Disney World Parents Cautioned: Child Drownings Tragically Spike

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Pluto, Goofy, Minnie, and Mickey by the water at Blizzard Beach

Credit: Disney

Florida has just continued its reputation in leading the nation with the most drownings when it comes to children, with the majority of these terrible incidents occurring in Orlando.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Pool
Credit: Trip Advisor

When people visit Florida, the main thing that typically brings guests in is the weather. Unlike other states, Florida is beach or pool-ready nearly 365 days a year, making it a great vacation spot. The state has everything from relaxing cities with stunning beaches, to being the leader in theme park entertainment with Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, and more.

As noted by Visit Florida, “Florida’s tourism industry was responsible for welcoming 137.4 million visitors in 2022, the highest number of visitors in the state’s history. In 2022, Florida visitors contributed $121.5 billion to Florida’s economy and supported 2 million Florida jobs.” While these numbers were taken just as the pandemic was coming to an end, we can see that when people had the choice to finally take a vacation, Florida was the first choice.

Sadly, with so many families and children coming in, there have continued to be more accidents and deaths reported when it comes to them in the water.

The Orlando Sentinel shared the unfortunate news, “For years, Florida has led the nation in child drowning deaths, and 2023 was no exception. Florida Department of Children and Families data shows that at least 97 kids drowned to death last year, 14 of them in metro Orlando.” The outlet confirmed that this has been an ongoing trend in Florida each year, with nearly 100 children dying by downing each year.

cozy cone pool
Credit: Disney

While the exact locations of each of these deaths were not disclosed, we did learn that four of them took place in Orange County, which is where Walt Disney World is located. This does not mean that children drowned at the most magical place on earth, but with hundreds of hotels filled with pools in the highly touristy area, it is likely that these tragedies took place under the watch of those visiting.

The article does a good job at cautioning and warning parents of those coming into Disney World, or Florida, in general, to keep a closer eye on their little ones, especially with the warmer weather just weeks away in the state.

It seems that a proposed bill to provide free swim lessons to children is being discussed in Florida, which is stated to be a “game changer”. That being said, for those guests visiting from out of state, those lessons would be ineffective.

In the past, we have shared many instances in which lifeguards at Disney had to save guests, young or older, from drowning.

One instance which we recently shared took place at Disney’s Blizzard Beach, one of two water parks on the property. The story came from a now ex-cast member who was involved in the life-saving efforts. The cast member wrote, “I saved one guy personally because he saw his daughter fighting to stay afloat in the Fahrenheit Drop (the one with the zipline). He didn’t know it was 8 feet deep when he jumped in himself to save her. The lifeguard was already swimming over to save the girl, but now she had to save TWO people*. I leaned over the side and fished the little girl out while dad dropped to the bottom like a rock. LG got the dad out. Both walked away without saying “thank you” to either me nor the lifeguard that just saved their lives.”

disney all-star sports resort pool
Credit: Disney

Another incident had been shared by a cast member at Animal Kingdom Lodge who rescued a drowning child. In the end, the parents of the child were found drinking at the bar. The parents blamed the child for the drowning, indicating to the lifeguard that he was not supposed to leave the splash pad area.

It’s evident that parents leaving their children unattended in any body of water is a significant concern, but this behavior still continues to persist, particularly in pools and water parks, which can pose even greater risks depending on the child’s age and swimming abilities. Ultimately, parents should remain vigilant and supervise their children closely.

Pluto, Goofy, Minnie, and Mickey by the water at Blizzard Beach
Credit: Disney

While park staff are trained to prioritize guest safety, parents play a crucial role in keeping a watchful eye on their children at all times, whether they are visiting Walt Disney World, or just taking a swim in their hotel pool.

Have you ever noticed children being left unattended at a pool or water park while vacationing in Florida? 

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