Using Pools at other resorts

[Tink888]

I personally have never noticed anyone outright pool hopping at any of the resorts we've stayed at. I think I'd be to worried about getting caught to do it myself. But I can totally relate to the chair issue during the more crowded times. From reading the posts, the chair issue seems to be one of the major reasons that people feel so strongly about pool hopping in addition to the fact it is against the rules.

I was curious to know from those who have stayed at the MK resorts such as Poly how you felt about guests who visit that resort and walk down to the beach to view the fireworks and electrical light parade. Since there are chairs on the beaches I wondered if any of the guests were annoyed by this since in this case guests are allowed to visit other resorts.

 

[cara loves the poly]

I personally have never noticed anyone outright pool hopping at any of the resorts we've stayed at. I think I'd be to worried about getting caught to do it myself. But I can totally relate to the chair issue during the more crowded times. From reading the posts, the chair issue seems to be one of the major reasons that people feel so strongly about pool hopping in addition to the fact it is against the rules.

I was curious to know from those who have stayed at the MK resorts such as Poly how you felt about guests who visit that resort and walk down to the beach to view the fireworks and electrical light parade. Since there are chairs on the beaches I wondered if any of the guests were annoyed by this since in this case guests are allowed to visit other resorts.

Our son had a GREAT time sword fighting with someone he met there! They were staying a Universal! They Pirate fought for an hour! It was great! My husband and I talked with his parents, we had a great time! Very relaxing evening, then we walked a few yards to our room in Hawaii and they caught the ferry back to MK.

 

[DisneyWorldOct08]

IMO, there is a big difference, between a family of 7 or so who ALL hop to a pool where they aren't staying at that resort and the OP scenario in which she has a family there for a gathering and 1/2 the family is staying one place and the other staying one place and there is just one kid and he just wants to swim with his uncle.

I asked myself, Would I give up a few hours of my own pool time so this little boy not staying here could make some memories with his uncle who was staying at the same resort as me? Yes. I would.

Would I give up a few hours of my own pool time so a family of 5 staying at a differnt hotel could all use my resort pool? No, I'd be annoyed.

So I think the best policy is to have the OP and the uncle ask the lifeguard, and the lifeguard will more than likely say "sure".

 

[cara loves the poly]

IMO, there is a big difference, between a family of 7 or so who ALL hop to a pool where they aren't staying at that resort and the OP scenario in which she has a family there for a gathering and 1/2 the family is staying one place and the other staying one place and there is just one kid and he just wants to swim with his uncle.

I asked myself, Would I give up a few hours of my own pool time so this little boy not staying here could make some memories with his uncle who was staying at the same resort as me? Yes. I would.

Would I give up a few hours of my own pool time so a family of 5 staying at a differnt hotel could all use my resort pool? No, I'd be annoyed.

So I think the best policy is to have the OP and the uncle ask the lifeguard, and the lifeguard will more than likely say "sure".

Very nicely put! I don't think anyone can whole heartedly disagree with this.

 

[ajsmommy1129]

We had an incident with "Pool Hoppers" during our last trip. We stayed at WL. We went back for our afternoon dip in the pool, and there was a group of rowdy tween boys in the pool. They were throwing a beach ball at everyone coming down the slide. I went to the lifeguard, and he said that he had asked them to stop but that they didn't seem to understand English. Since he wasn't doing anything,and I felt this was a safety issue, I got my son out of the pool and went into the desk and got the manager on duty, who came out. He asked the boys where their parents were.(their English seemed to improve greatly...) He also took the beach ball from them. The beach ball had "Pop" written on it. When the boys parents came over, found out that they were staying at Pop and having dinner at WCC. It is this kind of "pool hopping", imho, that causes problems. By the time we got everything settled, it was time for us to shower and change for our ADR, so, yes, we had our "time" taken by someone using the pool at the resort we were staying at, while they were at a different resort. Can you guess how I feel at pool hopping? I had no opinion on he matter at all before this incident.....

