SSR Paddock or Springs pool?

[kaytieedid]

We are staying at SSR for a few nights this summer. We'll have a 6 and 3 year old with us and aren't sure where to request. Can someone fill me in on the "main" pool and the new pool and which is better? Also, when it comes to the buses, is there a better building to stay at? I love the OKW HH area b/c we're the last ones on the bus but the first ones off.
thanks!!

 

[rentayenta]

We loved the High Rock Springs pool. We didn't get a chance to try the Paddock pool. We stayed at the THV. I recall DH saying that when we stay in a section, he'd like to try the Springs section. The pool area though doesn't have a CS. You have to go inside (with shoes) to get food to go from Artist's Palate. They do have a bar though. The pool party was really fun and my 11 year old son really enjoyed it.

 

[vandy]

If you request near transportation in the Springs, you could likely get the building that is within short walking distance to both pools. The Paddocks pool is across the bridge, and the main pool is across the road. Only problem though is that in the summer, the Springs is the last bus stop and at times can be quite full. Grandstand is the first bus stop and has a nice pool for kids.

 

[drcoulsey]

The Grandstand is the first bus stop in the morning and the first stop coming back from the parks. In the summer with the crowds, having a seat on the bus will be a plus.

 

[bnk1120]

Based on the ages of your kids, the paddock pool would probably be great for you. I have stayed in congress park and the paddock and both were a short walk to the springs pool. We had great luck with busses too.

 

[Sammie]

We have stayed in every section of SSR and never found the transportation a problem at any location.

Springs or Paddock will both be good areas and you can access both pools easily from both.

 

[amym2]

We stayed in a THV in October and tried out both the Paddock and Springs pools on the same day. We started with the Paddock Pool, and the kids had a blast. Then we moved over to the Springs pool and it was COLD! I think it must stay colder because it's so much larger. Of course that was October and the air temps were in the low 80s with low humidity (we really lucked out because the day we left the humidity returned). DD8 did love the activities at the Springs pool, especially when they put the huge beach ball in the pool, but DH and DS11 ended up going to the community hall to play ping pong instead since the pool was so cold. The kids loved the slides at both pools.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Check out FAQs #4 and #6 in this thread.

 

[heynowirv]

Dave,
The maps and detail are great.I love SSR almost as much as OKW,but not quite. My favorite is Congress Park for the night view and the walk to DTD.

 

[TSNCS]

We stayed there this past summer in the Paddock, and my kids loved the pool! For younger kids, I think this is the better pool because it has a separate splash park with two kiddie slides. It is enclosed in a fence, too, so that you don't have to worry about your kids taking off toward the big pool. They also have a drink fountain here and a grill if you get hungry or have a refillable mug. (Same as the main pool).

 

[kaytieedid]

thanks everyone!!!

 

[Mvtracey]

we have stayed in the springs and paddock
Spring pool was impressive and nice to be close to the main building
but then we stayed at paddock and LOVED IT!! the new pool and slide are very kid friendly my dude was 3 1/2 at the time and loved it and the spray park area was so nice because it is gated so you can watch the kids and sit down and enjoy a little bit more
we never took the busses but on pool alone i would say paddock all the way
my kids still talk about the pool

 

[momof3poohlovers]

We stayed there this past summer in the Paddock, and my kids loved the pool! For younger kids, I think this is the better pool because it has a separate splash park with two kiddie slides. It is enclosed in a fence, too, so that you don't have to worry about your kids taking off toward the big pool. They also have a drink fountain here and a grill if you get hungry or have a refillable mug. (Same as the main pool).

I also feel that the Paddock pool is better for younger kids for the reasons you mentioned. We stayed in the THV in Aug. and used both pools with my 2 year old and 14 year old sons. My 2 year old enjoyed the Paddock pool much more. The separate area is meant for younger kids and if I remember right you had to be below a certain height or age to use it.

 

[dsneygirl]

We loved the Paddock area on our Sept 11 stay. We were not SSR fans before our stay in that section. Our room overlooked the Paddock pool and it was a really short walk across the bridge to the High Rock Pool area.

 

[PDXDuck]

Wow - great info here! We are staying here in Feb. First trip for us bringing our 3 year old daughter! Looks like we should target Springs or Paddock. Thanks all. Curious about the grocery store as ideally we would like to at least have a couple of breakfasts or lunches in our room and also like to have snacks and beverages on hand. Is it a decent size grocery area? Is there a delivery service we can get to deliver groceries as we are hoping to avoid renting a car if possible.

 

[cayennews]

This is all such good info. I have not been to SSR for 4 years and did not have kids with me last time. Sounds like we should request the Paddock!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Wow - great info here! We are staying here in Feb. First trip for us bringing our 3 year old daughter! Looks like we should target Springs or Paddock. Thanks all. Curious about the grocery store as ideally we would like to at least have a couple of breakfasts or lunches in our room and also like to have snacks and beverages on hand. Is it a decent size grocery area? Is there a delivery service we can get to deliver groceries as we are hoping to avoid renting a car if possible.

If you're just looking for some light breakfasts and lunches, you should be able to find what you need at Artist's Palette. Like all DVC groceries, though, the selection is limited and the prices are a little high. I actually think of it along the lines of a glorified gas station grocery selection rather than an actual grocery store. You can look at the actual grocery items available at each DVC on the member web site.

Disney offers a grocery delivery service -- the food lists on the member web site I mentioned. They'll actually put the food in the kitchen/refrigerator of your villa when you order from them. The down side is that you're limited to the selection at the resort's store.

Other shopping services you'll hear mentioned frequently here on DIS are wegoshop.com and gardengrocer.com. Garden Grocer has an extensive list of online foods that you can select to create a shopping list, then have the items delivered to your resort. With WeGoShop, you're basically paying a personal shopper to go to the stores you request to fulfill a shopping list you provide. The cost between the two is somewhat comparable, depending on the size and complexity of your order.

If you're truly "cooking" and want real groceries like fresh produce and meats, one of these third party delivery services would be the better bet because Disney just doesn't carry those items. If you just want some bacon and eggs for breakfast and a package of Oscar Mayer lunch meat for lunch, though, you can grab that at Artist's Palette (or have Disney deliver it to your fridge).

 

[Suzanne74]

This is great info. I just booked a 1bdrm for late August. We have a 4 and 11yr old and I really think the Paddock area looks nice. I like that it is the middle transportation stop instead of the last like Spring. My only concern is requesting it and getting the section closest to Congress Park. Those and the far top Carousel locations look to be the worst in relation to bus service, pools, food and Carriage house. Who wants to stay in them??

 

[jlsmith376]

We have stayed at SSR several times with our small children and I ditto the sentiments about Paddock pool. I love High Rock Springs pool but with small children you can't beat the gated splash area at Paddock.

We used gardengrocer.com last time and they did a great job. The food was there when we arrived and everything was just as we ordered. The selection was pretty decent.

 

[ercrbc]

We pool hopped to the new Paddock pool last Fall with our 7, 4 and 1yo. Had a great time and the kids want SSR to be the next place we stay. We tried the Springs pool a couple years ago and enjoyed that a lot as well. Both have zero entry, big slides, splash areas and a small slide. The splash area at the Paddock is better for little ones though. I loved that it was gated separately from the main pool.

From the bridge looking at splash area at paddock:

From splash area looking back at bridge and main pool slide:

From zero entry side of pool looking back at bridge and slide: