Guest Spotted Swimming in Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom

Brit Tuttle

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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad across Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom

Guest Spotted Swimming in Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom

A video of a guest who was caught swimming in the Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom has surfaced on social media.

Guest Swims in Rivers of America

A swimmer in a lake near a green, wooded area. Text on the image reads, "Swimmer at Rivers of America, The Magic Kingdom, July 16th 2024. Guest Spotted: Heee GONE.
Image Source: Jeffrey Tillitt

The video was shared on TikTok by user Jeffrey Tillitt, who claimed via text overlay on the video that the footage was taken on July 16, 2024.

A guest was spotted swimming in a lake near a lush, green shoreline, creating a scene reminiscent of the serene beauty found in Magic Kingdom.
Image Source: Jeffrey Tillitt

In the video, the guest is seen swimming from Tom Sawyer Island to a dock behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, paddling and kicking to get across the waterway. It is unclear how the guest got in the water, or for how long they were swimming.

Onlookers can be heard in the video’s audio, questioning whether the guest is “supposed to do that” or whether they should tell a Cast Member.

A guest spotted swimming on their back in a calm, green-tinted body of water, surrounded by lush greenery.
Image Source: Jeffrey Tillitt

No Cast Members are seen in the video, but Tillitt informed viewers in the comments that “at that point cast members rushed out and took over the situation.” The unknown swimmer seemingly makes it to the dock by the video’s end.

Some commenters suggested the swimmer could have jumped into the water to escape the Florida heat; temperatures reached a high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit in Magic Kingdom on July 16.

Swimming in any body of water at Walt Disney World Resort not meant for that activity is dangerous, and it should be assumed that alligators may be present. The Liberty Square Riverboat also passes through the Rivers of America, which utilizes underwater tracks, making injury entirely possible for those who dare to swim in the waters.

This incident follows another guest who accidentally fell off of a Tom Sawyer Raft into the Rivers of America back in February 2024, following a medical issue. At Disneyland, two guests sadly drowned in Rivers of America in two separate incidents that occurred in 1973 and 1983.

Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and is only accessible by the Cast Member-manned rafts.

Watch the full video below:

This is the latest guest incident to take place at Walt Disney World. In June, a woman was arrested after being accused of drunkenly trying to take her child to see Cinderella Castle. Also in June, two drunk guests assaulted Cast Members at EPCOT, with the aftermath filmed and posted to TikTok; a police report on the incident has since been released.

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