Official Upgrade to SSR thread

[M2DD's]

Can I join your post even though I picked a 1 bdroom at OKW instead of SSR? you guys look like your having so much fun. It seems like the most of the disers picked SSR instaed of OKW.(maybe you guys know something I don't)
My DH and 2 girls and me
there from 8-30 till 9-11(kind of scared to fly that day)
It saved us over 5000 W/the dinning plan
We'll be at the P&PP on 8-31 and HDDR on 9-3
We chose OKW for the look of the tropics.We live in the midwest and never get to see palm trees or sand that doesn't have dead fish smell(lake Michigan)
Laura

 

[jwboucher]

8/26-9/1
SSR Studio
If you count the dining if it weren't free, I am saving $2176
I am looking forward to boat rides, fireworks , a larger room
I don't think there is anything I am not looking forward to...except the crowds. Last year during free dining it seemed like the resort (CBR) and restaurants were crowded but the parks weren't too bad.

Many of us have been upgraded from a value to SSR. It would be fun to post:

trip dates
room category
price difference between your value resort package and your SSR package
things you're looking forward to at SSR
things you're not looking forward to


I'll start:

8/26-8/31
1 bedroom villa
About $1620.00 difference
I'm looking forward to the pools, washer and dryer (packing less clothing), a 714 sq. foot room, and Artist's Point.
I'm worried that it will be insanely crowded at SSR and at the parks in general now that they are making room for more people. We get in the parks as soon as they open and leave by noon, though, so that shouldn't be too bad.

See everyone at SSR in August!

 

[LanaJae]

Can I join your post even though I picked a 1 bdroom at OKW instead of SSR? you guys look like your having so much fun. It seems like the most of the disers picked SSR instaed of OKW.(maybe you guys know something I don't)
My DH and 2 girls and me
there from 8-30 till 9-11(kind of scared to fly that day)
It saved us over 5000 W/the dinning plan
We'll be at the P&PP on 8-31 and HDDR on 9-3
We chose OKW for the look of the tropics.We live in the midwest and never get to see palm trees or sand that doesn't have dead fish smell(lake Michigan)
Laura

I think a lot of us would've liked OKW, but there were a lot more rooms available at SSR. I love Lake Michigan, am in Minnesota. We've been to Milwaukee a few times and going to the lake near the art museum there is so beautiful (but they probably clean up the dead fish there lol).

Sept. 11 is probably the safest day to travel now, and if you're sad to leave, you can express it freely on the plane without anyone looking at you strangely.

 

[M2DD's]

I think a lot of us would've liked OKW, but there were a lot more rooms available at SSR. I love Lake Michigan, am in Minnesota. We've been to Milwaukee a few times and going to the lake near the art museum there is so beautiful (but they probably clean up the dead fish there lol).

Sept. 11 is probably the safest day to travel now, and if you're sad to leave, you can express it freely on the plane without anyone looking at you strangely.

Hi,Lana
We live outside of Chicago in the suburbs but I was raised in chicago and only lived 10 min away from lake michigan and I have never been there when there wasn't dead fish on the beach and the water smell horriable(My DH just thinks I'm hight maintnance )
Anyone who took the upgrade thinking about renting a car or ordreing from GG? We have only stayed at the value resorts and love the food court we do quick bkfast(bagle and fill up our mug) since the DVC are so spread out if were far from the food/drink we'll just go on to the parks
Laura

 

[LanaJae]

Hi,Lana
We live outside of Chicago in the suburbs but I was raised in chicago and only lived 10 min away from lake michigan and I have never been there when there wasn't dead fish on the beach and the water smell horriable(My DH just thinks I'm hight maintnance )
Anyone who took the upgrade thinking about renting a car or ordreing from GG? We have only stayed at the value resorts and love the food court we do quick bkfast(bagle and fill up our mug) since the DVC are so spread out if were far from the food/drink we'll just go on to the parks
Laura

I wouldn't like dead fish smell either - I love Chicago too, but have only been along the water with all the shopping and museums, etc. (Michigan St.?), and we took a train to Brookfield (I think) Zoo and that was fantastic.

We aren't going to rent a car, I thought a good option might be to catch a bus to a hotel on the monorail from DTD if the buses seemed slow (but haven't checked into that to see if it's a good idea).

I was going to order from GG, but now that I know ice water is free in the parks, I bought a bunch of those Koolaid and Capri Sun packets that can be added to water. Sounds better than carrying a water bottle, cause my new MistyMates need that space. I imagine we're going to be so full from the DDP that we won't need any other food, and we can use snack credits at the store at the resort to get larger snacks/milk. Oh, and am going to buy mugs too as it sounds like there are several filling stations at the resorts.

