Non-members blatantly using facilities

[Deb & Bill]

I agree. If the pools are crowded and there is no capacity, absolutely the members come first and guests not allowed. .... I think 4-6 guests (the size of an average family) is reasonable, however.
....

Unless you are a guest paying to stay at YC, BC or BCV. And are having a difficult time trying to find a lounge chair or any chair at SAB. All the signs posted at the resort pools indicate the pool is for the exclusive use of the guests staying at that resort. Not the guests of those guests.

If every fourth guest decided that they wanted to invite their friends/family staying at a another resort to "visit them" at the pool, the pool would be extremely crowded. If only one family out of all the families staying at the resort wanted to do this, that would be different. But that's not usually the case. If your family or friends want to swim with your family, they need to reserve a space at that resort. Or plan to meet up at the water parks. Or, if you are the DVC member staying on points at a DVC resort, you can hop over to join them (unless they are staying at AKL/AKV, BC/YC/BCV).

 

[P&B's Mom]

I was really surprised when we stayed at BCV in June that we were only asked for our resort id once, especially after everything I had read about SAB security. I saw about 1/4 of the people wearing wristbands each of the four times we went to SAB and didn't have any clue what they were all about until the last visit. On Saturday morning, a CM "guarding" the towels asked my mom for an id (our 4th time at SAB). She really gave my mom a hard time for not having her id with her to get some towels. My mom went and got her id, but the CM only wanted to give her one towel. I know my mom got really mad and the CM finally gave her enough towels for all of us. The ironic part was that later that same day, I needed some more towels and no one asked me for an id!

I will not explain how we entered the pool area so not to give illegal "pool hoppers" any ideas, but it is fairly easy to enter the area if you want.

I am a high school teacher and I call my students part of the "Entitlement Generation". I guess that name doesn't only apply to self-centered teenagers!

 

[UConnJack]

Unless you are a guest paying to stay at YC, BC or BCV. And are having a difficult time trying to find a lounge chair or any chair at SAB. All the signs posted at the resort pools indicate the pool is for the exclusive use of the guests staying at that resort. Not the guests of those guests.

If every fourth guest decided that they wanted to invite their friends/family staying at a another resort to "visit them" at the pool, the pool would be extremely crowded. If only one family out of all the families staying at the resort wanted to do this, that would be different. But that's not usually the case. If your family or friends want to swim with your family, they need to reserve a space at that resort. Or plan to meet up at the water parks. Or, if you are the DVC member staying on points at a DVC resort, you can hop over to join them (unless they are staying at AKL/AKV, BC/YC/BCV).

I don't really think it would happen that much to be a problem. If the guest policy was limited to other WDW guests staying on-property (e.g., not those staying off-site or locals), really how often are there multiple families/friends staying at different resorts and how often are they really getting together to go to the pool? Not enough to be a problem, IMO. I would argue that pool hopping for the sake of pool hopping by people (WDW guest or outsider) who are not visiting someone at that resort is a MUCH larger and more frequent problem. I just think its kind of silly for WDW guests who may be staying at different resorts (for whatever reason, financial, availability, preference, etc.) not to be able to spend time at one of the resort's pools together.

 

[gscott8075]

I see pros and cons to all sides....

Three families went to Hilton Head this summer.

We stayed ay HHI with one family and another family stayed at Marriot Harbour Pointe right down the road. All of our kids are good friends. We used the beach most days - but spent time at each resorts' pools. We used their pool and condo for a day, and they spent a day at Disney with us. The kids road their bikes back and forth at their choosing.

While there is a understandable desire to ensure the resorts are not overrun with guests, there is an absolutely legitimate reason to be able to invite folks "home".

What are folks in this situation supposed to do, "Uhh, great we are on vacation together, but you can't come in. We'll meet you at the gate."

Its all about balance.

 

[Dean]

I see pros and cons to all sides....

Three families went to Hilton Head this summer.

We stayed ay HHI with one family and another family stayed at Marriot Harbour Pointe right down the road. All of our kids are good friends. We used the beach most days - but spent time at each resorts' pools. We used their pool and condo for a day, and they spent a day at Disney with us. The kids road their bikes back and forth at their choosing.

While there is a understandable desire to ensure the resorts are not overrun with guests, there is an absolutely legitimate reason to be able to invite folks "home".

What are folks in this situation supposed to do, "Uhh, great we are on vacation together, but you can't come in. We'll meet you at the gate."

Its all about balance.

There should be some balance but the resorts guests must take priority, and it does depend on the time of year and size of the group in question. So you go to the manager and ask if it's OK, if he says OK, fine. If he says no, you're out of luck. If he qualifies it to how crowded the pool is, you abide by that rule. The truth is that for summer, the answer should be NO as the resort is effectively sold out, esp at HH which has a small pool area. The fix in this situation is to all stay at the same resort.

