SSR Lovers and/or Owners Thread!

[realfam]

Were arriving at SSR on Dec 11th. (can't wait)

 

[georgemoe]

MAGICX2,
We are arriving on Dec. 8 and this will also be our first trip home. We are two adults and will be staying in a studio. I requested Grandstand but I think we'll be happy anywhere. I hope that you have a sparkling, magical trip!

Were arriving at SSR on Dec 11th. (can't wait)

I hope you both have a wonderful time!

DW and I will visit home for the first time in 8 days. Yes, the single digit dance. We can't wait. We have a dedicated 2BR and requested Grandstand. We are treating my sister and her husband on this trip. We've never been during the holidays and they have never been to WDW at all. I have a slight feeling that jaws will drop.

 

[yaksack]

Just got back from a great split-stay between SSR & OKW. Took a spin down the river to check out the new treehouses. They look like their coming right along. I think that 2/9 is when you can start to reserve them-BUT don't quote me!!!

Did you like SSR or OKW better? Our kids will be 4 and 9 at time of travel and I want them to enjoy the resort.

 

[chipmunkfan]

The most magical thing happened to me at the Congress Park bus stop.....
DH and I walked up to the stop and there was a cast member there emptying the trash and cleaning. We started talking to her and this guy shows up and looks like her manager and starts to talk to her, so we both turned away not listening. All of the sudden he said to us so congratulations....we looked at him dumbfounded because we thought he was talking to the castmember and he was actually surprising us with a magical award. He gave us a castmember exclusive tinker bell pin and a magical moment certificate . They said they do this about once a month to guests staying at SSR. What a wonderful experience and a good start to the day!!!

 

[allaboutmm]

Did you like SSR or OKW better? Our kids will be 4 and 9 at time of travel and I want them to enjoy the resort.

Each were great....sorry I know that sounds like a cop-out answer to your question. Our children were not with us this time (6,10,&13),but will be there in October at SSR with us. I have no doubt that they will have a super time. I truely think you can't go wrong with either. Sorry, I am sure this wasn't that helpful. Hope you and your family have a safe, fun trip!!!!

 

[ont/ohana]

HI Yaksack and allaboutmm,
SSR is our kids 11 and 8, favourite spot!! They love riding the boat to DTD and they LOVE the grandstand spray pad!! There are horses that turn around and you can spay your parents!!!LOL, We have stayed at OKW but the kids keep asking to go back to SSR.
The communty hall has lots of crafts and they love the slide at hot rocks springs pool. OKW was wonderful but we had a room a little to far from the main pool but the kids loved the sand pit and playground at the one quiet pool.

So I guess it's up to you!! Good luck, oh they also like the option of walking to DTD too!

 

[mamaprincess]

DW and I will visit home for the first time in 8 days. Yes, the single digit dance. We can't wait. We have a dedicated 2BR and requested Grandstand. We are treating my sister and her husband on this trip. We've never been during the holidays and they have never been to WDW at all. I have a slight feeling that jaws will drop.

Jaws will definitely drop! WDW and Christmas together is unbelievably magical! You all are going to just love it so much. Just take it all in. Enjoy every moment.

You may want to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The parade and fireworks are just fantastic. The special shows, the free hot chocolate and cookies and very short weight times for rides just make this a great night and it just really gets you in the holiday spirit.

I'm sure you won't miss the Osbourne lights at Disney Studios.

Check out the Ginger bread house at the Grand Floridian. Just visit the deluxe resorts in general. They all have extra special magic for the holidays.

 

[yaksack]

How does SSR compare to the BCV?

 

[edk35]

How does SSR compare to the BCV?

To me there is no comparison. These are two completely different resorts/styles. We are SSR owners and just got back last night from a week at SSR. We had a wonderful stay in the Grand Stand area. We also stayed at BCV this past July for 5 nights and absolutely LOVED IT. TO me personally....BCV is a great summer/warmer months of year place to try/stay. We loved everything about the BCV. It is more a hotel style....where you have to go inside to get to your rooms/villas where as SSR is not. I love SSR and have stayed there 3 times thus far. I love the closeness to DTD and yet BCV has the great advantage of the back entrance location into EC and the Boardwalk area. SAB is the best pool ever and their pool activities are great too for the kids. My kids ages 18, 15 and 9 want to stay at BCV next summer again. I think the location of BCV might appeal to some while SSR lovers enjoy the closeness to DTD. To me these two resorts are like comparing apples to oranges. I like apples and oranges and I like BCV and SSR.

