Is Stormalong Bay Pool Worth it?

[Nancyg56]

However, because SAB is crowded and so sprawling, it’s not really relaxing. If your idea of pool time is to park yourself on a lounge chair with an adult beverage while you watch a young child play, this isn’t it! You will be standing or following a small child around most of the time.

We like SAB but we actually prefer the pools at Grand Floridian and AKL because they are calmer with better sight lines for watching kids.

I agree, this is not a relaxing pool. It is an awesome pool if your kids are old enough to be on their own, or young enough that they do not wander at all. In between is not fun at all for parents. My DGD was 10 and a very strong swimmer, but in order for her to use the slide she needed to cross the "street" which may seem like a little thing, but sending my young DGD alone over there in a swim suit while I was in the pool areas waiting for her to slide down was not great. Also, I was an eyes on at all times Nana when she was in a pool, so while I knew she was a good swimmer, I hated not being able to see her at all times.

I will say the lifegaurds are very vigilant.

 

[jenrose66]

Husband & I are traveling w/ 14yo, 12yo, 9yo, 5yo (June 2019.) Is the Stormalong Bay Pool still nice? Read a recent comment that it was getting gross and in need of refurbishment? Is it too hard to watch 4 kids since it's so large? Is it annoying b/c it is so crowded there? We are not fans of sand, so is that everywhere you go or can be avoided easily? Debating b/n this and the Poly pool. TIA!

I stayed at YC years ago and was very excited to try the pool area. It was very nice but not as amazing as the hype. I have 3 kids but it was just my DH and I on this short trip. I noticed a few things that would be tough for kids. The slide entrance was outside of the pool area. Also with the layout of the actual pool the sight lines are horrible for keeping track of your kids, especially if they outnumber you.

 

[katyjeka]

Stormalong Bay Pool is nice but we enjoy other pools as much if not better. If is wasn't for the "clown" that I find creepy I'd give my vote to BW. It's such a fun atmosphere and it never seems crowded. Maybe the clown scares everyone away!!! We also love Poly but have noticed it seems more crowded than before. Our kids really enjoy pools at the moderates especially CS.

 

[dansdad]

Stormalong Bay Pool is nice but we enjoy other pools as much if not better. If is wasn't for the "clown" that I find creepy I'd give my vote to BW. It's such a fun atmosphere and it never seems crowded. Maybe the clown scares everyone away!!! We also love Poly but have noticed it seems more crowded than before. Our kids really enjoy pools at the moderates especially CS.

Boardwalk is our favorite pool on property. THE best slide by far in our opinion.

 

[Herding_Cats]

We just stayed at BCV for 2 nights last week and I *really* enjoyed SAB for our kids. We also stayed at AoA and CBR this trip, and I think that the thing I liked BEST about SAB compared to the other pools is that the pool wasn't terribly far *across* is that makes sense. At CBR and AoA my kids would invariable end up out in the middle of the pool, 20 yards away. At SAB they would kind of stick to one "leg" of the pool and do all of their playing there. Now, obviously that's my kids and how they like to play. They tend to stick close-ish and that makes things very easy for me. The fact that the "legs" of the pool were adjacent to each other and one would be 3ft deep (great for my 7yo) and the others would be 4+ft deep was great for my 13yo and 11yo. They could play near one another and I wouldn't have to search them out from one giant common pool area.

Yes, the waterslide isn't ideal with the distance you have to go to get on it. My kids always went together and we didn't have an issue.

For us, yes, it was "worth it" as this was the pool and slide they enjoyed the most. And it was NOT super crowded, which really surprised me. We were at the pool for almost 6 hours on Thursday and there were always open chairs, and I would not describe it as being "crowded" (I think CBR's pool was more crowded the previous Saturday morning than SAB ever got.)

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I've never thought of it as gross, but I also don't have kids. It's very spread out and I personally stay at YC solo because I love the pool & proximity to Epcot. If I had kids I think they'd enjoy the pool more than me!

 

[Amy Wiktor]

Thank you all SO much! I really appreciate you taking the time to post!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I was very underwhelmed by SAB. Now granted, I had just run a half marathon and my knees were screaming at all the stairs and bridges, but everyone had raved about it and I just didnt care for it. I felt like I was at a busy waterpark. The chairs were also all crammed together & there was very little "green".

I will say, i had just 6 months prior stayed at AKL and fallen in love with the relaxed pool area with bamboo and palm trees, so I think I was expecting more of that!

 

[TJA]

Thank you all SO much! I really appreciate you taking the time to post!

I know you've received a lot of replies/opinions already, but we spent so much time at SAB that I thought I'd chime in. A lot of parents' enjoyment of SAB totally depends on their own kids. Our situation is we have twin girls and they always stuck together, and they are also very mild girls and never wandered off, etc. So, for us, SAB was absolute heaven! From babies to toddlers to tweens SAB was a family favorite and pretty much a must-do for us. In your case, with 4 kids, you will probably have a harder time IF your kids like to separate. However, if they tend to stick together somewhat, then SAB could be a really fun time for your family!

