Does anyone else sense an undercurrent of negativity on these boards surrounding ssr?

[goodcook5]

I sense that many people wish that the current offering from dvc was something other than ssr.

I see postings including topics such as:
Pools too small/not enough pools
Too large(as in the entire complex)
Long walk to boat
Long walk to theme pool
Unavailability of other DVC resorts at 7 month window
Construction noise
Limited availability of view of DTD
Outside walk ways

But even beyond these topics that I have seen posted, there seem to be an undercurrent--even from owners of ssr that the resort is not as good as the others.

Do people wish they could buy some other location and still have the extra 12 years?

Are people worried about these future problems because ssr is only in phase 2?

We have stayed at many many locations and like ssr as much as any other...

Each as unique pros and cons.

And so far we have had good success trading in at the 7 month mark.

Even if we can't ssr will be great for us.

Anyway, anyone else feel this?

 

[DukeStreetKing]

It just comes down to not being able to please all of the people all of the time. I bought at SSR sight unseen and have been very happy with my decision. It's not the perfect resort but the other resorts aren't perfect, either. OKW has a great point system and large rooms. VWL has the WL connection with it's great theming and architecture. SSR has the proximity to DTD which makes it extremely easy to catch other transportation to any other area of WDW.

If people aren't happy with SSR then they shouldn't buy into it and try for a resale on a resort that they prefer.

 

[Doug7856]

I think DVC members are very passionate about the resort where they own. I for one am not very tolerant of those who don't just love SSR! From my perspective SSR is the best DVC resort with modern amenities, wonderful landscaping, lots of member activities and great accommodations.

Opinions on the various resorts are very subjective. What I love, others detest. One of the great things about DVC is the wide range of theme choices and Walt Disney World resort locations. I wouldn't let negative opinions deter anyone from staying at SSR.

 

[RoutemanDan]

It's the way it goes. When VWL and BCV came online there were tons of negative posts on them.
Before that, Vero was the favorite to be picked on.Also during the Vero time frame, the OKW /BWV wars were prominent.

Just wait until (if) The Contemporary comes.

 

[jctwizzer]

Have noticed perhaps more negative posts than expected, and am not sure why they're being posted. Many are from people who have never been there and experienced a stay, or those belonging to other DVC resorts who have gone thru and feel compelled to make their opinion known. We don't belong there; we have stayed there. In our opinion, like most of the other resorts, the positives at SSR far outweigh the negatives. Since all comments are in the eye of the beholder, the usual "squeaky wheel rule" probably applies. For every negative comment posted, there are probably 50+ (and that's a low ball estimate) positive opinions that never are seen on these boards. I commented one time about a poster's one negative post about a meal at Olivia's; and she took me to task for questioning the reason for posting. As info, my wife and I have probably had 70+ positive meals at Olivias and never felt it was necessary to write a post out of it. But who gets the attention??
JMHO

 

[DebbieB]

I bought BWV in September of 99, the only other onsite DVC was OKW. The negative threads about BWV were unbelievable. The small rooms, the long walks, bad front desk cm's. But I knew in my mind that I was making the right choice (for me).

 

[drakethib]

I sense that many people wish that the current offering from dvc was something other than ssr.

I see postings including topics such as:
Pools too small/not enough pools
Too large(as in the entire complex)
Long walk to boat
Long walk to theme pool
Unavailability of other DVC resorts at 7 month window
Construction noise
Limited availability of view of DTD
Outside walk ways

But even beyond these topics that I have seen posted, there seem to be an undercurrent--even from owners of ssr that the resort is not as good as the others.

Do people wish they could buy some other location and still have the extra 12 years?

Are people worried about these future problems because ssr is only in phase 2?

We have stayed at many many locations and like ssr as much as any other...

Each as unique pros and cons.

And so far we have had good success trading in at the 7 month mark.

Even if we can't ssr will be great for us.

Anyway, anyone else feel this?

I guess is it to each their own.

