New pool heat policy? ***update see post 549 ****

[Simba's Mom]

Well, as I've always said "Talk's Cheap". What we really need is to hear from people who go to WDW in the next few weeks and report back that the pools are a comfortable temperature. I know I'm being doubting, but I'll believe it when I see/hear it first hand.

 

[ccw]

Having read about the chilly water temps, i stuck my toes into the South Point pool at OKW Sunday afternoon with great trepidation but, alas, it felt like bathwater!!! VERY warm! Main pool was also warm. The main pool at Saratoga, though, was quite chilly on Tuesday so my theory is that OKW was so much warmer because the air temp was cooler the days I tried those pools and, by the time I tried the SSR pool, the air temp was a good 15 degrees higher so Disney could justify lower water temps. Reasonable? Anyway, I did not notice many people at either place bothered by the pool temperatures. By the way, my teen boys gave the OKW slide a big thumbs up!

 

[LIFERBABE]

Thanks ccw! Were there people swimming at SSR?

 

[ccw]

Oh, yes! Lots of people were in the pool...I wimped out because it was kind of early in the day and still a little too cool for my tastes but plenty of people were enjoying the water.

 

[disneynutt1225]

I think this is wonderful news! I stopped checking the thread a week ago, so I was happy to read about the email in another thread regarding the increase in temperature. Even though it's only 2 degrees, at least there was a compromise reached. It's nice to know that there are people within DVC that are listening to member opinions. It makes me feel even better about being a DVC member.

 

[ttfn3]

Thanks Mandy for posting this info!! As someone who just returned from SSR, I am so glad this changed the temp. 78 degrees was way too cold for rec swimming. Maybe the lifeguards got tired of seeing people shiver and answering everyone's questions. 82 degrees in the pool should be just fine for this time of year. What great news!!!!

 

[rparmfamily]

Glad to see this! We stayed at ASMo in March and the water was too cold to enjoy. I don't particularly enjoy seeing my children shiver or their teeth chatter.

Too bad our next trip isn't until July!! I want to test those pool waters NOW!

 

[Pembo]

Just returned from SSR. We did go in the pool. It was not that warm. We went down the slide a few times, swam a bit, and went in the hottub to warm up. On a side note, we walked thru the Swan and dipped a hand in their pool....it was much warmer and not a soul in it.

I hope that Disney does warm their pools back up.

 

[goldilocks_63]

Yesterday, we went to the main pool... Lots of people in it, and lots just sunning themselves.

My mom, went in to her waist, said it was too cold, and got out. Saw other adults who didn't have kids do the same....

I asked the lifeguard if they could make it warmer, and he said that it would be between 80-82, and if we wanted it warmer, the sun would have to warm it.

So then we went into the big hot tub by the lighthouse, and the temp was lovely. Saw 15-20 small kids (ages 6-12ish) swimming unsupervised in there with googles, water balls, etc..... I tried to read a bood and soak a sprained ankle, but had to go because my book kept getting splashed so much.

So maybe if they are going to keep the pools cool, they should move a lifegaurd over to the hot tubs, because that's an accident waiting to happen. ALso, maybe they could do crowd control because it's get kinda crowded, and you may have to wait to get in


On a side note, a little girl about age 3 trip on the pool edge and skinned her knees pretty good, so I went to the lifeguard and asked if someone could help the Mom. He radio'd it in.. but 15 minutes later, noone had showed up and the parents took the crying child home.

Other than that weather is lovely, parks are fun, OKW villas in good condition, and life is good.

So the pool temperature is tolerable, but for me just not fun.

More later, Goldi

 

[LisaS]

I asked the lifeguard if they could make it warmer, and he said that it would be between 80-82, and if we wanted it warmer, the sun would have to warm it.

Carli's email said the pools would be kept no colder than 82 degrees. So we've lost 2 degrees again.

So then we went into the big hot tub by the lighthouse, and the temp was lovely. Saw 15-20 small kids (ages 6-12ish) swimming unsupervised in there with googles, water balls, etc..... I tried to read a bood and soak a sprained ankle, but had to go because my book kept getting splashed so much.

This is pretty much what I imagined would happen. Pools are too cold so the hot tubs become the pools.

So the pool temperature is tolerable, but for me just not fun.

Thanks for the update. Sounds like we must keep emailing Disney on this. I imagine they are waiting until June to officially implement their 82-degree pool temperature policy, achieved through the use of solar heating!

 

[PamOKW]

At this point, I think the push should probably be to heat the pools next fall/winter. Temps have been in the 80's and even up into the 90's for the last month or so down in Orlando. Heating the pool shouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Of course, we have no actual proof that emails from non-affected DIS folks (that is, people who only read about it on the Internet) made one bit of difference. Companies usually give much heavier weight to live, in-person comments & complaints; letter writing campaigns, particularly Internet-based ones, usually are perceived as a 'Tempest in a chat-board'.

Whatever the cause for the change really was, I hope that my fellow DIS DVCers truly enjoy those extra few degrees.

IMHO - YMMV

PS I know this is very cynical, but I wouldn't be surprised if 82 degress was the goal they had in mind from the beginning. You know: take away twice as much as you want to, then give half back.

