Stormalong Bay - Is it just me?

[Sammie]

The signs/maps as you enter the pool area at both the entrance by the slide and the entrance by Beaches & Cream. They are made to look like Pirate Maps. So are you sure that these areas will never be in operation again? Did an event occur or after 15+ years they just decide that they were a safety hazard?
The point of the lifeguard and the parents is there appeared to be no situation. I have seen many instances when lifeguards have had reason to fuss from their chairs and even jump in but I have never seen such an angry exchange between staff and guests. His storming off was very odd and as I mentioned the parents, kids and all those who were in the general area were uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable and I was 20 feet away and they weren't my kids!
Again, love Disney, love BC and still love SAB

A lifeguard is trained to recognize a dangerous situation that might not appear so to others. And always to err on the side of caution is the better choice.

 

[geppetto]

A lifeguard is trained to recognize a dangerous situation that might not appear so to others. And always to err on the side of caution is the better choice.

Probably trained to act appropriately as well.
Sorry to ruffle your feathers Sammie, I was just sharing a story.
Over and out.

 

[Sammie]

Probably trained to act appropriately as well.
Sorry to ruffle your feathers Sammie, I was just sharing a story.
Over and out.

No feathers ruffled at all, just a difference of opinion. To me a lifeguard that is willing to jump in possibly save a child that he obviously felt was in danger or he would not have in, right in front of his parents is due to be cut some slack if his demeanor appeared a bit unpolished.

I have seen many posts about lifeguards yelling at kids, sorry this is area that yelling is appropriate.

A front desk CM acts differently from lifeguards. I just think that sometimes things appear different from the sidelines.

And unless you have been a lifeguard its hard to see it from their perspective.

I will pass on the info about the signs.

 

[Beca]

Beca, you are naughty, very naughty! Getting ready for another rofr yet?

I wish!!! Maybe Santa will bring me more points....I've been a very good girl this year....but, maybe I need to be a BETTER girl between now and Christmas!!!



Beca

 

[disneyholic family]

The lifeguard situation had nothing to do w/ "slipping" it just struck me and a few other witnesses as very abrupt and created a very uncomfortable situation for both the parents and kids. He just appeared to be very angry that he had to do his job.

I doubt he was angry that he had to do his job. My guess is that he was angry with the stupidity of the parents....
I was a lifeguard for several years both at a swimming pool and on a lakefront....
you would not believe how stupid people are about water safety....
actually more like negligent...but to be negligent you have to have the intelligence to understand that what you're doing is dangerous..
in any case, what can sometimes happen is the lifeguard takes action in a situation that s/he perceives as dangerous....and then the parent takes umbrage that the lifeguard did something....
or else the lifeguard told the parent off for doing something stupid....
i have witnessed many things parents do at WDW that would certainly have caused me to lose my cool, were i a lifeguard there...

 

[Schmeck]

If the parents had to wait at the bottom of the slide for the child (which is not allowed in the first place) then that child should not have been on the slide. If I was the lifeguard, I'd have chewed out the parents too! Who cares if it makes you 'uncomfortable' - it's a lot better than having your child drown on a family vacation.

We stayed at BC for the first time last August. We found the quiet pools more rowdy, since there were no lifeguards to tell the kids to stop jumping in the hot tub, to stop running in the wet places right next to the pool, to stop cannonballing into the shallow water etc.

The SAB pool water was very warm, but it was August. It cooled down after every rainstorm. There was sand on the bottom of most of the pool, except where the waterfalls had pushed it away. There were so many lifeguards there, it was amazing!

 

[tlev]

We stayed at BC for the first time last August. We found the quiet pools more rowdy, since there were no lifeguards to tell the kids to stop jumping in the hot tub, to stop running in the wet places right next to the pool, to stop cannonballing into the shallow water etc.

The SAB pool water was very warm, but it was August. It cooled down after every rainstorm. There was sand on the bottom of most of the pool, except where the waterfalls had pushed it away. There were so many lifeguards there, it was amazing!

I agree about SAB water temp. We were there in Sept. and it was much warmer than the Poly pools. I also thought the lifeguards did a great job at SAB, they were always right on top of everything and there seems to be dozens of them!

Back to the original theme of this post: I thought SAB was great, we liked it much better than the Volcano Pool at the Poly which was always way too crowded even though we were there in Sept., with three buildings closed for renovations. What must it be like in the summer with full capacity? I also agree that they should add lifeguards at the quiet pools, or as we call them "Let your kids do whatever they want pools".

 

[pjupton]

If the parents had to wait at the bottom of the slide for the child (which is not allowed in the first place) then that child should not have been on the slide.

We were told by THREE different lifeguards that not only could we wait at the bottom of the slide (the small slide, not the big one) but we could slide WITH our boys if we wanted to. One of mine must have gone down the small slide at least 20 times in a row!

 

[Ladyhawke10]

One of mine must have gone down the small slide at least 20 times in a row!

Oh my gosh, same here. I think my son (6 years old) probably slide down the small slide at least that many times. He LOVED it. I ended up just sitting and gazing out over the Boardwalk and the lake since I could do nothing to tear him away !

