Dissapointed with SSR

[rinkwide]

If you think the SSR is so bad then just stay at the RIU and then you will wish that you were at the SSR!

Eva, if, instead of a new SSR owner, you were a VWL owner lamenting the loss of essentially all booking spontaneity at your home resort you might have a very different outlook.

 

[lllovell]

Eva, if, instead of a new SSR owner, you were a VWL owner lamenting the loss of essentially all booking spontaneity at your home resort you might have a very different outlook.

That probably sums up the biggest issue here - A newbie like me hasn't had to change my plans because I could not get into the resort I choose (so far OKW and SSR - both of which are easier to get into) but if I were an owner elsewhere and liked to book within the last 7 months, I would probably start experiencing difficulty. This issue could have always existed (hence the 11/7 window program in place) but without a doubt, it will start mattering at some point down the road more so because is already DOES happen in peak times and with certain room types NOW. The system in place does provide protection, but it will change certain people's planning habits.

I think this one deserves a poll. (I will do my best, but it will be my first - so go easy on me )

 

[SoCalKDG]

I really think the key here is where the next DVC will be built. If they build another resort the size of SSR, then the smaller resort blitz at 7 months or less will be even worse. If they build at an existing hotel(contemporary), this will add a smaller amount of members while adding another smaller destination resort.

 

[crisi]

Just cause I'm a geek....

If you take the available/desired, you get an "availability index" As numbers get higher, there is more availability. One would indicate that there is "balance" at that resort.

1.365916399 OKW
0.899588961 BWV
0.443024494 BCV
0.278974359 VWL
2.632750397 SSR

Now before SSR it looked like this:

2.191196699 OKW
1.313142857 BWV
0.594285714 BCV
0.363636364 VWL

The "losers" look to be the people who want to book BWVs on shorter notice - it moved from having an overall surplus to a (slight) deficit. BCV and VWL were already tight and got tighter.

We don't have VB or HHI in here at all and we should.

 

[Daggett]

My DW and I love SSR and OKW. IMHO the staff at SSR and OKC are some of the best at WDW.

And frankly I think we were imprinted years ago when we would go to what was then "The Villiage" and have a steak at Chef Mickey's or get one of those nasty hamburgers at Goofy's. We would always look at the golf course villias and swear we would stay in them someday. (Same for the Treehouses.)

I do miss Chef Mickey, Minne Mia's Pizzeria, and the Gourmet Pantry at DTD. They would have been a quick walk away from SSR, but life goes on.

If only they would build an Irish Pub close to SSR.

Oh, wait a minute, there's one opening this summer! I need more points!!!

 

[athenna]

My DW and I love SSR and OKW. IMHO the staff at SSR and OKC are some of the best at WDW.

And frankly I think we were imprinted years ago when we would go to what was then "The Villiage" and have a steak at Chef Mickey's or get one of those nasty hamburgers at Goofy's. We would always look at the golf course villias and swear we would stay in them someday. (Same for the Treehouses.)

I do miss Chef Mickey, Minne Mia's Pizzeria, and the Gourmet Pantry at DTD. They would have been a quick walk away from SSR, but life goes on.

If only they would build an Irish Pub close to SSR.

Oh, wait a minute, there's one opening this summer! I need more points!!!

Looking forward to walking over to that Irish pub when it opens!!
I have to agree- I miss the Gourmet Panty. EOS is nice, I guess but GP had so much to choose from.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Evaready says: We made the big mistake of staying off site at a deplorable hotel, the RIU. That experience propelled us into visiting and purchasing at SSR. When we took the tour we were just blown away at the facilities

Just a mention......one can't really even begin to compare some offsite hotels/motels to DVC accomodations---it's like apples and oranges. I would fully expect SSR to blow away RIU. But there are some very nice offsite timeshares in the Orlando area that can be considered on par with DVC.

Crisi says : The "losers" look to be the people who want to book BWVs on shorter notice - it moved from having an overall surplus to a (slight) deficit. BCV and VWL were already tight and got tighter.

