If you are not sold on SSR, what changes WILL sell you on it?

[Sammie]

Buy where you like it, or sell it, that is easier than trying to change something, that many like as is.

And actually you are wrong, SSR's satisfaction rate is very high. For one thing they have one of the best staff at Disney.

As you said you have proposed this question before and you got similar responses, and therefore at this point I don't really know the point. It is obvious you are not happy with your purchase and honestly that is your fault, not the fault of SSR. It was what it was when you bought it.

At times it seems you want others to agree with you, and I don't think that is going to happen in large numbers. The same ones that agreed with you previously will agree now and the same will disagree.

People who want to be walking distance to a park should really buy where that is possible. I can respect that SSR does not appeal to everyone and obviously to you. That is fine, everyone is different.

But I think you should respect that many people do actually like SSR as it is. We like the Spa, we like the golf, we like the design and decor, we bring our car and love the central location. Did you know that SSR and OKW are closer to "all" parks than any other DVC resort. We don't go to WDW just to be close to one park, we go to experience all parks, water parks, and other parts of Orlando. We like busing to the parks.

So for us SSR is the perfect fit.

Many people love BWV, VWL and AKV, and honestly I don't. I have stayed at all of them and simply they do not appeal to me or my family. But never ever would I try to change those resorts to fit my likes.

 

[starbox]

I seriously doubt that member satisfaction levels have anything to do with home resort. At 7 months, points are points. Been an SSR owner for 6 years and have never not stayed where I wanted (including BwV for f&w and BLT twice). I also own at AKV and have never thought of the points as being different. They are just points.

I'd guess member satisfaction has much more to do with price paid vs. perception of value for that $$. We paid around 82pp direct - and that's about where I feel the value hits. If I'd paid more, I'd be less satisfied (especially with Disney chipping away resale values and any potential to see anything close to breaking even if you sell). Had I paid less, I'd be more satisfied.

I'd wager original OKW owners are the most satisfied, and once the initial rush of owning fades, the people paying 120 and up pp will be the least satisfied in the long run as I don't think DVC has upped quality or ameneties in pace with the way they upped prices.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I'd wager original OKW owners are the most satisfied, and once the initial rush of owning fades, the people paying 120 and up pp will be the least satisfied in the long run as I don't think DVC has upped quality or ameneties in pace with the way they upped prices.

Except for the poor quality for the renovation at OKW, I'd bet you are correct.

And your statement about DVC and the quality is very true.

 

[Sammie]

I seriously doubt that member satisfaction levels have anything to do with home resort. At 7 months, points are points. Been an SSR owner for 6 years and have never not stayed where I wanted (including BwV for f&w and BLT twice). I also own at AKV and have never thought of the points as being different. They are just points.

I'd guess member satisfaction has much more to do with price paid vs. perception of value for that $$. We paid around 82pp direct - and that's about where I feel the value hits. If I'd paid more, I'd be less satisfied (especially with Disney chipping away resale values and any potential to see anything close to breaking even if you sell). Had I paid less, I'd be more satisfied.

I'd wager original OKW owners are the most satisfied, and once the initial rush of owning fades, the people paying 120 and up pp will be the least satisfied in the long run as I don't think DVC has upped quality or ameneties in pace with the way they upped prices.

Well said, if I was a BLT owner I would be sick right now. Points were very high and yet the resort is not wearing well compared to the other resorts.

 

[Candy Orlando]

The SSR horse theme is very authentic. Many of my friends are equestrians and thier homes decor and large parcels of land look like SSR. Walt Disney was an equestrian and polo player.
He would be very proud of the theme of SSR.

 

[RDP]

I liked SSR a lot more than I thought I would! The only thing I would change is that the resort needs more pools. The main pool was ridiculously busy most of the time. Oh and better counter service!

 

[epd0407]

If I can put my two cents in. DTD was nice when Pleasure Island was there and in full nightlife mode. DTD was ultra fun for night fun.

 

[Carl'n'Ellie'sDad]

I liked SSR a lot more than I thought I would! The only thing I would change is that the resort needs more pools. The main pool was ridiculously busy most of the time. Oh and better counter service!

Which DVC is working on as we speak with the Paddock pool upgrade.

