zurgswife
WDW is my Shangrala...and I'm going...life is bett
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2000
- Messages
- 13,690
OK
I think all opinions are worth hearing so
Ive got over my hurt feelings and donned my thick skin. Ive made a number of additions and some revisions of my original post. I think Im prepared now so bring it on
but if you have anything nasty
dont PM me
keep it to yourself.
We just returned from a 6 night stay at SSR. It was a last minute trip and we were lucky to try SSR as it was the only resort that could accommodate us.
The place is huge and growing. SSR is beautifully landscaped and the architecture of the buildings is very appealing but the resort is definitely different from the hotel feel of BWV.
Check-in seemed to go well. Very nice CMs gave my couple of options for rooms avail. Something I have yet to encounter at BWV. As I was not familiar with the set up of the different buildings, the CM suggested that we take a DTD view. We did get a number of welcome homes. The lobby area was very beautiful and they had a small sitting area with a video running for the kids to watch. Maybe something that would be a nice addition to BWV as there always seems to be hoards of kids milling about during heavy check in times.
The DTD view was just OK. But for the record Im not really a view person, I always get a standard view at BWV. Though for the first 2 days between the rains and the humidy the glass was so covered with condensation you couldnt see out at all.
OK....it took 6 people 16 round trips (this is total, so the average was 2.66 trips per person) to lug all our CRAP up to our 2nd floor room. Then we went grocery shopping and that was another 7 trips total. I decided this SUCKED BIG TIME!!! (I left this in because it was more of a description of how I felt about lugging all my stuff up in the rain rather then a comment about SSR.)
I was bothered by the lack of bell service help the entire trip. They should have carts or something is what I kept thinking about during the trip. How could they have them and make them work. I couldnt figure out a way.
Well when I went to check out at 5:30am and the CM at the desk asked weather I needed bell services to help with my bags....WHAT!!!!!!!! Didnt realize Bell service would help as this option was never offered to me at check in.....So; FYI remember if you have lots of STUFF like my family request help from Bell Services. They do have this available. I didnt ask because I was fatigued from my trip and just forgot. Im sure the fact that we werent able to park in the covered area where bell service is located precipitated some of the misconception, there were Disney vans that had the covered entrance blocked so I had to run in the torrential downpour from the nearby parking lot to get to the Lobby area. But I do feel that the CMs at the desk should make sure guests are aware that it is available.
Parking...it was very convenient. That was nice.
Didn't enjoy the outdoor hallways or the non air-conditioned elevator.
The new design of sleeper couch was a hit. Maybe when they replace the couches at BWV someday they will go with this new design.
I know someone stated in my original thread that blenders are standard at SSR but it was my experience they are not. Getting a blend at SSR is nearly impossible. This definitely is a housekeeping issue but it was so long getting addressed I just needed to mention it. I called the first morning was told they would bring one, along with my sharps jar. That evening neither had arrived. Called again. The guy brings the sharps jar and tells me their blender is broken (they only have one???). The next morning I call again requesting a blender. The lady says she will check into it there should be more then one...No call backs or blender. Day three I try again. this time I'm told they will call other resorts to find one...(guess there is only one blender)...That afternoon once again no blender...I finally decide one last try....please please may I have a blender....day 4 I finally receive my blender.....I really think they should invest in a few more.....At the BWV I always have received my blender within a few minutes...While this isnt a huge deal I wasted about 2 half gallons of ice cream. My kids are big into milk shakes so we usually make quiet a few over our weeks stay. I purchased 4 ½ gallons of ice cream. Needless to say we didnt eat that much but it definitely would have been used if we had had a blender.
The main pool is very nice. The zero entry area is great for those with disabilities I would imagine and the little kids just love playing in the fountains that are there. The fact that there is a little kids slide really says that the designers realized how many families have very little ones that just cant do the larger slide. The fountain area looked fun but my dd said the waster shooting out was very cold I opted not to test the water temp. The walk from Congress Park to the main pool is 7 mins.
I can't imagine when the place is finished how the main pool can satisfy the need for all the guests that will want to enjoy it. Yes, they will have 4 quiet pools but, even though my dd enjoyed a dip in the quiet pool, she really wanted the slide at the main pool. I'm sure most families will see the need to use the main pool more often then the quiet pools. During 2 separate visits to the quiet pool at SSR 2 different families jumped in then packed up the kiddos and stated they were headed to the main pool (I heard them actually state where they were headed in conversation with each other. No reason just lets head to the main pool.) So, my assumption is that this may happen periodically if I was witness to it 2 times in my 6 days at SSR.
