Giddyup! A mini-mid-trip report from SSR -- UPDATED! And with a link to pix, too!

[Greg K.]

Hello all...from beautiful Kinko's, where I'm just checking my e-mails.

A few particulars: we arrived 5/31, and are staying until 6/13 at SSR. We got a great one bedroom villa in the Springs, very convenient to everything.

It's our first stay at this resort. A few brief impressions:

+ It's gorgeous. Do we love it? Well...it's different. We're used to staying at BWV or BCV, which are attached to hotels. That creates a different atmosphere and energy. And I miss that. Almost every day at BWV or BCV, you pass thru the lobby and there's an energy and excitement and theming that says "vacation." Here, it's more like staying at an out of the way condo. I miss not hearing jaunty music while waiting for the elevator...seeing colorful pictures of the beach on the walls...the bright white furnishings that say "Beach Home."

+ It's BIG. Too big, imho. We stopped taking the bus after the first day because half of our commute was spent stopping at different places at SSR. We drive to the parks and take the tram. That's worked out fine for us.

+ The crowds? Not bad at all. Thursday was EMH at the MK. We arrived at 8:45, just in time for the rope drop. Between 9 and 10 we WALKED onto Big Thunder RR three times, and rode the Haunted Mansion once. (Great new details have been added there, btw!) We also got a FP for Splash Mtn, though it wasn't necessary -- the wait times until 11 am were only 20 minutes on stand by! We also did the Laugh Floor, which we loved. That afternoon, we dropped by the Hollywood Studios for an early dinner at the Brown Derby, and saw the Little Mermaid. But the FP was not operating on Toy Story Mania, and the standby wait was -- gulp -- 90 minutes. So we decided to put that off for another day. At the AK, meantime, the standby waits for Everest from 9-10 am were only 20 minutes. Overall, I've found the crowds quite manageable.

+ DEFINITELY do the water parks early and early in the week! We visited Blizzard Beach Monday at 9 am, and practically had the place to ourselves! We left around 11:30 and only then were crowds starting to stream in.

We're only half-way thru our trip, so I'll try and post more later. But so far, we're having a wonderful time!

 

[utahkennedys]

Sounds like a great trip, thanks for posting! Someday I am sure we will try SSR if I can ever convince myself to try something other than OKW! We had b'fast at SSR in February and it really was pretty, just seems so big and I can't get over that! OKW is big too but somehow with the trees it doesn't feel that way to me.

 

[BCV23]

I've checked email at Kinko's in the past too. Not too far from SSR or OKW.

Enjoying your report. I preferred driving to the parks from SSR too.

Have fun on the rest of your nice long trip. TSM is a great ride IMO. Hope you get to try it soon.

We rarely do the water parks but that is a great hint and makes sense.

 

[Greg K.]

Alrighty ... we're nearing the end of our stay and I have a few more tidbits ...

+ I finally got to ride TSM, and loved it! Incredibly, at 9:15 am, just moments after park opening, the wait was already 60 minutes (how'd THAT happen??) and I wasn't in the mood to wait another 90 minutes or so for FastPass, but I was very pleased to discover they have a Single Rider Line for this attraction. I slipped into that line and was riding less than 10 minutes later. It was delightful. I'm pleased to report that RnRC has a single rider line, too, and again, I was able to do THAT with about a 15 minute wait. (When, oh WHEN are they going to incorporate a Single Rider Line for TOT??!!)

+ Speaking of TOT...I hopped onto the standby line for that this morning (Thurs 6/12) ... the wait time was posted as 25 minutes at about 10:30 am...but I was boarding the elevator after about 15 mins.

+ Crowds have picked up a bit since we arrived -- maybe it's the end of school crowd? -- but a friend of mine who works at the Yacht and Beach Club reports that they've seen the crowds starting to thin out...and he wonders if the economy (and gas prices) is finally catching up with Disney and starting to take a toll. Gas, btw, is hovering just under $4 a gallon at the Disney Hess stations.

