Will the addition of the OKW slide end pool hopping for good????

[vernon]

I think it is to keep OKW folks from using SSR's new pool/slide when it opens. I can see DVC ending pool hopping to another DVC resort but maybe allowing hopping to non-DVC resorts.

When I spoke to a DVC sales staff they suggested that SSR and OKW would be treated as "sister resorts" with OKW members having access and being encouraged to use SSR's pool and the spa. I can see that perhaps that would be a temporary "marketing" ploy to get OKW members into the resort in order to make them think about buying points there or maybe it was just to get the spa better known and used (P.S. it's a very nice facility).

I very much feel that DVC pool hopping is a very minor contributory factor to any hotel pool's over crowding (regular guest at other WDW hotels would rank at #2, people not even staying on WDW would be a run away winner). It's also a factor that's easily controlled on "busy seasons" as well as individual days. Disney could easily (and cheaply) put into place practices that keep out unwelcome pool crashers while still allowing DVC members access ( under certain circumstances).

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by vernon
[...]Disney could easily (and cheaply) put into place practices that keep out unwelcome pool crashers while still allowing DVC members access ( under certain circumstances).

I respectfully disagree - both with the 'easily' and 'cheaply' parts. DW and I go to Las Vegas regularly - where they have some of the most lavish pool areas I've seen - and there is a whole sub-culture of non-guests who try to crash these pools. First the hotels had to hire security guards / monitors for every entrance, checking for room keys. This, of course, is ineffectual by itself, as it is quite easy to get one of these mini-credit-card sized keys - I have a large collection as souvenirs. Then they started actually scanning the keys to make sure they were active for that time - but people began taking one key and passing it outside to let in 'friends'. To do it right, they'll need almost the same set-up as a park entrance - scanning to let you in, hookup to the computers to check if the same key has been used multiple times in a short period, guards to patrol, etc. - neither cheap nor easy.

While I agree with you that it is crashers, not DVCers, who are the bulk of the problem, I believe that Disney will decide that it is just too much time and effort to differentiate between the two, and shut down pool-hopping - a few bad apples spoiling the whole bushel. YMMV.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by DrTomorrow
I respectfully disagree - both with the 'easily' and 'cheaply' parts. ...(snip)....While I agree with you that it is crashers, not DVCers, who are the bulk of the problem, I believe that Disney will decide that it is just too much time and effort to differentiate between the two, and shut down pool-hopping - a few bad apples spoiling the whole bushel. YMMV.

This is my opinion as well.

 

[PamOKW]

Dave,

Here's a link to the thread where Doc has posted the pictures. Construction is not expected to begin until September for a December/January opening.

OKW Slide Information

 

[OneMoreTry]

Originally posted by DebbieB
I think they are building the slide because pool hopping is going to end. That way people staying at OKW would still have access to a pool with a slide if pool hopping was eliminated.

I don't think they will end pool-hopping. It is a cheap perk for DVC members. They want to keep members feeling special.

I believe they are building it to balance out demand for the resorts.

Who knows.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by OneMoreTry
I don't think they will end pool-hopping. It is a cheap perk for DVC members. They want to keep members feeling special.

I believe they are building it to balance out demand for the resorts.

Who knows.

But why do they need to keep us OKW owners feel any more special than we already do? We have been members longer than most, and there was no slide when we purchased.

 

[Hilary]

While I agree with you that it is crashers, not DVCers, who are the bulk of the problem, I believe that Disney will decide that it is just too much time and effort to differentiate between the two, and shut down pool-hopping -

How will the cessation of PH (if that ever happens) cut out the crashers without some kind of security system put in place anyway?

Surely it's just as difficult to keep out crashers whether PH is allowed or not - there would still have to be some kind of check on resort guests wishing to use their own pool if there was a complete ban on anyone else using it.

 

[vernon]

I respectfully disagree - both with the 'easily' and 'cheaply' parts. DW and I go to Las Vegas regularly - where they have some of the most lavish pool areas I've seen - and there is a whole sub-culture of non-guests who try to crash these pools

I agree that there is a "sub-culture" who try to crash, and I agree that it would be impossible to have 100% success (at least cheaply) , but I do think it would be relatively easy to ask that guests require a valid room/charge key in order to gain pool towels. I believe that most "popular" pool areas already have staff that issue the towels and a hand held card reader would not be extraordinary expensive. Pool waitstaff could be asked to help by noticing and groups that have no "hotel issue" towels in their group and that don't use roomcharge for any drinks bought. This would not be 100 % effective in stopping bonafide guests from bringing in extra "guests", but it would stop the larger problem of people with no connections coming in.

