Back from SSR

[dmbkmb]

Well, I'm back from SSR, exhausted, as usual with every vacation we take.

Anways, about our first experience with a DVC resort. First of all we were there the first day(17th). We got there about 10:00am and the room wasn't ready, which kind of suprised me since no one had every stayed there before. Oh well, not a big deal.


Room:
So, we went to Epcot for the day. When we got back at about 11:00pm, we got our room. It was on the 4th floor which was nice(we requested that in the morning and Non smoking), but the view was from the side of the building opposite DD. So, we were on the swamp side if you want to call it that. It really didn't matter to my DH and I because we don't spend much time in the room.
Now the only downside to this location is the bugs! You can't sit out on the balcony. Oh the room # was 2836. The 4th floor, corner room. You can't sit out on the balcony and when trying to get into your room at night the bugs were at the door. There were so many bugs! Yes, mosquito type bugs. Not sure if they bite...they didn't bit me anyways. I told the front desk and they said they would spray. They seemed to have sprayed the entry door which was good, so I didn't have to bring the bugs into the room, but I still couldn't sit on the balcony. During the day however it looks like they are sleeping. They cover the sealing and walls, but don't seem to be flying around. So, they really need to do something about this for sure.

We tried to take the stairway up one night. BIG mistake. There were swarms of bugs. Just yuck! Not sure what they will be able to do about it, but I'm sure I'm not the last to complain about this.

Other than that, lets see. The room was very nice. We stayed in a Studio. One thing I found odd was in the bathroom 2 things caught my attention.
1) The lighting in the bathroom is dim. Trying to shave in the shower was a little interesting. Wish they either made the light brighter or moved over more towards the shower.
2) The fan comes on when you enter the bathroom, nice feature, problem is though, say you are in the shower. Well the fan will shut off while you are in the shower. Doesn't turn back on till you get out and trigger the sensor again. I understand the reasoning, to save energy but the room can steam up fast if you have the door closed.

Food:
Ok, what else. The food was really good. We ate breakfast at the Artists Palette every morning. Also the little store there seemed good. My DH and I got a shirt each with the DVC logo for SSR on it. The mens shirt was $39 - a polo shirt and the womans was $28 - t-shirt type with embroidery. The womans shirt seemed a little expensive, but I got it anyways.

Transportation:
Now transportation. This was interesting. All parks except Magic Kingdom had returning signs for SSR. We had no clue what bus stop at Magic to get the bus back. We ended up asking another driver. They said to wait at #9, but then they just assigned a random bus at the beginning to pick us up. So, hopefully they will get that straightened out soon.
Also , when taking Mears(yes we went to Universal for 2 days), some of the drivers had no idea where SSR was. So we took a littke joy ride with a driver coming back one night. Oh and the security is really tight. The mears drivers had trouble getting in sometimes to pick up people. When we were with the driver I had to take out my room card so we could be let in. Kind of a pain, but I know why they do it.

So all and all the place was very nice. They are definitely still in opening mode and will be for a little while.Hopefully the kinks will be out sooner than later.

Ok, I think that is it for now. I will update more tomorrow as I think of things.


Deanna

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Thanks for the report!!! Glad you had a good time!!

Allison an associate

 

[DVCTiff]

Hi Deanna - Thanks for your report! We just got back OKW though we own at SSR. One thing I wondered is whether SSR's loud at night from PI. We were at PI one night and I thought for sure you'd be able to hear the music from SSR. I guess if you can't get onto the balconies b/c of the bugs - maybe not so loud!

 

[Lexxiefern]

Thanks for the report! Too bad about all the bugs though. I hope they get that under control. Glad you had a good time!

 

[RobDoc]

We also just returned and were in a mid-resort 1BR- fourth floor #2825. I know what you mean about the bugs on your end of the building, as they were very evident when we walked around exploring the building. During the day they covered the walls and ceiling- but only in that one stairwell towards the canal. We had no insects on our balcony and were able to enjoy many hours- both during the day and at night.

On Friday, I noticed that the staff was powerwashing the ceilings and walls in the stairwell near your room to clean away the insects. Hopefully, they will find the right combination of efforts to keep the balconies pleasant for everyone. In this case, I suspect that the canal immediately next to your room is the source of the insect invasion and will be controlled once the lake next to the new construction is filled and groomed (that lake drains into the canal).

While the resort officially opened on May 17, it was in "soft-opening" for the prior two weeks- when CM's were invited to stay at the new resort to break in the rooms and staff. We visited the resort on the 14th and found that the rooms were occupied and the pool was filled with CM's mid afternoon- even with a music/games program offered by the lifeguard/recreation staff.

Glad you enjoyed the resort in general- we did too!

 

[jbwolffiv]

Thanks so much for the report! There is nothing better than getting to work in the morning and having some news about our new resort. Thanks again!

 

[dmbkmb]

Ok, about your question if you can here PI from SSR. If you are outside yes you can hear. In the room we were in(2836) we couldn't here a thing. So I wouldn't worry about it.

I will say the grounds are very nice and the quiet pool looked great. We never got a chance to go in, just too many places to go!

Oh and glad to hear they were spraying near our room. We were there till Sunday. Like I said I noticed the difference in the entry room, but looking out from the balcony they were still there. So, it is going to take them awhile to figure out how to get rid of them. Glad to hear the other parts of the building don't have this problem. Next time we will just request away from it if we can.

 

[MamaKate]

About Transportation:

Do they share a bus with any other resort or is it a dedicated bus for SSR?

Also, is there only 1 bus stop at the resort or several stops like the moderate hotels?

Thanks,
Katie

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for the report. I guess a room not being available at 10:00 would not surprise me, since check-in isn't until 4:00. I am sure they wanted everything to be spotless for the first "official" DVC owners.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by MamaKate
About Transportation:

Do they share a bus with any other resort or is it a dedicated bus for SSR?

Also, is there only 1 bus stop at the resort or several stops like the moderate hotels?

You can see a resort map, with bus stops identified, in this post:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=574838

The stop in Congress Park is currently open. But they currently have a temporary stop near the Carriage House (check-in).

We took a bus from MK to SSR to check things out. dmbkmb was correct about the bus stop at MK not being labeled. Anyway, the bus appeared to be dedicated MK / SSR.

However, at another point in the trip I know that I saw a bus that was labeled for both OKW and SSR. Don't recall the origin of the bus. We didn't get anywhere near the bus stops at AK or Epcot, so it was probably MGM or MK. Perhaps they double-up on those two resorts during slower times of the day.

I would imagine that SSR will soon have fully dedicated service as more and more resort buildings open.

 

[DisneyFans20]

I am really glad you had a great time and I and my wife can't wait to stay there, but the one thing that troubles my wife and I is why they would have the entryways to your rooms open and not enclosed. Especially when there are so many bugs and the weather is so hot during these months. We just think this aspect of anyones trip will take away from the beauty of this resort, who wants to deal with tons of bugs at your entryway. I just think they should have made the hallways to the rooms enclosed.