Stormalong Bay in July

[sarha]

We will be staying at the YC in the middle of July and I'm wondering how crowded the pool area will be. Are there plenty of lounge chairs poolside or do you find it is too crowded to be enjoyable?
A friend just told me she thought SAB has become uncomfortably crowded since they built the BCVs.
Can someone reassure me, or is the pool a mobscene in the summer. We might think of switching to the BWI if this is so.

 

[madalex]

Never been in July, but we were there this last February during the winter break time. The parks were pretty crowded, but SAB was not uncomfortably so. Sure, there were a lot of people around, but we never had trouble finding a lounge chair. The pool is so large that there is a lot of space around it. Certain areas are more popular than others, but if you are flexible, finding a spot to camp out in should be doable.

SAB is awesome, so if you have never been to BC/YC it, you should go once, just to experience SAB!

 

[Sammie]

Wish I could give you encouraging news, but I have to say during the summer months it is really crowded in the early afternoon from about 1-4pm and this comes from being there.

At other times it's more manageable.

I think the pool can handle the guests from the villas, I don't think it can handle it any extra guests and there are times there is still a problem with pool hoppers.

 

[jel0511]

I've been to both places in July, BC and BW and BW is slightly less crowded. SAB gets MOBBED in the summer. There are times where there are no loungers left, or the only ones left are far away from the pool. If you intend on always getting to the pool in the afternoon, you'll always be searching for a lounger, especially more than a couple next to each other. If you intend on getting to the pool in the AM or around dinner, you won't have too much of a problem finding a place to sit.

 

[YCFAN]

We were there last July and of course it was "busy" but it wasn't unbearable. We went later in the afternoon though. Never went around noon or early afternoon. It didn't keep us from returning this July.

 

[surfingoofy]

I agree....

We just returned and over spring break the pool was quite crowded in the afternoon....
It never felt corwded when you were in the water...as the pool complex is so large...but it was a sea of people once you got out...finding a chair was hard...especially if you needed a group of them...around the sand pool was another nightmare!! Parents, toddlers, and strollers everywhere!

It does get quite busy...everyone has the same agenda...go to parks..come back for nap and swim, go back to park or eat dinner...

The BW pool was less crowded...IMH...

***If your kids are older...or your not traveling with kids...getting a chair on the beach is great...we got a set right by the entrance of the ship slide and it was easy to walk over to the pool...or get a drink...
If you really need to be in there watching the kiddos...then finding a close pool chair would be best!
Just a thought though!

 

[sarha]

Surfingoofy, that's a great idea. I'll be travelling with 3 teenagers,(DH passed on this trip), so I don't have to watch them in the pool.
I can happily sit and enjoy the relative peace and quiet of the lagoon. Thanks.

 

[Aisling]

SAB gets MOBBED in the summer.

SAB was so crowded when we were there in July that we didn't go in at all.
Instead, we used the quiet pool which was always practically empty.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I really prefer the Dunes Cove pool at BCV over SAB, but my son and husband love SAB. So when we stay at BCV, they head over to SAB and I try to find a place to sit.

If you see chairs with towels neatly laid over the chair and no one around, wait a few minutes. If no one comes, take the chair for your own. There are a lot of "really nice people" who put towels over the chairs early in the AM, head to the parks and expect the chairs to still be saved when they head to the pool around 1 or 2.

 

[CarrieAP]

Wish I could share better news, but we were not impressed when we stayed at the YC a few years ago. The pool area was not excessively crowded, though the only vacant chairs were in the scorching sun. We thought we could tolerate the July heat by cooling off in the pool, but oh, my the water was hot! If we tried to stay in it we actually became nauseated. Trying to get a cool tropical drink was not a help as it was a hike around and through the water to get to the bar. Then we were disappointed that they were using the same canned Bacardi mixers that we use at home.

Maybe our trip was a fluke, but we decided that even if we got a great rate again we would pass on the Yacht or Beach Club resorts. (Also, realized that we just can't enjoy WDW in the heat of the summer) Have had much better experiences at the moderates and last year added AKL to our favorite list. I really don't think SAB adds value to these resorts. For deluxes AKL has a much more luxurious and relaxing feel. There are tons of chairs, many in nice, shaded private locations. The pool bar is spectacular and we never felt crowded, even on a holiday weekend.