Different strokes for different folks as the old saying goes. It does seem that SSR inspires more "haters" on these boards than the other DVC resorts for some reason. I could understand it back in 2005, before the resort and landscaping were mature -- I understand it less now, unless it's explained by the fact that snobbery can be fun, and requires looking down on something...

I think Sammie and Starbox hit the nail on the head; I could be very satisfied with a Hyundai, but not very satisfied with a Mercedes. We bought in at SSR probably at the same time Sammie did at 82/pt. If we sold now at 60 after forty or so days in a studio and 10 in a 1 BR, I'd consider that well worth it. Continuing in DVC at an opportunity cost of 60/pt is an easy decision for us also. Definitely don't think we could justify $120+ to buy in for the point-expensive (and quickly wearing, hotel-room style) BLT rooms' and would probably have a hard time justifying staying in at 100+/pt resale.
Particularly think about arbitraging between BLT and SSR -- a studio LV in Magic season for a week is 153 pts. Sold for $15,300, this could buy 255 pts by resale at SSR -- enough to upgrade to a 1BR for a week (241 pts.) or 6 nights at the THV (265 Sun-Fri or Sat-Thu). Your milage may vary, but I'd make that trade pretty quickly. Probably still even considering the transaction costs and hassle of selling one contract and buying another.

At any rate, if BLT or BCV is your thing, fantastic -- you aren't contractually required to visit SSR or DTD/HW. Our family will continue to enjoy them both for years to come.

 

[kdzgon]

I figured I'd upset some SSR people just as I submitted my original post. That wasn't my intent. However, I'd bet every penny that I own that SSR has the lowest owner satisfaction rating of all of the DVC resorts. I've been reading this board long enough, and I know enough owners personally, to jump to that conclusion.

Part of the problem seems fixable -- such as adding the second feature pool and perhaps offering a bit more in terms of recreation. However, the other part - proximity to parks - isn't.

The proximity to parks thing, in my opinion, is the strongest factor. Think about it -- Although a lot of people love AKV, can you imagine how popular it would be if you could walk to a park from there? You'd NEVER be able to get a reservation if you didn't own there.

We absolutely LOVE AKV, and truly enjoy staying at OKW as well; depending upon our trip intentions these resorts are high on our list. Our dissatisfaction with SSR has nothing to do with location, size, style or even theme (or amount of "themeing"). The seclusion of THV overcomes almost everything we don't like about SSR. We do not miss being able to walk to a park from any of these resorts and in fact enjoy the self-contained feel of these resorts.

"Lowest owner satisfaction" is not a difficult prediction thanks to at least two factors: there are more owners so there will be proportionately more dissatisfied owners, and more than a few buyers were swayed by low prices rather than follow the good advice of "buy where you want to stay". In fact, I would go so far as to say the forceful presentation of "buy SSR" on this and several Disney-themed boards have contributed to the level of dissatisfaction with SSR. Truthfully the initial purchase price is a relatively small per-vacation cost - I suspect buyer remorse is higher in part due to those that initially followed that advice and based a purchase mainly on up-front costs.

 

[Arthur27]

This is like debating, which is better, Pepsi or Coke? Everyone has their own tastes. Which is good; I like variety. Thus, I love the variety of DVC.
We stayed at SS last summer for the first time. I must admit it hasn’t ever really appealed to me much to stay at SS before. And I must say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the little local pool by my room just as well as the main pool. The counter service was great – one of the better ones too. We had no problems at all with the buses. I would stay there again.

 

[kendzee94]

We started out owning here and have added on here (resale last year) specifically so we can stay at the THV's. We love them. And with our 11 month booking we have 10 nights at a THV for Christmas! I think that this resort has a lot to offer. Every resort have their positives and negatives. For us this is comfortable for us. People can complain about buses/transportation, but you have that at each resort. We found the transportation to be quicker there than at BWV....they also have a lot of stops during the slower times as they stop at all of the EPCOT resorts. We, as a family did not like BWV's.....so to each their own!

