For those who have stayed at SSR....

[rutgers1]

We bought last April and will be taking our first trip in August. We are currently setting up our ADR lineup, and we were wondering just how "convenient" DTD is to SSR. In other words, is it so close that you basically consider the DTD restaurants to be SSR restaurants, or is it a bit more of a hike? I've heard people complain about the dining options at SSR before, yet if you take DTD into account, the options are great....

Related questions:
1) How long is the walk?
2) Boat?
3) Someone told me about a restaurant called Raglan Road. I think it is at DTD, How is it?

Thanks

[gkrykewy]

I would think (not having stayed there until August) that the walk is doable and pleasant. There's a bridge to DTD West Side and boats from the western sections of SSR, and if you are in the Congress Park section (eastern side of SSR), you can walk right around the corner into the marketplace section of DTD.

Raglan Road is highly recommended - love that place.

[culli]

We love to walk and when we were at SSR I think we walked to DTD almost every night. So close is relative word but we stayed in the Springs section (by the main pool) and it took us probably 10-15mins then if you go to where the night clubs use to be add another 5-10mins.

Beautiful walk it is all flat so it is pretty easy, nice way to relax at the end of the day without all the crazy over the top Disney themes.

[bmalonef45]

DTD is close enough to consider them part of the resort in my opinion. Thats a big positive to that resort. The walk isn't bad especially if you are in the CP side of the resort. Earl of Sandwich is a favorite for us. And don't forget the margarita bar! You have to have at least one 8.00 plus drink, at least I do.

[Jeremy&Susan]

As mentioned it does matter where you stay and what you consider a long walk.

The longest walk will be from the Tree House Villas section of SSR once open I would estimate 20 minutes (maybe 25 if walking slowly), but you could always just walk to the boat launch and take the boat.

As far as the rest of SSR, grandstand is the most distant and that takes us less than 20 minutes at a fairly slow pace and making detours to walk all the way around by the pond or by the DTD lake and waterway. You could probably be-line the walk in just over 15 minutes if you follow the street. again you could take the boat if this walk it too much or take a bus.

It is a great walk and evenings are a great time to take those walks, too and from diner or shopping.

Good luck and enjoy the scenery and each other's company.

[Hunclemarco]

I'll second the Earl of Sandwich thought... Love the place.
We stayed at the grandstand, and it was a 5 minute walk to the boat...and another 5 or so to get to DTD....nice ride.

[SunnieRN]

Nice walk from congress park, but I wouldn't consider it part of the resort. Wolfgang Puck Express has awesome food and is a huge bargain on the dining plan for a counter service credit!

Also don't forget to visit goofys candy kitchen. You can order create your own snacks.. Yumm!

[brookelizabeth]

We were in the last Congress Park building and would take the path out the "back" door of the building and be in DTD in 5 minutes. We did this quite a bit on our trip in January. It actually felt closer to run over to Earl or Wolfgang Pucks Express than to the main Carriage House building!

From the other areas of the resort, I would do the boat ride. It's a great little ride, beautiful views and you end up right next to the Rainforest Cafe.

[Mosleymouse]

We stayed at CP last september and found the walk great, took about 15-20 mins. On the way back DD was tired so was on my shoulders. We got a shock just before the bridge on the way back as the golf course sprinklers came on and gave us a shower.:scared1: We all found it quite refreshing, DD didn't.

[DVC Grammy]

As others have mentioned, the walk isn't very long, especially from the Congress Park section. If you find that it's too warm (in August), take the boat or bus. The boat ride is lovely, but the bus ride is shorter.
Also, as others have said, both Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express serve great food (and reasonable, too). I've eaten at Raglan Road. It was good, but I actually prefer Crook's (next door to RR). It's a counter-service fish 'n chip place..........delicious!:thumbsup2
Also, don't forget yummy Ghirardelli's!
Have a great time.:goodvibes

[dcamdad]

And don't forget the margarita bar! You have to have at least one 8.00 plus drink, at least I do.[/QUOTE]

One? I can't stop with just one. Its a great way to relax, just sit at the dockside tables and enjoy the views while having a couple of margaritas while the DW and kids shop.:thumbsup2

[Vickie46]

We stayed in Congress Park at the resort and the walk was only 4 minutes... and this is with a 6 yr old girl... quicker than the bus and much quicker than the boat!

