1Did you know that Walt Disney World Resort once allowed swimming in the Seven Seas Lagoon? This man-made lake sits in the middle of the Monorail line, surrounded by Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Seven Seas Lagoon is perhaps most infamous for the 2016 alligator attack that killed a toddler, Lane Graves. The young boy was wading in the water at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa when the alligator attacked him.
Although wading in the water was already prohibited by the time the young boy was killed, Walt Disney World Resort added more “no swimming” and “alligators in the area” signs and fencing in the wake of the tragedy.
However, alligators’ presence isn’t why Walt Disney World Resort banned swimming in the Seven Seas Lagoon. As @themouselets pointed out in a recent TikTok video, the Central Florida Disney park advertised the artificial lake as a swimming spot through the 1990s:
@themouselets does anyone remember when you could swim in the Magic Kingdom lakes?? #disneyworld #baylake #sevenseaslagoon #disneyfactmas #disneyhistory #polynesianresort #magickingdom
The TikToker shared vintage Walt Disney World Resort advertisements encouraging parasailing, water skiing, surfing, boating, and swimming in the Seven Seas Lagoon. Even though each Disney Resort hotel had a pool when it opened, guests wanted the experience of lying on a Florida beach–even if they weren’t along the Sunshine State’s coastline.
“They even had a water skiing show where you could see certain characters water skiing,” the Disney Parks fan explained, sharing photos of a very athletic Goofy and Pluto in The Walt Disney World Water Ski Show.
While it was a living being that forced Walt Disney World Resort to ban swimming in the Seven Seas Lagoon, it wasn’t the alligators. As the TikToker explained, the presence of what is commonly called a “brain-eating amoeba” eventually led to the lake being too dangerous for guests.
The single-cell amoeba, known scientifically as Naegleria fowleri, has made numerous guests seriously ill. It caused at least one death at Disney’s River Country Water Park, which had a freshwater swimming area and closed in 2001.
“With the inability to actually swim in the water now, a lot of the beaches at these resorts feel really empty and like unused space,” the TikToker concluded. “It’s absolutely for guest safety, but it does make me sad to think about what times like this were.”
Water activities aren’t out of the question at Walt Disney World Resort. Guests can swim at Disney Resort hotels or one of the two water parks, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Wizard Beach. The Central Florida Disney park also offers fishing and various boat rides on the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Did you ever swim in the Seven Seas Lagoon at Walt Disney World Resort? Share your memories with Inside the Magic in the comments.