River Country - It's Official

[uscwest]

Ending years of speculation, Disney announced officially on January 20, 2005, that the River Country water park at Fort Wilderness will remain closed permanently. There was no further word on what will be done with that piece of property.

[Johnie]

At least they finally admitted it. It'll be interesting to see what they do with it, if anything.

[OKWTink]

And they thought people didn't already know that? :rolleyes:

[tajainaz]

'Tis sad that it's official, but it would cost a fortune or two to bring it up to today's standards. Funny, it's the only water park I've ever enjoyed! :)

[d_dreamer]

awww man! I so wanted to go there :cry: o well. More room for another park, eh? :D

[Josette]

It's about time they actually said something, it had to be closed almost 4 years!

[mondo1748]

Well it should be what 6 more years now till they do something with the area....like 20K

[marivigi]

ummm.. not that we didnt know... but its still a shame

[d_dreamer]

well, at least its official*shrugs*

[Josette]

I once heard, like back in 01, that they were thinking about making it the campground pool. Like another one, since it was close, and the campground had a small boring pool.

[BevW]

It's sad when they close things, but you know it's because they want to build more "something" making the parks new and interesting.
At least I hope that's what they plan on doing.

[Josette]

Hopefully it is not another play area. :rolleyes:

[d_dreamer]

amen! Bring on theme park #5!

[BigThunder]

Geesh, I already thought it WAS official. I still think it's sad. I hate that their are things that were opened when I first started going to WDW (like RC, Treehouse Villas & Discover Island) that I opted not to do & now they are gone & it's too late. Maybe they'll fill it in & make a playground out of it too, LOL.

[Josette]

:lol: I think they closed Discovery Island down for a reason though. I think something was "happening" to the animals. More like the Animal Kingdom was being built

[Dopey77]

I was pretty young the last time I was there but all I remember was a lot of mud. Needless to say, I wouldn't have gone back even if it did reopen.

[d_dreamer]

DI's like the clubbing part of DTD, right? That was shut off?

[Josette]

Discovery Island was right beside the campground. It was a little like a zoo, only a little different, and you had to pay to get into it. There were a lot of birds, and such. It closed down after it become too much to feed the birds at night, and when the Animal Kingdom was being built.

I remember a lot of people riding the boat to Discovery Island from the FWC, and then it would go to the Magic Kingdom. This was back before the Wilderness Lodge was even built. :)

[d_dreamer]

oooo, never heard of it :LOL:

[tajainaz]

I know I went to Discovery Island in 1981, but am having difficulty visualizing it.

I'm thinking it was intended as a nature walk/animal sanctuary type place. I'll try to check in the book I have of the first decade at WDW. It's mostly photos, but some of the captions and descriptions are useful. :hehe:

[Josette]

I never went, sooo I don't know. :confused:

[d_dreamer]

so basically, it was like AK, before AK exsisted? W/o rides?

[Josette]

Yeah, I think. :)

[d_dreamer]

ah cool

[tajainaz]

Here are some excerpts about Discovery Island from Walt Disney World: The First Decade.

"A tropical haven for rare and endangered species from across the globe, Discovery Island beckons from the middle of Bay Lake. Here a rainbow of more than 500 exotic birds and unusual wild animals flourish in a verdant paradise."

"Once the island was a flat, scrub-brush and vine-invested dab of sand and mud. Painstaking cultivation by Disney landscapers transformed it into an 11-acre botanical wonderland of gentle hills, misty rain forests, languid lagoons and cascading waterfalls."

"The metamorphosis required 15,000 cubic yards of soil and 500,000 tons of boulders and trees. Magnolia, oak, maple, willow, cypress, and 20 varieties of palm trees formed the backdrop of greenery. To enliven the landscapers' palette, South American passion flowers and Indian orchids were imported, along with other colorful flora from South Africa, China, Japan, the Himalayas and Canary Islands."

"Hundred of brilliantly hued birds were brought in from South America, Southeast Asia, the Philippines and other faraway climes."

"Pathways wind through the terrain, some carved fro the soil, others fashioned out of logs connected by rope and wire-mesh bridges."

"During the Vacation Kingdom's first six years, the tropical isle was called 'Treasure Island,' after the Walt Disney motion picture based on Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate novel. The abandoned wreck of the sailing ship Hispaniola still reclines on the beach today."

"But as the feathered populaton grew and the foliage blossomed, it became clear that Treasure Island was due for a change in name and concept. The rich botanical setting had become an ideal home for rare, threatened and endangered species, and in 1978 it was renamed Discovery Island."

"Unlike some zoos and traditional wildlife preserves, where residents are locked up for protection, Discovery Island inhabitants are given as many opportunities as possible to roam free. The aviary netting almost seems to vanish into the foliage, and guests often don't realize that they are walking through enclosed spaces."

There are two more pages describing the birds and animals. Here is the final paragraph:

"Discovery Island's conservation efforts were officially recognized in 1981, when the island was made an accredited zoological park by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums."

The book was published in 1982 by Walt Disney Productions. The end papers are printed with the old WDW logo: Mickey's head resembling a globe.

All typos are mine! :lol:

[Josette]

I remember those logos, I still have the 20th annerversery bags!

I think it is nice that they made a bigger area for the birds and animals at the AK, because the island was just that, an island.

[tajainaz]

Lucky you! Hindsight being the wonderful thing it is, I wish I had purchased a couple of things for myself when I was there for the Tencennial Celebration in 1981! I may still have a bag or something with the logo packed away. Still haven't found the box of stuff from that period. Hope it survived the moves!

[Josette]

Well, I still have them from past christmases, and we have lights in the RV in a bag from back then. Funny how bags from our 3 month long Disney stay emerge randomly.

It's nice to look at all the pretty teal and gold mickie heads.

Oh, and E-Tickets? My parents still have some packed in the Filing Cabinet! My mom also contacted disney on a dog loop and such for FWC. :)

This was back before I was born though. It's nice to look back and see it all.

I think my parents might have one of them bags that you are talking about in your post. I will have to check, I know they do have a bag, though.

[d_dreamer]

Taj, thanks for the extra into. I alway need to learn more about WDW history. So, am I hearing that I'm NOT the only person who collects bags? I thought I was insaine!

[Josette]

Hahah, keeping bags is good, brings back memories. It also shows how our computer technology was lacking back in the day.

[d_dreamer]

It is! abd its kinda cheep...

[BigThunder]

Saving bags! Are you kidding? I save napkins, I even have plates from the 100 years of magic (unused of course). If it's something they won't consider "stealing" then it's a souvenier to me! I have these bags from the Contemporary from when we stayed there that I haven't seen anywhere else since. I have the triangular stand up thing that's on the nightstands with the channel lineup & such. I have so much junk, it's just weird.

[d_dreamer]

thats ok! Everyone does that... don't they? Well, everyone on these boards anyway, :lol: And also the shampoo bottles and soap! I love the soap, i still have some saved from my 2000 trip to WDW! and Im hoping to get more when I'm off in DL :D