[plymouthmom]

We stayed in the Springs section in January and walked over to DTD almost everyday. WE would walk over to the main building and then walk through Buena Vista Golf Course path. Really nice walk, with four kids too!

Restaurants we really liked were:

Raglan Road
Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Express
Earl of Sandwich.

Have fun!

[jakenjess]

We just had our first stay at SSR and loved the proximity to DTD. We took the boat once, but we waited a long time for it; could have walked faster! We took the bus a couple of times, as our room was right near the bus stop and we were in the Grandstand section, but mostly we walked. It was probably about 15 minutes from our room, but as others have said, it would be shorter from the Springs and very short from Congress Park.

We had great meals at Raglan Road, Wolfgang Puck Express, T Rex, and House of Blues, plus we went to Cirque du Soleil and the kids went to Disney Quest. Looking forward to staying there again!:thumbsup2

[boettj]

I have not been to Disney in the summer months. However, on a trip in May, I thought we were living on the Sun. Is it too hot to make that walk in August?

[culli]

I have not been to Disney in the summer months. However, on a trip in May, I thought we were living on the Sun. Is it too hot to make that walk in August?

Again all that is relative.......I don't know is it too hot in August? For me if it is too hot for an easy walk, well than it is too hot for anything but my fat butt sitting in the room watching TV. But others anything over 80 deg is too hot to walk to the car.

[kikiq]

I have not been to Disney in the summer months. However, on a trip in May, I thought we were living on the Sun. Is it too hot to make that walk in August?

Most of our trips have been in August. Last summer, we stayed in CP and walked over to DTD several times. The last time was for lunch in the heat of the day and we were so caught up in looking at the wildlife along the river banks that none of us noticed how hot it was until we were at Earl of Sandwich. We're from Southern California. My DDs played fastpitch softball in heat and humidity so maybe we're use to it. We always bring water even for that short walk.

[Disneywedding2010]

Thanks for the person who started this thread. We are staying at SSR in July and I was wondering what was close by for food.. :)

[boettj]

Most of our trips have been in August. Last summer, we stayed in CP and walked over to DTD several times. The last time was for lunch in the heat of the day and we were so caught up in looking at the wildlife along the river banks that none of us noticed how hot it was until we were at Earl of Sandwich. We're from Southern California. My DDs played fastpitch softball in heat and humidity so maybe we're use to it. We always bring water even for that short walk.

Some people tolerate the heat better than others. I was merely pointing out that heat could be a factor in whether the walk to DTD from SSR is doable.

[RLRDA]

Some people tolerate the heat better than others. I was merely pointing out that heat could be a factor in whether the walk to DTD from SSR is doable.

This is an important consideration. The time of day factors in - do you want to walk to DTD for lunch (during the hottest time of the day) or later in the evening for dinner (still hot, don't get me wrong, but the sun is less scorching). I think if you're used to walking around the parks, the length of the walk to DTD is a non-issue. Just make sure you give yourself enough time if you made an ADR.

[BroganMc]

As for relative distance, DTD is roughly the same as BWV or BCV to the EPCOT restaurants. So if you're used to staying there and popping over to Mexico or China or even France & Canada for a meal, you won't notice a difference.

The ferries don't start running until 11am. The earlier you walk in the morning the cooler the air is. The best way we do it is to walk over by 8am, eat, shop a little then take the ferry back at 11. Else, take the ferry over for lunch and back. For dinner, the sun gets better later in the afternoon.

Chose your walking path direction wisely. If your destination is Bongos or House of Blues (anything West Side), take the path by the ferry dock across the golf course. If you aim for Earl of Sandwich, Rainforest, T-rex, Capn Jacks or Raglan, take Congress Park.

Both of pathways have areas of shade and direct sun. Both are well-lit and secure at all hours. We've walked them at 7am and 2am. But with everything, keep your wits about you.

