Live Report from SSR! May 28-June 10, 2006......Updated Today Photos Added.....

[LIFERBABE]

Hi Everyone!!

We are on the tail end of our 12 night stay at SSR in a 1 bedroom. We check out on Fri or Sat (may add a night, dont want to leave! LOL!)

We checked in Sun May 28th @ 8am after a long drive. We could have received a Villa right away in the last bldg of the Paddocks, or wait for our Congress Park 1 bedroom with a DTD view. We decided to wait despite being tired.

Our 1 bedroom is awesome!! It was clean, all the shingles were intact, and we've only dealt with a mild case of swimmers ear in my little one.

Great view that I am enjoying as I type this report on my patio, watching the boats and people and DTD!

We normally do long stays in studios, but having a 1 bedroom has added new dimension to our vacation. We are really relaxed!! I didnt pack as much clothing, we just use the washing machine as our hamper! LOL!! Everything is easy care, so that helps!

Memorial Day we grilled at the Congress Park Pavilion and since there are 2 picnic tables and 2 grills, bz8bls and her Dh occupied the 2nd table and grill and then we started chatting and discovered we were both Disers!! LOL! We had a great time and later that evening, our 2 Dh's went to the Turf Club to watch the NBA finals.
My 2 DS's had a great time swimming in the quiet pool that day and the little one woke up with an ear ache (swimmers ear). We purchased drops and kept him out of the water for 3 days, but now he is fine. He enjoys the whirlpool tub more than I do, and I use it every day! LOL!

TURF CLUB BAR AND GRILL REPORT!!!!
They are almost finished!! I am trying to sneak back there and take pictures, but they have been working on this restaurant day and night!! They have the outside reception area almost completed and the sign above the door is up. I will post photos later.

So far we have only visited the Parks one day out of the 9 we have been here. We did Epcot and MK EMH til 1 am. Can't comment on the busses, because we drove to the parks.
We also visited TL y-day and had a great time. I love that SSR has a Waterpark so close. The waterparks have EMH every day from 8am to 9am, so were able to use this benefit and get a great shaded spot at TL.

Still have lots and lots to report, but time to get out of this lounge chair (I bring my own) my Ds's are getting restless! LOL!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Wow! Only 1 park day, you ARE having a great at SSR!!! Glad to hear it.

Bobbi

 

[DisneyFreaks]

Thanks so much for the great report LIFERBABE! We are less than six months away from our first trip to SSR and we are counting the days. Just love reading positive reports of "our new home."

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Sounds like you're really having a blast and taking advantage of all that SSR has to offer! Impressive!

 

[abk96]

Glad to hear you all are enjoying your stay at SSR. We requested a DTD view in Congress Park for our trip in Sept. I hope we get it because it sounds delightful.

I can't wait to hear more and of course see some pictures.

Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

 

[ont/ohana]

It just sounds amazing!!! We are also booked into 1 bedrm. Laundry hamper/washer excellent idea! Enjoy the rest.

 

[HUFF590]

Just makes me so Home sick, I wanna go back so bad ! Glad you had a great time.

 

[cobbler]

Sounds like fun. I can't wait to go home again in October.

 

[Granny]

We normally do long stays in studios, but having a 1 bedroom has added new dimension to our vacation. We are really relaxed!! I didnt pack as much clothing, we just use the washing machine as our hamper! LOL!! Everything is easy care, so that helps!

I imagine this is music to your Guide's ears. I agree that the 1BR and larger makes the vacation very different. I know that studios save a lot of points, but now that you've gone high rent, you might be looking at some more points!

Sounds like your trip is going very well. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

 

[byoung]

Thanks.

 

[uicbear]

We had a similar experience at SSR last October. We did end up at the parks on most days, but for only a few hours. we found ourselvselves ready to go "home" and just relax. At SSR we felt like we were in our own little Disney town. And I have to say, being in the DVC, there's less of that pressure to go go go. Can't wait for this october!

 

[pacificnorthwester]

Oh my goodness! This sounds like heaven. We are new members and are awaiting our first trip "home" to SSR in November. Thank you so much for this wonderful report. We are also staying in a 1 br. Can't wait!!!

 

[DrTomorrow]

We just got back (trip report to follow soon) but MrsT and I had a 1BR in CP (the bldg closest to DTD) and it is indeed a true luxury. All that space for the two of us - tres magifique!

 

[LIFERBABE]

Hi All,
Checking in Again!!

Today is Wednesday June 7th and I am back on my patio!! Just to set the mood, Im in my reclining lounger, my last glass of Beringer (Did I drink the WHOLE bottle?) Dh and the boys are at Community Hall unwinding, and I am unwinding listening to a nice mix of club music from PI that is really clear from where I sit and watching the boats and lights.
This report will be a bit disjointed, because I am just so happy to be here, I may start to ramble!! LOL!! (Could be the wine)

Today we did EMH Morning, to AKL. Expedition Everest was AWESOME!!!! My 7 year old and I stayed huddled together the whole time, but the parts I saw between the cracks of my fingers, were AWESOME!! LOL! Im a big old fraidy cat, but this ride was so smooth and quiet, you didnt know when to be scared! I would do it again!

Doctor T, I read your trip notes, and I agree with your take on AKL becoming a force. We actually stayed and had lunch!! That was a first for us, we normally do Kali, TTBAB and Kilimanjaro and we are out by noon. Although we arrived at 0830 and went straight to EE for fastpasses, our return time was 10:10

Speaking of Lunch, we used our DDE at Flame Tree and it was totally good!!
The best kids meal on WDW property! They had 2 baked chicken wings, Applesauce, corn on the cob, and a Drink for $3.99! Then we got 20% off with our DDE!
I had the ribs and Dh had the chicken and 2 frozen Lemonades.

