Question for SSR Owners

[DisNDat]

For those who've stayed, would you say the location was a slight drawback and that you spent more time shuttling than you would have liked? The more remote/quiet locale has some good points for sure, but from other threads it seems some folks think SSR is best for couples and not so much for families with kids in tow. What is your absolute fave thing about SSR when all is said and done?

I'd like to hear it from actual owners with lil ones...because after a week you'd really get a sense of how you feel about the location. We'd like to try SSR soon, but not quite sure! Thanks so much for your input into our decision-making!

 

[btrim]

We love SSR. We are grandparents who took their GD to Disney in January. I didn't feel like the resort was too remote. We also didn't have any trouble with the buses. We could walk to DTD and eat if we wanted to and our granddaughter didn't mind the walk at all. She will be 3 the end of this month and she loved the rooms there and the chance to walk around to and from the pool and to DTD to eat at Earl of Sandwich. We can't wait to go back. Taking a trip in Sept with sister and BIL and staying at SSR because it is close to DTD. I really think the bus ride to and from the parks is what you make of it. Unless you are staying at a resort on the Monorail, it is going to take you some time to get to the parks. Use the bus time to talk to your kids and find out what they want to see and do and what they liked best. We have always enjoyed our time together on the bus on in the parks.

 

[goodcook5]

we like ssr and the proximity to dtd. However, I agree with the many previous posters that it is a hike to the theme pool. There is a quiet pool with a view of dtd that is nice, but my kids love that slide and the donald. It would be great if they added just a tiny theme (such as a slide or bouncing water play fountain) at another location.


Also, we just got back from a bwv stay, and the bus had many many stops.

 

[MikeyNS]

For those who've stayed, would you say the location was a slight drawback and that you spent more time shuttling than you would have liked? The more remote/quiet locale has some good points for sure, but from other threads it seems some folks think SSR is best for couples and not so much for families with kids in tow. What is your absolute fave thing about SSR when all is said and done?

I'd like to hear it from actual owners with lil ones...because after a week you'd really get a sense of how you feel about the location. We'd like to try SSR soon, but not quite sure! Thanks so much for your input into our decision-making!

I LOVE the location of SSR. I think my favorite thing about SSR is the theme of the whole resort. Definitely a place I feel "at home".. quite "resort-y" if you ask me.
The BWV and BCV are really convienient, but the buses stop a lot (I know.. petty petty).. and I like being able to stroll to DTD after hours and enjoy the atmosphere of DTD.

 

[Deemarch]

We always rent a car. We were closer to the quiet pool, so we would have used that, if it had not been 45 degrees outside!!!!!

 

[Doug7856]

We have a three year old and he loves SSR. We went in December and at least once a week he asks me if we can go back to "my" hotel. He enjoyed the small play area, running around the spacious grounds and especial the little slide at the theme pool. We did not find the pool too far to walk for our immediate family; however, my MIL had some difficulty so we when she went to the pool we drove over. We did not have time for the activities but hope to enjoy them in July for our next trip. For us, SSR was the only choice for our July trip. We originally thought about another resort, but decided "home" was great!

 

[MarylandPirate]

I just got back from there and the whole family had a great time. We were in the Springs so we were close to the pool. My 3yo son loved the community Hall and the ladies that worked there. They do a great job with fun things for the kids. As stated we didn't have any problems with the buses,,,,I had alot longer waits when we stayed at Carribean Beach and the Wilderness Lodge but those two stays were right after 9-11. Also didn't see all the park hoppers who didn't want to pay parking fee's at the park using our resort buses to park at DTD for free like someone stated about a week ago. My only complaint is that IASW opened up right after we left.....would have liked my son to see it since this was his first trip. I've stated this before, but was really floored about how much my wife loved SSR, She wasn't a disney nut like me and my children from my first marriage. She got a massage at the SSR spa which she really enjoyed and really had fun with my 3yo Griffin, which made glad of my decision to buy into DVC. I've been over 15 times to Disney.......but the DVC experience is much better for me!

 

[tjhsr]

We have a 5yr old neice that we plan on bringing down for her 1st WDW trip.Will try to get the Springs location.We have been to SSR 2 times already and think it will be great for kids.My 2 adult kids think it is.

