River Country Reopening?

[Planogirl]

Last March we walked into the part of River Country that was still open then and the area looked well maintained. The picnic grounds, the trail, the restroom area and so on were open and lit. The pool and slides were fenced off and they looked gloomy and ragged.

We ran into another couple and the girl asked in a teary voice if anything could be done because she spent time there as a child and it was really sad to her. It's too bad.

 

[Billmel]

My family stayed in FW in June 01, at that time RC was open, and it was the first time my DD and DH had ever been to RC. It was my favorite water park growing up and my mother (who never goes in the water) would actually go in the pool. I agree that the tube slide was the best. When we were there the park was packed, I remember a homemade icecream stand that had a huge icecream machine right inside RC entrance that had the best peach icecream I ever had. A lot of great memories for me are associated with this park. Hopefully they will reopen at least the pool area at some point and make it part of FW, they need a themed pool of some kind and that would be a good start.

 

[texas8891]

My family loves to stay at FW, but the children are always disappointed in the swimming pools available. They love the pool at WL. It seems to me that reopening RC, even if it's reduced in scope, and using it as the pool for FW would be the perfect solution. Also, now the "bacteria problem" in the lake has been resolved, so that shouldn't be an issue. On my visit in January, they were allowing swimming in roped off areas of the lake (although it was 37 degrees outside).

 

[YoHo]

Can anyone else confirm that swimming was allowed.

That's a pretty big thing for them to do for it not to have been announced here.

Maybe waterlevels are up enough that the natural drainage system is being efficent again.

 

[KNWVIKING]

.... How did something like swimming in Bay Lake not get a brand spankin new thread of it's own. That's big news IMO.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Swimming was still not allowed at any WDW resort as of March 21, not sure about since then, or a period in January. Perhaps it was just some crazies wading against orders.

 

[Chicago526]

I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge last May, and we took the boat to MK, and it goes past RC. It looked to me like they had ripped out RC and not just for rehab, it looked like it was gone for good.

It's too bad, especially for the campground folks, but WDW does have 2 state of the art water parks, and the last time I was at RC it was almost empty.

 

[colleen costello]

When I was a kid we camped at Ft. Wilderness just about every summer, and every afternoon we swam in that yukky lake. For a long time, FW had NO pools -- I think the main one was added later and the one out by the cabins later still. They had a big float moored out a way in the water and you could jump and slide off it. It was covered with astroturf and would sting your butt!

When River Country opened, it was so amazing. I can remember going home and trying to describe it to friends and it was hard to do, because there was nothing to compare it to. There were no other water slides that I knew of, no wonderful canals to ride tubes through. I remember one evening my parents let me go back all by myself and stay 'til RC closed. I was about 11 (yikes! What were they thinking???) and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I rode the tube ride about a thousand times til they booted me out at 10pm! I walked back to our trailer in loop 700, which back then was Tupelo Trail, exhausted and happy.

I know I sound like some old coot, reminiscing about the good old days, but RC really was special, and somehow I survived the mutant, brain-eating amoebas in that lake... I hope against hope they open the place up again! I want to take MY kids... but you can bet I won't leave them there alone!

 

[HeatherPage]

Not to put a damper on anyone's reminiscing, but a young boy last summer died from swimming in one of the lakes here in N.C. because basically some kind of microbe/amoeba/bacteria type thing entered through his nose and affected his brain...I won't go into the details of what his father said about his last hours, but it was very sad and if Disney can help that happening to any children (or adults) then they should keep it closed.

 

[tink'smom2B]

We just returned from camping in FW last week and got a chance to see the inside of RC by going to Mickey's Backyard BBQ. They have fenced off the pool area and lake area and pretty much corralled us into a pavilion for the show. What interested me was that I went to the bathrooms there and all the equipment inside that bathroom was state of the art stuff! It looked like it had been remodeled within the last few years. No hands faucets, no hands flushing toilets, etc. And I couldn't believe how beautiful the whole inside of RC was. Like it had just closed for the day, or for a special event like Mickey's backyard BBQ! If they don't intend to reopen it, they are spending lots of money just keeping it alive! It gave my kids hope that someday they could enjoy it too!

 

[harleyquinn]

Just to get the rumors flying again...when I was in WDW in August my boat driver and another bus driver both said that RC will eventually reopen as the volcano-themed water park that we've all heard about. He also said that within the next 10 years RC will reopen and so will another new water park. They say its because during the hot months the current water parks fill to capacity by 11am (and they did when we we there every day, not just the weekends.)

I've actually seen a couple other posters with the same info...maybe just the same crazy boat/bus driver?

 

[OnWithTheShow]

The same area serves Mickey's Backyard BBQ and the Hoop-de-doo Revue. That is why the restrooms in the area are so nice.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Harleyquinn:
They may well want to add another water park--heaven knows the other two are hopelessly crowded every time we go.
But it really won't be River Country (as we knew it ) reopening.

 

[eileenfk]

Maybe Disney has had several ideas, and has changed their own mind about what to do with RC, leading to all the different "rumors".

I remember hearing, that they were going to turn the area into a swimming complex for use by Fort Wilderness guests.
I hope this is true, because I really like Fort Wilderness, with the exception of the pool situation.

I am sure whatever sort of of swimming facilities end up there, it will be chlorinated.

- Eileen

 

[harleyquinn]

As I said in my post RC will reopen with the new volcano theme, so no it won't be RC as we know it. I know I called it RC, but I meant that it will be a new water park in the same location as RC. They have to make the bottom concrete because of the bacteria issue.

I totally agree Uncleromulus! How annoying for the season pass holders that live near WDW! It's even worse on the weekend. We over heard a family talking about how they went to BB at 9:30 and it was already at capacity!

And I've heard that when it is at capacity it's not too bad, but when I hear the phrase "at capacity" I imagine a wave pool full of people so you can't see the water!

 

[hyzdufan]

Originally posted by YoHo
People can still waid in, but when they contract Ebola and Die, they can't sue Disney.........Well, they probably could, but it would be a a harder case.

Probably have trouble stating their case if they're dead.