I believe Disney will do something to differentiate SSR......

[manning]

I have heard there was going to be a total of three theme pools.

 

[LisaS]

I brought this idea up a while back. I think the lazy river should go by all the building and it should be sand lined. So it's like a north Jersey beach.

I remember reading your post about that and thought it was a very cool idea, but would probably cost more to build and maintain than Disney would be willing to spend unless they could charge admission to use it! Earlier in that same thread, I had suggested something more modest, something similar to the lazy river that goes around the pool area at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. It's not a very long river, but it's a lot of fun to swim or float around in it and it's a nice change from splashing around in a regular pool. Being contained within a new pool area, it wouldn't require them to change anything that's already in place at SSR. And by making it off limits to pool hopping, it would make SSR more desireable and take some of the booking pressure off BCV.

But overall I agree with Crisi. I can't see them doing anything more to SSR if they believe they can sell it out as is. In my comments about this in the other thread, I had proposed this as a way to improve sales if the rumors were true that sales at SSR were lagging. Otherwise, I think the only improvements they will make will be improvements to existing amenities in response to strong feedback from SSR owners, such as they are doing by adding sit-down dining at the Turf Club.

 

[bpmorley]

Personally I like SSR the way it is. I only bring this up because the thread is asking for ways to make SSR stand out. It can stay like it is and I will be happy. But I wouldn't mind seeing some of the ideas on these boards happen either.

 

[DrTomorrow]

I think the single best thing they could do is build a pool to rival SAB with no pool hopping allowed. A lot of us who own at other resorts would end up competing at the 7-month window to get into SSR now and then so that we could enjoy its wonderful new pool. Put in a lazy river and I'm so there![...]

Two problems: too nice of a pool complex starts to steal paying customers from BB & TL, and not every DVC owner thinks that SAB is a big plus....

I'm on the Lewisc bandwagon - unless sales at SSR come to a screeching halt, Disney will see no reason to dramatically improve SSR; unless, that is, Disney thinks that they can make more money off of it (carriage rides generate more $$$, for example). I can incremental improvements, like they are already doing with Turf Club, and maybe some cosmetic additions (my plea for a little whimsy) but not a fantasmagorical pool or monorail, etc.

Of course, we love our SSR just as she is

IMHO - YMMV

 

[bpmorley]

Two problems: too nice of a pool complex starts to steal paying customers from BB & TL, and not every DVC owner thinks that SAB is a big plus....

I'm on the Lewisc bandwagon - unless sales at SSR come to a screeching halt, Disney will see no reason to dramatically improve SSR; unless, that is, Disney thinks that they can make more money off of it (carriage rides generate more $$$, for example). I can incremental improvements, like they are already doing with Turf Club, and maybe some cosmetic additions (my plea for a little whimsy) but not a fantasmagorical pool or monorail, etc.

Of course, we love our SSR just as she is

IMHO - YMMV

I never even thought of a monorail. That would rock.

 

[Sammie]

Disney will not build another SAB, maybe a nice themed pool with cool slide but not an SAB, due to costs.

 

[bpmorley]

Disney will not build another SAB, maybe a nice themed pool with cool slide but not an SAB, due to costs.

They may not even build another theme pool. They already have one with a slide

 

[LisaS]

Disney will not build another SAB, maybe a nice themed pool with cool slide but not an SAB, due to costs.

I'm not a big fan of SAB myself and wasn't advocating building something similar at SSR. Rather, I would like to see them build a pool that offers something unique. That's what I meant about something to rival SAB -- it wouldn't have to be a big sprawling pool complex, but put in something unique that no other DVC resort pool has. That's why the idea of a small lazy river came to mind.

My favorite hotel in Las Vegas is Mandalay Bay. I like the decor, love their fitness center and spa, the buffet restaurant serves a great breakfast and I love floating around their lazy river for an hour or so in the afternoon. Their river is not very long and certainly nothing like the one at TL, but it's just enough to offer a different sort of pool experience -- floating around in an inner tube or paddling along with the current.

