There is a serious debate among Disney fans about which Disney World Resort Hotel has the best pool, but for most guests, the answer is obvious. It’s Stormalong Bay at Disney World’s Beach and Yacht Clubs.
The massive, three-acre pool area spans the two resorts and offers guests just about everything they could want in a pool. There is a lazy river, whirlpools, an open swimming area with games, and a sand-bottom kiddy area.
As if those weren’t enough, Stormalong Bay has one of the largest waterslides at any Disney Hotel, with its 230-foot slide starting at a replica of a shipwreck. Disney fans can debate, but Stormalong Bay has everything anyone could want in a pool.
Despite all that it offers, there is a slight oddity in Stormalong Bay that creates a bit of a mystery. Why is the lazy river at Stormalong Bay so short and deep, and why does it have a sandy bottom?
To find an answer to this oddity, we have to go all the way back to when the Beach and Yacht Clubs first opened. When the two luxury hotels opened in November 1990, they were meant to replicate the glory and grandeur of New England seaside towns of the 1920s and 30s.
They were the first EPCOT Deluxe Resorts, and Disney has some great ideas for bringing luxury to its newest hotels, including its original plan for the lazy river.
When the Beach and Yacht Clubs opened, the lazy river was supposed to be a snorkeling lagoon for guests. The river was meant to be filled with fish, and guests would literally swim with the fishes.
So, what happened? Like many of Disney World’s ideas in the 1990s, this one wasn’t exactly fleshed out.
Because the swimming pool is so close to the saltwater snorkeling area, there is cross-contamination between the two areas, and some of the fish have started getting sick. Disney found it difficult, if not impossible, to maintain the area and decided to shut it down.
In 1999, during Stormalong Bay’s expansion, the snorkeling area was closed and turned into the lazy river guests enjoy today. However, remnants of this can still be seen in the depth, length, and shape of the current lazy river.
So, next time you’re drifting in a tube at Stormalong Bay, just remember that you could have been swimming with the fishes instead.
What do you think is the best resort pool at Disney World? Let us know in the comments.
The post One of Disney World’s Most Exclusive Resort Pools Is Hiding a Mysterious Secret in Plain Sight appeared first on Inside the Magic.