For those that would walk past Maharajah trail, DON'T!! What a Beautiful trail!! Even my DH enjoyed it and he's all about not being in the parks!

We really enjoyed AKL. The Tree Lady was mesmerizing! She made being a tree look like a ballet! She reminded me of catwoman before Halle Berry! That Tree could move!

AKL was a winner for us.

Today is EMH Evenings for MGM and I had planned on us being there until 1am, but I had a mutiny and my 3 pirates jumped ship / Honda Odyssey as I stopped at the stop sign next to SSR's Community Hall! LOL! So here I sit, adding the next installment to my trip report. I may cut this short and hop on the next bus to MK to catch Spectro.

Oh!! We did make it to MGM long enough to catch the last appearance of the Power Rangers SPD!! My 7 year old really wanted to see them. It was neat and he had photos with all of them except the Pink one, who we were in line for, when the time ran out. To think the Power Rangers are still so popular after all these years. There were quite a few little ones lined up! We were supposed to come back for a break after that, but I dont think that's gonna happen, so Im off to MK solo to catch Spectro.

My photos are downloading, (that's what I get for being cheap and not paying for DSL) so will post later.

TTFN!
LIFER

 

[RoyalCanadian]

For those that would walk past Maharajah trail, DON'T!! What a Beautiful trail!! Even my DH enjoyed it and he's all about not being in the parks!

Amen!! I'm one who believes that both Maharajah and Pangani trails are probably the most overlooked attractions at AK. The bird pavilion on the Maharajah trail just takes me back to being on Discovery Island all those years ago.

 

[tmt martins]

What a great report I'm heading to a 2bdrm in 18 days and can't wait.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I'm enjoying your report - SSR is our home resort and we've been "home" only once since becoming DVC members. We stayed in a studio - and that's where we'll be staying for a while so we can go more until we can buy more points (LOL).

Just curious for those who stay in a studio longer than a couple of days - do you use the guest laundry? Do you find it easy to use / get to? Do you just lounge by the pool while your wash is going? It's free, right? Just bring your own detergent?

Thanks,

 

[LIFERBABE]

I'm enjoying your report - SSR is our home resort and we've been "home" only once since becoming DVC members. We stayed in a studio - and that's where we'll be staying for a while so we can go more until we can buy more points (LOL).

Just curious for those who stay in a studio longer than a couple of days - do you use the guest laundry? Do you find it easy to use / get to? Do you just lounge by the pool while your wash is going? It's free, right? Just bring your own detergent?

Thanks,

nzdisneymom, I am the studio queen!! We stayed a month last year, all in studios. We did the same thing, we went often and stayed longer while the kids were younger. Now they are a little older and we will most likely scale back our trips to 2 weeks per year so we will stay in 1 bdr. But if I had to choose a studio or no trip, I would take the studio in a heartbeat!

The laundry is by the quiet pools and the main pool at SSR. If you are staying on points, it is free, and we normally swim or sit in the hot tub while doing laundry. That way everyone is in their suits, while all their laundry is being cleaned LOL!!
If you are at the main pool laundry, you can visit Community Hall which is right next door to the main laundry. You can bring your own detergent or purchase the little boxes for $1. Bring dryer sheets because they do not sell those. I love the Congress park laundry. You can swim and have a beautiful view of DTD while you do laundry.

Thank you all for reading my report, Im really enjoying writing it. It's relaxing to sit here and type this.


Last night, I went to the bus stop to go to MK for Spectro, and the MGM bus was pulling in, so I hopped on and changed my plans to Fantasmic. MGM was the late park last night and they had a 10:30 Fantasmic. SSR is a quick ride to MGM. I'd say no more than 15 min. and it is direct, no stops once you leave the resort.

Fantasmic was Great, I had a seat right down front. After Fantasmic I walked around a bit enjoying the openness of MGM at night and headed out a little before midnight. I saw all the long lines for the busses and got a little nervous. SSR's line was very manageable, and as I approached the stop, the Bus pulls up! I stood, but I chose to. So my experience with the busses was positive. The internal stops were not bad either. The Carousel and the Paddocks stops are so close to each other and then Congress Park and Then the Springs.

Oh!! The weather the last 2 weeks has been wonderful!!! Not beaming sun hot like it normally is. Really nice, warm and if you are in the shade, there's a nice breeze. We have pretty much walked all over the resort and twice to OKW and DTD.

One morning, Dh and I walked the entire loop around DTD and then caught the connecting Nature Trail to OKW and walked there. We (Ok, I) were so tired once we reached OKW, we hopped on the DTD/Typhoon Lagoon bus at Turtle Pond and got off at the Marketplace LOL!! Then we made the short walk back to our Congress Park room! LOL! How's that for Disney transportation?

I love the walks here. Really Really nice. OKW is beautiful in the morning. We have yet to stay there, but are considering it for our next trip.

Another fun thing to watch on my morning walks is passing the WOD store and seeing all the excited little girls pressing their noses against the glass waiting for Bibidi Boutique to open. That place is POPULAR!! They do a great job too! All the little girls look so pretty and cute! One little girl (about 2) couldnt wait to jump in the fountains as soon as she had her pictures taken! LOL!! Alas I have boys, and they have zero interest!

Ok off to start my day!! I called MS this morning and they have availability for tomorrow night, so we are staying 1 more day!! Another reason I like driving!

TTFN!
LIFER

 

[Disney_Mama]

Great read! Can't wait going home to SSR March 2007. Maybe Oct. 2006 if hubby will go for it.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Great live reports--thanks so much for sharing. I feel like I'm right there with you. Have a glass of Beringer for me! Enjoy your trip and keep us posted!