While I agree that there are popular times during the year where booking BCV/BWV can be tough, I had no problem finding availability at these resorts less than 60 days out during the summer months in '02 and '03 (last time I tried). I was able to secure just about anything I wanted at BWV and got most of what I wanted at BCV (but would have to wailtlist for a day or two and I didn't want to take the chance of having to move). During these calls to MS I was looking into studios and 1BR's. And I'll add......couldn't find any studio or 1 BR's less than 60 days out at VWL during the summer of '03 (late July/Aug).
I don't feel DVC is unique to difficulties securing reservations on shorter notice. I think this is just the way the timeshare industry works. I know even at my offsite timeshare, Vistana, I have had alot of trouble getting reservations at less than 6-7 months and forget 2-3 months out. I normally make reservation there 10-12 months out just so I'm certain I get what I want.

 

[crisi]

While I agree that there are popular times during the year where booking BCV/BWV can be tough, I had no problem finding availability at these resorts less than 60 days out during the summer months in '02 and '03 (last time I tried). I was able to secure just about anything I wanted at BWV and got most of what I wanted at BCV (but would have to wailtlist for a day or two and I didn't want to take the chance of having to move). During these calls to MS I was looking into studios and 1BR's. And I'll add......couldn't find any studio or 1 BR's less than 60 days out at VWL during the summer of '03 (late July/Aug).

Yep, in 2002/2003 SSR wasn't operating 823 rooms. Nor are they now. In 2002, with the assumptions Ken made, you'd been looking at an "availbility index" at BWV of 1.31 - more rooms than desire. VWL had an index of .36, more desire than rooms. The point is - the balance changes with each resort added. I wouldn't expect you to have the same luck with BCVs at all in another year or so, and you're more likely find yourself in the situation you were in with BCV at BWVs - some availability, but much sparser. Resorts that are much bigger than average (SSR) will make all resorts smaller than them harder to get on shorter notice. Additional smaller resorts will start to bring the balance in line, although with resorts of varying size - if all resorts are desired equally - there will always be inbalance.

And I think there will always be time you "get lucky." I don't trust how that waitlist works. I think sometimes rooms are released into the system and don't get automatically assigned to the next person in line - but instead will go to the next person who calls. I know that was the case a few years ago - the waitlist was batch processed at night, which means you could get lucky and get availablity for a room, even if there was a waitlist. It was reported here that they fixed that....I'm not convinced.

And tjkraz is right, for those willing to work with the system (booking at seven months, maybe even day by day calling when MS opens, using the waitlist), there will be less disappointment than for those who think they can get that VWL studio 60 days out. I don't think that is selfish, and I do think that is understanding the big picture.

 

[keef22]

If only they would build an Irish Pub close to SSR.

Oh, wait a minute, there's one opening this summer! I need more points!!!

Woohoo! An Irish Pub? Where?! Help me find more info about that! We're making our first trip home in October and THAT makes SSR sound even more like home!

 

[icydog]

somebody mentioned a DVC resort at AKL and it sparked off a light in my head. When we were last there in January I spoke with an assistant manager about the size of the resort. He said the developed part is a tiny fraction of the land that surrounds the hotel. He also said they left the land empty to accommodate a DVC resort that might be in the works, since I don't remember his timeline, anytime from now to 2042.

 

[jade1]

Just cause I'm a geek....

If you take the available/desired, you get an "availability index" As numbers get higher, there is more availability. One would indicate that there is "balance" at that resort.

1.365916399 OKW
0.899588961 BWV
0.443024494 BCV
0.278974359 VWL
2.632750397 SSR

Now before SSR it looked like this:

2.191196699 OKW
1.313142857 BWV
0.594285714 BCV
0.363636364 VWL

The "losers" look to be the people who want to book BWVs on shorter notice - it moved from having an overall surplus to a (slight) deficit. BCV and VWL were already tight and got tighter.

We don't have VB or HHI in here at all and we should.

