Any areas allowed for "wading"

[Jetta8300]

If they don't want people to wade, why doesn't the sign say that? According to these threads, lots play in that (gross) water.

I happen to think that when you have the lakes set up as "beaches" you are going to see wading. And wading is not swimming to me.

Having a lake setup like CBR or CSR is not condusive to wading. But when you are mimicking a beach that people swim in, like at the GF, etc I think many people who are used to swimming in nasty lake water By their home towns (aka MILLIONS of Americans) then It's reasonable to expect people to take a walk and dip their feet in. It's setup like a beach. To me, "no swimming" means they don't want hundreds of kids going waist deep or all the way under in their swimsuits and swimming out into the water. Being from Ohio I would not think it was due to gators if I wasn't an experienced traveler. I would just think... No lifeguards, bacteria, something of that nature.

 

[Jetta8300]

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[ChiTownRookie]

But when you are mimicking a beach that people swim in, like at the GF, etc I think many people who are used to swimming in nasty lake water (aka MILLIONS of Americans) then It's reasonable to expect people to take a walk and dip their feet in. To me, "no swimming" means they don't want hundreds of kids going waist deep or all the way under in their swimsuits and swimming out into the water.

I TOTALLY agree. Hmm, build a beach with shallow/direct water entry, but expect that NO ONE should/would step in it? Then why build it that way to begin with? If you DON'T want people in the water, DO NOT build it with direct entry access. WDW is a very international destination and should not assume everyone would interpret a limited sign the same way.

 

[Jetta8300]

I TOTALLY agree. Hmm, build a beach with shallow/direct water entry, but expect that NO ONE should/would step in it? Then why build it that way to begin with? If you DON'T

Exactly what I'm saying. Once I told my family it was seriously a BEACH setup with chairs and loungers, etc. they were like, "SERIOUSLY?? That's different then. " That's disneys fault. You don't want people wading in then don't draw people to it like its a regular beach.

 

[thedonduck]

I TOTALLY agree. Hmm, build a beach with shallow/direct water entry, but expect that NO ONE should/would step in it? Then why build it that way to begin with? If you DON'T want people in the water, DO NOT build it with direct entry access. WDW is a very international destination and should not assume everyone would interpret a limited sign the same way.

Most of these beaches were built long before there was an issue with alligators (back when they were on the endangered list) and the bacteria wasn't present yet.

 

[Disneyliscious]

If you are a guest at the Yacht or Beach Club, you can "wade" into the manmade beach of Stormalong Bay, (which is the pool area for the resorts). The actual nearby beach is marked as "No Swimming".

The sign in the above photo would have in NO way made me think it wasn't ok to wade in the edge.

 

[Jetta8300]

Most of these beaches were built long before there was an issue with alligators (back when they were on the endangered list) and the bacteria wasn't present yet.

Yeah and to know that again, you have to be a hardcore Disney fan. And 99.9% of travelers aren't. And that's disneys fault, not tourists. People don't need to go reading for endless hours on message boards in order to go to Disney just because i do. You have a gator problem, stop drawing people to that beach.

 

[thedonduck]

Yeah and to know that again, you have to be a hardcore Disney fan. And 99.9% of travelers aren't. And that's disneys fault, not tourists. People don't need to go reading for endless hours on message boards in order to go to Disney just because i do. You have a gator problem, stop drawing people to that beach.

I completely and utterly disagree. Every body of water in FL will have a gator or more in it. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with Disney's fault. This is Mother Nature, this is us as humans NOT understanding or being ignorant to the facts of how and where animals live. Unfortunately it always takes tragedies like this for signs to be posted, because as seen by so many of us, assumptions are made that people are aware of the dangers of water in the South. I have only live here for a couple years, but I have known since I was little and growing up in WI that there are gators in the lakes, ponds and rivers in FL. Never knew people thought differently. That doesn't make this in any way Disney's fault. This has never happened before.

 

[Jetta8300]

I completely and utterly disagree. Every body of water in FL will have a gator or more in it. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with Disney's fault. This is Mother Nature, this is us as humans NOT understanding or being ignorant to the facts of how and where animals live. Unfortunately it always takes tragedies like this for signs to be posted, because as seen by so many of us, assumptions are made that people are aware of the dangers of water in the South. I have only live here for a couple years, but I have known since I was little and growing up in WI that there are gators in the lakes, ponds and rivers in FL. Never knew people thought differently. That doesn't make this in any way Disney's fault. This has never happened before.

Well I guess because you knew it then everyone should have known. Lol. And I stand firm that you should NOT put loungers and mimic a swimming zero entry beach that you do not want people going near or wading in. When you specialize in international travelers.

 

[brettb]

From the mid to late '70s, I swam in Bay Lake at the Contemporary. The sand was further back and a swimming area was marked with a buoy rope from (I think) the edge of the circle pool to the south. I seem to recall a ladder from the circle pool "deck" into the lake. I can't be sure, but I think there was a lifeguard. I'd dive down and find tiny freshwater clams in the sand. I also seem to remember Goofy would water-ski right onto the beach and then play in the pool.

I don't recall exactly when the WDW ban on swimming came about but it seems likely that the 1980 death of a 11-yo boy who spent the day at River Country had something to do with it. The water there was somewhat separated from the lake water and only partially purified. I seem to recall swimming being allowed at one point if you used a nose plug/clamp.

The chance of contracting it is very low but the survival rate is nearly zero. There's plenty of info here: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/infection-sources.html

All that aside, I don't think "wading" at the beach areas at WDW, at least during the day, is terribly risky.

Lots of people are near the water on those beaches probably every night the weather's decent. We were in 2010 and there were little kids doing exactly what the previous poster referred to: building sandcastles right at the water's edge.

