Anyone who experiences an extended stay at Disney knows how exhausting it can be if you spend all of your waking hours in the Parks. Trying to squeeze in every last ride and show, and re-visiting your favorite parks multiple times can often result in short tempers and meltdowns (and occasionally it’s even the children that experience these…). For this reason, one of my biggest tips for people vacationing at Walt Disney World is to incorporate a pool day into the schedule. Take one day in which you don’t visit any of the Parks, or even half a day, and spend it lounging on the pool deck with a good book and a margarita. If you take this one piece of advice, you will definitely save your sanity and re-energize yourself and your family. You will thank me later.
You might be asking which Resorts at Walt Disney World offer the BEST pools. All of Disney’s pools, in my opinion, are top quality and greatly themed. However, they do each have their own unique features, so let’s go over some of my favorites.
Value Resort Pools
The pools at POP Century and Art of Animation are super-fun and super-themed, especially if you have small kids with you. The main pool at POP Century – the Hippy Dippy Pool – is reminiscent of the 60s with bright colors and designs. It also has flower-shaped water jets and a kiddie pool available for littlest ones, and at night Disney movies are screened right at the pool.
If you’re looking for something a bit quieter, POP Century offers two leisure pools. The Bowling Pool (shaped like a bowling pin) can be found near the 50s building, while the Computer Pool (computer-shaped, complete with a floppy disc and keypad) is on the opposite side of the resort near the 90s area.
Over at the Art of Animation Resort guests can find the largest pool at Walt Disney World. The Big Blue Pool is loved by kids because of the Finding Nemo theme, zero entry and the “spray ground” for the littles. In addition to this feature pool, though, A of A also offers the Cozy Cone Pool with cone-shaped cabanas and life-sized models of Cars characters, and the Flippin’ Fins Pool themed after Little Mermaid. Any of these pools are a child’s dream of fun and will keep them entertained all day.
Moderate Resort Pools
The pools at the moderate resorts offer two features that aren’t found at the value resorts: water slides and hot tubs. In my opinion, these pools are also quite a bit less crowded and more quiet. Some of my favorite resorts can be found in the moderate category because of theming and the choices of restaurants and bars.
One of these favorite resorts is Coronado Springs Resort. The main pool here – The Dig Site – has a 50-foot pyramid with a waterfall, a 123-foot long water slide, and the largest hot tub on Walt Disney World property. This pool can definitely offer a day of relaxation for adults and fun for the kiddos! Add to this pool’s feature offerings the Siesta’s pool bar, a white-sand volleyball court, Iguana Arcade and a kiddie pool, and you can very much make your pool re-energizing day last for two days. For anyone looking for a more quiet setting, Coronado Springs also offers 3 leisure pools located strategically throughout this sprawling resort.
My two other favorite pools in the moderate category happen to be located at sister resorts, and therefore guests can use both of them regardless of which one they stay at! Port Orleans Riverside is home to Ol’ Man Island, where there is both a swimmin’ hole and a fishin’ hole. With a very rustic ambience, the pool has a 95-foot water slide and a whirlpool tub, kiddie pool and the Muddy Rivers pool bar. I once had a discussion with a young couple staying at Port Orleans Riverside. This couple had 3 small children, and they confessed to me that they had been at the resort for 2 days already, and their kids were having such a blast at the pool that they had yet to visit any of the Parks. Their kids were extremely content and happy with the pool days.
Just down the Sassagoula River from Port Orleans Riverside lies Port Orleans French Quarter. At the French Quarter pool, it’s Mardi Gras every day! This pool has a 51-foot snaking sea serpent for a water slide, a water play area, whirlpool, Mardi Gras pool bar and Alligator jazz statues that I’m sure are playing When the Saints Go Marching In.
While currently both Port Orleans Resorts remain closed for COVID, they will open once again at some point (hopefully soon!). Once they do, if you’re looking for some great pools to enjoy an “off-park” day at, these would be on my list of top pools for sure.
Deluxe Resort Pools
I feel that the deluxe resorts offer many really great pools. However, if I had to choose only two…or maybe three…I would start with the pool at the Beach & Yacht Club. Stormalong Bay is very popular for very good reason. This pool has a sand-bottom and a 230-foot long water slide from a life-sized shipwreck replica. It also has a lazy river. Seriously – a LAZY RIVER! In my opinion this pool takes the award from every pool at Disney’s resorts.
One of my favorite Disney resorts is Animal Kingdom Lodge, and with this resort you have the luxury of TWO main feature pools. The pool at Jambo House, Uzima Springs Pool, is a tropical oasis that looks out over Uzima Savanna. This pool has a zero-entry as well as a 67-foot water slide.
Next door at Kidani Village, the Samawati Springs Pool has a water playground/splash pad that puts most splash pads to shame. Games and activities will keep any child under 4 years-old busy for the better part of a day. The main pool has a 128-foot water slide as well as a zero-entry section. Animal Kingdom Lodge generally gets overlooked due to the location of the resort and it’s distance from the parks. However, if you’re looking for great pools to spend your pool days at, I would consider making AKL your resort of choice.
Third on my pool list for the deluxe resorts is Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Here at the Copper Creek Springs pool, there is a bubbling creek that runs from the lodge to the pool. There is also a 67-foot slide built into the rocks and hot & cold whirlpool spas surrounded by nature. Nearby you can watch the geyser go off, and the Geyser Point Bar & Grill is one of my favorite places to get an appetizer and drink.
With these unique and fun pools at the Disney Resorts, I’m not sure why you wouldn’t plan to have a pool day or a couple of pool afternoons during an extended stay at Disney. The Parks can be exhausting, and no one wants to return from their Disney vacation needing a vacation. How frustrating. By taking some time to relax by the pool, you can rest your feet and your mind, and then be right back in the parks the next day in a much better mood. This is my advice to you, so that you don’t have to take as many trips as I did just to figure it out. You’re welcome.
