What's the Best Disney Pool?

[eljefe45]

I've been at Saratoga and it is nice. I hear Beach Club Villas is fantastic but unaccessable if you aren't staying there.

So outside of the Beach Club Villas, what is the best?

 

[OKW Lover]

[shrug]
Never found any of the other pools very compelling. Storm Along Bay is in a class by itself. The other pools are just pools. Sure some might have a bit more decoration than others, but none of them are really compelling.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We think that the Dig Site at Coronado Springs is lots of fun.

 

[DisneyHotDog]

Are you kidding it is definiately the beach club pool, however you use to be able to go there during the slower months when they are not as busy. I am not sure if they changed this policy and as a DVC member you are not allowed there anymore at all. But if you can still go that is by far the nicest pool.

 

[TisBit]

You are going to have a lot of varying opinions on pools, just like you do on resorts. Most pools are just themed and have the same basic elements. Storm Along Bay is definitely the most "themed" pool, but also has its drawbacks its distractors. It is not a very good set up for younger children and is often extremely crowded. This alone can make it a miserable pool experience for many people who just want a chair to lie out in and a slide to use. We were not a fan of the childrens slide not being part of the "main" pool, so as adults we were stuck without a pool while our kids were on the slide, etc. It was an experience and i can see where people absolutely love it, but I am not a huge fan of water parks with lines, etc...so SAB wasn't something that I was drawn to.

I enjoyed SSR and my kids could do the bigger slide on their own, another advantage of SSR is that they have Grandstand with a water play area that isn't necessarily a "pool".....but I think they liked boardwalk a little bit better.

 

[vicki_c]

Are you kidding it is definiately the beach club pool, however you use to be able to go there during the slower months when they are not as busy. I am not sure if they changed this policy and as a DVC member you are not allowed there anymore at all. But if you can still go that is by far the nicest pool.

Only those staying @ Beach Club/Yacht Club/BCV with room cards can use Stormalong Bay.

I think all of the deluxe pools have a lot going for them (although I have never seen the pools @ OKW). If I had to pick one DVC pool, I would choose AKV-Kidani. For non-DVC, love the Poly pool.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Are you kidding it is definiately the beach club pool, however you use to be able to go there during the slower months when they are not as busy. I am not sure if they changed this policy and as a DVC member you are not allowed there anymore at all. But if you can still go that is by far the nicest pool.

Bad info. You can only go there if you are staying at the BCV on points. Or paying cash to stay at YC/BC/BCV.

It gets real crowded, especially in the warmer months. If you have smaller children, it has some very deep areas (8') with a swift current.

 

[kent285]

I agree, you're going to get a lot of opinions about pools. I personally like quiet pools...I just need water and a chair. So I like the leisure pools at SSR. That being said...my favorite Disney pool is at Fort Wilderness. It's HUGE and the water is basically the same depth throughout. They have a really great water/play area for the kids and then a baby pool area.

 

[a742246]

When its just my wife and I, we prefer the quiet pools over the theme pools. But if I bring children I would perfer the theme pools.

 

[shellspb]

In our opinion the best pool is the pool at AKL, it's huge and the kids and adults loved the slide. Great bar and hot tub too. Even though it's not a DVC home resort, we really liked the pool at Port Orleans, French Quarters. Great dragon slide. Wasn't crazy about the pool at WL, and would skip the BWV pool because of scary clown!

 

[Sammie]

Love the pools at the Polynesian.

 

[Disneypapa]

Beach Club - Storm along Bay - hands down

a distant 2nd - Kidani, pool pretty standard, but does have an interesting watere play area

 

[jade1]

Also keep in mind kids grow, and they will enjoy SAB more and more the older they get.

Keep in mind SAB is private to the guests, it does not get that busy IMO because it is so spread out. Some spots get very busy at peak, but it also has the large beach area and the deeper spots that kids stay out of.

An example is BC/YC/BCV has 1,413 total rooms. Cor Springs has 1,921-yet SAB is 750,000 gallons and the disg site is 272,000 gallons, BW/BWV has 708 rooms and Luna Park pool is 190,000 gallons..

Outside SAB-we also recommend POLY, nice large beach area to go with it.

 

[TisBit]

Also keep in mind kids grow, and they will enjoy SAB more and more the older they get.

Keep in mind SAB is private to the guests, it does not get that busy IMO because it is so spread out. Some spots get very busy at peak, but it also has the large beach area and the deeper spots that kids stay out of.

An example is BC/YC/BCV has 1,413 total rooms. Cor Springs has 1,921-yet SAB is 750,000 gallons and the disg site is 272,000 gallons, BW/BWV has 708 rooms and Luna Park pool is 190,000 gallons..

Outside SAB-we also recommend POLY, nice large beach area to go with it.

Yes, as my kids grow and become preteens/teenagers I am sure SAB will be different for them....but I will still feel the same way about it. Way too crowded for my taste.

You are right, you can find a non-crowded part of the pool pretty easily, but that is also usually the area's that are not out of the way (you have to know SAB to understand) and for that you might as well be at a leiser pool, because you will not be in the beach area/river area or slide area...you will just be in one of hte coves....which is where we usually ended up.