SSR already has some things in common with Mandalay Bay: a fitness center and spa, upscale decor, so if I could just get nice buffet breakfast there and float around in a small lazy river as I do at MB, I would find SSR hard to resist. I agree that it's unlikely they would do anything along those lines. It's just my own personal vision of what SSR could be.

It's probably just as well. The last thing I need is to feel compelled to add on more points somewhere else!

 

[cobbler]

What makes the AKL pool so special that no hopping is allowed their either?

They could do something along those lines to a second mini themed pool for SSR. Of course I have no idea what AKL pool or anything looks like as I have never seen it but there must be something about it if you can't hop there.

 

[crisi]

What makes the AKL pool so special that no hopping is allowed their either?

They could do something along those lines to a second mini themed pool for SSR. Of course I have no idea what AKL pool or anything looks like as I have never seen it but there must be something about it if you can't hop there.

Nothing. The pool is relatively small for the size of the resort and sits fairly close to the Savannah. AKL gets a lot of its own tourist traffic - and when the resort opened the rationale was "not to disturb the animals."

It is a zero entry pool, so while the surface area of the pool is HUGE, a proportion of the pool is relatively shallow. Zero entry is nice for kids (SSR is also zero entry, I think they now build them that way to fill ADA requirements). They have an OK pool slide - a lot like the one at WL - rather tame compared to SAB or the Keister Coaster.

I suppose they could paddock horses by the SSR pool - then you'd get the animal thing. Personally, the smell of horses wouldn't be a draw to me.

If you've never been to AKL, you should go and check it out for yourself. It is a very cool resort. The pool isn't anything too special, but the whole resort is cool.

 

[cobbler]

I've been to the resort, ate at Boma and wandered around. Just wondered what was so special about the pool if you couldn't hop there.

 

[LisaS]

What makes the AKL pool so special that no hopping is allowed their either?

I've stayed at AKL a few times and I cannot figure this out either. It's a nice pool but as already stated it seems a bit small for the size of the resort. So maybe that's why they don't allow hopping there.

The other thing I've read but never experienced myself is that it is possible to see animals while lounging in one of the hot tubs. Maybe this only happens in the evening when the pool area is quieter. But I could see this being another reason that the pool is exclusive to guests only.

I do enjoy the pool there. It's not huge, but it's nice and the bar serves a great Mai Tai.

 

[Glorydaz]

I've stayed at AKL a few times and I cannot figure this out either. It's a nice pool but as already stated it seems a bit small for the size of the resort. So maybe that's why they don't allow hopping there.

The other thing I've read but never experienced myself is that it is possible to see animals while lounging in one of the hot tubs. Maybe this only happens in the evening when the pool area is quieter. But I could see this being another reason that the pool is exclusive to guests only.

I do enjoy the pool there. It's not huge, but it's nice and the bar serves a great Mai Tai.

my boyfriend and I stayed at athe AKL in Sept of '03 and we used the hot tub around the side of the building - mere feet away from the fence and yes, if you sat in the right spot - you could watch the animals! in fact, a couple of the giraffes came up to the fence right close to us and I'll tell you, we had a great trip but that moment stands out in my mind above all the rest! what an awesome experience!

as for SSR - I love the idea of a lazy river! when my children were small, we would visit Dorney Park and what I loved most there was the lazy river ( so did the kinder)! so SSR brass - if you're reading this - LAZY RIVER ... ...gets another vote from me

 

[bpmorley]

I've been to the resort, ate at Boma and wandered around. Just wondered what was so special about the pool if you couldn't hop there.

I often wondered that myself. No I have some sort of an idea

 

[bpmorley]

as for SSR - I love the idea of a lazy river! when my children were small, we would visit Dorney Park and what I loved most there was the lazy river ( so did the kinder)! so SSR brass - if you're reading this - LAZY RIVER ... ...gets another vote from me

Been to DP tons myself. There is a dismeet in Allentown this summer.