SSR boonies,...

[WALTSAGOD]

For those that own, love and book SSR, does the location of the far extremities bother you? Every time I look at a map and see just how far spread out it is, I would hate to be STUCK way out here and have to drive into the pool/eating area every time to swin, eat or whatever.
We drive to WDW then love to veg out while on the bus and boats. Why do they not offer a booking area like OKW HH?

 

[DMKEDM]

I'm one who owns, loves and books frequently at SSR. And while I have my preferences (Grandstand followed by Congress Park), I hike all over SSR (for exercise) and don't find any of the "boonie" neighborhoods or buildings all that "boonie-ish"...I think probably the furthest building would be either the far end of Congress Park (closest to Downtown Disney Marketplace), or perhaps one of the "end" Carousel or Paddock buildings--from either of which you can walk the length of a couple of buildings to a bridge which will get you back to the main area pretty quickly...even "just strolling along" nothing is further than 10 minutes from the main building...

Now, if I were walking carrying two suitcases in the middle of an August day, I'd be one unhappy camper! And heaven knows there have been nights when I'd love a snack but the 10-minute walk from the far end of Congress Park to the main building (or even over to Downtown Disney) seemed "too far"...but that's been true for me at the end of the long corridor at Boardwalk, or the Beach Club (Inn), too...same-same for Old Key West.

Bottom line...no matter how spread out SSR or OKW may look, it really isn't all that far from the furthest spot back to the center! (I think on the map it's something like 1/3 of a mile?)

 

[FIVEFANS]

I also love SSR. And my opinion is that everywhere on WDW property is close to somewhere and far from somewhere else......

I also love the poly and found sometimes that I could walk pretty far around there......

So yes, it is a little walk from the outter rooms, but no I didnt notice it a problem. For example I loved the small walk and boatride to Downtown Disney. We could also use the pools all around the resort and they may not all have a slide but they have something else......

We have never even had a car at Disney..... we are all about using the disney transportation.... so with all this said I will add that we like walking. I even have three kids under 7 and we still tough it out. We all do well.

And so far I have never gained a pound on vacation and I eat lots of churos and turkey legs....

 

[lsutigger2]

and I think you can catch a bus and get off at the Springs (?) bus stop which is across from the 'center'. I think that is the correct one. I don't have a map in front of me.

I also didn't the walk was bad. From our room in the Springs it was probably a longer walk to the boat dock that it was to get to Downtown Disney.

And as another poster suggested, there are times when I really don't want to walk anywhere , but I don't find the walk 'terrible'.

 

[CarolA]

It's really not that far.

However, there has been an entire movement to get "booking categories" but be careful... with the new Waitlist rules when you get one night in location A, one night in B and one night back in A... you are using one of your waitlist request for this.

I have stayed all over the resort. It's closer from the farthest point to the main pool and check in then it is to walk around World Showcase at Epcot.

 

[jgus]

We like the spread out feeling, and enjoy walking around the resort.

 

[fluffykim]

I always find this topic quite funny. People will walk for HOURS around the parks but are so worried about a 10minute walk to the main house....sorry...this just never makes sense to me

anyways..I will answer the question

We prefer to stay as far away from the main house and as close to DTD as possible. We walk to DTD almost every night for ice cream, wolfgang puck, lego land, etc

That being said, we have been doing that since our son was 2years old, he is now 6. We have stayed in Congress Park every year but 1x when we stayed at GrandStand.

We have never had an issue with even the 15-20min walk from Grandstand to DTD. I would never dream of carrying my luggage across a resort, that is what the bellboys are there for.

Even carrying my child on my shoulders for a quick walk to get breakfast or swim in the main pool is not a big deal.

So, I guess this is a personal taste question. If you need to drive your car 10mins to get to the pool..I guess Im suprised that you are at Disney, which is a WALKING resort.

Kim

 

[DisneyWalker44]

To some folks, the difference between a 5 minutes walk and a 10 minute walk is a fate worse than death. I just don't see it as a big deal. And I certainly wouldn't drive anywhere within SSR.

I guess folks are different. And that's part of what makes DVC work, right?

 

[carstinsmom]

if you are concerned i would recommend requesting the grandstand section. we just got back last week and i agree it is a large spread out resort but that section was great. close to and the first stop on the bus route, close to the pool both in that section and the main pool, close walk to the main building, main pool and boat to downtown disney. good luck!!!

 

[MikeyNS]

I don't think it's as spread out as the map makes it look. We love strolling around SSR and it really isn't that bad at all, even in the "boonies". You could grab a bus, but I find all the walkways and the bridge make everything within strolling distance. We used to walk to one of the quiet pools with our toddler instead of going to the main pool and it didn't really seem any further away from where we were staying. Anyhoo walking is good for you.

 

[december14disney]

The day we woke up and really decided we were buying DVC when we got the SSR (thats where all the guides are and everything) we just walked around. Like for an hour and a half. We werent even buying there..we bought AKV...I just wanted to get the "feel" of a DVC. Its gorgeous. I enjoyed the walk so much. I think DVC will change our touring plans a lot in the sense of--if I get up on a goreous morning maybe I will take an hour walk with my cup of coffee. Before its like GET TO THE PARK OR DIE!
I think you'll be fine with SSR. We are staying there on developer points soon...and I am excited as well!

 

[Cee]

I agree. There is nothing like a morning walk. I'll be at the THV in Sept. and look forward to the stroll to the main areas and DTD and OKW. This keeps the guilt away when I eat the Carrot Cake and Chocolate Cake from Artist Palette.

