Is there a "high demand" resource?

[ChelleinNC]

The problem, as I see it, is SSR's points cost, which is higher than OKW's for smaller rooms. (Also, despite the fact that I like SSR a lot, I have to say that it could use more theming)


Is there a way of fixing this problem? I actually think there is. The theming or amenities at SSR could be upgraded, for starters. (This has been done a bit by opening a table service restaurant.) That would probably only help a little, but I'd bet that something like free dining (maybe two people per bedroom) at SSR during slower times of the year would go a long way towards relieving the booking problems at other resorts. Given that annual dues are lower at SSR than at most of the other DVC resorts, I think it would be fair to raise the dues to cover such a SSR-specific perk. I don't really expect anything like this to happen, though.

1. Actually, it's themed like the real Saratoga Springs NY.

2. Again, sorry but it's themed the way it's supposed to be and some of us like it just the way it is.
Why do you think you need free dining to get people to stay at SSR? Now that is fully built out, people are staying there. It's actually getting harder to get a room there whenever you want.

 

[JudyS]

I'm pretty sure studios book up first at all resorts.

Just to clarify, Chuck, do you mean that studios book up sooner than one-bedrooms? I'd expect Grand Villas to book up long before studios. Also, I thought BWV had only lock-off two-bedrooms, so I assume two-bedrooms there would be impossible to book unless a one-bedroom and a studio were both available for the same room category. That would mean that two-bedrooms would book up at least as soon as studios.

 

[JudyS]

To be clear, and as I've said before, this is not an issue unique to SSR. Percentage wise it's likely actually more at HH and VB and while less of an issue at OKW comparatively, OKW still adds to the issue somewhat, at least more than the more in demand resorts......

I haven't checked how long VB and HH take to book up, but this sounds quite plausible to me.

The issue is that SSR is such a large resort with a lot of points floating around and they are additive to the points that were floating around prior to SSR.....

Yes, that makes perfect sense to me; I'd agree with that completely.

1. Actually, it's themed like the real Saratoga Springs NY.

2. Again, sorry but it's themed the way it's supposed to be and some of us like it just the way it is.
Why do you think you need free dining to get people to stay at SSR? Now that is fully built out, people are staying there. It's actually getting harder to get a room there whenever you want.

As I said, I like SSR. I like it quite a lot, in fact. I like the pools, I like the closeness to DTD, I like the more formal furnishings in the rooms (as opposed to more informal, beach cottage or cabin feel of most of the other DVC resorts) and I like the food at the Artist's Palette. (I can even get the Disney Dining Experience discount there.) However, regardless of whether I like the resort, the fact is that SSR books up later than the other Orlando DVC resorts.

As an example, just yesterday I called to see if any studios were available for weeknights in July. I checked BCV, OKW, and SSR. Of the 23 weeknights in July, 21 nights were available in a studio at SSR, 9 nights were available in a studio at OKW, and none were available in a studio at BCV. That's quite a difference.

As for the theming, I'd imagine that different people have different responses to theming, but I was born and raised in upstate New York, and SSR doesn't remind me of upstate New York at all. Here's an example of where the theming could be a lot stronger: a big part of SSR's theme is horses -- yet, there isn't a single horse there. Obviously, Disney could have put horses at SSR -- Fort Wilderness has horses. (And for that matter, AKL has zebras.) But SSR has just a few pictures of horses here and there. Actually, I've given it some thought, and what I'd love to see at SSR is a petting farm with a few horses, surrounded by an apple orchard (you can grow apple trees in Orlando, although the climate isn't ideal).

Again, it's not that SSR is a bad resort in any way; the issue is more whether people think they are getting good value for their points. In general, location seems to be hugely important in determining how soon a resort books up. (As they say, the three most important factors in real estate are location, location, and location.) The resorts close to theme parks book up first. OKW has a similar location as SSR but charges fewer points, so it books up sooner.

 

[ChelleinNC]

As for the theming, I'd imagine that different people have different responses to theming, but I was born and raised in upstate New York, and SSR doesn't remind me of upstate New York at all. Here's an example of where the theming could be a lot stronger: a big part of SSR's theme is horses -- yet, there isn't a single horse there. Obviously, Disney could have put horses at SSR -- Fort Wilderness has horses. (And for that matter, AKL has zebras.) But SSR has just a few pictures of horses here and there. Actually, I've given it some thought, and what I'd love to see at SSR is a petting farm with a few horses, surrounded by an apple orchard (you can grow apple trees in Orlando, although the climate isn't ideal).

Again, it's not that SSR is a bad resort in any way; the issue is more whether people think they are getting good value for their points. In general, location seems to be hugely important in determining how soon a resort books up. (As they say, the three most important factors in real estate are location, location, and location.) The resorts close to theme parks book up first. OKW has a similar location as SSR but charges fewer points, so it books up sooner.

I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree on the 1st point. I used to live in Saratoga Springs NY, and going to SSR is as close to the real thing as I'm going to get for the forseeable future. It's more than a few pictures of horses, it's the Victorian achitecture, the names of the streets, the Grand Stand area, the fact that you can actually get Saratoga water in the blue bottles. Unless they build a racetrack, they can leave the real horses over at the Fort.

I do agree that it is a matter of "location location location". I honestly didn't think I'd like the location of SSR because it wasn't next to the park (previously usually stayed at BC before buying DVC) I found it to be the perfect spot to relax after being in the parks.

