?about DVC and some on SSR

[Kerlynne]

DH and I have been back and forth with deciding to become DVC members or not. We are closer on making the decision a big fat yes!
We were reluctant, because we can stay at SOG. However DH is realizing, if will benefit years down to be members. Because of having more kids, and having family stay with us, it will be easier/cheaper to have a kitchen. And like any other hotels, they are raising the prices there too.
Plus it is very hard to get rooms in SOG. Even though they added more rooms, all that means is more people are staying. Because many times of trying to book through there, we would have to keep moving our weeks.
Anyway, I still have some general questions about DVC. About SSR, we have the booklet, and I don't see a kiddy pool, is there none? I see the Donald sprinkle thing, but can't help to think that won't be as cooling, for the little tikes.
How has the cell phone service been working there? I know when we stayed at Yacht Club, I had to go on the balcony.
Is there a location for trash collection?Say your trash needs to go out, before the 4 days are up, for maid service?
And how do you get from the Check In area, to the resorts. From the map, is appears to be a good hike.
And about Vero Beach, how far is that location from the parks?And will Disney, take you there. Or are their DVC van transportation?
Lastly, if wanted to stay at Poly in value season, is it more beneficial, to use 20% off other Disney Hotels, or to use the points.

Thanks~
Kerri

 

[zulaya]

If you do a search, there are reports on SSR on the boards with regards to the pool. I don't think there is a separate kiddy pool, but the mail pool has a zero depth entry.

There most likely are trash collection areas, just like other DVC resorts, and that you can empty your trash if you need to before Trash and Tidy day.


Having not been to SSR yet, I can't speak how you would get from Check In to your room, but it's my understanding that you park right outside your building like at OKW. I'm sure someone can correct me if I am wrong. Look for the post by WebMaster Doc as he recently reported on his SSR stay.

Vero Beach is probably 1.5 - 2 hours
by car. I am sure you would have to drive it yourself.

If you are looking for waterparks, there are Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon to choose from, depending on time of year.

Most people will tell you that using your points for Disney hotels is not the best way to use points. I don't know where you got the 20% off figure. You can if you choose, rent your points out and use that cash to pay for a stay at the Polynesian or pay cash outright and keep the points for something else.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Just got back from 6 nights at SSR over MH. My take on your questions:

No kiddie pool, but one end is zero-entry, and there is a short water slide near there - in addition, of course, to Donald's fountains.

We have Sprint, and had the best service we'd ever had on-site. I suspect that this is because SSR is so close to non-Disney property - hence closer to cellular towers.

Plenty of trash cans large enough for a garbage bag; and there was an area near the laundry by the leisure pool.

If you mean how do you get from the Carriage House Check-in to your room you can drive and park in front of your building, take the Disney bus which stops first and last right by the CH, or walk - it's only 5-6 minutes. Folks, the resort is NOT that big as the map makes it seem.

 

[G8RFAN]

Also just got back from SSR and the walk is not that bad, except when you need to push a stroller, you can't take the short cut by the pool up to the Artist Pallet. Overall, I was very happy with the resort layout. The only thing I would change is to put a foot bridge over the canal.

Both my DW and I have Cingular and although we had good signal strength, we both had many failed calls throughout the resort when we had to call each other.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Hi Kerri!
Glad to see you are getting closer to your decision.

I have Verizon and have trouble in the rooms. The phone will ring but it is hard to talk, the balcony or close the the windiws works best for me.

You can also trade out to other resorts. SAB would be great for the little ones (at BCV) You can also look into resale if there is a resort you like better than SSR.

So many decisions, so many choices! Good Luck!

 

[tjkraz]

Another note regarding transportation. If you do not have a car, the luggage services folks should be able to load you all in a motorized cart to get you to and from your resort building at check-in and check-out.

During your stay, there will be multiple bus stops near the resort buildings to use Disney transportation. If you want to go from your resort building to the common area without walking the entire distance, just hop on a theme park bus and get back off at the stop right outside the SSR registration building.

For what it's worth, we toured the resort about 2 weeks ago, and the walk from the main pool to the waterside resort buildings wasn't bad at all. From some other buildings, it will be more of a hike. But the map does feel a bit deceiving in terms of the time it takes to get from one location to another.