Snakes and gators in the park

[Wolf]

I love gators, they are really cute if you can get past the "These guys could run off with my foot" kinda thing.

Slightly off topic but on our Oct trip I've posted about the flood, well we opened our door at the poly to let some rain noise and cool air in while we napped one afternood, me and Mom have joked ever since that a racoon probably snuck in and rolled us for loose change but now I'm thinking it mighta been a critter slightly lower to the ground hehe

[dnickels]

I don't want to see those gators, I want to see a wild gator. I know, I'm not right.

If you'll have a car on your upcoming July trip and you definitely want to see some wild gators head north of Disney to Lakeview Park in Winter Garden or the Oakland Nature Preserve in Oakland. Lakeview Park has a few fishing pier / boardwalk type things that stick out into Lake Apopka and in late July I can't imagine you won't see at least a few alligators out there. I've always seen numerous ones in the warmer months at least. You can also often spot them in many of the smaller ponds among subdivisions in the area but that can be more hit or miss. Go in the morning or evening when winds are calm as that makes their outline easier to spot on the water.

[Quadstriker]

I rode Pirates with an alligator once.

[kakn7294]

Ok, then you should try to visit the Okefenokee Swamp or the Everglades. You'll see plenty of alligators in the wild. I hear the Everglades even has pythons now!

If you'll have a car on your upcoming July trip and you definitely want to see some wild gators head north of Disney to Lakeview Park in Winter Garden or the Oakland Nature Preserve in Oakland. Lakeview Park has a few fishing pier / boardwalk type things that stick out into Lake Apopka and in late July I can't imagine you won't see at least a few alligators out there. I've always seen numerous ones in the warmer months at least. You can also often spot them in many of the smaller ponds among subdivisions in the area but that can be more hit or miss. Go in the morning or evening when winds are calm as that makes their outline easier to spot on the water.

No car so no side trips. My grandparents used to winter in a Kissimmee RV park. I remember fishing with my Pap and a gator that used to follow the boat hoping for a hand-out and an easy meal. There were tons of gators around the lake there.

[DVC2004]

Can't say I've ever seen a snake there but have seen several gators. They like to hang out on the edge of Bay Lake in the tall grass. If you look close you can sometimes see them. I saw some by the Wilderness Lodge bank and also in the little channel between Contemporary that connects you to 7 Seas Lagoon. There were small ones. Sometimes if you look close you think it's a piece of wood or a log, etc but you can see their eyes glimmer.

I saw a pretty big one swimming in the Rivers of America at MK. You know , where the Paddelboat runs and TS Island. You couldn't miss him. He was at least 6-7 feet long. Just swimming around like he was right at home. Later that night we were walking on the little wooden walkway on the edge and something beneath a bench in front of us moved- my mom screamed and I instinctively grabbed the backs of the kids shirts (they were walking in front of me) and yanked them backwards with that mom adrenaline- and the two ducks my mom thought was a gator came out from under the bench quacking. I don't know who was scared more, us or them. They took off and we decided to not walk along the "Rivers" any more that night.

Anyway, they caught the gator and relocated to a swamp/preserve area in South FL. They do that quite a bit with the bigger ones they said.

[Snow's Mom]

Small gator under one of the bridges at POR. We were in the section called "Alligator Bayou", so why not?

[mouseketeer mom]

We have seen snakes at the Poly on the path to and from the TTC.
Also, my son loves to look for and catch lizards during our stays at the Poly, and once he had his arm in some shrubbery trying to catch a lizard that scooted in there. A CM stopped him, said snakes, many poisonous, are in the foilage around the Poly.

[sportsguy2315]

I was on a boat from MK to WL one day when a fellow guest asked the captain about gators in WDW waters. The CM said that when they do find gators in guest areas, animal control is called and said gator is trapped, then rereleased in a part of Bay Lake not accessible to guests. That said, she did say there were a couple regulars that the watercraft CM`s have given names to; most notably ``Tripod`` because he`s missing his right front leg.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

When we were at one of the snack bars at Typhoon Lagoon years ago, people started screaming & jumping up on the tables. Yep, a rather large snake had dropped by for lunch. He went on his merry way. Probably afraid of all the noise.
Another time one of the bus drivers pointed out a gator at one of the little ponds on one of the loop around roads going to or from the Dolphin. Said it was there frequently.
And many years ago, when I stayed at Orange Lake, there was one in the little pond right outside our condo on the golf course. Made me glad I didn't play golf!!

