Really unhappy with dolphin pool condition

[tuckerkeys]

Edited: Please read post # 37 on page 3 for an update. Pool is still a mess but they have a legit plan, owned up to the issue, and are working on it.

______

Ok. I don't want this to turn into anything nasty. But I am here at the dolphin now for a week. The main pool is horribly disgusting and full
Of algae and green. My husband used to clean and take care of big community pools
In his youth. He nixed the kids going in and was shocked at the condition of the main pool....

It is green... Algae growing in every area ESP the areas that get full sun. We were just here in June and the pool was crystal clear!! Even the lap pools and baby pool are blue and clear. The green algae in the pool means bacteria has taken
Over and people can get sick. My husband remarked that if it were a public
Pool inspected by a health dept it would be
For sure shut down. When he went to guest relations to ask about why it is so gross they couldnt get a recreation manager on the phone

Bottom line is that I'm disappointed in the dolphin for not caring about the pool condition. At least there are other pools
To hop in but something needs
To be done
Before people get sick!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Did you talk to the lifeguards about it? Have you tried more than once at the front desk?

You are there right now; take care of it now!

 

[tuckerkeys]

bumbershoot- yes my husband went to guest relations....as well as the front desk....

he spoke with Jason from recreation. They are having a problem with their pool vender and have 7 sand filter tanks and 3 are down so they are only getting 60% efficiency from their filters.....AND they are getting ready to SHUT DOWN THE POOL FOR 25 DAYS so they don't care!!!! They were supposto shut the pool this past Monday for a major reno but are waiting to do so....

It has been this way for WEEKS....Per Jason from Recreation....It isn't sanitary. The bacteria levels are OFF THE CHARTS!!! The pool management co is not doing their job. He even said that if he had kids he would not let them swim in the pool!!! So the dolphin and swan do not maintain their pools themselves, they use an outside contractor.

So is anything going to be done? Overnight? No...They MAY EVEN SHUT DOWN the pool THIS WEEKEND to fix the 3 sand filters for 2-3 days before the 25 days....

What was his suggestion?? Go to the boardwalk pool. Or, to storm along bay- he SAID he was going to get us wristbands for storm along bay which I do not believe.....anyway I am MAJORLY DISAPPOINTED!!!!

 

[tuckerkeys]

Oh and he said the fix to the filters is $35,000 and basically they do not want to pay the money to fix the filters if they are just going to replace everything anyway...So they are LIMPING along hoping to get by and hoping no one notices and complains - What happens when someone gets sick at the expense of these gross pools???? It is unacceptable!!!

 

[AliceIn]

That's crazy, people just died from Legionnaire's disease from a pool/spa at the JW Marriott in Chicago.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Can't they be reported to the Health Department? and I would email Starwood (?) the main hotel owners and complain.

My sister worked at a hotel for a few years and the Health Department were the ones who came in and checked on the pool. She even called them a couple of times when the owners of the pool were purposely fudging the numbers when they didn't check the levels in the pool like they should.
This was in a different state though - not Florida.

 

[tuckerkeys]

Well it's not that simple. See, Walt disney got the state of Florida to effectively grant him his own government, the Reedy Creek Improvement district. Essentially Disney writes it's own laws and is self governing. It's terribly complex and heavily cloaked, there is an "elected board" all of which are closely tied to Disney the company. Protecting their best interests ($$$$) of course is priority number one.

I'll call RCID environmental services tomorrow but I doubt it will go anywhere. It's just the nature of how this place works.

I doubt the county HD would even care because they cant go against the RCID. And the only state requirement is "monthly reporting" which of course the data comes from, wait for it, the RCID themselves.

 

[Lynne M]

The Dolphin is owned and operated by the Starwood Group, not by the Disney company, so I don't see this is a case of Disney covering up anything at the Dolphin. Starwood is merely their tenant.

I would continue to insist that they get you wristbands for SAB. Typically, when Disney closes a main resort pool for refurb, they make arrangements for that resort's guests to use the pools as nearby resort. I see no reason why Starwood can't do the same.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

The Dolphin is owned and operated by the Starwood Group, not by the Disney company, so I don't see this is a case of Disney covering up anything at the Dolphin. Starwood is merely their tenant.

I would continue to insist that they get you wristbands for SAB. Typically, when Disney closes a main resort pool for refurb, they make arrangements for that resort's guests to use the pools as nearby resort. I see no reason why Starwood can't do the same.

Ah, thanks for the info Tuckerkeys. I was thinking because the Dolphin was owned by Starwood that the Health Dept. could be called. Guess that won't work.

I know I'd for sure email Starwood and the manager of the Dolphin to let them know my displeasure in writing even if you do talk to the manager because that pool condition is ridiculous and the pool should have been closed immediately.

I agree with Lynne M that you should be able to get wristbands to use SAB since it's the closest main pool to your resort.
I really, really hope the Dolphin does get you wristbands to SAB.

