Is it hard to keep track of the kids at Stormalong Bay?

[lexiluke]

We have a trip planned for the 1st week of June and I'm trying to decide between WL and BC. Stormalong Bay sounds wonderful, but we will have a 3 yr old and 9 yr old to keep track of. Is it condusive to just relaxing and watching the kids splash around?

 

[Allie322]

The answer is both yes and no! SAB is essentially 3 different pools, not including the separate kiddie area(which I am not familiar with). The pool with the large sand bar is pretty shallow and the most wide open so I think you wouldn't have a problem lounging and watching the kids in this particular area--as long as they are content here. THe 'lazy river' section is circular and parts are very deep so no relaxation here! The final section is large and there are several "blind spots"--you could lose sight of the kids pretty easily.
Having said all of that, we just love SAB! But our kids are a bit older than yours and DH and I spend all of our time in the water with them because that's relaxing for us.
I have never stayed at WL so I can't comment on their pool but SAB is a great pool and we wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone!

 

[Ursula]

Yes, it can be difficult to keep track of your kids at SAB. I only had one child to keep track of, DD (7), and there was no relaxing by the pool for me. If you children are content to stay in one area then it will be OK. That was not the case for me. She mostly wanted to slide and it's impossible to see your child going through the slide entrance across the "road", and then see them coming down into the water without a lot of walking back and forth.

 

[lexiluke]

Thanks so much for the input! If you were having to be on alert the entire time, is Stormalong Bay really worth it? I mean, do the kids enjoy it that much more than the other resort pools?

 

[tar heel]

There are actually four pools. Across the sidewalk on the lagoon side is a smallish pool that's about 3 feet deep and has a much smaller (6-8 feet slide). My youngest child loves this pool and it's extremely easy to watch him there.

I think it would be pretty hard to relax and watch a young child who is very comfortable in water at SAB. There's a lot of vegetation, too. Plus the entrance to the big slide (I don't think your 3-year-old will be doing it -- mine would not do it at 7) is a long way from the exit. The lazy river pool is the deep one, so that's the one I'd be worried about. There are lot of lifeguards, which always makes me feel better.

For relaxation, you might want to hit one of the quiet pools. Much smaller and more contained, plus there's a hot tub.

 

[disney ready]

SAB is soooo cool as my 13 yo DS describes it. I thought it was very nice but also very hard to keep up with everyone. I also have a DD5 and DD 8. Word of warning, watchout for the lazy river. There is nothing lazy about it and it seemed that my 8 yo was drawn to it. Yes there are life guards on watch, however I don't trust them to watch over my little ones. As for the 5 yo she was very happy to sit in the area where the water is ankle deep and play in the sand. Then again at the same time my husband found my 13 yo in the hot tub with about 5 other girls. As you can see it can be hard to keep up with where everyone is. Again my 13 yo liked that it was hard to find him. OHHH what I have to look forward to.