Please help me get excited about SSR

[wheredreamsbegin]

We just switched our reservations to SSR due to the promotion. The resort looks beautiful and I am sure that we will have a wonderful time. I was hoping that those of you who have stayed at SSR can share some of your favorite things about the resort.

Thanks!

 

[tikimimi]

We just switched our reservations to SSR due to the promotion. The resort looks beautiful and I am sure that we will have a wonderful time. I was hoping that those of you who have stayed at SSR can share some of your favorite things about the resort.

Thanks!

We love SSR! We are a husband and wife with two kids 18 and 21. We took the kids down last fall for a quick get-away weekend. Due to schedules, we all had to fly in at different times. I was able to enjoy the resort the longest of any of us. I sat by the main pool for hours. My 21 yr. old son joined me in the afternoon. Hubby and 18 yr. old joined us that ngiht by the pool and hot tub. The main pool is nicely themed and appointed. We say people of all ages enjoying the different areas and noticed people with different disabilities also able to enjoy use of the pool because of its design. Transportation to the parks and DTD by bus was easy, efficient, and quite convenient. We never had ot wait more than 5 minutes for a bus, though I would think this may depend on time of year and crowds. The check-in area is beautiful! Look up when you are in there - it is gorgeous. We enjoyed all restaurant facilities while there and each was quite good for what we were wanting. In the fanciest of dining rooms (the name escapes me right now - brain burp) the waitress accidentally spilled a small bowl of ketchup down the back of my "can't stand to see it, smell it, taste it, or have ketchup anywhere on the table" husband. This could have been a horrendous event but proved to be just another way for Disney to shine. Immediately we were surrounded by staff to take care of cleaning. The manager came out immediately and asked my husband's shirt size. He went immediately to the gift shop and brought back a shirt comparable to what my husband was wearing - complimentary of course. They offered to have his shirt cleaned as well, but since we had a washer and dryer in the villa, I said I would take care of it.

Our villa was beautiful. We got a 2 bedroom so the kids could see what what our now "normal" accomodations would be like. It was lovely. The master bedroom was particularly well appointed and I could consider a bath in that tub, a vacaton in and of itself.

There was a lot to enjoy at SSR. Of course everyone looks for something different and is satisfied with different things and levels of service. My travels have taken me anywhere from governtment run pensions in Europe to 5-star hotels and resorts here and abroad. I was quite pleased with SSR in comaprison to other places I have stayed, but my desire for accomodations may not be the same as anyone else's.

I hope you enjoy SSR! We call it home!

 

[MissyDVC]

We LOVE SSR and it IS our "home away from home". We love the colors and the buildings. We also enjoy the walk from the building to the main building/pools although some do not. We always stay in Congress Park because we like the quiet pool and the easy walk to DTD. Our favorite way to end each night is to pull up some of the wooden rocking chairs that are placed along the walkway on the water and look at the lights of DTD and wave to the people on the boats. We find it very peaceful and comfortable which is what we want in our hotel after a day of fun. We always find something good to eat at the Artist's Palette (Counter Service) and thoroughly enjoyed our sit down meal at The Turf Club. The kids adore the main pool and its slide and we enjoy the pool bar and the relaxation. The Community Hall is a must stop every day for a few games of ping pong and some DVDs for the room. The CMs always seem exceptionally friendly and helpful at SSR and the grounds are lovely. Obviously you can see that we really love SSR and hope that you will too Enjoy your trip

 

[njco]

Transportation to the parks and DTD by bus was easy, efficient, and quite convenient. We never had ot wait more than 5 minutes for a bus, though I would think this may depend on time of year and crowds.

I just came back from my 2 weeks down there and i have to say the transportation was the worst i have ever seen. The 2nd day there my family and a few others had to wait 50 mins for a bus to MK. Buses back from the parks to SSR were just ok not that great for us. Many time other resorts would have 2 buses come and go before 1 for us.

We had a great time and loved SSR. The parks had more crowds then we are us to for this time of year. cant wait till next year. lol

 

[wheredreamsbegin]

Thank you for sharing all of these positive aspects of the resort. Your comments are exactly what I was looking for. Now I'm even more excited! I appreciate the effort that each of you put into your responses. I'm hoping that I can get a few more people to add their thoughts too.

