Be advised that the lazy river is deep at 8 feet so be sure to use a complementary life vest. The biggest surprise of all – spoiler alert – the bottom of the pool is sand! That's a bonus treat for tired feet at the end of a Disney day.

The lazy river at Stormalong Bay, located at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, is uniquely deep compared to standard resort pools, reaching a maximum depth of approximately 8 to 10 feet in certain sections. This high-fidelity depth is a relic of the pool's original design, which was intended to include a snorkeling area with live fish; while the fish are gone, the deep trenches remain. Because of this depth, the current can be stronger than expected, and it is a "high-fidelity" safety requirement for children and weak swimmers to use the provided life vests. The river is circular and features a sand-bottomed floor in shallower areas, but as you move into the main "river" channel, the floor drops away significantly. This makes it one of the most thrilling and "adult-friendly" lazy rivers at Walt Disney World, providing a sense of immersion and weightlessness that shallower 3-foot rivers simply cannot replicate.