Hi there, Sarah! And welcome to planDisney! What a great question!
There's nothing as magical as staying at a
Walt Disney World Resort hotel! While there are so many benefits, some of my favorite things are the theming, the transportation, and most definitely the pools! Typically, resort pools are limited to guests of that particular resort, and "pool-hopping" is not allowed, but as you mentioned, there are a few exceptions.
Disney's All-Star Sports Resort has
Surfboard Bay and Grand Slam Pools. I was here recently and can tell you that theming here is great! The Grand Slam Pool is a baseball diamond with Goofy on the pitcher's mound!
Disney's All-Star Music Resort has the
Calypso and Piano Pools, while
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort has the
Fantasia and Duck Pond Pools. Since the three All-Star hotels are sister resorts, you can enjoy the pools at any of them when you are a guest at one of them!
I recently stayed at
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, which has
Ol' Man Island Swimmin' Hole Pool, as well as five leisure pools. This is the sister resort to
Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter, which has long been a favorite of mine. It has
Doubloon Lagoon Pool. Both of these resort pools have a waterslide, a whirlpool spa, and an area for little ones. As sister resorts, you can enjoy any of these as a guest of either Port Orleans Resort. Here's a great
resort and room tour of French Quarter you can check out if you're considering it.
Disney's Beach Club Resort and
Disney's Yacht Club Resort are also sister resorts. They share the incredible
Storm Along Bay Pool, as well as three leisure pools. Storm Along Bay is arguably the best pool on Disney property with a sandy beach, lazy river, full-sized shipwreck replica, and 230-foot-long waterslide.
No matter where you stay, I highly recommend taking at least one day off from the parks to enjoy the pool and other amenities your resort offers. Be sure to check the Activities Schedule. You can find this on the website or posted around the common areas of your resort. These often include movies under the stars, crafts, and trivia games.
I hope this was helpful, Sarah, and that you have the most magical time staying cool in the central Florida sunshine! If there's anything else we can help with, don't hesitate to let us know! We're always happy to help here at
planDisney!
Always Dreaming -
Elizabeth