Child pulled into water by alligator near Grand Floridian

[Opie100]

I love Disney as much as any other "Disney Lover" but I do agree with you on this. Had the sign said "Alligator Danger--Do Not Enter Water" I don't this this would have happened.

I don't know. This has never happened before, so that sign may not have been heeded either. Having an event by the waterline implies a certain amount of confidence in guest safety.

 

[Hundredacre]

It is time for disney to get rid of these alligators. That is seriously unsafe. I have never seen anything posted at that beach saying there are alligators in the water. We have been there many times.

 

[Sammie]

When we travel we all have to assume some responsibility for our own safety. We can't always depend on someone else to keep us safe. Also people are really bad about ignoring signs. There are signs saying don't feed the wildlife and yet people still did it. And everyone that has gone to Disney World and fed a gator they saw, this is the end result. It is very rare for a gator to come up to a crowded area and attack. However due to people feeding them, their natural behavior is changed.

As to not knowing of the risks involved with water and gators in Florida, I suggest the Animal Planet and Discovery channel.

My heart goes out to these parents, there is no greater lost than losing a child. But hopefully this tragedy will open the eyes of some that have been very naive about the dangers in those lakes.

Not only gators, but snakes and amoebas. Pete of the DIS have warned for years, Stay Out of the Lakes.

 

[mt mommy]

Terribly sad and devastating!! What a horrific week for Orlando!! I am keeping them all in my prayers!

 

[Lisann]

One more thing to add...kind of puts everything in to perspective when we all complain about the crowds....or the ADR we didn't get...

 

[houstonmama]

Prayers for this family..I can't even imagine what they are going through. How do you even continue with life after something like this? How do you go back home without your baby?

 

[noblemaidenfair]

These posts are all very interesting and enlightening into how people think about the water areas surrounding Disney property.

I grew up in Miami. I'm well aware of gators, no matter how small, or big, being able to kill in an instant.

My sister and I have always been horrified at the parents and kids who are near the water's edge or actually in the water, even with the signs.

Our horror comes from the fact that, and we have stated this many times to each other, it is only a matter of time until a gator gets a child. We just mentioned this in April, as we witnessed parents and children in the water. We told a cast member about this when we witnessed it. I don't know if she mentioned anything to the guests.

I say all of this for a reason: I assume most of the people ignoring the warnings are not from the South and have zero experience with gator habitats, nor would they. My sisters and I are thinking one way about the sign and most guests are thinking another.

Yes, I know that "no swimming" or "stay out of the water" means just that. But the amount of FEAR tied to that warning is very different for tourists than it is for me. I can understand why many would get close to the waters edge or wade in it.

I will bet money that there will be fencing of some sort now erected near all beach areas.

I don't see how Disney will not have to resort to this.

These poor, poor people. It's just awful. I cannot imagine.

I appreciate your statement and want to chime in as a Midwesterner. I'm from Ohio and was just at GF 2 weeks ago. I have stayed at WL many times. "No swimming" and "Beach Closed" means stay out of the water. Gators have never occurred to me since it's not part of my every day living, but dark water, however pretty and serene, is dangerous enough. Why take a chance when "Beach Closed" "No Swimming" signs are abundant? This family will be in my prayers.

 

[JessNewt]

We have a lake in our area that is open to boaters and jet skiers but one is NOT allowed to swim in it. There are many popular restaurants surrounding the lake and walkways around its' entirety. The setup is a grassy area that buts up to a rock shore, and then the water. There are no beaches anywhere. In my opinion, a beach is an invitation to approach the water. This rocky shore won't stop the crazy yahoo, but would definitely signal that you are not permitted to be in the water. I don't understand why Disney even has a beach leading up to the water, where they encourage people to congregate, knowing such a danger exists. Regardless of what the Grand Floridian used to be called, this just seems odd.

 

[wilkeliza]

It is time for disney to get rid of these alligators. That is seriously unsafe. I have never seen anything posted at that beach saying there are alligators in the water. We have been there many times.

