5 year old only wants to go to resort pool!

[DisneyFave]

DS is 5.5 and I really want to take him and DS2 before he stops believing in magic.

We went last September to Poly and I couldn’t get him to jump out of the pool in the afternoons without LOTS of negotiations. Then I’d get him to Epcot and he’d be bored and ask to go back to the pool.

Does this pool obsession ever wear off at a certain age? How do you all deal with the “pool is cooler than the parks” conundrum? It was so easy when he was younger and just did whatever us grownups wanted to do lol

 

[Jen81NYC]

A few thoughts: First, although I know people like it, for my two boys Epcot was their least favorite park. So I can see how transitioning from a fun pool like the Poly to walking around in the heat with lots of concrete around seems less fun to a 5yo! Second, in general, transitions with kids are hard! And they’re especially a pain in the butt when they involve exiting a nice fun pool, drying off, changing, schlepping to a park with lines, etc. I’d suggest not doing the pool at all until the end of the day if this is something that’s adding stress to your trip. Perhaps shorter park days with less back and forth and when done for the day pool? When we stayed at the Poly and took mid-day breaks, the kids either vegged out in the room or they hung out in the Poly lobby watching the tv there. Or, you could stay somewhere that has a less exciting pool or save money and take vacations in nice resorts with cool pools until they’re a bit older, haha

 

[Lilsia]

Just give him a time limit on the pool and tell him that you are going to the parks. Make it clear that it is non negotiable. If they know that you mean business and are not going to be "persuaded", then they will do what you tell them to do. Sit him down and say "we are spending 1 hour in the pool only and then we are getting out and going to the park. If you give us a hard time with it, then no pool tomorrow". Kids learn pretty quick what they can get away with. Remember, YOU are the adult and make the decisions.

 

[FreeTime]

Agree with PP and if they don’t get out hold to your comment of no pool tomorrow.

 

[ShannyMcB]

Consider staying somewhere with a "boring" pool?
If EPCOT is the boring park hit that in the AM with somewhere more fun as the later day park post-pool?
Late night swims have often worked well for us. If your child is a night owl use the midday break for a bath and some TV in the AC. If staying at the Poly or other area resort watch the fireworks from the resort and work pool time in right before or after...if you are here in the summer goodness knows it's still hot enough.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Honestly unless you are only ever going to go to Disney once in a decade (ish) I would embrace it. I found that my kids’ interests changed each year. When DD was younger she has a few years when all she wanted to do was meet the princesses. Would I have rather gone on rides? Sure. But then suddenly it was over, and I found that I missed it. In this past trip DS decided it was all about drinks, so he made a whole presentation about all of the different things he wanted to try. We still did rides but that wasn’t the focus. And my niece last time was terrified of everything, did carousel 3x on VIP and was done for the day after 2 more rides. But every time she talks to Nana she talks about how much she wants to go back to Disney. Bottom line (for me) is that I want the kids to have positive associations and memories about Disney/family time. If one year that means all we do is swim, or stand in character lines, or do shows, or whatever, that’s fine with me. Disney will always be there next year and everyone is always excited to be going back.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

One of the things that I learned as a parent is that it isn’t about me anymore. Sure, I have input and make final decisions but our family is the center of our world. Even if that means that we only go on Small World once. But they humor me and sit next to me in the boat, and we talk about all the places we have been, where we want to go, and why. No one fights it or complains because that’s what makes Mom happy.

 

[Disneylover99]

DS is 5.5 and I really want to take him and DS2 before he stops believing in magic.

We went last September to Poly and I couldn’t get him to jump out of the pool in the afternoons without LOTS of negotiations. Then I’d get him to Epcot and he’d be bored and ask to go back to the pool.

Does this pool obsession ever wear off at a certain age? How do you all deal with the “pool is cooler than the parks” conundrum? It was so easy when he was younger and just did whatever us grownups wanted to do lol

Sounds like the magic for him is in the pools, not the parks. I would take a couple of years break from Disney, then try again. In the meantime hit up some resort only vacations or waterparks.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

We went last September to Poly and I couldn’t get him to jump out of the pool in the afternoons without LOTS of negotiations. Then I’d get him to Epcot and he’d be bored and ask to go back to the pool.

I *totally* understand the difficulty getting him out. I swear, I could tell my kids we're going to ride magical unicorns over rainbows and they'd still drag their feet getting out the door. They want to do whatever they're currently doing, no matter how fun the next thing is. Transitions just suck.

That said, once we've managed to move, they do get excited about the next fun thing we were doing. If your son was complaining and asking to go back to the pool, I'd start to question what we were doing that evening. Was he just too tired from the day to go back to being in a park? Did you have a stroller seat for him (I know that age is hit or miss)? Were you planning kid-friendly fun in the evening or was that the time you wanted to eat and drink in World Showcase? I think, as the day progresses and the exhaustion sets in, you need to be trying to reduce walking, waiting, or otherwise boring moments. The amount of "blah" a five year old will tolerate to get to the next fun thing is much higher at 9am then 8pm.

 

[nw6675]

My DD10 still would rather do the pool (even the quiet pool!) than do much at Epcot. In May, we would swim in the mornings since we don't rope drop or in the evenings. We also had a down day.

I think the heat, all the walking, and kids just enjoying things differently than we do all play a role.

And if all else fails, could you offer up a chance to pick out a small souvenir or treat at the end of the evening? Bribery on vacation doesn't count, right? Lol

 

[MamaMermaid]

Mine is 4.5 and has been going since he was like 3 months old. We live in South Florida and are DVC members. I'm not kidding when I say that he prefers the resorts and pool to the parks...

I hope you get some good park time soon!

 

[sponica]

DS is 5.5 and I really want to take him and DS2 before he stops believing in magic.

