Why is River Country still there?

[makcool]

River country is one of the closest closed attractions in the park and it is barely covered. It seems odd that since it has been closed for a long time, Disney hasn't torn it down yet or made it a pool for the campground resort. Are there any plans to bring it back one day?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) It is still there, because
. . . it is expensive to rip out
. . . it is expensive to dispose of the trash
. . . if you don't need the expense of demolition, why do it.
2) As for future
. . . the theme will not be resurrected.
. . . the (strong) rumor is that it will become a DVC hotel

 

[orangefan15]

It is there to taunt those of us who liked it, have good memories of going there, and know that it will never be open again.

That said, I always enjoy heading over that way for a look when I rent a Sea Raycer.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

A good deal of what Rusty said it true!

They are not sure what they are going to do with it. Rumor mill does say there is a chance of a DCL resort between WL and FW, with a western theme. There are some plans drawn up which were posted on the FW forum a year or so ago.

So my guess is they will rebuild it as the resort water features/pools, possibly for the use of all 3 resorts. The design to be determined then.

Time will tell.

AKK

 

[OKW Lover]

Agree with Rusty. Why spend the money to tear it down?

Until there are firm plans to actually do something with the site, and as long as there aren't environmental/safety issues, it doesn't make economic sense to do any work there.

Demolition of the remnants can be handled as part of any new construction once that's green lighted and there is construction equipment on site anyway.

 

[WEDWDW]

So my guess is they will rebuild it as the resort water features/pools, possibly for the use of all 3 resorts. The design to be determined then.

That would be cool.

Storm-a-Long Bay would then have some competition for best Resort pool!

 

[sandbmisnfla]

I remember going there when I was 13 with my family. We had a fun time and great memories. Its too bad they closed it down.

 

[chartle]

So my guess is they will rebuild it as the resort water features/pools, possibly for the use of all 3 resorts. The design to be determined then.

Time will tell.

AKK

Even if they do this none of what is left is usable. Even if it was still in good shape.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Even if they do this none of what is left is usable. Even if it was still in good shape.

As I said......*rebuild* I did not say *refurbish. I agree very little if anything would be reusable.

AKK

 

[OhMari]

I heard the water is very polluted.
They used to hold Danskin Triathlons-the swimming portion in the water and they had to stop, because the water is so polluted. The Triathlon got moved over to the Clearwater area.

 

[Princess Katherine]

No, I don't want a western theme!

Katie

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I heard the water is very polluted.
They used to hold Danskin Triathlons-the swimming portion in the water and they had to stop, because the water is so polluted. The Triathlon got moved over to the Clearwater area.

It was closed because of a water born parasite, that can enter the body during swimming, attack your brain and actual kill a person. It is all over Florida and did indeed kill a few people/children in other parts of the state.

With the opening of TL the attendance at RC fell off and with the parasite thing, they closed it.

The lakes/waterways around WDW are pretty clean, but they can be murky.

AKK

 

[chartle]

No, I don't want a western theme!

Katie

It would almost have to sandwiched between WL and FW which both have western themes. Any thing else would look out of place.

 

[mesaboy2]

I will be risking my life all next week swimming in a Florida freshwater lake. I will also be driving a 2-ton vehicle and passing within feet of other 2-ton vehicles--many driven by morons.

If I don't make it back, it probably wasn't the lake parasite thing.

This is in my opinion one of the most overblown scary hype things I've heard on the DIS, not helped by the "stay out of the damn lakes" catchphrase. The reason it is a problem for Disney is because they own lots of the little buggers (and their lake homes) and can be sued over them.

 

[MADnNOLA]

I will be risking my life all next week swimming in a Florida freshwater lake. I will also be driving a 2-ton vehicle and passing within feet of other 2-ton vehicles--many driven by morons.

If I don't make it back, it probably wasn't the lake parasite thing.

There goes throwing real life into the Disney bubble!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Disney still isn't sure what they want to do with that land 100%. So why would they pay to tear it down, have it sit and vegetation grow in it, only to turn around 10-15-20 years later and have to clear the land again? Now they can just do it all at once.

And the parasite thing wasn't the big driver for closing River Country. crowds had decreased as guests went to TL and BB where there were more rides as well as heated and chlorinated water. There have been several reports that the pump and filtering system of River Country either needed major repairs or did not meet Florida standards any longer. And there were the occasional reports of the parasite. Put all of those things together and it seems like River Country was not bringing in enough revenue to make it worth the costs.

 

[HubbDave]

I am actually shocked that it is not more overgrown/rundown than it is

 

[chartle]

Disney still isn't sure what they want to do with that land 100%. So why would they pay to tear it down, have it sit and vegetation grow in it, only to turn around 10-15-20 years later and have to clear the land again? Now they can just do it all at once.

And the parasite thing wasn't the big driver for closing River Country. crowds had decreased as guests went to TL and BB where there were more rides as well as heated and chlorinated water. There have been several reports that the pump and filtering system of River Country either needed major repairs or did not meet Florida standards any longer. And there were the occasional reports of the parasite. Put all of those things together and it seems like River Country was not bringing in enough revenue to make it worth the costs.

Also it was a major pain to get to. When it was built it was in the middle of the Disney World at the time. Now with all the expansion its in a far off corner.

 

[surferdave]

There goes throwing real life into the Disney bubble!

No bubbles allowed!

 

[disney is my life]

Heres a thread with pictures of what it looked like in 2009. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2344523 I doubt that anything that is still there will ever be used again. I find it weird that it seems that one day they just decided to close it. They didn't clean out the cm shack or take the tubes out of the park. I also find it odd that they did not at least get a pool cover for the pool.