2009 at the Poly was the WORST! with pool hoppers… the pool was packed 24/7 and pretty much everyone was not staying at the resort. I have heard they have gotten better at cracking down on the hoppers. I am all for it too as it takes away from the people who paid to enjoy the pool and resort.
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I confess. In nine trips I have been in a pool at Disney once and have never done a water park. Yet, down the shore, I am practically a fish. So I will gladly give my pool privileges to a non WL guest if you are there in Dec.
@emmyannttu, I thought we had to use our MB to open the gate at the AOA pool? Am I remembering wrong?
If I’m recalling correctly, at AoA you actually have to use your MB to get through the gate at the Big Blue Pool. But the gates to the Cars pool and Little Mermaid Flippin Fins pool didn’t have scanners…? 
I know that when we went to the pool, DH and I held up our bands to scan (because we’re so cool) and then there was a mini crisis involving the children and swim goggles and then DS4 walked right up and opened the gate without scanning a thing. 
SO, I know there is a thing that looks like a scanner but maybe adorable four year olds are exempt from scanning?
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Ha! So, I looked foolish scanning my band when I didn’t need to??! 
I just assumed I needed to scan. I never tried opening the gate. I guess a 4 year old is smarter than we are!!
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There was nothing that I saw that would stop anyone from entering the CSR main pool when we were there in May. Having stayed at the BC before, I thought it was odd - it has a pretty good slide too. But I guess you’d have to get past the front gate to park near it…or take the bus, but you’d have to do that from theme park or DDT…and they even scanned our magic bands at the security gate when we took a cab home one night…
I will admit that then DS8 jumped in the main pool at CSR after we ate there one night. It was empty though - I think it was September.
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It’s still bad, but it only bothers me when there are no chairs or–like last trip during Wishes, when cheap-beer-can-holding, wife-beater-wearing "dad’ smokes his cigarette right by my chair while his half-dressed-in-pjs & slippers kid falls in the pool. Classy. 
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When we were at AoA in May, they gates did require a valid MB, but more than 50% of the time they did not latch properly so it was not really keeping anyone out. Also, I never noticed lifeguards going around checking or anything like that.
After the refurb, the Volcano pool will have a fence, I’ve read. Now lifeguards are supposed to check MBs.
I personally feel that the MB should work at any hotel pool, if you are staying on site. I definitely think that it makes sense to keep out people who are not staying on site, but pool sharing is a pretty common thing for hotels to do, and I don’t see the harm.
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I see what you mean, but it’s not the same as a Marriott complex where the price point per night is only a $100-200 difference. These resorts vary so much in space and cost. When you’re paying that much for a resort like Poly, you kind of expect the amenities for which you’re paying to be available to you, not congested with non-guests.
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Yes, I see your point. I think it’s more likely that off-site guests are the problem rather than other WDW resort guests, because I really can’t imagine wanting to get all of my pool stuff together to go to another hotel when I have a perfectly nice pool right at my own, which even the values have.
We witnessed a family that got caught pool hopping at WL just recently. They told CM that the staff at their resort said that they could visit the pool at WL. Which was obviously a lie - CMs let them stay. VERY ANNOYED by this as we struggled to find chairs to use by the pool on a previous day. All that I am saying is that this family was lucky that my family had chairs and a nice setup that day. PS - bring on the flags…
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@Iheartepcot - I agree with you - except for Stormalong Bay at YC/BC. That pool blows all of the other pools away by miles. If it was opened up to all on-site guests it would be jam packed. Seriously - pool at Poly was a massive letdown after staying at YC. For summer trips - we will not stay anywhere else than YC/BC due to Stormalong Bay and its sheer awesomeness.
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Guests at the Port Orleans resorts (Riverside / French Quarter) can “legally” pool hop between the two resorts.
I agree… SAB rocks. no real hopping happening there. CMs stand at the getting checking everyone’s tags/bands before you can enter.
BLT has a gate and needs a room key.
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