I agree, they don't really do that much in the pools. I added the waterslides and they liked them better but the pool gets a bit boring, it just looks really nice in the garden.
@PipMenace I'd like above ground pools too, I don't know if you've tried this but I make my own by placing a pool in a deck, right to the edges of it and then removing the deck except for one or two squares to add a ladder or a walkway to access it. It's not quite the same as a nice round one placed in the garden but they look okay, especially with shrubs or planters around the outside of them.