Poll: ball play in pools? How do you feel?

[Summer2018]

I played frisbee on the beach all my life. I also played volleyball. This beach was vast, and we didn’t encroach on sunbathers lying on the sand or floating in the ocean.

I go in the small quiet pools at Disney where there’s not a lot of room for swimming let alone throwing balls and frisbees unless you stay to one side. In my experience, the people that threw balls used the entire pool as their field giving no thought to anyone else.

It is what it is. I just wish we could all enjoy our vacations and coexist peacefully.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Not at/in the quiet pool. Hence the name “quiet pool”.

"Quiet pool" has nothing to do with the noise level at the pool. Just that the pool isn't themed as much as the feature pool.

 

[Jennasis]

AKL last week, witnessed the lifeguard yell at a guest with a drink who was sitting on the edge with his feet in the water to take his drink from the pool deck.

 

[DharmaLou]

at ASSp they provide balls in the pools. Adults and kids alike played. DD is an only child and made several friends this week playing ball.

 

[AngiTN]

I guess I fall in to the other category.
Doesn't bother me. I don't play myself so couldn't vote for first option but I've never been disturbed by others. I mean, it's a pool. I get splashed even when people aren't playing with a ball. Splashing happens at pools.

That said, in all my visits to a pool at Disney I've never seen anyone play with a ball that I can remember. I'm thinking to our community pool which has a pool basketball goal so yeah, they play with balls in the pool all the time

 

[hereforthechurros]

AKL last week, witnessed the lifeguard yell at a guest with a drink who was sitting on the edge with his feet in the water to take his drink from the pool deck.

I’ve experienced this at all levels of resorts.

 

[Chrisizzle]

OP here. In my opening post, I specified the GF courtyard pool. People do drink in this pool and sometimes there is waiter service.

I stand corrected if this pool specifically allows for drink.

In regards to the original question which I never did answer, I selected “other” because I could see how a “quiet” pool would have stricter rules for noise, splashing and play in general.

Volleying a ball and keeping count (from my experience) is a staple of pool play. By nature of the activity, the ball is meant to be easy to return. So, no one is throwing or spiking the ball and splashing should be minimal.

I can see how the counting can be annoying, but anything can be annoying.I’m sure I’ve seen posts on Disboards complaining about kids laughing and yelling at the pools.

From my observations, Disney pools aren’t conducive to legitimate swimming (eg. Doing laps). If you can’t toss a ball around (or similar), I’m not sure what the pools are for. I mean, do some people just sit quietly and motionless up to their chest in water?

If so, take a bath. LOL

 

[NickC]

There is nothing more fun than hitting a beach ball around in the pool. For some reason this is just an enjoyable activity. However, I probably wouldn't do it in a public pool if there were other people around.

 

[DLgal]

I don't think anyone has an issue with legitimate pool volleyball or basketball (where there are nets installed), hitting a neoprene ball back and forth with paddles, or tapping a beach ball around.

What bothers me, and I think most people, are the pairs or groups of 3 or 4 who stand 15-20 feet apart and throw a ball, HARD, to each other, in a game of catch. When there is a small ball whizzing by at high speed, across a large stretch of the pool, it becomes an area that no one else can go into without fear of being hit. Even if you don't get hit, you are constantly flinching and ducking as the ball flies by your face. That is not enjoyable. Playing catch is a land sport. Do that outside the pool.

 

[Summer2018]

There is nothing more fun than hitting a beach ball around in the pool. For some reason this is just an enjoyable activity. However, I probably wouldn't do it in a public pool if there were other people around.

Beach balls are the perfect ball for the pool. If it hit me, it wouldn’t bother me. If it came near me, I would hit it back.

Tennis balls and hard rubber balls are the balls I have seen at WDW pools. That’s what I don’t like.

 

[Summer2018]

I don't think anyone has an issue with legitimate pool volleyball or basketball (where there are nets installed), hitting a neoprene ball back and forth with paddles, or tapping a beach ball around.

What bothers me, and I think most people, are the pairs or groups of 3 or 4 who stand 15-20 feet apart and throw a ball, HARD, to each other, in a game of catch. When there is a small ball whizzing by at high speed, across a large stretch of the pool, it becomes an area that no one else can go into without fear of being hit. Even if you don't get hit, you are constantly flinching and ducking as the ball flies by your face. That is not enjoyable. Playing catch is a land sport. Do that outside the pool.

