VWL - Hidden Springs Pool renovation/fencing?

[DPCummerbund]

According to the schedules posted on the internet, the Hidden Springs pool was supposed to reopen yesterday. Can anyone confirm that this happened? Hidden Springs was, AFAIK, the first pool to get the new mandatory fencing, and I'm curious as to how it looks now, and if they added/changed anything during the renovation.

 

[DPCummerbund]

Ooooooooookay, it has been several weeks now - surely someone on the DIS has been to VWL in the past month? I'd love to see some photos of the new pool area.

I'm hoping by the lack of responses, comments, or photos of any kind that the new pool area looks exactly like the old pool area, and that nobody really noticed any differences. This would mean that the fences are really unobtrusive, which bodes well for the fencing in of the main WL pool.

But if anyone has any photos, or if you've seen any pics anywhere, please let me know! I'm dying of curiosity over here...

 

[Daisyduck49]

Just stayed there at Thanksgiving. We could not tell the difference.

 

[Msmithmd]

Stayed over thanksgiving as well. There was no fence. One could walk right up to the pool from the villas, the main WL, or from the parking lot for that matter.

 

[DPCummerbund]

Stayed over thanksgiving as well. There was no fence. One could walk right up to the pool from the villas, the main WL, or from the parking lot for that matter.

How very strange. I know I read reports from people who were there & said it did close, so I know they did refurbish the pool as scheduled. I wonder why they decided not to add the fences? It's possible that they could add fences later, but it doesn't really make sense to do that.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I did not think that the closing/refurb announcement actually mentioned adding fences - that people were reading that into the announcement because of the timing of information that fences being added to feature pools. Guess we'll just see in the future though.

 

[DPCummerbund]

I did not think that the closing/refurb announcement actually mentioned adding fences - that people were reading that into the announcement because of the timing of information that fences being added to feature pools. Guess we'll just see in the future though.

I wondered about that too, but all the announcements about the Hidden Springs Pool closure apparently trace back to Mouseplanet, whose announcement reads "Wilderness Lodge Villas – Hidden Springs Pool closed until late November for installation of gates and fence." link

It's possible that Mouseplanet was wrong, but they had the correct dates.

 

[erionm]

According to the schedules posted on the internet, the Hidden Springs pool was supposed to reopen yesterday. Can anyone confirm that this happened? Hidden Springs was, AFAIK, the first pool to get the new mandatory fencing, and I'm curious as to how it looks now, and if they added/changed anything during the renovation.

Only the feature pools are going to be fenced and gated. The Hidden Springs Pool is a quite (leisure) and will remain open 24 hours.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/other-...n-planning/2397-pool-policy-changes-confirmed

 

[DPCummerbund]

Only the feature pools are going to be fenced and gated. The Hidden Springs Pool is a quite (leisure) and will remain open 24 hours.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/other-...n-planning/2397-pool-policy-changes-confirmed

Many people thought that too, which is why the announcement that Hidden Springs was getting fences seemed rather strange.

Others thought that perhaps Hidden Springs was VWL's "feature pool", in the same way that Samwati Springs Pool is AKL's "feature pool". There's a certain logic to that, in the sense that any pool that Disney has bothered to name is a "feature pool" at most resorts, while most of the quiet pools are just called "quiet pools" or "leisure pools". Using similar logic, is the Samwati Springs pool going to have fences like a "feature pool", or go fenceless like a quiet/leisure pool?

If Hidden Springs is indeed a quiet pool and Samwati Springs is not, one wonders why VWL guests (and those at most other Deluxe resorts) will have a pool available to them 24 hours a day if they want it, while AKL guests will not.

 

[dsneygirl]

Just checked out this morning. No fencing at either pool.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I wondered about that too, but all the announcements about the Hidden Springs Pool closure apparently trace back to Mouseplanet, whose announcement reads "Wilderness Lodge Villas – Hidden Springs Pool closed until late November for installation of gates and fence." link

It's possible that Mouseplanet was wrong, but they had the correct dates.

I wonder if that was their original intent (to fence/gate it) but then at the last minute they found out, probably from the lawyers, that they didn't have to and that's why it didn't seem any different. I wonder-was anyone there during the planned closing time and can even verify that it did indeed close.

 

[wcpamotm]

Here's an observation from our recently concluded trip:

The Hidden Springs and Silver Creek pools have identical hours. However, coming home late from MK one evening we noticed a number of "Pool Closed" signs scattered around Silver Creek, but not at Hidden Springs.

That would be consistent with my impression that while quiet pools may close at 11, late-night use is tolerated as long as quiet and decorum are maintained.