However, I think when people talk about the crowds of SAB they are talking less of the crowds IN the water and more of the crowds OUT of the water. Many, many people will go to the Beach Club/Yacht Club for the pools almost as a water park option, therefore they will plan days around the pool, unlike other resorts where the pool is often secondary. It is very difficult to find two or three chairs together, much less four or five for a family or to get a table if you want to eat lunch by the pool. There is a reason that SAB is the only pool on property that employees extra personnel just to check room keys, etc as you enter and use wrist bands for the pool....it gets so crowded just with resort guests, having non-resort guests created nightmarish situations that forced them to act.

Again, it really depends on what you are looking for in a pool and what you would find enjoyable. I don't like to be a quiet pools all by myself because I am a people watcher, but I also don't like being somewhere that is so crowded you can't get a chair or find a place to put your stuff down.....so for me the other pools are more my style, lots of stuff going on, but isn't overcrowded. Will we go back to BCV and SAB, I am sure we will when the kids are older and they really want to try it out on their own....but hopefully by that time I won't have to stay with them the whole time! LOL

 

[palhockeymomof2]

We love the pool at BCV and have been lucky enough to get in at the 7 month window

 

[jade1]

Again, it really depends on what you are looking for in a pool and what you would find enjoyable.

Exactly-and if someone were to ask me to recommend the best pool in WDW I would say SAB to cover my bases. If I knew all they wanted was a chair next to a slide that looks into a round busy pool I can see entirely from my chair-then I would not recommend SAB, but you will at least find a chair on a hot sunny spring break day at SAB-even if it means one on the beach next to the slide entrance. We have found all chairs taken many times at WL/BWV and other pools-never at SAB even at numerous spring breaks.

You are right, you can find a non-crowded part of the pool pretty easily, but that is also usually the area's that are not out of the way (you have to know SAB to understand) and for that you might as well be at a leiser pool, because you will not be in the beach area/river area or slide area...you will just be in one of hte coves....which is where we usually ended up.

So just for informational purposes your experience shows SAB provides uncrowded leiser pool areas that are easily found, hidden coves, slide area, beach area, river (8 foot tread water) area.

Very informative for one trying to make a decision.

Throw in sand bottom, a kids sand bottom play area that itself is larger then the entire SSR pool, kids play area, huge slide, incredible white sand beach with chairs always available viewing the friendship boats and the Boardwalk, best guest to gallons ratio pool in WDW especially since it is private.

 

[dmancuso]

The pool at the Yacht and Beach is the best. Sand bottom!

 

[TisBit]

Exactly-and if someone were to ask me to recommend the best pool in WDW I would say SAB to cover my bases. If I knew all they wanted was a chair next to a slide that looks into a round busy pool I can see entirely from my chair-then I would not recommend SAB, but you will at least find a chair on a hot sunny spring break day at SAB-even if it means one on the beach next to the slide entrance. We have found all chairs taken many times at WL/BWV and other pools-never at SAB even at numerous spring breaks.

So just for informational purposes your experience shows SAB provides uncrowded leiser pool areas that are easily found, hidden coves, slide area, beach area, river (8 foot tread water) area.

Very informative for one trying to make a decision.

Throw in sand bottom, a kids sand bottom play area that itself is larger then the entire SSR pool, kids play area, huge slide, incredible white sand beach with chairs always available viewing the friendship boats and the Boardwalk, best guest to gallons ratio pool in WDW especially since it is private.

I find it funny that you seem to gloss over the fact that I have a lot of negatives about SAB, but I have found that a lot, no one wants to accept that there are downsides to SAB and reasons to dislike it. The slide entrance is across that same busy boardwalk, outside of the pool area, so you can not see your children go to it and it is not monitored. The kids slide is stuck at the base of the stairs of the main slide with hardly even a knee depth wading area, so if your small kids want to slide, don't count on being able to enjoy a the pool. Saying that the sand area of the pool is larger than the other resorts theme pools is just mis-information.

The quick service counter is mobbed by not only the pool guest, but also tons of other guests from all the surounding resorts. The white sand beach chairs are available because there is nothing around them, it is not near the pool or part of SAB, so you can't count that as a plus to SAB. Regardless of gallons to guests ratio, it is by far the busiest and most crowded pool on property.

You are right, any pool can be busy and have lots of guests and chairs taken up. The issues at SAB are very well documented and any search here on the boards will show that SAB suffers the same problems of many resorts where guests "reserve" their chairs for a full day with their towels, etc.

But, the short sightedness to disagree with anyone that says there are downsides to SAB shows that you cannot understand that people have different opinions and it is OK. See, I am ok with someone loving SAB and I can understand why they would. Just like I can understand why someone might not like another pool....its not a personal attack.

 

[PHILCT]

We get depressed if we can't get a reservation at the Beach Club Villas.

Why?

We want to go to Storm Along Bay:

Sand Bottom, DEEP Middle section with like 8 to 9 feet floating on tubes, Beaches N Cream just a few feet away.

When we are exhausted in Hollywood Studios and sad that we cant get in another line that is 90 minutes long, we just head back and realize there is no place like Storm Along Bay.

And the Clown Pool scares me (you know where I mean).

SAB, all the rest are still just pools.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

Our favorite resort is OKW and my DD loves the sandcastle slide. SAB just seems to crowed and to big to me. If one person wants to be at one part of the pool and someone else wants another part then where do you go. Thank you but I will stick with OKW than you very much.