pool hopping

[mdhiggin]

We're traveling with another family on our next trip. We're staying at Pop. We have a reservation for dinner at O'Hana one night. They suggested that we bring our swimsuits and swim in the Polynesian's pool while we were over there for dinner. Is that allowed? Can you swim at a hotel you're not staying at?

[faline]

Is the other family staying at the Poly? If so, you might be able to swim there as their guests. If neither family are guests at the Poly, you cannot use the pool there.

DVC members are allowed to pool hop.

[KylesMom]

Nope, only registered guests of the hotel are allowed in the Poly pool. If not for this rule, the Deluxe pools would be past capacity each day.

Edited - if Linda says you may be able to swim as a guest if the other family is staying there, I withdraw that statement! However, we've seen guards request IDs of hotel guests before, and when the guests couldn't produce hotel keys they were asked to leave.

[Young@Heart]

I know they sometimes ask for resort ID, so just be careful about the guest thing before taking a dip there. :mickey:

[Mousemates]

I think pool hopping (except for vacation club members--and for them not at the YC/BC) is pretty much a no-no. You can always ask and see what happens.

[TammiMcMan]

The short answer to this question is always no for standard resort guests. However, the final decision is always up to management/lifeguards. I would certainly ask, but not be too hopeful. The Poly pool is usually very well attended by those that are actually staying at the Poly and I believe the safety limit is somewhere around 100 for the Volcano pool. You might have better luck asking about them sharing a swim at the quiet pool, as that one is normally much less crowded.

[Figment104]

Hope no one minds me adding another question on to this.

At the Poly they don't have a hot tub so does anyone know if it would be ok if we used one of the hot tubs at the GF or do the same rules apply as the pools do you think. I was just curious since that is one of my favorite things to do about half way through our trip or so, you know loosen up those tight leg and feet muscles.

Thanks! :mickey:

[SurferStitch]

Hope no one minds me adding another question on to this.

At the Poly they don't have a hot tub so does anyone know if it would be ok if we used one of the hot tubs at the GF or do the same rules apply as the pools do you think. I was just curious since that is one of my favorite things to do about half way through our trip or so, you know loosen up those tight leg and feet muscles.

Thanks! :mickey:

Hot tubs and pools have the same rules. I didn't see anyone asking for ID at the GF last week, but it also wasn't very busy....you never know. The hot tub there always seems to fill up, though. Every time we looked it had at least 3 or 4 people in it, even when the pool was empty.

DH and I call it "human soup". Too many bodies, and not enough water. :sick:

You could book a soak at the GF Spa. DH has done that quite a few times, and really loved it, especially before a massage. They have several to choose from, and aren't too pricey.

[Figment104]

That's a good idea SurferStich. I wouldn't really care all that much except I have bad knees and all that walking really takes a toll on them especially by about half way through the trip. I start out really strong, but then gradually day by day go down hill little be little. I'll have to check into the spa at GF.

Thanks! :mickey:

[faline]

Edited - if Linda says you may be able to swim as a guest if the other family is staying there, I withdraw that statement! However, we've seen guards request IDs of hotel guests before, and when the guests couldn't produce hotel keys they were asked to leave.

I only included this as I have heard from folks who have asked if they can have guests swim in the pool with them and report that they have been given permission for this. The folks doing the asking have been registered resort guests at the resort where they are using the pool

[Jasper]

We did exactly this about three years ago when we were staying at one of the All Stars and our friends were staying at the GF. Our friends were a party of five and we were a party of four. We did ask at the desk and then again at the pool deck before jumping in.

The CM that we asked thanked us profusely for asking permission because they said they are normally so busy watching the water that they really don't have time to check where the swimmers are coming from. They went on to say that they are allowed flexibility to decide whether to allow guests depending on how full the pool is and whether the guests are well behaved or not.

The upshot is that as long as you go with someone who is registered at that resort you likely will be allowed as long as you don't act up. Don't get me wrong, I am not encouraging you to do something you shouldn't, but under normal conditions, as long as you come through the gates with someone who has a resort pass for that resort I don't see how they would really have the time or desire to check very closely where you are staying.

[KAT1811]

Just a slightly :offtopic: aside as it looks like your question has been answered for the most part.

When we stayed at the BC we had to show our resort IDs in order to get wrist bands that we had to wear all day and they checked and rechecked all day long (in Spetember). I wonder if all of the resorts will eventually be adopting this practice?

[faline]

The Beach Club/Yacht Club pool is almost a destination in itself. Because it's such a great pool, they've been doing the wristbands there for years. They also strictly monitor who is using the pool. Even with a wristband on, you may be asked to produce your room ID card.

[KAT1811]

I don't think it is a bad idea, although I think there should be exceptions, like the one the OP was asking about. I'd hate to spend a fortune on a resort to not fit in the pool because everyone from all over the World was using the one I paid a premium for.

Just an inquiry.

[faline]

If the original poster was inquiring about using a pool when no-one in their party is staying at that resort, I don't believe an exception should be allowed. If. however, a member of their party is a guest of that resort (besides having a dinner reservation there), I agree that there should be some leeway for allowing the resort member's guests to use the pool.

[TammiMcMan]

I'll have to check into the spa at GF.The use of the health club and spa area is free of charge for GF and Poly guests. I have yet to run into another person at the spa hot tub. One thing that I would point out though, is that there a spa area for men only and a separate spa area for women only. In addition to the hot tub, you'll have access to the steam room and sauna. Even if you don't schedule a massage, it's very relaxing just to hang out there for an hour or two.

[SurferStitch]

Oh yeah....I forgot that the regular hot tub at the spa was free for Poly and GF guests.... sorry about that. :blush:

I was thinking of the awesome aromatherapy soaks. DH loves them.

