ALL BEACHES CLOSED

[cruisingtwins]

I am sorry but I find it hard to believe that there are several kids playing the water with CMs present. I am not saying it didn't happen but I don't know. As for the beach toys I don't see a problem with that.

Ok then... If you google beach+ name of disney resorts youll see images of kids playing in the shore.

 

[cruisingtwins]

In fairness to the whole beach toys thing I've seen thrown around quite a lot.

There are sandy play areas usually near the pools that they're probably intended for.

There are no sandy play areas in CBR other than the beaches.

 

[umichigan10]

There are no sandy play areas in CBR other than the beaches.

Well then my theories kinda busted. Oh well

 

[rteetz]

Yes always by the fire pit there were kids playing int he water. I lived in Orlando for 9 months and occasionally took my kids to different resorts for the marshmallow roasting. There were always kids playing in the water with CMs right there.

I believe you. I guess I am surprised that it occurred. One problem that Disney needs to fix is their CMs need to be informed.

 

[rteetz]

There are no sandy play areas in CBR other than the beaches.

There is no problem with playing on the beach though. In the water is where the problem is.

 

[cruisingtwins]

There is no problem with playing on the beach though. In the water is where the problem is.

Yes but if you give sand toys to a kid on the beach they'll go to the shore to play with the wet sand because the dry sand doesn't hold shapes.

 

[minnie mum]

Fencing it off and putting a lifeguard there would likely do the trick.

If there are signs saying No Swimming ( or maybe soon the signs will read STAY THE HELL OUT OF THE WATER), and you build fences, why would you need a life guard? A life guards job is to keep swimmers safe. And do you expect Disney to post life guards at regular intervals along every beach at WDW? 24/7?

How big a fence does it have to be? High enough to keep gators in the water or high enough to keep morons out of the water? And since it would have to be a dense metal fence to be gator proof, wont that be a fine sight to see every where a patch of water is to be found.

 

[umichigan10]

If there are signs saying No Swimming ( or maybe soon the signs will read STAY THE HELL OUT OF THE WATER), and you build fences, why would you need a life guard? A life guards job is to keep swimmers safe. And do you expect Disney to post life guards at regular intervals along every beach at WDW? 24/7?

How big a fence does it have to be? High enough to keep gators in the water or high enough to keep morons out of the water? And since it would have to be a dense metal fence to be gator proof, wont that be a fine sight to see every where a patch of water is to be found.

Plus gators can climb fences which is horrifying in its own right

 

[Mofang]

Remember, Seven Seas Lagoon was originally intended in the '70s to be a recreational lake with swimming, and the coastline was intended to simulate a real waterfront resort. That's why there is a wildly expensive decommissioned wave machine at the bottom, and why these "beaches" still exist.

Between erosion problems and the brain eating amoeba problem, Disney long ago abandoned tha plan, but has kept the beaches for atmosphere. This incident could be the catalyst that indicates to Disney that it's time to shut them down entirely and reconfigure the waterfront for good...

 

[Nancyg56]

Remember, Seven Seas Lagoon was originally intended in the '70s to be a recreational lake with swimming, and the coastline was intended to simulate a real waterfront resort. That's why there is a wildly expensive decommissioned wave machine at the bottom, and why these "beaches" still exist.

Between erosion problems and the brain eating amoeba problem, Disney long ago abandoned tha plan, but has kept the beaches for atmosphere. This incident could be the catalyst that indicates to Disney that it's time to shut them down entirely and reconfigure the waterfront for good...

I do not know if that will happen, but I think it would be a shame if it does. If Disney needs to place signs that explicitly detail any risk, minor or not, on the beaches, fine. But to reconfigure a lovely area that many enjoy relaxing on so that people can now "feel" safe, is in my opinion an overreaction.

 

[mshanson3121]

There is no problem with playing on the beach though. In the water is where the problem is.

