Skip to Content

Changes made in light of the recent alligator attack at Walt Disney World

Changes made in light of the recent alligator attack at Walt Disney World


For a stress-free Disney or Universal Studios vacation, let the FREE expert planners at Royal Carriage Vacations take care of every detail including dining reservations, applying discounts, and onboard cruise credit.


Since the recent alligator attack that took the life of a 2 year old boy at the Grand Floridian beach, Walt Disney World is attempting to respond to this incident for both physical and emotional safety as swiftly as possible.  Here’s a few adjustments that are currently in effect but  could change in coming days:

  1. All beach areas remain closed to the public to prevent a similar issue from occurring.  Disney has currently removed all lounge chairs from beach areas.  Beaches will reopen at some future point, but it is uncertain when.
  2. Walt Disney World is changing all signage around the beach areas to reflect a warning that alligators are known to be in the area.  Exact verbage is uncertain, so that is not any type of quote.
  3. All water recreation departing from resorts, including boat rentals, is currently suspended pending review.
  4. The Magic Kingdom ferryboat has returned to operation.
  5. The Fireworks boat cruises, including Pirates and Pals, has resumed operation.
  6. The Jungle Cruise is no longer making any type of jokes or references in the portion of the ride that passes the animatronic crocodiles.  It’s uncertain when or if the skippers could return to using such jokes.
  7. Tic Tock Croc has not appeared in the Festival of Fantasy parade
  8. Kilimanjaro safari drivers also have new script cutting out any facts about the Nile Crocodile’s bite force, any jokes about them “always looking hungry”, the speed they can run on land/swim, their thrashing techniques when catching prey, or their diets.

It is uncertain at this time if Louis the Alligator will still appear in the new Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire at the Magic Kingdom.  The show begins tomorrow, but some may see it as insensitive to present that portion of the show.  I’ll be on hand tomorrow filming live for my Facebook page, so we’ll know what the show looks like.

Get all the latest KennythePirate Disney news and planning advice in your inbox!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

1upgamer (@1upgamer)

Wednesday 6th of July 2016

Goodbye to the Gator statues in Port Orleans French Quarter.

Beatrice Ferguson

Saturday 9th of July 2016

That's crazy....

tchrdavidDavid Barbaree

Friday 17th of June 2016

Will they be retiring the Blizzard Beach mascot?

kennythepirate

Friday 17th of June 2016

He hasn't had a meet and greet for years. Not sure what will happen to the statues

Kathy

Friday 17th of June 2016

Thank you for the info. I also remember swimming in the lake in the 80s. No blame just love and comforting thoughts to the Graves family and Disney.

Bea Ferguson

Friday 17th of June 2016

The changes are great but unfortunately people seem to leave their common sense at home. They also pay little attention to signage. See it every day. God bless that child. Need a big sign above also staying "DONT LET YOUR CHILDREN WADE INTO THE WATER ALONE AT NIGHT ANYWHERE"!!

Jillian Eisenhardt Freeman

Friday 17th of June 2016

My understanding is they were waiting for fireworks to start. He was not alone, his whole family was right there and both his father and witnesses tried unsuccessfully to pry the gator's mouth open to release the boy before he was pulled under water and out of sight. This could have happened to anyone. Less judging and more prayers, please.

J. Lopez

Friday 17th of June 2016

I'm so happy to be a guest at Disney parks, because of the thoughtfulness and empathetic things Disney does to help in any way. Blessings to the Graves family.

Indisbelief

Sunday 19th of June 2016

I feel for the Graves family but Disney's changes represent nothing but political correctness run amok. No info on bite force? You've got to be kidding.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.