Sorry it took so long to post a reply - I was driving around looking for a bloody car crash to pathetically gawk at.
Anyway, I'm afraid the math of most people here just doesn't add up.
I understand that SSR is clearly bigger than all of the other DVC resorts. But that doesn't mean it should have any more, or less, availability than the other resorts – IF it were equally appealing as the other resorts. That's because in theory all of us BWV, BCV, VWL, AKV owners would be trying to stay at SSR, as much as the SSR owners are trying to get in at the other resorts.
But that's clearly not happening, and never will. For example, most VWL owners would not want to trade a week at their pristine, lake-side woodsy resort to stay at a ridiculously big condo complex where busy roads and unsightly parking lots cut through the entire property. Or where walking at night through pitch-black darkness, a quarter mile from the main resort building, makes you feel anything but "Disney Safe."
Personally I tried staying SSR once and was very disheartened that a simple walk to the pool involved dodging cars, inhaling bus fumes and cutting through a sea of parking lots. Want to go the pool at BWV? It may involve a long walk through the hallway, but you certainly don't have to worry about your kids getting whacked by a bus.
If Saratoga's engineers were to have simply placed all of the parking lots on the perimeter of the property (like Port Orleans) they could have created a beautiful park-like setting on the inside of the resort. And, in the process, pushed all of the buildings closer together to make walking around more manageable. It's not the proximity to the theme parks that makes DVC's other resorts so much more desirable. It's SSR's sprawling unmanageable size, and unresort-like atmosphere that's the problem.
Now, I understand there are some SSR fans here, and that's great - I don't begrudge your personal taste. I'm referring only to the lopsided demand between SSR and all of the other DVC properties, and the problems this will create in the long run for everyone who owns a membership.
Want to make reservations for spring break one week in advance? You can - at SSR (I know did). Want to make reservations for spring break six months in advance at VWL? Good luck.
If DVC wanted to build a mega property like SSR then they owed it to all of us to make it as desirable as possible. They didn't.
Instead they cut corners by trying to use the existing infrastructure of the Disney Institute, which was never designed to support an epic-size resort like this. DVC is profitable enough where they could have started from scratch and created a hub-and-spoke layout where all of the buildings are an equal distance from the main resort, and where the parking lots are pushed to the perimeter.
DVC Management opted to save a little money in the short-term, and now we're all paying a big price for it in the long run.
Anyway, I'm afraid the math of most people here just doesn't add up.
I understand that SSR is clearly bigger than all of the other DVC resorts. But that doesn't mean it should have any more, or less, availability than the other resorts – IF it were equally appealing as the other resorts. That's because in theory all of us BWV, BCV, VWL, AKV owners would be trying to stay at SSR, as much as the SSR owners are trying to get in at the other resorts.
But that's clearly not happening, and never will. For example, most VWL owners would not want to trade a week at their pristine, lake-side woodsy resort to stay at a ridiculously big condo complex where busy roads and unsightly parking lots cut through the entire property. Or where walking at night through pitch-black darkness, a quarter mile from the main resort building, makes you feel anything but "Disney Safe."
Personally I tried staying SSR once and was very disheartened that a simple walk to the pool involved dodging cars, inhaling bus fumes and cutting through a sea of parking lots. Want to go the pool at BWV? It may involve a long walk through the hallway, but you certainly don't have to worry about your kids getting whacked by a bus.
If Saratoga's engineers were to have simply placed all of the parking lots on the perimeter of the property (like Port Orleans) they could have created a beautiful park-like setting on the inside of the resort. And, in the process, pushed all of the buildings closer together to make walking around more manageable. It's not the proximity to the theme parks that makes DVC's other resorts so much more desirable. It's SSR's sprawling unmanageable size, and unresort-like atmosphere that's the problem.
Now, I understand there are some SSR fans here, and that's great - I don't begrudge your personal taste. I'm referring only to the lopsided demand between SSR and all of the other DVC properties, and the problems this will create in the long run for everyone who owns a membership.
Want to make reservations for spring break one week in advance? You can - at SSR (I know did). Want to make reservations for spring break six months in advance at VWL? Good luck.
If DVC wanted to build a mega property like SSR then they owed it to all of us to make it as desirable as possible. They didn't.
Instead they cut corners by trying to use the existing infrastructure of the Disney Institute, which was never designed to support an epic-size resort like this. DVC is profitable enough where they could have started from scratch and created a hub-and-spoke layout where all of the buildings are an equal distance from the main resort, and where the parking lots are pushed to the perimeter.
DVC Management opted to save a little money in the short-term, and now we're all paying a big price for it in the long run.
Not sure how that would make me feel if I owned at SSR!!!