 

[Sammie]

We were told by THREE different lifeguards that not only could we wait at the bottom of the slide (the small slide, not the big one) but we could slide WITH our boys if we wanted to. One of mine must have gone down the small slide at least 20 times in a row!

The previous comment about not waiting at the bottom of the slide would be in reference to the large slide. It is not allowed and many parents try to get around it and let their child use a slide they are not ready for by trying to catch them at the bottom.

That is what the small slide is for. Glad yours enjoyed it.

 

[Danthesand]

I'm not sure if I have just been unlucky on my two most recent trips (April 2004 & October 2005) but is Stormalong Bay slipping?

No, it's not just you. IMHO Stormalong is one of the most heavily overrated elements of WDW.

Since 2001, we've visted it four times, during different seasons. Irrespective of when we've gone, we've experienced the same thing over and over and over:

- a pool which is ridiculously overcrowded. Even before the DVC Beach Club villas opened, this pool was overloaded, and opening of the villas only made that worse. The crowding affects more than just space in and around the pool itself; the lines at Beaches and Cream and the waits at Cape May are horrific, even during "off times" (before our Illuminations cruise back in August, my wife walked over to Beaches and Cream about 8:00pm to get some ice cream - and immediately gave up when she saw a line that was at least 50 yards long).

- a pool that is hard to get negotiate. Small paths and crowds don't mix well.

- a pool that outside the sand area is not good for small children. I know, my kids were 5 and 7 when we first visited it. All the bridges and curves hide swimmers, just what a parent wants when 6 year old Muffy is trying out her new water wings.

And as for that "toddler friendly" sand area, that may have been a big deal back when the pool opened in 1990, but since then Disney has added that sort of feature (shallow "zero-entry" space) to other resort pools (Poly and even the Contemporary now have 'em).

- a pool with an O.K. but not particularly special slide (230 feet of straight slide? O.K., but IMHO the ones at the Poly and Boardwalk are more fun).

No, this does not all mean that SAB is "bad" - it's still a very unique...albeit somewhat over-rated and certainly over-hyped...resort pool.

 

[Tikiman]

but since then Disney has added that sort of feature (shallow "zero-entry" space) to other resort pools (Poly and even the Contemporary now have 'em).

When did Contemporary add a zero entry?
Just curious. I never heard of it.

 

[Danthesand]

When did Contemporary add a zero entry?
Just curious. I never heard of it.

I'm not sure exactly when this was added. We are DVC members and used our "pool hopping" benefit last August to take a pool break at the Contemporary during the middle of an MK day, and that's when I noticed the zero entry, which takes up one whole end of the pool. I think I read somewhere (perhaps in some DVC newsletter) a few years ago about work being done on this pool, and that may have been when the zero entry was added.

 

[jennymouse]

Our family LOVES Stormalong Bay!

 

[Tikiman]

I'm not sure exactly when this was added. We are DVC members and used our "pool hopping" benefit last August to take a pool break at the Contemporary during the middle of an MK day, and that's when I noticed the zero entry, which takes up one whole end of the pool. I think I read somewhere (perhaps in some DVC newsletter) a few years ago about work being done on this pool, and that may have been when the zero entry was added.

I never noticed it and we visit the Contemporary each time we are there. I even remember looking at the Jet Skis out at the dock and when I saw the pool I never saw a zero entry.

THanks for the info. Someone asked me the other day if Contemporary had zero entry and I said "NO". Now I know.

Aloha

Steve

 

[Denmark]

No, it's not just you. IMHO Stormalong is one of the most heavily overrated elements of WDW.

Since 2001, we've visted it four times, during different seasons. Irrespective of when we've gone, we've experienced the same thing over and over and over:

- a pool which is ridiculously overcrowded. Even before the DVC Beach Club villas opened, this pool was overloaded, and opening of the villas only made that worse. The crowding affects more than just space in and around the pool itself; the lines at Beaches and Cream and the waits at Cape May are horrific, even during "off times" (before our Illuminations cruise back in August, my wife walked over to Beaches and Cream about 8:00pm to get some ice cream - and immediately gave up when she saw a line that was at least 50 yards long).

- a pool that is hard to get negotiate. Small paths and crowds don't mix well.

- a pool that outside the sand area is not good for small children. I know, my kids were 5 and 7 when we first visited it. All the bridges and curves hide swimmers, just what a parent wants when 6 year old Muffy is trying out her new water wings.

And as for that "toddler friendly" sand area, that may have been a big deal back when the pool opened in 1990, but since then Disney has added that sort of feature (shallow "zero-entry" space) to other resort pools (Poly and even the Contemporary now have 'em).

- a pool with an O.K. but not particularly special slide (230 feet of straight slide? O.K., but IMHO the ones at the Poly and Boardwalk are more fun).

No, this does not all mean that SAB is "bad" - it's still a very unique...albeit somewhat over-rated and certainly over-hyped...resort pool.

Well i guess most people staying at YC/BC/BCV is very happy about SAB. I found the slide to be very funny, even though it felt kinda odd as a 35 yo guy to be using a water slide! .

I think its cool, that the slide starts in the top of a "shipwreck" and pases a street and ends up in a pool. When you start at the top, the speed is slow and ends with a higher speed at the end. Very funny to try!.

I dont think that SAB is over-rated, because there is not many resort pools like this anywhere in the world.