[mdhiggin]

Thanks everyone for all the input. None of us are actually staying at the Poly, but I felt I owed it to the other family to at least ask. They haven't been since they were in high school, and they now are married with four kids, so a long time ago.

[faline]

If it's been that long since they've been to Disney World, they may also remember a time when it was perfectly acceptble to pool hop - at one point, it was even one of benefits of staying on site!

[Pirate Granny]

Thanks for the information regarding the SPA...I'll be sure to get over there while we are there next weekend...HURRAY...
:pirate:

[KylesMom]

Another slight off-topic, but along the same lines: If we are staying at WL, can we utilize the DVC "quiet" pool, or is that reserved exclusively for DVC guests? Sometimes the WL main pool gets so crowded you can't even move!!!

[Pirate Granny]

hummmmmmmmmm...since they (DVC) are allowed to use the WL main pool...I always assumed that I could use their quiet pool when I stay at the WL...
:pirate:

[TammiMcMan]

Another slight off-topic, but along the same lines: If we are staying at WL, can we utilize the DVC "quiet" pool, or is that reserved exclusively for DVC guests?Yes, you can absolutely use the quiet pool.

[wdw_bound]

Another slight off-topic, but along the same lines: If we are staying at WL, can we utilize the DVC "quiet" pool, or is that reserved exclusively for DVC guests? Sometimes the WL main pool gets so crowded you can't even move!!!

We noticed the same thing when we went over labor day two years ago. After about an hour, we realized what was going on. Campers from FtW were taking the boat over (some with loads and loads of laundry) and using the WL pool. Everytime the boat would dock, streams of people would come up the path, and get right in the pool. At first we thought nothing of it, but it became very obvious what was going on. It got very frustrating as it was not only supercrowded, but also tended to get a little wild. I realize that FtW doesn't have the greatest of pools, but it doesn't make it ok, IMHO to take over something you haven't paid for.

Last year, we noticed that the boat routes were changed: only little boats were going around bay lake between resorts, and each resort had a direct route to MK. Maybe it was because of the boats, maybe because of the time of year, we had a far more enjoyable time at the pool since it was less crowded.

[Tinkpink]

Can you hop from Port Orleans Riverside to French Quarter? Or is it the same pool? We just saw the pics of the lizard (dragon?) pool and were excited! But we are staying in Riverside Alligator Bayou.

[TammiMcMan]

Can you hop from Port Orleans Riverside to French Quarter?Yes you can. There are some resorts that are referred to as "sister" resorts. Basically that means they share their pool amenities.

POR & POFQ
AllStars
YC & BC

[Young@Heart]

Can you hop from Port Orleans Riverside to French Quarter? Or is it the same pool? We just saw the pics of the lizard (dragon?) pool and were excited! But we are staying in Riverside Alligator Bayou.

We did this years back. We were staying at POFQ and had heard great things about POR pool, so we walked over (long walk at the time, probably felt long b/c we expected it to be shorter :blush:) . We didn't find it half as fun as POFQ, and DH got a sliver. So for the rest of the trip, we just stayed put at our own pool. :mickey:

[Mickey91]

With the exception of the Port Orleans guests sharing its sister pools, maybe the All Stars sharing its pools with all All Star guests and resorts lending their pools to guests of a resort with the pool under renovations ( this will be advertised exclusively to those guests), it is against policy to swim at a resort that is not your own. The only exception would be if some of your party are staying there and you have requested permission at the front desk.

[thejens]

First, did I understand that if we stay at the Poly we can use the jacuzzi at the GF? Is there anything else we can do at GF since we are staying at Poly?

Second, on our first trip to WDW 3 years ago we did not realize that we could not swim at another resort. My Mom, sister and niece could not get a room at AKL so they stayed at the Contemporary. We tried out the CR pool and they tried our the AKL pool and no one cared or noticed. Of course, neither pool was especially crowded.

On our recent BC trip we always forgot to get our wrist bands and no one ever asked us for one! Although this pool was more popular it never became unpleasantly crowded. Maybe the rules are more stringently enforced when there is a greater need.

I have noticed that the restrooms are locked and require a key card to enter at AKL! If it is like that at all the resorts you may need to be sure to have a friend or relative staying at the resort!

That being said, I don't encourage breaking the rules. We would ask first if the ocassion came up again.

[Figaro]

I'm one of the lifeguards at WDW, and pool hopping by rule is NOT allowed at any WDW resort. The GF-PY issue with the hot tub I think they let slide since PY doesn't have one. All resort pools are for exclusive use of that specific resorts guest. Random ID checks are done by Lifeguards and Recreation Host every soo often, and if your ID card with your name on it doesn't match the resort code of the resort you're swimming at, you will be asked to return to your home resort...

[TammiMcMan]

First, did I understand that if we stay at the Poly we can use the jacuzzi at the GF?No. The hot tub we were referring to is in the Spa. It's conveniently located between the Poly and the GF and the healthclub and spa area is free to guests of both those resorts.


Is there anything else we can do at GF since we are staying at Poly?The things you are allowed to do as a non-guest of the GF include eating in the restaurants, renting water craft, playing in the arcade, shopping in their stores.


Second, on our first trip to WDW 3 years ago we did not realize that we could not swim at another resort.Many, many years ago, this was an acceptable practice. Most likely due to the fact that there weren't "themed" pools, just your run of the mill rectangle full of water. I don't know exactly when it happened, but now there are signs displayed at all the pools, which do state they are for the use of guests staying within that resort. This is Disney's policy and I'm sure that there are days when it's enforced and days that it isn't.