Yes and yes.
I emptied the bath including the drain down to ball level
then tried to vacuum it out. It was moving round but not up. So I decided I was going to have to take the side panel off and remove the trap but before I did that I thought I’d go balls out
and try to stab it with something. So I tried a sharp knife, which did puncture the ball but couldn’t find purchase. Then I thought maybe I could use the sharp knife to squeeze down the side and get underneath it but the knife was just sliding back out. Then I thought I might be able to create enough space to squeeze a fork in which I could, but I couldn’t leverage it back out. Then I stabbed the ball with the fork and the cut I’d made with the knife helped the fork go in and I was able to work the ball back up. All of that, and the kids got their bedtime bath tonight.