Rwars10230
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2007
- Messages
- 42
OK so here we go.
I have been reading so much about the DVC resorts in General over the past few months, and we just got back from SSR so I figured that I would address everybodys dialogue in one review.
So we stayed at SSR for a week from January 4th - 11th. Check in was simple and efficient. We checked in around 3:30 and the staffing was adequate. Took maybe 5 minutes. Had one little hitch involving the dining plan but that was handled quickly. The rooms were ready and we were in Congress Park not on the first floor as we had requested. We also had two other rooms and we were all in the same building.
The room was in great condition. Everything functioned and we had no complaints. Had a great view of DTD and it was cool so we could leave the door to the balcony open at night until we went to sleep. Now I will say that the room was very quiet. We never heard anybody else even though we were on an end near the stairs. I must say that we found how quiet the resort was to be refreshing. After a non stop day in the parks it was very nice to come home to some peace and quiet. The main pool was always busy and loud at night if you are dying for some action. The sheets all fit and we never had any issue with that. I was concerned originally from what I had read but those concerns were quickly removed. It seems as though the rooms have nice new towels as reporte. Also large enough to go around the waist of everyone traveling.
Bus Service was excellent; we never waited more than 10 minutes for anything to the parks. We walked to DTD so I cannot report on that one but I assume it was the same. The busses were usually pretty full but still had seats every time. I have read so much and listened to all the complaints about how many bus stops SSR has. So let me frame it this way. Almost every resort has the same number of stops. I won't even touch the cattle call of the Values but lets start with the moderates. Coronado Springs has 5, Caribbean Beach has 7 and Port Orleans can have almost 10 if you end up sharing a bus between the French Quarter and Riverside. Now from the deluxe resorts everybody shares. We went over to the Boardwalk and ended up on a Bus that went from the Boardwalk to the Swan to the Dolphin to the Yacht Club and then to the Beach Club. That is still 5 stops and you end up going through gated guards several times which slows down the process. All the Magic Kingdom resorts also share busses although it may not be as many stops. The only Resort that gets its own is the AKL but be prepared for a long ride unless you are going to the Animal Kingdom. Just wanted to point all of this out about transportation at the Resort so people don't get all huffy. It is true that you could probably save time by driving yourself but where is the magic in that. Plus part of the beauty of SSR is it is pretty centrally located.
SSR as a Resort and Dining
The Resort has great theming, the pool areas are very nice as are the other amenities. It can be a hike from some of the outer areas to the Springs so be prepared. All theme park busses stop there last so you can hop on any and get to the Springs. The DTD bus runs in reverse so getting back will take you longer if you don't want to walk but can still be done. All of the stuff at the Springs was cool and the Gym is great if you want to workout, I intended to but the only work out I seemed to get was lifting the Mickey Ice Cream Bar to my mouth LOL. Lots to do and the bike rentals looked like fun. Turf Club was really good and had a more upscale setting. Now let me talk about the Artist Palette. The reviews that the layout is horrible are correct. The food was excellent and we ate here twice for lunch and once for Breakfast so the problem is not the food or the service. So here is how the layout works. You stand in one line to order. You then are given a yellow ticket to go and pay. Payment is made through the same lines as the gift shop and other grocery items. They give you a pager to come back when it beeps to get your food. Problem is they really don't have a separate pick up area, after your first meal here you figure it out. They also don't link your order to the fact that you have paid. If you are like me you would pay and get condiments, napkins etc. and put that all on the table with the receipt. Well no proof of payment equals no food. Back to the table to get the receipt and so on. I know it seems trivial but you would think they could link this stuff.
Overall we loved the resort and are going back at the end of Feb. This was our first time here and we really loved the feel of the resort. Spread out and relatively quiet, but lots to do if you wanted to be active. Very cool to be able to walk to Downtown Disney or take the Water Taxi. I would highly recommend this resort to other people and have great things to say. If you have questions please post or PM me and I will be glad to answer. The resort has a more upscale feel as far as being quiet, spread out, high ceiling, designer fixtures etc. We loved it and cannot wait to go back.
Thanks
I have been reading so much about the DVC resorts in General over the past few months, and we just got back from SSR so I figured that I would address everybodys dialogue in one review.
