- Joined
- Feb 11, 2002
- Messages
- 19,309
DS2 and I enjoyed a brief trip to WDW last week. We stayed at SSR from the 25th to the 30th. I had waitlisted at our homes of BCV and AKV but neither came through. I figured that's what I got for booking a few months out.
I was so pleasantly surprised with SSR. We checked in at 11am and the CM asked if there was any area we'd particularly like. I explained it was our first stay there and we were open. As she explained the ares, I told her the Grandstand sounded great but our first priority was a room as soon as possible even though we were obviously well short of 4pm checkin time. She found a 1 BR that was available right then!
What a great start!
It turned out that our villa looked straight out on a parking lot but no complaints as we were able to settle in right away. And a very nice unexpected bonus was that we could see both Illumination and Wishes from the room....upper fireworks only of course.
The room appeared very clean but we were missing 2 washcloths and a bath mat, a battery for a remote (wouldn't expect the mousekeeper to check that but grrr to whichever previous guest took it!!!!) and as I didn't discover until that night, the blanket and one sheet for the pullout. It took two calls about the battery but everything else was brought very quickly. I think they just didn't catch the request for a battery the first time. The sofa bed wasn't made up which was unlike all our BCV experiences but after making the bed the next morning, we discovered why. I think it is impossible to fold up that sofa and keep the sheets on properly. It is also impossibly heavy. Oh, and for the first time ever, there were some clean dishes in the dishwasher. But if putting away a few dishes is the price for getting into a unit that early, I'd empty the dishwasher every trip!
Anyway, we loved SSR. The CMs were very friendly, the room decor is lovely, the landscaping is beautiful and most guests were quite friendly. After our home resort of BCV, this one is very bustling but it also has sort of a community spirit that I never notice at BCV.
I do question the often stated advantage of parking right by your units. That is true at OKW but unless our building was an anomaly, it sure doesn't appear to be true at SSR. You can park near your building, yes, but it is still a bit of a walk to the elevator and then to your villa. It seemed no closer than most of our BCV villas have been to the lot there.
We had dinner twice at the Turf Club and breakfast four times at AP.
Loved the Grandstand pool. Loved the spa smell as you enter the lobby. Loved the Christmas decor and especially the Christmas soundtrack playing in the background. Beautiful traditional carols that are not as commonly played as many.
I was looking forward to being back at WDW for the Christmas festivities but frankly not to staying at SSR. I am so glad to report how pleasantly surprised I was.
I was so pleasantly surprised with SSR. We checked in at 11am and the CM asked if there was any area we'd particularly like. I explained it was our first stay there and we were open. As she explained the ares, I told her the Grandstand sounded great but our first priority was a room as soon as possible even though we were obviously well short of 4pm checkin time. She found a 1 BR that was available right then!
What a great start!It turned out that our villa looked straight out on a parking lot but no complaints as we were able to settle in right away. And a very nice unexpected bonus was that we could see both Illumination and Wishes from the room....upper fireworks only of course.
The room appeared very clean but we were missing 2 washcloths and a bath mat, a battery for a remote (wouldn't expect the mousekeeper to check that but grrr to whichever previous guest took it!!!!) and as I didn't discover until that night, the blanket and one sheet for the pullout. It took two calls about the battery but everything else was brought very quickly. I think they just didn't catch the request for a battery the first time. The sofa bed wasn't made up which was unlike all our BCV experiences but after making the bed the next morning, we discovered why. I think it is impossible to fold up that sofa and keep the sheets on properly. It is also impossibly heavy. Oh, and for the first time ever, there were some clean dishes in the dishwasher. But if putting away a few dishes is the price for getting into a unit that early, I'd empty the dishwasher every trip!
Anyway, we loved SSR. The CMs were very friendly, the room decor is lovely, the landscaping is beautiful and most guests were quite friendly. After our home resort of BCV, this one is very bustling but it also has sort of a community spirit that I never notice at BCV.
I do question the often stated advantage of parking right by your units. That is true at OKW but unless our building was an anomaly, it sure doesn't appear to be true at SSR. You can park near your building, yes, but it is still a bit of a walk to the elevator and then to your villa. It seemed no closer than most of our BCV villas have been to the lot there.
We had dinner twice at the Turf Club and breakfast four times at AP.
Loved the Grandstand pool. Loved the spa smell as you enter the lobby. Loved the Christmas decor and especially the Christmas soundtrack playing in the background. Beautiful traditional carols that are not as commonly played as many.
I was looking forward to being back at WDW for the Christmas festivities but frankly not to staying at SSR. I am so glad to report how pleasantly surprised I was.