 

[florep1]

I agree with PP. BCV is a summer resort for us too. That is unless you're going to F&W which will be in our very distant future as we have school age kids. We'll be at SSR this Christmas. I had a chance to switch to BWV for part of our stay at 7 months but opted against it. I figured, the convenience of parking close by would be nice for the crowded holiday week. We're looking forward to also doing Cirque and maybe Ice! this stay so this is the most logical choice for our family.

21 days and counting

 

[edk35]

I agree with PP. BCV is a summer resort for us too. That is unless you're going to F&W which will be in our very distant future as we have school age kids. We'll be at SSR this Christmas. I had a chance to switch to BWV for part of our stay at 7 months but opted against it. I figured, the convenience of parking close by would be nice for the crowded holiday week. We're looking forward to also doing Cirque and maybe Ice! this stay so this is the most logical choice for our family.

21 days and counting

Yes I agree with you too. Unless you are going to F & W.....BCV is more for warmer weather..at least for us. Have a great Christmas trip.

 

[Sheribo]

How does SSR compare to the BCV?

We have recently stayed at both and they each have their strong points. We enjoyed our stay at BCV since we were doing the parks and it's so close to Epcot & HS. The walk to transportation can be a bit far since bus stops are limited. BCV was more hotel like. The rooms are very similar but the buildings are compact. We prefer SSR since it's more spread out. It certainly seems less crowded even at the busiest times. It just feels more relaxed.

 

[supersuperwendy]

We are finally planning our first trip to SSR in august! We need a dedicated two bedroom...what is a good area to request when traveling without a car and three kids who love to swim??? thanks!

 

[edk35]

We are finally planning our first trip to SSR in august! We need a dedicated two bedroom...what is a good area to request when traveling without a car and three kids who love to swim??? thanks!

We love staying at the Grand Stand. It has it's own themed pool and also very close to the Carriage House and main pool with the slide. The GS area is the first stop picked up and the first one dropped off from the parks. We loved that. Have fun.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

We are finally planning our first trip to SSR in august! We need a dedicated two bedroom...what is a good area to request when traveling without a car and three kids who love to swim??? thanks!

I would request Congress Park, the Springs, or Grandstand. If you think of a triangle, Grandstand is located at the bottom left point, CP sits at the bottom right point, the main pool sits in between Grandstandto the left of the main pool, the main pool sits in the center, and Grandstand and CP, and the Springs sits at the top point.

Here are my thoughts on location:
* CP is the closest to DTD and has a beautiful quiet pool right across from DTD. It is also close to the main pool. Personally, it's my favorite section. This is a pic of the pool and a view of DTD from the pool:

* The Springs does not have its own pool, but sits right across from the main pool. The two Springs buildings sit on a pond, and there's a walking path around the pond. This is DH's favorite section. This pic was taken from our balcony:

* The Grandstand is beautiful, and sits on the other side of the main pool, and has its own quiet pool. Sorry I don't have any pics of Grandstand, but I found a pic of the pool and of the fountain spray area. It's fun for kids.

http://allears.net/acc/ss215.jpg
http://allears.net/acc/ss218.jpg

Hope this helps, and enjoy your trip! SSR is a beautiful resort.

 

[supersuperwendy]

Thanks guys! I can't wait to see it all in person!

 

[Sheribo]

Thanks guys! I can't wait to see it all in person!

Wow! I love the photo in your signature. It would make a beautiful desktop.

 

[supersuperwendy]

Haha..it is my desktop! I found it online! PM me your email and I will forward it to you!

