Balls at the pool?

[Schucraig]

We have been going to Disney forever. We are also DVC members and own at 2 resorts. We make several trips every year. We are here now and staying at BWV which we have done before. My boys now 16 and 13 were throwing a small WDW 2014 football at the pool. The lifeguard asked to see the ball and they brought it to her. After looking at it she said it was "too hard" to throw at the pool. My boys were both embarrassed and upset. Several people around us, also DVC members could not believe what had happened. So after the boys left I went up and asked the front desk. She talked to the manager who didn't have any idea why they could not use it and they weren't sure if it was just a BWV rule. So she called the Community Hall and they said the rule is property wide and no balls are to be used since it interferes with the lifeguards view. Has anyone heard of this? We are ones to always follow the rules but in over 15 years of staying all over WDW we have never been told and never seen anyone being told you can't throw a ball at the pool.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have never heard of that rule and have plenty of times seen people tossing balls around in the pools.

 

[Schucraig]

Neither have we that is what shocked all of us! The people all around us couldn't believe it either! But to have the front desk call and get the responce it is property wide? Since when?

 

[minnie mum]

I can see them not wanting anything harder than a nerf ball being thrown around. I wouldn't take kindly to being hit by one, or to be run into by someone running to catch it.

 

[Schucraig]

I can see them not wanting anything harder than a nerf ball being thrown around. I wouldn't take kindly to being hit by one, or to be run into by someone running to catch it.

I completely understand, I wouldn't either. There were kids near by doing cannon balls in the pool next to people. My boys were not even 6 feet apart and they had the very small WDW football.

 

[DLgal]

Hard balls are banned from many pools. Our community pool does not allow them. Disney is correct in not allowing a hard football to be thrown around. Personally, I find it extremely inconsiderate to be throwing balls around in a pool filled with people. There are plenty of lawn areas at BW to throw a football. The pool is not a safe place to do that. People can get hit with a rogue ball and that's not cool.

Sorry your sons were embarrassed, but that is their issue. There is no reason to be embarrassed if they did not know they were doing anything wrong. There are rules in place and the lifeguards are responsible for the safety when of the pool area, not the front desk manager. The pool is the lifeguard's domain.

 

[Schucraig]

Hard balls are banned from many pools. Our community pool does not allow them. Disney is correct in not allowing a hard football to be thrown around. Personally, I find it extremely inconsiderate to be throwing balls around in a pool filled with people. There are plenty of lawn areas at BW to throw a football. The pool is not a safe place to do that. People can get hit with a rogue ball and that's not cool.

Sorry your sons were embarrassed, but that is their issue. There is no reason to be embarrassed if they did not know they were doing anything wrong. There are rules in place and the lifeguards are responsible for the safety when of the pool area, not the front desk manager. The pool is the lifeguard's domain.

I am not the one to make the rules at WDW. My question is is this a new rule we are not aware of?

 

[aaarcher86]

I've read similar stories.

Was it crowded? It seems like the stories about getting the balls banned come during busier times.

 

[jon18uk]

Personally I would only take an inflatable beach ball to the pool. Anything hard such as football, soccer ball, volley ball, doesn't belong at a pool. They can be taken over to a grassy area instead.

 

[ols386]

I'm not sure if it's a new rule or not, but a football seems like it would hurt if someone were hit in the head with it.

 

[cruisingtwins]

My kids were playing with one of those water blaster stick things and we were told those were not allowed so we put them away. It never occurred to me to question anyone about it.

 

[wilkeliza]

There are a lot of rules on the books that most lifeguards don't enforce. It looks like it is indeed a rule and has been confirmed by 2 CMs.

Sounds like this is similar to the baby floaty rule. Most life guards don't enforce it but some who are very strick rule followers will.

 

[Polydweller]

There are a lot of rules on the books that most lifeguards don't enforce. It looks like it is indeed a rule and has been confirmed by 2 CMs.

Sounds like this is similar to the baby floaty rule. Most life guards don't enforce it but some who are very strick rule followers will.

As DLgal says the lifeguard is the only authority at the pool. The rules at any given moment are what the lifeguards on duty are comfortable with. Front desk and management cannot override the lifeguards and that is pretty much standard every where. It is up to them and them alone to decide what is safe in and around the pool at the time they are on duty. They are the one's on the line if something happens on their watch, nobody else. So since they are the one's accountable for the pool at that time, if the lifeguard says an item is not safe at that time there needs to be no written rule, they've said it is unsafe so it is.

 

[OKW Lover]

Not sure what the OP is expecting from this thread. They apparently got the official word from Boardwalk management that its the policy property wide. I can certainly understand the reasoning for the rule.

 

[Schucraig]

I've read similar stories.

Was it crowded? It seems like the stories about getting the balls banned come during busier times.

No it wasn't crowded at all. Maybe a dozen people in the pool at the time.

 

[Schucraig]

Not sure what the OP is expecting from this thread. They apparently got the official word from Boardwalk management that its the policy property wide. I can certainly understand the reasoning for the rule.

I was wondering if this ever happened to anyone else. As it has never happened to us at any other resort. It was a small 3" football that they sell at all stores here at Disney. As I said all around us were shocked. So I thought I would reach out to my Disboards friends and ask if it ever happened to them since I got 2 different responses from management. I would like to follow up by saying I went to the community hall and asked if they could clarify and she said it is a newer rule that they have just implemented. It is up to the lifeguard to decide if it can be used or not, in most cases the small ball would be fine she said. She also was so kind as to give me 2 blow up balls that the boys can use at the pool. She also stated that when the lifeguard told them they couldn't use the ball she should have offered them a sponge football which she said they have on hand. I would like to let all of my Disboards friends know of this new policy.

 

[senadler]

This has happened to our son as well. The lifeguard was very nice about it and gave him a softer ball that he was allowed to use. It seems the only ones that are really okay are the very soft foam balls that absorb water. I think the one he was using may have been the same little football your son had.

 

[serenitynow]

Boy, do I need to get some sleep. When I saw the title to this thread I was expecting a really different type of balls at the pool thread

 

[cheapster316]

In January we were not allowed to use the go pro in the pool at AOA . I figured it was a rule and immediately put it away. The kids had it on a harness that was in no way interfering with anyone.

 

[Disneylover99]

I've always just assumed no balls (other then small beach balls) were a rule at the Disney pools. I've never seen anybody use them since I started going over five years ago.