Andrew015
WL Guru
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2000
- Messages
- 1,421
I just returned last night from my first ever stay at SSR. We had a studio in The Grandstand (room #s 8500 8800), which is the closest building in the section to the Carriage House. Our room # was 8823, which was a 4th floor room overlooking the 18th hole of Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.
Prior to my stay, I was a little skeptical about staying at SSR. I had made up my mind prior to our trip that I wouldnt like the resort for its location and for the size and layout of the resort. VWL is my home resort, and I love the proximity to MK, as well as the resort layout of essentially having everything under 1 roof as opposed to the spread out, sub-building layout of SSR. While I still prefer the everything under one roof layout, our location at The Grandstand was fantastic. We had excellent proximity to the Carriage House, Artist Palette, the main pool and the boat dock. Everything that the resort had to offer was pretty much right at our finger tips. If anyone is considering a stay at SSR, but has similar concerns about the size of the resort and potentially long walks, I highly recommend requesting to be in the 8500-8800 block of The Grandstand. As for the location, while I still prefer to be in the Magic Kingdom resort area, SSR was far from inconvenient. Once we figured out the buses, which I will address in a second, we found ourselves at the park of our choice in typically 10-15 short minutes from time of departure.
Busses and Boats: We found out the hard way that upon leaving SSR, the Grandstand was the very first pickup location, meaning that you had to stop at all other building clusters prior to finally departing for your destination. This could potentially add around 25-30 minutes or so to the commute time. We learned that The Springs is the final stop, and that it wasnt very far away from our building in the Grandstand. So on a typical morning, we would have breakfast at AP, then head right for the bus stop over at The Springs. From AP, this bus stop was actually closer than the one at the Grandstand anyways. This little trick saved us a decent amount of time each day that would otherwise be spent circling the massive SSR complex via bus. On the way home from the parks, The Grandstand was the very first drop off, which we really appreciated after a long day at the park, especially after taking advantage of the extended magic hours. Boat transportation to DTD was great and boats came and went frequently (we never waited any longer than 10 minutes for the next boat).
Dining: Unfortunately, we never had a chance to try out the Turf Club, as all of our ADRs were either at the park or another resort. However, we did have breakfast at Artist Palette every morning. We prefer a quick breakfast to a sit-down, as we are usually up late every night and like to sleep in until about 9:00 am, so the quick breakfast helps us to maximize our time elsewhere. The food court was nice, and the breakfast selection was pretty good. I dont think the quick service menus vary much from resort to resort, but a few little quirks we found disappointing - i.e. Mickey Waffles only come with maple syrup, no fruit topping option. The first morning, I asked the cast member if we could substitute for a fruit topping. She seemed confused by the request, and after a long pause, she just said it couldnt be done. I had a feeling that if I had pushed the issue a little more, she would have obliged. But it really wasnt a big deal. The next morning, we asked the same question, and this cast member said, OK, but I have to charge you extra. At VWL, they give you the option no charge. Once again, at the end of the day, no big deal either way.
Rapid Refill Station: The rapid refill station was in full effect. I was a little disappointed by the selection (I recall BLT and VWL having a little wider variety of sodas and a Powerade option), but once again, not the end of the world. Upon using my mug, the LED screen would light up and say Refills good until 10/10/2013. We checked out yesterday, which was 9/30. So evidently, someone screwed up when activating my mug and gave me an extra week. I wish they had done the same thing with my room.
Quiet Pool @ Grand Stand: While we never swam here, the quiet pool was usually empty (5-10 people tops). The splash and play area is still being renovated, and thus, is offline for the youngsters. Someone asked about this the other day, so if youre reading, heres the answer.
In summary, Im very glad that I had a chance to try out SSR, and I wouldnt hesitate to go back. It seems that SSR usually has availability, so in the event that I find myself booking another last minute getaway, I will have no reservation about booking a room at SSR.
Prior to my stay, I was a little skeptical about staying at SSR. I had made up my mind prior to our trip that I wouldnt like the resort for its location and for the size and layout of the resort. VWL is my home resort, and I love the proximity to MK, as well as the resort layout of essentially having everything under 1 roof as opposed to the spread out, sub-building layout of SSR. While I still prefer the everything under one roof layout, our location at The Grandstand was fantastic. We had excellent proximity to the Carriage House, Artist Palette, the main pool and the boat dock. Everything that the resort had to offer was pretty much right at our finger tips. If anyone is considering a stay at SSR, but has similar concerns about the size of the resort and potentially long walks, I highly recommend requesting to be in the 8500-8800 block of The Grandstand. As for the location, while I still prefer to be in the Magic Kingdom resort area, SSR was far from inconvenient. Once we figured out the buses, which I will address in a second, we found ourselves at the park of our choice in typically 10-15 short minutes from time of departure.
Busses and Boats: We found out the hard way that upon leaving SSR, the Grandstand was the very first pickup location, meaning that you had to stop at all other building clusters prior to finally departing for your destination. This could potentially add around 25-30 minutes or so to the commute time. We learned that The Springs is the final stop, and that it wasnt very far away from our building in the Grandstand. So on a typical morning, we would have breakfast at AP, then head right for the bus stop over at The Springs. From AP, this bus stop was actually closer than the one at the Grandstand anyways. This little trick saved us a decent amount of time each day that would otherwise be spent circling the massive SSR complex via bus. On the way home from the parks, The Grandstand was the very first drop off, which we really appreciated after a long day at the park, especially after taking advantage of the extended magic hours. Boat transportation to DTD was great and boats came and went frequently (we never waited any longer than 10 minutes for the next boat).
Dining: Unfortunately, we never had a chance to try out the Turf Club, as all of our ADRs were either at the park or another resort. However, we did have breakfast at Artist Palette every morning. We prefer a quick breakfast to a sit-down, as we are usually up late every night and like to sleep in until about 9:00 am, so the quick breakfast helps us to maximize our time elsewhere. The food court was nice, and the breakfast selection was pretty good. I dont think the quick service menus vary much from resort to resort, but a few little quirks we found disappointing - i.e. Mickey Waffles only come with maple syrup, no fruit topping option. The first morning, I asked the cast member if we could substitute for a fruit topping. She seemed confused by the request, and after a long pause, she just said it couldnt be done. I had a feeling that if I had pushed the issue a little more, she would have obliged. But it really wasnt a big deal. The next morning, we asked the same question, and this cast member said, OK, but I have to charge you extra. At VWL, they give you the option no charge. Once again, at the end of the day, no big deal either way.
Rapid Refill Station: The rapid refill station was in full effect. I was a little disappointed by the selection (I recall BLT and VWL having a little wider variety of sodas and a Powerade option), but once again, not the end of the world. Upon using my mug, the LED screen would light up and say Refills good until 10/10/2013. We checked out yesterday, which was 9/30. So evidently, someone screwed up when activating my mug and gave me an extra week. I wish they had done the same thing with my room.
Quiet Pool @ Grand Stand: While we never swam here, the quiet pool was usually empty (5-10 people tops). The splash and play area is still being renovated, and thus, is offline for the youngsters. Someone asked about this the other day, so if youre reading, heres the answer.
In summary, Im very glad that I had a chance to try out SSR, and I wouldnt hesitate to go back. It seems that SSR usually has availability, so in the event that I find myself booking another last minute getaway, I will have no reservation about booking a room at SSR.
