Best lounging pool?

[wzwild]

My DH, DD (5) and I are looking to book a last minute trip for the end of July. Can anyone recommend a moderate-deluxe resort with a good pool area for lounging around during the day, as we want to spend quite a few days at the pool? I think DD will have fun at any pool, but DH and I would like something with good lounge chair placement (if that makes any sense so we can relax while still having a good view of DD in the pool.

 

[LisaCM614]

Good lounge chair placement is key! My kids are big enough to go off on their own now but not so big that I forget! I think the Beach Club is perfect for that. And I know folks will say Stormalong Bay is huge. But I am recommending the area behind the shipwreck where they have a junior slide and a pool for younger swimmers. It is a very nice place for you to easily watch your DD and for her to have freedom to go up and down a slide! Also in the main part of Stormalong Bay there is a shallow sandy bottom part of the pool. Chairs are harder to get over here and it can be a little big but if is very fun for kids to play in nice clean sand and a lovely pool. I don't think the water is deeper than 2 feet in that area!

 

[grimley1968]

I like pools that make it easy to keep an eye on my kids, in addition to being nice lounging areas. I found Stormalong Bay to be a nice pool, but not necessarily so for lounging. It has many little nooks and crannies that make it hard to keep an eye on small children if they stray from the shallow area, and the feature slide is literally across a busy sidewalk from the pool, and the kiddie slides are as well. That makes it difficult to just sit in one place and watch a child if they want to do more than one thing. For a combination of nice swimming, lounging and keeping an eye on children, I've found the feature pools at WL, POFQ, Poly and CSR to be good. They all seemed to have plenty of chairs both shaded or unshaded, relative ease of keeping an eye on children, and are just nice pools. A caveat about CSR's pool is that there is a large play area adjacent to the pool area that can't be easily seen from most of the lounge chairs (while also viewing the pool). The POFQ pool slide is great for little ones and is easily seen by a large number of chairs. Almost the entire WL pool area, including the kiddie area, is visible in one eye sweep from certain chair locations. And all these pools have a pool bar!

 

[Coconut8473]

Not sure if you'd consider the Dolphin, but I find the pool there very laid back and relaxing.

 

[mmmears]

I have found the AKL pool to be the most relaxing "lounge" pool out of all the places we have stayed at WDW. There are plenty of chairs, there is food and drink right there, and the foliage and theming are really nice. Poly is lovely, but there was too much jockeying for seats to make it relaxing. The GF is also nice for relaxing. I like SAB, but I don't find it relaxing. Hope this helps!

 

[johnsonet]

Most of the pools at the resorts I stay at (AKL, WL, CR, BC, GF, Poly) at are overrun with people and it is hard to find a chair. The few times I can remember that not being the case (in recent years) were at the round pool at CR last summer, the quiet pool at BC in June 2013, and at the quiet pool at BWI in October 2011 (I think we were the only people there and it was heavenly).

 

[Kevin355]

CBR has a quiet pool at each resort. Not a bad place to just lounge around.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

CBR has a quiet pool at each resort. Not a bad place to just lounge around.

This, or any of the quiet pools at the moderates. If you want to lounge in peace, the main pools are not the answer at any resort.

 

[wzwild]

Not sure if you'd consider the Dolphin, but I find the pool there very laid back and relaxing.

We actually stayed at the Swan last year and loved it, but neither the Swan or Dolphin have rooms for the duration of the dates we want.

 

[KT0191]

I loved GF's pool. Super relaxing and the pool bar was great.

 

[clapton]

I second both pools at GF.

 

[AllieBoo]

The Yacht Club - Stormalong Bay!

 

[BelleKer]

I would recommend Stormalong Bay for the best experience. DH and I were able to have drinks delivered to us, and loved all the little nooks and crannies of the pool. I loved POR, but a lot of their lounge chairs at the main pool are hidden under trees, so if you are looking to lay out and tan, it may be difficult to find a chair in the sun. POR also has a bar, but you have to go get your drinks.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I would pick either GF or BC/YC's SAB

 

[wzwild]

Thanks again everyone. After going over pictures and reviews, and looking at prices, we decided on a POR RR for our stay. There was a good price on it, and I think DD (5) will love the room. This way we can catch the ferry to the POFQ pool if we want, but are closer to the restaurants. So excited for our first stay at a Disney resort!!!

 

[butsy113]

SAB is definitely not for relaxing!! It is divided into so many sections that you can't relax and watch your kid. While I love the slide itself, it is my least favorite pool. We love the AKL pool. The pool is huge and has a zero entry area. It also has a simple slide that the kids enjoyed. Another plus with AKL is that I believe you can also use the Kidani Village pool (I think everyone can, we are DVC so I'm not positive). The Kidani pool is less crowded, there is an awesome slide, comparable to the one at SAB, and there is a splash pad area too. Kidani is my favorite pool on property.