Raglan Road is great. I'm planning a visit there tonight as a last hurrah on this trip.

Also don't forget the AMC movie theatre over there or DisneyQuest. If you find yourself "stuck" in DTD during the hottest part of the day, you can go in either one and chill out till it cools. (Admission required, of course.)

Oh and the busiest days for DTD are weekends. That's when all the locals come out. So expect traffic. World of Disney is usually packed on Sundays as people by their last minute souvenirs. Going before 10am means a lower crowd.

[Micca]

A 15-20 minute walk on a nice day is very pleasant. It occurs to me though that once I've walked to DTD, I will continue to walk--likely all the way from one end to the other and back. If I've been walking at a park all day long and then decided to walk from SSR to DTD...:eek: Maybe this is why so many people lose weight on their WDW vacations:)

[toocherie]

Raglan Road is fantastic. Cooke's next door is a take-out and serves some of the same menu items. I'm not a big "chips" person, so I ordered Fish and Chips and they substitutes mashed potatoes. My other "fave" is the Dalkey Duo appetizer--little sausages fried in batter with the best mustard sauce! Yum! It's a big serving so we had them for breakfast a day or two later heated up in the over in our villa--double yum!

[wdwiala]

We stayed in Congress Park a few years ago and LOVED it.

Here is the "duh" part of our experience: we had no idea the walkway behind our room led to DD! My family spent 15-20 minutes driving the short distance to shop! It wasn't until the last day that we realized we could have been walking there far more easily.

[Dean]

DTD is close enough to consider them part of the resort in my opinion. Thats a big positive to that resort. The walk isn't bad especially if you are in the CP side of the resort. Earl of Sandwich is a favorite for us. And don't forget the margarita bar! You have to have at least one 8.00 plus drink, at least I do.This is funny to me because some have argued that the restaurants at Boardwalk are to far too be considered part of the resort and that if you have to go outside, it's not part of the resort.

Ultimately it depends on where you're staying within the resort. For CP or the Grandstands, it won't be bad. For THV, the boat will likely be the best option so one of the requests there will likely be for that location. Otherwise it's quite a walk but still doable for someone healthy.

[airman]

We,ve stayed at Congress Park and the walk to DTD is a nice winding stroll with a nice view and trees to block the sun. We have also stayed at The Springs and is a nice walk along the West End parking lot, more exposed to the sun:sunny:. The boat is a nice ride,:sail: but if timed wrong the wait could take longer than just walking to the West End. We stayed at VWL last February, it was a really nice place, but we found ourselves missing the easy access to DTD.
Earl of Sandwich is very good and I like the cuban sandwich at Bongos :tinker:

[LIFERBABE]

Dh and the boys walk to DQ from SSR almost everynight of our stays there.

We like Congress Park area and DQ is on the Westside end but it is still a neat walk.

As Brogan said, if you choose your path wisely, you can minimize your walk. There are 2 paths and they make 1 big circle just like the circle around Crescent lake at the Epcot resorts. There is a path past the boat dock behind Turf Club which takes you directly to Westside and then there is the path behind Congress Park which takes you to Marketplace.

Normally we spend time at Community Hall and then boat over or walk, we wing it depending on the time.

Love all the restaurant choices. We will walk over to Bongos for Empanadas or EOS or Wolfgangs. If it starts to rain we duck into the movies for some popcorn and a show or Virgin Megastore to browse the books, movies and mags or DisneyQuest for games and rides.

We like that Typhoon Lagoon is so close also. :goodvibes
Never at a loss for things to do and we really have a great time at WDW.

[Sammie]

As BroganMC said certain areas of the Paddock and Congress Park in SSR are as close to DD as BCV is to Epcot.

Some areas of SSR, are a bit further but no further than some of the rooms at the end of the halls of BWV and restaurants at Epcot.

It is all personal opinion as to whether it is too hot or too far, and that is about it folks. :thumbsup2

[barlitz]

Like a few others have said, its no longer of a walk than bcv and bwv to Epcot and you don't need a pass/park hopper to go over there.