How old to go to pool without an adult?

[Minnesota!]

I thought (could well be wrong) lifeguards were out until 10 pm at AS Music. After that you swim at your own risk (DD and I swam one night from 2 am - 3:30 am when we arrived too early to check in - DH napped in the car ROFL DD still thinks that was a highlight of the trip!)

That sounds like an AWESOME memory for your daughter (and you!) - very cool!

No they aren't. Maybe the values are but the other resorts have posted hours and midnight is it,

CSR last trip - pools open 24/7. Same at CBR a few years ago..

I thought the quiet pools were for adults only....maybe Im confused on that point. We stayed at the Poly (a few years ago), near the quiet pool, but I didnt let the kids get in that pool because I thought it was for adults only.
Maybe someone can confirm what exactly the quiet pool is...thanks!

Nope - just means there is no slide, etc. Open for all.

For my kids - depends on maturity. My almost 9 year old - he is pretty close to me allowing it. My almost 6 year old - will probably be an adult before I am comfy with it, ha! Last year at CSR, we were all in the general pool area, but I allowed my then newly-8 year old son pretty free roam. I knew he was "somewhere" in the pool complex and he seemed to check in every 15 minutes or so - but I wasn't concerned about him. He is a smart, mature kid with a good head on his shoulders.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Inaccurate.

Stormalong Bay at the Beach Club is open until 10:00pm every night. The quiet pools at Beach Club and Yacht Club are open 24 hours a day.

Actually, all the pools have posted hours on the sign by the pool. However, if you are quiet and don't disturb guests with rooms around the pool, you can probably get by swimming almost any time. Those same signs will advise guests about ages of children who can be unattended by adults.

 

[HM]

Not really. My kids are all better swimmers than I am. In all seriousness, they would be the ones rescuing me not the other way around. I will be sitting in a chair reading a book or talking to my husband, so I won't have my eyes on them at all times anyway. From what I remember on our last visit, the pool isn't very deep so even my very tall 9 year old won't be able to be in water over his head.

20-30 minutes isn't a big deal, but it would be nice to be able to send them ahead instead of listeing to "Are you ready yet???" It would also be nice to have a private conversation with my husband. But it isn't a big deal, so it looks like my son will have to cool his jets and wait for me. His older sisters will enjoy the ability to be at the pool without us.

Actually, when I talk about safer, I don't mean about the possibility of drowning, I'm thinking of other things that could go wrong that you'd want to be there for like tripping and cutting open a knee or hand, or being stung by a bee, etc. Would your oldest be able to handle these kinds of things if they happened to any of the kids?

 

[clareita]

Actually, when I talk about safer, I don't mean about the possibility of drowning, I'm thinking of other things that could go wrong that you'd want to be there for like tripping and cutting open a knee or hand, or being stung by a bee, etc. Would your oldest be able to handle these kinds of things if they happened to any of the kids?

I am very fortunate to have one those super responsible mature 14 year old daughters, so yes, she would be able to handle these situations. She and her younger sister are both Red Cross trained babysitters and very reliable.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

Well according to Disney a 10 yr old is an adult when it comes to you having to pay for something, tickets or food. But I guess when it comes to the pool they think older is better.

As for the 14 year old taking the 2 younger siblings...if a child needs an adult to ride with them in the parks, Disney says 14 years old is old enough for a teen to ride with a child when an adult is needed.

You may want to ask the lifeguard on duty on your first day but I would think a 14 yr old could be considered a responsible party for watching the 2 younger ones.

I know last year my kids were 11, 12 and 13 and I let them go to the pool without us. Every evening. For a couple of hours.

Now most of that time they spent playing Ping Pong and not actually in the pool but they did all come back wet every night. So they were in the pool some.

I had no idea Disney said they needed to be 12 to be there alone. But for us it doesn't matter now because my youngest is now 12.

We go in the off season but even during slow times there is always a good amount of people down at the pool. Adults and kids. So I doubt those lifeguards even know if the kids are there alone or not. They don't know which adults sitting there reading books or talking go with which kids.

But if you know you don't want to break the Disney rules you will just have to make the youngest one wait. Or make them all 3 wait. You can still have a private conversation with your husband while the kids are in the pool. You will just need to do it poolside.