 

[Disneypro1]

IMHO, no... Stay at a value save ALOT of money They have fine pools. Go to a waterpark one day also. Our kids only do pools so much.Even ay 5 they wanted to go to the water parks. We didn't spend and still don't hardly any time at the resorts...so value it is!

 

[Brett Wyman]

My Grandkids (& I) much prefer evertthing about the Poly. Not just the pool, everything! They actually prefer the quiet pool there but have spent many happy hours at the feature pool. They’re certainly not unhappy at the SAB but it is difficult to watch two, let alone, four kids! Not pool related, but the Poly rooms feel more spacious. Just be sure to request a full balcony or patio if that is your resort choice.

They don't just feel more spacious, they are more spacious. 415 sq/ft in Poly versus 380 sq/ft in BC.

 

[Randomsoulshine]

SAB is nice, very nice. It is certainly not gross, far from it.

It's a very difficult pool for watching kids, it meanders under bridges, around corners. The entrance to the slide is across a public pathway. There is sand on the bottom of the pool; no avoiding that sand! The zero entry/kids section is like a beach with mounds of sand in the shallow parts. Kids dig and play with sand toys in that section, the only way to avoid that sand is to avoid that section of the pool. The zero entry section is on the opposite end of the pool from the slide.

The Poly pools are better for your family.

I stayed there once with a 7 and 5 yr old. Although they loved it I hated all the nooks and crannies of the pool because I couldn’t stay in one spot and watch them. I’m an active mom and swim and play with them but sometimes I wanted to just sit in one spot in pool while they swam and I couldn’t do that. But like I said they loved it!

 

[summerw]

We just stayed at Beach Club last week/end. I felt very uncomfortable with the way the water slide is set up. Kids (and adults) have to leave the pool area, cross a public path, and re-enter another gate. I’m sure there are parents (like those of older kids or siblings who have been instructed to stick together) for whom this is not a concern. My daughter is 7. She’s an only child with medical needs; I am a single parent. I wasn’t prepared to do it (I was looking forward to lounging by the pool), but I spent one afternoon very actively engaged in the pool experience.

DD and I rode the water slide repeatedly. When I’d had enough of that, I suggested the lazy river (she and I both loved that!). It was difficult to get two tubes; DD was upset that I wouldn’t let her go around in one tube while I waited for a second, but I didn’t feel comfortable letting her out of my line of sight. So I made her wait. When I told her I needed a break, I instructed her to swim and play in only one particular area where I could see her from my lounger.

It was a far less leisurely pool experience for me than I’ve grown accustomed to at other resorts. I will be more prepared the next time we stay at BC to spend a lot of time in the pool and little time lounging. I wasn’t prepared for how hands-on the pool would be for me, lol. We both had a great time at the pool, though. I thought it was very clean and didn’t find the sand gross the way real beach sand feels. A fun pool, but not a particularly relaxing experience for me. I’ve always told my DD that the pool at the Poly is so, so crowded and I’m not a fan of that, but now that we’ve stayed both places, for a more leisurely pool experience, I will stay at the Poly. That said, we have plans to return to the Beach Club in July, and I can’t wait! It is a really fun pool. Even if I’d been expecting a more relaxing afternoon, I had a great time at Stormalong Bay. I told DD it’s one of my favorite Disney pools!

This.


The pool last May near Memorial Day was very clean. Most of it is gorgeous. I do remember seeing some area with outdoor carpet that needed some love, but it was one small area, and I'm sure that's a regular need there. And one of the little pool features wasn't working... I can't remember which, sinking sands maybe? None of these detracted from our stay at all.

If you won't be using the sand area and have little ones, it probably won't be a lounging type of day. DS was 9 and an excellent swimmer who spends the summers in oceans and pools. I spent a lot of time in the water with him because it's so spread out and somewhat maze-like with paths. For instance, if you're standing in front of one section of the lazy river, you might have to walk around a large section of the pool to get to the next (where your child now is) unless you want to jump in... so that night I thought, sure you can swim at night even though it's freezing and I'll just sit and watch you fully clothed and in a jacket, wasn't well conceived. Lol.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

You will get different responses from everyone. Some people love SAB, and some don’t. Here’s my opinion: SAB is a like a water park, and it’s hard to keep track of kids unless you are within arm’s reach. Yes, it’s beautiful and fun, but it is large. Also, some parts are deceptively deep. For example, the lazy river portion is deep, and I’ve seen children get in over their heads, pun intended, expecting it to be much shallower.

During busy seasons, I’ve seen the lifeguards make multiple rescues in just a 3- or 4-hour span. It’s easy for toddlers and small children to slip or venture into water too deep for them.

For those reasons, I suggest smaller pools, such as those at Boardwalk, Port Orleans French Quarter, etc. Even the Grand Floridian appears more manageable to me. Others might disagree, and that’s ok. That’s why Disneyworld has so many choices of resorts!

I agree with this. I love Stormalong Bay, but if you have younger children, it can get really exhausting unless they are willing to just stay in sandy bottom area (which is what we've done when our girls were younger). I didn't think Poly pool was that amazing, but to each their own! Poly would be easier to keep track of a 9 and 5yo IMO.