 

[FindingFigment]

"Lowest owner satisfaction" is not a difficult prediction thanks to at least two factors: there are more owners so there will be proportionately more dissatisfied owners, and more than a few buyers were swayed by low prices rather than follow the good advice of "buy where you want to stay". In fact, I would go so far as to say the forceful presentation of "buy SSR" on this and several Disney-themed boards have contributed to the level of dissatisfaction with SSR. Truthfully the initial purchase price is a relatively small per-vacation cost - I suspect buyer remorse is higher in part due to those that initially followed that advice and based a purchase mainly on up-front costs.

Since I'm new here and missed that, can you tell me what that looked like on the forums? Just curious.

 

[littlestar]

I adore SSR's staff. I can understand why they have high guest satisfaction, Sammie.

We had something happen at check-in at SSR that's never happened at any other Disney resort before. I had my little 7 year old niece, Bella, with me. She had tripped and fell that morning getting out of the mini van. The SSR lobby greeter asked us how we were. I said, well, Bella has had a rough morning. The SSR Cast Member could see Bella was skinned up. She said to Bella, I think I have something that will help. The SSR cast member walked over to a large dresser and pulled out a Princess Crown and gave it to Bella. You should have seen Bella's face - it was priceless.

 

[Starr W.]

I adore SSR's staff. I can understand why they have high guest satisfaction, Sammie.

We had something happen at check-in at SSR that's never happened at any other Disney resort before. I had my little 7 year old niece, Bella, with me. She had tripped and fell that morning getting out of the mini van. The SSR lobby greeter asked us how we were. I said, well, Bella has had a rough morning. The SSR Cast Member could see Bella was skinned up. She said to Bella, I think I have something that will help. The SSR cast member walked over to a large dresser and pulled out a Princess Crown and gave it to Bella. You should have seen Bella's face - it was priceless.

I think they are the best also, even bell services. Some of them have been there quite a few years and remember us!

Front desk staff, always met with a smile be it at 11am or 11pm.

We had a request in for CP and near the pool, well we checked in at 11 am. Room wasn't ready, CM looked and found a 2br near the pool at the Grandstand that was ready. We declined as we like CP, but she did put in the extra effort, when she could have said oh well here's the number to call to find out when your room is ready. She saw the 2 kids on the reservation thought we might want a room asap for nap time.

 

[LIFERBABE]

Since I'm new here and missed that, can you tell me what that looked like on the forums? Just curious.

I was here and totally missed it too.

BWYWTS was the mantra here before SSR opened. There were a few that blamed their guides for their dissatisfaction and not being able to get BCV at 2 months out for the F&WF.

As far as SSR it is our favorite resort.

 

[going/again]

I love it just as it is. Changing it would take away some of my affection for the place. I like that it doesn't scream DISNEY!!! at me constantly. That is annoying IMO.

It's quiet which I love
It's away from the parks which I like
The color scheme is calming to me
The decor works for me
I like the condo style setup instead of the hotel style setup
I like I can boat to DTD
I don't golf or go to the spa but I like that it's there if I ever wanted to

I own at SSR and I prefer to stay there over all other resorts. I have met plenty of SSR owners that won't stay anywhere else and I find it hard to believe the majorityof owners don't like the place.

Same for us

 

[CMOORE185]

When we bought our 1st SSR contract it was the only new resort for sale so that is the one we purchased. Honestly we do not worry too much about where we own because we have never had an issue booking what we want at the 7 month mark at WDW. We are also not emotionally invested in one particular resort. We feel what makes DVC so great is the variety of resorts we are able to use. I will say though that HH seems to need the 11 month booking window for summer use, but as luck has it we own points there.

 

[Sammie]

Since I'm new here and missed that, can you tell me what that looked like on the forums? Just curious.

I missed it too.

 

[Sammie]

Since I'm new here and missed that, can you tell me what that looked like on the forums? Just curious.

I missed that too.

The only suggestion we see repeated on these forums is buy where you want to stay.

The only suggestion to deviate from that is, when a person knows due to work, family etc, they will never be able to book at 11 months and 7 months would be the earliest they could book then suggestions have been made to buy the least expensive.

 

[starbox]

I was here and totally missed it too.
.

I missed it too.

I can't believe you guys don't remember the infamous "BUY SSR OR ELSE!!!!" thread of 2009 or the SSR Mafia website. That Paddock pool expansion? It's just a ruse to disguise the truth.......Jimmy Hoffa was buried there.
Kungaloosh!