Disney removes the gators but it is built on swampland some of which are animal reservations. There is absolutely no way to make sure a gator is not in Seven Seas Lagoon. They can sweep the lake every day 3 times a day and there will still be a chance of gators.

 

[Tonberry]

I'm going to hold my kids a little closer tonight.
I can't even imagine what the parents are going through. It's worse than a nightmare.
I pray the child is found safe.

 

[LisaS]

Why does the reason matter?

The guests at WDW come from all over the globe. I suspect very few of them have any idea that there are alligators everywhere in Florida, even at WDW. This morning on the news, one of the news anchors said "But isn't that lake man made? How could there be alligators in a man-made lake?" I think a lot of WDW visitors are equally uninformed.

In my experience if you tell people not to do something, some of them will come to their own conclusions about the reasons why and then act accordingly. For example, if a sign says "No swimming", some people might speculate that it's due to the lack of lifeguards or due to boat traffic in the area and decide wading in up to your ankles is OK because wading is not swimming. If you tell people WHY they shouldn't do something, you are informing them of the real danger, not leaving it to chance that they understand the real risk. A sign that says "Caution: there are alligators and venomous snakes in this lake. Stay out of the water." isn't very magical but it lets people know the risks.

 

[Hundredacre]

We have a lake in our area that is open to boaters and jet skiers but one is NOT allowed to swim in it. There are many popular restaurants surrounding the lake and walkways around its' entirety. The setup is a grassy area that buts up to a rock shore, and then the water. There are no beaches anywhere. In my opinion, a beach is an invitation to approach the water. This rocky shore won't stop the crazy yahoo, but would definitely signal that you are not permitted to be in the water. I don't understand why Disney even has a beach leading up to the water, where they encourage people to congregate, knowing such a danger exists. Regardless of what the Grand Floridian used to be called, this just seems odd.

I agree the beach is an invitation to the water.

 

[A W Reezy]

Absolutely heart breaking. I'm pretty strict with rules, so even wadding in the water is a no-no. But at the same time, I can understand some folks seeing a difference between "No swimming" and "Keep out of the water". I agree with changing the sign. I know some have speculated that Disney didn't want to scare folks with a sign that referenced Alligators... But look at what they're dealing with now. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Hundredacre]

Disney removes the gators but it is built on swampland some of which are animal reservations. There is absolutely no way to make sure a gator is not in Seven Seas Lagoon. They can sweep the lake every day 3 times a day and there will still be a chance of gators.

True but the alligator population is too high period, if you ask me.

 

[juliebee]

The reports I read said they caught 4 gators overnight in the area, but none of them were the gator that attacked the child. That alone tells me how much bigger the gator problem is than I originally thought.

 

[asta]

So very sad. We have stayed at the GF many times. It is one of my very favorite places and I hate to hear of a tragedy there. I have to wonder about the setup like the poster above. Why have a sandy beach that leads to the waters edge if there is such danger? I also wonder about the timing. Are the fireworks more visible as you get close to the water? That would be even more temptation to get close to dangerous water.

 

[Tom P.]

Reports are that Walt Disney World has closed all of its resort beaches "out of an abundance of caution." As others have said, I suspect we'll see changes in the beach areas as a result of this.

 

[Magical Mama]

Alligator population is too high? Get rid of the alligators? You all can't be serious. Signs were ignored that "beach is closed" and "no swimming" and it's the gators fault?!? This is FL. Gators live here, long before Disney did. We have to be smart and respectful of them while in their territory. Same as with any other wild animal.

 

[ryansstitch]

True but the alligator population is too high period, if you ask me.

This. Every once in a while, there's a gator in my area. This isn't even their natural habitat!

 

[ebclay]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tor-near-Disney-s-Grand-Floridian-resort.html

A great article from the Daily Mail. Includes a lot of photos of the divers and recovery mission. They have a photo of the sign that says "Steep Drop-Off. Deep Water. NO Swimming."