River Country

[tjkraz]

I don't see why they don't let DVC members purchase points in the cabins and then redo River Country as a pool for both DVC and Fort Wilderness. We stayed in a cabin and it was perfect almost better than the DVC we have!

Reason is simple: money

 

[DisneyDetective]

Is it true that it was a waterborne infection that closed it too so would not have to treat the place before doing anything?

 

[doconeill]

Is it true that it was a waterborne infection that closed it too so would not have to treat the place before doing anything?

Don't know if it was true, but it was often cited as a reason. It is possible that the water was easily contaminated with the Bay Lake water. In more recent years it has become known about an amoeba which can be found in the common waters in FL (I believe it thrives in relatively still, shallow waters), that can be deadly to humans.

Still, I would have expected the water to be treated regardless.

The most likely reason is that it was too small and redundant after Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon were opened.

 

[chartle]

Is it true that it was a waterborne infection that closed it too so would not have to treat the place before doing anything?

1. Don't know if it was true, but it was often cited as a reason. It is possible that the water was easily contaminated with the Bay Lake water. In more recent years it has become known about an amoeba which can be found in the common waters in FL (I believe it thrives in relatively still, shallow waters), that can be deadly to humans.

Still, I would have expected the water to be treated regardless.

2. The most likely reason is that it was too small and redundant after Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon were opened.

1. The water for everything except the concrete pool was pumped directly from Bay Lake and flowed back in. I had heard they treated it a little but it was the same brown color as the lake. I don't think they could install any real treatment or otherwise they would have to treat all of Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon.

A few years back Fl passed a law that basically said you couldn't use lake water for swimming so even if it opened back up it would have to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. Even the real pool would have to be redone because its too deep. When they rehabbed the main pool at FW one of the things they did was to make it shallower.

2. and that it was too far away from the World at that time. When RC was built it was in the middle of everything which was only the MK and the original monorail resorts. Even today if you told people there was a WP at the Fort Wilderness Campground they may say "There's a campground at WDW?"

 

[yitbos96bb]

It's just another rumor.


There were rumors floating around over a year ago (before the Grand Floridian work began) that the space between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness was going to used for a new DVC property (Buffalo Junction?). some of those Rumors included the possibility that River country could be rehabed into the new resort's main pool area. (One of the leading reasons given for the sudden closure of the park was that due to it's small size It couldn't draw enough guests to make it worthwhile as a water park when the larger and more modern parks at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach were available. This reason wouldn't be a factor if it wasn't a ticketed attraction but was instead a resort pool)

I've always heard the issue with RC was bacteria from the lake water.

 

[tjkraz]

I've always heard the issue with RC was bacteria from the lake water.

That was a problem but like DCTooTall said, not an insurmountable one. Disney could have upgraded / improved the park to address any guest safety issues.

But ultimately it was a combination of many factors, not the least of which was that Disney didn't need 3 water parks. The closure occurred in the months after 9/11/01 and even today TL and BB can handle Disney's waterpark business on most days.

When you add up the ongoing operating costs required to support a 3rd location, maintenance needs and really mass improvements which would have been necessary to keep it on par with BB and TL, there really wasn't much reason to keep it open.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I've always heard the issue with RC was bacteria from the lake water.

That has always been the issue with using bay lake/ seven seas/crescent lake/ etc as swimming- recreational areas...from what you can piece together over the years