had a great time...BUT

[AP1209]

I've never seen a post get responses so fast. People hate pool jumpers!

 

[Stasieki]

I am really asking this in sincerity.

Should we not have had access to any kiddie pool the entire time we were there? That just seems crazy to me.

with 2 under 3 it honestly seems like a safety issue to me. They dont even have life jackets for my daughters size. i didnt bring one for a small infant because i wouldnt need one in a kiddle pool while she sits on my lap. i would have booked differently if i had know

I was at Carribbean Beach last Sept with my young children. Show up the first day to see the kiddie area closed for two weeks. I was sad, but it didn't occur to me that we deserved another kiddie pool to replace it. I explained to my kids how stuff happens. In this case, they had to replace a pump. When the pump arrived it was the wrong one. So the closure was longer than it should have been.

 

[sdomino11]

I've been following the POFQ thread for a couple of months now because we're staying in April. It's my understanding that POFQ had no kids splash pad before this last week when the brand new one opened. If I'm understanding that correctly, there wouldn't have been an announcement when you made reservations at POFQ that the kiddie pool was down, because, until just recently, there was actually no kiddie pool/splash pad at the resort at all. So the announcement about no kiddie pool when there has never been a separate kiddie pool would have been moot.

I'm sorry things disrupted your trip though, OP.

 

[Ninja Mom]

The pool hopper police will be on your tail here no matter what the reason was that you HAD to pool hop. The bottom line is that Disney failed to notify you that an amenity that you NEEDED was unavailable. When a deluxe pool at the Boardwalk area of resorts is closed Disney has no problem letting guests pool hop over to the other resorts open one. In fact they even provide transportation via golf cart to that other resorts pool.

Just because you were staying at a Moderate hotel was no reason NOT to accommodate you when the pool that you NEEDED (Kiddie) was closed. You were smart enough to realize this and advocate for yourself. You even asked Disney to provide you with a practical solution, which they refused. (I'm sorry but packing up a room and moving after you just spent 2 hours moving in is not a PRACTICAL solution in my eyes, especially with little kids).

Since Disney can not openly allow you to pool hop, you worked out your own solution with the silent consent of the manager. I see nothing wrong with that and I applaud you for finding a solution that worked for you. The pool hopper police will be fixated on the fact that you pool hopped. Their brains shut down after the word hop is mentioned.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. I think under your unique circumstances you did the right thing. Disney should have informed guests about all the pool closures. By letting us know what you experienced you are helping future guests possibly avoid those problems.

~NM

 

[SirDuff]

Not worth it.

 

[poppinspenguins]

french quarter always had a very small splash pad...the little gators spit out later. they closed it to make a mega splash land with slides water buckets etc.

 

[Pemeberly]

Oh lord, people.

She gets it. Pool hopping is bad. You're not going to change her mind, and she's not going to change yours. This is just a dog pile at this point.

 

[dlavender]

For approx $200/night, I'm with you. I'm pretty sure you displaced no one by using the toddler pool at POP.
Now, if you were staying in Kissimmee for $39/night, and were driving in to use one of the pools, then I get why people would be upset.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

I've never seem a post get responses so fast. People hate pool jumpers!

I know, right?! We don't really care about pools, in fact out of 3 trips we've gone swimming 2 hours of one day! I NEVER KNEW pool hopping was an issue. After this thread though, pool hopping is clearly the 8th deadly sin!

 

[SaintsManiac]

before i knew it was even not allowed...we stopped in at the poly pool after eating at kona and getting a dole whip. and we let me son splash in the baby pool and play at playground at coronado after pepper mkt. i wasnt a reg visitor til a few years ago, so never knew it was a big deal.

Never in my life would I have thought this was ok, but to each his own.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Obviously that's frustrating and no one should be spoken to in a brash manner, but I do agree and support Disney's no pool hopping policy. Imagine if they let everyone from POR hop over to CBR. It'd be packed. On another hand, imagine paying out the wazoo to stay at BC and someone from Pop shows up. That sounds incredibly snobby, but I agree that the pools should be just for resort guests.

I do think Disney should have floaties or should have offered you a gift card to get floaties for your kid. That would have been a nice gesture.

 

[pmaurer74]

I am really asking this in sincerity.

