Pool Usage

[Heppenheimer]

The Nordic countries are the finest in the world! Norway is spectacularly beautiful, Sweden wins for cities.

Denmark too is a love of mine. I used to read H.C. Andersen in Danish, Ice Queen ('Frozen') and Little Mermaid, although I have forgotten nearly all. I failed miserably trying to order my coffee in makeshift Danish/Norwegian (very close) in WS last trip.

Do go if you ever have the chance! They show that the normal can be self-explanatory.

The world is my oyster...

You didn't flunk your geography in high school!

I love visiting the Nordic countries. Now if only Norway could catch up to their neighbors and improve their food (apologies if things have gotten better since my last trip there in 2014). Best scenery out of all of them, worst restaurant scene.

 

[UNCgolf]

I love visiting the Nordic countries. Now if only Norway could catch up to their neighbors and improve their food (apologies if things have gotten better since my last trip there in 2014). Best scenery out of all of them, worst restaurant scene.

You don't like surströmming?

 

[Heppenheimer]

You don't like surströmming?

I've actually had it, cooked with onions and potatoes. Not the best meal of my life, but not the worst either. I've never eaten it directly out of the can, though, which is where its smell-and-taste-of-death reputation comes from.

The issue with restaurants in Norway isn't so much bad tasting food as bland tasting food. All the other Nordics really improved their restaurant scene about 15 years ago, so much so that "Scandinavian cuisine" is no longer a joke punchline, but rather implies daring culinary innovation.

 

[UNCgolf]

I've actually had it, cooked with onions and potatoes. Not the best meal of my life, but not the worst either. I've never eaten it directly out of the can, though, which is where its smell-and-taste-of-death reputation comes from.

The issue with restaurants in Norway isn't so much bad tasting food as bland tasting food. All the other Nordics really improved their restaurant scene about 15 years ago, so much so that "Scandinavian cuisine" is no longer a joke punchline, but rather implies daring culinary innovation.

The UK doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation for cuisine either.

 

[COrunner]

A discussion on another thread prompted me to create this poll. I am interested in how much people use the hotel pool (not including water parks) during their trips. Personally pools don't interest me much and I can only remember using a pool once during all my trips to Disney.

Probably depends on kids.

Solo trips before kids I was like you and the pool was just kind of there. Now with kids and pre-covid enjoying a midday break between the parks it was nice to hang out there and relax, let them swim/play and have a drink.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

The data from this survey actually says otherwise to me. 45% of the respondents say they never use the pool or only use it once per trip. Since most people going to the Galactic Star Cruiser will likely make it part of a larger vacation where they can use a pool on other days, the lack of a pool wouldn't impact these respondents.

Your poll shows people use the pool multiple times

 

[UNCgolf]

Your poll shows people use the pool multiple times

Some people, which is the actually important part. Almost 30% of people never use the pool at all, and another 15% only go once per trip. So that's nearly half of Disney guests who wouldn't care that a specific 2 night experience doesn't have a pool, even if all other things were equal. And they're not equal, because the people going to the Star Wars cruiser are going for a LARP experience, not for a hotel stay.

 

[JustAFan]

We have a pool in our backyard, but the kids still have to visit the Disney resort pool at lease once per trip. While we do have a pool in our yard, we don't have a slide and a whole bunch of other new friends to meet and play with, so I guess there's that.

When I'm at Disney World, I always want to pack each waking minute with an experience that I can't get at home. I have a pool at home, but I don't have Expedition Everest or Soarin' or Spaceship Earth. So we compromise and spend a little time at the pool for the kids, but spend most of our time at the parks.

 

[NelleBelle]

We have a pool in our backyard, but the kids still have to visit the Disney resort pool at lease once per trip. While we do have a pool in our yard, we don't have a slide and a whole bunch of other new friends to meet and play with, so I guess there's that.

When I'm at Disney World, I always want to pack each waking minute with an experience that I can't get at home. I have a pool at home, but I don't have Expedition Everest or Soarin' or Spaceship Earth. So we compromise and spend a little time at the pool for the kids, but spend most of our time at the parks.

I felt this way when we lived in TX and had a pool. Although the water parks (BB and TL) were a totally different story! We learned to hit those just as the afternoon thunderstorms cleared them out and we had them pretty much empty for the rest of the afternoon! Then we'd head back to the resort, change and head to dinner. This was back in the mid-90s when the parks were open late--the good ol' days!