The playground at Congress Park quiet pool was awesome according to my dd(8). She really loved how it was set up.
They had quite a few individual grills beside the main pool. BWV has one large one an individual grill would definitely be easier to use. We typically grill at least one dinner a trip (though not this trip).
The refillable mugs were nice. I didn't buy one but they were nice option to have. I did hear the bartender tell the person purchasing a mug that they were good at ANY DVC location. Not sure if this is true but the person was happy to hear this bonus and purchased the mugs. BWV could really benefit from an easier to use refillable mug program meaning self-serve would be great.
Unfortunately my oldest DD(14) got off the bus at the wrong stop (which is pretty difficult seeing there are only 3 different stops) because she thought the bus driver was headed to DTD because a group of people were pressuring him too.....well she got lost for about 10 mins until she finally asked for directions at the bike shack....they gave her a map and directed her to Congress Park. Lucky I had told her the name of the area of buildings Thank you helpful CMs
Artist Palette....They do have items for kids...Mac n cheese and hot dogs I think. But the adult fare wasn't appealing to me at all. Im really not too picky but the combinations at Artist Palette just didnt work for me. We walked there only to decide to go to DTD Wolfgang Express. I'm sure the thinking is that most people will take advantage of the proximity to DTD for food but I like having a quick dining option on site.
Didn't visit the Spa...but it did look nice.
And I truly miss the interaction with the CM's that is my favorite part of BWV....I have CM's that I see and know everyday. It makes me really feel like I'm HOME....not just vacationing.
SSR is very nice but I definitely enjoy my hotel feel of BWV, which is why not all DVC resorts are identical. There is something for everyone.
We just returned from a 6 night stay at SSR. It was a last minute trip and we were lucky to try SSR as it was the only resort that could accommodate us.
The place is huge and growing. SSR is beautifully landscaped and the architecture of the buildings is very appealing but the resort is definitely different from the hotel feel of BWV.
Check-in seemed to go well. Very nice CMs gave my couple of options for rooms avail. Something I have yet to encounter at BWV. As I was not familiar with the set up of the different buildings, the CM suggested that we take a DTD view. We did get a number of welcome homes. The lobby area was very beautiful and they had a small sitting area with a video running for the kids to watch. Maybe something that would be a nice addition to BWV as there always seems to be hoards of kids milling about during heavy check in times.
The DTD view was just OK. But for the record Im not really a view person, I always get a standard view at BWV. Though for the first 2 days between the rains and the humidy the glass was so covered with condensation you couldnt see out at all.
OK....it took 6 people 16 round trips (this is total, so the average was 2.66 trips per person) to lug all our CRAP up to our 2nd floor room. Then we went grocery shopping and that was another 7 trips total. I decided this SUCKED BIG TIME!!! (I left this in because it was more of a description of how I felt about lugging all my stuff up in the rain rather then a comment about SSR.)
I was bothered by the lack of bell service help the entire trip. They should have carts or something is what I kept thinking about during the trip. How could they have them and make them work. I couldnt figure out a way.
Well when I went to check out at 5:30am and the CM at the desk asked weather I needed bell services to help with my bags....WHAT!!!!!!!! Didnt realize Bell service would help as this option was never offered to me at check in.....So; FYI remember if you have lots of STUFF like my family request help from Bell Services. They do have this available. I didnt ask because I was fatigued from my trip and just forgot. Im sure the fact that we werent able to park in the covered area where bell service is located precipitated some of the misconception, there were Disney vans that had the covered entrance blocked so I had to run in the torrential downpour from the nearby parking lot to get to the Lobby area. But I do feel that the CMs at the desk should make sure guests are aware that it is available.
Parking...it was very convenient. That was nice.
Didn't enjoy the outdoor hallways or the non air-conditioned elevator.
The new design of sleeper couch was a hit. Maybe when they replace the couches at BWV someday they will go with this new design.