Geek Schmeek. That is a great response and very telling.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I enjoy both standalone and hotel type resorts. Eagle Pines doesn't appeal to me because I already have the option of OKW and SSR. A DVC at CR does appeal to me. If the rumor about an Orlando Disney Sea comes true, it might be cool to have a DVC there.

Bottom line, wherever they put a DVC resort, if they do it well and make it special, people will stay there.

I'm anxious to see SSR.

 

[rinkwide]

I've been pretty critical up 'til now but I have to admit that there's nothing wrong with SSR that Nine Fine Irishmen couldn't fix.

 

[DrTomorrow]

[...] with the assumptions Ken made [...]

Ah just lurve a critical mathematical analysis - stretched out way beyond the appropriate number of significant digits - based solely on assumptions.

OK, my turn.

I officially assume that, 20 years from now, when all DVC owners are two decades older, the ability to walk (for 10, 20 or 30 minutes) to a theme park or two will be thought of as a negative, and the ability to park within yards of your building and take a bus everywhere on-site - including the pool - will suddenly make SSR the place to be! You'll need a wristband just to walk around! Booked solid at 11 months - one day!

 

[jade1]

Ah just lurve a critical mathematical analysis - stretched out way beyond the appropriate number of significant digits - based solely on assumptions.

OK, my turn.

I officially assume that, 20 years from now, when all DVC owners are two decades older, the ability to walk (for 10, 20 or 30 minutes) to a theme park or two will be thought of as a negative, and the ability to park within yards of your building and take a bus everywhere on-site - including the pool - will suddenly make SSR the place to be! You'll need a wristband just to walk around! Booked solid at 11 months - one day!

You forgot by then we will all have those 2 wheel scooters you see at EPCOT.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Ah just lurve a critical mathematical analysis - stretched out way beyond the appropriate number of significant digits - based solely on assumptions.

OK, my turn.

I officially assume that, 20 years from now, when all DVC owners are two decades older, the ability to walk (for 10, 20 or 30 minutes) to a theme park or two will be thought of as a negative, and the ability to park within yards of your building and take a bus everywhere on-site - including the pool - will suddenly make SSR the place to be! You'll need a wristband just to walk around! Booked solid at 11 months - one day!

Who's going to walk. I'll be taking that 5-10 minute boat ride to Epcot & DS, I'm a BWV owner.

Then again, based on your assumption, if you can't walk 20 minutes to a theme park, how are you going to actually walk in the theme park?


Oh, by the way, my assumptions in the calculations do nothing to disprove the point that was being made:

Each new mega DVC resort makes it that much more difficult to get into a smaller DVC resort.


Answer the following:

Would you rather have 10 different resorts with 300 rooms available or 5 resorts with 600 rooms available assuming equal quality, just different themes and locations?

To me thats an easy one, give me a choice of 10 different resorts. I may not use them, but the oppurtunity is there.

 

[Dean]

Eva, if, instead of a new SSR owner, you were a VWL owner lamenting the loss of essentially all booking spontaneity at your home resort you might have a very different outlook.

That's true but the real problems are those that already are members and want to use a non home resort at the 7 month window. All an owner at any given resort has to do is reserve before the 7 month window opens up. That's the way the system works and as tjkraz pointed out, those of us who know the system and how to game it, will usually do very well. I don't deny that but it will create the same problem, only to a MUCH higher degree, than people complain about those that reserve then rent high demand times. Any time you reserve a high demand unit, resort, time; you are taking it away from one or more other members.