Well said.

 

[JETSDAD]

We were at BCV first week of September and often had the quiet pool to ourselves or with only one other group there. There were balls in the pool to play with (including a football) so we often played catch. When we had the pool to ourselves we would use the full length of the pool....if there were other groups we would go where they weren't. If it was too busy to play catch then we wouldn't play catch. I've been in pools with people hitting a beachball around and we just hit it back to them if it comes near us. If people respect those around them there's no harm in playing catch or hitting a beachball around.

 

[Jennasis]

Disney pools are like the town in Footloose.

 

[Deb & Bill]

There is nothing more fun than hitting a beach ball around in the pool. For some reason this is just an enjoyable activity. However, I probably wouldn't do it in a public pool if there were other people around.

Beach balls are the perfect ball for the pool. If it hit me, it wouldn’t bother me. If it came near me, I would hit it back.

Tennis balls and hard rubber balls are the balls I have seen at WDW pools. That’s what I don’t like.

Funny, I thought "beach" ball meant to play with them on the beach or at the beach, not in the pool.

 

[MomOTwins]

Funny, I thought "beach" ball meant to play with them on the beach or at the beach, not in the pool.

Really? So the Frozen-themed beach towel I bought for my son at target the other day can't be used at Disney pools either?

I've been following these boards for some time, and the list of things that people find to be unacceptable and rude at WDW is ever expanding. It has included everything from bubble wands (sold by WDW, apparently with the intention that 4-year olds should wait to use them until they get home from vacation), to people who wear t-shirts or flip flops at table signature restaurants (apparently to some, dinner enjoyment is all about other people's clothes rather than enjoying your own table companions and food), to people who wear mickey ears during the fireworks (it "blocks" the view of the entire sky, somehow). And now, getting splashed at pools.

 

[DSLRuser]

I absolutely HATE it. It is so selfish and disrespectful to other people in the pool. The only place this should happen is at private, backyard pools.

because your way or the highway....no one else's opinion matters.

talk about selfish

 

[DLgal]

because your way or the highway....no one else's opinion matters.

talk about selfish

I don't think you know what selfish means. How is me hating a behavior that impacts numerous other people negatively selfish?

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think you know what selfish means. How is me hating a behavior that impacts numerous other people negatively selfish?

How about you look at it from the other way? Your not wanting people to play ball impacts those people in a negative manner. And I could say I hate that behavior.

 

[maxiesmom]

When I last stayed at a Disney resort, I spent a good amount of time in the pool with my family. We just swam around a bit, didn't throw a ball. But I sure wish I had one, as I can only float and swim around so much. One time some kids showed up and they started jumping into the pool, splashing around quite a bit. Know what I did? Moved over a bit, and stayed out of there way. It wasn't hard to do. I could still swim.

Such a big ado about nothing. Unless the pool is super crowded (which is rare) there is more than enough space for some to swim and some to play ball.

I could also say that if you needed the length of the pool to swim laps, maybe you are the selfish one.

 

[DLgal]

How about you look at it from the other way? Your not wanting people to play ball impacts those people in a negative manner. And I could say I hate that behavior.

But when you are talking about a public pool or something like that, the wants of the few people who feel like tossing a ball around don't outweigh the wants of the majority. THAT is the definition of selfish...when one person wants to do what he wants and does not consider others.

I routinely swim laps in our neighborhood pool. It is a junior Olympic sized pool with lap lines. I stick to one lane on the very edge of the pool. It is rude and selfish when I am there first, swimming laps, and people show up, jump into the pool in my lane and start tossing a ball around, right where I am swimming. They have the whole rest of the pool, but no, they need to encroach on my one lane at the very edge. I cannot tell you how often this happens and it is, by definition, selfish. Or when the pool is quite full, yet people show up with GIANT inflatables and then proceed to bump into everyone with them as they float around. FWIW, both these things are activities prohibited by our community and posted on large signs in the pool area. People breaking rules knowingly and encroaching on other's personal space is rude and selfish and there is no way to spin that the other way, sorry.