Why are people nervous about SAB?

[kindra657]

oh boy! after reading many of these posts, i'm not sure if i will enjoy SAB as much as i thought i would. i enjoy lounging and relaxing by the pool & keeping an eye on my daughter while she swims (in not so deep water). we will be at BCV in sept (if i get the 7 month window resie) with some friends of ours and both of our dd's will be 7 yrs old.

both of the girls are pretty good swimmers & they have gone to swimming lessons. i'm not so sure if they are responsible enough to go off by themselves to go down slides and things like that

am i being too paranoid or are these valid concerns for SAB w/ two 7 yr olds?

 

[Deb & Bill]

...am i being too paranoid or are these valid concerns for SAB w/ two 7 yr olds?

I think all the signs at the pools say children under the age of 10 (maybe 12??) are supposed to be with an adult.

 

[gracelrm]

We stayed at BCV for the first time this summer with DD14, DS11 and DS7. We really enjoyed SAB and hope to stay there again someday. In fact, I think the next time we stay there, I want to skip the parks and spend more time at the resort! We really liked it! But, I will say that I was somewhat uncomfortable with the layout of the place. I'm not a hovermom, but I don't really enjoy not being able to see my kids around water. My kids all have red hair and even when it's wet - they are easy to spot. So I can lounge by the pool and read or people watch and watch where they are at most pools. But at SAB, I pretty much stayed in the pool with DS7 and asked the older ones to tell me if they were going to the lazy river area. We will go back and we did love it, but it wasn't the same for me as far as relaxing around the pool. DH usually comes with us to the pool, but he had injured his leg this trip and didn't spend as much time at the pool, so it was a little nerve wracking for me.

 

[Joan S.]

HI, We have stayed at BCV many times over the years and I have found that the the age of your child has alot to do with what area of SAB is comfortable for you. If you have younger children the best area seems to be near the YC where the sandbar is and the kiddie pool is located (usually it is easier to find a lounge chair here also!). Although if you are staying at the BC,it is quite a hike to the YC side! As your child gets older the slide and the whirlpool area are great entertainment. There are also pool games run by CM's in the afternoon.My DS (14) loves this! This pool can be alot of fun but I have seen quite a few "rescues",especially at the bottom of the slide when it dumps into the water and the child cannot swim well. So keeping an eye on your children is always advisable even at WDW! My advice would be to walk around and find the best area for your own family and ENJOY!! Joan

 

[crisi]

oh boy! after reading many of these posts, i'm not sure if i will enjoy SAB as much as i thought i would. i enjoy lounging and relaxing by the pool & keeping an eye on my daughter while she swims (in not so deep water). we will be at BCV in sept (if i get the 7 month window resie) with some friends of ours and both of our dd's will be 7 yrs old.

both of the girls are pretty good swimmers & they have gone to swimming lessons. i'm not so sure if they are responsible enough to go off by themselves to go down slides and things like that

am i being too paranoid or are these valid concerns for SAB w/ two 7 yr olds?

For me, that's peak "danger age" - my own kids were bold enough to push limits at that age, but not yet sensible enough to understand why I want to keep tabs on them. So I'd be worried about the "Mom, I'm just going to go down the slide" followed by 45 minutes of "where did my kid go" panic and finally "But MOOOOOMMMMMMMM! We just went over to the sandbar." Since you can't really watch your kids both in the pool and getting on the slide, its easy for them to get out of the pool and for you to think they are heading back to the slide - only to lose track of them. Much younger than that and I'm right there anyway, much older than that and they started to be more responsible. I'd be much more content (and more likely to ENJOY my Mai Tai) at any other pool than SAB with seven year olds. But I'm me and you are you - and my kids are different children than yours - sometimes this board makes me think I raised spoiled little brats that I can't keep track of - then I watch them around other kids and realize I have pretty ordinary kids - other people must just have extraordinary ones. Look at Tagerl's slide show, get an SAB map and figure out the layout - and then think about your daughter and your friend's daughter (best thing would be to walk the pool, but you aren't likely to have a chance to do that).

I'm not really worried about something happening - drowning risk or pedophile risk are both pretty slim. I'm more worried about having to worry about something happening while I just simply lose track of them. Been there, done that and it isn't fun for Mommy.

 

[kindra657]

crisi, thank you for your input on this pool. i knew it was supposed to be one of the biggest pools but until now, i didn't realize that it is like a mini-waterpark!!
i think that the quiet pool at bcv will be a nice alternative & we will visit SAB when all of the parents can be there to help me supervise.

 

[tedisney]

We just got back yesterday from a stay at BCV, and four different lifeguards suggested to parents that their kids could get a jacket/vest and use it on the big slide, FYI.

However, parents are no longer allowed to ride the small slide with their kids. You can catch them coming off the bottom, but you can't ride the baby slide with them. Two lifeguards told us this was the new policy and was very controversial amongst the guards.

BTW, our 21 month old enjoyed every section of the pool, barring the big slide, with her parents and her water wings. It's really a great resort and great pool/water park. Somebody even made a 15 foot long shark in the sand one day - it was very well done.

 

[crisi]

crisi, thank you for your input on this pool. i knew it was supposed to be one of the biggest pools but until now, i didn't realize that it is like a mini-waterpark!!
i think that the quiet pool at bcv will be a nice alternative & we will visit SAB when all of the parents can be there to help me supervise.

Boardwalk has a very nice slide for seven year olds, the bartenders make decent Mai Tais (the Poly ones are the best though) and you can walk or boat over easily from BCV. So if you get there and don't like the looks of SAB, you can spend enough time there for the girls to get a taste, then take the "pool tour" over to a less anxious pool. There is a corner of the pool its difficult to see from some of the loungers, but its easier to see 90% of the pool from a chair.

(The clown is a little disconcerting if you've read Stephen King - and the whole clown vomiting out your child may take a bit of getting used to.)