Can you use pools at Disney Resorts if staying elsewhere?

[Netty]

Seriously! I'm getting quite worried

The bloke at the marriott was quite firm. I was hoping at least someone else had been blacklisted.
And I'm not even going into the time we got thrown out of Curious George's water bit at IOA for not being kids!!!

 

[Graeme]

NOOOOO!!!!!! you are not serious

Deadly. Now I'm REALLY upset.

 

[wayneg]

Deadly. Now I'm REALLY upset.

I would be, we go in there instead of a water park, DW goes to watch a movie while we spend about 4 hours there. I usually try soak the staff as they go thru, maybe I should avoid them in future.

 

[royal99]

Hi all, new member, enjoying the site very helpfull.

Was going to start a new thread but this one relates to what i was going to ask. Hav'nt been to orlando for five years or so but before that made around sevon visits, in my mums villa (now sold) and four times staying in disneys port orleans.
this time my mum, sister and nephew are staying again in port orleans and me and my girlfriend are staying just outside in marriot world center, so we can do our own things as well.
I am planning on visiting them and them to us at the hotel as well as going straight to parks with them. So questions i would like answered are:

1.We planning having odd breakfast dinner and maybe a few drinks in the bar with them surely this is ok as we adding dollers to the disney pocket??

2.As we may be going in and out a few times do suggest we be straight with security as if we unlucky enough to get the same guard with amazing memory he/she may get a bit sused on our fifth visit to look around?

3. like the first guy i was thinking having odd dip late at night after a park with the family, when pools are deserted any views?

4 . Also on my prevous four visit i can never remeber showing my disney card to any of the bus drivers, as on this visit i plan to on occasion leave the car at port orleans and catch bus with them, do there check them now?

and finnaly can anyone with experience of the marriot center inform me of rules for non guests?

sorry its a long first post just would helpfull to get the info, and just to point out this wont be a daily thing just a few times on the holiday and there will doing the same to us. thanks

 

[Pegasus928]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Personally I think you would have been better off posting an original thread as this may get lost amongst this one.

To answer most of your questions I think - and this is only my opinion - that you would have to have very thick skin to go to a hotel and use their facilities, whether it is the pool or the bus, without paying for them. I wouldn't do this - not through fear of getting caught, thrown off and publicly humiliated - but because it isn't right.
If you have made the choice to stay off-site, hire a car and go it on your own then stick with it. If you want to meet up with your family for a swim and lounge around a pool then go to a water park.

For the record I have never stayed on-site, and can only imagine how frustrating it must be for hotel guests to have to battle with non-guests for the services they have paid a lot of money to enjoy.

 

[Cinderella]

I'm kind of shocked that the Marriott wouldn't allow Graeme to look round either - maybe he just looks dodgy

The only time I've visited another resort in a car, without an ADR was WL at night. We got lost going back to Saratoga after dinner, so we called for a drink and to shop and they let us through no problem.

I guess that if you mention that you're going to spend money while you're there, it probably helps. But it was quite late at night, so I'm wondering if also having a parking permit helped?

 

[UKDEB]

Hi, royal99, and a very warm welcome to the DIS.

All you need to tell the guard is that you are visiting/picking up/dropping off your relatives who are staying there. We've done this at various onsite hotels. There's no need to make up a story.

Having a few drinks at the bar is not only possible, it's positively encouraged, so have no fears there.

As far as the pools are concerned, I'll repeat my earlier observation that, if you have no conscience and balls of brass, you probably wouldn't be challenged (other than at those specifically singled out). I'm certainly not condoning it and neither would I contemplate doing it, I'm just stating the facts as I see them. Having said that, I might consider spending spending time at a pool with friends or family if they were staying there.

Disney transportation is free to all, whether staying onsite or off, so there is no requirement to show anything. As discussed ad infinitum in this thread, other than temporary permits, parking at resorts is reserved for guests staying there. I'll undoubtedly get flamed for this (I have thick skin ), but in your circumstances I'd have no qualms in leaving my car at Port Orleans on the odd occasion to travel with my family.

 

[wayneg]

Welcome Royal99
As with Kenny, this is my opinion, I guess the answers will be split down the middle. If you have friends/family staying there and the pools are quiet then I see nothing wrong with it, but end of day its your choice if you get asked to leave you have to deal with it, not us, I have never been in that situation.

Kenny, as for the buses, they are not just for resort guests, the whole Disney transportation network(buses, monorail & boats) are for use free by all guests onsite or offsite

 

[Pegasus928]

Kenny, as for the buses, they are not just for resort guests, the whole Disney transportation network(buses, monorail & boats) are for use free by all guests onsite or offsite

Thanks Wayne.

Having never stayed on site I wasn't aware of this. Not sure we will ever have a need to, but it is nice to know that if we did we could hop on one to get about.

 

[paulh]

Welcome Royal99
Kenny, as for the buses, they are not just for resort guests, the whole Disney transportation network(buses, monorail & boats) are for use free by all guests onsite or offsite

not quite corect wayne,its only free for ofsite guests,if using ticket media for admision for that day,you carn`t just just park at downtown disney and use the bus transportation to go to the hotels,
Though some do
Nor can you park at downtown disney walk to SSR and walk to SSR and get a buss to parks to cucumvent parking fee
Though some do
Paulh

 

[wayneg]

not quite corect wayne,its only free for ofsite guests,if using ticket media for admision for that day,you carn`t just just park at downtown disney and use the bus transportation to go to the hotels,
Though some do
Paulh

Yes sorry Paul, I was going to put that in the post, never got around to including it. But in reality who has ever been asked to show a ticket on transport? Maybe they have on boats, never used them.

 

[Dimplenose]

We were once (in 2005) asked to show our tickets at the TTC to get to the monorail. People were even being asked to sign theirs if they hadn't done so. But this was the one and only time in 3 trips.

 

[paulh]

Yes sorry Paul, I was going to put that in the post, never got around to including it. But in reality who has ever been asked to show a ticket on transport? Maybe they have on boats, never used them.

i rember those days
Paulh

 

[wayneg]

We were once (in 2005) asked to show our tickets at the TTC to get to the monorail. People were even being asked to sign theirs if they hadn't done so. But this was the one and only time in 3 trips.

You are right, we were asked to show tickets and they were getting people to sign, don't remember which trip but I guess it was around 2005.
Wonder if they would have actually stopped you getting on monorail with no ticket. All you have to say is someone has my ticket at the gate.