DVC Pool Question

[Granny]

On the lifeguard topic...I know that SAB has several lifeguards due to it's size. So obviously, the ones away from the slide are watching something other than the slide.

But Pam..you hit it on the head. Parents need to be responsible for their kids. Lifeguards are not a license to practice parental negligence!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

SAB has hazards other than the slide... One day I counted 9 life guards...makes me pretty sure Disney will never build another SAB.

I finally figured out why AKL has no poolhopping...talk about boring pools...but its the only pool. Its amazing how crowded it gets.

And...I like the OKW pool...its sprawling and free form. If I use a slide I use it once.... I enjoy the feeling of being in a marina.

 

[DeeP]

I agree life guards are not baby sitters, they are there in case of an accident or someone gets into a situation where they need help while in the water. Parents are always supposed to watch their children no matter where you are, but very few parents are sufficently trained/know enough to be able to save their child in an emergency situation in a pool. Accidents happen very quickly in a pool even with a parent's watchful eye on the child. Different strokes for different folks, I know I would have never felt comfortable having my children swim in a hotel pool when they were young without a life guard on duty. And I always was at the pool with them watching them and we never went to the pool when the life guard was not on duty.

 

[AnnK]

Accidents happen, that's why lifeguards are desireable. Every parent should know it's their responsibility to watch their child, but sometimes things happen and in minutes a life can be lost. I will happily pay the few extra bucks to have the extra set of eyes patrolling the pool and ready to respond to ANY emergency, not just drowning. I was at BWV when someone cut open their foot, lifeguards took care of them, eventually they were sent off for stitches at the nearby hospital.

 

[WDWDad]

For the pennies it would cost each of us OKW members I wish we had a lifeguard at the pool. Slide or no slide. Parent or no parents. A lifeguard would be beneficial.

 

[Sharper]

Johnny II and HB Cat, pool hopping is not an issue with our family. My kids adore the water, but we have always had a pool at our home so when we are at Disney the pool is not a primary issue. We have used the pools a few times, but many trips never bothered.

Having a lifeguard at the pool also makes no real difference to me. My kids also have been able to swim since they were tiny, but I am my childrens' lifeguard. I would NEVER leave my child at a pool and assume a lifeguard would take care of him/her. It is a nice extra, but I don't believe in entrusting my child's life to a stranger.

 

[Sharper]

Originally posted by DeeP
...very few parents are sufficently trained/know enough to be able to save their child in an emergency situation in a pool.

Why do you say this? I would hope that most parents would be able to handle an emergency situation in a pool. I would not consider a spinal injury a common occurrence unless you are throwing caution to the wind.

I would agree that if you can't swim, or deal with an emergency, then I guess you would be foolish to allow your child to swim without a lifeguard.

I also think that if you can't swim, your child can't swim and doesn't have a good understanding of basic pool safety, you are in a large pool with lots of people also lacking pool safety, AND with dangerous items such as a slide or diving board, then you are inviting a life-threatening situation. All the lifeguards in the world aren't going to make much difference to decrease the potential for injury under those circumstances. The same people who complain about the lack of slides, etc. seem to be the ones who expect someone else to make sure their kids are safe. You can't have it both ways. Many public pools ban slides and diving boards because they are definite hazards without proper training. Pools themselves are dangerous if those in them don't understand and respect the potential problems -- diving in too shallow water, getting in depths over their heads when they can't swim, general horseplay such as running on the deck or jumping too close to others. Lifeguards DO serve an important job, but they are placed in the position of disciplining more than saving lives due to an unavoidable accident.

I think my favorite moronic, inconsiderate parent at a pool story would be this. Once when we did swim at BW the pool had to be cleared for a long period of time. Why? Because these people had their infant daughter in the pool without a swim diaper and she pooped. They acted so shocked and amazed, and kept saying, "She's never done that befooooore!" How many times had they had in the pool without a swim diaper? She was maybe 7-8 months old -- what, do you think she's potty-trained? Was it really that much trouble to dress her appropriately?

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox. Sorry.

 

[spiceycat]

I though all DVC resort pools (with the exception of the SAB - one reason it has so many lg) were only 5' that so that an adult could reach a child or anyone that was in trouble without having to know how to swim.

Am I wrong here?

 

[AnnK]

Quote:

"The same people who complain about the lack of slides, etc. seem to be the ones who expect someone else to make sure their kids are safe. "

WOW!!!! This is quite an assumption!!!!! To generalize about such a large group of people, that you don't even know, seems unfair to me. Where would you even get such an idea? My family enjoys slides and other types of interactive water, we even like to play b-ball when the pool has a hoop. I am usually right in the pool with them,and I accept all responsibility for their BEHAVIOR and SAFETYand I believe most parents do the same.

Quote
"Lifeguards DO serve an important job, but they are placed in the position of disciplining more than saving lives due to an unavoidable accident. "

I'm glad that you realize that lifeguards are important, and never more so than to a child who has brain-dead parents. The fact that lifeguards discipline helps to maintain a safer pool, so that they don't have to be "saving lives due to an unavoidable accident". In my opinion it's great to know that should any "accident "occur a PROFESSIONAL is right there to help.

