Don't understand the coldness toward SSR

[StitchFan73]

Many times I have read a less than glowing review on SSR and have also noticed that SSR & OKW are often looked upon as last choice resorts and I have to say I don't get why.

We rented and stayed at SSR this past December and were pleasantly surprised. We have previously rented and stayed at AKL, both Kidani & Jambo and thought they were lovely and of course unique. But we found SSR to be beautiful in it's own way as well.

The grounds were beautiful and quite relaxing. Lots of beautiful birds, rabbits, and otters to see. The main pool was tons of fun and our DD loved the slide. I loved being so close to DTD by both bus & boat. The room (1 bedroom unit) was bright and airy. We really enjoyed the balcony and found everything to be fresh and in good repair. Staff of course, was wonderful-but I find that to be the case at all Disney properties lol. And the thing I hear the most complaints about-the buses-were fine. Normal wait times, and the longest ride to a park was 14 minutes. Yes, I can see where people would not like the stops in the resort to get to your section, but again-it's really not that bad at all.

Honestly they ONLY complaint I have about SSR was the food court. But to be fair-I'm not impressed by any of the food courts with the exception of Pop and that's just because of the variety. Which I am sure just lost me come credibility with some here. But as I said before, having DTD so close made it fine.

Just wanted to post this for folks who are on the fence about staying at SSR. We were a bit apprehensive to be honest, but in the end quite happy with this resort and would definitely stay there again in a heartbeat

 

[tammymacb]

I don't dislike the resort, but I grew up in the real Saratoga Springs, so the theme definitely doesn't appeal to me.

IMO, the #1 factor in choosing resorts is location. BWV is my location of choice.

 

[mellvswdw1]

I agree with the previous poster, I think a lot of people are looking for location. Maybe some of the coldness that you feel is because of the more condo like feel and not as much a hotel. I think it is great that there are so many DVC resorts to chose from so we can all enjoy different themes. I hope this remains the case as SSR and OKW is our personal favs, and I hope we can always get a room.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I own some points at SSR, but as a DVC owner, I think that the points per night are too high for the location. I think the points there should be closer in costs to OKW. However, we loved our THV stay with our family.

Did you see the otters? for real??? It would mean a lot to me to see them during one of our stays!!!

I do like the food offerings at SSR, but my whole family loves the food court at POP! On our last stay, we had the 3 DGC and brought them to Pop for their meal and there were 5 happy faces over dinner. That's not always the case in other restaurants.

Bobbi

 

[Mickey527]

I own at WLV but prefer OKW to anywhere. I love the quietness in the morning, I sit on my balcony sipping my tea and just relaxing. Except for the few times I had to dodge golfballs, some of those guys are funny to watch.
I prefer BCV only because I like the ease of walking back to the room after Illuminations but I haven't been lucky enough to get that resort for the past 3 years, they are always booked.
So SSR and OKW have been the two resorts I have stayed in mainly because that is all that is left.
I don't book really far in advance but even when I do the resorts I want are gone, for example, I tried to book for the 4th of July at BCV in September and they were full so I am staying at OKW. I dread the 3 hour drive back to the room after the fireworks that night.

 

[AirGoofy]

We own at SSR and enjoy the resort. I like the thought of lowering the SSR points to match OKW, but know that won't happen. SSR, like, OKW, does not have the conviences of the other modes of transportation to the other theme parks. But, it has a great view and access to DTD, soon 2 feature pools, and is a great place to relax. Glad you had an enjoyable stay.

 

[StitchFan73]

I own some points at SSR, but as a DVC owner, I think that the points per night are too high for the location. I think the points there should be closer in costs to OKW. However, we loved our THV stay with our family.

Did you see the otters? for real??? It would mean a lot to me to see them during one of our stays!!!

I do like the food offerings at SSR, but my whole family loves the food court at POP! On our last stay, we had the 3 DGC and brought them to Pop for their meal and there were 5 happy faces over dinner. That's not always the case in other restaurants.

Bobbi

When you say location, do you mean where the resort is actually located or are you just referring to the resort itself?

Yes we really did see otters. Twice in fact. They were in the Springs pond. There was a family or 3 and they were cute beyond words. I'm a big wildlife fan so I was delighted to be able to see them. I also got a kick out of how the storks and other birds line up by the canal that goes to DTD and wait for the boats to cause fish to come to the surface and get a free meal lol.

We really do love Pops food court too lol! As for the Values-it's our favorite resort. Our goal is to eventually stay at every Disney resort so we have an comparison

 

[Candy Orlando]

I stay in DVC villas to feel like I'm home three times a year for a week. That's why I always stay at OKW or SSR. They are set up like a home with a front door and my car right outside. Many people feel the same way. They love OKW and SSR!!!

 

[Sandisw]

When you say location, do you mean where the resort is actually located or are you just referring to the resort itself?

Yes we really did see otters. Twice in fact. They were in the Springs pond. There was a family or 3 and they were cute beyond words. I'm a big wildlife fan so I was delighted to be able to see them. I also got a kick out of how the storks and other birds line up by the canal that goes to DTD and wait for the boats to cause fish to come to the surface and get a free meal lol.

We really do love Pops food court too lol! As for the Values-it's our favorite resort. Our goal is to eventually stay at every Disney resort so we have an comparison

For us, it is location to the parks. When we go, we enjoy being able to walk to/from parks.