 

[My3Princez]

Oh no!!! We will be there in 2 weeks and today when I asked my DS7 what he was looking forward to the most on this trip, he said "that neat swimming pool"! Looks like if the numbers are right, it will be closed when we are there. Wonder if we'll get access to SAB? That might appease him . . .

 

[mom2mizmous]

Oh no!!! We will be there in 2 weeks and today when I asked my DS7 what he was looking forward to the most on this trip, he said "that neat swimming pool"! Looks like if the numbers are right, it will be closed when we are there. Wonder if we'll get access to SAB? That might appease him . . .

I wouldn't get my hopes up about SAB. As previously mentioned the Swan and Dolphin are not true Disney run hotels but tenants. So I don't see them offering the use of Disney run hotel pools esp one as restricted as SAB. I know if I was staying at BW or BC/YC I would not appreciate having the vast number of guests from the dolphin joining us at an already crowded pool area.

 

[My3Princez]

I wouldn't get my hopes up about SAB. As previously mentioned the Swan and Dolphin are not true Disney run hotels but tenants. So I don't see them offering the use of Disney run hotel pools esp one as restricted as SAB. I know if I was staying at BW or BC/YC I would not appreciate having the vast number of guests from the dolphin joining us at an already crowded pool area.

I'm not going to say anything to the kiddos because my gut instinct is you are right. I'm just glad that earlier today we decided to upgrade our YES tickets to have water park access, so that can be a surprise for the little guy.

 

[sharadoc]

I'm not going to say anything to the kiddos because my gut instinct is you are right. I'm just glad that earlier today we decided to upgrade our YES tickets to have water park access, so that can be a surprise for the little guy.

Just an FYI, if you already bought your ticket, you can't upgrade them. You have to buy them with the water parks option.

 

[My3Princez]

Just an FYI, if you already bought your ticket, you can't upgrade them. You have to buy them with the water parks option.

Not true. Upgraded them today with Dave on the phone. He said as long as it is 14 days before your scheduled arrival date, you can make changes like that. Several other YESers have been able to do it too!

 

[Polydweller]

The Dolphin is owned and operated by the Starwood Group, not by the Disney company, so I don't see this is a case of Disney covering up anything at the Dolphin. Starwood is merely their tenant.

I would continue to insist that they get you wristbands for SAB. Typically, when Disney closes a main resort pool for refurb, they make arrangements for that resort's guests to use the pools as nearby resort. I see no reason why Starwood can't do the same.

No, they are not owned by Starwood. They are owned and operated by Tishman Hotels. Starwood does not own many hotels, it essentially is like a franchiser but really just sells a brand name. Join the group, meet the requirements for hotel quality and you can brand your hotel with obe of their brand names which helps your sales.

The op should complain to Tishman Hotels head office first and cc Starwood which might place pressure on Tishman. Starwood cannot force anything but can certainly can raise the issue of retaining the hotel branding.

 

[Lynne M]

No, they are not owned by Starwood. They are owned and operated by Tishman Hotels. Starwood does not own many hotels, it essentially is like a franchiser but really just sells a brand name. Join the group, meet the requirements for hotel quality and you can brand your hotel with obe of their brand names which helps your sales.

The op should complain to Tishman Hotels head office first and cc Starwood which might place pressure on Tishman. Starwood cannot force anything but can certainly can raise the issue of retaining the hotel branding.

Very interesting, thanks for the info! Having grown up in NY, I'd heard of Tishman's realty operations, but I had no idea they owned the Swan and Dolphin.

 

[gwynne]

Well it's not that simple. See, Walt disney got the state of Florida to effectively grant him his own government, the Reedy Creek Improvement district. Essentially Disney writes it's own laws and is self governing. It's terribly complex and heavily cloaked, there is an "elected board" all of which are closely tied to Disney the company. Protecting their best interests ($$$$) of course is priority number one.

I'll call RCID environmental services tomorrow but I doubt it will go anywhere. It's just the nature of how this place works.

I doubt the county HD would even care because they cant go against the RCID. And the only state requirement is "monthly reporting" which of course the data comes from, wait for it, the RCID themselves.

Tuckerkeys, I feel bad you're dealing with this on your vacation. I did a teeny bit of nancy drew sleuthing, see if this helps you--I found the link to the agency that does pool inspections in Orange County, FL. I found the Swan/Dolphin in the list, and this is the page with their info:

http://www.myfloridaeh.com/ephdata/Pool_Search.html?appSession=043212658336997

There is a phone # on the page, too. This page is part of the division of disease control and health protection. I would hope they would take a report, or assist you in notifying the proper folks. Hope this helps!

