Questions on SSR

[DisneyDictator]

Hi there...I'm a new owner at the Grand Californian but want to use my points in Florida for 5 nights in March. Since there is limited availability, I've been looking at Saratoga, Animal Kingdom, or Old Key West. We are a family of 4 adults. So, I'd like to accomplish this in a 1 bedroom where the Mrs. and I have our own room and 1 kid can sleep on the pull-out sofa and the other on a pull-out chair.

As far as convenience is concerned, is Saratoga the most convenient? It looks close to Disney Springs, Epcot and Hollywood. We love Epcot and it looks like all 3 are convenient to Epcot.

Which resort has the best accommodations in a 1 bedroom and/or 2 bedroom configuration? Also, what's the difference in room categories? Saratoga has a Preferred Classification.

We stayed at Bay Lake Tower last time and it was nice walking to the Magic Kingdom but the bus rides to the other parks weren't that bad...Can I expect the same convenient bus system from these resorts?

Is it an easy walk to Disney Springs from Saratoga?

How long of a bus ride to MK?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Saratoga is recently renovated and the 1BR is nice.

Preferred means location - either near the main building, or near the bridge to Disney Springs. It is not a view classification. For the fastest wall to DS you want preferred, request Congress Park.

Both OKW and Saratoga have several internal bus stops. AKV stops at both Kidani and Jambo. So less efficient than at a resort with one bus stop. But it is fine.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The only other room category you might be seeing would be 'savanna view' for AKL vs standard. AKL has long been one of our favorites from the peaceful feel of the place to our enjoyment of viewing the animals at different times of the day. If AKL is a realistic choice for you, I'd recommend Kidani 1BR savanna view (if that's even available). The Kidani side was built exclusively for DVC units, while Jambo House was renovated to take a few floors of the resort and make them DVC rooms. We love the Kidani 1BR.

But you'd be absolutely fine with any of the 3 resorts you've listed. They all have pros and cons. You could get a SSR preferred room that still is a decent walk to DS - but if DS is a place you'll be spending time, it's an advantage. There is also a really nice boat ride that will take you from the OKW marina directly to DS, so that might be an option, too. OKW has the largest rooms of the resorts you have listed. All 3 will require buses for the parks. If you visited each of the 4 theme parks going by bus, I expect your overall distance for the bus rides would be similar. As mentioned above, AKL has only 2 stops, though, while SSR and OKW have several. Resort dining options are more numerous and better at AKL. But with OKW and SSR, you do have simple access to DS and many diverse dining options.

Good luck with your choice! We just enjoyed a few days at your home resort - the GC might be one of our favorite resorts anywhere in the country! Loved it. We'll be back, but we do not own there!

 

[wdwnut]

Congress Park is very close to the walkway to Disney Springs. It took less than 5 minutes the last time we stayed there. At OKW, the Peninsular Road section is the first bus stop and is close to the Hospitality House where you can catch the boat to the Springs. At Kidani we request close to the elevator. It’s a quick walk over to Jambo. There’s also a shuttle every 20 minutes or so.

 

[kandlsutton]

SSR 1BR doesn't have the sleeper chair (AKL and OKW do). SSR has a queen murphy bed (wall) and a bunk size fold out (dresser). The bunk size is narrower and shorter than a regular twin bed. Kidani 1BRs have the second bathroom, similar to BLT. Depending on the age and size of the other 2 adults, the sleeping surfaces and bathroom(s) may be a deciding factor over location.
All have bus only to parks. SSR and OKW has boats to DS (if running) and depending on where you are at, you can walk to DS from SSR. We actually took a bus to SSR before DS buses started running and the walk wasn't too bad.

 

[CarolynFH]

FYI - the SSR 1 BR doesn’t have a sleeper chair. In the living room is a queen size Murphy bed that pulls down over the sofa and a twin size Murphy bed that pulls down from the TV console. Some adults find the twin size Murphy to be a little small.

 

[bp2412]

My wife and I have stayed at SSR twice now at Paddock (Standard) and Springs (Preferred) and we thought both were a pretty easy walk to to DS (granted Paddock seems long and we were in a building closer to DS so that was helpful). We especially enjoyed the resort on a trip earlier this year that was a resort only stay because we were so close to DS. Woke up couple times and walked over in the morning to grab coffee and cookies at Gideons so we wouldn't have to worry about a possible virtual queue later, and every night we walked to DS after a pool day for dinner at different spots. Still a decent amount of walking but very convenient to get there and back. We even did that to get to AKL for Sanaa reservations- walked from SSR to the DS bus stops to AKL, granted looking back now I think I would just pay for an Uber, but it is an option for free travel to other resorts.

