Kidani - which will open soon or BLT.

so think that is part of the Bonnett Creek developement - there is surpose to be 2 hiltons there which should open this Nov.

 

[buffettgirl]

http://www.disneypix.com/Recreation/River/WaterParks_RC.htm

these are some great pics of River Country - opened and closed...