Except that a gator can snatch a kid on the sand. A gator can be up to 10' long. They can (and will and do) lunge out of the water onto the shore to grab it's prey, then drag it quickly back to the water. So technically, no, the sand is not safe. Ideally, kids shouldn't be within 10' of the water. At the very least, not any time near or after dusk. IMO, the very least Disney should do is state that the beach areas are closed at dusk. It won't prevent people from ignoring the rules, but at least then they'll have done their part to protect it's guests. So tired of people arguing "But it's the first time!" WHO CARES? It's happened before this time and it will happen again, and maybe next time Disney won't be so lucky and have a 30 year span in between attacks.

 

[disneynutz]

Don't forget about the poisonous spiders and snakes.

Bill

 

[EdmondD]

I do not know if that will happen, but I think it would be a shame if it does. If Disney needs to place signs that explicitly detail any risk, minor or not, on the beaches, fine. But to reconfigure a lovely area that many enjoy relaxing on so that people can now "feel" safe, is in my opinion an overreaction.

But LAWYERS

 

[LSLS]

Except that a gator can snatch a kid on the sand. A gator can be up to 10' long. They can (and will and do) lunge out of the water onto the shore to grab it's prey, then drag it quickly back to the water. So technically, no, the sand is not safe. Ideally, kids shouldn't be within 10' of the water. At the very least, not any time near or after dusk. IMO, the very least Disney should do is state that the beach areas are closed at dusk. It won't prevent people from ignoring the rules, but at least then they'll have done their part to protect it's guests. So tired of people arguing "But it's the first time!" WHO CARES? It's happened before this time and it will happen again, and maybe next time Disney won't be so lucky and have a 30 year span in between attacks.

Go look up a history of gator kills. Almost every one of the observed deaths (not found days later) occurs from being in the water. Gators will eat humans, but they aren't human eating machines. Who Cares is not the response you are getting. You are getting a response of "This is extremely rare and it is difficult to anticipate something of such rarity. There should be better signs, but one beach attack in however many years (40,50, whatever) should not cause people to declare all areas within a quarter mile of the water death traps that need to be closed off permanently."

Personally, I would be fine with putting up a barrier between the water and beach area (rocks, fence, whatever) as a deterrent to people getting near the water. I don't care about the movies or hammocks on the beaches, but I do think if you do say the movies, you close off the rest of the beach at dusk and have a CM or two just making sure people stay in that designated area (which should be at least 25 feet or so from the water). If that can't be done, then just shut the beaches down at dusk and move the movies somewhere else. I don't think that is an over the top response, nor do I think it would take much for Disney to do this. I do wonder how the beach closures may impact the electric water parade.

 

[gdrj]

Personally, I would be fine with putting up a barrier between the water and beach area (rocks, fence, whatever) as a deterrent to people getting near the water. I don't care about the movies or hammocks on the beaches, but I do think if you do say the movies, you close off the rest of the beach at dusk and have a CM or two just making sure people stay in that designated area (which should be at least 25 feet or so from the water). If that can't be done, then just shut the beaches down at dusk and move the movies somewhere else. I don't think that is an over the top response, nor do I think it would take much for Disney to do this. I do wonder how the beach closures may impact the electric water parade.

If they redesign the beach areas I'm fine with that, not sure if it is necessary. I think that having a more detailed sign on the beaches and not having kids activities at night on the beach would be wise. I don't think you need to post CM's at beach if there are more explicit signs(there is some self-responsibility). As far as the electric parade a redesign does not mean elimination of viewing areas (shoreline could end up with rocks or bulkheads raising the beach above the water line). In our 25 plus trips, not sure if we have ever viewed from the beaches. I do hope they review and have a well though out plan, and don't rush the change.

