DVC Pools, Pool Hopping, Etc.

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

we have gone at least 8 - 9 times to disney. couple of times also off site. we STAY at the ALL STARS because i dont really want to PAY $$$$$$$ for a room cause we are hardly there. i would never ever judge anyone by where they stay at Disney. actually i have better things to do with my time. Also , a note how about when we have to STAND on the busses when the REGUALAR OUTSIDE people that go to disney for the day ALSO get to RIDE or STAND on busses. I think theyshould have more bene . for people staying on property. but that is everyones choicr right. I go with my family to ENJOY and get away from it all. we should all NOT SWEAT THE SAMLL STUFF................

 

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

sorry that was supposed to be DONT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. sorry my dd phoned and i messed up............

 

[DIZNYFAN]

Well put Dopey I agree it really isn't worth getting worked up over itis after all only a swimming pool.

 

[LakeAriel]

I respect your decision to stay at All Stars. Why not? You enjoy that theme and don't want to spend the extra on the room. That's your right. I have a friend that loves the Boardwalk. I like the woodsy atmosphere. Fine. I just don't expect to get GF benefits at VWL. As for small stuff. I stayed for 8 days at AKL with my daughter and granddaughter. I repeat, not once were we able to sit by the pool. So everyday, as my 7 year old granddaughter swam we had to be standing there watching when we weren't in the water! Now if they were remiss in planning and didn't have enough seats I would blame the lodge. However I clearly watched people get off the Animal Kingdom bus with their towels and use the pool. That is just wrong and not small stuff. That resort is very expensive, cash OR points, and guests do come first. Besides being very inconvenient it is also a security risk to allow people to park at Animal Kingdom , hop a free Disney bus, and go onto resort property to use the facilities..

 

[DIZNYFAN]

Yes but that is no different from anything else like the Disney transportation people come in and park at DTD orwherever and use the buses to get to parks and resorts etc to avoid paying for parking and so on. I honestly see no problem with it as I said it is only a pool so what if others use it. I honestly can't be worried about some family dropping in to check out the pool at our resort because they were hot and wanted to take a dip. Maybe after they go for a swim they will go into Olivias and have dinner so they are spending money at the resort no different than us going to chef Mickeys and having dinner then going for a swim.

 

[JimC]

Originally posted by LakeAriel
I respect your decision to stay at All Stars. Why not? You enjoy that theme and don't want to spend the extra on the room. That's your right. I have a friend that loves the Boardwalk. I like the woodsy atmosphere. Fine. I just don't expect to get GF benefits at VWL. As for small stuff. I stayed for 8 days at AKL with my daughter and granddaughter. I repeat, not once were we able to sit by the pool. So everyday, as my 7 year old granddaughter swam we had to be standing there watching when we weren't in the water! Now if they were remiss in planning and didn't have enough seats I would blame the lodge. However I clearly watched people get off the Animal Kingdom bus with their towels and use the pool. That is just wrong and not small stuff. That resort is very expensive, cash OR points, and guests do come first. Besides being very inconvenient it is also a security risk to allow people to park at Animal Kingdom , hop a free Disney bus, and go onto resort property to use the facilities..

Agree.

 

[Desperado]

Originally posted by LakeAriel
I respect your decision to stay at All Stars. Why not? You enjoy that theme and don't want to spend the extra on the room. That's your right. I have a friend that loves the Boardwalk. I like the woodsy atmosphere. Fine. I just don't expect to get GF benefits at VWL. As for small stuff. I stayed for 8 days at AKL with my daughter and granddaughter. I repeat, not once were we able to sit by the pool. So everyday, as my 7 year old granddaughter swam we had to be standing there watching when we weren't in the water! Now if they were remiss in planning and didn't have enough seats I would blame the lodge. However I clearly watched people get off the Animal Kingdom bus with their towels and use the pool. That is just wrong and not small stuff. That resort is very expensive, cash OR points, and guests do come first. Besides being very inconvenient it is also a security risk to allow people to park at Animal Kingdom , hop a free Disney bus, and go onto resort property to use the facilities..

I agree with your post, but certainly not with your signature. Disney needs to address the problem with pool crashers. If it's AKL, it's not DVC pool hoppers causing the problem.