You are proabaly correct, in-person complaints from all WDW guests may have played a bigger role. However, e-mail complaints from some of your most enthusiastic fans may also have an effect. Disney knows the tipping point for when an e-mail campaign is going to equal real complaints at the park or resorts. Many of those e-mail complainers will likely complain in-person at their next stay. As far as your cynical view, I kind of agree (imagine that!). This will provide justification for another big jump in dues and rack rates due to "energy costs". That is probably what WDW management's real goal is/was. If they were really "green concerned", they would be looking into solar heating and pool covers especially for the smaller DVC pools. As things stood, they were just looking to increase their profit margin by reducing product quality.

For those of you wanting a thank-you campaign, you're also free to send your own thank you e-mail stating what a brilliant customer service and quality-minded decision it was it was to lower the pool tempertures.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

As a preface to my comments, I have always found the HH pools colder than the WDW pools.

Just back from HH, and I found the feature pool temps to be just bearable for myself and my oldest two 6 & 8yo, but too cool for our 3yo...that also included the kiddie pool. Our 3yo likes to hang out at the pool steps and she will go up and down the steps, in and out of the water for hours. With the air temp (mid-60's/cloudy) and the cold pool, I did not feel she would be adequately warmed by the pool water to allow her to do this.

One day when the sun came out briefly in the afternoon, I went to the beach house with my 3yo, mostly just to walk on the beach. That day happened to be HH resort's "member day". Past trips, I have never swam at the beach house because the BH pool has always been colder than the feature pool. On this day, I stuck my hand in the BH pool and I found it so warm I drove back to the resort suited all the kids and took them back there for a swim. The following day, we suited up for a special trip over to the BH to use the pool, and it was noticabley cooler than the previous day. However, it was still warmer than the feature pool, so we did swim anyhow. I don't know why the difference between the two days. Maybe they cranked the temp up for member day?? There was an evening reception at the BH and maybe they figured more guests would be using the BH pool that day...either that, or a CM accidently bumped the thermostat.

Overall for our trip, we did get enough pool time, but a few degrees warmer would have allowed us to enjoy and stay in the feature pool for a longer amount of time. We spent a lot of time in the hot tub. On our check out day, the hot tub was closed for renovations. I hope the resort cranked the pool temp for the resort guests staying this week.

 

[prez65]

I just purchased into DVC SSR this March when I was down there on Vacation at PORS (which had cold pools). My salesperson told me the pools at SSR are maintained at a constant 80-84 degrees. I took her word and never tested the water..I did see people swimming the day we checked it out and it was about 78 degrees outside......was that an outright lie by my salesperson?

 

[Cruelladeville]

Would someone send me a PM with Carli's email, so that I can email her? Those pools are NOT 82 degrees! I left BW yesterday at 2 pm, and the temperature outside was 86 degrees--no one was swimming in either pool, except kids!!!! Repeatedly, adults walked into the pool to their waists, and got right back out, it was just too cold! I was very unhappy that the water was just too cold to swim in. If everyone is sitting around the pool when the outside temp is 86 degrees, there is something wrong!! I spent the week before this at Marriott Cypress Harbour, and their water was toasty warm, and EVERYONE was in the pool there! I was so frustrated that I checked out of BW yesterday, and crashed Marriott for one last swim before I came home. It was so frustrating, I could have cried! A friend toured SSR, and wanted to know if I had any regrets about buying DVC. They asked us yesterday at the airport while we were waiting to fly home.

 

[LisaS]

Would someone send me a PM with Carli's email, so that I can email her?

I used this address: members@disneyvacationclub.com

 

[FRANKTSJR]

I followed your advice and sent a complaint email to member services, not that it will do any good! My wife is in Disney now, temps are in the upper 80's but the pools are cold.

 

[luv disney]

We first stayed at OKW for 4 nights and the main pool was really warm,you could see steam on top at night, and it wasn't even cold. Then off to BCV for 5 nights SAB was pretty cool in tempature cold have been bumped up a few felt like 78 degrees. Then off to AKL for 3 nights the weather was 89 degrees during the day and the pool was freezing cold. I was surprised by this. My kids wouldn't even swim in it and they are 7 and 10.We loved all of the resorts for different resaons and would stay at all of them again.

 

[FRANKTSJR]

Hi- I sent an email to memeber services complaining about the tenps. in the pools. The following is the response that I received fom DVC Member Services:

Dear Frank,

Thank you for contacting Member Services.

We appreciate your taking the time to write concerning the pool temperatures at the Walt Disney
World Resort. When setting our pool temperatures, we consider several factors including the season,
the daily weather conditions and overall guest comfort. There is not a standard recommended pool
temperature within the aquatic recreation industry, we have however taken into consideration the
guidelines set forth by the American Red Cross, which recommends temperatures between 78 and 82
degrees.

Based on recent guest feedback, we are going to maintain our pools at a minimum of 82 degrees. We
continue to monitor Member feedback on this topic and take these comments very seriously. We realize
that everyone has a different preference when it comes to pool temperatures, which is why we try to
strike a balance to find a temperature that is comfortable for the majority of our guests.

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are glad you are a Member of our Disney Vacation Club
family, and we look forward to welcoming you home again very soon.

Sincerely,
Magdalene

 

[Markstudy]

"We realize that everyone has a different preference when it comes to pool temperatures, which is why we try to strike a balance to find a temperature that is comfortable for the majority of our guests. Sincerely,Magdalene

Disney spokes people later added -
Since seals, penguins, and polar bears have a preference for 32 degree water
when swimming, we must take this into consideration when we give out B.S. answers