 

[tuckerkeys]

Tuckerkeys, I feel bad you're dealing with this on your vacation. I did a teeny bit of nancy drew sleuthing, see if this helps you--I found the link to the agency that does pool inspections in Orange County, FL. I found the Swan/Dolphin in the list, and this is the page with their info:

http://www.myfloridaeh.com/ephdata/Pool_Search.html?appSession=043212658336997

There is a phone # on the page, too. This page is part of the division of disease control and health protection. I would hope they would take a report, or assist you in notifying the proper folks. Hope this helps!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

We will be calling this today!

Everyone, please TRUST ME when I say it IS NOT SAFE to be swimming in the grotto pool! When the entire pool water is green and chalky/milky like, and all walls and floors of the pool are now GREEN in color instead of white it is a dangerous pool!!! Jason is the head of recreation. My husband got a lot of info out of him yesterday, so, if anyone out there doesn't believe me PM me I have his business card w/ all his info. Look at the 2 baby pools, as well as the lap pools. They have clear water and look blue. Grotto pool? green. The pool actually looks like the bottom was painted green so guests here probably don;t know what they are entering into....If I can figure out how to post pics i will do so later on this thread....

Jason told my husband that the pool refurb is set to start right after Labor Day. For 25 days ( maybe more) they are draining the entire grotto pool, sanding down, repainting & getting all new filtering system. He said it all needs to be done before the food & wine fest. in Oct. So those staying here in Sept- early Oct will NOT be using the grotto pool. He did tell him that they have agreements w/ Disney regarding pool hopping, but that the Boardwalk is first to use not SA bay....He said today was the day he was going to get us bands to SA bay so we will see if he is good on his word.

This whole thing really upsets me..We LOVE this pool & it is a big decision for us staying here! We're out of the parks after lunch to go the POOL......Maybe going to the boardwalk this afternoon, or SA bay ( if jason comes through w/ the bands...) I will be hooked on staying at these properties in the future...Oh well.....anyway the other sad thing is that Jason basically told my husband that his hands are tied b/c upper management doesn't care & they don;t want to spend the money...He agreed with us totally and said it was not right.....With this BUSY Labor Day weekend coming up I wonder what's going to happen....

 

[eliza61]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

We will be calling this today!

Everyone, please TRUST ME when I say it IS NOT SAFE to be swimming in the grotto pool! When the entire pool water is green and chalky/milky like, and all walls and floors of the pool are now GREEN in color instead of white it is a dangerous pool!!! Jason is the head of recreation. My husband got a lot of info out of him yesterday, so, if anyone out there doesn't believe me PM me I have his business card w/ all his info. Look at the 2 baby pools, as well as the lap pools. They have clear water and look blue. Grotto pool? green. The pool actually looks like the bottom was painted green so guests here probably don;t know what they are entering into....If I can figure out how to post pics i will do so later on this thread....

Jason told my husband that the pool refurb is set to start right after Labor Day. For 25 days ( maybe more) they are draining the entire grotto pool, sanding down, repainting & getting all new filtering system. He said it all needs to be done before the food & wine fest. in Oct. So those staying here in Sept- early Oct will NOT be using the grotto pool. He did tell him that they have agreements w/ Disney regarding pool hopping, but that the Boardwalk is first to use not SA bay....He said today was the day he was going to get us bands to SA bay so we will see if he is good on his word.

This whole thing really upsets me..We LOVE this pool & it is a big decision for us staying here! We're out of the parks after lunch to go the POOL......Maybe going to the boardwalk this afternoon, or SA bay ( if jason comes through w/ the bands...) I will be hooked on staying at these properties in the future...Oh well.....anyway the other sad thing is that Jason basically told my husband that his hands are tied b/c upper management doesn't care & they don;t want to spend the money...He agreed with us totally and said it was not right.....With this BUSY Labor Day weekend coming up I wonder what's going to happen....

Another avenue. How did you pay for your package? If it was by credit card immediately report it to the credit card company. You essentially made a contract with the supplier (whom ever it turns out to be) and they are not upholding the contract. This is my plug for American express, they are great with problems on things purchased with their cards. We were in a hotel in Jamaica that had a leaky roof, hotel was horrible, then I mentioned I was calling american express and liberty travel, amazingly the honeymoon suite miraculously opened up.

Next, I can't believe this problem didn't start building for a while. I'm not a pool expert but do they get that bad in a day? If not then a case could be made for negligence. In fact aren't establishments supposed to have some sort of maintence on facilities?

Now the problem is you can't swim, even if they decided to fix the problem, that;s going to take some time. So some sort of compensation is due.

Lastly, I would continue to do what you are doing. giving bad press. I'd fire off a revue at trip advisors, Orlando sentinal (sp) and heck I'd probably call a few local news outlets. most have some sort of "consumer division" thay people can call.

 

[Flews]

Please keep us posted on any developments. I find it hard to believe it takes nearly a month for these repairs; hopefully they will get onto it.

Cheers,