I am left wondering why anyone would have such strong feeling AGAINST having a lifeguard to protect EVERYONE!

 

[Sharper]

Originally posted by AnnK
Quote:

"The same people who complain about the lack of slides, etc. seem to be the ones who expect someone else to make sure their kids are safe. "

WOW!!!! This is quite an assumption!!!!! To generalize about such a large group of people, that you don't even know, seems unfair to me. Where would you even get such an idea? My family enjoys slides and other types of interactive water, we even like to play b-ball when the pool has a hoop. I am usually right in the pool with them,and I accept all responsibility for their BEHAVIOR and SAFETYand I believe most parents do the same.

Quote
"Lifeguards DO serve an important job, but they are placed in the position of disciplining more than saving lives due to an unavoidable accident. "

I'm glad that you realize that lifeguards are important, and never more so than to a child who has brain-dead parents. The fact that lifeguards discipline helps to maintain a safer pool, so that they don't have to be "saving lives due to an unavoidable accident". In my opinion it's great to know that should any "accident "occur a PROFESSIONAL is right there to help.

I am left wondering why anyone would have such strong feeling AGAINST having a lifeguard to protect EVERYONE!

I don't have such strong feelings against having a lifeguard to protect everyone. I was responding to the complaint that OKW does not have lifeguards, and what I perceived (per my use of the term "seem to be...") that some of the people who complained about OKW not having more "stuff" -- slides, diving boards -- also complained about not having lifeguards. Your description of yourself takes you out of that category. I am not sure how you would approve of me stating my opinion, but I did not state it as fact, but as my perception, which I think I am allowed to do? Slides and diving boards are incredibly dangerous and cause tremendous numbers of injuries. That IS a fact, and why you see fewer and fewer pools that include them.

The lack of lifeguards at OKW seemed to be implying some awful lack of amenities or safety or some other such defect. I just don't see it that way, and respect OKW's decision not to incur that expense. Lifeguards are not free and their primary job should not be substitute parents. My point is that the pools can be safely enjoyed without slides, diving boards or lifeguards. I know and appreciate lifeguards but having one is no guarantee of a safe pool experience. I can understand and respect the decision not to staff all pools with lifeguards. All other things being the same, sure I would like a lifeguard, but it doesn't make a significant difference in our pool usage.

I further was attempting to point out how skewed some people's thought process seemed to be, that they want it all -- to have every thrill aspect of a pool without the responsibility of teaching pool safety to their children or having the buck stop with them on their children's health and welfare. If you perceived it as some blanket assumption then I am sorry you did not understand that I was stating my opinion.

 

[DeeP]

Maybe I missed it but......please point out the post on this thread where any parent stated that they just leave their children at the pools unsupervised and expect the life guards to babysit them!! Also please point out the post where parents are ignoring their parental duties and their child's safety and welfare. Every post that I read from parents stated that they do stay at the pool with their children and watch their children AND they also like to have a professional life guard present in case of an accident. As I said before different strokes for different folks but how anyone can think having a busy main resort pool without a lifeguard present is just fine and dandy seems to be the one with skewed thought processes!
Also since you brought it up, the lack of life guards at OKW and FW IS an awful lack of amenities and even more importaintly an awful lack of safety.
I do agree many resort pools (outside of WDW) do choose to not build a water slide but yet they still have life guards! Just as the value resorts at WDW do not have water slides but they still have life guards.
Just for the heck of it, this summer take yourself to the ER at your local hospital and talk to the medical personnel and the EMTs and you will be surprised the number of accidents that occur every summer in pools without life guards and they are very, very often in pools where parents are present and the water is less than 5' deep. I work in a hospital that is located at the shore and therefore in a tourist area and we see more cases like this that come into our ER EVERY summer than you would ever imagine. Sadly some of the children are paralyzed for life, have permanent brain damage due to lack of oxygen, etc
Pool + many people + young children - lifeguard = Accident waiting to happen

 

[Sharper]

Originally posted by DeeP
Maybe I missed it but......please point out the post on this thread where any parent stated that they just leave their children at the pools unsupervised and expect the life guards to babysit them!! Also please point out the post where parents are ignoring their parental duties and their child's safety and welfare. Every post that I read from parents stated that they do stay at the pool with their children and watch their children AND they also like to have a professional life guard present in case of an accident. As I said before different strokes for different folks but how anyone can think having a busy main resort pool without a lifeguard present is just fine and dandy seems to be the one with skewed thought processes!
Also since you brought it up, the lack of life guards at OKW and FW IS an awful lack of amenities and even more importaintly an awful lack of safety.
I do agree many resort pools (outside of WDW) do choose to not build a water slide but yet they still have life guards! Just as the value resorts at WDW do not have water slides but they still have life guards.
Just for the heck of it, this summer take yourself to the ER at your local hospital and talk to the medical personnel and the EMTs and you will be surprised the number of accidents that occur every summer in pools without life guards and they are very, very often in pools where parents are present and the water is less than 5' deep. I work in a hospital that is located at the shore and therefore in a tourist area and we see more cases like this that come into our ER EVERY summer than you would ever imagine. Sadly some of the children are paralyzed for life, have permanent brain damage due to lack of oxygen, etc
Pool + many people + young children - lifeguard = Accident waiting to happen

