My opinion is clearly not a popular one, but I was totally disappointed with Stormalong Beach (the Beach Club pool), and would gladly have taken the pools at the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, PORS, or Coronado Springs instead.
Here's my reasoning: when my family (DH, me, 2 kids who are now 10 and 12 but first visited WDW at 4 and 6) visits a WDW pool, the kids like to run off and do their own thing. Their priorities are that the pool have a slide, and a range of depths or zero-entry area. My husband and I like to swim for a bit, maybe hit the hot tub, shower off, grab a drink from the pool bar and then observe the kids from lounge chairs, so for us, availability of lounges and a good line of sight to the pool are priorities. I also like for the area to be attractive and easily accessible.
Because of this, Stormalong Bay was a horrible fit for us. The sandy kiddie play area was too shallow (and too jammed with toddlers) for our kids to find it interesting for more than a few minutes, so they bounced between the main pool, the lazy river (which was too small and slow to hold their attention for long, but far too deep for us to be comfortable letting them navigate it without us), and the water slide (which is located across a busy walkway, in a completely different fenced area, and facing the lake, so sliders are not visible from any part of the pool complex.) Because the theming largely consists of giant lighthouses, rockwork, trees and bridges over the pool and lazy river area which tend to block one's view, DH and I spent the entire afternoon running around, relocating from chair to chair, in the pool, out of the pool, and across the walkway, trying in vain to keep half an eye on our kids. It was the total opposite of relaxing. Not only that, but the giant fences around the pool and waterslides are an eyesore and a nuisance: if you want to reach the pool from the hotel, you have to exit the hotel (immediately confronting the giant fence instead of what was once a lovely view across the pool and toward the lake), walk waaaaaaay around the fence, fight your way between the queue and dining area for the CS restaurant (Hurricane Hanna's) along the walkway, and gain admittance through a single gate. While I understand the reasons for this (the pool-hopping was getting out of control, evidently), it nonetheless ruins the view, blocks easy access from the hotel and makes guests feel like inmates of "pool jail" instead of relaxed vacationers.
In contrast, the feature pools at the other resorts we've most enjoyed -- Coronado Springs, PORS, Wilderness Lodge and the Polynesian -- were beautifully themed, with less obtrusive fencing (and/or with multiple entrances), the slide(s) our kids were looking for, and places to sit that gave us a view of the entire pool, so it was easy to monitor the kids. I realize this is a totally subjective thing, but for me, Stormalong Bay was nothing but mess and stress.
