Rumor: Water Sprites Have Been Eliminated

[80sTerraceCafeFan]

Insiders in other places are saying Disney resorts have ended boat rentals - with the water sprites gone forever and only the pontoons with a small chance to return.

Probably sounds crazy to many, but this is one of the reasons I was happy to pay the premium for Contemporary or Poly. Not to be all dramatic, but as a 14-16 year old I would cruise around Bay Lake in my own boat - never driven a car of course. It was one of the coolest, freeing feelings - wind in your face and bombing around DI, Poly, dodging large MK ferries....just exploring and forgetting any of stresses of those days - school, girls. etc, etc. Disney memories/feeling that always stayed with me. Another truly unqiue WDW experience sadly gone.

 

[disny_luvr]

That's sad! When we stayed at the Poly a few visits ago, we rented two water sprites and cruised around Bay Lake with our sons. We had so much fun! It was a last minute decision for us and now I am so glad we did it.

 

[New Mouse]

Didnt make them money, not worth continuing in the era of Cheapek

 

[goodeats]

I wonder if gators/liability issues had anything to do with this?

 

[Kickstart]

Bummed to hear this.. we only did this once, but wanted to do it again on a future stay.

 

[Meglen]

Was it a head shot?

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Never heard of a water sprite. We did enjoy the Sea Raycers while staying at Yacht Club. Hopefully they will come back.

 

[Pyotr]

I wonder if gators/liability issues had anything to do with this?

Gators can’t eat the boats.

 

[ford91exploder]

Remember Duvall Watersports got cut a couple of years ago. And its not that these are not making money its that they are not delivering drug dealer level profits like selling cheap plastic toys or cheap clothing at a 2000% markup

Gators can’t eat the boats.

But the Bobs can

 

[80sTerraceCafeFan]

These were high priced enough to drive a profit - but I agree the total revenue was too small for the Bobs to bother with it.

However, looking at it as a standalone service is short-sighted. They need to consider that MK resorts, particularly CR, tread primarily on location and nostalgia to support their top-tier rates and occupancy. Removing these items erodes part of what makes it successful as a whole

I am historically a 'never stay off property guy' (~20 lifetime trips all on property) - but w/o fast passes and elimination of these things - it's getting more difficult not to feel like a sucker paying these prices.

 

[New Mouse]

Gators can’t eat the boats.

At least not in a Disney movie.

 

[New Mouse]

These were high priced enough to drive a profit - but I agree the total revenue was too small for the Bob's to bother with it.

They didnt bring in a profit, they were loss leaders meant to increase guest satisfaction a d drive traffic to those resorts. Literally.

At the end of the day when you are overcharging for your resorts by so much money, you need loss leaders like the boats to justify those prices. Looking at it as a whole, all the people paying for the resort but not using the boats were in theory subsidizing their existence.

(Cue the...im glad we are paying the same price for the resort but getting less for it. We didnt use the boats anyway crowd.)

 

[Jennasis]

So can anyone confirm this yet?

 

[Brett Wyman]

Insiders in other places are saying Disney resorts have ended boat rentals - with the water sprites gone forever and only the pontoons with a small chance to return.

Probably sounds crazy to many, but this is one of the reasons I was happy to pay the premium for Contemporary or Poly. Not to be all dramatic, but as a 14-16 year old I would cruise around Bay Lake in my own boat - never driven a car of course. It was one of the coolest, freeing feelings - wind in your face and bombing around DI, Poly, dodging large MK ferries....just exploring and forgetting any of stresses of those days - school, girls. etc, etc. Disney memories/feeling that always stayed with me. Another truly unqiue WDW experience sadly gone.

You're lucky my parents would never spring for one!

 

[Brett Wyman]

I wonder if gators/liability issues had anything to do with this?

Liability, cost of upkeep, perhaps environmental issues, and low monetary return on the attraction would all be my guesses. Even as a child of the 80s I shudder to think that a teenager has the power to drive a small watercraft on open water with other boats.

 

[jpbothwell]

Liability, cost of upkeep, perhaps environmental issues, and low monetary return on attraction would all be my guesses. Even as a child of the 80s I shudder to think that a teenager has the power to drive a small watercraft on open water with other boats.

Funny how we children of the 80s managed to survive it all. In 50 years, there has been only one fatality from the water sprites and it was a 33 year old mother from NY. The teenagers were more at risk at River Country than on the seven seas lagoon.

But I agree with you that liability, cost of safety measures and upkeep are what's going to be the end of the boats.

 

[BrianL]

Never heard of a water sprite. We did enjoy the Sea Raycers while staying at Yacht Club. Hopefully they will come back.

Yeah, are Water Sprites the same as Sea Raycers? I've never rented one, but I've seen Sea Raycers and pontoons, but never something called Water Sprites.

 

[jpbothwell]

Yeah, are Water Sprites the same as Sea Raycers? I've never rented one, but I've seen Sea Raycers and pontoons, but never something called Water Sprites.

Water sprites are what they were called a while back, when you had different colors for different resorts. Contemporary was red, Poly was yellow, Fort Wilderness was blue and Grand Floridian was white. They were a blast and if this is true, its a crushing blow for people who stay at the MK resorts for the nostalgia factor.

 

[BrianL]

Water sprites are what they were called a while back, when you had different colors for different resorts. Contemporary was red, Poly was yellow, Fort Wilderness was blue and Grand Floridian was white. They were a blast and if this is true, its a crushing blow for people who stay at the MK resorts for the nostalgia factor.

Thanks. They had a few at Port Orleans too, yeah? I think I remember seeing some there.

 

[jpbothwell]

Thanks. They had a few at Port Orleans too, yeah? I think I remember seeing some there.

Thanks. They had a few at Port Orleans too, yeah? I think I remember seeing some there.

I think so....I think they were eliminated back in 2014.