Any one who stayed at SSV- I need help!

[martinjt]

Hello ,
I am planning a vacation at SS villa for a party of 6 adults and two girls age 4 and 6 y/o. 2-grandparents/2 parents/ an aunt and uncle. I hear SSV is large. Where in SSV would you book? Cloeser to DTD, pool, bbus stop, etc. any suggestionos?

 

[FindTheMickeys]

If you are planning on spending lots of time at the pool for the little ones, I would book in the Springs. SSR hosts a movie at the pool every evening at 8p.m. and the CMs have games and contests. There is a quiet pool and playground in Congress Park, which is also a shorter walk to DTD, but if you are in the Springs, you can take the boat shuttle behind the Turf Club restaurant. If you want to be first on-first off the busses going to and coming from the parks, then I hear the Grandstand is the section you would want to be in.
Now from personal experience, when I took my grandsons to SSR, we stayed in Congress Park and it was quite a hike to the main pool and the gift shop and restaurants with 2 little ones in tow. SOOO, my vote would be the Springs. It is centrally located, close to the big pool but you can walk to the quite pools if you choose. Visit this link and it will give you all the info you need. There is also a resort map so that you can kind of get an idea of the layout of the resort. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/saratoga.htm

 

[Chuck S]

Remember that you do not actually "book" a given area at SSR, there are no guaranteed booking categories. You may request a specific area, but there is no guarantee that you will get it.

 

[martinjt]

Thanks!!! very helpful.

 

[Pakey]

The Springs has many advantages but the one big disadvantage is that it's the last bus stop within SSR. If you are relying on bus transportation and you are going at a busy time, the buses will already be crowded by the time they get to the Springs stop. We have stayed in Springs twice and the crowded buses do get annoying.

The area second closest to the main area is Grandstand. It's the first bus stop within SSR so first on and first off. It also has a nice children's play area. It's probably a 5 minute walk to the main area.

Congress Park and Paddock are further out and we've found them to be quieter. There is a nice quiet pool there but with small children, the 10 minute walk to the main area would probably be more inconvenient. The walkways are wide and nice and we've never minded walking from these locations.

We've never stayed Carousel so I can't comment on that section.

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

All depends on your family....

We had a SSR GV this past March. Two families - one with 4 and 6 six year old girls (first WDW trip) - the other with three teenagers (regular DVC'rs).

We stayed in Congress Park and loved it...however, we didn't go to the Parks everyday and the main pool was closed for refurbishment.

Our kids had a great time in the Congress Park Quiet pool. When in a GV we like to use the kitchen etc and we barbecued regularly at the pavilion by the pool, often bringing snacks and drinks down there. The little ones can swim or play on the play equipment while the adults are socializing. As well, one or more of the teenagers took one or both the little girls for walks to DTD and some special alone time. Teenagers also took the young ones down to the Community Hall for activities.

It worked for us because the teenagers were there to help, as well the Congress park pool was relativiely empty and the kids felt like they had the pool to themselves. For the little ones this was a real treat.

We love the Congress Park area and were glad this worked out. WE are not real fans of the themed pools as our kids are older and we feel "done" with that.

I always look at it from the point that we have a great quiet pool area very close by. Occasional trips to the big pool are not impossible but become the treat rather than the norm. For us this suits both the adults and the kids.

 

[Lindabelle]

I agree. It does depend on your family and what you like to do and your plans for your visit. We stayed at SSR this past August. We stayed in the Paddock for the first part of the week, and in Congress Park for the end of the week. We were in the last building in the Paddock, right across from the Congress Park bus stop. We had the most beautiful view from our balcony. We could see DTD from it. We used the Congress Park pool everyday because it was the closest and it was never crowded. It was also fun to watch in DTD balloon go up and down while in the pool. The walk to DTD was also pretty short. We did not take the buses all week, so I can't comment on that. We swam in the main pool once, and it looked like a lot of younger children were enjoying the fun and games (We have teens). We also did not eat at the restaurants there at all. We usually cooked in our room. If you were going to use the restaurants or main pool a lot, you might want to request a closer area than we had. The resort is huge, but very beautiful. We also found it very quiet and relaxing. Hope this helps