 

[cara loves the poly]

We had an incident with "Pool Hoppers" during our last trip. We stayed at WL. We went back for our afternoon dip in the pool, and there was a group of rowdy tween boys in the pool. They were throwing a beach ball at everyone coming down the slide. I went to the lifeguard, and he said that he had asked them to stop but that they didn't seem to understand English. Since he wasn't doing anything,and I felt this was a safety issue, I got my son out of the pool and went into the desk and got the manager on duty, who came out. He asked the boys where their parents were.(their English seemed to improve greatly...) He also took the beach ball from them. The beach ball had "Pop" written on it. When the boys parents came over, found out that they were staying at Pop and having dinner at WCC. It is this kind of "pool hopping", imho, that causes problems. By the time we got everything settled, it was time for us to shower and change for our ADR, so, yes, we had our "time" taken by someone using the pool at the resort we were staying at, while they were at a different resort. Can you guess how I feel at pool hopping? I had no opinion on he matter at all before this incident.....

That kind of situation is unexcusable! I'm very glad you said something, I hope the parents of the boys handled the situation properly. This behavior is deplorable.

 

[typhoonlagooner]

Since he wasn't doing anything,and I felt this was a safety issue, I got my son out of the pool and went into the desk and got the manager on duty, who came out. He asked the boys where their parents were...

Does anyone know what Disney protical is in terms of unruley guests that ARE guests at the resort? Pool Hoppers are easily to shoo away, but what about if these boys were guests? Would managers still remove them from the area? Would they just give them a warning? Any insight?

 

[Cool-Beans]

OP, the reason I said (on the first page) that you should ask the management is that the Disney management won't give a hairy ratt's butt if your guests swim with you.

You'll find that Disney cares a whole lot less about bending the rules than the DISers do.

Does anyone know what Disney protical is in terms of unruley guests that ARE guests at the resort? Pool Hoppers are easily to shoo away, but what about if these boys were guests? Would managers still remove them from the area? Would they just give them a warning? Any insight?

I once saw them throw a bunch of drunks out of the Poly pool. They used the excuse that it isn't safe to be that drunk and swim. Those folks had no intention of getting back in the pool - I knew it, the management knew it. But that was their excuse to get the obnoxious people out of there.

I don't know what they do about obnoxious sober people, though.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I understand the OP wanted her family to be able to spend time together. One thing I have never really understood (other than the OP situation) is why would you want to pool hop. Then you have to get on a bus/monorail/boat/car soaking wet to go back to your resort to get changed. I just can not imagine going to all that hassle to swim in another pool. I just find it kind of crazy.

We did have the same situation as the OP and the manager at BC gave me 2 passes (bands) for my neice and nephew for the day but I did not have to pay the $25 charge for more adults in the room since they were not spending the night and they did a have a room booked in their name at another resort. But they did have to show him their other resort ID.

 

[Deb & Bill]

we are staying at AKL. For $25pp, we can add a guest to our room. So then they would be able to use the pool, right? Just pay $25 (sort of like a day fitness pass at some hotels) and they'd be entitled.

I'm hoping that will work; we have a relative coming from the west coast that we'd like to visit with in the FL sunshine so I was thinking the pool would be a good place to socialize one day. I'd be glad to pay $25 for her company if that would be acceptable!

Is this concept do-able?

If you have a room that sleeps four and you already have four on your reservation, you wouldn't be able to add anyone to your reservation to be able to use the pool. If you have two or three in your party and have a room that sleeps four, you could add your relative. But if you are getting the dining plan, your guest will also have to have the dining plan for the entire length of stay. That would be a lot more than $25 a day. Plus she would also have to purchase a ticket if that was part of your plan.

 

[SA53]

Yikes!!! I did not know all this pool hopping was going down!!! We are doing a split stay at the Pop and then Poly just so we can hang out at the Volcano pool and relax. We are going in August so I hope I can find a chair around the pool because it is true that I am paying to stay there so I can use that lovely pool.

K in SA

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

I personally have never noticed anyone outright pool hopping at any of the resorts we've stayed at. I think I'd be to worried about getting caught to do it myself. But I can totally relate to the chair issue during the more crowded times. From reading the posts, the chair issue seems to be one of the major reasons that people feel so strongly about pool hopping in addition to the fact it is against the rules.

I was curious to know from those who have stayed at the MK resorts such as Poly how you felt about guests who visit that resort and walk down to the beach to view the fireworks and electrical light parade. Since there are chairs on the beaches I wondered if any of the guests were annoyed by this since in this case guests are allowed to visit other resorts.

No its never been a problem TBH I have never seen a time when either the pool or all the seats have been full. The main problem is in the lobby which can be crowded noisy and unpleasn't.