And while there's no denying that each and every resort will have it's followers and all are great resorts in their own way, that's not the question at all. So when someone posts "their" favorite resort that's fine but has no real meaning to the availability issue. What is the core issue is the overall percentages of people that will stay at their home resort consistently over the years, not when they are new members. And I find it hard to believe that anyone thinks that SSR and OKW owners as a whole will not try to trade to BWV, VWL and BCV more than the reverse. To truly measure this you'd have to have the info for both successful and non successful non home resort reservation attempts. I think it's already proven with OKW and to a degree with SSR in that if you call and can't get X, Y & Z but can get A & B, you've answered the question. So when someone says it's easier to get OKW and SSR at the 7 month window, that is the SAME as saying those owners are trading to BCV, BWV and VWL more than the reverse. I guess the closest you could get on this board would be a poll of members with at least 2 years or more ownership who have at least 4 or more stays with a min of one at their home resort and one at the other type of resort but in similar units types. Better for those that have owned much longer and stayed at all resorts in a similar unit type, preferably not a studio.

Thus to repeat from earlier, it's not right or wrong, it's just the way it is. You learn the system then if there are factors that change, you modify your approach accordingly. It has always be such.

I don't feel DVC is unique to difficulties securing reservations on shorter notice. I think this is just the way the timeshare industry works. I know even at my offsite timeshare, Vistana, I have had alot of trouble getting reservations at less than 6-7 months and forget 2-3 months out. I normally make reservation there 10-12 months out just so I'm certain I get what I want.

There's no question that is true to a degree. Every system has it's advantages and disadvantages. Club Intrawest has NO home resort priority so all members are competing from day one for all reservations but esp the high demand ones like Whistler Christmas and Spring Break. Some resorts have lockoff's, some are fixed weeks and/or units, other float within a time frame. One should take ALL of this into account prior to buying but it's impossible to account for every variable for the entire length of ownership.

 

[DrTomorrow]

[...] And I find it hard to believe that anyone thinks that SSR and OKW owners as a whole will not try to trade to BWV, VWL and BCV more than the reverse. [...]

Aw, Dean - you need to work on your believe-ability. I try to believe 6 impossible things before breakfast; quite a mind-stretcher.

And I simply love people on the DIS DVC forum proposing to ask the people on the DIS DVC forum about booking habits. Is there anyone out there who believe that this little group of Disney obsessives in any way mirrors the general population of point-forfeiting, last-minute reserving 90,000 DVC owners? Anyone? Bueller?

Dean's right, though - unless Disney starts releasing hard figures, all we're left with is individual (and DIS DVC forum, which is almost the same) assumptions about resorts, and our reading.of.tea.leaves.and.entrails of the dozen or so posts that say "I could / couldn't get into Resort XYZ at time t".

Be well!

PS to Ken: That's easy. Since we're easy going and easy to please, and have no great need for twice the variation, I'd say the 5 resorts w/600 rooms. And not only would that please me, but it would probably benefit everyone, as - given economies of scale and a smaller number of brands ("resort names") to market, provide mugs for, etc. - overall DVC dues would be less (I believe there is some portion of our dues that covers things beyond our home resort). More DVC buses, more bus stops at theme parks, increased complexity for that on-line system that's due any year now. Hey, Las Vegas has dozens of choices, but we only utilize a few - and having the additional choices yields no benefit to me.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Since it is all opinion
AND
It really doesn't matter to me
AND
I bought into our home resort with eyes wide open
AND
You folks are just too cute to argue with for long (you too, Daitcher! )
And
I'll be at WDW in two days!!!

I'm more that willing to bow out of this little debate, conceding to those who are more concerned than I that

BCV, BWV and BWV (The Three) are more popular than SSR
AND
More SSR owners will want to stay at The Three than The Three owners will want to stay at SSR
AND
There will be some imbalance at the 7 month window
AND
SSR is just too farking big!!!!

Be well!

 

[crisi]

Its not very reasonable that SSR will be eight times as popular as VWL. Or six times as popular as BCVs. It may be just as popular. Maybe it will be more popular.

And, yes, we aren't typical. As has been said, we will know how to game the system. But those point forfeiting, last-minute reserving DVC owners are the ones that are going to cause MS grief. They are the ones that are going to tell their neighbors "Disney's timeshare isn't any better than the other slimy timeshares, they told me I'd be able to use my points at BCV and I've never been able to."