SSR - Dont go without a rental car

[SyrCinderella]

We just got back from DD's Fairy Tale Wedding, and it was great - except for our stay at SSR. DH just had a triple bypass and called MS to request a room close to the Carriage House, but MS screwed up and sent it in as a regular request, not "Medical" so we were at the far end of Congress Park. Busses were a real problem - waited over an hour for a Downtown Disney bus, making our DD late by an hour and a half to her own shower. Cabs were called for us and they never showed, or took 45 minutes to get there. It was a transportation nightmare for the events leading up to the wedding.
We have not had this experience at other resorts.

The bus driver who finally came said that the computer now decides where the busses should go, not just running a set route. The system needs tweaking, especially at spring break. There were many unhappy people on that bus!

We also noticed several maintenance problems at the resort. The patio door lock was broken. The master bedroom toilet didn't always flush properly. The master bedroom closet door fell off the track on top of me one evening, and it took hours for maintenance to come and put it back up.

I was so disappointed. I really wanted to like the resort, and the Grand Villa was to be a special treat for our DD. The extra room was nice, but the transportation problems kinda negated that for us. SSR didn't feel like the "upscale" resort it was sold as. Even the moderates have pizza delivery.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I do feel bad for you, but I just gotta know...
An hour and a half late for the shower, but the bus was only an hour late? So she was behind even if the bus was there waiting for her.. Right?
Wouldn't she want to leave in plenty of time for such an occasion? Couldn't she walk to DtD in 10 minutes??

When you called the cabs, it may have been a good idea to call the front desk. They may have been able to help you out somehow.

Why do you manage to dig with the statement-

"SSR didn't feel like the "upscale" resort it was sold as. Even the moderates have pizza delivery."

Sorry, I could be way off track, but that just seems like a dig to me.

Don't get me wrong, I DO indeed feel bad that your trip wasn't what you expected, especially for a wedding.
I also believe that some things you could have helped yourself with such as being late.
Also, no need for the dig implying moderate hotels are better.

-- Just my opinion...

MG

 

[elijahpep]

We just got back from DD's Fairy Tale Wedding, and it was great - except for our stay at SSR. DH just had a triple bypass and called MS to request a room close to the Carriage House, but MS screwed up and sent it in as a regular request, not "Medical" so we were at the far end of Congress Park. Busses were a real problem - waited over an hour for a Downtown Disney bus, making our DD late by an hour and a half to her own shower. Cabs were called for us and they never showed, or took 45 minutes to get there. It was a transportation nightmare for the events leading up to the wedding.
We have not had this experience at other resorts.

The bus driver who finally came said that the computer now decides where the busses should go, not just running a set route. The system needs tweaking, especially at spring break. There were many unhappy people on that bus!

We also noticed several maintenance problems at the resort. The patio door lock was broken. The master bedroom toilet didn't always flush properly. The master bedroom closet door fell off the track on top of me one evening, and it took hours for maintenance to come and put it back up.

I was so disappointed. I really wanted to like the resort, and the Grand Villa was to be a special treat for our DD. The extra room was nice, but the transportation problems kinda negated that for us. SSR didn't feel like the "upscale" resort it was sold as. Even the moderates have pizza delivery.

You're thread title mentions, do don't SSR without a rental car. In your post I see nowhere explaining how a rental would have helped with the exception of explaining transportation to DTD and the wait for a bus which was on a brand new transportaion system. Just curious.

Did you also call and notify maintenance regarding the patio door and toilet? If you were at any other resort, would you also have called maintenance about any noticed problems?
In appreciation, thank you for calling maintenance nontheless regarding the
closet door. That's happened to me in my real home and it's not fun, but sometimes that will happen with track doors. I hope you are doing better now.

It is sad that you had a difficult time and hope your DH is recovering in a good fashion. We have stayed in that same building. Curiously, couldn't your daughter have gone on to the shower and waited for you there to join the festivites? It's no more than a 10-15 minute walk to almost anywhere in DTD from that location for someone without ailment.

