SSR and small children, is it a great place to buy?

[disneydenisel]

We are just waiting to close on our 170 pt. BCV resale. Now I am thinking that we need more points already, so I was wondering what members here think about SSR with small children. Mine are 4 and 7 this year, both have special needs (high functioning autism). We loved BCV and never had to wait more than 10 minutes for any bus. Waiting longer than 15 minutes may be a problem for my DD.

But I like the extra 12 years and price point at SSR. What can you tell me about the resort with young children? Good, bad, boring, too long to wait, too far from anything?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Cruelladeville]

In my opinion, SSR might work better for you when your children are a bit older, but you can add on there now, and use the points at the other resorts while your children grow. SSR buses sometimes seem to be a long wait, although I never waited more than 5-10 minutes for one. SSR is a large resort, so if your kids need room to move, this is a good place for you. I like it because it is very easy to get your exercise there--I hate exercise rooms, they're a waste of my time, but if I can exercise while actually getting from place to place, I love it! They also have a great pool, not as good as Stormalong Bay, but it's close.

 

[murcor]

I think SSR is great for your children. The zero entry pool, donald duck play area, pool slides, my kids love it and they are 6 & 5. Went last year also a year earlier and things were great too. The resort is large and very scenic, great for walking and wearing off some energy.

Congrats on the Beach Club!

 

[fluffykim]

I just stayed at SSR in January and just want to add my 2cents

People keep referring to SSR as sooo big...I don't get it.

Yes, SSR has more rooms than other resorts, but I do not feel the LAYOUT of the buildings is more spread than other resorts. In my opinion, Old Key West has the most spread out layout and you can be sweating and red by the time you hoof it from one end to the other.

I stayed in Congress Park at the opposite end of the resort than the Pool or Artiste Pallette. It took me walking slowly no more than 10mins. Is that long?

I dont think so...easily at OKW you could walk for 20mins or more from end to end.

Yes, I think SSR is just fine for kids.

 

[kpk89]

We just returned from a trip home to SSR, and our kids (6,5,2) loved it! It was a bit chilly for swimming, but we did it anyway and the pool is awesome! The little waterslide helped my 5 yr old get up the courage to try the big slide. The baby loved the little slide too. We did not find long waits for buses, and you could very easily stay amused while waiting (at the Springs stop there's a pond with a fountain that the kids liked watching)

There's room to stretch your legs and the layout/theming is "quiet;" (probably wouldn't be overstimulating for a child with autism)

Good luck with your decision -- I'm sure whatever you choose your family will be happy!

 

[shellbelle1971]

Mom of 6 kids here...SSR has something for each of them. The themed pool & proximity to Downtown Disney are great for my high-energy kids. My more laid-back children enjoy just riding the boat back and forth between OKW, SSR and DTD, and walking around the lake in the evening.

I would guess that the peaceful atmosphere at SSR might be less stressful to a child with autism than one of the more "fast paced" resorts. My six-year-old (who has a communicative disability) feels overwhelmed at BWV (don't get me wrong--I love it there, but the whole boardwalk atmosphere is just too much for him) but he is really able to just unwind and be happy at SSR and OKW.

Hope this helps!
Michelle

 

[CALNEVA DISNEYFANS]

Stayed at SSR in Oct. Kids: 5, 7, and 14. They loved it. Great pool. Go for it.

 

[CarnotaurDad]

I have to agree with the previous posters that it really is a great resort for kids (of all ages!).

There is a lot of room to move around, but it's not so big that you can't manage it.

 

[TinkGirl]

We just got back from our first trip to SSR, and we all loved it. Our kids are 9, 10, and 13. They enjoyed the water slide and the little squirting play area even though they really were too old for it. (We had the place to ourselves). SSR is very calm and peaceful. Sometimes we did have to wait 15 minutes for a bus, sometimes we didn't. One thing I've noticed is that little kids become big kids before you know it. I think someone already said that you could always use your SSR points in a few years. My kids, especially the 13-year-old, think Downtown Disney is awesome.

 

[Twingle]

This is my first post, I've been a long time lurker, but wanted to put my .02 in.

We took our first DVC vacation this past December (3-10), and stayed at SSR, our home resort. While I enjoyed our stay quite a bit, there were pros and cons to the resort. The size of the resort I did not find large at all. We stayed in the Carousel, which is right over the bridge. We could walk to the snack bar in about 10 minutes, and to Downtown Disney in about 15 minutes. We were right next to the playground, the smaller pool (name escapes me right now) and one of the bus stops.

I have a six year old son and twin two year old daughters. We didn't use the pool while we were there, we just didn't have the time. All of my children enjoyed just walking the paths, in addition to the playground and Downtown Disney.

We had a 2BR and it was perfect (we traveled with my parents, so there were seven of us total). Plenty of room for everyone.

We had minor problems nearly every day we were there (there were only four towels and it took us two days to get more, it took over three hours to get an additional pack and play crib, Magical Express could not locate our luggage for several hours, it took almost 45 minutes to check in, we were charged for a floral arrangement that was not delivered), but these were remedied fairly quickly once I spoke with a manager.

The biggest problem we had was with the bus wait, both going from and to the resort. It was not unusual to have to wait over 20 minutes. Now, I've been told that this was highly, highly unusual. Apparently several of the bus drivers were ill, others were pulled to help in other areas of the resort, there were some "VIP" guests that had their own drivers. When we have three little kids and four big kids all chomping at the bit to get the Magic started, that 20 minutes plus the travel time was a bit long. Again, I've been told that this was a very unusual thing, and I've been told it has been fixed since then.

The only other complaint we had was with the lack of a resturant, again, in my dealings with the manager, I was told that there are plans to build a full service resturant in addition to another snack bar.

All in all, SSR was a beautiful resort, and we had a very enjoyable time. We've already started planning our next trip to Florida, in May, 2007, and we will be staying at SSR again!

I think you and your children will enjoy it, especially if they've gotten the bus schedule fixed.

 

[mrsminniemouse]

We stayed in the Carousel, which is right over the bridge. We could walk to the snack bar in about 10 minutes, and to Downtown Disney in about 15 minutes. We were right next to the playground, the smaller pool (name escapes me right now) and one of the bus stops.

Twingle, please can you tell me where the Carousel area is? Is it part of The Paddocks? I have never heard of it before.

Thanks!
Mandy

 

[CarnotaurDad]

Yep, Carousel is the first bus stop in the resort for the park busses and is part of the Paddock. Curiously enough, it is not yet on the SSR maps that Disney provides upon check in.