 

[danlb_2000]

Your poll shows people use the pool multiple times

My poll shows that only about half the respondents use the pool multiple times. Galactic Starcruiser only needs about 70,000 people per year to operate at capacity. That's a tiny fraction of the people who come to WDW.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Not if people stay at a certain hotel for a certain experience which doesn't include lounging around the pool.

I've traveled throughout Europe and can't remember staying at any hotel with a pool except in Greece. However, I do tend to stay at smaller hotels that are within walking distance of historic or interesting sites, so am not spending a lot of time in the hotel.

I haven't used a hotel pool since my children have grown - even in Florida. If it's hot out, and I need a break, I'd rather go back to the hotel, take a nice shower, and relax in an air-conditioned room for a while - even taking a little nap.

As I recall, the hotel you keep talking about is one that will offer a unique, immersive experience at a high per night rate and guests will only spend two nights, then are expected to check into a more traditional hotel (hopefully still on Disney property) which will have a pool.

Disney recruiting a Hotel Services director for Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser

Key staff are now being recruited for Walt Disney World's 2-night Star Wars themed hotel experience.

www.wdwmagic.com

Fair enough. I think not having a pool at a Disney resort for the price people will be paying is a major miscalculation along with the role playing aspect. People make believe enough in the parks without having to take everything as if they are really in space

 

[JoeCamel]

Fair enough. I think not having. A pool at a Disney resort for the price people will be paying is a major miscalculation along with the role playing aspect. People make believe enough in the parks without having to take everything as if they are really in space

This is NOT a resort. It is an immersive EXPERIENCE.
You don't have a pool in an escape room so no pool here

 

[danlb_2000]

This is NOT a resort. It is an immersive EXPERIENCE.
You don't have a pool in an escape room so no pool here

I think people also fail to realize how few people actually need be interested in this for it to be a success. As I said above, 70,000 a year would be around full capacity. Compare that to the 21 million people who visited just Magic Kingdom in 2019. Even if you took just the people who responded that they never use a pool, it would be more then enough to fill the hotel.

 

[aliceismad]

Fair enough. I think not having. A pool at a Disney resort for the price people will be paying is a major miscalculation along with the role playing aspect. People make believe enough in the parks without having to take everything as if they are really in space

The cruiser, more than any other hotel at Disney, will really be an extension of the parks in a way they're never done before. I'm excited to see the execution and interested to see if people love it or don't. After building things like the Gran Destino tower and Riviera and renovations that some are saying de-theme the resorts, this feels like an important test for the future of Disney. I know it's IP-based and that makes it different than say an Animal Kingdom Lodge. I really don't think the lack of pool will be a deterrent for the cruiser, mostly because it's more of a boutique experience and you would only stay there for 2 nights, not a full week.

 

[UNCgolf]

Fair enough. I think not having. A pool at a Disney resort for the price people will be paying is a major miscalculation along with the role playing aspect. People make believe enough in the parks without having to take everything as if they are really in space

I don't understand why you can't grasp the fact this isn't a typical hotel. No one is going to be staying here to just go on a normal Disney trip. The whole point of it is the make believe. If you aren't interested in that, you aren't going to stay there.

 

[jaklgreen]

This is NOT a resort. It is an immersive EXPERIENCE.
You don't have a pool in an escape room so no pool here

I look at this along the same lines as a murder mystery train event. You go for the immersive experience and not for just a train ride. This is the same thing, you don't stay here for a place to sleep.

 

[Lilofan]

Gone are the days the resort pools were open 24/7. After a few kids lost their lives by drowning, the pools hours were shortened.

 

[Dr.GrantSeeker]

used to use them a lot more when they were open 24/7...such a shame that ended

I agree with this. When the were 24/7 we used them way more, because we would swim at night after being out and about all day. We pretty much don't use them now because of the hours. I did just return from a stay at the Swan last week and I will say their pools are still 24/7 which was nice to see.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

I don't understand why you can't grasp the fact this isn't a typical hotel. No one is going to be staying here to just go on a normal Disney trip. The whole point of it is the make believe. If you aren't interested in that, you aren't going to stay there.

I grasp and fully understand what it is, and I think it is a bad idea that needed to be just a star wars themed hotel with a pool.

 

[UNCgolf]

I grasp and fully understand what it is, and I think it is a bad idea that needed to be just a star wars themed hotel with a pool.

Well that's a different argument, then.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them build a Star Wars hotel at some point, or at least Star Wars rooms at one of the existing hotels.