But if it were me I would go ask a lifeguard on our first day there and see if the 14 yr old can be there with the 2 younger ones. Or really just the youngest because the 12 yr old is old enough to be there alone.

 

[writersblock42]

Did we ever clarify what the actual rules are? Is a 14 year old able to watch younger siblings or not? What are the official rules not personal opinions?
Are the rules different at say the play areas than the pools? The dining areas? There are a lot of reasons that parents might want 20 or 30 minutes to themselves especially if they are all in the same hotel room for a week and it isn't just to do but maybe to

 

[Bob NC]

However, if you are quiet and don't disturb guests with rooms around the pool, you can probably get by swimming almost any time.

If people don't know, then the words "probably", and "get by", might make them think it's not really allowed.

I have asked many lifeguards and the answer is a definite "YES", using the pools for 24 hours IS ALLOWED as long as noise levels are satisfactory.

 

[Sammie]

All pools at Disney have posted hours at the pool on a large sign similar to this one at POFQ

If guests are very, very quiet some times those hours are not enforced. However if the noise level reaches a point after hours then yes security can ask everyone to leave and it has happened.

Adult supervision to me at Disney means anyone 18 and older as that is the age you can book a room.

 

[NHKristy76]

We'll have to agree to disagree.
It would, of course, depend on the children in question. But, my DD just turned 10 a couple weeks ago and I would have no problem with leaving DS14 in charge at the pool for a little while.

Hmm. I'm another person in favor of letting kids swim without parents ONLY if there are lifeguards present.

A 14 year old is not sufficient unless they happen to be a trained lifeguard!

 

[blessedby3]

All pools at Disney have posted hours at the pool on a large sign similar to this one at POFQ

If guests are very, very quiet some times those hours are not enforced. However if the noise level reaches a point after hours then yes security can ask everyone to leave and it has happened.

Adult supervision to me at Disney means anyone 18 and older as that is the age you can book a room.

243 people in one pool????????
Im totally freaked out now!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Did we ever clarify what the actual rules are? Is a 14 year old able to watch younger siblings or not? What are the official rules not personal opinions?
Are the rules different at say the play areas than the pools? The dining areas? There are a lot of reasons that parents might want 20 or 30 minutes to themselves especially if they are all in the same hotel room for a week and it isn't just to do but maybe to

As you can see from the sign, it says under 12 needs supervision of an adult. The irony for me is that it is my 14 year old is the one with the lifesaving and CPR training through BSA. But, that's neither here nor there.

Ironically, I've seen every other rule on that list broken by other guests, often with the blessing of the lifeguards. I've seen swimmers that were visiting others and not staying at the resort, I've seen food/drinks on deck, seen lots of undiapered babies and seen people in pools at 3 am when I've gotten up to use the restroom and peeked out the window.

Overall, WDW isn't nearly as concerned about these things as a select few on the DIS who who think your parenting rights should be revoked for allowing your 9 year old to stand in waist high water without you by her side while you toss a load in the dryer. Even though she is with older brothers who are taller, quicker and better swimmers than you and certainly able to react just as fast, if not faster, in an emergency. When in doubt, check with the lifeguards on duty. I have always found them to be an extremely pleasant group of people.

All pools at Disney have posted hours at the pool on a large sign similar to this one at POFQ

If guests are very, very quiet some times those hours are not enforced. However if the noise level reaches a point after hours then yes security can ask everyone to leave and it has happened.

Adult supervision to me at Disney means anyone 18 and older as that is the age you can book a room.

 

[NHKristy76]

As you can see from the sign, it says under 12 needs supervision of an adult. The irony for me is that it is my 14 year old is the one with the lifesaving and CPR training through BSA. But, that's neither here nor there.

Ironically, I've seen every other rule on that list broken by other guests, often with the blessing of the lifeguards. I've seen swimmers that were visiting others and not staying at the resort, I've seen food/drinks on deck, seen lots of undiapered babies and seen people in pools at 3 am when I've gotten up to use the restroom and peeked out the window.