IMHO it's a better start to solving the problem than doing away with people (DVC members) who genuinely have a right to be there. I'm happy to agree that if, once the other problems are addressed, it is still deemed that DVC membership pool hopping is a "problem" (and the above would give Disney accurate information to the levels of use to justify any rule changes)

I believe that Disney will decide that it is just too much time and effort to differentiate between the two, and shut down pool-hopping

It would be no more difficult to differentiate between "crashers" from the guests of that actual hotel and DVC members, therefore if they want to discourage pool crashers, there is no reason why the methods to do that could not include DVC members in with the guests of that hotel. If DVC members are staying on site (using their DVC points) they will have genuine and valid identification.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by OneMoreTry
I don't think they will end pool-hopping. It is a cheap perk for DVC members. They want to keep members feeling special.

I believe they are building it to balance out demand for the resorts.

Who knows.

Disney will will not be able to cut out all crashers. Heck, we've seen DVC members post on this board within the last year that they were going to PH evend uring banned times. PH would be a cheap perk if it didn't need maintenance. But at the present time it requires a major amount of interaction. First, the resorts need to know when PH is allowed and when it isn't. Then they need to decide if/when their pools are at capacity, make a decision to halt PH, communicate that to their staff, deal with the phone calls (and aggravation when it's closed) then police the pool area. This seems like a fairly major expense and aggravation to me. If I were DVC, I'd say it's either all or none, which would mean to cut it out I'd expect.

 

[RLevy29]

Curious- are the sales agents still promoting pool hopping as a perc to SSR buyers?

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by vernon
[snip] I believe that most "popular" pool areas already have staff that issue the towels and a hand held card reader would not be extraordinary expensive. Pool waitstaff could be asked to help by noticing and groups that have no "hotel issue" towels in their group and that don't use roomcharge for any drinks bought.

At the Polynesian pool last fall, there were large stacks of towels for the taking - no attendants. And if little Susie or Jimmie goes to get a towel while Mom is reading by the pool, they are told "not without your papers, er, ID"? Sadly, that's not very Disney-like. And I can't wait to hear the waitstaff's reaction to their additional roles of spy and informant - maybe they'll get a bounty for every non-guest they report!

[snip] It would be no more difficult to differentiate between "crashers" from the guests of that actual hotel and DVC members, therefore if they want to discourage pool crashers, there is no reason why the methods to do that could not include DVC members in with the guests of that hotel. If DVC members are staying on site (using their DVC points) they will have genuine and valid identification.

You are correct here; "If pool-hopping becomes illegal for DVCers, only non-DVCers will pool-hop". When we were at the Grand Californian at DL a few years ago, their pool was totally fenced in with only two entrance points, and you needed your room key to get in. Even that didn't really do the job, though, as we saw groups of non-guests (overheard them later) waiting for a guest to unlock the gate and just follow them in.

Maybe every guest should just get a temporary bar-code sprayed on the back of their hand - or a sub-dermal radio chip implanted ....

 

[WEDway2002]

Pam,

Thanks very much for the link! The pool looks great! We were all trying to figure what, where, how, etc. Leave it to Disney to once again exceed out expectations!

Thanks again.

Dave

 

[Desperado]

The new OKW slide looks fantastic. My take is that pool hopping is nearing the end. If no other reason, simply the size and number of members to which DVC is growing.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
We have never pool hopped, and likely never will.
What I think is a real problem is pool 'crashers', not pool 'hoppers'. I have heard folks in the VWL jacuzzi who were not even staying on Disney property.

The jacuzzi was full, so my wife and I didn't go in because of guests that were staying off-site.

MG

AMEN BROTHER!!!!

 

[msdis]

Don't pool hop, but like the perk. I think the new addition to OKW is simply to provide them with what they don't have. As far as ph goes, I don't see why this would have an effect either way. If you have 1000 people in 4 different resort pools what matters which pool they are in. The law of average says it should even out, perhaps with the exception of SAB which obviously draws more. The thing with adding the OKW slide is I would think OKW people would have been the ones using the perk the most, now maybe they won't and perhaps this will even things out more.

 

[MCazer]

I would truly miss pool hopping. Our family tends to go off season, and thus the parks close early. We usually drive to the parks and keep our bathing suits in the back. One of our favorites is Coronado Springs. We eat at the Pepper Market and head over to the pool. The kids love it, and then they can play on their playground.

