SSR - Always Avaliable

[Iggipolka]

OK, slight hyperbole, but it seems like SSR nearly always has rooms available for last moment trips. Sometimes I dream about just hopping on a plane and going to WDW for a long weekend and I'll check on Monday and SSR will have availability for Thursday-Monday! Makes it even more challenging to not just give into random Disney impulses.
Several times we've been able to extend our vacation when we've been at WDW, by moving to SSR for a few extra days. We did this on our last trip, the day before we were scheduled to leave!

Is the availability just because SSR is such a large resort, or do people not like staying there?

btw: There's a 1 bedroom available at SSR this weekend.

 

[Murron]

OK, slight hyperbole, but it seems like SSR nearly always has rooms available for last moment trips. Sometimes I dream about just hopping on a plane and going to WDW for a long weekend and I'll check on Monday and SSR will have availability for Thursday-Monday! Makes it even more challenging to not just give into random Disney impulses.
Several times we've been able to extend our vacation when we've been at WDW, by moving to SSR for a few extra days. We did this on our last trip, the day before we were scheduled to leave!

Is the availability just because SSR is such a large resort, or do people not like staying there?

btw: There's a 1 bedroom available at SSR this weekend.

I own some SSR points. My husband loves Congress Park pool/view and accessibility to DTD. I'm just so so about it. I love BWV and BCV -- the accessible Epcot resorts and the night life. I think you are partially right in that it is a large resort. So is OKW, but SSR is so much more (IMHO) than OKW. That being said...if I can get away for a week or weekend, SSR is still a great place to stay...great pool, restaurants, golf course, DTD access.....etc.

 

[hakepb]

Yes, Its mostly because SSR is the largest resort. (OKW is #2 and AKl is #3)

SSR also does not have a large "gimmick" such as park proximity (like BWV) or cheap points (like OKW) to drive up demand.
And demand creates demand...kinda like trying to get Yankee tickets vs Mets tickets. Because the Yankees sell out, people know they have to advance plan..for Mets games there are always tickets, so people put off planning, then don't go.

 

[hakepb]

Yes, Its mostly because SSR is the largest resort. (OKW is #2 and AKl is #3)

SSR also does not have a large "gimmick" such as park proximity (like BWV) or cheap points (like OKW) to drive up demand.
And demand creates demand...kinda like trying to get Yankee tickets vs Mets tickets. Because the Yankees sell out, people know they have to advance plan..for Mets games there are always tickets, so people put off planning, then don't go.

FWIW, SSR had little to no availability when I was searching for July 3 and 4th about a month out..

 

[Anal Annie]

We own there and don't mind it one bit. And I for one am super thankful that it IS a large resort that often has something available due to its size. We WERE supposed to leave this coming Sat. for 2 weeks at VGC and Aulani BUT our DS had a medical emergency last Thurs. that is going to prevent him from being able to fly until he receives the all-clear from his pulmonologist (probably another 2-3 weeks). So there we were. 9 days out from the trip of a lifetime and I had to cancel everything!! Thankfully, DS is going to be OK but when I called MS to cancel my next question was WHAT'S AVAILABLE at WDW thinking we could drive down?! No studios to be had anywhere but SSR had a 1-bedroom open until Aug. 19th so I pushed our trip back by a week to give DS a few extra days and we were able to convert our 11 nights in studios at VGC & Aulani into 9 nights in that 1-bedroom and will only have to waste 7 points. THANK YOU SSR!!

(Oh and for the record when I called, the CM said there was only 1 villa available so it wasn't like there were TONS of them open...we just got darned lucky!! She advised me to go ahead & book it not hang up bcuz it WAS the only one open and you just never know. I ran into no availability beginning for a couple of nights on the 19th & 20th so we just worked our stay backward from when I ran into the roadblock.)

 

[SpaceMountain77]

This past June, I searched studio availability for the last week of August and SSR was not available; only OKW was available.

SSR studios have recently come available for the last week of August, but it was not the case earlier this summer.

 

[Dean]

It's not just because it's large, the inherent overall demand is also less than all other current on property resorts. It will generally be available when nothing else is.

 

[DebbieB]

I don't think it's because it's the largest. If BWV or BLT or BCV was the same size as SSR, I don't think there would be as much open availability. It just doesn't have as much of a draw, both for points and cash. BWV, BCV are within walking distance to Epcot, BLT is walking distance to MK, VWL is close to MK, AKV has the animals, OKW has the larger rooms. During slow times of the year, they upgrade people for free from values to SSR to fill the cash rooms (plus give free dining). DVC should have never made SSR so large, they just wanted to sell as many points as possible on the coattails of the other DVC resorts. So now it's hard to get other resorts under 7 months and SSR is almost always the last available.

 

[lilpooh108]

I also think that OKW has a following/fan base of sorts since many of the original members still like/love/stay there. SSR is relatively new and it doesn't have a loyal fan base and/or draw.

 

[AnnaS]

Not always. It really depends on the time of year.

 

[Dean]

I also think that OKW has a following/fan base of sorts since many of the original members still like/love/stay there. SSR is relatively new and it doesn't have a loyal fan base and/or draw.

IMO OKW would be right there with SSR (even though we really like it) except for the lower points. VB & HH are actually less in demand overall but they are smaller (less points) and were already part of the mix when SSR came on the scene.