Personally I like the way that SSR looks and wouldn't mind staying at SSR if I could get a room facing DTD, but as far as having it be my home resort, I think it is a little big for my taste. Last time we were in Disney we walked through the resort and the buidlings looked very nice but we got lost during the walk trying to find the boat back down to POFQ.


OKW is our home resort and many people think it is to big and to far from everything.

Different Strokes for Different Folks.

 

[John Dobbertin]

Biggest negatives we continue to hear are Beach Club Villas. We're DVC at VWL & stay there a lot. This January we heard many-many complaints about the Beach Club Villas -- nothing about SSR. Toured there & no question it is huge -- bigger than all of the other DVC villas combined! It is also beautiful.

 

[LIFERBABE]

The only comments that irk me are the It's Huge, Bigger than all DVC's combined comments.............

It is not and never will be.

I own at BCV, BWV, OKW and SSR. For those that have never stayed at any DVC resort, they may be easily misled by the negative comments and think the other resorts must be so much better.

As stated, each resort has its strong and weak points. What we plan to do on vacation, dictates which one we choose to reserve. They are all beautiful and I would be more than happy to be "stuck" at any of them, but I wanted the 11 month window so I have more control of where I choose to stay.

There are alot of inaccurate assumptions made on this board and they are perpetuated in other threads as fact. We really enjoy our SSR vacations just as much/more as we have at BCV, VWL, and BWV.

 

[Bracho]

I'm not going to judge the resort til I stay there but I would rather read both the good and the bad about the place to make sure I can avoid those problems when I stay there... after all that's what these boards are all about.

Not every resort is for every person and I learned along time ago that one has to be tolerant of other people's views on every subject. When I come to the DIS, I can tell the difference between a very bad stay and a stay that got a little messed up because of a problem that happened.

 

[John Dobbertin]

Liferbabe: You are correct. Sorry about that. Checking the stats: VWL 132; VBoardwalk 532, VBeach 354, & OKW at a whopping 761 (it never "looks" that big). Understand SSR to come in at somewhere between 800 & 1,000 when completely built-out. Somehow OKW never "looks" that big. Something about the way SSR is structured that makes each of the buildings seem very large & the entire package appears really big.

 

[Beca]

Liferbabe: You are correct. Sorry about that. Checking the stats: VWL 132; VBoardwalk 532, VBeach 354, & OKW at a whopping 761 (it never "looks" that big). Understand SSR to come in at somewhere between 800 & 1,000 when completely built-out. Somehow OKW never "looks" that big. Something about the way SSR is structured that makes each of the buildings seem very large & the entire package appears really big.

Wow!! My stats are VERY different from yours. According to the DVC member handbook:

BCV 208
BWV 383
OKW 531
SSR 828 (At completion of 18 buildings)
VWL 136
HHI 102
VB 175

I'm just curious....where did you get your stats? It would be very interesting to see if DVC is publishing different numbers in different places.

And, as to the "SSR is bigger than all other DVC resorts combined" comment. I have never seen that posted, but there IS truth to the matter that SSR WILL be bigger than BWV + BCV + VWL (those three combined = 727, where SSR will have 828). And, as someone who has posted that in the past, I in now way mean to "degrade" SSR by saying that. It is simply a fact. It would be much like someone implying that "All other DVC resorts are substandard" if they mentioned that OKW rooms are bigger than any others, and still require the fewest points (Oh wait....didn't Richyams kind of do just that ).

I think owners may be more sensitive to the comments about their home resort. You see a lot of "negative" SSR posts, but I have seen a lot of "People are stupid if they buy resale" posts. Why did I notice those so much???? Well, probably because I have bought SEVERAL resale contracts, and get a little irritated by such suggestions....therefore, they stick in my mind. Although, I tend not to post on those threads because I don't really care "enough" to do so....I am THRILLED with my resale purchases.

And, if you think SSR is getting "slammed"....try looking back at posts last spring and summer....BCV was getting TOTALLY slammed for housekeeping and the state of the rooms. Plus, BWV ALWAYS seems to get slammed for it's "long hallways" (we were at the end, and it didn't bother us at all). But, you seldom see a BWV report that DOESN'T mention the "long hallways"....especially when it is a "non-owner".

