How big are the pools on Dream/Fantasy?

[JPKnapp]

Hi all. This will be my first time cruising a long time and never on DCL. I have been watching walk through videos and it's hard to gauge how big/small the pools are. They look to me about the size of a Marriott Courtyard or Hampton Inn pool. And a far cry from any of the Disney pools you'd see on land. Is this a fair assessment?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Hi all. This will be my first time cruising a long time and never on DCL. I have been watching walk through videos and it's hard to gauge how big/small the pools are. They look to me about the size of a Marriott Courtyard or Hampton Inn pool. And a far cry from any of the Disney pools you'd see on land. Is this a fair assessment?

I'd say they are even smaller than a Courtyard or Hampton Inn pool. They are very small and get very crowded. Pools on cruise ships can't be overly large due to the weight of the water in the pools.

 

[MUN]

I will add that on my first cruise, I was shocked at how small the pools were on the Dream, and how crowded they were on the first day.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi all. This will be my first time cruising a long time and never on DCL. I have been watching walk through videos and it's hard to gauge how big/small the pools are. They look to me about the size of a Marriott Courtyard or Hampton Inn pool. And a far cry from any of the Disney pools you'd see on land. Is this a fair assessment?

Here's an overall shot of the pools on the Fantasy.


And the Mickey pool (the one on the right in the above picture). You can get an idea of how deep (and how crowded) it is


The Donald pool (on the left in the upper picture). Not as good a picture, but you can see how deep it is (man on left, just below life guard is standing):

 

[mevelandry]

Pretty small and generally overcrowded, I would say. I call them "Children Soup".

 

[mevelandry]

Here's an overall shot of the pools on the Fantasy.

And the Mickey pool (the one on the right in the above picture). You can get an idea of how deep (and how crowded) it is.


The Donald pool (on the left in the upper picture). Not as good a picture, but you can see how deep it is (man on left, just below life guard is standing):

Based on what I have seen on my two cruises, this is what I called a "quiet day" for the pools.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Based on what I have seen on my two cruises, this is what I called a "quiet day" for the pools.

I agree, especially the first and last photos.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I agree, especially the first and last photos.

Well, I was trying to get a picture of the pools and pool area, not so much the people soup you usually see. So they were taken early in the morning, and on port days so there were fewer people.

Next cruise I guess I'll have to take a "regular" picture showing the true state of the pools.

 

[Flossbolna]

The dealt pool on the Dream and Fantasy is tiny, too. Especially since only part of the pool is a real pool and not a wading area.

The Grand Californian has a hot tub that is substantially larger than any of the pools on those new ships...

 

[Tulip2796]

I was surprised at how small the pools were. They were definitely underwheming. Coming from a southern US area with ample pools and 6-7 months of pool weather, we saw little reason to use the pools. Our children went in only twice on our 7 night cruise.

 

[Aluvendale]

I've never been on a Disney cruise, but when I've been on Carnival, we just used the pool for a quick wet down/cool off and then back to the lounger chairs. They're definitely not "swimming" pools!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

For that reason, my kids preferred the "Splash Zone" (Aqua lab on Fantasy) and the Aqua Duck ride, more than the pools. Plenty of getting wet, but not as much colliding with people.

 

[plethera1]

I've started warning our kids early about not doing the pool much. We live in Florida and have access to a couple pools so not really much reason to go in on the boat. Lots of other activities that are specific to the boat that I'd rather them do.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

On the Fantasy...very small, always crowded. Knew they were going to be small but even more so than I imagined.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

On the Fantasy...very small, always crowded. Knew they were going to be small but even more so than I imagined.

Generally, onboard ships, the pools are smaller than most people expect them to be.

 

[hanscarlet]

One of the reasons I like the smaller ships is because of their pool layout vs the bigger ships.... but I've never experience Satellite Falls so what do I know

 

[bumbershoot]

I've started warning our kids early about not doing the pool much. We live in Florida and have access to a couple pools so not really much reason to go in on the boat. Lots of other activities that are specific to the boat that I'd rather them do.

We live in Florida and don't have access to outdoor pools most of the year, and DS has never been in a Disney pool. They are tiny and dangerous and IMO gross. There are many other things to do!

He has, however, been in Royal Caribbean pools because they are bigger and less scary IMO. Though they are colder.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Anticipating my sons' disappointment with the sizes of the pools on the ship, and because we didn't want to fly home the same day anyway, we booked 1 night at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, for $220 (plus a $25 resort fee). More expensive than many hotel rooms, but a LOT cheaper (and more relaxing) then trying to squeeze in a day at a theme park. This hotel has wonderful pools, and also has free bike, canoe, kayak, and paddle boat rentals. It was a great choice for us. Low stress, relaxing, and really softened the disappointment that could have come from the small crowded pools on the ship. Plus, as the PP said, there are so many other things to do on these ships besides swim in the pools. (And as I said, it gave them more time for the Aqua lab and the Aqua Duck.)

 

[plethera1]

We live in Florida and don't have access to outdoor pools most of the year, and DS has never been in a Disney pool. They are tiny and dangerous and IMO gross. There are many other things to do!

He has, however, been in Royal Caribbean pools because they are bigger and less scary IMO. Though they are colder.

I don't know if I'd count the Disney boat pools as a typical "Disney pool" anyway. We just got back from staying at the Yacht Club and their pool area is amazing especially the sand pool where the kids can build sand castles without worry about the beach waves knocking it over.

I'd recommend trying to find time for the Aqua Duck too. It's pretty fun.