 

[Andy B]

Like others have said, you can ask at the pool, and you may get a different answer. Depending on how busy the pool/resort is. But in general you need to swim at the resort you are staying at. If your family can't agree on the same resort, you might want to look into spending a day at one of the water parks, which are built to handle a huge number of people.

I think in this case the op was not looking at spending a day in a pool but a an hour or two in the day maybe as the break in the middle of a park day that so many people suggest.

 

[goofy4tink]

Even at water parks, I ALWAYS get a far chair and have problems finding it! Let alone my children! I lost them one time in the wave pool at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. It was packed!!!!

Oh man..I've had that happen to me at TL!!! Now, I always bring a really bright beach towel for each chair..it's the only way I can find my seat. And then there was the day, last August, that we decided to head to TL about 11:00 am...there were no seats anywhere near the wave pool. We ended up just dropping our things next to a wall, in a pile.

I personally have never noticed anyone outright pool hopping at any of the resorts we've stayed at. I think I'd be to worried about getting caught to do it myself. But I can totally relate to the chair issue during the more crowded times. From reading the posts, the chair issue seems to be one of the major reasons that people feel so strongly about pool hopping in addition to the fact it is against the rules.

I was curious to know from those who have stayed at the MK resorts such as Poly how you felt about guests who visit that resort and walk down to the beach to view the fireworks and electrical light parade. Since there are chairs on the beaches I wondered if any of the guests were annoyed by this since in this case guests are allowed to visit other resorts.

I really don't have an issue with people visiting the Polynesian and watching stuff from the beach. I know that there are some who feel it's rude of non-resort guests to hog the hammocks. Doesn't really bother me too much though.

I think it would be nice if the lifeguards were a bit more proactive in monitering chair usage. You know....they see the same chaise with the same towel for an hour, and no one ever in it! I know that some resorts have lifeguards that now take the towel away and open the chaise for anyone that wants it. It's all about consideration.

 

[RMulieri]

I am surprised this thread hasn't been closed yet.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

I agree that the OP should ask the lifeguard or front desk.

A few years back, we were staying at the Poly and our best friends were staying at SOG. He had just returned from deployment so we were thrilled to see them. On several afternoons, they came over to the Poly pool with us (they were 2 Adults and one toddler) to have drinks and swim. The lifeguards did not have a problem with it at all.

 

[goofy4tink]

I am surprised this thread hasn't been closed yet.

Why? It's been very polite and informative. We can actually discuss this subject without getting offensive.

 

[frdeb1999]

I'm impressed this thread has lasted this long too! Nice to see though. We stay at the Poly quite often and during peak season it is difficult to find chairs, but it does'nt bother us unless you can absolutely tell that someone is there from another resort. Such as a year ago when there was a family of 6 that had 2 large duffle type bags with them and they decided to take over the pool slide. You could tell that they were'nt from the resort and that they had used the changing room as their clothes were everywhere...hence a rotten apple type. This bothers me and I speak to someone about it. People watching fireworks and water parade does'nt. I think it is wonderful to be able to watch it from there and if you get the chance you should do so. There is alot of room for this. However the pool areas are limited.

 

[KigerKat]

Hello, all! OP, here!!

Thank you so much for all of your advice. This is my first trip to DW, and DH and I will be celebrating our 1st anniversary down there. We thought it would be fun to make a big family trip out of it, but we wanted to stay at a nicer resort since it's a special occasion for us!

We are a very close family, and our nephew ADORES his uncle. I'm just foreseeing us watching him for the afternoon to give his parents a break and him wanting to go on our pool slide. I can honestly say that I'm sure he would be the only one we would bring over (no other family members lounging in the chairs by the pool) and I would never think to allow him to "pool hop" without asking the lifeguard or font desk to make sure it would be okay. If it's not alright, he's a mature kid and he'll understand. There's plenty of other things he can do with us that would be just as fun!

And I want to thank everyone for not letting this get ugly at all. Like I said, this is my first trip to DW and I had no idea that pool hopping was such a problem!

We are only there for 5 days, so who knows...we might have too much park hopping to do to go swimming!

Thanks again!

 

[tlens]

Honestly, if you're taking care of him for the afternoon, I don't see any problem with it AT ALL. They certainly won't be asking him for ID and you'll have yours. Enjoy yourselves.