Just back (1/22) from SSR

[woody64]

Just thought I'd post a quick note about our week long stay at Saratoga Springs.

We really liked the Resort. We had a 1 bedroom that looked straight out at the Virgin Mega store. The room was very nice, great furnishings but a smaller than the rooms we are used to at OKW. The pull out bed is very comfortable (had to split DS's so I know this first hand). The only part that is very confusing is the doors leading to the tub/shower/toilet area. You would have to go thru 3 doors to get from the BR to the toilet. Felt a little like Let's Make a Deal...behind door #1 is...

We enjoyed AP although a sit down table service resteraunt would be very nice. The food was good and the service was great as always.

The pool is very nice also. We only swam 2 days as it was chilly when we were there. My DS's(6.5 & almost 10) loved the slide, as did I. The pool is big and has a great fountain play area for the kids.

The resort is going to be huge, over 800 units. We didn't necessarily care for the size of the resort but we are used to OKW which seems more compact and intimate. That being said I would definately stay at SSR again.

On a side note we did take a short trip to OKW to try out the new slide. It is great. I don't think it takes anything away from the pool area as the kiddie pool is still there and the sand play areas. It's a fun slide and I think fits in well with the area.

That's all for now, ask any questions you want.

 

[pkgman]

Glad you had a great trip!

 

[Bribrittmom]

I get a little lost with the abbreviations on this board. Could someone explain to me what "AP" is in regards to dining? Thanks!

 

[athenna]

Glad you had a great trip!
SSR is mt home resort and In will be going there for the 1st time in April, and I am so excited. I just know I'm going to love it! Any suggestions for a newbie?

Bribrittmom, AP means Annual Pass.

 

[k-wa]

But in this case the post is referring to Artist Point, the casual restaurant at Saratoga Springs.

 

[Miffy2003]

The food court at Saratoga is called Artist's Palette.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Thanks for posting your report. Quick question...did you use Disney transportation to and from the parks or did you have a rental car? If you used the buses, how were they?

Welcome back!!

 

[jbwolffiv]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[athenna]

Sorry, I think I was half asleep when I replied. I'm still trying to get used to all the abbreviations .
If I had been completely awake, I would've realized we were talking about Artist Palette and not Annual Passes. I hope I didn't confuse anyone further.
Thank goodness you veterans are around

 

[Alexander]

Thanks for sharing your report! I was quite surprised to see the difference in square footage of a 1BR at OKW and SSR. It's something like 200 feet if I'm not mistaken. Geesh! That's almost the square footage of a value resort room!

 

[Lexxiefern]

Thanks for the report! Which slide did you like better? OKW or SSR?

 

[Y-ASK]

Thanks for posting your report. Quick question...did you use Disney transportation to and from the parks or did you have a rental car? If you used the buses, how were they?

Welcome back!!

Just wanted to add my 2 cents to this question. We stayed at SSR from 12/26 to 1/3 and we had a great time. Not wonderful but great. It was kind of crowded and I learned a valuable lession not to go during this time year even if the Kids are out of school. And my wife does not know what rest and relaxation mean, but that's another story.
There were a few times where I felt like I was waiting way too long for the bus service at a few of the parks. Epcot was the worst! My daughter and I left early (she's 21 months old), while the others in our group stayed, and we waited at the bus stop for SSR for over 45 minutes. I think maybe it's because the resort is so new with so few people there that they don't provide the same bus service they do at the other resorts. I don't know, maybe it was just me, the wife and older kids only waited 5 or 10 minutes that same night.

Y-ASK

 

[LIFERBABE]

Sounds like a great trip!

Athenna, I had to laugh because I never realized how difficult Dis language was! Kind of like learning a second language,

AP can mean Annual Pass when speaking of Ticket Media
AP can mean Artist Points when speaking of Villas of Wilderness Lodge dining
AP can mean Artist Pallette when speaking of SSR dining options.

Maybe I should go ahead and learn a second language! I learned the "rules" here why cant I learn the rules of Spanish?

 

[athenna]

Thanks, Liferbabe. Now I don't feel so stupid
I think I need an abbreviation handbook.

 

[murcor]

a little chilly those days. We still used the pool, although it was hilarious to see the lifeguards dressed in jackets, pants and touques!

We had a 1 bedroom (which is much roomier than pictures show) on the 3rd floor in the 3rd bldg overlooking DTD.

We actually were pleasantly surprised on the size of the balcony, they look so teeny in the pics but spacious as well.

We loved it so much we bought 150pts

Angela

 

[tjkraz]

The resort is going to be huge, over 800 units. We didn't necessarily care for the size of the resort but we are used to OKW which seems more compact and intimate.

OK, I've read this a number of times. Having stayed at both OKW and SSR, I've often been mystified by assertion that SSR will be geographically larger. From the start, I thought that OKW with its 5 or 6 bus stops and much smaller buildings was a larger resort.

To satisfy my own curiosity, I surfed on over to terraserver.com to take some measurements. Without going into too much detail, SSR including the land earmarked for Phase 3 is almost identical in area to OKW--roughly 420,000 square meters. When I first took my measurements, SSR was actually about 5% smaller, but that's not worth mentioning for such a rough estimate.

Incidentally, the area currently developed at SSR (12 buildings open or under construction) is only about 310,000 square meters.

Not trying to pick on you by any means, woody64. But your post finally gave me the excuse to really see how the two stack up. IMO, if there is any difference, it's negligible.

Glad to hear you had a good trip!

 

[Sammie]

OK, I've read this a number of times. Having stayed at both OKW and SSR, I've often been mystified by assertion that SSR will be geographically larger. From the start, I thought that OKW with its 5 or 6 bus stops and much smaller buildings was a larger resort.

To satisfy my own curiosity, I surfed on over to terraserver.com to take some measurements. Without going into too much detail, SSR including the land earmarked for Phase 3 is almost identical in area to OKW--roughly 420,000 square meters. When I first took my measurements, SSR was actually about 5% smaller, but that's not worth mentioning for such a rough estimate.

Incidentally, the area currently developed at SSR (12 buildings open or under construction) is only about 310,000 square meters.

Not trying to pick on you by any means, woody64. But your post finally gave me the excuse to really see how the two stack up. IMO, if there is any difference, it's negligible.

Glad to hear you had a good trip!

It's all based on one's perception of what is large or far in distance. Such as walking from Congress park to the main pool. Some would lead you to believe it's miles away, in reality it probably is not any further than the distance from some rooms at the BW to the lobby.

Same thing with Coronado Springs resort. Many complain that it's just too large, when actually its no larger than CBR.

 

[cherie68]

Can anyone give me advice. We looked at SSR last week and got the info on it, anyway we are still thinking of buying into it but now think about buying resale OKW. We know about the 10 year difference and transfering to the kids. I see you can get for same amount of money up to 25 points more but don't know if there are hidden points like closing cost or commisions. If you can go to any realater or what? Or if a friend can sell there point private. We been going back and forth all week.