 

[DIZNYFAN]

I have to question the security reason though. I do realize that there are unsavory people everywhere but they could also be DVC members and we would never know it. So to say it is a security risk for non members to be there is kind of silly. Sorry to point this out but you never know who could cause a security risk it could be your neighbour and you would never know it till the cops show up and take them away. So if it is felt non members were the problem then would it not or could it not be said that DVC members could cause some issues also just some food for thought.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

There, that's a load off my back.

 

[Desperado]

Originally posted by DIZNYFAN
I agree with HUFF the PHing was a big plus for our family. We all love to swim and love the pools no matter where we are staying at Disney. If they have issues with it big deal no different than any other thing in the time share world. I find this funny that people think we should be treated better than otehr guests at WDW because we are members of DVC. Honestly they the cash paying guests should get some preferential treatment when you look at what they are spending for a vacation compared to what the vast majority of DVC members spend. Yes we paid a membership fee as it would be for this but come on to get better treatment or preferential treatment is to much. Get real folks the pools will always be used by other guests than those of us staying t that resort so should we also get rid of the water mouse rentals and so on just like the pass discounts why do we deserve them over other guests it all comes back to the we are members and we deserve it. Well no we are members but are no better than cash paying guests we just chose a different way of paying for our vacations to Disney.

Well, if I understand some of the convoluted rationalizing your attempting to convey, I must say that I dissagree completely. As a DVC member, we purchased the priviledge of pool hopping with our DVC membership. If you are staying at a resort on cash, you did not purchase the priviledge of going to the pool of a different resort other than the one you are paying cash at. It's not a matter of expecting "preferential treatment" or "we are members and we deserve it" it is a matter of purchasing the priviledge as spelled out in our purchase agreements with DVC. it is not a matter of anyone being better than a "cash paying guests', they just did not purchase the priviledge of pool hopping through their purchase. Should someone who purchased a one day pass be allowed to enter the parks on the second day without purchasing another pass? Should someone who purchased a one day, one park pass be allowed to park hop, when they didn't purchase that option? Absolutely not.

It is wrong for local pool crashers to use Disney resort pools when not staying at the resorts. It is wrong for someone staying at all stars to use the deluxe resort pools. Both those offenders who are stealing services should be removed if not prosecuted for tresspassing.

We don't pool hop, although we'd like to see the priviledge remain. We also don't drop in to our local hotels and use thier pools without paying for a room, or use someone elses car, house or pool without thier invitation and permission, 'cause it ain't right to do so. We don't use the pools of local country clubs where we are not members, we dont use the exercise equipment of local health clubs where we are not members, we don't drop in and use the pools of local apartment complexes where we are not renting an apartment. It would be stealing. It's really not a hard concept to grasp. I don't understand why the rules would be diffferent just because it is Disney.

 

[DIZNYFAN]

We pool hop quite often and we have used SAB mind you it was during Dec when you are allowed to use it. We have also used all the pools on the monorail line and some of the moderate pools to. We have never had anyone question us or look at us like we were not supposed to be there. So you just never know who is from the resort and who is not unless you put up a fence and had a key check you could never keep everyone out. Disney would also never do it and suffer the negative press etc that would surface from this.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by DIZNYFAN
We pool hop quite often and we have used SAB mind you it was during Dec when you are allowed to use it. We have also used all the pools on the monorail line and some of the moderate pools to. We have never had anyone question us or look at us like we were not supposed to be there. So you just never know who is from the resort and who is not unless you put up a fence and had a key check you could never keep everyone out. Disney would also never do it and suffer the negative press etc that would surface from this.

They've already done it at times. It's gated with a key at VB and BCV does it quite often with a CM standing there checking ID's. Don't know about any other resorts. As for not caring who's a crasher, I do. Guess I'll have to get my double barrel super soaker all filled up.

 

[kweaver]

We've been DVCers for less than a year. Pool hopping is a perk that was mentioned several times by our guide. We hope it remains a perk for a long, long time.

We hopped over the BWV during our trip and loved being able to do so. This was our first PHing experience ever. The pool was busy...or should I say lots of chairs were taken. There weren't that many people actually IN the pool. We did find one chair to throw our stuff on, which was certainly good enough for us (though it was near the mister and got all wet). I helped the kids change in the bathroom, and got a couple of odd looks from two older ladies when we came out. I'm sure they thought we were illegal pool hoppers!

