Disney World resort with the best pool (2026)

The three picks, and who each suits

Beach Club Resort, the outright winner

Pool scores 10 · on average $736 a night · sleeps 6

GoodStormalong Bay is our favorite pool at Walt Disney World, and it isn’t close: three acres, a sand bottom you can stand on, a lazy river, and a slide out of a shipwreck! The splash pads score a full 10 too, and EPCOT is a 5-minute walk.

Less goodIt’s shared with the Yacht Club and the villas, so it gets busy, and Disney checks wristbands. There’s no signature restaurant, and Magic Kingdom is a bus.

Scored category	This resort	Average of all 32
Pools	10 / 10	7.1
Splash pads and slides	10 / 10	7.6
Things to do on site	7.5 / 10	7.2
Suits ages 4 to 6	9 / 10	7.8
Suits ages 7 to 13	7 / 10	6.2
Suits adults	6 / 10	5.5

Who this suits best: families who’ll spend real days at the pool, not just cool off in it.

Dining on siteCape May Cafe and Beaches and Cream for sit-down meals, the Marketplace for counter service, and two bars including Hurricane Hanna’s at the pool.

What there is to do on siteScores 7.5 out of 10, above the average of 7.0 out of 10: Painting in the Vineyard, boat rentals at the Bayside Marina, Yo Ho Let’s Glow and a silent disco, plus Stormalong Bay itself.

Polynesian Village Resort, the best pool near Magic Kingdom

Pool scores 9 · on average $872 a night · sleeps 5

GoodThe Lava Pool has a volcano with a slide through it, and the splash pads score a full 10, with a separate splash area. Unlike Stormalong Bay, it’s a monorail ride from Magic Kingdom, so you can swim in the afternoon and be back for the fireworks.

Less goodThe pool scores 9, not 10, and like the Beach Club, there’s no signature restaurant. There are five bars, which is either a perk or a warning, depending on your trip.

Scored category	This resort	Average of all 32
Pools	9 / 10	7.1
Splash pads and slides	10 / 10	7.6
Things to do on site	6 / 10	7.2
Suits ages 4 to 6	7 / 10	7.8
Suits ages 7 to 13	6 / 10	6.2
Suits adults	6 / 10	5.5

Who this suits best: families with young kids doing mostly Magic Kingdom, who want a great pool and a short trip to the park.

Dining on siteFive restaurants including ‘Ohana and Kona Cafe, plus five bars, the most on property, including Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto.

What there is to do on siteScores 6 out of 10, below the average of 7.0 out of 10: the Lava Pool Party, Kukui nut lei making, the Big Kahuna Quiz, Aloha After Dark and a campfire on the beach.

Coronado Springs Resort, the cheapest pool that scores 8

Pool scores 8 · on average $311 a night · sleeps 4

GoodThe Dig Site has a Mayan pyramid with a slide and a big hot tub, and it scores 8, level with resorts at twice the price. Plus four sit-down restaurants and four bars, more than any other Moderate.

Less goodThe splash pads score 7, below Caribbean Beach. It’s a convention resort, and every park is a bus.

Scored category	This resort	Average of all 32
Pools	8 / 10	7.1
Splash pads and slides	7 / 10	7.6
Things to do on site	9 / 10	7.2
Suits ages 4 to 6	8 / 10	7.8
Suits ages 7 to 13	7 / 10	6.2
Suits adults	8 / 10	5.5

Who this suits best: adults and older kids who want a serious pool without Deluxe prices.

Dining on siteFour sit-down restaurants, including Toledo, and four bars, including Siestas Cantina at the pool.

What there is to do on siteScores 9 out of 10, well above the average of 7.0 out of 10: Sangria University, Spanish mosaic art and the Colors of Coronado painting class, plus a resort scavenger hunt and a nightly campfire.

How the Resortings score works

We score pools out of 10 on size, theming, slides and features, and we score splash pads and slides separately, because a splash pad and a slide aren’t the same thing. Both are our own judgment from visiting, not Disney figures, and both count when we score all 32 resorts.

Only three resorts score 10: Beach Club, Beach Club Villas and Yacht Club, and all three share the same pool. So really, there’s one pool on property that scores 10.
The average is 7 out of 10, and nine resorts score 8 or 9, so a very good pool is common, and an exceptional one isn’t.
For toddlers, the splash pads are the number to watch. Several resorts score 10 for splash pads and slides while scoring 7 or 8 for the pool itself, including Animal Kingdom Lodge and Riviera.
Estimated, and we say so. These are our judgment, not Disney’s figures. Prices are an average of three snapshots of Disney’s own rates.

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What a great pool costs across the property

Three resorts score 10, all sharing Stormalong Bay, at $736 to $836 a night on average. The Polynesian and its villas score 9 at $872. Then seven resorts score 8, and two of those are Moderates: Coronado Springs at $311 and Caribbean Beach at $338, which is the cheapest way to a genuinely good pool. The five cheapest resorts average 5, and Port Orleans Riverside scores 5 as well despite being a Moderate.

What Stormalong Bay is really like. You can stand up in most of it, the sand bottom means nobody slips, and the lazy river is long enough that kids go around it again and again. It gets busy from about eleven, so go early, or go at five when the day guests leave.

The Lava Pool at the Polynesian is the one we use most, because it’s a shorter walk back to the room, and thanks to the monorail, an afternoon swim doesn’t cost you the evening in the park.

Pool scores are our judgment, not Disney’s. We visit and we rate, so someone who prefers a quiet pool to a slide would score these differently. Stormalong Bay is also only for guests of the Beach Club, the Yacht Club and their villas, so you can’t pop over from another resort.

Your family will rank these differently

Ages, budget, room size and which parks you’re doing all change the order. Resortings scores all 32 resorts against what your family actually needs, and tells you when not to spend the money.

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Common questions

Which Disney resort has the best pool?

The Beach Club, along with Beach Club Villas and the Yacht Club, which share Stormalong Bay. All three score 10 out of 10 and average $736 to $836 a night.

Can you use Stormalong Bay if you aren’t staying there?

No. It’s limited to guests of the Beach Club, Beach Club Villas and Yacht Club, and Disney checks wristbands. Most other Disney resort pools work the same way.

What is the cheapest Disney resort with a good pool?

Coronado Springs, at about $311 a night on average, scoring 8 out of 10. Caribbean Beach also scores 8, at $338, and it’s better for younger kids.

Which pool is best for toddlers?

The cheapest resort with a perfect 10 for splash pads and slides is Kidani Village, at about $516 a night on average. The Beach Club, the Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Riviera score a 10 too.