One thing that always nags me about missing the old days, is how much has changed on Bay Lake & The Seven Seas Lagoon. I am more of a Bay Lake/Seven Seas Lagoon kinda guy – just spent most of my time swimming, ferry boating, Water Spriting, and anything else starting out on the original two lakes. When I look now, it is literally a ghost town. Short of the small and large ferries driving back and forth, not much else seems to be going on. I see the occasional Sea Raycer and sometimes a parasailer, but other than those items, I find it pretty lame anymore. Sammy Duvall seems to be showing some signs of life, but they aren’t “Disney” really.
I found this YouTube video today, which is mostly River Country, but it does show what I am talking about. Bay Lake almost looked downright dangerous with all the boat traffic and such. Maybe I just answered my own question. The danger and liability of such a bustling place at the hands of simple vacationers might have proven time and time again that bad things can happen. I don’t know about you, but watching this footage just blows my mind more people didn’t drown or crash with all of the activities Bay Lake had to offer. The paddle boats, sail boats, and water sprites all negotiating the same area looks scary to me, especially if you were in a paddle boat. Is there a list somewhere of all the different watercraft that was available for vacationers to try out?
River Country is another one that amazes me each time I view these old films. Rules seem very relaxed and it looks kind of like a free-for-all (Ted Nugent). Does anybody agree with me that in our lawsuit loving society, this type of Walt Disney World will never exist again? Is the old Bay Lake gone forever? Watch the movie and see what you think. Leave a comment or tweet with your thoughts. Also, check out the crowd getting filmed for the 10th Anniversary special, very cool! Enjoy!
I make a point of renting a SeaRaycer (is that what they’re called now? A long time ago they were water sprites) every time I visit. That a third of Bay Lake is now reserved for parasailing is _such_ a downer. Without that extra space, I feel like most of the freedom to explore is lost. Now all there is is room to do a lap around each lake, and that’s it.
That said, it remains one of the highlights of my visit, still.
And to think, all that fun ended because of an amoeba???
That’s just part of it. They could have made sure the lake had more circulation. There are plenty of lakes people still swim at in Florida.
Lots of articles that dive deep into that subject.
I’ve noticed over the last decade or so that the “Vacation Kingdom of the World” is no longer the case.
WDW has whittled away every activity at every resort to next to nothing.
It is a very sad site to see how boring things have gotten.
From being able to ride a train a camp ground to parasailing high in the sky. It’s all gone now.