You are entitled to your opinion, and sorry if an opposing one bothers you. I again state mine, which is that the mere presence of a lifeguard does not make a significant difference to me. Correct me if I am wrong, but YOU said that you would not take your child to a resort pool without a lifeguard. To me that seemed to imply that you depended on a lifeguard more than yourself to ensure your child's safety at a pool. I would not pass that responsibility to another individual, particularly since most lifeguards are teenagers who I would think are not some all-powerful, trained "professionals" but most parents should have more ability to handle a pool situation than a teenager who had a red cross course. You acknowledge the danger of pools and that you don't think you could handle a serious situation at one, but anyone with a whistle and a lifeguard shirt relieves your worries??

Your little +/-/+ line is cute, but the addition of responsible parents and education of swimmers would more than offset the absence of a lifeguard.

Apparently DVC disagrees with you, also, and in this instance I can understand their position.

 

[KNWVIKING]

all kids swim like fish and never rough-house around in the water or run around the edge of the pool. They have parents who are trained EMT's,great athlets, never panic and never take their eyes off their kids.

But in the world I live in, lifeguards come in handy. Honestly, the only negative I can see to having a lifeguard is the cost, but it's a dues increase I would support long before a slide- and I'm wholey in favor of a slide at OKW.

 

[DeeP]

You are entitled to your opinion, and sorry if an opposing one bothers you.

The cases due to pool accidents that come into the ER are not my opinion they are sad, cold, hard facts.
Your opposing opinion does not bother me in the least, I couldn't care less what you do with your children or how you decide on their safety and welfare.
As for my children, they are now adults but when they were young, no I did not take them to a hotel pool without a life guard present, I felt much more comfortable and safe with a trained lifeguard present who had and correctly know how to use emergency medical equipment in case of an accident. I have seen the intense and frequent training the WDW life guards and also our local beach patrol lifeguards go through and believe me they are much more than a teen ager who has taken 1 red cross class and wears a whistle.

 

[Sharper]

But again, I think that the difference is the whole point of the OKW pool situation. Most of them are small and quiet. Easy to monitor and not too much opportunity for accidents as happen with slides and diving boards. My family spends sooo much time at pools and we've had this discussion with friends, swim team parents, coaches, lifeguards, etc. I like having the chance to get a few laps, cool off and just relax without the pool being rocked constantly by divers and sliders. I like not having to worry if I am getting too close to a diving board or slide and someone is going to slam into me. I like the option for slower paced and safer.

As I mentioned, we've been to BC and SAB and will likely go again soon. Lifeguards are very important at those pools due to size, slides and so forth. OKW is a different set-up entirely, which has its very positive side, too.

 

[Sharper]

Originally posted by DeeP
The cases due to pool accidents that come into the ER are not my opinion they are sad, cold, hard facts.
...As for my children, they are now adults but when they were young, no I did not take them to a hotel pool without a life guard present, I felt much more comfortable and safe with a trained lifeguard present who had and correctly know how to use emergency medical equipment in case of an accident. I have seen the intense and frequent training the WDW life guards and also our local beach patrol lifeguards go through and believe me they are much more than a teen ager who has taken 1 red cross class and wears a whistle.

I don't get your first sentence AT ALL. Did you read my posts? I stated that there were numerous serious pool injuries before you posted that, so my comment should have clearly related to the OPINIONS you stated, not the lone fact you have now repeated, that I already mentioned. I do not share your belief that all lifeguards are so intensely trained, and again, I would not make the presence of a lifeguard my sole criteria for allowing my children to swim. You did. I don't. Simple enough.

The point is not the professionalism of lifeguards. It is a possible reason why OKW does not have lifeguards, and how some of us understand why they don't at that resort, and why it should not present a problem to most parents.

 

[PKS44]

Originally posted by Sharper
Slides and diving boards are incredibly dangerous and cause tremendous numbers of injuries. That IS a fact, and why you see fewer and fewer pools that include them.

Fact? Here is a fact at WDW: Fewer and fewer pools at WDW Do NOT have slides. Every pool built since OKW except the All Stars has a slide. They added slides to the Contemporary, the Poly and the Grand Floridian pools. Disney must not care about the tremendous numbers of injuries caused by such incredibly dangerous things.

Paul

 

[DeeP]

Now Paul, you better watch it or you will also be accused of having "skewed thought processes"! It certainly could never be a pool without a life guard that is potentailly dangerous it is defintely only the slides and diving boards! LOL

 

[CarolAnnC]

Since this thread has obviously deteriorated to a debate with a personal slant, this topic is now closed.