SSR Lovers and Owners Part 3

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Hi. I just booked Treehouse Villas for December 26-January 1. SOO excited!
We will have a car but I have been over Easter and Christmas so know traffic is a horror. Would you still suggest taking the bus?
I have never stayed in the Treehouses. I'm guessing they are very remote since I have never seen them LOL
Is it correct that you say there is a boat from Treehouses to DTD?
Would the bus stop in the Treehouses always be very full since it would be a last stop? Would you suggest we walk to another stop?
We are a family of 5 but older children/twenties and 18.

Birdsofprey, what did you do on NYE?
I'm looking for suggestions from those that stayed over Disney during NYE at SSR or at DTD? My 18 year old won't be able to get into the bars so we will need to out outside in
DTD or at SSR. What have you done during NYE?

Is there a treehouse I would want to request over another? Is there a dedicated Treehouse thread?

Thanks so much!

Tree House buses are never crowded, but that's because they only make an internal loop of the resort. You need to change buses to get to theme parks, water parks, or Disney Springs. The transfer stop is at the Springs, and this stop can be crowded at times. When we weren't driving, we usually opted to walk to the Grandstand stop and catch the bus there. It's not that far of a walk, and, because Grandstand is the first stop, we usually got seats.

Yes, there is a boat from the Tree Houses. It stops at the Carriage House, and then goes to Disney Springs. On the way back, it also stops at the Carriage House before heading to the Tree Houses. That means you can use it as transportation to/from the Tree Houses for either destination.

We've done Christmas at Disney twice, but left before New Years Eve both times. I was able to get away with "choosing Mickey over Mommy" as she put it, but only for part of the holiday. I had to reserve part of the Christmas break to visit them, too. Some year, I'll talk them into joining us and won't have to hurry home. I understand Epcot is the place to be, but you need to get there early in the day.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Yes, thank you! I found it after I posted that question, so I edited the post to say that I found it. Sorry if you didn't see that. But that is interesting to know about the "turrets". I always wonder about that kind of stuff/design.

LOL, I noticed that after I posted. That's ok, because I noticed the turret thing for the first time, too, while looking through my photos to see if I had one that showed the elevators. I knew each building had a tower, but it never clicked that it was the elevator shaft.

 

[iheartdisney44]

I posted a Google Earth photo of the two walking paths and their distances.

That is so very helpful! I had missed that post. I am new to this DIS site and am learning so much about my beloved SSR from you! Thanks for the help.

 

[DVC4US]

Thank you very much for this information! I will talk to my dh this weekend. I like the information you gave me about Epcot for NYE. It sounds like a great place
to spend NYE. Did you have to go early in the morning and stay all day/night? Did it close for capacity?
Thank you.

We were there for NYE in 2014 - Although it was packed Epcot did not close due to capacity. We entered the park around 4pm, and had a dining reservation at 6:30pm. They usually hand out hats and horns at some point during the night, I think it was around 6pm. It is very crowded and not really a great night to walk around very much. After dinner we grabbed a table in the Italy pavilion to listen to the DJ and it was easy to make drink runs. They will show Illuminations at 9:30pm and then the NYE fireworks close to mid-night. We just waited until close to time for the NYE fireworks and then moved into the walkway to watch them.

The NYE fireworks are basically Illuminations with the Holiday tag, but then they welcome in the New Year based on when the countries celebrated New Years. They start with China and Japan and then make their way west and finally end the evening with the US, Mexico, and Canada. These are some of my favorite fireworks.

 

[KEVD]

First time stay at SSR coming up in April. We will have a car.
Google Maps gives me three options for directions from SSR to DHS, which one of these would folks suggest:

1. S Apopka to 4W to 192
2. Vacation Center Way, left onto Epcot Ctr Drive to 4W to 192
3. Vacation Center Way, left onto Epcot Ctr Drive to World Drive, U-turn at Griffin Rd

 

[DizDaD7]

First time stay at SSR coming up in April. We will have a car.
Google Maps gives me three options for directions from SSR to DHS, which one of these would folks suggest:

1. S Apopka to 4W to 192
2. Vacation Center Way, left onto Epcot Ctr Drive to 4W to 192
3. Vacation Center Way, left onto Epcot Ctr Drive to World Drive, U-turn at Griffin Rd

I'd say Vacation Center Way, to Bonnet Creek Pkwy, to Buena Vista Drive & then turn into Studio Drive N'.

 

[DizDaD7]

Even when I drive to WDW (3x's so far), I usually just leave my car parked where it is for the length of stay... I actually rather let Disney do the driving...

 

[culli]

We have been to SSR a few times and have not found a great place to play ball, soccer etc. There are a couple nice places at BWV for instance. Anyone have a nice green park like spot at SSR to throw the ball around?

For the size of it, I was surprised I couldn't find a real nice place.