Would your visit have been better if you were at a moderate that delivered pizza? Do you feel that MS would not have messed up the "request" at a moderate v/s SSR? I thought MS was for all DVC resorts not just SSR, so that request could have been mixed up anywhere.

Sounds like this trip had the possibility to be a challenging visit (without the scenarios you previously listed as your observations and your personal opinion of SSR being less than standard and accomodating) considering your DH's unfortunate condition during the visit and the added stress of a wedding. To be honest that's a brave move do to Disney right after a triple bypass and applaude him for that effort. I'm certain he didn't want to miss the wedding celebration. But, again couldn't these events have been possible anywhere you could have chosen to stay taking that into account?


If the buses are switched to the new system now, it possibly was a problem everywhere not just at SSR. However, I definitely agree, it probably wasn't a lot of fun waiting an hour and half on a bus to make a 10 minute trek that on a normal day, for you and yours, would have been. Another course of time saving action could have been catching any bus to the carriage house and taking the boat to DTD from there? (time of day does matter concerning the boats understandingly)

Again, I sincerely wish your DH a healthy recovery and don't mean these questions as firestarters in anyway but I really feel these were events that could have happened anywhere. JMHO


We love our SSR home pizza delivery or not, never quite thought of pizza as a deal breaker. Respectfully,To each his own...


Weddings=STRESS
Health Issues can possibly =STRESS.
Changes in a Disney Wide transportaion system=STRESS.
A few minor room issues at any DVC= a call to maintenance


Here's to health and prosperity to you and yours with future Disney visits~


Again, jmho
~DW

 

[Merylj]

Sorry to hear about the problems encountered on your trip.
I do hope the transport problems were glitches in a new system. We`ll be staying there this Nov. with DH and he has very severe mobility problems and we won`t have a car!
Anyway pleased the wedding went well

 

[jakenjess]

I'm sorry about your difficulties on your trip. I hope you all had a wonderful time at the wedding festivities!

I agree that an hour wait for a bus is way too long. However, that's not an issue that's confined to SSR. On our last trip in Feb., my SIL waited over an hour for a DTD bus at the BWV, and another night our party waited an hour for a DTD bus at the Polynesian. It sounds like overall Disney needs to address the problem of long waits for those DTD busses!!

 

[canda]

I have always had very quick maintaince response at SSR.

On my last visit, all the drawers would not open. We thought maybe the cabinets did not drawers. Called maint. and in 15 min. a young, eager, full of Disney culture, maint. worker came and fixed them all, and then changed all the burnt out bulbs, that we had yet to notice.

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

Regarding the "title" of the topic...

SSR - Don’t go without a rental car

I would have to agree with the original topics statement and would strongly recommend having a car while staying at SSR but only because the resort is so large and because of the location and proximity to the parks and attractions. I've stayed at SSR twice so far through out its development and each time realizing more than the last, that SSR is "ginormous" !!! I would also recommend a car if staying at OKW (same reasons, resort size and location to attractions) and also while staying at WLV (location).

Regarding the direction this thread went - bus service and internal transportation - I believe that it is hit or miss at any resort when it comes to the WDW transportation system (or any mass transit system for he matter). Sometimes you're in sync with the system and other times your just not. Sometimes the system is efficient and sometimes it just isn’t.

I have had stays (at any/all resorts) where we had waited no longer than 3 or 4 minutes for any bus the entire trip and then the next time back to that same resort we have waited 20+ minutes for every single bus and sometimes its a combination of both... This has been my experience at OKW, SSR, BWV, BC, WL, Poly, CR, and all the moderates as well. To blame the resort is simply not just as they have no control over the schedules nor can they control any of the many factors and circumstances that affect the transit system at any given point in time.

 

[jekjones1558]

Sorry that your wedding trip was not as magical as it could have been. Thanks for reporting the maintenance issues. It is such a courtesy to the next guests when this is done. Hope that your next DVC visit is extra special.