 

[fishermouse]

One of the monorails was designed for the resorts/resort guests only.
It is pretty simple, if you are at WDW for the day or staying off site use the main parking lot and take the MK monorail or one of the ferries that go back & forth.

Parking in the resort lot to use the resort monorail is cheating & stealing perks from those who do spend the money to have the luxury of the monorail at their resort.
The same issues apply to the pools. I have actually reported families who are openly chatting about how easy it is to use the pool and not be staying there or actually live in the area.
The beauty of this is security does remove the family.

Now I'm sure we will hear Disney should check all room keys which I do agree with but families should have a moral code that doesn't allow them to behave in such a selfish manner.

I don't disagree about the pools at all, but if a family is at MK and wants to go to CG or any other resort resturant to eat it's not likely WDW would object. They really should check room keys at the pools, they do it at SAB and it works well. Checking keys at bus stops would IMO just take way to much time, half or more of the people bording would not have it ready.
I guess in the world most of us would like, people be considerate of others and play by the rules.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I was really surprised when we stayed at BCV in June that we were only asked for our resort id once, especially after everything I had read about SAB security. I saw about 1/4 of the people wearing wristbands each of the four times we went to SAB and didn't have any clue what they were all about until the last visit. On Saturday morning, a CM "guarding" the towels asked my mom for an id (our 4th time at SAB). She really gave my mom a hard time for not having her id with her to get some towels. My mom went and got her id, but the CM only wanted to give her one towel. I know my mom got really mad and the CM finally gave her enough towels for all of us. The ironic part was that later that same day, I needed some more towels and no one asked me for an id!

I will not explain how we entered the pool area so not to give illegal "pool hoppers" any ideas, but it is fairly easy to enter the area if you want.

I am a high school teacher and I call my students part of the "Entitlement Generation". I guess that name doesn't only apply to self-centered teenagers!

I ran into the same situation as you-probably the same towel CMs! In 8 trips to BCV, that was the only time I was asked for ID.
BTW, I too have been a HS teacher, and agree with you about the "Entitlement Generation".

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I don't disagree about the pools at all, but if a family is at MK and wants to go to CG or any other resort resturant to eat it's not likely WDW would object. They really should check room keys at the pools, they do it at SAB and it works well. Checking keys at bus stops would IMO just take way to much time, half or more of the people bording would not have it ready.
I guess in the world most of us would like, people be considerate of others and play by the rules.

Well, when the policy was in place it worked beautifully.

Not sure why your rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter but enjoy it.

 

[blondietink]

Hey ... here we are today at AKV and while waiting for our room, my DH comments on another man's tan and asked him if he had been vacationing here long. The man replied "Yes, I've lived in Kissimmee for 24 years." So my DH says "I guess then you are stealing my pool, tgowels and loungers." The man did not reply. So, my DH reports him to a CM and he is asked to leave.

 

[gscott8075]

There should be some balance but the resorts guests must take priority, and it does depend on the time of year and size of the group in question. So you go to the manager and ask if it's OK, if he says OK, fine. If he says no, you're out of luck. If he qualifies it to how crowded the pool is, you abide by that rule. The truth is that for summer, the answer should be NO as the resort is effectively sold out, esp at HH which has a small pool area. The fix in this situation is to all stay at the same resort.

In this day and age, more and more multiple family vacations are the norm. Trades are not available into DVC HHI in the summer and our friend own Marriot. It would be insane to ask the kids to check each time they zip back and forth between the two. We had 8 in our two bedroom. We never used more than 2-3 loungers - we were in the pool the entire time. We ate as a group in the picnic area by the marsh. We did not displace anyone.

We did not let anyone from the other family sign up for activities.

At the same time, if I tried to set aside 12 lounges - I agree that would have been wrong. But, that was not the case. We were very careful not to disrupt anyone who was staying there.

 

[Dawn68PA]

Hey ... here we are today at AKV and while waiting for our room, my DH comments on another man's tan and asked him if he had been vacationing here long. The man replied "Yes, I've lived in Kissimmee for 24 years." So my DH says "I guess then you are stealing my pool, tgowels and loungers." The man did not reply. So, my DH reports him to a CM and he is asked to leave.

 

[P&B's Mom]

I ran into the same situation as you-probably the same towel CMs! In 8 trips to BCV, that was the only time I was asked for ID.
BTW, I too have been a HS teacher, and agree with you about the "Entitlement Generation".

Nice to see that I am not the only one with spoiled students--they are everywhere!

 

[CarolAnnC]

The fact of the matter here is that DVC Resort guests (members or not) are not allowed to invite non guests to use the pool facilities at their resort. This is a WDW policy, all Resort pools have signs posted that they are for the use of registered guests only.

