Back from SSR...my observations

[ez]

we were in congress park with a downtown disney view(2 bedroom lockoff which was beautiful and meticulous, didnt mind the outside corridors) near the quiet pool which had a beautiful view of downtown disney and was awesome. Absolutely preferred this pool to the main pool. Gorgeous at night.
The main pool is very pretty, but shallow and so warm it was not refreshing. Pool slide was fun and there is an abundance of tables with umbrellas which was nice. Had been looking forward to trying the kiddie fountain area but it was closed/broken The pool and main area itself was very hard to navigate with a stroller. I wanted to go to the restaurant and you have to go completely around the pool to get up there. Felt like there should have been a circular flow with access from more than one direction but there wasnt.
We used the walkway to downtown disney (which was unbelievably mobbed) and I wouldnt do it again, even though we were in the building closest to it. Do not expect a walk similar to boardwalk to Epcot/MGM. You go by some very nasty looking/smelling water, the highway, and a behind the scenes area that smelled like garbage.
There really needs to be a full service restaurant here ASAP. I think thats obvious and wont comment on it further. The food area was tasty for what was there and it was almost always empty. Try the chicken artichoke flatbread its very good.
We did some spa treatments, no major ones but while I enjoyed my pedicure I was overall disappointed in the spa, even though it was my first Spa visit. Because its SSR & spa I expected something a little more special, there were five of us and we all agreed the beauty salon in our hometown does a better job at providing a relaxing experience. The problem seemed to begin when you walk in...they seemed to be kind of unorganized and looking at us like what were we doing there or like they didnt know what to do with us, although Id had the ressies for a couple of months. We likened it to a "spa and burgers to go" feeling. Then because I left ahead of the others to return to my 1 year old...I asked if my guests could also get a dvc discount if we paid separately. If the answer had been no that would have been fine, but the guy went thru this big thing with me how I had to prove they were my guests...Im like look it up on the computer..he just made such an issue of it. Then when he saw what our treatments were, and that only 2 got a discount, he seemed more than pleased to inform me of that. Not a very zen encounter, and there was a line behind me that was hearing all this. Also in the lounge there was water and tea and bananas and apples. I thought for the prices the pickings were a bit slim. We were wondering if the spa at grand floridian was any better.
My favorite things about the resort were our rooms/view in congress park and the awesome quiet pool there. I think I would only return if I knew Id be getting in that area aagin, and we all know you cant know that for sure so....
One of my guests said she preferred port orleans riverside over SSR...thought that was interesting. We didnt use the bus service so cant comment on that , although when walking past the unloading busses at DD we were amazed how the people were packed on them like SARDINES...yikes...whats up with that?

 

[Granny]

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Sounds like you found some things great and some things not-so-great...typical of most DVC experiences.

No need to beat the restaurant thing to death. I think that Disney will figure that one out sooner or later.

And it seems to me that the main pool's kiddie splash area has been "broken" at least a couple of times in this resort's early life. What's up with that?

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your room, view and trip!

 

[Deb & Bill]

It took my second trip to find that easy way to Artist Pallette instead of walking completely around the pool. If you take the stairs the go to the slide at the pool, you can keep on walking and wind up just outside the Spa and restaurant entrance. My son had to show me this since I had never used the slide.

I didn't think the walk to DTD was as bad as you described, but that's just your opinion and my opinion. We all have them. I actually thought it was kind of relaxing and at night was almost a nice romantic stroll.

 

[ez]

couldn't use those stairs. I did find them though, after much looking.

 

[paulh]

think they are having major problems with the kidde area at pool as we went wen it oppend last year may and in aug last Year and they were having troubble with it a year and a flaf and its still not right hope its fixed when we stay there in 2 weeks as we are there for 13 nights
Paulh

 

[NMW]

Thanks for the report!

 

[MJTinNH]

Thanks for the report.

 

[Skip to my Lou]

Thanx for the report, its my "home" resort but I'm still unsure about where to stay for my first trip home.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Just past the pool, before that blue building is the entrance for wheelchairs. It goes right next to the pool, and up straight to Artist's Pointe. I liked the spa at SSR better than the spa at Grand Floridian. I thought GF people were snooty, and looked at us as though we should feel privileged that they lowered themselves to let us into their spa! I didn't like that at all. SSR people were friendly, and bent over backwards. Maybe they were over-compensating because I was in a wheelchair at the time, and they wanted to appear sympathetic. Of course, we got the super-duper expensive spa treatment, maybe that was why they were so nice.

 

[mstec]

And it seems to me that the main pool's kiddie splash area has been "broken" at least a couple of times in this resort's early life. What's up with that?

I was just about to say the same thing. My husband and kids were so looking forward to checking out the main pool when we were there back in Nov. 2004, but were so disappointed when we saw the kiddie splash/DONALD area was roped off because it was broken. A CM told us it was leaking and they needed to fix it. We were there at least 5 nights and it was broken the whole time we were there. We are going back in Nov. and I'm hoping it will be up and running again. I know my 2 year old would LOVE it...

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

Yeah, what is up with the Donald Duck springs area?

In June I stopped for a tour at the Spa and they were very friendly. It is so sad when you go to someplace like that and pay those prices and then get some snotty treatment.

