SSR - I'm a believer!

[sweetinmaine]

Let me start by saying that we just returned from SSR on Oct 19. We arrived on the 15th. Although we checked in at 12noon our room was not ready until 4:30pm. Our luggage was not delivered until 7:30pm and the room was terribly dusty when we arrived. I thought OK...I knew it..I didn't want to stay there and now I'm going to write a real review of the place....WRONG!
Except for some forgivable issues with housekeeping and bell services, we SSR! We stayed in the Springs section and had a really pretty waterview of the fountain and the bridge to the Paddocks section. We were on the 4th floor in a studio and it was close to the elevators. The CM's were so friendly and were just wonderful! The main pool was great, my grandsons loved the zero entry as well as I did. We also used the quiet pool in the Paddocks and it too was very nice with the "frogs" squirting the water.

I went there thinking that I would never stay there again and having stayed at SSR I can't wait to go back!

 

[disnutt]

So happy to hear you enjoyed my 'home'!

 

[OHIOVACATIONER]

Glad you posted we are going in Dec and have never been there. How was the transportation to the parks? Also any suggestions on places to eat?

Thx

 

[ACDSNY]

Shhh! You're letting the best kept secret out! We love SSR too.

 

[cobbler]

Glad you had a great time. I do miss "home"

 

[dumbo71]

Glad you posted we are going in Dec and have never been there. How was the transportation to the parks? Also any suggestions on places to eat?

Thx

We like Earls, Wolfgang Pucks and Rainforest Cafe, all a short walk/boat ride from SSR.

 

[sweetinmaine]

Glad you posted we are going in Dec and have never been there. How was the transportation to the parks? Also any suggestions on places to eat?

Thx

The transportation was fine. The longest we waited was 20 minutes due to just missing a bus. One of the drivers was telling us that they know which resorts have more people staying in them and dispatch more buses to those resorts. They also report in as they enter the theme parks as to how many are waiting at the stops. The drivers do not follow the same route each day. They are assigned per people at the stops or capacity at the resorts.

As another poster mentioned we did like Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD. Quick counter service and delicious foods. For a quick sandwich, the Earl of Sandwich is very good also. We did eat at the resort too. Turf's Club. While a lot of the posters are saying the menu is limited we enjoyed the Rueben sandwiches for lunch along with the fried calamari. I wouldn't rule this restaurant out if I were you.. Artist's Palette was good for breakfast. The lunch menu included sandwiches and salads. In the evening they do have a dinner special. One night it was meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Not bad at all...

 

[sweetinmaine]

So happy to hear you enjoyed my 'home'!

This is actually the resort we bought into also! I do love going home!!

 

[RoyalCanadian]

The OP obviously has confused SSR with some other resort. We must remember the truth about SSR:

• this is the resort that is SOOOO HUGE it takes forever to get anywhere.
• this is the resort with those AWFUL outdoor hallways -- so it really isn't any better than a Motel 6, but charges so much more.
• this is the resort with the AWFUL bus service -- takes FOREVER to get to the parks. Remember?
• this is the resort with NO THEMING!!! Remember you're supposed to see palm trees in Florida, not lovely conifers reminiscent of Upstate NY.
• this is the resort that is going to make the rest of the DVC resorts impossible to get into after the 7 month point.
• this is the resort with those absolutely tiny rooms in the 1BR and 2BR villas.

But hey, at least is isn't VAKL with the "steaming pile of manure" view.

 

[dbm20th]

I'll be at SSR for the first time in 2 weeks!!!

And your report really has me pumped

 

[mark&sue]

Just got back today from 2 weeks at SSR with the final 3 days at BCV. Much preferred our stay at SSR to BCV which we will not do again.

We stayed at Congress park and had a two bed and a studio. Would definately try to get the same area again


Susan

 

[Granny]

I went there thinking that I would never stay there again and having stayed at SSR I can't wait to go back!

I think it's great that you kept an open mind and didn't let "first impressions" ruin your trip or your opinion of SSR. Unfortunately, I think that there are a good number of people whose entire trip would have been jaded by the beginning you experienced in your room.

Glad that you enjoyed your trip, and that you love your home resort.

 

[kitty44]

Glad you posted we are going in Dec and have never been there. How was the transportation to the parks? Also any suggestions on places to eat?

Thx

We just got back yesterday from our stay at SSR. I was very happy with the bus service to all of the parks, both going and returning back to SSR at night. I don't think we ever waited more than 5 minutes, and there were so many busses running that in 5 days I never once saw anyone have to stand.

 

[HUFF590]

I think it's great that you kept an open mind and didn't let "first impressions" ruin your trip or your opinion of SSR. Unfortunately, I think that there are a good number of people whose entire trip would have been jaded by the beginning you experienced in your room.

Glad that you enjoyed your trip, and that you love your home resort.

I think Grannys right alot of people let there first impression ruin there trip. Im glad you did not. Good to read your report Ill be back for my 4th trip home in 15 days.

 

[MILLZ]

Shhh! You're letting the best kept secret out! We love SSR too.

