Resort Pools

[joedplumber]

Question for those who have pools at home or friends with pools.

We are planning a trip with friends who have a very nice pool at their home and said that typically their kids could care less about swimming while at Disney.

When I told my kids that they said that most summers they spend a lot of time at the beach and friends' pools and that swimming is not at the top of the list for things to do at Disney since it will be swim season at home when we go.

If anything, I think the kids would rather hit Typhoon Lagoon rather than a hotel pool.

Does this happen to a lot of other DIS families? Do you choose a resort and take the pool factor out of your decision?

 

[Arthur92]

Not really unless you going to spend a good amount of time at your resort. And if your kids are into pools then book what you like you can't help your friends family care for pools. I love CSR pool a lot.

 

[SuzieN]

Honestly, we could care less about the pool - we are there for the parks!! We can swim anywhere.

 

[Meghatron]

For me the pool decision would depend on time of year. Spring or summer, I would want a great resort pool to break up the heat of the day. Fall or winter, not so much a priority.

Sent from my Tricorder using DISBoards

 

[JoAnna525]

It really depends on your family. We live in an area with ample access beaches and pools, so you would think the pool would be less of an issue to us. But because my son is very little (2 years old), having access to a pool, and one with zero entry, is very important to us because he needs to blow off steam and break up a day of being relegated to a stroller or otherwise restricted. However, when my sisters and I were kids/teenagers, we didn't care at all about the pools - we only cared about the parks - and "taking a break" during the day was not in our plan, lol!

 

[joedplumber]

Now that I think about it. I have a plan.

Me and the DW want to spend every minute in a park. While that is fine with the kids I think a great pool would distract them and they would want to spend some time at the pool.

So if I pick a resort with just an average pool I can sell it to the kids that it nothing special and wouldn't you rather be at the park!

Please don't judge me. lol

 

[ShelliRenee]

Not judging you...but just to add another thought into your head...after spending all day on your feet, going to the pool/hot tub is a great way to relax at the end of the day.

 

[Kingdome8]

I love swimming at the hotel pool while at disney. Pools are very important to us. Like another poster said coming home from parks and swimming and relaxing at night is awesome. My family loves that and love the slides and the activities the hotel does around the pools.

One question I have is are the pools open all year round? Will pools definitely be open in January and feb?

 

[DLgal]

Pools are an essential component of our WDW vacations. Our kids really love the pool slides and we swim every day, weather permitting.

 

[spiceycat]

So if I pick a resort with just an average pool I can sell it to the kids that it nothing special and wouldn't you rather be at the park!

Please don't judge me. lol

never judge - when going on my dime - use to go to the parks until they closed - then maybe would swim - that was at OKW - back when the community pools were open 24/7

 

[OKW Lover]

Resort pools aren't a big factor for us. We seldom spend any time at the pool when we visit WDW. However, our grandsons love the pool so if any of them are with us then yes, the resort pool does factor into our decision. Its not the make/break factor though.

 

[Mrsjvb]

Wait.. Resorts have pools?!

we don't do beaches or pools anywhere.. home, on cruises, other vacations

Might allow myself to be talked into a hot tub in the evening as long as it is not full of kids. Otherwise they mean nothing to us.

 

[samnbilly]

When are you going?
In the summer, the parks are open very late, but if you go in the Fall, the parks are closed earlier & factor in any MNSSHP.

I may have missed when you said you were going.

I like my family to each have something they want to do on the vacation. It's a FAMILY vacation. My whole family likes to take an afternoon break & hit the pool.

If you're only going to be in the parks, it doesn't matter where you stay or what kind of pool there is

 

[Desnik]

We have a pool at home & our kids love swimming and are in it all summer. When we go to WDW we do factor in the kind of pool a resort has because we all like to spend time at the pool while we are there. We don't go to the water parks. But there have been times when we go to WDW and don't go to the parks. We swim all day and enjoy the resort!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Pools are an essential component of our WDW vacations. Our kids really love the pool slides and we swim every day, weather permitting.

Us too!! We love being in the Parks - but we also LOVE our relaxing pool time too! I cannot imagine a HOT day in the Parks without the welcome break of some pool time.

Oh - And we did Blizzard Beach for the first time last May - fun? yes! Relaxing? NO!

 

[amym2]

We didn't care about pools on our first few trips with the kids because a) we were there during winter and it was too cold to swim and b) taking little kids to the pool is more work than the parks. Now that the kids are 12 and almost 10 and we have joined the DVC, we spend more time at the resorts and the pools. Our kids loved the pools at SSR, OKW, and WL. They wouldn't have cared about the pools nearly as much if there hadn't been slides. We also hit Typhoon Lagoon for the first time last year, and while the kids loved it, as someone else said, it was not relaxing. Our kids are old enough now that at resort pools, they can swim and we can sit in the shade or stick our legs in the water.

And as far as weather, I don't know exactly how cold it has to get, but if it's freezing, they will close the pools (we froze our tails off one year at Christmas). Generally I think they are open all year, though, weather permitting. When we have gone in Dec/Jan/Feb we haven't planned any pool time. Other months, we have.

 

[AuroraRora]

Pool is a non-issue for us, we typically go for 7-10 and we'll spend one or maybe two afternoons at the hotel at most. As long as there's some kind of pool and somewhere for me to lay and sunbathe for a few hours one afternoon, I'm happy. I would actually likely be ok with no pool and just a sundeck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

When our son was younger, we would head to the park in the morning when it opened. Then we'd go back to the resort for a nap or a swim, just to relax. Around dinner time, we'd head out to another park until closing. Without that afternoon break, we would have been worn out.

Now, we don't go to the parks as much and we might spend part of the morning or afternoon in the pool and go to a park for dinner.

The pool is part of our vacation.