 

[M2DD's]

I
We aren't going to rent a car, I thought a good option might be to catch a bus to a hotel on the monorail from DTD if the buses seemed slow (but haven't checked into that to see if it's a good idea).
.

I'm confused on this idea I have read that you can't get to the parks from DTD only from resorts. Is this what you were thinking?
We must think alike because I always think about how I can make things easier for my trips. I come up with these ideas and then tell me DH when he gets home. He thinks I'm crazy.I love water and have to have my water bottle all day.i just got a new one yesterday that is insulated and holds 1 gl of water.Have you ever done the dinning plan? I'll just PM you this is getting to be a long post.
I wish that the dis boards had chat rooms. Do they? I know they have something in the P.M

 

[clombardi]

Can I join your post even though I picked a 1 bdroom at OKW instead of SSR? you guys look like your having so much fun. It seems like the most of the disers picked SSR instaed of OKW.(maybe you guys know something I don't)

Laura

Welcome to our thread! You will love OKW. I ate at Olivia's two years ago. Although some people give it a poor review, we really loved it! The grounds at OKW are so beautiful and the rooms seem huge! Did you go to allearsnet and check out the photos? We chose SSR because we have been considering buying there and thought this would be a great way to check it out.

 

[Cynt]

WOW!!! I don't check the boards for a couple of days and come back to find out about these FREE Upgrades!!! I am so happy for all of you. I was going to book a long weekend back when the free dining was announced but opted to build a house instead. LOL!

ENJOY!! ENJOY!! ENJOY!!!

 

[LauraAnn630]

WoW! Im surprised that a DVC resort and SPA wouldnt have car rentals right there.

Thanks for the info!

 

[extremesoccermom]

I'm confused on this idea I have read that you can't get to the parks from DTD only from resorts. Is this what you were thinking?

You are correct. From DTD you can get to the resorts only then you would have to transfer to one of the park busses from the resort.
That is one reason we choose SSR. We can take the bus to any of the parks. Or we can walk or take the boat ride to DTD and catch a bus to any of the other resorts.

 

[LanaJae]

I'm confused on this idea I have read that you can't get to the parks from DTD only from resorts. Is this what you were thinking?
We must think alike because I always think about how I can make things easier for my trips. I come up with these ideas and then tell me DH when he gets home. He thinks I'm crazy.I love water and have to have my water bottle all day.i just got a new one yesterday that is insulated and holds 1 gl of water.Have you ever done the dinning plan? I'll just PM you this is getting to be a long post.
I wish that the dis boards had chat rooms. Do they? I know they have something in the P.M

I missed the PM, went to get groceries and now have to cook for the gang so I can get to Ikea's summer sale before the big crowd tomorrow. I'll try to catch you later tonight or tomorrow. My husband thinks I'm crazy too, doesn't realize how I make his life so much easier

I've never done the dining plan before, I am very excited. We're doing 4 character dinners: Castle, Akershus, Crystal Palace and Liberty Tree. We've only been to Crystal Palace so this is going to be a dream eating trip for all of us. I was at WDW in May for 2 days/3 nights with my youngest (age 6), but prior to that, had only been there one day in Jan. 2000. We had such a good time in May that I got home and booked for 4 of the 6 of us to go back. My older kids (19 and 15) didn't want to go - their loss!!

 

[LanaJae]

You are correct. From DTD you can get to the resorts only then you would have to transfer to one of the park busses from the resort.
That is one reason we choose SSR. We can take the bus to any of the parks. Or we can walk or take the boat ride to DTD and catch a bus to any of the other resorts.

Thanks! Are we allowed to take a bus from DTD to Contemporary or one of the monorail hotels (don't know which are) and ride that to the parks?

 

[mousiemom]

Oh what fun!
Mousiemom here
Cast: Me, dh, & 6yr dd
FIL, & MIL
Date: Aug 31-Sept 5
Room: (2) 1 br villas @ SSR
Price difference: standard POP room w/free dining/1 day base ticket $669
SSR 1 br villa - $2201.00
Looking forward to everything! I am so blessed to get this free upgrade and the free dining, I'm going to enjoy every moment I'm there!! We are all so lucky to be the chosen ones!!
See ya'll there!!!
Mousiemom

 

[extremesoccermom]

Thanks! Are we allowed to take a bus from DTD to Contemporary or one of the monorail hotels (don't know which are) and ride that to the parks?