I CANT WAIT TO STAY THERE

 

[Parkhopper13]

Glad to hear you liked SSR. It is our favorite too. Perhaps it is beginning to come into its own.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm glad you had such a good time! I think the zero entry pool idea is a good one.

Bobbi

 

[sue]

We just got back from SSR and OKW on the 23rd of this month. Our first time "HOME" since buying into DVC. We started out at SSR on Oct 18th-20 , then over to OKW on the 21-23. We also were in the springs unit and LOVED LOVED LOVED this resort!!!!!!! The beds are incredible!!!! The busing was a bit slow at times. I talked to our agent that sold us our DVC membership and he said that a lot will be changing come SEPT of 2007 with the busing. He said until the resort is completely finished, they are only allowed a certain amount of buses to run through the resort. Come Sept 2007, the full amount of buses will then be given to the resort. Makes sense.... the fewer amount of people in the resort..... the fewer amount of buses needed right?

OKW was nice, but SSR was very plush and very comfortable. OKW is beautiful on the outside, with all the large palm trees and it sits on the golfcourse, but we found the beds to be ROCK HARD!!! and with hardwood floors, the grand villa echo's some. Also found that the management at OKW was less than noliagable about many issues. I asked different questions regarding ME for checkout and got 3 different answers, not only from conceirge but from the front deck people as well. This resort I guess is NOT for me.

 

[epfootballcutie04]

The OP obviously has confused SSR with some other resort. We must remember the truth about SSR:

• this is the resort that is SOOOO HUGE it takes forever to get anywhere.
• this is the resort with those AWFUL outdoor hallways -- so it really isn't any better than a Motel 6, but charges so much more.
• this is the resort with the AWFUL bus service -- takes FOREVER to get to the parks. Remember?
• this is the resort with NO THEMING!!! Remember you're supposed to see palm trees in Florida, not lovely conifers reminiscent of Upstate NY.
• this is the resort that is going to make the rest of the DVC resorts impossible to get into after the 7 month point.
• this is the resort with those absolutely tiny rooms in the 1BR and 2BR villas.

But hey, at least is isn't VAKL with the "steaming pile of manure" view.

uuuummmmmmmmmmmm...........are you kidding? Please tell me you're kidding.

 

[Dad's Not Funny]

We spent two weeks there in the Springs area recently and had a very relaxing time. I think most all of the past complaints I have read on the boards were overly critical.

The CM's at the front desk were very helpful in addressing our needs for room keys, information and dining plan changes each day. I never had to wait more than a few minutes in line. It seems they all work at 2 or 3 places around the world so you can get pretty good information about things by asking nicely.

The rooms are very comfortable and nicely decorated. I think they are a little more user space friendly than the older DVC rooms and all of the furnishing were fairly new in appearance. The master bathroom in the 2 BR suite was very large and there was plenty of closet space. The beds were great and made it hard to get up in the morning. I have normally not had this problem as my back says "time to get up" as soon as it can get the attention of my brain in the early morning. It made touring the parks easier to be well rested each night. DW spent mornings in the whirlpool tub to get ready for walking the parks. The kitchen area was well equiped and all the appliances in good working order. Having the washer and dryer in the room was a big plus for keeping the clothing mess from growing too large on a long stay.

The busses seemed to run on a regular schedule to all the parks about every 20 mins. I did not use the internal SSR bus but saw it go by on a similar pace. It would probably be faster to walk between the different areas. We walked over to DTD via the golf course several times instead of waiting on the boats. It was much faster unless you catch one just coming in from OKW. There was also plenty of parking at the rooms if you drive. I don't think it would be bad to be in the other areas of the resorts. They are probably even quieter than the Springs and have their own pools to relax at.

The main pool was pretty busy each day. They had regular games and activities for the kids and the staff were very friendly and outgoing. The slide was a lot of fun. It was not quite as long as the storm slides at the water park but a similar experience. My daughter did it about 25 times in a row one day along with a bunch of other kids so it passed their quality test with flying colors.

The food court was OK in terms of selection for breakfast and lunch. We mostly just ate breakfast foods there. The lunch flat breads were good and there were plenty of fresh baked and pre-packaged goods for snacks. It was much less noisy and hectic than the other resorts I've been in. This made the meals more enjoyable and restful. I saw a lot of kids using the drawing boards on the tables to amuse themselves making works of art for their families. It was nice to have some refrigerated grocery type items available as well as the prepared food. It is very quiet before 8 am so you can relax there with a few DVC mugs of your favorite beverage with no problems. We did not try the Turf Club but heard several people comment it was good on food quality and service. You can still get in there easily without an ADR.

The gym area was well equipped and not overly crowded in the morning. It may be more crowded in peak season.

I lived in Saratoga for two years in the past and have to say other than the street names they don't really compare closely. This version is much better! No snow, more to do than go to the tracks and > 2 day summer season. My biggest fear is everyone will realize how nice SSR is and it will become harder to get a room when we want one! I agree it needs to be kept Disney's best kept secret...sort of like Seattle.