 

[sarha]

Do you think BWI's pool will be less crowded? My kids really like the Boardwalk area because of all the activity going on so I'd like to stay in the EPCOT area.
I really appreciate all these responses.

 

[jel0511]

Originally posted by sarha
Do you think BWI's pool will be less crowded? My kids really like the Boardwalk area because of all the activity going on so I'd like to stay in the EPCOT area.
I really appreciate all these responses.

The BW pool also gets crowded, though not as crowded as SAB. It won't be desserted by any means, and finding a lounger in the afternoon sometimes can be a challenge at Luna Park. The quiet pools are always desserted, but no slide at those. Luna Park, the pool with the clown slide, serves two resorts, BWI and BWV's, so there are around 800 rooms that are served by this pool. There are 1400 rooms that are trying for chairs at SAB, so you can see how it can get crowded!!! I've been at Luna Park and on a nice July day, the place is crowded and loungers are scarce by the afternoon. Either pool complex will be crowded, due to their popularity, but Luna Park at BW will be the slightly less crowded of the two.

 

[fargas]

Originally posted by Deb & Bill
If you see chairs with towels neatly laid over the chair and no one around, wait a few minutes. If no one comes, take the chair for your own.

What if these poor people just happen to be in the pool ?

 

[Muushka]

Originally posted by CarrieAP
The pool area was not excessively crowded, though the only vacant chairs were in the scorching sun. We thought we could tolerate the July heat by cooling off in the pool, but oh, my the water was hot! If we tried to stay in it we actually became nauseated.

I'm with CarrieAP, I too became nauseated at SAB, and it was just May for pity sake! The air was hot, the water was hot, and it was so crowded that we only swam for about 1/2 hour and had to get out. No fun.

 

[Tagrel]

Our family LOVES SAB, but we don't spend a lot of time in the chairs - we love the pool! We typically find one or two chairs where my wife likes to lay out, and have never had a problem. If you are looking for 4 or more chairs together, in a shady spot, right next to the pool at 2pm you are going to be in trouble though. And its that way with EVERY vacation pool I've been in!

SAB is HUGE, with so MANY places to swim, the pool itself has NEVER seemed crowded to me. We were there last July (mid-month) and the photos in my SAB photo tour: Stormalong Bay Slideshow were taken then. I found an entire ROW of chairs completely empty, but they are not right NEXT to the pool - and they are in the sun. Also, there are rather large areas that are on raised platforms which also had tons of empty chairs. (pictures of those too.) This was at around the noon timeframe. And I remember it being the same all day.

As to water temp - two years ago, it was VERY warm in most of the pool. The deeper lazy river area was cooler, but the shallower areas were quite warm. I LOVE the little Jacuzzi just between the lazy river and zero entry sandy area. It is full of COOL water, and feels great when you get overheated. Last year, we found the main pool water to be just right (nice and refreshingly cool) during our July stay.

HTH

 

[Disneyhappy]

SAB is our family's favorite pool, hands down! That said, it does get very crowded in the early afternoon hours. Our trips are usually betweeen mid-July and mid-August when we stay there. It does become difficult to find lounge chairs together. Even single lounges were hard to find at times. DH and I like to sit together by the pool. We don't even bother with lounge chairs for the kids. They just dump there stuff with us. Somehow, we seem to always manage. It does get hot in FL in July. SAB does not have very many shaded areas. I find myself taking a dip in the pool about every 15 minutes to cool off. (Also ordering a few of those frozen drinks from the wait staff that walk around helps!) I always found the water refreshing. Would the crowded pool deter us away from staying at the YC/BC? That would not be the deciding factor because the whole pool and resort area is wonderful. This year we are taking a young neice with us so we are staying at the Poly to be closer to the MK. I am more concerned about getting a chair at the Poly than at SAB. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[sarha]

We have decided to stick with the YC because my kids love the pool. They love being close to Beaches and Cream and also to the Cape May Buffet.
I'm starting to think that any pool will me crowded in July and the benefits of SAB outweigh any negatives, at least for our family.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Originally posted by fargas
What if these poor people just happen to be in the pool ?

You kind of look around for other belongings in addition to the single towel over the chair. If you see several chairs in a row with a single towel draped over them and no other belongings (books, bags, toys, shoes, etc), it's a good chance they will be unused except by someone in the parks planning on coming back after or around lunchtime.