We have often had John's parents come visit us at our resort. We notify the security gate house of the anticipated arrival, including their names and our names and room number. They mark this down and there is never an issue on their arrival. We entertain them in our villa, prepare meals on occasion or just sit on the balcony and visit. We have never taken them out to the pool to sit, swim or eat there.

As mentioned above, if everyone did this, it would be chaos. What happens when someone is hurt or worse at the pool, which can and does happen? Who is then responsible financially for this?

 

[Dean]

In this day and age, more and more multiple family vacations are the norm. Trades are not available into DVC HHI in the summer and our friend own Marriot. It would be insane to ask the kids to check each time they zip back and forth between the two. We had 8 in our two bedroom. We never used more than 2-3 loungers - we were in the pool the entire time. We ate as a group in the picnic area by the marsh. We did not displace anyone.

We did not let anyone from the other family sign up for activities.

At the same time, if I tried to set aside 12 lounges - I agree that would have been wrong. But, that was not the case. We were very careful not to disrupt anyone who was staying there.

During summer the pool and some of the other facilities are too crowded to make adding even a single person unreasonable. I'm not sure that multiple family vacations are any different now than they were previously but if they are vacationing together they need to either plan for a time when it won't be an issue (slower, non summer at HH) or stay at the same place. IMO, that is absolute regardless of the groups desires. During summer there should be no need for checking as non guests should not be using the pool and recreation facilities at either resort. Most Marriott's do allow day use for owners there subject to availability, DVC does not.

 

[fishermouse]

Well, when the policy was in place it worked beautifully.

Not sure why your rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter but enjoy it.

When the policy was in place there were a lot fewer people using the bus. Just picture a mother with a screaming toddler in tow and a baby sleeping on her shoulder, Dad has the other toddler sleaping in his arm while he tries to carry the folded up stroller on the bus. Now the driver asks to see their room keys, which are somewhere in the diaper bag. Did I mention the parks are closing and the que is full of other parents in the same situation not to mention the electric carts. IMO it just won't work. This board is already full of complaints about the bus service. Which I personally think works just fine. There is a reason they changed the policy.

 

[Simba's Mom]

When the policy was in place there were a lot fewer people using the bus. Just picture a mother with a screaming toddler in tow and a baby sleeping on her shoulder, Dad has the other toddler sleaping in his arm while he tries to carry the folded up stroller on the bus. Now the driver asks to see their room keys, which are somewhere in the diaper bag. Did I mention the parks are closing and the que is full of other parents in the same situation not to mention the electric carts. IMO it just won't work. This board is already full of complaints about the bus service. Which I personally think works just fine. There is a reason they changed the policy.

Many years ago (20) we were denied boarding on the boat back to Fort Wilderness because we'd forgotten our room keys. When we'd checked into FW, the check in sheet clearly had a statement that we must show room keys to use the resort boats. Nothing was said about the buses, so we took the bus, even though it would have been much easier to use the boat. Yet, we didn't complain-WDW had a policy, it was clearly stated at check-in, so it was our mistake, even though it was inconvenient.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

When the policy was in place there were a lot fewer people using the bus. Just picture a mother with a screaming toddler in tow and a baby sleeping on her shoulder, Dad has the other toddler sleaping in his arm while he tries to carry the folded up stroller on the bus. Now the driver asks to see their room keys, which are somewhere in the diaper bag. Did I mention the parks are closing and the que is full of other parents in the same situation not to mention the electric carts. IMO it just won't work. This board is already full of complaints about the bus service. Which I personally think works just fine. There is a reason they changed the policy.

Yes, they cut back CMs, which I for one have certainly noticed.

Bottom line people will try to cheat the system whenever they can.
I and others will just continue to report people by the pool that boast about not being guests.
They need to have an additional CM by the mode of transportation and while waiting for the next monorail, boat the CM would be checking ID. . Not really rocket science.

 

[stings]

I'm with Deb. I would report the person to staff. He and his family are using our facilities, which we pay a LOT of money each year to staff and maintain.

Especially if he's a big enough moron to brag that Disney won't do anything, his kids deserve a little "life lesson." It would be good for them to witness him causing his whole family to be embarrassed.

I'd not only tell a CM; I'd tell the CM he's bragging about them not enforcing, and as an owner I expect them to do their jobs. If they didn't throw him out, I'd be looking for the Manager On Duty.

I agree completely. Well said.

 

[Chuck S]

Just a reminder, this is a from 2008, so much does not apply after COVID, I think security has increased, with all the issues in the world today. Bui i'm one of those people if I stop at a gas station to use the restroom, and I don't need gas, I still buy something. I'm just glad the US doesn't have pay restrooms like some other countries. I do remember them in the US many, many years ago....I'm old.

 

[DVC Doctor]

I will not explain how we entered the pool area so not to give illegal "pool hoppers" any ideas, but it is fairly easy to enter the area if you want.

Yes, we have a serious problem with illegal pool hoppers on DISboards