How old to go to pool without an adult?

[maxiesmom]

A 14 year old isn't adult supervision.

Exactly.

And for those people who are ok with this rule being broken, I hope you are also ok with:

People smoking outside of DSAs
Guests sneaking alcohol into the parks
People having 5 or 6 guests in a room meant to hold 4
Guests cooking in their rooms

If we can all easily ignore a rule that is meant to keep our most precious things safe, then ignoring the above rules shouldn't be a problem.

 

[clareita]

Exactly.

And for those people who are ok with this rule being broken, I hope you are also ok with:

People smoking outside of DSAs
Guests sneaking alcohol into the parks
People having 5 or 6 guests in a room meant to hold 4
Guests cooking in their rooms

If we can all easily ignore a rule that is meant to keep our most precious things safe, then ignoring the above rules shouldn't be a problem.

I am the OP and for the record, I do not plan to break the rule. If I did, however, I would not be worried about my son at a pool with his older sisters and lifeguards.

 

[dp911]

It's age 12 at the water parks too. I'm not sure why that is the age in my head and I tried googling for an answer but I couldn't find it.

And hotel pools close at midnight.

I thought the quiet pools at yc BC were 24 hrs? I didn't swim that late but saw people well after midnight at BC quiet pool.

 

[Cyrano]

Folks time to play nice and stick by the rules.
Further fighting or baiting will not be tolerated.

 

[writersblock42]

I started lifeguarding when I was 15 years old. So I would say that a mature 14 year old is probably old enough to watch a 12 and 9 year old with lifeguards present at the pool. I was actually wondering if my 14 year old would be able to take my 5 year old dd over to the play area while we were in the room. The pool does make me a little more uncomfortable than say the water play area. Again the OP was only talking 20 to 30 minutes not a ton of time.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Folks time to play nice and stick by the rules.
Further fighting or baiting will not be tolerated.

Thank-you for this.

 

[Love Tink]

No they aren't. Maybe the values are but the other resorts have posted hours and midnight is it,

Inaccurate.

Stormalong Bay at the Beach Club is open until 10:00pm every night. The quiet pools at Beach Club and Yacht Club are open 24 hours a day.

 

[dp911]

Inaccurate.

Stormalong Bay at the Beach Club is open until 10:00pm every night. The quiet pools at Beach Club and Yacht Club are open 24 hours a day.

Thanks I thought I was right.

 

[TowMater92]

Stormalong Bay is the only pool that I have actually seen close, slides close at every pool when life guards aren't at the pool. Other pools have posted times but they aren't enforced unless you are making noise and disturbing guests with rooms close to the pool. I've been in value, moderate and deluxe resorts pools at 2am and later without a problem.

 

[maxiesmom]

I started lifeguarding when I was 15 years old. So I would say that a mature 14 year old is probably old enough to watch a 12 and 9 year old with lifeguards present at the pool. I was actually wondering if my 14 year old would be able to take my 5 year old dd over to the play area while we were in the room. The pool does make me a little more uncomfortable than say the water play area. Again the OP was only talking 20 to 30 minutes not a ton of time.

If the OP's oldest child was a lifeguard, that would make a difference in at least how safe it would be to have the 9 year old at the pool without an adult along. It wouldn't, however, make a difference in Disney's stated age limit.

Rule aside, unless one of the 2 older children was an exceptionally strong swimmer, and was sure to keep an eye on the 9 year old the whole time, it seems like a risk better off not taken. Living so close to Lake Michigan you hear about drownings all of the time, and it almost always starts off with something like "He was only out there for a few minutes, I don't know what happened" or "He was such a good swimmer".

What ever people decide, just be very careful around deep water. Don't think a drowning can't happen to your family.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My son was 10 on our last trip and went down to the quiet pool at CSR Cabana section by himself twice for about 30 min each time. While I was in the pool there was a sibbling pair about 8-9 there by themselves. I did leave dd8 there once with ds10 while I hoofed it to the main building to fill our mugs. Dd is 9 now and I wouldn't let her go completely alone but with ds11 they would be fine.