MarylandPirate sounds like you had a great trip!!! :

 

[MarylandPirate]

We have a 5yr old neice that we plan on bringing down for her 1st WDW trip.Will try to get the Springs location.We have been to SSR 2 times already and think it will be great for kids.My 2 adult kids think it is.

MarylandPirate sounds like you had a great trip!!! :

we all did...make sure your little ones get some time at the community hall, the ladies their are fantastic! One thing I wanted to do but forgot was every Wednesday they have a meeting for DVC members at the Performance Hall concerning the ongoing additions to SSR.

 

[tjkraz]

For those who've stayed, would you say the location was a slight drawback and that you spent more time shuttling than you would have liked?

If you're asking purely about the time involved, I don't think you really save as much time as you might think compared to resorts that are within walking distance of the parks.

During off-peak periods, when taking a bus we figure on about 20-30 minutes for the trip. That's an average of 10 minutes wait time (sometimes 2 minutes, sometimes 15) and about 10-15 minutes of travel time.

Compare that with the 20 minutes it takes to walk from BWV to MGM or 25+ minutes from BCV to MGM. The bus really doesn't seem so bad, IMO.

There are some noteworthy exceptions like the 5-10 it takes to walk from BCV to Epcot. And, most would agree that walking into Epcot is a lot more "magical" than a bus ride. But I think it would be wrong to think that having to ride a bus is going to eat up another hour of your day compared to walking from the closer resorts.

The more remote/quiet locale has some good points for sure, but from other threads it seems some folks think SSR is best for couples and not so much for families with kids in tow.

We didn't find that to be true. Our kids loved SSR. And, in many ways, it's a lot easier to hop on a conveniently-located bus to get to a theme park than to try and coax the kids along on foot for 15-20 minutes.

What is your absolute fave thing about SSR when all is said and done?

I don't know if it's because the resort is so new or just that Disney did such a great job in the design, but we really loved the luxurious furninshings in the rooms and the great looking landscaping. We also liked the small town feel of the resort. Taking the 5 minute walk from our room to the Carriage House was no big deal when you feel so much at home. I'm looking forward to the day when the resort has more rooms open and is its own little bustling community of DVCers.

 

[MarylandPirate]

Well said tjkraz!

 

[LIFERBABE]

My boys were 5 and 7 during our last trip to SSR in December.

They really liked it there. They loved walking thru DTD and being able to stop and play at Legoland, the fountains etc. We always stopped at Goofy's Candy Store so they could pick out a special treat. Dh and I ate a Earl's at least 3 times!

You can learn alot about your little ones on those walks to DTD so that was my favorite time, just walking, talking, laughing joking around, not having to be anywhere or do anything in particular.

The playground was great and the boys really enjoyed it and we always made it a point to let them play for a few moments on the way back from DTD.

The HRS pool was really fun for them too. I took great photos of them playing in the Donald area and standing underneath the rock waterfall behind Donald. Those were some of my favorite photos.

They really love DQ and wanted to go there everyday. We were there for 16 days and it was more important for us to be close to DTD because we went there everyday as opposed to a park (it was cold and wet so we did more indoor activities) that we visited 2 or 3 times total during our stay. So we actually did more shuttling when we stayed at VWL the first 10 nights of our trip.

Community Hall had activities scheduled daily and although we did not participate, we would stop in for a visit.

We really loved it there and it is definitely one of our favorite places to stay. We will be at BCV (our first home) for 2 weeks in June and we love the pool there, but know that most of our days will end at DTD so we will be doing alot of travelling. Im considering splitting our stay with SSR which will make someone on the BCV waitlist very happy!

 

[bartty]

We were at ssr in Dec. with my two girls, 3yrs and 13 mths. We didn't think that the waits for the busses or the drive was bad at all. My 3yr. old loved riding the busses so much that everytime she sees a bus now she wants to go on her "disney bus again!" As for the location, our room was right across from the quiet pool. We didn't use the theme pool at all because donald was being repaired! It was a great time and we are really happy with our "new home". Hope this helps

 

[kweaver]

We were there last summer with our kids...9, 6 and 3 at the time. Couldn't have loved it any more. The transportation was excellent...I agree that it's much easier to get on a bus with little kids than have them complain about walking when they are tired. Also, the buses were direct to SSR....so none of the BC/BCV/BW/BWV/S&D issues which really add time to your trip. We always have a car...but never take it to the parks.

