Pool issues at OKW

[LisaR]

Just returned from another great stay at OKW. Great room, great location, very friendly staff. This is our first time staying there since the pool has opened. We went to the pool daily during our stay. During the day, it was normal pool behavior (most people listening and following the rules, a few that weren't). By 5pm, the pool was a zoo. The kids were coming down the slide one right after another. We saw two separate instances that required kids to need ice packs due to accidents. People were coming down on each others laps, backwards and headfirst. Kids were swimming right in front of the slide while people were coming out. I felt so sorry for the lifeguards. They would yell into their useless megaphones and most people would ignore them. Honestly, you could hardly hear what they were saying. They needed a loudspeaker. They had to turn the slide off at least once every evening just to get everyone's attention. I've never seen that happen before.

A lot of the poor behavior was coming from the kids. However, there were many adults that felt the rules didn't apply to them, either. One guy came down the slide with his toddler on his lap. The lifeguard yelled at him but he didn't seem to notice. He came down again with the toddler on his lap and the lifeguard went over to the side and told him not to do that. The guy floated around with his kid for about ten minutes and next thing you know, he is coming down the slide with his toddler. Why is it so hard for people to follow the rules? I always tell my kids "we have our rules for home but when we are out, we have to follow the rules of the place we are visiting. If you don't want to do that, you can stay home." My kids don't have a problem with this.

I don't understand why there is a need for a lifeguard on the front side of the pool where there isn't a slide? I am assuming it is code. They REALLY needed two lifeguards by the slide the last few evenings. Even during the afternoon today, I counted about 50 people just in the little area around the slide. That doesn't include all the ones lined up to come down the slide. That is an awful lot of people for one lifeguard to keep track of. I assume it was a zoo because of the holiday weekend and the heat. But OKW needs to take that into account. Of course, how do you plan for rude, disrespectful people that don't believe the rules apply to them? There sure seemed to be a lot of them hanging out at the pool over the last few days.

Lisa

 

[CharlesTD]

We didn't notice any of this during our trip last week and we were at the pool most days after dinner. We didn't notice it at SSR either sorry you are having this issue we never noticed it at all from the 22nd to the 27th.

 

[Disney Fanatic]

When we were in the pool there was a lifeguard at the top of the slide monitoring how many people went down and made sure they were all clear to go before they went.

Was there no lifeguard at the top of the slide to stop this from happening??

This is the time I would take advantage of the quiet pools and take a break from the caos.

 

[LisaR]

When we were in the pool there was a lifeguard at the top of the slide monitoring how many people went down and made sure they were all clear to go before they went.

Was there no lifeguard at the top of the slide to stop this from happening??

This is the time I would take advantage of the quiet pools and take a break from the caos.

No, there wasn't a lifeguard at the top of the slide. They REALLY needed one up there.

Charles TD,
We arrived on the 26th. The pool was horrible the evenings of the 27th, 28th and 29th. I have never stayed anywhere where they have actually had to turn the slide off just to get people to listen. This happened each evening while we were there.

Lisa

 

[Beach_Bound9]

......One guy came down the slide with his toddler on his lap. The lifeguard yelled at him but he didn't seem to notice. He came down again with the toddler on his lap and the lifeguard went over to the side and told him not to do that. The guy floated around with his kid for about ten minutes and next thing you know, he is coming down the slide with his toddler.....

I certainly wish this was allowed. My youngest and I had such fun going down the slide together before this was banned at our local pool.

Looks like the fears expressed by some people regarding building the slide at the OKW pool are turning into a reality. They seem to be able to manage them successfully at the other pools.

They don't have a lifegaurd at the top of the vero pool slide, and I've not seen these kinds of problems.

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

Do they have the red and green lights at the top of the slide? I haven't been to OKW but the slide at the POLY has them so they have no life guard at the top of the slide.
It's too bad they don't kick the people out of the pool for not following the rules, especially when people are getting hurt.

 

[OneMoreTry]

If they're not gonna enforce the rules, then they shouldn't have them. If I were in charge, the slide would have been closed down at that point and offenders banned from the pool for several days.