But, personally...I think the MOST trashed resort is VB. People talk about "Is there anything to do there?", "Do you think DVC will 'sell it off?'", "DVC couldn't get rid of it", "It gets ROFR'ed at a much lower price because DVC doesn't want it back", etc. All of this, and VB have the highest dues, too.

I think each DVC resort has a lot to offer for VERY different reasons. For some reason, SSR owners seem to get a lot more "vocal" when they feel people are being "negative" towards their resort. I own at BCV, BWV, and OKW....I really think it is funny when people start talking smack about one of those resorts, and I usually read the thread thinking, "Good...maybe others will read this and NOT want to stay there...more selection for me." There was a particularly scathing thread on BCV and the state of the rooms last summer. This thread just went on and on with people talking about how "bad" BCV had become. It trashed the ceiling fans, the air conditioning, the furniture, the road noise, housekeeping, management, and EVEN SAB. I had not visited BCV last year (or ANY DVC resort), and upon reading that thread, thought, "I am so glad I bought BWV instead of BCV...even with those LONG hallways, I'm sure I will be in a MUCH nicer resort". Well, imagine my surprise when I went "home" for the first time and "fell in LOVE" with BCV!!! But, the interesting thing is, looking back...there were no real BCV "defenders". The ONLY posts I saw in defense of BCV basically said, "Great!!! You don't like it? Don't stay there....that'll leave more rooms for me!"

Now, I COMPLETELY understand where those posters are coming from!!! I LOVE BCV, and can read such "negative" threads and laugh!! No one can "damper" my love of that resort, and I think most BCV owners don't "defend" their resort for the same reasons....a waste of breath, and really....we don't really care if people don't like BCV....they can just stay somewhere else. I seriously think that, because a substantial number of SSR owners have not been able to stay there yet, they feel a need to "defend" their resort, and those threads stay on the top page a lot. I also think there are a relatively high number of people who tour, don't really want to buy at SSR and ask about buying resale (and, those threads usually turn into a "trash" and "defend" SSR conversation).

The bottom line is this....people should buy where they are happy, and then don't WORRY what others say (even me...the TOTAL BCV maniac). No one else's opinion of your resort should matter...it's YOUR vacation, YOUR time, and YOUR money....own where YOU want to.

SSR is certainly "here to stay", and no amount of negative, or seemingly negative posts can change that. Why not "enjoy" all the threads that you read that bother you....maybe no one will stay at SSR, and you will NEVER have a problem staying at your resort!!!

When life gives you lemons...just make lemonade!!! And just think....you'll be able to drink it on the porch of SSR, and laugh!!!



Beca

 

[offtheice]

It just comes down to not being able to please all of the people all of the time. I bought at SSR sight unseen and have been very happy with my decision. It's not the perfect resort but the other resorts aren't perfect, either. OKW has a great point system and large rooms. VWL has the WL connection with it's great theming and architecture. SSR has the proximity to DTD which makes it extremely easy to catch other transportation to any other area of WDW.

If people aren't happy with SSR then they shouldn't buy into it and try for a resale on a resort that they prefer.

Agree. Staying at any resort isnt my top reason i go to disney . Its seeing the joy and fun that my family has on a vaca at the best place in the world..

 

[John Dobbertin]

Becca: Source for "my numbers" Unofficial Guide '05. & I should have checked before I posted. I heard so many DVC people make the comment about the size of SSR I bought into what they said. Bad mistake on my part. We did hear on our sales tour at SSR that SSR was going to come in "at-or-over" 1,000 units before completed. Could have been an error on the part of an eager sales staffer. We have purchased at WLV both from Disney & in the resale market. Savings in resale purchase is substantial. We have to admire Disney, however, in their efforts to put a "floor" under the resale market. We are also Hilton Grand Vacation Club members -- and we have purchased every point we own there in the resale market. Hilton does not have a floor under their pricing. The difference is dramatic. We purchased our Disney points at an average of about $70 -- & they're on the resale market now for well over that. Hilton points are at what we paid -- & it's good we purchased in the resale market or we would have taken about a 40% loss if we were to sell. So -- a salute to DVC! & as I mentioned in an earlier post, the SSR is beautiful & owners there will be extremely pleased as the development is completed -- no matter how many units!

