Resort with the best pools / splash areas

[pinacoladapopsicle]

Hello! We are booking a stay in Disney in February. My kids are 7 and 4, and they LOVE pools, splash pads, etc. I'm wondering which resorts have the best pool areas? I'd love a lot of shallow areas for my younger daughter, fun splash-pad type areas, and even some bigger slides for my older kid would be awesome. Plus, a nice surrounding area and pool bar for me and my husband, since we'll be there all day.

Budget-wise, we want to stick to no more than $700 per night. Currently my top contenders are Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, and Coronado. Unfortunately, the pool at the Caribbean is going to be closed when we're there, or else that would also be on my list.

The Beach Resort looks great but out of our price range. Plus we live on the east coast and go to boardwalk-type beaches every summer, so tbh it's just less appealing to me, thematically.

Any opinions on which of those we should pick? Or is there another one I'm not thinking about?

Thanks!!

 

[Tigger's ally]

Hello! We are booking a stay in Disney in February. My kids are 7 and 4, and they LOVE pools, splash pads, etc. I'm wondering which resorts have the best pool areas? I'd love a lot of shallow areas for my younger daughter, fun splash-pad type areas, and even some bigger slides for my older kid would be awesome. Plus, a nice surrounding area and pool bar for me and my husband, since we'll be there all day.

Budget-wise, we want to stick to no more than $700 per night. Currently my top contenders are Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, and Coronado. Unfortunately, the pool at the Caribbean is going to be closed when we're there, or else that would also be on my list.

The Beach Resort looks great but out of our price range. Plus we live on the east coast and go to boardwalk-type beaches every summer, so tbh it's just less appealing to me, thematically.

Any opinions on which of those we should pick? Or is there another one I'm not thinking about?

Thanks!!

One thing you might check out is renting points. We stayed at the Riv using points and loved the pool area and splash area. The kiddie splash area kept my grandtinker busy all afternoon and we could sit and watch her from an outside table at Bar Riva. If you check Davids, I see four nights in February in a Studio for under $1500 ($1800 for preferred view but not necessary if you ask me) and 7 nights for around $2800 (includes two weekend days). You can PM me if you have any questions about renting. We basically have done it and stay deluxe resorts for moderate prices.

Otherwise, we like the pool at Wilderness Lodge alot, and also if you do stay moderate we prefer Port Orleans French Quarter for room and you get both the pool there and can walk down to Riverside as well.

 

[Joe Brig]

This is way under your budget, but the Port Orleans French Quarter has a new splash pad. You can also use the Riverside pool with its larger slide. Also, check for deals as your stay gets closer and be warned it could be chilly in February.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

My kids are those ages and their favorite is the Polynesian. The Kiki Tiki splash pad is the best of the kiddie splashgrounds on property. Another one to consider could be Saratoga Springs. There is a splashground, plus another little spray area (it was closed when we were there though) and 2 of their pools have waterslides.

 

[tseitel]

I always recommend looking up videos on YouTube to see the areas yourself. There are tons of resort walkthroughs on there.

 

[Olaf63]

Coronado Springs has a great main pool area. 2nd longest slide on property.

 

[Jacq7414]

This is way under your budget, but the Port Orleans French Quarter has a new splash pad. You can also use the Riverside pool with its larger slide. Also, check for deals as your stay gets closer and be warned it could be chilly in February.

I think the French quarter pool will be closed in February 2024. So I’d probably skip that resort if that’s the case.

Wilderness Lodge is great. They have a really cute splash pad area with 2 slides. The pool I thought was manageable. It had a slide as well. I definitely liked my stay there.

I personally would stay away from the beach club even if it was in budget. I found the pool to be really big and it’s just so disjointed. It wasn’t fun with a young child. I especially didn’t like how you had to leave the main pool area to go on the slide. I didn’t want my then 5 year old going out by herself. I liked the pools were we could just watch her go on the pool slide

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Coronado Springs has a great main pool area. 2nd longest slide on property.

A disadvantage on Coronado though is that there is only the 1 big slide, no splash pad. There is only a basic wading pool. We were there when my son was 1.5 as part of a split stay with Fort Wilderness and he preferred the Fort Wilderness pool and splashground. I don't think Fort Wilderness has a pool bar though, just a snack bar. We haven't been to Wilderness Lodge, but their pool areas look nice in pictures.

A fun pool area for a 4 year old is Art of Animation. A fun Finding Nemo themed sprayground and a Cars themed pool with "Cozy Cone" cabanas. No slides though.