Yes, from the DTD you could catch the bus to GF, Poly, or CR then the monorail to MK or TAT to change to the Epcot Monorail. You could even go to WL or FW or any of the above and take a boat to MK. Or you could take the bus from DTD to YC or BW and take the boat to Epcot or MGM.

However, unless you are going to one of the hotels first for a meal or just for the fun of riding around, I would think going directly to the Park via the resort bus would be quicker.

 

[ldo]

I probably would have picked OKW for the tropical theming, but was delighted to get SSR, esp. since I only found out from this BB and never got the email (but they had my code in their computer). Dust to All!!

 

[LanaJae]

Yes, from the DTD you could catch the bus to GF, Poly, or CR then the monorail to MK or TAT to change to the Epcot Monorail. You could even go to WL or FW or any of the above and take a boat to MK. Or you could take the bus from DTD to YC or BW and take the boat to Epcot or MGM.

However, unless you are going to one of the hotels first for a meal or just for the fun of riding around, I would think going directly to the Park via the resort bus would be quicker.

It might be just for fun - nice to have options, thanks for posting this, I'm adding it to my list

 

[Kitty-chan]

It might be just for fun - nice to have options, thanks for posting this, I'm adding it to my list

Funny thing, I'll add that to my list too! DS10 is a huge fan of Disney transportation, especially now that he's discovered the trading cards you can sometimes get from CMs. So I can easily imagine us leaving MK by monorail to the Poly, taking a bus to DTD, and then the water launch back to SSR -- three types of transit in one commute!

Admittedly I'd rather just hop on a bus and get back to SSR for a long soak in the tub, but what the heck, I can humor him once if he wants to do that.

 

[LanaJae]

Funny thing, I'll add that to my list too! DS10 is a huge fan of Disney transportation, especially now that he's discovered the trading cards you can sometimes get from CMs. So I can easily imagine us leaving MK by monorail to the Poly, taking a bus to DTD, and then the water launch back to SSR -- three types of transit in one commute!

Admittedly I'd rather just hop on a bus and get back to SSR for a long soak in the tub, but what the heck, I can humor him once if he wants to do that.

Sometimes at the end of the day it feels better to be moving on something than standing in line too. I'm sure the buses run fairly good at night from the hotels to DTD. I copied this and put it on an index card:

By Boat:
The Magic Kingdom Park is accessible by water launch from Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The Disney ferryboats connect the Magic Kingdom Park to the Transportation and Ticket Center (adjacent to Magic Kingdom parking).

Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios are accessible by boat from Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Villas Resort, Disney's Yacht Club and Disney's Beach Club Resorts and the Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotels.

Downtown Disney is accessible by ferryboat from Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, Disney's Port Orleans Resort and Disney's Old Key West Resort.

By Monorail:
Disney's monorail runs between the Magic Kingdom Park, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Resort and the Transportation and Ticket Center (adjacent to the Magic Kingdom parking lot). A connecting monorail takes Guests from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot.

 

[M2DD's]

I missed the PM, went to get groceries and now have to cook for the gang so I can get to Ikea's summer sale before the big crowd tomorrow. I'll try to catch you later tonight or tomorrow. My husband thinks I'm crazy too, doesn't realize how I make his life so much easier

I've never done the dining plan before, I am very excited. We're doing 4 character dinners: Castle, Akershus, Crystal Palace and Liberty Tree. We've only been to Crystal Palace so this is going to be a dream eating trip for all of us. I was at WDW in May for 2 days/3 nights with my youngest (age 6), but prior to that, had only been there one day in Jan. 2000. We had such a good time in May that I got home and booked for 4 of the 6 of us to go back. My older kids (19 and 15) didn't want to go - their loss!!

Hey lanajae-you'll love the LTTaveren. It is my families favorite place to eat.How can you go wrong with thanksgivivg meal! what meal are you doing at akershus? Were doing lunch because I have heard that is when arieal is out in her gown(hopefully she'll be there) We ate at the castle last yr and I was kindof dissappointed with all the hype it gets(It's worth going once)the food was soso but being in the castle was amazing. Ask to be seated by the window when you check in. We had a view of fantasy land.Be prepared the the TS will be packed.We were there last yr during FD and it was a madhouse

Laura

 

[mariamard1]

We'll be here on 7/4-7/9 now! We will have a 1 bedroom villa and we saved about a grand! We had a pool view room, but I guess all 1, 2 , 3 room villas are some kind of water view. All I know, is that I believe Disney was generous and I cant wait. 12 days to go. I have a LOT of research to do.......................