We used to love to go to the Yacht and Bach Club pool, but they took that one away from us. Although we did go once since they stopped after asking the front desk if it would be ok. There were only a few people in the pool anyway, as I said, we tend to go off season. We have no problem going swimming at night when it is 60 degrees out as the pools are heated!

I hope DVC does not take that privilege away. Our last day this trip, we checked out of OKW and hit the Polynesian pool and then changed and went to the airport. I love the new layout there. We actually used points there once when there pool was under construction and they let us pool hop to any other pool even Yacht and Beach Club!

 

[vernon]

And if little Susie or Jimmie goes to get a towel while Mom is reading by the pool, they are told "not without your papers, er, ID"? Sadly, that's not very Disney-like. And I can't wait to hear the waitstaff's reaction to their additional roles of spy and informant - maybe they'll get a bounty for every non-guest they report!

If it's worded to Susie and Jimmie's mummy and daddy that the reason this is being done is to stop people who stay at a motel for $40 a night and bust into the pool where mummy and daddy are paying $200+ a night for the facilities that Disney offers and that by doing this they hope that mummy will be able to find a pool chair where she would like to keep an eye on Susie and Jimmy while enjoying her book I think the realism will set in that this is a justified move. I usually fine the point about the moral "legality" of an interloper paying minimal $$ but using the facilities you pay top dollar for sharpens the mind of those that would usually take a more apathetic view.

IMHO for Disney to ensure it keeps it's cache and for it to justify the high cost of Disney hotels it needs to make sure it gives their guests the best experience they can and it also needs to discourage people from staying on the cheap, but stealing Disney facilities. I would consider it part of any employees job description to stop theft from their employer. I guess it depends if you take the view that illegal pool use is just a bit of "OK fun" or if you think (as I do) that it is nothing better than theft. Do you think that using the pool facilities is any different from eating at one of the buffets and not paying, using a hotel room and leave without paying or drinking in the bar and doing a runner.

 

[Desperado]

I haven't used pool hopping. But I always thought it would be nice to take advantage of the priviledge sometime on a hot day while at the MK when teh boys get a little older. To take a break, head on a monorail, and go over to the poly for a quick swim would seem very nice. It would also seem to be a great way to visit other resorts besides just eating.

I agree, there are too many non-Disney resort guest crashing the pools. This needs to be fixed with stiff fines for tresspassing. Once the word gets out, it will curtail. Now, the only downside if you a pool crasher is that you will be asked to leave. Vero has a problem with pool crashers.

 

[disneycrazed139]

I think it was mentioned before...whatever DVC's intentions, I believe adding a slide at OKW could definitely increase non-DVC reservations. Having only recently joined DVC....when making reservations in the past I really was drawn to the theming of OKW but chose not to stay there and stayed at CBR instead (for the somewhat similar theming) and the fact that there was a slide there at Port Royale--not the best slide, but still a slide for the kids.

If OKW has a slide, I think it will definitely attract people that like the tropical feel but are looking for a step-up from CBR.

As far as whether or not it will end pool-hopping or not, I wonder if there is a connection between the new slide and this possibility. If so, I personally won't care much...don't think I'd have time although it sounds nice in theory!

 

[NancyDVC]

Just back from 8 days at OKW. We attended the member updates x3 and this question came up every time when they discussed the OKW slide. As per the CMs at the meeting pool hopping is one privilege that was designed to let the members enjoy more of WDW. Limiting pool hopping has to do with safety-all the pools have a safe limit (it is posted at every pool) so limiting pool use to guests staying at that resort (and DVC pool hoppers) helps to insure safety for all. That is why pool hopping is limited during high season and not allowed at SAB and AKL because of the size limits. Basically they said that pool hopping except in those few circumstances is here to stay.

And not mentioned by the CMs but well put by vernon - Why should we pay when someone else is 'stealing' the use of facilities. When we stayed at WL (pre VWL) the first year it opened, guests were asked to bring towels to the pool from their rooms and to request new ones when they returned. This was because there were many 'illegal' pool users from outside WDW (locals as well as those staying off property) and others from FW. Not supplying towels at the pool area was to help cut down on the unauthorized pool users.

Any time a new resort opens folks go to see it first hand. (I went to the Pop Century last week, did not use any of the pools but did buy some cookies at the food court.) Some of those sightseers have used the facilities designed for paying guests. This can get out of hand and spoil the experience for the guests. Well put vernon.