We went last September to Poly and I couldn’t get him to jump out of the pool in the afternoons without LOTS of negotiations. Then I’d get him to Epcot and he’d be bored and ask to go back to the pool.

Does this pool obsession ever wear off at a certain age? How do you all deal with the “pool is cooler than the parks” conundrum? It was so easy when he was younger and just did whatever us grownups wanted to do lol

I feel like this is just normal for a 5.5 year old.
Do you have a pool at home?
We don't have one, and we live in a condo so we have no backyard swingset. What my almost 6 year old wants to do WHENEVER she sees one: go in a pool and stay there all day or go to every playground she sees.
I have found that an x minute warning makes things a little easier. If we're at a playground or a pool, I give her a 10 minute warning, then a 5 minute warning.

She's already told me she wants to do a disney cruise because they have pools....

 

[Smugpugmug]

Not a parent but this exact scenario happened to my uncle when he took his family to WDW a few years ago. His kids were 4 and 7 and the 4 year old absolutely REFUSED to go anywhere but the pool. The only park he had no issues going to was AK because he loves zoos/seeing animals. It was like pulling teeth trying to get him to go to MK, a park that kids usually have no problems going to.

I was like this too as a kid. Loved the pool and the parks were secondary. Didn't matter to 6 year old me at all if we went to MK or not. My mom set firm boundaries in when my sister and I were to leave the pool to get ready for the parks, but she always made sure to squeeze in pool time so we had the best of both worlds. I wish you luck in navigating this issue.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Just give him a time limit on the pool and tell him that you are going to the parks. Make it clear that it is non negotiable. If they know that you mean business and are not going to be "persuaded", then they will do what you tell them to do. Sit him down and say "we are spending 1 hour in the pool only and then we are getting out and going to the park. If you give us a hard time with it, then no pool tomorrow". Kids learn pretty quick what they can get away with. Remember, YOU are the adult and make the decisions.

does not always work, not sure how much you are going to enjoy a Disney trip if have a one who is not enjoying what you are doing. it is possible to win one battle but loose the war. in the grandkids we have a couple of very hard headed grands. yes as an adult you can make them do what you want but even with loosing what they want no one is having fun. I pick my battles. in this it would be more of a remember the pool is going to be on the list tomorrow and you will and I repeat you will get to come back. EPCOT is a boring place to my grands at that age. we have even broken up the big group with some staying at pool and others went to the park

 

[MomOTwins]

1) Renting a stroller on Epcot day really helped our kindergartener handle the looooong world showcase loop. Sometimes for a kid that age "I'm bored" and "I'm too tired" get conflated--they can't enjoy it because they are tired. Especially after swimming all afternoon!
2) Some days you might consider doing night swims after a day in the parks so that when they have to get out, they know it's because of bedtime, and will probably be sleepy enough that it is worth it to them to get out.
3) Epcot with kids takes some adjusting. For parents, we want the live music, food/drink, and learning about the different countries. All of which is a snooze fest for a 5 year old. But Epcot also is the best "playground" of any WDW park. My kids at age 5 LOVED the Coco skeleton game in the entrance of the pyramid, the train sets near Germany, the maze in England, everything in the Seas pavilion, the playground at the exit of Mission Space. Also we never go to Epcot without getting a gelato/snowcone/ice cream.
4) Does it have to be Epcot in the evenings? You might find it's more pleasant doing Epcot in the morning and having lunch in World showcase, then go swim in the afternoon, and end the day in Magic Kingdom/HS (wait times drop off at dinner time) or AK (Pandora and the tree of life at night are so cool).

 

[juxtapose]

I'd do exclusive pool days where all you do is resort/pool, mixed in with park days, and only go back to the resort to swim when you are okay being done for the day. Transitions are hard at that age so limiting them as much as you can might help.

I'll be honest in FL from June-September I don't want to leave the pool either so I don't blame him! Maybe try going during a cooler time of year and see if that helps.

 

[nancipants]

Set a timer. When it goes off, it's time to get out of the pool. This is how we deal with all transitions.

 

[Lilsia]

does not always work, not sure how much you are going to enjoy a Disney trip if have a one who is not enjoying what you are doing. it is possible to win one battle but loose the war. in the grandkids we have a couple of very hard headed grands. yes as an adult you can make them do what you want but even with loosing what they want no one is having fun. I pick my battles. in this it would be more of a remember the pool is going to be on the list tomorrow and you will and I repeat you will get to come back. EPCOT is a boring place to my grands at that age. we have even broken up the big group with some staying at pool and others went to the park

To be clear, kids get plenty of time to do what they want. Like the OP posted, they are in the pool in the afternoons. It is not like the children are being denied all pool time. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with setting time limits on things and then going and doing something else. Why go to WDW if you are just going to be in the pools the whole time? Go to a waterpark, or even just have a resort stay and not bother buying park tickets. ONE child should not dictate to the whole family for the whole trip. He gets his swimming time in, and then they can go do something else. I am all for letting kids have their fun, my kids spent plenty of time in the pool, but that is not what this situation is. And a 5 year old is old enough to learn that the world does not revolve around him and he can spend some time doing what other family members are wanting to do also. You are basically saying that this one 5 year old child should make the decision for the whole family on what to do the whole trip. That is unreasonable. And a parent is NOT a grandparent.

 

[RoseGold]

I've always wanted to stay in the fancy JW with the lazy river and all that. I think there's a few options with way better pools than Disney. I'd do that first and then move to Disney. The Disney pools won't look nearly as cool, and a pool day or two should scratch that itch, right?

 

[sponica]

a pool day or two should scratch that itch, right?

You've never met my kid. She would have gladly spent the entire trip at the pool, eating at the pool bar.