 

[The Jackal]

OKW is the largest 1 bedroom (of all DVC at WDW), AKV Kidani will have 2 full baths, SSR is a short walk to DS. You can walk to DS from OKW, it is close to 1.5 miles or so, the path is closed from sunset to sunrise. Both OKW and SSR also offer boat transportation to DS. OKW is closer to Epcot and HS than SSR by about 3 minutes. If Disney built a walkway you could easily walk from OKW to Epcot.

 

[Gary2T]

If a pool is important, the pool at Kidani is scheduled to be closed for refurb January-April 2022.

 

[lundve]

Last July, we stayed in SSR in a refurbished room. We love the actual queen mattress in the pull down bed at SSR. In fact my two older teenagers said please never book an accommodation with a sofa bed again.

 

[Tigger's ally]

As far as convenience is concerned, is Saratoga the most convenient? It looks close to Disney Springs, Epcot and Hollywood. We love Epcot and it looks like all 3 are convenient to Epcot.

The most convenient for Epcot would be in this order
1. BCV- short walk
2. Riviera- Just a short skyliner ride.
3. BWV- longer walk but still close and closest to DHS

 

[Deb & Bill]

At SSR - Preferred is Springs and Congress Park. Standard is Paddock, Carousel and Grandstand. Preferred is preferred because of nearness to amenities - Disney Springs (Congress Park) and Carriage House (Springs).

 

[justadreamaway77]

The most convenient for Epcot would be in this order
1. BCV- short walk
2. Riviera- Just a short skyliner ride.
3. BWV- longer walk but still close and closest to DHS

They were asking for the most convenient between the three resorts AKL, SSR, and OKW. They are trying to get March reservations so those other resorts are probably not available.

 

[CarolMN]

The most convenient for Epcot would be in this order
1. BCV- short walk
2. Riviera- Just a short skyliner ride.
3. BWV- longer walk but still close and closest to DHS

Getting to EPCOT for EE is a whole lot faster from BWV (we walk) than getting there via the Skyliner. Not much fun standing in a long line at the Riviera waiting for an empty car. (And there's two long lines to stand in if you are trying to get to DHS for EE).

And the lines to board the Skyliner after Harmonious stretch past the BCV. We are long back to our room at the BWV before that line gets reasonably short. Some of those Skyliner passengers walk almost as far to get to the end of the line as we do to get back to the BWV.

IMO, Riviera is a beautiful resort with fantastic restaurants, but I would never recommend it to anyone who is looking for quick access to EPCOT or DHS.

 

[Philsfan77]

Of your choices...I'd lean SSR with the new refurb...they have real beds for your adult children and they won't have to worry about the sleeper sofa or chair. Only real perk to AKL at this point would be Kidani 1-bedrooms have 2 bathrooms. Transportation between the 2 is essentially the same, except you can walk to Disney Springs or take a boat to Disney Springs from Saratoga. OKW perk is the bigger overall room size, still looking at same transportation as SSR. Real beds at SSR would trump bigger rooms at OKW for me.

 

[barbnbrian]

Recently stayed at SSR in the Grand Stand section, close to the first bus stop and the check-in building. We had a 1 BR Standard unit, less points per night, and we found it convenient to be the first bus stop for both pick up and drop off at the end of the day. Plenty of seats available when your on the first stop lol! We usually walk to DS, but since the Grand Stand section is kind of a longer walk and we were tired, we jumped on the first bus that stopped and stayed on until it stopped at the Congress Park section. We got off the bus there and walked the rest of the way to DS. When we came back from DS, we took the boat, which stopped behind the carriage house, and then it was a short walk to our room in the Grand Stand section. We also loved the pool in the Grand Stand section, it was not too busy and quieter than the main pool. We only went to MK, and it was a short bus ride from the resort.

 

[eMoneyBug]

Why hasn't DVC updated SSR 1 bedroom to "Sleeps up to 5" ? They still have the old room picture and verbiage: "
Standard Categories are located in The Grandstand, The Carousel and The Paddock.
1 king-size bed, 1 queen-size pull-down, 1 twin-size pull-down
Exclusive to Members Booking with Points: 5th Guest can be accommodated, but no additional bedding, linens or towels will be provided"