 

[mark&sue]

I agree with Deb we really loved the walk to DTD and found it so relaxing. The walk to DTD alone will mean we will come back here every year for at least part of our vacation.



Susan

 

[Maistre Gracey]

One of my guests said she preferred port orleans riverside over SSR...thought that was interesting.

Thanx for the report, ez.

Does anyone else find the above quote to be a tad thoughtless when coming from a guest?

MG

 

[ez]

well my friend who made the POR comment is one of those people who is brutally honest, but you love her anyway. We stayed together at POR last Easter, and she had fallen in love with the lush grounds and we also enjoyed the sit down restaurant and the piano player in the bar. So thats a little background on that.
Two of us were getting pedicures at the spa, one a facial, and our 2 preteens were getting the "my first pedicure " thing. So maybe because we werent doing the super package things we werent really doted over. They did try to upsell us, though.
Being a few of you seemed to like the walk to downtown disney, maybe I was hasty in my assessment and should try it again sometime. Even though we went after 8 pm it was still extremely hot. The water towards the highway had a nasty smelly coating over it, of algea or something, and there are times the water comes right up close to the path, so it was very smelly and yucky. The heat was probably respnsible for the garbage smelling so bad too. Last year at Easter we did downtown disney and cirque, and it was very pleasant. I was completely unprepared for the mobscene that awaited us at downtown disney that night, it was gridlocked. I pushed my son in the stroller for 10 minutes, then turned around and left it was so bad...so that whole thing was just a negative.
Let me say once again how awesome the quiet pool at congress park is. I think it is the best quiet pool on property.

 

[lenshanem]

I wonder how long the spa there will stay open?????

And I agree - DTD was a mob scene when we went a few weeks ago.

 

[mstec]

Being a few of you seemed to like the walk to downtown disney, maybe I was hasty in my assessment and should try it again sometime. Even though we went after 8 pm it was still extremely hot. The water towards the highway had a nasty smelly coating over it, of algea or something, and there are times the water comes right up close to the path, so it was very smelly and yucky. The heat was probably respnsible for the garbage smelling so bad too.

Perhaps I'm the only one here, but I tend to agree with you on this point. We stayed at SSR (which is also our home resort) in Congress Park, and also LOVED the quiet pool, by the way, but the walk to Disney got mixed reviews from my group. My DH enjoys walking places, etc. and liked the idea of walking to DD, but my kids, especially I think because of all the walking they were doing in the parks, were NOT thrilled with it and I definitely did not like that we had to walk along the highway a bit, and thought the "water" by the road was very icky. Also, you come up right behind the Rainforest Cafe at one point, which is not a nice view. One night we decided to do the walk, because we were going to the House of Blues. BIG MISTAKE, since it didn't even occur to us until we started walking that the HOB was completely on the other end of DD and was a really far walk, especially with little people who had been walking in parks all day, not to mention this big person who was exhausted after a long day at the park, myself. I'm sure if we were heading to the Rainforest Cafe, it wouldn't have been a problem. That was just a stupid move on our part. We ended up taking a boat back from HOB to the main house, which was very nice, and then just caught a bus back to Congress Park.

A note about the buses...I was very impressed with how frequently they came. I had heard some negative info re: busing when SSR first opened, but as of last Nov. it was wonderful. Very frequent! We were rarely waiting at the Congress Park stop for more than a minute or two...I though it was better than when we stayed at OKW in Feb.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I wanted to point out, for those who don't know, the path to DTD is a large circle.

The Congress Park walkway will take you right past the DTD bus stop into the Marketplace. If you are going to the WestSide (HOB,DQ CDS) and dont want to walk, get on any bus, as they all stop at PI before leaving the DTD area.

If you are closer to the Springs area or Carriage House at SSR, and want to walk to Cirque or HOB, take the golf course path located behind the carriage house and it will take you right there. This path is not near a street (there is a little used overflow parking lot) and crosses over the waterway. It is well lit at night all along the path.

For those wanting to boat over to DTD, starting at 11:15am daily to 4:15pm the boat runs on the hour. From 4:15 to 11:15pm every 30 minutes on the 15 and 45.

 

[Lesli54]

The walk along the golf course was really nice, quiet, well lit, and not crowded. BTW, Donald was down in June as well.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I totally agree with you on the Congress Park pool. It is wonderful, I think the best leisure pool at WDW, beautiful setting, day or night.

July and August are HOT. We were there in mid-October and early June, so while it could get hot, it wasn't nearly so hot at night. Plus it rained a lot and was cloudy.

When we walked over to the Marketplace, we crossed the road that leads to behind RFC and continued to where the buses stop. Maybe that was the difference in getting the "garbage view" and the "no garbage view". There is a drive right after you cross bythe waterway and that's for service vehicles.

One thing I really liked was being able to get back into the property from offsite, by entering through the gated entrance near the new firestation. One morning it wasn't operating when I came back from a run to WinnDixie, but that was the only time it didn't operate. Just put your room key into the slot, pull it out and the gate opens.

 

[wendydarling826]

Oh dear. We have a trip booked to SSR for our daughter's 26th birthday in Feb. and her birthday gift was going to be a Spa treatment. Wondering if I should rethink that. I had expected that the Spa would be top-notch. I hope to hear from others who have used the Spa.