 

[blessedby3]

My son was 10 on our last trip and went down to the quiet pool at CSR Cabana section by himself twice for about 30 min each time. While I was in the pool there was a sibbling pair about 8-9 there by themselves. I did leave dd8 there once with ds10 while I hoofed it to the main building to fill our mugs. Dd is 9 now and I wouldn't let her go completely alone but with ds11 they would be fine.

I thought the quiet pools were for adults only....maybe Im confused on that point. We stayed at the Poly (a few years ago), near the quiet pool, but I didnt let the kids get in that pool because I thought it was for adults only.
Maybe someone can confirm what exactly the quiet pool is...thanks!

 

[ManyMinnie]

I thought the quiet pools were for adults only....maybe Im confused on that point. We stayed at the Poly (a few years ago), near the quiet pool, but I didnt let the kids get in that pool because I thought it was for adults only.
Maybe someone can confirm what exactly the quiet pool is...thanks!

They are called quiet pools because they don't have a slide or activities like the main pools do.

The quiet pools are open to everyone, not just adults.

 

[Allison]

I thought the quiet pools were for adults only....maybe Im confused on that point. We stayed at the Poly (a few years ago), near the quiet pool, but I didnt let the kids get in that pool because I thought it was for adults only.
Maybe someone can confirm what exactly the quiet pool is...thanks!

Just a pool without the bells and whistles of the main pool-open to all guests.

 

[blessedby3]

They are called quiet pools because they don't have a slide or activities like the main pools do.

The quiet pools are open to everyone, not just adults.

Just a pool without the bells and whistles of the main pool-open to all guests.

Thanks...wish I had been smart enough to realize this in all our trips You learn something new EVERYday

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Just thought I'd add...my recollections was that the hot tubs post something about closing at midnight, but also somethign about guests who stay later assume liability because there is no lifeguard after that. I think they also say somethign aout 'quiet hours.'

I think that's kind of the crux of it. If you stay past the life guards you must be quiet, and not sue Disney because there was no lifeguard.

As for hours...I'm not a CM, but my understanding is that the pool hours are somewhat seasonal, and always weather related. This time of year, it is just too cold some days, and even colder at night. Other times, they close the pool if there is a storm.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Resorts board.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

I would use the general rule that if you would hire someone of a certain age to babysit in the summer and be responsible for your children at a neighborhood pool or park or in your own home with a pool, then they are old enough to watch your kids for 20 minutes at the Disney pool. My daughter is almost 16 and I would be just fine with her watching her 10 yo brother and her 12, 11 and 9 year old cousins at the pool for 20 minutes while we gathered all the belongings. I think the 13+ age range is reasonable. I have a 12.5 yo nephew and he isn't mature enough yet for that responsibility. However, every family is different.

I would gauge this based on your families dynamic. Based on my personal experiences with my family members, a 10 or 12 year old isn't old enough to be responsible for younger children at a pool.

You also have to remember that for every "unattended" child, regardless of the age, a bigger burden is placed on the lifeguards. They are not babysitters. If they are having to watch or referee unattended children, they are not able to fully do their job.

 

[HM]

OP, wouldn't it just be safer to have the kids wait for your those 20-30 minutes extra and all go down together? I don't see the point of sending them down separately, if you too are planning on going to the pool anyway.

 

[clareita]

OP, wouldn't it just be safer to have the kids wait for your those 20-30 minutes extra and all go down together? I don't see the point of sending them down separately, if you too are planning on going to the pool anyway.

Not really. My kids are all better swimmers than I am. In all seriousness, they would be the ones rescuing me not the other way around. I will be sitting in a chair reading a book or talking to my husband, so I won't have my eyes on them at all times anyway. From what I remember on our last visit, the pool isn't very deep so even my very tall 9 year old won't be able to be in water over his head.

20-30 minutes isn't a big deal, but it would be nice to be able to send them ahead instead of listeing to "Are you ready yet???" It would also be nice to have a private conversation with my husband. But it isn't a big deal, so it looks like my son will have to cool his jets and wait for me. His older sisters will enjoy the ability to be at the pool without us.