Wondering what the best Walt Disney World Resort pools are? We’re sharing the list of exactly what you need to know.
Disney World resorts share a lot of things in common. After all, they are designed to be your home away from home while you play at the most fun theme parks in the world. One of the key differences between resorts is the resort pool, which makes choosing the best pools at Disney World resorts an important part of finding the perfect resort for your family.
The Best Walt Disney World Resort Pools
Because only guests staying at a particular resort are welcome to enjoy that resort’s pool experience, this is one of those things that a Disney Dad likes to get right the first time… but even if you do, what’s right for your family will change and grow just as your family does. Let’s do a little brainstorming together and I’ll throw you a few of my picks for the best pools at Disney World!
Let’s see if we can find the perfect Disney World pool for your family!
Stormalong Bay (Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts)
Three acres of water attractions, including a beautiful sand-bottom pool, three whirlpool spas for relieving those EPCOT-power-walking-induced aches and pains, a 230-foot waterslide, a replica shipwreck, and a lazy river. That’s right, a Lazy River. Stormalong Bay is almost a water park in its own right and is a great reason to plan your Disney vacation around either of these Deluxe Resort Hotels.
Stormalong Bay belongs on any list of the best pools in Disney World. Is it the right pool for you? If, like me, you have a couple of teens or tweens whose water skills you have trust and confidence in, then absolutely yes it is! Every guest at the Yacht or Beach Club resort is there at least partly for the pool, which means it can get both loud and busy. If your family has reached the point where you are comfortable with your kids enjoying the waterslide while you float along, helping the lazy river earn that title, then you are ready for Stormalong Bay.
If you have little ones, in need of constant active supervision, this may not be your pool just yet. The water can be deep in places, and this pool may be a little intense for your littles. And if your primary motivation for upgrading all the way to a Deluxe Resort, you need to be fairly confident that you are going to make use of it.
Refurbishment Closure
Please Note that from January 2025 through June 2025, Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts will be closed for routine maintenance, which means you might need to look a little bit into the future or check out the rest of our list!
The Big Blue Pool (Disney’s Art of Animation Resort)
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is one of our favorite Disney World hotels for toddlers, and the Big Blue Pool was a big part of the reason why. If your family is on the younger side, this may be the best Disney World pool for you! The Big Blue Pool lives up to its name, as the largest resort pool at Disney World, and while it lacks some of the Deluxe features of Stormalong Bay, I would argue that it is even more welcoming for young families.
Photo by Danny Shuster
If you are looking for a place where your littles can cool off and work out their zoomies between park outings, this is the place for you. Your whole family will “just keep swimming” in the delightful, zero-entry pool. Little ones looking to stay cool will play at the Schoolyard Sprayground splash pad, with gushing water and pop-up spray jets to cool off. Those who prefer to play dry will have a ball at the Nemo-themed playground Squirt’s Righteous Reef.
There are activities like Disney trivia and movies under the stars, and while of course Mom and Dad will want to supervise, you’ll find it easy to relax as well at this solid candidate for the best resort pool at Disney World.
Dubloon Lagoon (Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort)
Sometimes the porridge that Goldilocks chose is the compromise that makes everybody happy, and that means the pools at the Moderate Port Orleans resorts (French Quarter and Riverside) just might make these the best pools at Disney World for your family.
How can two pools be the best? Because variety is the spice of life, my friends. Rules are made to be broken and the Port Orleans resorts are the exception to one of the big rules at Disney World resorts. Normally only guests staying at a particular resort are welcome to enjoy that resort’s pools. But when you stay at either Port Orleans French Quarter Resort or Port Orleans Riverside Resort, you are welcome to stroll over and use the pools at either resort. With the two feature pools and 5 more “leisure” pools to relax in peace, that’s a whole lot of options to enjoy!
French Quarter & Riverside
In the French Quarter, you will find the Dubloon Lagoon pool, ready to celebrate Mardi Gras every day. With a 51-foot Sea Serpent water slide, a splash and play area for those 48 inches or smaller, and a whirlpool tub, Dubloon Lagoon is perfect for days when your pool time feels like a party. Over at Riverside, we take things a little slower, with abundant hammocks ready for relaxing along the path to the pool. If your resolve holds out in spite of this temptation, your family will enjoy waterfalls, a 95-foot water slide styled after an old mill, and a kiddie pool.
If you expect to spend enough time in your resort that you’ll be anxious for some variety, then these may be the best resort pools in Disney for you!
Fuentes del Morro Pool (Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort)
In explaining why this pool is on the list, I have to share one of Gregg’s Unpopular Opinions, which always set the cat amongst the pigeons. Here goes: I do not love the Caribbean Beach Resort. For me, it’s much too big, much too spread out and not at all convenient if you want to spend as much time as humanly possible in the parks. Not even Skyliner access and the delicious food at Sebastian’s Bistro can make me love Caribbean Beach. That’s just my unpopular opinion, and I have met many, many people who strongly disagree.
Photo by Danny Shuster
Here’s the thing though: I think the Fuentes del Morro Pool is terrific. The layout of the Caribbean Beach Resort means that you’re probably going to spend more time in the resort than I personally enjoy, but if anything is going to make that okay, it’s spending a good chunk of that time in a really top-shelf resort pool like this one, themed after a colonial Spanish fortress.
What this pool does so beautifully is build a narrative and encourage you to play. The design of the pool is charming and adventurous, and every element seems to encourage your family to have an adventure, from the spray cannons, to the dual water slides and the shipwreck play area for the littles. The Fuentes del Morro Pool makes a trip to the resort pool more than just a quick cool-off, it is a high adventure for the whole family to enjoy together.
Making Memories
If you are picking your Walt Disney World resort for the first time, give some thought to what your family will want in a pool. Is it a major player in your adventure, or a quick cool-off between park attractions? This is one of those decisions that a Disney Dad can’t really get wrong. Remember, the very best Disney World resort pool is whichever one that you and your family are in, as a part of a magical adventure!