So we stayed at SSR for a week from January 4th - 11th. Check in was simple and efficient. We checked in around 3:30 and the staffing was adequate. Took maybe 5 minutes. Had one little hitch involving the dining plan but that was handled quickly. The rooms were ready and we were in Congress Park not on the first floor as we had requested. We also had two other rooms and we were all in the same building.
The room was in great condition. Everything functioned and we had no complaints. Had a great view of DTD and it was cool so we could leave the door to the balcony open at night until we went to sleep. Now I will say that the room was very quiet. We never heard anybody else even though we were on an end near the stairs. I must say that we found how quiet the resort was to be refreshing. After a non stop day in the parks it was very nice to come home to some peace and quiet. The main pool was always busy and loud at night if you are dying for some action. The sheets all fit and we never had any issue with that. I was concerned originally from what I had read but those concerns were quickly removed. It seems as though the rooms have nice new towels as reporte. Also large enough to go around the waist of everyone traveling.
Bus Service was excellent; we never waited more than 10 minutes for anything to the parks. We walked to DTD so I cannot report on that one but I assume it was the same. The busses were usually pretty full but still had seats every time. I have read so much and listened to all the complaints about how many bus stops SSR has. So let me frame it this way. Almost every resort has the same number of stops. I won't even touch the cattle call of the Values but lets start with the moderates. Coronado Springs has 5, Caribbean Beach has 7 and Port Orleans can have almost 10 if you end up sharing a bus between the French Quarter and Riverside. Now from the deluxe resorts everybody shares. We went over to the Boardwalk and ended up on a Bus that went from the Boardwalk to the Swan to the Dolphin to the Yacht Club and then to the Beach Club. That is still 5 stops and you end up going through gated guards several times which slows down the process. All the Magic Kingdom resorts also share busses although it may not be as many stops. The only Resort that gets its own is the AKL but be prepared for a long ride unless you are going to the Animal Kingdom. Just wanted to point all of this out about transportation at the Resort so people don't get all huffy. It is true that you could probably save time by driving yourself but where is the magic in that. Plus part of the beauty of SSR is it is pretty centrally located.
SSR as a Resort and Dining
The Resort has great theming, the pool areas are very nice as are the other amenities. It can be a hike from some of the outer areas to the Springs so be prepared. All theme park busses stop there last so you can hop on any and get to the Springs. The DTD bus runs in reverse so getting back will take you longer if you don't want to walk but can still be done. All of the stuff at the Springs was cool and the Gym is great if you want to workout, I intended to but the only work out I seemed to get was lifting the Mickey Ice Cream Bar to my mouth LOL. Lots to do and the bike rentals looked like fun. Turf Club was really good and had a more upscale setting. Now let me talk about the Artist Palette. The reviews that the layout is horrible are correct. The food was excellent and we ate here twice for lunch and once for Breakfast so the problem is not the food or the service. So here is how the layout works. You stand in one line to order. You then are given a yellow ticket to go and pay. Payment is made through the same lines as the gift shop and other grocery items. They give you a pager to come back when it beeps to get your food. Problem is they really don't have a separate pick up area, after your first meal here you figure it out. They also don't link your order to the fact that you have paid. If you are like me you would pay and get condiments, napkins etc. and put that all on the table with the receipt. Well no proof of payment equals no food. Back to the table to get the receipt and so on. I know it seems trivial but you would think they could link this stuff.
Overall we loved the resort and are going back at the end of Feb. This was our first time here and we really loved the feel of the resort. Spread out and relatively quiet, but lots to do if you wanted to be active. Very cool to be able to walk to Downtown Disney or take the Water Taxi. I would highly recommend this resort to other people and have great things to say. If you have questions please post or PM me and I will be glad to answer. The resort has a more upscale feel as far as being quiet, spread out, high ceiling, designer fixtures etc. We loved it and cannot wait to go back.
Thanks
We really love it there. 
Thanks for posting!
!! We loved SSR! It feels more like an upscale resort to us. We will hopefully be staying in the Springs area. This will be our first time staying in that area. Thanks for such a great report!!