Overall, WDW isn't nearly as concerned about these things as a select few on the DIS who who think your parenting rights should be revoked for allowing your 9 year old to stand in waist high water without you by her side while you toss a load in the dryer. Even though she is with older brothers who are taller, quicker and better swimmers that you and certainly able to react just as fast, if not faster, in an emergency. When in doubt, check with the lifeguards on duty. I have always found them to be an extremely pleasant group of people.

THIS!

I don't ask questions like this on the Dis anymore. People can really be quite wretched.

 

[cjsm&d]

I am very fortunate to have one those super responsible mature 14 year old daughters, so yes, she would be able to handle these situations. She and her younger sister are both Red Cross trained babysitters and very reliable.

You do what you think is right. None of us know you or your kids, so I wouldn't try to tell you what you should or shouldn't do.

We have always gone to the pool with my DS in the past, but this trip, if he and my 14 year old nephew and 11 year old niece want to get a 10 or 15 minute head start to Old Man River I probably won't have any problem with it. They live in my MIL's pool all summer at home and are good swimmers.

 

[skriegerjr]

If we really want to be stickers for the rules, how many people actually shower before entering the pool...Just sayin'!

Sent from my rooted Samsung Galaxy SIII using the DISBoards app

 

[labst60]

If questioned about "adult" status of my 14 year old - I would just pull out their park ticket which will clearly state "adult".

 

[maxiesmom]

If questioned about "adult" status of my 14 year old - I would just pull out their park ticket which will clearly state "adult".

So do you plan on paying the extra adult resort fee for them too? Don't be silly, of course you don't. An adult park pass does not make them an adult at the resort.

The rule is the rule. No need to be argumentative with a CM or lifeguard for enforcing an age limit you are well aware of.

 

[TowMater92]

Wow my parents we such bad parents when I was a kid, they would let me go swim with friends in the river we went camping on by myself when I was 10. I don't get the people that think they know what other people should do with there kids. How do you know that they don't have a pool in there back yard and there kids have been able to swim for years? I had swim lessons every year when I was very little and would go swimming in my friends pool almost everyday over the summer. We actually taught other friends how to swim and his parents and my parents let us swim without an adult watching us when we were 9-10. They are kids but that doesn't mean they need to be babied or that they are helpless, if they can swim and are responsible (will do what there parents tell them) then they will be fine.

A 9yo with a 12yo and 14yo sibling watching them will be fine for 20-30 minutes. To the people that say something can happen, yes it can but something can happen anywhere anytime, you can't keep your kids in a bubble forever.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Wow my parents we such bad parents when I was a kid, they would let me go swim with friends in the river we went camping on by myself when I was 10. I don't get the people that think they know what other people should do with there kids. How do you know that they don't have a pool in there back yard and there kids have been able to swim for years? I had swim lessons every year when I was very little and would go swimming in my friends pool almost everyday over the summer. We actually taught other friends how to swim and his parents and my parents let us swim without an adult watching us when we were 9-10. They are kids but that doesn't mean they need to be babied or that they are helpless, if they can swim and are responsible (will do what there parents tell them) then they will be fine.

A 9yo with a 12yo and 14yo sibling watching them will be fine for 20-30 minutes. To the people that say something can happen, yes it can but something can happen anywhere anytime, you can't keep your kids in a bubble forever.

Unfortunately, if your child drowns in the river or your backyard pool, that is your business. But, if your child drowns or is injured on WDW property, lawsuits will happen. So Disney posts rules.

 

[minnie mum]

Unfortunately, if your child drowns in the river or your backyard pool, that is your business. But, if your child drowns or is injured on WDW property, lawsuits will happen. So Disney posts rules.

This!. Disney needs to protect themselves from liability, and some guests from themselves, apparently. If the PP who thinks she's going to be in desperate need of time with DH, then send the kids to the arcade or the gift shop. Throw some green jellybeans on the lawn and have the kids hunt for them. But don't let them go unsupervised to pools.

 

[dp911]

This!. Disney needs to protect themselves from liability, and some guests from themselves, apparently. If the PP who thinks she's going to be in desperate need of time with DH, then send the kids to the arcade or the gift shop. Throw some green jellybeans on the lawn and have the kids hunt for them. But don't let them go unsupervised to pools.

Wait kids can go to the arcade unsupervised? I thought they had to be accompanied also.