Located in Bay Lake near Magic Kingdom and several Disney hotels, Discovery Island was once a subtropical oasis that welcomed guests for 25 years before closing in the late '90s.
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Rather, the biggest reason for River Country's closure is that the park simply couldn't sustain demand next to its much larger siblings, especially in the midst of the massive travel slowdown following the attacks of 9/11. However, the park's closure isn't the end of its story.
Like its companions in MGM Studios and Pleasure Island, Typhoon Lagoon was a massive success upon its opening, and ushered in a new era of Walt Disney World vacations in the 1990s. River Country and Typhoon Lagoon were joined by a third Disney water park on April 5th, 1995 when Blizzard Beach.
Although Disney never officially stated its reasons for closing the park, poor attendance and high maintenance costs, combined with the newer and bigger Disney's Animal Kingdom being opened a year before, are the most likely causes. Since its closing, the island has sat largely abandoned, with no signs of development.
1. Walt Disney's Riverfront SquareWalt Disney's Riverfront Square was a planned theme park in St Louis, Missouri that would have been the second Disney park after Disneyland. After the construction of Disneyland, Walt stated that he had no plans of opening parks elsewhere.
Many situations can cause a Disney park to close, but it is rare that it happens. The parks, especially Disneyland, will close the gates but still be in operation due to reaching capacity on busy days, but it is rare for the parks to shut down completely to all guests.
The history of Disney's Art of Animation Resort is intricately tied to Pop Century Resort – and involves a hotel that was abandoned for over a decade. If you're a junkie for abandoned places, you've probably heard about River Country or Discovery Island – Disney's famously infamous abandoned attractions.
The island has remained closed to the public since 1999. Additionally, Walt Disney World has banned all outings to the park — in fact, you're not allowed to get within 50 feet of its shoreline — and legal action may be taken if you're found trespassing.
The island is still largely undeveloped as only 55 of the 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) are being used. Castaway Cay has approximately 140 Disney Cruise Line permanent residents who keep the island running daily.
For certain sailings, you also get access to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. But soon, Disney Cruise Line will introduce its SECOND private island, Lighthouse Point — and we've got a first look at it!
While their reputations are dwarfed by theme parks like Magic Kingdom and Epcot, the Disney World water parks are among the best places in Orlando to splash and cool off.
In 2005 they finally announced that the park would never reopen, and it was left to deteriorate. Some say the park closed not due to unpopularity, but because of the dangers in the park. Rumors said a dangerous amoeba was in the Bay Lake water and the filtration process was not sufficient for swimming.
Four Amazing Theme Parks and Two Fun-Filled Water ParksNow add in countless opportunities for dining, shopping and recreation and it's easy to see why visiting Walt Disney World is the perfect family holiday.
Discovery Island is one of Disney's most widely-recognized abandoned attractions. Upon Walt Disney World's opening, the island was known as Blackbeard's Island and was intended to be a pirate-themed attraction across the lake from River Country.