Should we not have had access to any kiddie pool the entire time we were there? That just seems crazy to me.

with 2 under 3 it honestly seems like a safety issue to me. They dont even have life jackets for my daughters size. i didnt bring one for a small infant because i wouldnt need one in a kiddle pool while she sits on my lap. i would have booked differently if i had know

This situation I can understand and empathize. I wanted to complain at our stay at POFQ that there were not enough life jackets. My dd almost drowned. She was old enough to listen and stay on the steps and I forgot her swim vest at home. She went off the steps and went under. Another mom and I pulled her out before she swallowed too much water. I thought she was old enough to listen (6) but she is very small for her age and could not touch the bottom. I would have been annoyed as well. I should have complained for safety issues to have more life jackets since the kiddie pool was closed but I also agree with the others that pool hopping is not allowed. I would have changed resorts.

 

[ELSA711]

I am not going to comment about pool hopping to each their own, but I don't get how you could be upset with the CMs when they were just telling you policy. You aren't allowed to pool hop and that doesn't make them rude because it in fact is a policy all Disney resorts hold, except with the few excepts. I can understand and empathize with you as I too have traveled with small children at one time but I wouldn't have them change policy just for me either. We always just brought our life jackets from home with us. Not that we ever really use the pools that often either.

 

[lugnut33]

Pool hoppers are way down on the list of annoying things at WDW. Way behind double wide strollers, fastpass plus, and people who stop in the middle of walkways.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Not that I think the OP was rude but it's kind of frustrating when you start offering alternatives and the guest turns them all down because they want what they want. And then goes and does what they wanted anyway. No excuse to be rude to the guest though, if indeed the CM was rude, just say "I'm sorry, that's all we can offer you."

For the record though, I think maybe resorts should let guests know when the kiddie pool is closed for the long term...POFQ just put in a brand new toddler splash area and that's why it was closed.

 

[poppinspenguins]

nope, not being shady...admit to using other pools. yes....until disboards i never knew pool hopping was the sin of sins. i figured we were eating at a resort, exploring around the grounds, seeing if maybe next time we stay there. disney is disney...we were disney guests. people forget that people relatively new to the whole disney thing dont get it all the details. we never packed out swim bag, said to ourselves lets sneak into a pool and live like crazy rebels. we were there, maybe sat on the beach chairs, enjoyed a drink, dipped our toes in etc, let my son or my niece splash around for 10 minutes before we left. doesnt seem different than using the walking trail at fort wilderness or seeing yee haw bob at po.

we usaully only do 3 days at the park in a week....so we plan pool days into our vacation. i would have booked accordingly if i had known.

there were plenty of closed attractions...the boneyard, jungle cruise etc. we understand it happens, but those were advertised, did not affect safety.

Also, caribbean and coronado were about a 40 difference a night (cheaper), of which it would not have been recouped.

instead of being upset that disney shut down both toddler pools at PO, did not give warning....people are questioning my motives and asking how i feel if my kids think about grey areas of rules.

as one said, we will not change our minds, you wont change theirs. i will call ahead in the future since it wasnt communicated.

one other poster mentioned people being bused or carted to other pools...this also happened at poly...guests automatically given use of wilderness lodge pool or blizzard beach.

we tried to plan proactively...paying more for fq since there was no mention of closure. we did not ask for anything free...went to a downgraded hotel.

in my head i thought i was trying to be unselfish by saying no to blizzard beach tix. i didnt want them to think i was angling for free stuff, and said to them it was very genorous. to me, using another pool is free for them, taking tix was like a 100+ value and i would have felt guilty about it.

 

[AngiTN]

The times people are given access to other pools are when the main pool is closed. In those cases Disney does provide alternates.

In Disney's mind (I suspect) they feel that closing a Kiddie pool doesn't pose the same issue as there is still a pool at that resort that can be used. The fact that it didn't work for you was your issue, not Disney's. The fact is, you could have used the other pool. You just didn't want to

 

[Jennasis]

Begs the question. ..now that you know hopping is not allowed, will you do it in the future?

 

[MainMom]

I have 2 kids, 14 and 10. Never once used the kiddie pool at a hotel resort Disney or otherwise. I guess this is a new thing for parents of young kids? Gosh I feel old.

 

[AngiTN]

I have 2 kids, 14 and 10. Never once used the kiddie pool at a hotel resort Disney or otherwise. I guess this is a new thing for parents of young kids? Gosh I feel old.

I've always taken DGD in to the big pool too. If I get in the water I want to swim too. Not something I can do in the kiddie pool. We just packed her puddle jumper until she got big enough for the pool life jackets.