Ok, back on topic
I called at the 7mth mark to make my Nov/Dec ressies and I couldn't get a complete ressie at SSR, but could at OKW. Now with the new incentives for AKV that require booking only at SSR with the incentive points, I think SSR is going to be very difficult to book for the next year.

 

[crisi]

A lot of people LOVE SSR the way it is. Unfortunately, the number that do is a smaller proportion of DVC owners than the proportion of SSR rooms overall. I suspect no amount of theming will make up the difference at this point - certainly the zebras at AKL were not sufficient to fill that resort, which is why some of Jambo was turned over to DVC. And if zebras out your window aren't doing it, horses aren't likely to. However, they will add to the dues of SSR owners.

This is not meant to bash SSR owners at all. Nor the resort itself - which impressed me despite myself during my visit (I didn't stay, just walked through - and I was NOT an SSR fan based off photos). Its a comment on the decisions Disney made, which didn't value the idea of "booking balance" as DVC grew. And while I used to think that was a bad choice on Disney's part, I'm now more neutral on it. Had Disney designed a resort sized to its appeal, it would have a real winner. I'd say that would be a few hundred (300 or so) larger rooms

 

[squirrlygirl]

I honestly don't understand the big deal with SSR. Of course it's the last to book up if it has more rooms than the others. Isn't that WHY there's a home resort advantage? It creates a level playing field for those months.

If you have 10 vanilla, 10 strawberry, and 30 chocolate ice cream cones, you would expect the chocolate to last longer. It doesn't mean that nobody likes chocolate. The only way to balance that out would be to make the chocolate so desirable compared to the other flavors (or the other flavors so disgusting) that a ridiculous stastistic-blowing majority of us want chocolate.

Maybe that's why BWV's and BCV's are not being kept up to standards--to make SSR look better! (And as a note, I've never stayed at either, that comment is based purely on posts I've read)

If I want to have a strawberry ice cream cone, knowing there are fewer available...I will make sure I'm first in line. Or buy points in the strawberry ice cream club.

 

[JudyS]

Hi, Chelle. I do think we're responding to different features of the resort. I think I respond more to the landscaping of a resort and whether the resort design prevents me from viewing areas that are outside the resort and therefore don't share the same theme. I don't respond as much to details such as place names, although it's very nice when Disney pays attention to those details, as they often do. There are lots of good things about SSR, and it's great that you like it so much there. I think we're in agreement that location (at least relative to points cost) is a big factor in which resorts book first. Squirrlygirl also makes a good point that larger resorts will tend to fill up later than small resorts, other factors being equal.

Crisi, I agree with you that theming only goes so far in filling a resort. Still, I do think it's an important factor. For example, several people have noted here that Wilderness Lodge has more demand in winter than in summer, presumably because people associate the evergreens there (including the huge Christmas tree in the lobby) with the winter season. I'd say SSR's location is much better than AKL's, so whether people like the theming or not at SSR may matter more than at AKL, which starts with the disadvantage of being the hardest-to-get-to of the Deluxe resorts. (OK, now I've probably offended owners at AKL as well as owners at SSR! I really think all the DVC resorts are great; I'm not trying to "bash" any of the resorts.)

.... Now with the new incentives for AKV that require booking only at SSR with the incentive points, I think SSR is going to be very difficult to book for the next year.

This is a good point, too. When trying to figure out which resorts will be hard to book this coming year, we need to take those incentives into consideration. It also shows that Disney is aware of the need to try to balance out the demand for the different resorts, so if they come up with creative ways to do that, the competition for the most difficult resorts & room types could decrease in the future.

I have a question, though. Where does Disney get the inventory for offering one-time use of points as an incentive? They can't give members more points than there are rooms, can they? If they can, a LOT of rooms would be hard to get, but I think they are required to provide no more points than there are corresponding rooms.

 

[Dean]

I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree on the 1st point. I used to live in Saratoga Springs NY, and going to SSR is as close to the real thing as I'm going to get for the forseeable future. It's more than a few pictures of horses, it's the Victorian achitecture, the names of the streets, the Grand Stand area, the fact that you can actually get Saratoga water in the blue bottles. Unless they build a racetrack, they can leave the real horses over at the Fort.

I do agree that it is a matter of "location location location". I honestly didn't think I'd like the location of SSR because it wasn't next to the park (previously usually stayed at BC before buying DVC) I found it to be the perfect spot to relax after being in the parks.

Ok, back on topic
I called at the 7mth mark to make my Nov/Dec ressies and I couldn't get a complete ressie at SSR, but could at OKW. Now with the new incentives for AKV that require booking only at SSR with the incentive points, I think SSR is going to be very difficult to book for the next year.

As Crisi said, it's not a matter of disliking the resort or the theming per se, but simply a matter of RELATIVE demand compared to certain other resorts and it goes beyond simple size. We an argue of the why,I feel there are several that are additive, but the fact remains the demand is less comparatively.

I have a question, though. Where does Disney get the inventory for offering one-time use of points as an incentive? They can't give members more points than there are rooms, can they? If they can, a LOT of rooms would be hard to get, but I think they are required to provide no more points than there are corresponding rooms.

Given it's only SSR, I'd guess it's mostly developer inventory but could be ROFR contracts thrown in.