+ As for SRR...it's growing on me, but I still prefer the BWV. I'll try and post pictures when I get home. A few things are notable, though: at about 1:30 pm I popped into Artist's Palette to refill my mug and it was JAMMED. The line was almost out the door. Literally. I think Disney needs to expand it or add a second lunch location. (The food, btw, is very good -- though, like most things at Disney, ridiculously overpriced. Flatbread pizzas for nearly $8?! The b'fasts are very VERY good, though...mmmm) Also, I heard a few grumblings about the bus service -- yet another area that seems to need serious work. Last night around 8 pm I decided to hop the bus for MK...well, it was also EMH (evening) for the AK, and the bus stop was pretty crowded, and I heard one parent muttering, loudly and unhappily, that buses had come through for every other park EXCEPT AK -- some, multiple times. He was incredulous. I don't blame him.

+ One other thing that was, I thought, unusual. We've all seen high school marching bands in the MK, warming up the crowd before the afternoon parade. Well this trip, for the first time, I saw a HS marching band at Epcot, about 30 minutes before IllumiNations. They marched around the World Showcase, playing and drumming and looking very happy -- and very hot. How long has that been going on?? Are they also doing this at the Studios??

Anywho...we check out tomorrow. I'll try and post more over the weekend...

 

[aprince&princess]

We saw a marching band at Epcot on April 19th, it was the first time I had seen a marching band at Epcot.

 

[Greg K.]

For those who are curious, I just started a web page with some pictures from our trip...it's a work in progress, but take a look here:

http://web.mac.com/gkandra/Site/Disney_08.html#grid

One other thing I found surprising: the refillable mugs are now the same at all the resorts ... it used to be kind of neat to collect different ones from around The World. But now they're the same -- though I do like the design and size much better. They're more travel-friendly and can fit in car cup holders.

 

[DVCJones]

You really have a gift for taking photos.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[tink6137130]

Thanks for sharing your pics!

 

[bmalonef45]

You have some of the best pics of WDW I've seen posted. Thx.

 

[Greg K.]

I credit trial, error and my camera lens for the pictures I didn't post the really crummy ones

I use a Pentax DSLR; the best shots -- the close ups of statues and the night shots -- were taken with a 50 mm Pentax lens which just does amazing things with low light. I've also found (forgive me for getting geeky here) that it all comes down to light. Late afternoon/twilight is best at WDW. Midday is too bright, and mornings too dim.

 

[Flyerfan]

Where is the Kinko's near SSR? What is the charge to check email?
Thnx

 

[Greg K.]

Where is the Kinko's near SSR? What is the charge to check email?
Thnx

Go down Hotel Boulevard until you hit 535 (Crossroads Shopping Center is directly across from you). Make a left. Go about 1/2 mile to the first shopping center on the right. There's a Steak n Shake, and a couple smaller stores, and a Fed Ex/Kinko's.

They're open 24 hours, and I believe the charge is $12 per hour to use the computers.

 

[Flyerfan]

Thanks Greg.

 

[CarolMN]

Awesome pictures. Thanks for the smiles!

 

[djmeen]

Thanks for sharing the pics! Great job.

Of the topic: I see you are also a mac person. Don't ya just love .mac for posting a site?

 

[Greg K.]

Thanks for sharing the pics! Great job.

Of the topic: I see you are also a mac person. Don't ya just love .mac for posting a site?

It's great! So easy to use, and so nicely designed. The templates are great. My sister, who has a Dell, grumbled though that she had a hard time seeing all the pics...after a certain point, the template just went blank. Weird. Nobody else has complained about it...

 

[ADP]

Thanks for the pics!

 

[CarolAnnC]

Thanks so much for sharing!

Was the 20 min wait for Everest in the morning?

 

[roselark]

I have to agree with everyone else...GREAT pics!! SSR looks so tranquil. I will definitely have to plan on staying there some time.

BTW, I am on a Dell and I had no issues viewing the pics! Maybe it was her internet connection?

 

[Greg K.]

Thanks so much for sharing!

Was the 20 min wait for Everest in the morning?

Yes. I think Everest also has a single riders line (like Rock and Roller Coaster and TSM), which is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They've had that for years at Universal, so it's nice to see Disney realizing a good idea worth stealing