Wow! What an incredible week. We bought our SSR points back in February and have planned this vacation since then. It certainly didn't lack anything!
We arrived at SSR on Saturday around 3:30. Having only stayed inside the world one other time and that being at ASMusic, we were VERY impressed. Found the Carriage House without any problems. Checked in quickly and received the requested DD view after some searching. Our family of DH, DS (6), DD (3), DS (5 months), FIL, MIL, and me stayed in a dedicated 2 bdrm, 1221. Although we've looked at tons of pictures and read the DIS boards religiously, we were totally unprepared for the magic of it all! From the "welcome homes" to the treatment of the CM's, everything went smoothly.
The room was beautiful. Very tastefully decorated and plenty of room for all of us. We used the closet in the master bedroom for the pack-n-play, just left the door open. The room was immaculate. Didn't have to request anything at all. It will be difficult to ever stay in a studio as we (I) used the washer and dryer so much! In-laws were very impressed with the resort and the room. We enjoyed fireworks from the patio. We could definitely hear them inside although I had no trouble sleeping through them a couple of nights! I would like to see more drawer space for clothes, but maybe traveling with 3 kids requires something extra! My BIL came over from Sarasota and spent 2 nights on the fold-out couch and talked about how comfortable that was. Although we didn't cook at all, having the kitchen space and 'real' dishes was a plus, even for cold cereal. The flushing toilet scared DD as it is pretty loud. (However, I don't want to see the alternative!)
As far as walking to and from various places . . . I think there will always be mixed reviews, but this is MHO. We rode the bus to and from DD on Saturday night. We took the walkway on Wednesday night. For us, the walkway was definitely the way to go. It took about 5-8 minutes, even with a stroller and 2 kids. The weather was incredible and the walk didn't seem bad at all. It took longer to walk to the main pool than to DD. The main pool is beautiful. The play area featuring Donald Duck was out of order when we arrived and wasn't working when we checked out today. This is obviously a huge resort, but we found bus service to be pretty good. The longest wait for a bus was about 20 minutes and that was from the Congress Park area. Construction didn't bother us although it is quite evident. Landscaping is gorgeous as many have mentioned.
We didn't spend much time in the room as we were busy in the parks every day. Just a short word about the parks. Very little waits and very nice weather! Tuesday was Spectro Magic night and Magic Kingdom was crowded, but not bad at all. Test Track was down while we visited Epcot but the crowds there very thin. Loved Philhar Magic! What an incredible attraction. Had dinner at Primetime Cafe and LOVED it! Chef Mickey's for DS's 6th birthday. The food was great. Lunched at Crystal Palace during the parade and enjoyed having the characters' attention. We also had ice cream at the Garden Grill (Epcot) and really enjoyed that. What a great (& cheap) way to meet the characters without standing in line.
I could say so much more as it was truly a magical week. We are so totally convinced that DVC was the right choice for our family. SSR is beautiful and I look forward to spending much more time at our home-away-from-home!
Love to answer any questions. I found myself constantly thinking about posting "this-and-that" on the DIS boards! DH kept saying don't forget to mention so-and-so! I'm sure the rose-colored glasses will come off soon, but as for now I'll just enjoy the perfection of it all!
We arrived at SSR on Saturday around 3:30. Having only stayed inside the world one other time and that being at ASMusic, we were VERY impressed. Found the Carriage House without any problems. Checked in quickly and received the requested DD view after some searching. Our family of DH, DS (6), DD (3), DS (5 months), FIL, MIL, and me stayed in a dedicated 2 bdrm, 1221. Although we've looked at tons of pictures and read the DIS boards religiously, we were totally unprepared for the magic of it all! From the "welcome homes" to the treatment of the CM's, everything went smoothly.
The room was beautiful. Very tastefully decorated and plenty of room for all of us. We used the closet in the master bedroom for the pack-n-play, just left the door open. The room was immaculate. Didn't have to request anything at all. It will be difficult to ever stay in a studio as we (I) used the washer and dryer so much! In-laws were very impressed with the resort and the room. We enjoyed fireworks from the patio. We could definitely hear them inside although I had no trouble sleeping through them a couple of nights! I would like to see more drawer space for clothes, but maybe traveling with 3 kids requires something extra! My BIL came over from Sarasota and spent 2 nights on the fold-out couch and talked about how comfortable that was. Although we didn't cook at all, having the kitchen space and 'real' dishes was a plus, even for cold cereal. The flushing toilet scared DD as it is pretty loud. (However, I don't want to see the alternative!)
As far as walking to and from various places . . . I think there will always be mixed reviews, but this is MHO. We rode the bus to and from DD on Saturday night. We took the walkway on Wednesday night. For us, the walkway was definitely the way to go. It took about 5-8 minutes, even with a stroller and 2 kids. The weather was incredible and the walk didn't seem bad at all. It took longer to walk to the main pool than to DD. The main pool is beautiful. The play area featuring Donald Duck was out of order when we arrived and wasn't working when we checked out today. This is obviously a huge resort, but we found bus service to be pretty good. The longest wait for a bus was about 20 minutes and that was from the Congress Park area. Construction didn't bother us although it is quite evident. Landscaping is gorgeous as many have mentioned.
We didn't spend much time in the room as we were busy in the parks every day. Just a short word about the parks. Very little waits and very nice weather! Tuesday was Spectro Magic night and Magic Kingdom was crowded, but not bad at all. Test Track was down while we visited Epcot but the crowds there very thin. Loved Philhar Magic! What an incredible attraction. Had dinner at Primetime Cafe and LOVED it! Chef Mickey's for DS's 6th birthday. The food was great. Lunched at Crystal Palace during the parade and enjoyed having the characters' attention. We also had ice cream at the Garden Grill (Epcot) and really enjoyed that. What a great (& cheap) way to meet the characters without standing in line.
I could say so much more as it was truly a magical week. We are so totally convinced that DVC was the right choice for our family. SSR is beautiful and I look forward to spending much more time at our home-away-from-home!
Love to answer any questions. I found myself constantly thinking about posting "this-and-that" on the DIS boards! DH kept saying don't forget to mention so-and-so! I'm sure the rose-colored glasses will come off soon, but as for now I'll just enjoy the perfection of it all!