 

[addsomebling]

I'm still loving SSR but have a question. Upon closer look, I'm noticing signs of use that I haven't seen when I've stayed in the other resorts. On the bathroom vanity in the 2QBR there's sticky stuff on the front with makeup and other stuff on there. I didn't notice it before because it's not the room I'm staying in. DH & I have the KBR. I'm also noticing that the walls and doors around the knob area are dirty. Thank goodness I brought Fantastic cleaning spray, but I don't feel like I should have to wash down all the walls on my vacation either. I do like to make sure all the counter services, appliances & bathroom vanity areas are clean so that's why I bring my own cleaner and Lysol. I'm not at all OCD about cleaning either, but I want to make sure the next person has a nice clean place and I'm able to clean up after we have breakfast. I typically don't complain, but I will be taking photos and letting Disney know about what I found. I'd hate for someone else to walk into that. I have three girls ages 5, 7 & 8mos so I'm sure some of the prints could have come from them, but not on every wall surface and they don't walk around with filthy hands. Other than that, I don't have any complaints.

We visited Epcot today. It was a chilly day but we are from Upstate NY so 64 is nice for us. We have been getting so much out of our vacation and love it. I may look at the dining plan again for next year and consider not getting it. We eat so much because we paid for it, but we have been getting fruit for the dessert and that works out well for the kids to snack on later even though we get another snack too. I wish they would give a choice between appetizer and dessert. On the other hand, there's a lot of places and dinners we would not have chosen without the meal plan. We like steak so I make sure to fine some nice places with steak options that accept the meal plan.

We ate at Cape May for dinner and it was fabulous. It's a clambake buffet style. Everyone in our party loved it. My DD (7) loves clams so she was in heaven. I highly recommend it. We make sure to visit that rest. every visit. They also have a character breakfast.

It does seem to be a bit busier than I expected. I've always heard the crowds die down the week after Thanksgiving, be we are really enjoying our time here and can't wait to come back. I am so pleased we made the decision to become VCMs.

I can't wait to go to AK tomorrow. We have Thrus. as a free day so I made a list of everything we didn't see and sights/rides we want to revisit.

 

[edk35]

I'm still loving SSR but have a question. Upon closer look, I'm noticing signs of use that I haven't seen when I've stayed in the other resorts. On the bathroom vanity in the 2QBR there's sticky stuff on the front with makeup and other stuff on there. I didn't notice it before because it's not the room I'm staying in. DH & I have the KBR. I'm also noticing that the walls and doors around the knob area are dirty. Thank goodness I brought Fantastic cleaning spray, but I don't feel like I should have to wash down all the walls on my vacation either. I do like to make sure all the counter services, appliances & bathroom vanity areas are clean so that's why I bring my own cleaner and Lysol. I'm not at all OCD about cleaning either, but I want to make sure the next person has a nice clean place and I'm able to clean up after we have breakfast. I typically don't complain, but I will be taking photos and letting Disney know about what I found. I'd hate for someone else to walk into that. I have three girls ages 5, 7 & 8mos so I'm sure some of the prints could have come from them, but not on every wall surface and they don't walk around with filthy hands. Other than that, I don't have any complaints.

We visited Epcot today. It was a chilly day but we are from Upstate NY so 64 is nice for us. We have been getting so much out of our vacation and love it. I may look at the dining plan again for next year and consider not getting it. We eat so much because we paid for it, but we have been getting fruit for the dessert and that works out well for the kids to snack on later even though we get another snack too. I wish they would give a choice between appetizer and dessert. On the other hand, there's a lot of places and dinners we would not have chosen without the meal plan. We like steak so I make sure to fine some nice places with steak options that accept the meal plan.

We ate at Cape May for dinner and it was fabulous. It's a clambake buffet style. Everyone in our party loved it. My DD (7) loves clams so she was in heaven. I highly recommend it. We make sure to visit that rest. every visit. They also have a character breakfast.

It does seem to be a bit busier than I expected. I've always heard the crowds die down the week after Thanksgiving, be we are really enjoying our time here and can't wait to come back. I am so pleased we made the decision to become VCMs.

I can't wait to go to AK tomorrow. We have Thrus. as a free day so I made a list of everything we didn't see and sights/rides we want to revisit.

What section are you in?? We have stayed in CP once....which was Aug. 07 and then GS the past two trips. We felt like CP was a bit worn but I am pretty sure CP was one of the first sections too.