Pool Hopping??

[agnes!]

Sorry that I probably upset folks in a previous post. I guess that this is one of my hot-button issues (having dealt with unfairly crowded pools before) & I posted/sent before I thought . The OP's post was an honest question & deserved a simple answer.
Crowding of pools & then WDW not having the staff/facilities to deal with unplanned-for pool patrons makes sense.

cheerdancer11...hmmmm, not sure about pool hours. I know that during certain hours the themed pools have lifeguards & towel service - then they make a big announcement when the lifeguards leave for the day. I think that the hours vary by resort. I'm not sure the info is available online, all I can think of is perhaps asking when you check in. (The pool hours will probably also be in your check-in materials & they are usually posted in the pool areas.)

agnes!

 

[Chuck S]

I'm curious, is it considered pool hopping... if my brothers family staying in Port Orleans wants to visit me at Polynesian, can we hang at the pool?
They are going to the Aloha dinner with us, I thought it'd be nice if they could hang out and watch the fireworks with us too.

Cathy

For this type of situation, it would probably be best to show your poly room ID to the lifeguard, or whoever seem to be "in charge" at the pool. Then explain the situation politely. If the pool is not busy, they may sprinkle some Disney Magic and allow it with the understanding he may be asked to leave if the pool gets busy. Then again, they may not allow it at all. But it never hurts to ask.

 

[kermie7780]

I've been reading alot about this whole pool hopping concept lately and I just wanted to add my 2 cents.

I'll start off by saying I was very shocked & disappointed to find out that pool hopping is not allowed. When I was a kid my family went to Disney World a couple of times and stayed at a deluxe level resort each time. My mom liked the convenience of the monorail.

Everyday we'd be at one of the theme parks the minute they opened. Then, around lunch time - when the lines seemed longest & the sun seemed the hottest - we'd go to one of the resorts and swim for an hour or two and have lunch. Each day we'd go to a different resort for a different themed pool. At that time pool hopping must have been allowed - I remember needing to have our hotel key to get into the different pools. Then we'd go back to the theme park refreshed and stay till closing.

This was before the Disney water parks were built - either that or my parents never told us about the water parks ;D Maybe the addition of the water parks are why it's not allowed anymore. I was always under the impression that pool hopping was the biggest benefit to staying at a disney resort versus an off-site resort. Now I'm not so sure if staying on site is still worth it.

I've always thought that that was the perfect way to spend the day. My senior year in high school I even convinced my friends to leave Cedar Point around lunch time to spend a few hours at a near-by public beach and then go back. We had a blast, stayed till close (the other groups were all exhausted and went home early), when everyone else was starting to leave, we were running around to all the rides that had no wait time.

I'd now like to post my 2 cents about each of the reasons against pool-hopping:

1) People who aren't staying at Disney using the pools. - It should be easy enough for Disney to limit the pools to guests with a key to any Disney resort.

2) You get what you pay for. Deluxe pools are better than value pools. - Okay, what about structuring the pools then? A key to a Deluxe resort gets you into any pool at any Disney resort, a key to a Moderate resort gets you into any pool at a Moderate or Value resort, a key to a Value resort gets you into any pool at any of the Value resorts.

3) Overcrowding. - Okay, what about only allowing pool-hopping during the off-peak seasons?

I don't want to do anything against the rules. But the pools at each resort were kindof like mini-theme parks to me as a kid. I remember going to the different pools as much if not more so than some of the other aspects of the 4 main theme parks. It's sad that the kids now can't have the same kind of experience and memories.

 

[Chris22]

Isn't pool hopping a waist of time???

You're telling me I need to catch a bus/monorail or drive my car back to my resort while wet from swiming. I often wonder about some of the people who ask off the wall questions on this board.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Isn't pool hopping a waist of time???

You're telling me I need to catch a bus/monorail or drive my car back to my resort while wet from swiming. I often wonder about some of the people who ask off the wall questions on this board.

I feel the same way - it just seems like a whole lotta work just to go swimming, when you have a perfectly fine pool at your resort.

 

[WorldlyWise]

Hi Diddily Dee! Yesterday mugs - today pools!!!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Hi Diddily Dee! Yesterday mugs - today pools!!!

So you're saying it would be wrong to use my mug from last year while pool hopping....

 

[cbsunfish]

Having been a lifeguard myself, I tend to think there is a lot more to the whole pool hopping thing than just running out of chairs and ripping people off.

When there are a lot of small kids in a pool, it can get REALLY scary as a lifeguard. Especially since the guests at a hotel rotate constantly, you don't know the kids well, so you don't know which kids are actually capable of swimming and which kids can't.

Like someone said, they hire staff based on expected occupancy of the hotel. If other people come in from other hotels, the place is not staffed enough for the hordes of people, and it can actually be a safety issue, not just a monetary one.

 

[Philly81]

Having been a lifeguard myself, I tend to think there is a lot more to the whole pool hopping thing than just running out of chairs and ripping people off.

When there are a lot of small kids in a pool, it can get REALLY scary as a lifeguard. Especially since the guests at a hotel rotate constantly, you don't know the kids well, so you don't know which kids are actually capable of swimming and which kids can't.

Like someone said, they hire staff based on expected occupancy of the hotel. If other people come in from other hotels, the place is not staffed enough for the hordes of people, and it can actually be a safety issue, not just a monetary one.

That makes perfect sense to me. Good post.

 

[DizBelle]

Wouldn't it be cool if they allowed pool hopping among same level resorts. i.e. If you were staying at a deluxe you could pool hop to any other deluxe.

I suppose SAB might be excluded because it is such a cool pool and every deluxe resort guest may show up. But, in general, I think it would be ok.

 

[tinkerbeth]

So you're saying it would be wrong to use my mug from last year while pool hopping....

What about if you drink pool water out of a mug from a former visit at a resort where you're not a guest? THat would be the ultimate evil, I guess.

 

[sotoalf]

I'm not sure why people keep asking needless questions. Pool hopping is against the rules. You've heard cast members, lifeguards, Vacation Club members, and veterans all tell you why it's not idea. It's THE RULES, people! If you want to break them, go ahead: I won't report you. Just don't tell us about it.

This topic always inspires the most sanctimonious postings. ENOUGH.

 

[pepe of ohio]

While staying at the YC one year, we were in the Beach side, at the pool, the gate was closed and to enter you had to show your ID or room key and got your hand stamped. Others in the pool area were checked and without ID or hand stamp were asked to leave. If they didn't police this, the better pools would be crowded with no paying or staying guest cluttering up the area for the people who paid for that resort strictly for that pool theme. Its like AS swimming at YC cause their resort is a value but the pool is nicer at the deluxe. You want the deluxe pool, you pay the preminum resort price.

 

[cheerdancer11]

Haha pool water tastes very gross!

 

[eeyore0062]

If your staying at a Disney hotel you can easily pool hop as the key cards don't show which resort you are a guest at so In theory you could stay at the value resorts and use the pools at the deluxe.

Actually, you CAN tell which resort you are staying at... all resorts have a number code that is on the card. The lifeguards do know which code corresponds to their resort.... so sorry.... that little trick doen not work.

 

[littleprincessmom]

So you're saying it would be wrong to use my mug from last year while pool hopping....