Given all the beach chairs, cabanas, and movies on the beach - and in the past, canoes, Sunfish and Hobie Cats - along with the history of the swimming ban, I think it's perfectly reasonable for people to think "No Swimming" means exactly that and nothing else. I don't know if it's current practice, but launching a Sunfish or Hobie Cat requires some amount of "wading."

I took this photo that night:

Here's an enlarged and lightened version:

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

How about "Danger, Don't Go In the Water!" Very simple unambiguous words, many of which non English speakers will know (more so than swimming maybe).

Can someone tell me why Bay Lake is okay and SSL is not? I was very surprised to see water sports offered at the Contemporary when I started researching it.

 

[thedonduck]

Well I guess because you knew it then everyone should have known. Lol. View attachment 175694

Did you read what I said? I didn't realize there were people who didn't know this. I assumed that people understand this. Just as there are people who assumed somehow there weren't alligators in a man made lake (which I don't understand). Disney may have assumed saying do not swim, no swimming, etc was enough to keep people out of the water on these beaches.

 

[thedonduck]

How about "Danger, Don't Go In the Water!" Very simple unambiguous words, many of which non English speakers will know (more so than swimming maybe).

Can someone tell me why Bay Lake is okay and SSL is not? I was very surprised to see water sports offered at the Contemporary when I started researching it.

Bay lake is a true spring fed lake. There bacteria isn't really able to grow there. Doesn't mean it is safe from gators or snakes, etc. just means you have a harder time contracting the amoeba as the water is constantly moving.

 

[BrokeMack]

As I native Floridian I was always more concerned about water moccasins than gators and I never heard of brain eating amoebas until I started reading the disboards. Apparently all the northerners are terrified of them, I've been swimming in Florida freshwater my whole life.

I have nothing to say about the present situation except that its a tragedy and passing blame does no good.

 

[kdisser]

Even with the issues of bacteria in the water why would you want to wade in it.... it's like "well i know this is sewage but it'll be ok for my feet.."
Why are not using common sense with "hey if we can't swim in the water, maybe, just maybe we don't belong in any part of it..."
Why can't people just swim in the designated swimming pools, splash pads, etc. offered to you?? Oh because it might be crowded, but the lake isn't...guess what there's a reason for that. It just peeves me that people think the signs need to be more specified, use some common sense.

 

[Jetta8300]

Even with the issues of bacteria in the water why would you want to wade in it.... it's like "well i know this is sewage but it'll be ok for my feet.."
Why are not using common sense with "hey if we can't swim in the water, maybe, just maybe we don't belong in any part of it..."
Why can't people just swim in the designated swimming pools, splash pads, etc. offered to you?? Oh because it might be crowded, but the lake isn't...guess what there's a reason for that. It just peeves me that people think the signs need to be more specified, use some common sense.

um... Millions of Americans swim in lakes. Millions of Americans don't have access to the ocean and swim in lakes. I don't... I think it's nasty. But it's not an unusual thing to do by any stretch.

 

[brettb]

Even with the issues of bacteria in the water why would you want to wade in it.... it's like "well i know this is sewage but it'll be ok for my feet.."
Why are not using common sense with "hey if we can't swim in the water, maybe, just maybe we don't belong in any part of it..."
Why can't people just swim in the designated swimming pools, splash pads, etc. offered to you?? Oh because it might be crowded, but the lake isn't...guess what there's a reason for that. It just peeves me that people think the signs need to be more specified, use some common sense.

Sewage? Really?

There are plenty of reasons for swimming to not be allowed that have nothing to do with whether it's safe or advisable to be near it, use it to wet sand for sandcastles, or even dip one's toes in it. Have you seen the marketing photos of the resorts? Somebody posted one above with couple on the beach next to the Hobie Cat. Have you been on the beach at the Polynesian for fireworks?

And plenty of people eat the fish they catch, boat, and swim in lakes like that. In some areas, lakes like that are a source for public drinking water. It's not sewage.

I know Disney has created an image of hyper-sanitization for itself but it's perfectly reasonable for people to have a different take on the Disney lakes than yours.

 

[gratefulfred]

These beaches were swimming beaches for a long time. When I was a child some of my favorite memories were of swimming in the lake in the mid 80's (last time was summer of 1986) with my family at the Poly beach. They had a roped off area with a lifeguard stand and swimming was allowed. I was told in the 70's they even had a wave machine on the island across from the poly beach to throw waves for the swimmers at the beach, but they shut it down because it was washing away the sand. I know it's been off limits for years, but what year did they end swimming in the lakes

 

[Jetta8300]

Sewage? Really?

There are plenty of reasons for swimming to not be allowed that have nothing to do with whether it's safe or advisable to be near it, use it to wet sand for sandcastles, or even dip one's toes in it. Have you seen the marketing photos of the resorts? Somebody posted one above with couple on the beach next to the Hobie Cat. Have you been on the beach at the Polynesian for fireworks?

And plenty of people eat the fish they catch, boat, and swim in lakes like that. In some areas, lakes like that are a source for public drinking water. It's not sewage.

I know Disney has created an image of hyper-sanitization for itself but it's perfectly reasonable for people to have a different take on the Disney lakes than yours.

Here it is again. Circulating on many travel agent sites.

 

[drinkme]

um... Millions of Americans swim in lakes. Millions of Americans don't have access to the ocean and swim in lakes. I don't... I think it's nasty. But it's not an unusual thing to do by any stretch.

I agree. We swim in lakes all of the time. And to the poster who said that SSL isn't safe but Bay Lake is. Well how is a tourist supposed to know that? Disney advertises water craft rentals. Why wouldn't one think that all of their water is safe.

Why isnt the amoeba killing the gators?