 

[dopeygirl76]

We are owners with small children, youngest DD was 1 on our first DVC stay as SSR. We didn't do a request - mainly because we didn't know much. But were delighted in our room in the Paddock section. The quiet pool and playground outside of our building were perfect for us - my older daughter (who was 4) thought that was vacation!! We too enjoyed the walk to DTD. We enjoy a little quiet and solitude after in park insanity!!! In comparison to VWL, the quiet pool was the ONLY downside there as it was certainly not quiet and at any time of the day there were between 8 and 10 kids screaming, splashing and running. My girls are still learning to swim so the splashing was upsetting to them, however we chose just to not use the pool since everyone has different rules for their kids (yes the parents were there). But as DH and I discussed that would turn off A LOT of people who did not think that behavior acceptable!!

Moral of the story - all resorts have pros and cons - and to answer your question - near or far doesn't bother us and I'm sure that teenagers would enjoy the chance to walk the resort !!

 

[DisneyBuffinDE]

We are not owners at SSR but I just got back from staying there. We own AKV. We didn't like the fact that it was so big. We have DD is 23 months and DS is 5. But it was an ok resort. We did request the Springs and got it. The location of the Springs really helped be close to things but some of the busses since it was the last stop were very very full. Didn't like that at all. So all in all not bad.

 

[cogero]

We are from NY so walking anywhere is not an issue LOL. I didn't put in a request of where to stay because I just didn't want to bother anything will be fine and DH is looking forward to jogging around the resort a couple of times to stretch out LOL.

I guess it is just what you feel comfortable with.

 

[LIFERBABE]

The day we woke up and really decided we were buying DVC when we got the SSR (thats where all the guides are and everything) we just walked around. Like for an hour and a half. We werent even buying there..we bought AKV...I just wanted to get the "feel" of a DVC. Its gorgeous. I enjoyed the walk so much. I think DVC will change our touring plans a lot in the sense of--if I get up on a goreous morning maybe I will take an hour walk with my cup of coffee. Before its like GET TO THE PARK OR DIE!
I think you'll be fine with SSR. We are staying there on developer points soon...and I am excited as well!

Totally agree. This is my favorite thing to do in all of WDW. SSR is the only resort that makes me want to get up in the morning and walk around it. You wont find the landscaping or detailing or pathways at many of the other resorts. We chose Disney for many reasons not just the parks. If all WDW offered were the parks, we not own DVC. We saw ourselves enjoying resort life much longer than park life.

In comparison to VWL, the quiet pool was the ONLY downside there as it was certainly not quiet and at any time of the day there were between 8 and 10 kids screaming, splashing and running. My girls are still learning to swim so the splashing was upsetting to them, however we chose just to not use the pool since everyone has different rules for their kids (yes the parents were there).

I also agree with this. My boys learned to swim at the quiet pool in Congress Park because there were way less people there. They were able to take their time and practice as much as they wanted and they were not bothered or bothering anyone else. They didnt like SAB when they were younger because they couldnt swim and there was no place to practice. The quiet pool was busy also.
So SSR being a little more spread out, controls the traffic the pool and BBQ areas get. If you are in the Grandstand, there is not much reason for you to be in Congress Park area and vice versa. I like that when we want a busier feel we go to the main area, when we want more quiet, we have amenities in our area. Some resorts you dont get to choose.

 

[cheezNE1]

I always find this topic quite funny. People will walk for HOURS around the parks but are so worried about a 10minute walk to the main house....sorry...this just never makes sense to me

anyways..I will answer the question

We prefer to stay as far away from the main house and as close to DTD as possible. We walk to DTD almost every night for ice cream, wolfgang puck, lego land, etc

That being said, we have been doing that since our son was 2years old, he is now 6. We have stayed in Congress Park every year but 1x when we stayed at GrandStand.

We have never had an issue with even the 15-20min walk from Grandstand to DTD. I would never dream of carrying my luggage across a resort, that is what the bellboys are there for.

Even carrying my child on my shoulders for a quick walk to get breakfast or swim in the main pool is not a big deal.

So, I guess this is a personal taste question. If you need to drive your car 10mins to get to the pool..I guess Im suprised that you are at Disney, which is a WALKING resort.

Kim

IMO- it's different between walking at the park with lots of sights and stops you can look at and walking on a trail just to get a cup of coffee or something. Just because I enjoy walking at the Epcot for hours doesn't mean I want to walk for hours to just to get somewhere. I guess it all depends on the purpose of the walk. Exercise and a relaxing walk- perfect. But if i have to walk 10 to 15 min. everytime to refill my mug.... no way.
I was at Carousel the last stay with the DIL and they love to walk. I started walking to refill my mug in the morning... Then I started driving there instead. Since my DIL enjoyed walking ( must be the older you get, the more energy you have to walk ), they took their little stroll and refill my mug for me every morning.

 

[Topo Bella]

I guess there are parts of the property that feel more remote than others, but we never felt like we were too remote. I actually had more of a problem when we stayed at Yacht Club and had to walk the endless hallways to get to our room. At SSR, there was a 5-10 minute walk to the pool and the bus stop was less than 5 minutes. The property had such a lovely, pleasant feel to it that I cannot imagine not enjoying a stay there.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

We just came back from our stay at SSR -- we were in the Grandstand, and we loved it. For the first time we used some of the on-site amenities (the Arcade, the Community Center) and the walk was 1,2,3. Prior to this we stayed at Congress Park, on the DTD side. With both locations, we never thought the walk was long (DD has gone from 5 to 8 during our trips) or uninteresting.
We bought SSR sight unseen, and, lucky for us, it's become "buy where you want to stay." We love the quiet, scenery, and the variety of amenities.

 

[BroganMc]

The only real "boonies" at SSR these days are gonna be the THVs. Even Carousel, much-maligned, is actually closer than people give it credit.

Figure 5-7 minutes for every .25 miles.

And along the way there are tons of lovely vistas with precious little crowd to impede your peace.