 

[MILLZ]

Here we go again everyone pile on. Sorry but it sounds like poor planning to me. Seems like you should have been more prepared. But your right im sure its disneys fault they dont do it everyday or anything must have been a conspiracy.

 

[abk96]

I'm sorry about your difficulties on your trip. I hope you all had a wonderful time at the wedding festivities!

I agree that an hour wait for a bus is way too long. However, that's not an issue that's confined to SSR. On our last trip in Feb., my SIL waited over an hour for a DTD bus at the BWV, and another night our party waited an hour for a DTD bus at the Polynesian. It sounds like overall Disney needs to address the problem of long waits for those DTD busses!!

Yes I agree with that. On our last trip we waited at YC for a DTD bus for 45 minutes. And the trip before that we waited just as long at the Contempory for a DTD bus when we were leaving Chef Mickey's.

I don't like pizza delivery. Don't care much for pizza when in the world. There is way too many other delicious choices there. We do pizza delivery at home here in PA.

 

[Fitswimmer]

We had an issue with the dryer on our last stay and we also had a very good experience with the maintenance folks. They came within 10 minutes of our call and did the best job they could to fix it-which through no fault of their own they could not. It turned out that the latch was damaged, and although the maintenance worker didn't say it, we assumed that it was caused by a previous guest.

We had little trouble with the buses on our last two visits to SSR, the first trip, our timing was just off and we would get to the stop right after the bus we wanted had been there. Sometimes it works out that way.

 

[UConnJack]

While I absolutely agree that it is best to have a car when going to SSR (and OKW), I think it would have been wise for you to have rented a car no matter what resort you were staying in considering your DH's condition and the purpose of your trip. I too am wary of SSR's size, location, and transportation, but bus delays can happen at any resort and I wouldn't have relied entirely on them in your situation.

I wish your DH a speedy recovery and hope the wedding was a success!

 

[utahkennedys]

I feel that at any resort we need a rental car. At the Poly is where we have experienced the absolute worst waits for everything, except the monorail.

On our last trip to OKW I dropped off the rental car a few days into our trip thinking that I really just needed it to initially get groceries, go off site for a few meals, etc. I REALLY missed the car when it was gone, and we were even w/in walking distance to the HH. I can't believe how spread out SSR is, and I don't want to be taking an internal bus to get to a pool, I would rather jump in my car and go. I think WDW buses are especially terrible for getting to other resorts...you have to go to a park or DTD and switch buses...so it's a real pain to get to dinner at another resort, etc. without a car. We did find OKW bus service to be very efficient for parks.

 

[UConnJack]

I feel that at any resort we need a rental car. At the Poly is where we have experienced the absolute worst waits for everything, except the monorail.

On our last trip to OKW I dropped off the rental car a few days into our trip thinking that I really just needed it to initially get groceries, go off site for a few meals, etc. I REALLY missed the car when it was gone, and we were even w/in walking distance to the HH. I can't believe how spread out SSR is, and I don't want to be taking an internal bus to get to a pool, I would rather jump in my car and go. I think WDW buses are especially terrible for getting to other resorts...you have to go to a park or DTD and switch buses...so it's a real pain to get to dinner at another resort, etc. without a car. We did find OKW bus service to be very efficient for parks.

I agree. I usually get a car no matter where I stay (unless its a last minute weekend stay or something.) Not that I don't like or use WDW transportation, I use it almost exclusively when going to the parks. But going to other resorts, DTD (if I must), moving within SSR or OKW, or off-site for groceries is so much easier with a car. Plus I don't care for ME, I like being in control of my transportation.

 

[jarestel]

Everyone knows that anything that goes awry at Disney is entirely your own fault. I will now proceed to bombard you with a long list of "you shouldas, you couldas, and I wouldas".

Ah, the heck with it! Sorry to hear your special trip wasn't all you hoped it would be. Hopefully the next one will make up for it!

