Ok I have a different SSR opinion change for better and worse

[3DisneyNUTS]

Ok this is my 4th trip home and I have an opinion now that differs than my last. The reports prior were from a partially started and a not nearly finished resort. This time it has been a year since we stayed at SSR and alot has changed and grown.

WOW this resort is HUGE!!!!!! HUGE!!!!! HUGE!!!!!!!!!

The trees are growning in nicely as well as all of the other plantings. The resort looks beautiful...

Now to put on my critical cap. The newness is wearing off now. The initial AWE is now replaced by familiarity so now I can pay more attention to details.

Artist pallette has refined and expanded the menu. While the kids meals still need more selections the regular menu has alot more to offer. Still in an artsy way which may be a negative for some we happen to love it there and the food was great the many times we ate there. Turf club is limited still only 4 things on the menu which did not appeal to us so we did not eat there. It is opening in the summer according to sinage. So hopefully that will be a great menu.

We checked in on Sunday May 7th. Now it took a while the place was CROWDED! I have no idea why and the cast members were shocked too. The line for being as long as it was took about 20 minutes not too bad. They had alot of people at the desk.

We went to the pool and holy cow it was crowded. Way too many people there for my liking. This has got me changing my views on the pool. Ignorantly I said before it is big enough but it is definitely not. I made that opinion based on the resort being alot smaller. Before when we visited it was big enough but of course that was Feb 2005. No where near as many buildings that are operating like they have now. I lost count at 90+ people in the pool that day not counting the loungers. The capacity is 180. If you divide the capacity by say 2 guests per room (conservative IMO) using the pool all at once that is 90 rooms. Now I don't know how many rooms SSR will have that seems like a small amount of rooms to plan a pool around with a resort this huge. IMO a second theme pool needs to be made. While the leisure pools are big also they are not going to draw 90 people to them. I have no idea what the capacity is for the LP. I forgot to look.

We went to eat at Emerils Tchoup chop at universal Royal Pacific Resort and their grounds especially the pool and the children's play area made me extrememly jealous. Definitely took the wind out of my SSR sail. Just having a fine dining restaurant and the amazing childrens center at RPR made me a little dissappointed. Disney should not be upstaged in this area. Now I did not see the rooms so I am speaking only of grounds but now after the newness wore off SSR needs a shot in the bum in this department. Dh and I were dissappointed.

Another shocker was walking back from DTD and someone hug laundry outside on their deck. Come on last visit people where drying their beach towels over the railings but this time someone hung a ton of laundry outside. Here is the picture. Now call me evil but I called the front desk on this.

This was my inlaws first visit and to be strolling back from DTD to see someone hanging their laundry out to dry? It was embarrasssing. What kind of place did we take them to? There are free washers and dryers to guests why this? I even think it was a 1 br. where it is right in your room for crying out loud. Am I over reacting?

The positives are that the spa is still gorgeous. Having those facilities onsite made our last day wonderful. We got many welcome homes too. Strolling back to our villa along the DTD path was awesome that view is killer. I also think they need to charge more points for that view. We got it again this time but with the resort so huge it is going to be a highly requested area.

 

[eporter66]

I have heard there will be another main pool once the resort is finished. Let's hope they decide to build another

I know the kids probably love the slide, but did you go to the quiet pool areas? Were they as crowded?

We love SSR, and I am sure Disney will continue to work and iron out the kinks if needed. 180 person capacity when that resort is full probably does not seem like it will cut it.

Eric

 

[Sammie]

I think the pool is large enough for the resort but not large enough for DVC pool hoppers and pool crashers.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Sammie I am not too sure. The resort isn't even done and it seemed like alot of people. 90+ and the people lounging around left about 75% of the chairs taken. It was definitely at capacity IMO even if it wasn't officially and the resort isn't even fully open.


eporter...
We went to the quiet pools a couple of times and it was definitely less crowded. The max that were in the pool with us was about 10. Count us and that is 13. I am sure they would easily handle the overflow but who wants to count on that KWIM? The SSR pool should have been built more like the Port Orlean's Riverside pool. Or similar to that size.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Oh I hope that the rumors about another pool are true. So far by looking at the current construction there doesn't seem to be another in the works. The part that expanded by the treehouse villas looks like it is set up just like the other sections.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Another shocker was walking back from DTD and someone hug laundry outside on their deck. Come on last visit people where drying their beach towels over the railings but this time someone hung a ton of laundry outside. Here is the picture. Now call me evil but I called the front desk on this.

.

Reminds me of Wildwood, NJ.

I think I would have called the front desk too!

 

[sean-1966]

OK, laundry drying on the balcony is just tacky. Thanks for complaining!!

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Reminds me of Wildwood, NJ.

I think I would have called the front desk too!

LMAO thanks

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

OK, laundry drying on the balcony is just tacky. Thanks for complaining!!