 

[karebear1]

It's the way it goes. When VWL and BCV came online there were tons of negative posts on them.
Before that, Vero was the favorite to be picked on.Also during the Vero time frame, the OKW /BWV wars were prominent.

Just wait until (if) The Contemporary comes.

RoutemanDan is right- it is the way it goes! Seems like it was just yesterday taht all these things were being said about BCV's!

It'll pass when a new one comes along.

 

[disneycrazed139]

Well, after all it is a discussion board, and people like to discuss pros and cons. It helps everyone make better decisions. I agree that since I have been on the boards, SSR does seem to take a bum rap.

It makes no difference to me. I can understand why the resort wouldn't appeal to some and why it would to others. I love all the resorts, but SSR is the perfect place for us. I bought it sight unseen, too, and have not been disappointed.

I think once they make the selection bigger at Artist Palette and once everyone is relieved that the pool issue isn't really an issue, there will be less discussion about it.

In the meantime, I'll just keep on enjoying it myself!

 

[Sammie]

Personally I think when you compare the number of rooms at SSR to VWL, BCV, and BWV you have to include the nonDVC side also. They do share all amenties and to me that makes more sense than saying the BCV is a resort that only has 200 something rooms. When it is much larger when you add in the BC and YC. Those numbers affect the pools, the restaurants, the check in areas, basically everything. Just as SSR.

 

[DrTomorrow]

I do feel that there's been some SSR "bashing" (perhaps too strong of a word, but you know what I mean). However, I'm able to take it in context; it's very true that other resorts, when they were new, also took a beating.

There's one other reason, though: that's the fact that SSR isn't done yet. It's unfinished status makes it open season on SSR for all frustrated prognosticators. Everyone who makes a statement like "it's going to be too big for the pool" is safe; it's going to take years before it's done; by then, no one is going to remember what DVCXPert (a fictional name, not based on any real-life DIS member) said back in 2004. It's different for a completed resort; if someone makes an observation, it can either be verified or refuted. And when someone attacks a "real" aspect of SSR, it too can be factually discussed (the walk from CP to the pool vs. the wall along the long hallways of BWV). But there's no way to respond when someone makes a comment about what "SSR will be like when it's done", because no one knows yet what that is. IMHO, it's like complaining to Da Vinci that the "Mona Lisa" looks kind of dull, when he hadn't yet painted her smile....

Be well!

 

[DebbieB]

Wow!! My stats are VERY different from yours. According to the DVC member handbook:

BCV 208
BWV 383
OKW 531
SSR 828 (At completion of 18 buildings)
VWL 136
HHI 102
VB 175

I'm just curious....where did you get your stats? It would be very interesting to see if DVC is publishing different numbers in different places.

It depends on how they count the lockoffs. At OKW, if you count the 1 bedroom/studio lockoffs as one 2 bedroom, you get 531. If you count them as a separate 1 bedroom & studio, you get 761. DVC counts them as 1 room. If you look at the Public Offering Statement for OKW, it shows 0 studios & 0 1 bedrooms, and 200+ 2 bedroom lockoffs (can't remember the exact number).

 

[John Dobbertin]

While VWL does share the WL lobby. etc. VWL also has its own swimming pool & hot tub. I do think this entire discussion jumps off-stream at some critical points -- & I'll take the rap for having moved it in a "wrong direction" re. the size of SSR. However BCV continues to take big-time heat in the complaint department. Not certain of all negative details, but we heard complaints loud-and-clear at WDW in January. We did not hear negatives about SSR -- in fact, on the contrary -- a lot of happy customers!