[phlo8810]

A couple weeks ago while staying at the beach club we saw a large gator in the stream that runs along side the villas. This thing was 6-8 feet long, He was really BIG! Also on the same trip my son and I saw a big black snake on the walkway between the beach club and the villas.
Another time on the concrete area between the beach club and the boardwalk near the wedding pavilion we saw a orange. white and black snake at night just hanging out. Wasn't scarred or anything.

[WED1901]

I have never seen a snake or a gator...but I have seen Mice, Ducks, Dogs, and Chipmunks walking around on two legs !! And the will even let you get your pic made with them!

[HackLaSalle]

yea, i have a huge fear of snakes. thats why i posted it. mine is more of a phobia. I am actually more afraid of a small grass snake than a huge gator who is much more dangerous, makes no sense, but true. i can't even see a snake in a movie w/o freaking out. (try going through 5 years of boy scouts,w/ numerous campouts, and not telling anyone)
i saw a gator once at space kennedy while walking down a road. i started taking pics and my gf and brother were freaking out and couldn't believe that i was taking pics. I told them he was so close that if he wanted us, nothing we could do he was going to get at least one of us, and i could outrun my gf, so i was fine.

Dude, totally with you. But even hearing these stories are making me scared. I'm writing a check list:

1. No water park ever.
2. Never going back to FW
3. Stay indoors at the Poly with lots of Lapu Lapu (Snakes hate drunk people.)

Why can't someone come on this thread and be like no no snakes at WDW. They have special snake repelling electric fences that don't let snakes near people.

But yeah I'd totally want to see a gator.

I've seen Armadillos, bunnies, big ole spiders, the little lizards and deer. No snakes. Heaven help me if I did.

[finaldynasty]

My family and I saw a small gator in the lake area at the CSR summer 2009 and a small snake at the POR summer 2010.

[Wolf]

Dude, totally with you. But even hearing these stories are making me scared. I'm writing a check list:

1. No water park ever.
2. Never going back to FW
3. Stay indoors at the Poly with lots of Lapu Lapu (Snakes hate drunk people.)

Why can't someone come on this thread and be like no no snakes at WDW. They have special snake repelling electric fences that don't let snakes near people.

But yeah I'd totally want to see a gator.

I've seen Armadillos, bunnies, big ole spiders, the little lizards and deer. No snakes. Heaven help me if I did.

Nope none ever! All these sightings were toys and rubber snakies I left out from my collection! Sleep soundly!!

[HackLaSalle]

Thanks!

[goofy-4-disney]

Our snake encounter was at the miniature golf course by Blizzard Beach. There was a 3 foot black snake sunning itself on one of the rocks that were placed in the middle of one of the holes. i walked up and hit my putt and was walking down towards the hole and i finally noticed him. We decided to skip that hole. I've also seen a gator while staying at the BC out in front in one of the ponds.

[Main Street Jim]

That said, she did say there were a couple regulars that the watercraft CM`s have given names to; most notably ``Tripod`` because he`s missing his right front leg.

Tripod was a regular on the Rivers of America when I worked the rafts and Splash in Frontierland.

[ElenitaB]

I'm pretty sure I saw a gator a few years ago to the right side of the walkway between the main lodge and the main Villas entrance at Wilderness Lodge. Didn't have the time to investigate further as I had a tired kid to get to bed.

[BraddyB]

(Snakes hate drunk people.)

Mental Note filled away. Looks like I should be all clear for the Food and Wine Festival now

[EJS-Houston]

I guess I'm just oblivious to such things when I'm at Disney. I've only ever seen a gator once, and that was in a canal alongside the train ride around the periphery of the Magic Kingdom when I was a kid in the 70s. I see gators when I hike near home all the time so I'm particularly good at spotting them...but I haven't seen one at Disney in nearly 30 years. And I'm SO grateful I've never run into any snakes at Disney, ever. Here's hoping I never do.