But I'm not in charge.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I was afraid the OKW main pool area was too small for a water slide, and I guess this proves that point. I don't know why some people become idiots when they are on vacation. Maybe they think no one else has any rights besides them. Sorry, but if the rules say no toddlers on laps, it should be obeyed. It is not just for your own safety, but for he safety of others around you as well. I hope the popularity of the main pool and slide means our neighborhood pools will get more quiet.

 

[Dean]

I certainly wish this was allowed. My youngest and I had such fun going down the slide together before this was banned at our local pool.

Looks like the fears expressed by some people regarding building the slide at the OKW pool are turning into a reality. They seem to be able to manage them successfully at the other pools.

They don't have a lifegaurd at the top of the vero pool slide, and I've not seen these kinds of problems.

It was predictable. The behavior can be "controlled" but is likely to always be worse than it was before. Just a case of being careful what you wish far.

 

[Doctor P]

Not sure why not following rules and not enforcing rules is a surprise to anyone considering the other threads we see on this board.

 

[Beach_Bound9]

Do they have the red and green lights at the top of the slide? I haven't been to OKW but the slide at the POLY has them so they have no life guard at the top of the slide.

Great idea.

 

[Pa@okw95]

It is no surprise to me. Have you seen threads here on max per room? We have a lower class of membership now and a lot of them rent points to non-members also. A lot do not understand the reason for these rules because they lack the management reasoning or higher understanding of why the rules are in place. They do not see the big picture. I have seen this coming for a long time. The life guards I though would solve some of it, but they did not.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Pa, it would probably work if the lifeguards had some spherical fortitude to enforce the rules by closing the slide if it gets too bad.

 

[stlrod]

I'm at OKW now. One problem the past couple of days has been that the "stoplight" at the top of the slide has not been working. Some of the kids are too small to see over the top and down to the pool to see if there is anyone in the way. There have also been a large number of parents waiting at the bottom to "catch" kids. They really needed a guard up there with the light not working. My pet peeve this weekend" the fitness center has been filled with kids playing. Someone's going to get hurt.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm at OKW now. One problem the past couple of days has been that the "stoplight" at the top of the slide has not been working. Some of the kids are too small to see over the top and down to the pool to see if there is anyone in the way. There have also been a large number of parents waiting at the bottom to "catch" kids. They really needed a guard up there with the light not working. My pet peeve this weekend" the fitness center has been filled with kids playing. Someone's going to get hurt.

Kids playing in the fitness center would be a big concern to me! Maybe they need to put a "room key access" door on the fitness center. Kids are less likely to just stroll in and play on the equipment that way. Where are the parents???

 

[CarolMN]

..(snip)..... Where are the parents???

Indeed!

 

[laceemouse]

I am so sorry to hear about this stuff going on, but I am not surprised. We do not own at OKW but had a great stay there last October when the slide was being built. My kids really look forward to trying it out some day. Pa, I agree with a lot of what you are saying, but I think unfortunately it spreads through all classes of folks now-adays. I live in a pretty affluent burb and am constantly shocked at what people do and let their kids do. They seem to think they are above the rules, and everyone else should just get out of their way like the world revolves around them or something. We have a neighborhood pool and there are some families that will NOT follow the rules. If a lifeguard came up to my husband and told him our kids were not obeying the rules my kids would have heck to pay. Dh would snatch them out of there so fast. I have seen many parents just roll their eyes at the lifeguards and never say a thing to their kids!!! JMO

 

[dianeschlicht]

snip. I have seen many parents just roll their eyes at the lifeguards and never say a thing to their kids!!! JMO

That might be why some kids are learning not to respect anything! Rules or others to be specific.

 

[profdsny]

Interesing, but there has always been an issue at OKW about the rules not applying to people there. Rememer the towel reserving the chair all day issue a few years back? That wasn't new comers. That was some of the long term members who believed they were entitled because they spend a lot of money (to hear them tell it) to be there, and they can darn well do as they please. Chances are it's their kids now wrecking havoc.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yep, those kind of folks wreak havoc and wreck the fun of others!