I know someone stated in my original thread that blenders are standard at SSR but it was my experience they are not. Getting a blend at SSR is nearly impossible. This definitely is a housekeeping issue but it was so long getting addressed I just needed to mention it. I called the first morning was told they would bring one, along with my sharps jar. That evening neither had arrived. Called again. The guy brings the sharps jar and tells me their blender is broken (they only have one???). The next morning I call again requesting a blender. The lady says she will check into it there should be more then one...No call backs or blender. Day three I try again. this time I'm told they will call other resorts to find one...(guess there is only one blender)...That afternoon once again no blender...I finally decide one last try....please please may I have a blender....day 4 I finally receive my blender.....I really think they should invest in a few more.....At the BWV I always have received my blender within a few minutes...While this isnt a huge deal I wasted about 2 half gallons of ice cream. My kids are big into milk shakes so we usually make quiet a few over our weeks stay. I purchased 4 ½ gallons of ice cream. Needless to say we didnt eat that much but it definitely would have been used if we had had a blender.
The main pool is very nice. The zero entry area is great for those with disabilities I would imagine and the little kids just love playing in the fountains that are there. The fact that there is a little kids slide really says that the designers realized how many families have very little ones that just cant do the larger slide. The fountain area looked fun but my dd said the waster shooting out was very cold I opted not to test the water temp. The walk from Congress Park to the main pool is 7 mins.
I can't imagine when the place is finished how the main pool can satisfy the need for all the guests that will want to enjoy it. Yes, they will have 4 quiet pools but, even though my dd enjoyed a dip in the quiet pool, she really wanted the slide at the main pool. I'm sure most families will see the need to use the main pool more often then the quiet pools. During 2 separate visits to the quiet pool at SSR 2 different families jumped in then packed up the kiddos and stated they were headed to the main pool (I heard them actually state where they were headed in conversation with each other. No reason just lets head to the main pool.) So, my assumption is that this may happen periodically if I was witness to it 2 times in my 6 days at SSR.
The playground at Congress Park quiet pool was awesome according to my dd(8). She really loved how it was set up.
They had quite a few individual grills beside the main pool. BWV has one large one an individual grill would definitely be easier to use. We typically grill at least one dinner a trip (though not this trip).
The refillable mugs were nice. I didn't buy one but they were nice option to have. I did hear the bartender tell the person purchasing a mug that they were good at ANY DVC location. Not sure if this is true but the person was happy to hear this bonus and purchased the mugs. BWV could really benefit from an easier to use refillable mug program meaning self-serve would be great.
Unfortunately my oldest DD(14) got off the bus at the wrong stop (which is pretty difficult seeing there are only 3 different stops) because she thought the bus driver was headed to DTD because a group of people were pressuring him too.....well she got lost for about 10 mins until she finally asked for directions at the bike shack....they gave her a map and directed her to Congress Park. Lucky I had told her the name of the area of buildings Thank you helpful CMs
Artist Palette....They do have items for kids...Mac n cheese and hot dogs I think. But the adult fare wasn't appealing to me at all. Im really not too picky but the combinations at Artist Palette just didnt work for me. We walked there only to decide to go to DTD Wolfgang Express. I'm sure the thinking is that most people will take advantage of the proximity to DTD for food but I like having a quick dining option on site.
Didn't visit the Spa...but it did look nice.
And I truly miss the interaction with the CM's that is my favorite part of BWV....I have CM's that I see and know everyday. It makes me really feel like I'm HOME....not just vacationing.
SSR is very nice but I definitely enjoy my hotel feel of BWV, which is why not all DVC resorts are identical. There is something for everyone.
Nancy
I feel bad that you ended up with nasty pms I mean no matter where you own and what peoples opinions are I think that we have to remember that (ok everybody sing)...We Are Family...all the dvcers and me! And I am glad that you are back! 
That is from me and my family for your hurt feelings!!!
We stayed at SSR in Feb. Overall DH and I had mixed opinions, I liked SSR, wouldn't mind staying there again, but I love VWL and the hotel like feel. He loved SSR, loved not dishing out money to the valet and bell services, and loved the decor. We'll be staying at BWV for the 1st time in Oct. for only one night (after our cruise), but hopefully we'll have a little taste of it. I'm anxious to compare it to the others we've tried. I hope your next trip is "more magical" in the resort area. I hope that as time goes by the Artist Palette will expand thier offerings or that they will add some other food options. The whole being close to DD doesn't help that much. After a long day at the parks, you don't want to have to wander to DD and wait 1-2 hours for a table at one of there restaurants. And it seems like to us that is usually the case if you don't have a PS somewhere. We only ate at AP once during our week there and it was fine. I liked my flatbread, but I wouldn't want it everyday for a week. Like I said, hopefully they will improve the food options. Thanks again for reposting!
Thanks for reposting. 