 

[KEVD]

Hi... the info on this thread is excellent. In the description of the different sections it lists one of the cons of staying in The Grandstand is that, if you have a car, it can be challenging to make a left turn out of the main entrance. For anyone who has had the experience, do you consider this to be a big issue? Typically, we'd be leaving the resort about two hours prior to rope drop.

 

[DVC4US]

First time stay at SSR coming up in April. We will have a car.
Google Maps gives me three options for directions from SSR to DHS, which one of these would folks suggest:

1. S Apopka to 4W to 192
2. Vacation Center Way, left onto Epcot Ctr Drive to 4W to 192
3. Vacation Center Way, left onto Epcot Ctr Drive to World Drive, U-turn at Griffin Rd

None of these - they are horrible!! Never ever get onto I-4 unless you absolutely have too.

I'd say Vacation Center Way, to Bonnet Creek Pkwy, to Buena Vista Drive & then turn into Studio Drive N'.

^^^^ This!! And just in case, it is Left on Disney Vacation Club Way(not Vacation Center Way), Left on Bonnet Creek Pkwy, Right on Buena Vista Drive, and Left on Studio Drive. Studio Drive is the 3rd or 4th light after turning onto Buena Vista Drive. The light might also say Epcot Resorts Blvd and there is a gas station on the right hand corner.

When I do google maps - 1960 Broadway to Disney's Hollywood Studios(351 S Studio Dr) - the above route is the one it gives me.

Personally, I just take the bus.

 

[DizDaD7]

None of these - they are horrible!! Never ever get onto I-4 unless you absolutely have too.



^^^^ This!! And just in case, it is Left on Disney Vacation Club Way(not Vacation Center Way), Left on Bonnet Creek Pkwy, Right on Buena Vista Drive, and Left on Studio Drive. Studio Drive is the 3rd or 4th light after turning onto Buena Vista Drive. The light might also say Epcot Resorts Blvd and there is a gas station on the right hand corner.

When I do google maps - 1960 Broadway to Disney's Hollywood Studios(351 S Studio Dr) - the above route is the one it gives me.

Personally, I just take the bus.

Ooops My bad..LoL..Thanks.

 

[DVC4US]

Ooops My bad..LoL..Thanks.

No worries! I had to check it on the map. LOL

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

We have been to SSR a few times and have not found a great place to play ball, soccer etc. There are a couple nice places at BWV for instance. Anyone have a nice green park like spot at SSR to throw the ball around?

For the size of it, I was surprised I couldn't find a real nice place.

There's nothing as large as a soccer field, but there are a few smaller fields where you could possibly toss a ball around. There's one near the Grandstand bus stop. Another one next to the basketball court. There's also a field across from the Congress Park bus stop. I can't attest to whether any of these would be suitable for playing on, though. I seem to recall the St Augustine grass Disney uses isn't the easiest to walk on, especially if the ground is soggy.

 

[culli]

There's nothing as large as a soccer field, but there are a few smaller fields where you could possibly toss a ball around. There's one near the Grandstand bus stop. Another one next to the basketball court. There's also a field across from the Congress Park bus stop. I can't attest to whether any of these would be suitable for playing on, though. I seem to recall the St Augustine grass Disney uses isn't the easiest to walk on, especially if the ground is soggy.

Thanks leaving later tonight. Yes the grass isn't the best but not a big deal. Just hope one of those locations will work. We found an alright spot last time (forgot the location ) but they had either utility items or other obsticals in the way. Just shocked they don't have some sort of park setting especially with such a huge open resort.

 

[yellowfish78]

I'm thinking of staying here for two nights prior our cruise, with one day at MK in the middle. The pools look fun for the kids (7/2), but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger because we won't have a car. :-/ What's the average travel time to MK? Would a Paddock/Pool Area request be sufficient for a mid-resort bus stop, plus close enough to the Carriage House as a back up stop?
I'ts between here and AoA - which I've stayed at before and I really think that my 7 year old would enjoy these pools more than AoA this time.

 

[bartleyosu]

June 10- 17 Cannot wait!

 

[DVC4US]

June 10- 17 Cannot wait!

We will be there June 10 - 18!!!!

 

[bartleyosu]

We will be there June 10 - 18!!!!

 

[sticker231]

I'm thinking of staying here for two nights prior our cruise, with one day at MK in the middle. The pools look fun for the kids (7/2), but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger because we won't have a car. :-/ What's the average travel time to MK? Would a Paddock/Pool Area request be sufficient for a mid-resort bus stop, plus close enough to the Carriage House as a back up stop?
I'ts between here and AoA - which I've stayed at before and I really think that my 7 year old would enjoy these pools more than AoA this time.

20 minutes from congress park to MK. The pools are awesome

 

[twirly123]

We are heading to SS on Friday for 15 nights for the first time. We are travelling 2 adults and i child (7 years old) will arrive about 11pm. Will the sofa be made into a bed for our arrival or should i call and request this before we arrive? We are travelling from the UK so will be hoping to get to bed ASAP after we arrive!

Many thanks