 

[ClemmyIndyBambi]

I'm so confused by all this. Florida is home to alligators. I keep seeing people acting shocked that there was an alligator, but ignorance of alligators is not Disney's fault. People need to take the initiative to research where they are traveling to. It's like when someone goes to Yellowstone and gets attacked by a bear and everyone freaks out. You're in a place with bears! We are in an age where information is more readily available than ever before and yet people seem to be less interested in acquiring it. That being said, the vast majority of people in Florida do not live their lives avoiding every bit of water because there might be an alligator. There are still lakes that people play in with their children in Florida that may have an alligator in it. This attack was rare, although that does not make it any less tragic. However, to be alarmist about it is not the answer. Yes, I agree they should probably add a sign that says "alligators in the water". But, beyond that I think people should be given the choice. Although, it's doubtful because we like to blame others for our free choices, and I'm sure Disney doesn't want any more blame.

Also, I don't think the excuse of "some people come from places without alligators" is a fair argument in the reason to take drastic steps, because I come from Iowa. We do not have alligators, but I know there are alligators in Florida and they can be hiding in any water way. I know that while WDW feels like a magical world away from it all, we are still having to live in the natural world (which has alligators).

 

[nkosiek]

I do not know if that will happen, but I think it would be a shame if it does. If Disney needs to place signs that explicitly detail any risk, minor or not, on the beaches, fine. But to reconfigure a lovely area that many enjoy relaxing on so that people can now "feel" safe, is in my opinion an overreaction.

This is what the federal government did in Philadelphia after 9/11. They shut down the area around Independence Hall to traffic (it's in a major downtown area). It took two years to get that changed but they have still banned pedestrians walking around the building or even the block. Half of the backside was shut down and many benches were removed. You can't walk in front of the building and forget about walking over to take a picture of the Washington statue in front of it. Not sure people feel safer but they sure as hell went overboard. I think that's the new reality of America...go overboard to make people feel better and to hell with the realities of the situation.

Again, I'm not saying they don't need to do something about signage or even moving the activities away from the beaches, but to fully reconfigure them just seems like an overreaction as you stated. I noted in the other thread, they have signs about gators over at the golf courses/Shades of Green, I figure that's the way to go.

 

[rteetz]

Except that a gator can snatch a kid on the sand. A gator can be up to 10' long. They can (and will and do) lunge out of the water onto the shore to grab it's prey, then drag it quickly back to the water. So technically, no, the sand is not safe. Ideally, kids shouldn't be within 10' of the water. At the very least, not any time near or after dusk. IMO, the very least Disney should do is state that the beach areas are closed at dusk. It won't prevent people from ignoring the rules, but at least then they'll have done their part to protect it's guests. So tired of people arguing "But it's the first time!" WHO CARES? It's happened before this time and it will happen again, and maybe next time Disney won't be so lucky and have a 30 year span in between attacks.

According to the things I have seen they are less likely to come out of the water to get their prey. Sure it's still possible but less likely. I really don't think this will become any sort of common occurrence. I can also guarantee Disney will be watching the lakes for gators even more than they would before.

 

[rungoofy]

We have been frequent visitors to WDW from Maryland for the past dozen years. I know that there are alligators in Florida. I know that they could be in any body of water. Even knowing this, my guard is down while on vacation. I didn't think twice about my son going down to the shore line around dusk (this at Beach Club). How devastating for the family, for anyone who witnessed it and for Disney as well. I'm certain that signage will change at a minimum. Beach access will likely be closed from dusk until dawn.

 

[Kidatheart2010]

This is what the federal government did in Philadelphia after 9/11. They shut down the area around Independence Hall to traffic (it's in a major downtown area). It took two years to get that changed but they have still banned pedestrians walking around the building or even the block. Half of the backside was shut down and many benches were removed. You can't walk in front of the building and forget about walking over to take a picture of the Washington statue in front of it. Not sure people feel safer but they sure as hell went overboard. I think that's the new reality of America...go overboard to make people feel better and to hell with the realities of the situation.

Again, I'm not saying they don't need to do something about signage or even moving the activities away from the beaches, but to fully reconfigure them just seems like an overreaction as you stated. I noted in the other thread, they have signs about gators over at the golf courses/Shades of Green, I figure that's the way to go.

Here is one of the signs by the water on the path from the Shades of Green to the Poly.