The CM said that was a "first" for them. Although a few years ago someone was hanging towels outside. I have a picture of that too somewhere.

I felt bad about complaining BUT come on. Even if they wanted the fresh air dry, hang it in the room and open the slider with the screen door.

 

[NMW]

I agree, very tacky with the laundry. I might not have thought to complain, but it would have put a damper on my overall opinion of the resort.

I always thought SSR was HUGE, and we saw it in 2003! We did see SSR again in Dec (only from the bus to DTD) and it looked way bigger. In 2003, it seemed that the pool complex would be too small when the resort was done, but so many people on this board argued that it was just fine. I hope they do another large themed pool, not just more quiet pools. Maybe pool hopping by DVC members will be stopped as the resort continues to grow.

My other complaint was the lack of a full service restaurant and I'm really happy they are addressing that.

 

[vascubaguy]

At least they were using wooden hangers!

 

[Machta]

I felt bad about complaining BUT come on. Even if they wanted the fresh air dry, hang it in the room and open the slider with the screen door.

Silly question, since we've only stayed at the BCV. Are there screens in the sliding doors? We always wondered about that at BCV . . .

 

[KathyRN137]

Yes, the balcony doors are screened, but they are french doors not sliding doors! The breeze was delicious!!

 

[nuts]

I always love the "it's huge" comments. BCV is suppose to be the smallest...but people forget it is attached to a "huge" hotel (same with BWV). I've always felt that to get an accurate picture, one must calculate the number of people per acre (kind of like farming). If we did this, one would quickly see that SSR is one of the smaller resorts. Spread out, yes. Huge? no.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

I always love the "it's huge" comments. BCV is suppose to be the smallest...but people forget it is attached to a "huge" hotel (same with BWV). I've always felt that to get an accurate picture, one must calculate the number of people per acre (kind of like farming). If we did this, one would quickly see that SSR is one of the smaller resorts. Spread out, yes. Huge? no.

Whether it is spread out or not, the point is that it is a huge resort. The feature pool area is not centrally located and it is a decent walk to there especially from the furthest reaching buildings. Compared to the feel last year it is definitely alot bigger. Comparing the BCV pool to SSR shows you the difference on how much bigger the SSR pool should be.

While the numbers of people may be similar the resort takes up way more property and IMO is huge! It is the same feeling OKW gives. Now never staying there or seeing if their pool gets crowded or not I can say that is where my opinion ends.

Now I am still happy in my purchase. I have to say I am dissappointed in this area now seeing the resort come to completetion. More focus should have been placed on the pool area and the dining options. But I still love to call SSR my home.

 

[cobbler]

Thanks for complaining about the laundry, it is pretty tacky.

As far as the pool, it makes me wonder . . .
I get the feeling that a new pool is needed for another area to take the burden off the main pool, but I also wonder how many of those people are coming from DTD to take a dip and aren't the resorts guests? Happens at MK and I have a suspicion it's going to happen here.

 

[bpmorley]

We stayed at SSR last June. The only sections open were The Springs and Congress Park(about 7 bldgs). 2 of the days that we were at the main pool it got kind of crowded. I though back then that they may need another big pool. I think they should put a big SAB kind of pool in the middle of the resort. I doubt that will happen, but they will definitely need another kind of theme pool now that the paddocks are open and the fairway villas will be coming soon.

And just one question. What did you expect the front desk to do about the laundry hanging outside?

 

[DrTomorrow]

[...]We checked in on Sunday May 7th. Now it took a while the place was CROWDED! [...]
We went to the pool and holy cow it was crowded. Way too many people there for my liking. [...] I lost count at 90+ people in the pool that day not counting the loungers. The capacity is 180. [...] And the people lounging around left about 75% of the chairs taken.

Interesting how individuals' opinions can color perceptions. Personally, on a day that this poster says was "CROWDED", having the pool at 50% occupancy and the lounges at 75% seems like good planning - pool usage could double and still be within design limits.

Of course, I much prefer the quiet/leisure pools, as do many others....

IMHO - YMMV - Be well!

 

[snowbunny]

What did you expect the front desk to do about the laundry hanging outside?

If I were in the OP's shoes, I would expect that the front desk would call the occupants of the room and let them know they cannot hang their laundry across their lanai. I'm staying in a grand villa at the BWV in a few months, would you like to look up and see my laundry drying a few stories over the boardwalk?

 

[bpmorley]

If I were in the OP's shoes, I would expect that the front desk would call the occupants of the room and let them know they cannot hang their laundry across their lanai. I'm staying in a grand villa at the BWV in a few months, would you like to look up and see my laundry drying a few stories over the boardwalk?

Honestly it really wouldn't bother me. I'm not on vacation worrying about what other people are doing. It rains in Florida, ALOT!!! If my clothes were wet I'd hang them outside to dry.