Thanks again!

 

[TinkerKell-ey]

We leave for WDW and SS next Saturday and I can't wait to show off our home resort to my family. Our first trip to SS was in 2006 with just DH and kids (they were 3 and 5). The resort is HUGE and a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll catch on quickly. The grounds are so beautiful and we found it to be a very peaceful, quiet resort, which is great after full days at the parks. The kids loved, LOVED the main pool area. I believe each area of the resort buildings has its own pool and whirlpool - ours had some fun details (frog statues that squirted water) and the kids had a great time here too and we had it almost all to ourselves.

We stayed in a studio for 4 nights and did the dining plan. We moved to a one bedroom for 4 more nights and used the full kitchen - a little. The studio was nice, good set-up for a regular hotel-like room (not too mini mini-frig and a microwave and small sink set up in a small cove). The one bedroom spoiled us forever. It was fabulous. The decor is classic and bright and we had a great view of Downtown Disney (in Congress Park). The walk to DTD from Congress was lovely and took about 10-15 slowpaced minutes. We also walked back once from the West Side on this very out-in-the-open walkway. It was a looong walk. There is also boat service over to DTD too.

I hear about bus issues quite a bit, but we only had trouble once. It was the night of MVMCP and we allowed only one hour to get to MK as we had the kids napping. The bus stop was practically empty when we got there, but by the time the first MK bus came by about 15 minutes later, it was packed and so was the bus. It was a disaster. We ended up taking a Epcot bus and from there, the monorail to MK. So, if one of the special events are in your plans, leave much earlier than you think is necessary. The Artist's Palette is not really a traditional food court and it was VERY busy in the morning (but the food was really good). The ordering "system" was confusing at first. We will avoid it this time for breakfast and eat in room. It was fine later in the day/evening. The spa is fabulous, there are all sorts of on site activities if you are around during the day. We are park lovers, so I have no comment on them other than one day at the main pool they had the kids playing all kinds of games. It was really fun for them.

This trip we are going with my sister, her family and our parents. 10 of us and we are staying in a grand villa. I can't wait for them to see it! I have yet to be disappointed in any WDW resort, they each have there own special details.

 

[wheredreamsbegin]

Thanks TinkerKell-ey!

I appreciate the advice about leaving extra early for a special event. I think we might try to get tickets to P&P during our stay.

Have a wonderful vacation!

 

[mtmbyck]

Hey Wheredreamsbegin I see you are there the same time as me based on your ticker. We have a 2 bedroom. I have never stayed there either but stayed at almost all of the other resorts. I stopped in last month while I was there on business and I can tell you I was pleased with what I saw. I have a DD9 and DD12 and the Carriage House has great crafts and activities everyday. I picked up a schedule of events and there is something going on almost every hour of the day - and even poolside movies 3 nights a week. The Turf Club was lovely and the counter service dining area was bright and clean.

I like the idea of this being a "members" resort - it had that feeling. I would think guests would take care of it more since they are "part owners" of this property. I am not - I rented DVC points. But to me it still looked very new and clean (never got into a room).

It does look big - the minute I wandered away from the main pool I was lost but I am sure you figure out within a day of being there. I have heard compaints about it being too removed from the main Disney action but I think this is a bonus. We love DTD and I think that it will be wonderfull to relax in a less busy and less noisy environment in the evenings.

So see you there in March!

 

[Pakey]

We have stayed at SSR 5 times. It's a very nice resort. We have never had problems with the busses as many others have said; no more than any of the other resorts where we have stayed.

We have stayed in Grandstand, Springs, Congress Park and Paddock (twice). We have enjoyed each stay and each section. We enjoy walking and this is a gorgeous resort to just stroll though. It feels like a community here.

The rooms are still fairly new, the decor is award winning, so the interiors of the rooms are very nice. We definitely enjoy sitting out on our balcony in the evenings. Personally, I love the feeling of having left the stress of the parks behind and we really unwind at SSR.

I hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[wheredreamsbegin]

I am constantly amazed at how informative and friendly everyone is on these boards. Thank you so much for all of your help.

mtmbyck, thanks for the information. My daughters will love the crafts and activities. I'm looking forward to a great week in March. We'll see you there!

 

[Entropy]

For a LOT more info, pop over to the Disney Vacation Club board. Saratoga Springs is a DVC resort so we talk about it a lot over there.
To answer your question, Saratoga springs is very spacious (read as spread-out) so you get a country resort feeling. We had a one-bedroom last time and it was terrific. The kids in the living room and we grownups in the bedroom. Jaccuzi tum and a washer and dryer that allowed us to take far fewer clothes than we normally would have ... and no laundromat time.
We were in Congresss park and from there, I could, and did walk to DTD in eight minutes, room to the Christmas store.

 

[Amy&Dan]

We love SSR. Its our home resort and we just had our fifth stay there last month. We were in Congress Park and I must say, that quiet pool with the incredible views across the water of DTD was magnificient. My husband and I loved sitting in the rockers right on the river's edge at night with a glass of wine, looking at the lights of DTD while the kids swam right there behind us. We had wonderful bus service there and since we didn't have a car we used the busses a lot. In fact, we have had great bus service each stay there.

The grounds are lovely, my husband and I took lots of walks around the resort and it was just beautiful. I think the High Rock Springs Pool is one of the best pools on property, I love the zero entry, the fact it has two slides, a long one for bigger kids and a small one for toddlers. And three nights a week they do movies by the pool. We really enjoyed watching POTC Curse of the Black Pearl one evening. We also enjoyed playing Bingo by the pool one afternoon. The cm's were all wonderful as usual. And they have a second feature pool in the Grandstand area that is a lot of fun. And two other quiet pools that are also great, again, the one in Congress Park has wonderful views of DTD.

I think the units at SSR are some of the nicest, they are still pretty new and very nicely decorated. They are also very soundproof, in all of our stays, I have never heard a soul which is very nice!

Being close to DTD is great. For example, from our Congress Park location, we could walk to the bus stop in DTD in about 10 minutes. Which was great for when we wanted to dine at other resorts. We enjoy going over to Boardwalk and when you stay at SSR, that is very easy to do. A short walk or boat ride to DTD and its bus stops will get you to any resort on property in much less time than when you stay at other resorts and want to resort hop.

The resort is lovely, it is large but there are lots of short cuts. I have enjoyed each section we have stayed in, we have stayed in all of them but the Carousel. Which I didn't think I would like but after walking around in there two weeks ago, its not that far out and its very quiet and lovely. So I might just request that next time, that way I can say I have stayed in all the them! At a normal pace, there is no section of SSR that is further than ten minutes from the main area. I know, because I timed that when we walked. Because I am a disboard nerd who does things like that!

We love the Turf Club and Artist's Palette. In fact, I think AP is one of the best cs places in all of WDW. Really nice selection of flatbreads, sandwiches, salads, soups and bakery items. Way beyond your normal cs. And you are so close to DTD and all its dining options. We love to sit outside on the patio at night to have dinner at Turf Club. Its quiet, peaceful and the food is excellent.

To me SSR is a vacation in and of itself. I think you will be very happy there!

 

[MEK]

SSR is my DVC home resort and I really like it. The first time I stayed there it was on another member's points. That sold me on SSR.

As other poster's have said, the resort looks huge and overwhelming when you first drive in. However, once you are situated it is easy to discover how each area is interconnected.

I stayed congress park once with an awesome view of DTD. Last trip was a 2BR in Carousel. This is the furthest section from check-in and I still felt it was an acceptable and relaxing walk. In enjoy the quiet pools.

What my DH and I like about SSR is the outside entrances. If you drive, the parking lots are never crowded and your car is always close to your room. Side note: I reserved AKL Villas for June and DH rather stay SSR!

Here are a few pics from our June stay, including our view from the Carousel building

 

[jockdog]

Something that isn't always mentioned is the boat transportation to both OKW and the PO resorts. This gives you easy access to these resorts for additional shopping, lounges, etc.