 

[BroganMc]

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

My dad had a triple bypass 2 years ago. (Exactly one week before a scheduled Disney trip. We obviously cancelled and rescheduled for a few months later.) His major concession was to use rented ECVs for his Disney trips. We always take our own van so we're not tied to bus schedules. Considering we have mostly stayed offsite, having your own transportation is a necessity. But with the ECV, he can manage his stamina issues much better while walking for exercise and fun as desired.

Sorry you had a Murphy's Law sort of trip. I remember well how stressful a wedding trip is. So many last minute things to take care of. The morning of one wedding we had a breakneck scavenger hunt in a local mall for a feather pen to sign the guestbook. And then there was the race to the church for the skittish flower girl battling the domineering wedding planner.

As for SSR, well yeah it can be big, but I don't think I'd recommend getting a car just to travel around the resort. At some point you need to park that car somewhere. The morning we checked in, it was so busy at the Carriage House we ended up parking across the street and having to walk over to check-in. We never bothered using the van for the resort after that, but we did use it to travel outside to the parks and whatnot.

My next trip I'll be three days without the van as we have to split up for a conference vs. park goers. I may be posting some disgruntled threads myself then about my long waits. I hope not though.

 

[DisneyDreamer99]

What is the average time it takes for the bus ride to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM and Animal Kingdom?

 

[mwmuntz]

SSR is "ginormous" !!!

Not to go OT, but just how big is SSR, compared to, say Caribbean Beach or one of the All Stars resorts?

 

[crisi]

We've had poor bus service on one trip at BWV (the next trip the buses were always exactly where we wanted when we wanted - it was magical). But the big difference between BWV bad buses and what I'd imagine would be SSR bad buses - at the BW there is almost always a cab at the cab stand - if not the bellhop will call you one - he's maybe 50 yards from the busstop (and they drive over from MGM or Y&BC or the S&D - it doesn't take long) - where at SSR to get a cab means calling one from your room or taking what could be a long hike to the lobby.

We did the cab thing at DTD too - cab stands were convienently located to the bus stops.

I'm pretty convinced that any OKW or SSR stay for us would involve renting a car. I love Disney transportation, but I want an option when it isn't working on my timeframe. With BWV, that options has always been a cab - but I don't think that would work at the multi-bus stop resorts.

 

[chuckcorden]

We just got back from DD's Fairy Tale Wedding, and it was great - except for our stay at SSR. DH just had a triple bypass and called MS to request a room close to the Carriage House, but MS screwed up and sent it in as a regular request, not "Medical" so we were at the far end of Congress Park. Busses were a real problem - waited over an hour for a Downtown Disney bus, making our DD late by an hour and a half to her own shower. Cabs were called for us and they never showed, or took 45 minutes to get there. It was a transportation nightmare for the events leading up to the wedding.

The bus driver who finally came said that the computer now decides where the busses should go, not just running a set route. The system needs tweaking, especially at spring break. There were many unhappy people on that bus!

I was so disappointed. I really wanted to like the resort, and the Grand Villa was to be a special treat for our DD. The extra room was nice, but the transportation problems kinda negated that for us. SSR didn't feel like the "upscale" resort it was sold as. Even the moderates have pizza delivery.

I just got back from a week at SSR and I could not have had a better time. I had requested that I be placed close to the restaurants and gift shop due to my use of a cane (bum knee due to a botched operation). I was placed in the middle building of the Springs.

The bus service was excellent. Never did I wait more than 15 mins. for a ride to the parks and on my one trip to DTD my wait was about 20 mins. I took the bus rather than the boat because it was raining.

If SSR is not an upscale resort, then I don't know what upscale is. The pools are great and while I didn't eat at the Turf Club or the Artist's Pallette, both seemed to be well appointed. The grounds were immaculate (of course, it IS Disney, after all) and my studio apartment looked out on a beautiful pond. I am glad that SSR is my home resort.