I don't know that PHing necessarily costs Disney anything. I realize that some folks who paid cash at a Deluxe might feel that a pool hopper is in *their* chair...but most of the time they don't know who is pool hopping and who isn't! If we didn't hop over to BWV, we would have been using the pool at SSR...and using the same towels, lifeguards, etc. BWV got more of our $$ for beverages and snacks since we didn't drag any along with us. A plus for the bottom line at the Boardwalk!

KNWVIKING and Desperado - we're on the same team!

 

[LakeAriel]

Diznyfan
The security issue is that I believe a resort should know who's hanging out at their pool. They have a guest list which would give them the names of all registered guests. If something happens, be it natural or criminal incident, it is nice to nice to know who is present. Of course even if you are legally pool hopping this can be problematic. Only my opinion.

 

[Beca]

Originally posted by DIZNYFAN
We pool hop quite often and we have used SAB mind you it was during Dec when you are allowed to use it. We have also used all the pools on the monorail line and some of the moderate pools to. We have never had anyone question us or look at us like we were not supposed to be there. So you just never know who is from the resort and who is not unless you put up a fence and had a key check you could never keep everyone out. Disney would also never do it and suffer the negative press etc that would surface from this.

They have done this at Disneyland Hotel, and Grand Californian, just to keep out "locals"...GC opens up to DTD where people go "clubbing" and eating out a LOT in California. The fences are actually BEAUTIFUL and do not detract from the pool at ALL...just one more thing..I have NEVER seen either one of those pools "too crowded" to use. You have to have a key to open the door from the outside OR the inside. I think this cuts down on a lot of "crashers"...people are more than willing to stand on the outside of the gate and wait to get in...but, I think people find it "embarassing" to stand on the inside and wait to get out (that's just my theory).

Personally, I am for whatever adds to the "sanctity" of the resort where I am staying.

LakeAriel...others may not agree...but, I am right there with you!!!




Beca

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

What time to the quiet pools close? We stayed at the BCV. The sign posted says the pool closes at 11 PM. The front desk told me it was opened 24 hours. It was very noisy beginning at 10:30 each night which was horrible as we were going to bed at that time. We have young kids. Next time I will ask for a room that faces Epcot however I was a bit dissapointed that the people using the pool at night were so rude.

Do we as members have any say so in the pool hours?

 

[Uncleromulus]

Not really.
And most times Disney resort CM's and security will do little or nothing to remove these sort of "guests".
Which is why we NEVER, EVER accept any room near a pool.
You'll find that many times entire families will take over these "quiet" pools and act just as obnoxious as they would at home. Some of the wost behavior we've seen at WDW has occured at these pools.

 

[crisi]

There are a couple different debates going on here.

I don't think Disney should remove the DVC pool hopping perk until they have fixed the local/other resort guest/day guest pool crashing problem. Gates or wristbands or.....

I think that if they remove the pool crashing problem and they STILL have an overcrowding issue because when the perk was created there were very few DVC rooms and now there are thousands, then they should evaluate removing the DVC perk.

While I don't WANT to see the perk go away, I'd rather enjoy the pool for the resort I stay at in uncrowded (or the least possible crowded comfort) than be able to hop. I also think that is more fair. It isn't like a WL guest can hop because DVC members are crowding their pool.

 

[TheWho]

Let me take the side of the resort guest (I am a DVC member who has never bothered to pool hop).

Maybe the resort guests don't like us coming into their pools? I say this, because I stayed recently at the Poly and it was extremely crowded in the mid-afternoon. I thought, all of these people must not be from this resort, it's just too crowded. NOW, I'm sure the pool crashing problem there is locals who can park, go to MK, and swim for free. However, the pool was so packed that ONE legal DVC hopper was too much. Afterall, I'm now the resort guest paying $300 a night wanting to enjoy the resort pool.

The real answer is enforcing the current rules. Let us hop where appropriate and kick out the others.

just a thought....

 

[LakeAriel]

I agree Dave, 100%







Thanks Beca.
The way I look at it, "The Land of Make Believe" is Disney World, not DC!