We didn't find the walk to the pool (we were in Congress Park) a problem at all. If you have a car and you really wanted to drive, you could.

The kids had a lot of fun at community hall...a real plus for SSR. We used the playground a lot too.

 

[mom2rb]

My boys loved SSR. It was an easy walk to DD. It was great to take the boys to Lego land and World of Disney. One thing I loved was putting the boys to bed and then sitting on the balcony and watching all the activity at DD.

 

[murcor]

We spent 9 nights at SSR in January. Now, my husband has no desire to stay anywhere else.

One thing that we really like is the luxurious furninshings in the room. For example being from the countryside we would find that the VWL would be too normal for us.

We were abit afraid there would be too much walking....we stayed in congress park and it wasnt a problem. Although, one day I did forget the backpack at the room and didnt notice it until we got to the main pool....yikes, the kids were not happy....a quick walk back to the room and hopped the bus back to the main pool.

We loved the theme pool, it was perfect for our children ages 5 & 4. They could play in the zero entry or use the slides.

The walk to DTD was maybe 10 minutes which is nothing compared to all the walking one does in the parks. We didnt spend much time there but did do the walk a few times for something to do.

We were very impressed with the bus service, a dedicated bus to each of the main theme parks with no stops....wow. Sometimes, we were the only ones on the bus. A couple evenings we wanted to go to another resort for dinner, it was easy, walk over to DTD and hop their bus.....no hassles. The only way I can think as to why it would be so remote to some people is if they had only planned to go to MK every day of their visit...then yes, your not next door.

Our accomodations are just as much part of our vacation as any park or activity and we are glad we chose SSR for our home.

 

[murcor]

One thing I wanted to mention but forgot. I am a little concerned about the overall finished size of the resort, but I was pleasantly surprised with it currently and hope to be just as happy then.

 

[cbjl]

We were very impressed with the bus service, a dedicated bus to each of the main theme parks with no stops....wow.

Wow - somehow I missed this when reading up on SSR, but it makes a lot of sense because of the size of the resort.
I just assumed if boats are shared with OKW that buses would be also. Hmmmm - it would certainly save a lot of time if they only make stops at 1 resort & then go straight to the parks. That is one thing that drives me a little nuts on the bus rides at BWV and VWL - some rides seem to take forever b/c you have to make so many stops.

Does anyone know if "dedicated" SSR buses are expected to be the norm long-term? Or does Disney alter bus routes with capacity (peak periods dedicated buses, low periods shared buses)? (should I have asked this under a new thread?)

 

[tjkraz]

Does anyone know if "dedicated" SSR buses are expected to be the norm long-term? Or does Disney alter bus routes with capacity (peak periods dedicated buses, low periods shared buses)? (should I have asked this under a new thread?)

SSR has had dedicated busses from the start (only one or two buildings open) so there's every reason to believe it will continue. Our dues pay a large part (if not all) of the transportation budget for the resort, so it's not like Disney is taking a big hit on the service.

Combining a route with OKW would have been a mistake due to the multiple stops at each resort.

I've read that there are occasions when OKW and SSR share busses at closing time of a theme park. Makes sense from the standpoint that their primary goal is just to get folks on a bus rather than waiting in line at the park exit.

 

[larklynn]

We went to ssr last August. We took our 3,6,10 year olds our 4 year old niece and her 15 year old sister. They all loved it when the 15 year old was tired of she went to the pool or shopping since its right with in walking distance. We didn't get to try the community hall but are going back in may (yeah) with just our children and plan on trying it. What type of things do they do there? Two of my children have gone to the GF and done the pirate cruise, cooking adventure, The madhatters tea party, and the disney girl princess tea. They all did the luau. We are doing the Mickeys back yard bbq and the lunch at the crystal palace. I took my daughter and my nieces to cinderella's royal table last time. Any other ideas?