 

[Wayland10]

I’ve stayed at Wilderness Lodge, AKL and Beach Club, and with the ages of your kids I’m going to say AKL hands down! We liked the pool at Jambo House the best (flamingos! The pool bar!) but you also have access (10 minute walk or quick shuttle ride) to the Kidani pool, which has an awesome splash pad and okapi. The pools are huge and never felt overcrowded, which Beach Club always did. Jambo has a slide and the evening campfires hit differently when you’re surrounded by zebras and giraffes.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I’ve stayed at Wilderness Lodge, AKL and Beach Club, and with the ages of your kids I’m going to say AKL hands down! We liked the pool at Jambo House the best (flamingos! The pool bar!) but you also have access (10 minute walk or quick shuttle ride) to the Kidani pool, which has an awesome splash pad and okapi. The pools are huge and never felt overcrowded, which Beach Club always did. Jambo has a slide and the evening campfires hit differently when you’re surrounded by zebras and giraffes.

Beat me to it! I was going to say that if BC is out of your price range AKL - Kidani specifically - has a terrific splash pool and Jambo’s main pool is outstanding. The downside to AKL is that it is bus to everywhere, but for what you save you can take a Lyft to everywhere but MK/DS and a Minnie Van to there (drop off areas suck for ride share to MK and DS).

I would look into renting points and seeing if you can swing either one.

 

[RoseGold]

You're too late to rent points for BC, but you could get lucky with a confirmed reservation, even if it's just for part of your stay. I think it would be a lot of fun to split hotels with good pools.

Don't count out Swolphin. They have good pools and they count as deluxe for the late hours, and MUCH better location than your other suggestions.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Ah yes - I missed the timeframe. As always @RoseGold knows the way to go.

 

[Wayland10]

I’d also say that even if you could get Beach Club, it’s a lot for a 4 year old- there are several areas, it’s harder to keep track of people and harder for a family to find one area that everyone can hang out in happily. I like it, but I’d wait a few years.

 

[RoseGold]

I’d also say that even if you could get Beach Club, it’s a lot for a 4 year old- there are several areas, it’s harder to keep track of people and harder for a family to find one area that everyone can hang out in happily. I like it, but I’d wait a few years.

Yes, watch a Youtube tour. It's BIG. With two kids, and a slide which requires leaving the pool area UGH, this would be man on man defense, and you would probably have to keep moving around. It's possible and maybe worth it, especially for a couple nights.

At 4, my kid LOVED LOVED LOVED the sand bottom pool and the sand. Disney provides the sand toys. The kids are good about playing together, and sand like that is very rare at a hotel pool that isn't actually at a beach. It's one of my favorite Disney memories.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

We are a BC family so I’m definitely biased. At 3 or 4 my daughter loved the Sandy area plus there was a place in the main pool where she could stand/swim that she called “Molly’s grotto.” She would stay in the water for hours pretending to be Ariel. She eventually outgrew it but then my niece found it and renamed it after herself. But as others have said, it’s a really big pool so you need to be very vigilant of your kids. The splash pad at Kidani would allow for slightly more separation.

 

[hertamaniac]

Kidani would be my vote. Just the right size, plenty of shade and a waterfall that puts me to sleep while the kids play on the splash pad area.

 

[travelgirl06]

We stayed at Coronado when our kids were 2, 6, and 8 and honestly the pool wasn’t great. The big slide is fun, but the main pool is “deep”(like 4 feet) which meant we were constantly hovering around the kids. The wading pool is meh - this pool is much better for older kids/solid swimmers

We just got back from Wilderness Lodge and it was much more kid-friendly. Our youngest (now 5) loved the kid splash area and they all loved the “big” slide. Note that the big slide isn’t huge, but it was fun. There is a shallow area at the main pool and also a zero-entry area at the Boulder Ridge pool.

Glacier Point is near the pools and had good food. We got to watch EWP and the fireworks from the shore after dinner one night, while DD5 ran back and forth between our table and watching Frozen on the nearby lawn

 

[justafigment27]

Disney does pools very well … I’d pick AKL or WL because the resort theming is awesome.

Just be aware that if you pick AKL, Kidani (all DVC units) and Jambo (regular hotel with some DVC units) are not close together and you’ll have quite a hike (or a bus ride) to get from one to the other. At WL, the two pool areas are close and it doesn’t matter if you book at WL, Copper Creek or Boulder Ridge.

 

[RoseGold]

It's not too late to rent DVC points for AKL, especially savanna view rooms, which book later because they cost more.

 

[DISfan43]

The Polynesian pool is really great for families. There are slides for the bigger kids, and splash pool right beside.