So, SSR, OKW, and AKV are not on our list of places to stay because we have to drive to all the parks from these resorts.

We had a few bad experiences with the buses when our kids were little so none of those for us.

I have not visited OKW, but have both SSR and AKV and can say they are lovely resorts. But, our main goal for our WDW, at least for now, is to visit the parks so BLT and the Epcot resorts are all we are interested in at this point.

 

[Dizny Dad]

We choose SSR for the location - away from the Disney crowds and hub-bub! It is so relaxing and easy going.

 

[TisBit]

I completely agree with your assessment of SSR. I think a lot of people follow the herd and will dislike a resort just based on reviews from others. SSR/OKW are often bashed for not being next to a theme park, but I prefer being so close to DTD. Our Disney vacation style allows us to enjoy DTD in the evenings every other night or so. Not having to rely on resort transportation to DTD is a huge plus. I have yet to find a resort that has decent bus service to DTD and is often a major pain. Being able to walk over and get a snack or food is a huge plus.

I also enjoy the brightness of the resort and the rooms are great. We rarely have a car, so I agree that the bus service is on par with any other resort. Now, a few years ago, it was a huge challenge and was very hit or miss, but they have made some significant changes that have fixed most of the problems.

I am looking forward to the Paddocks pool expansion, with CS options. This will hopefully ease some of the congestion at the current CS, but I also agree that I am not overly impressed with any of the resort CS options.

 

[rutgers1]

I like the idea of lowering the points, which I know won't happen. That resort should have had point requirements like OKW. If i was getting a killer deal, I wouldn't mind being so far from the parks.

 

[dvc4life]

We own at SSR and BLT. I have to say we love them both. They are so not like home. When we stayed at the Wilderness we hated it. Now don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful resort, but it just reminded us too much of where we live. In the woods. I mean even the kitchen was painted red just like we have it here at home.

So, we love to go to SSR for the feel of being some place different. Same with BLT. We also love staying at the BW to be able to walk to EPCOT and HS.

 

[Disneypirate85]

We own at SSR and truelly do appreciate it for what it offers. Like all the other DVC Resorts it has its plus's and minus's. And I too would agree a drop in points to bring it in line with other resorts would be nice and would increase its appeal but all of us know that will not happen. Shawn

 

[WDWMom]

We own at OKW and have stayed at all the DVC resorts with the exception of VWL. I honestly have no reason to go back to any other the OKW and SSR. We like the "a home" feel instead of the "hotel" feel which the rest of the DVC resorts give us. We also like the quietness. And truly, the buses are rarely a problem. I think it takes us longer to get thru the dang security line some days.

 

[DisneyDadC]

We own at SSR and we love it there.We like it for what it is Quiet time away from the hustle and bustle.I will agre with past posters that the food court is in serious need of enlarging.However that is my only dislike for the resort.I also do stay at the BWV when we want to be more in the mix of things( as we will be doing this summer) Each resort has appeal for different people.So I would say if you liek a resort dont worry about what others think and enjoy the resort!!!! I know I will!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

When you say location, do you mean where the resort is actually located or are you just referring to the resort itself?...

Hi, I know I said Location, but I am not that upset with how far out SSR is from any of the parks.

My problem with SSR is twofold, the point structure that I think should be closer to OKW's, and the inability to get a reservation that has a particular section attached to it. My whole family loved the treehouses and that's a section and I'm OK with the point structure of the treehouses. If it's just DH and I and we're staying at SSR, I would like to know where my reservation would be. DVC has been "good" to me when I've requested something, but I would like to be guaranteed what I ask for. I think if I had the guarantee, I wouldn't be upset with the points structure, I would deal with it better.

I do not have a lot of gripes about SSR! I think it's beautiful, and I'll keep going there to see the otters! I enjoy looking at SSR as we often eat at Fultons.

I think I answered the way I did initially is because I was trying to deal with the "coldness" of people's reception. I, personally, do not feel "cold" toward SSR, it just has a smaller (than some of the other DVCs) warm place in my heart!

Bobbi

 

[cseca]

We personally look at those 2 resorts as the last choices because of the location and size of the resort. We don't travel with a car so with the resort being so large it is difficult to get to the main building or the parks without going in a bus. And that's a huge issue for us.

I think the buildings and grounds are beautiful but for our purposes (with small child(ren)), the other resorts are much better for us.

 

[crisi]

I don't go to WDW to look at bunnies - have bunnies and deer in my back yard. My parents have a lake home we spend a lot of summer evenings and weekends at (its only 20 minutes from our house). I like being close to the parks - which is why we go to Disney - we are DVC members who still (and always will) go far more commando on our Disney vacations than a lot of other people - they are vacations to stay busy, not to sit around - we go other places to sit around - my parents place, a house up on Lake Superior owned by friends.

DTD has very little appeal to us - we aren't big shoppers. I don't like the decor of SSR's room. I don't like that the resort is so spread out - we don't rent a car at WDW.

I think the pool is lovely and love the decor of the public areas. The treehouse villas are cool.

For those that like SSR, its a wonderful resort. For those who it isn't their cup of tea, it isn't. There isn't any accounting for taste and because my taste isn't yours doesn't mean you should take it personally.

 

[a742246]

I always use SSR or OKW as the last 3 days of a split stay. I think they are fabulous resorts and I always look forward to them.