Dorky SSR questions

[Beiji]

I have two (for now!) dorky questions regarding SSR. When driving, can you exit SSR at the entrance kiosk on the corner of Broadway and Disney Vacation Club Way? I'm thinking about avoiding traffic on Buena Vista Drive. Any tips on driving to the parks from SSR (except the MK - I always take the bus to the MK)?

Since the studios don't have laundry facilities, where do you do laundry, and how much does it cost?

Thanks!

 

[Deb & Bill]

There are two ways to exit SSR - the main gate on Disney Vacation Club Drive (formerly Community Drive) and the other gated/non-attended exit close to DTD and the Fire Station. Once you get your guest ID at SSR, you can also enter through the gated/non-attended exit.

Laundry rooms are located at the pools. You will need your room ID to get into the laundry room. The largest laundry room is located near the main pool.

 

[tjkraz]

Any tips on driving to the parks from SSR (except the MK - I always take the bus to the MK)?

I'd suggest going out the main entrance, make a left toward Old Key West and just follow the signs. Epcot and MGM aren't far at all. Unless you hit a bottleneck at the park entrance, you should be parked and walking toward the turnstiles in 15 min or less.

AK will take longer to reach, but the signs will get you there without any problem.

When returning to SSR, just make sure you follow the signs for the "Downtown Disney Area." Once you get closer you will start seeing signs for Saratoga Springs.

 

[Erie Islands]

I have two (for now!) dorky questions regarding SSR.
Thanks!

Not dorky at all! I never would have thought to ask and I'm sure glad you did!

 

[Beiji]

Thanks for the info about driving and laundry.

Here's a new question: I'm thinking of taking our bicycles and am wondering if there is any place to lock bikes at Downtown Disney. I'm not sure it's worth the hassle of taking them just to ride around SSR and to Downtown Disney (what's the abbreviation - DTD? DD?). But I know if I don't take them I won't rent them because I'm too cheap!

I see this thread got moved to DVC Planning. I had posted under Resorts because I'm actually trading in, not renting points. It makes sense to move it though.

 

[Beiji]

Not dorky at all! I never would have thought to ask and I'm sure glad you did!

I like to say "dorky" because years ago on the Prodigy Disney boards I had a friend I called Dorky Donna because she paid exquisite attention to detail when giving trip reports and advice. That attention to detail has become pretty standard now, but at the time we tended to think we were a bit dorky. When I ask my dorky questions it reminds me of Dorky Donna.

 

[tkd lisa]

I noticed no one answered the laundry cost question. It's because there IS no cost. You just push in the lever. It will take money if you put it in, but it's not required.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Just an FYI, I doubt you can drive, park and enter any of the parks in less time than you can get there by taking a Disney bus. Animal Kingdom might be a toss up, but all the others are best reached by bus from SSR and OKW.

 

[Beiji]

Somehow I knew that the laundry was free at OKW but wasn't sure about the other DVC resorts. Thanks for verifying that.

I love to take Disney buses, but sometimes I'll have plans to stop somewhere else after leaving the parks (like the grocery store), and then it makes sense to drive.

I have a lot more questions, and the trip is fast approaching. I've never before decided to go with so little advance planning. But I'll catch up! Now I just have to find the right areas to post my questions.

 

[Beiji]

Since I'm exchanging in, can I make special requests like non-smoking, first floor, near main pool?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Since I'm exchanging in, can I make special requests like non-smoking, first floor, near main pool?

Yes, you can, but I believe you have to do that at the time you book through your exchange company. You should be able to add a request though also. Keep your requests simple and limit them to 3 in number. List them in order of prefernce as well. For example...Non-smoking, near main pool, first floor. Be aware that all SSR buildings have elevators, so first floor is not tht big a deal.

 

[BevS97]

Other than MK we find the bus and driving about equally convenient. For the other 3 parks we tend to park up and then just walk to the gate, it's very rare we are so far back we need to get a tram. I quite like having the car as when we leave the park we can go off and do other things.

For Magic Kingdom we would always take the Disney bus, the car is much slower.

 

[Jeremy&Susan]

Just an FYI, I doubt you can drive, park and enter any of the parks in less time than you can get there by taking a Disney bus. Animal Kingdom might be a toss up, but all the others are best reached by bus from SSR and OKW.

Diane, we had bad luck with buses this past May at most of the parks. I dont think Disney had nearly enough running.
Most parks we stayed at till close or near close and the bus line were horrible.
What made matters worse was at AK and MK we actually timed a wait of over 1/2 hour between buses, maybe Disney only had two runnng to our resort those nights?

The manager on location working the buses disappeared after many many guests started complaining to him. Needless to say, I am all for driving to the resorts if you are going to or leaving from them at a busy time.

 

[Dean]

Just an FYI, I doubt you can drive, park and enter any of the parks in less time than you can get there by taking a Disney bus. Animal Kingdom might be a toss up, but all the others are best reached by bus from SSR and OKW.

If you include the time waiting for buses on both ends, you can easily save 45 min-1 hour per day by driving. You don't have to wait for the bus and you don't have to make the rounds on the bus both ways. You do give up a little on the park end for parking and transport to the main gate unless you are in HC parking but at most about 5 minutes each direction.

 

[Dean]

Since I'm exchanging in, can I make special requests like non-smoking, first floor, near main pool?

Just call the number given to pay your $95 resort services fee. You can make requests and do dining reservations at the same time or anytime, that's what the $95 fee is for, access.

 

[Beiji]

Diane & Dean, thanks for posting about the special requests and paying the "transportation fee." I hadn't read closely and thought I paid the fee when I checked in!

 

[Dean]

Diane & Dean, thanks for posting about the special requests and paying the "transportation fee." I hadn't read closely and thought I paid the fee when I checked in!

Let me correct you. It's a resort services fee and has nothing to do with transportation.

 

[Beiji]

Hm, why did I think it was called a transportation fee? Did Disney call it that when people first started trading into DVC?

 

[Beiji]

I quite like having the car

As soon as I read that I thought you were from the UK because my friend from Scotland says "I quite like" all the time. Then I checked your location, and I was right! Quite right!

 

[Dean]

Hm, why did I think it was called a transportation fee? Did Disney call it that when people first started trading into DVC?

Disney never listed it as such. In the first couple of editions of II's wish book they listed it as a "transportation/resort services fee" then dropped the transportation part because it wasn't accurate. Anyone with a ticket has had transportation options staying on site or not ever since DVC was first opened. My guess for the reason that stuck in your mind is a lot of people make the same mistake and you likely picked it up from them, understandable of course. DVC will tell you it's not for transportation, I've asked. When you ask what it IS for, you get a vague answer. They'll tell you it's for dining reservations, the ability to make requests and the like. In reality it's just a tax to get in to WDW through II and it appears the dollars are used to run the exchange system. I'm surprised II allows it. BTW, there is no such fee for HH or VB.