SSR Lovers and Owners Part 3

[KilroyWasHere]

This is such a helpful thread! We will be staying at SSR this April for the first time, meeting up with my sister and her family. My sister is an RCI owner and I was able to rent points so we could be in the same resort.

We are trying to pick our room request and I've read page 1 of this thread, as well as other SSR reviews, and I still have a question: is there still an issue with the Springs section being able to get on the buses to the parks, since they're the last stop? The reviews and threads I saw complaining of this seemed a bit old so I was hoping maybe Disney transport has worked out the kinks?

We've thought about our priorities and would like to be near a feature pool and a QS restaurant, so Springs or Paddock fit the bill-- but my sister is worried about getting assigned a far Paddock room while I am worried about the buses being too full in the mornings!

You can always take the 5 minute walk to the Paddock bus stop (or Congress Park depending on where in The Springs you are located) if you are concerned about being the last stop.

 

[theyoungs07]

If your April trip is far from Easter, I would think you'll be fine. I was in the Springs in early/mid December and they buses were not very full on the way to the parks...but timing will obviously affect this. The buses home were packed and Springs is the last stop which means we had a few rides that were almost an hour long! If I were you (and now that I know better) I'd stay in Springs and walk to the Paddock bus stop as well as exit at the Paddock bus stop.

 

[jnthree]

Oh, thanks! I didn't think about just walking to another stop, that's a great idea.

We are going mid-April during our school's vacation week-- the crowd calendars say levels are 5-6 during our week.

I don't suppose there's a Disney bus tracking app... we have these for the buses in our city and it's great, since they're almost never on schedule.

 

[Nicoal13]

Just wanted to stop and say we just had a great stay at SSR last week. We were in the Paddock, right next to the pool and bus stop. We only waited 15 minutes for a bus once the entire week. Otherwise it was 5-10 minutes. Great location, easy to walk to the pool and bus stop. Room was very clean. Usual scuff marks on some of the doors and walls, but that is normal.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

For veterans staying at Congress Park, who walks to Disney Springs and takes advantage of the buses there for transportation more than the SSR buses ?

The Disney Springs buses don't go to the same destinations. The buses at SSR are going to theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. The buses at Disney Springs are heading to other resorts. (There are no buses to the parks from Disney Springs because they don't want people to use the free parking lots to go other places.) You can certainly walk to Disney Springs if you have a dining reservation at another resort you're heading to. If you're heading to a park, though, you'll want to use the SSR buses.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Oh, thanks! I didn't think about just walking to another stop, that's a great idea.

We are going mid-April during our school's vacation week-- the crowd calendars say levels are 5-6 during our week.

I don't suppose there's a Disney bus tracking app... we have these for the buses in our city and it's great, since they're almost never on schedule.

Oh, thanks! I didn't think about just walking to another stop, that's a great idea.

We are going mid-April during our school's vacation week-- the crowd calendars say levels are 5-6 during our week.

I don't suppose there's a Disney bus tracking app... we have these for the buses in our city and it's great, since they're almost never on schedule.

This can still be an issue for the Springs stop. Usually only during peak times of the day, though, around park opening times. It's frankly one of the reasons I avoid the Springs section. You're correct that walking to another stop would solve the issue if you saw the Springs bus stop is just busting with people. The Paddock stop isn't a long walk, as it's just on the other side of the bridge.

Disney has hinted about buses being added to the MyDisneyExperience app, but no time frame has been given. SSR bus stops do not have the wait time monitors that Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary have. (At least they don't have them, yet.)

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Have you taken a close look at the 2017 points chart for SSR, yet? Beginning in 2017, the resort will have booking categories that include two views, "Standard" and "Preferred." For nights beginning 1/1/2017, it will cost more points if you want to stay in the Springs or Congress Park sections.

Even though bookings are now open for some January dates, the online booking tool has not yet been updated. The following message appears on the booking tool:

"Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will introduce a Preferred category for 2017, which will include all vacation homes in Congress Park and The Springs. If you're making reservations with a check-in date in 2016 and check-out date of January 2, 2017 or later, and you would like to reserve Congress Park or The Springs, please contact Member Services directly to book your reservation. You may continue to book online if you have no location preference or if you do not wish to stay in Congress Park or The Springs."

I've just added the following to the FAQ page...


12. Are there Booking Categories at SSR?

Some DVC resorts have booking categories such as "standard view," "preferred garden/water view," or "theme park view." Through 2016, there are no booking categories for SSR. Any location preferences are treated strictly as requests, and are not guaranteed. However, beginning in 2017, this will change and the resort will be split into "Standard" and "Preferred" booking categories. Villas in the preferred category require a higher number of points than those in the standard category.

​

Preferred

• All Villas in Congress Park
• All Villas in the Springs

Standard

• All Villas in the Grandstand
• All Villas in the Paddock
• All Villas in Carousel
• All Tree House Villas

 

[Choppygirl]

I wonder if there will be a price difference for cash bookings. On the uk site 2017 prices are out but not for deluxe villas yet.

On another note, we stayed at SSR in August 2014 and loved it. We were thinking of splashing out and staying at Yacht Club in 2017 but not sure it is worth the extra expense. The whole trip from the uk for SSR would cost approx $10,000 whereas YC would be about $13,000 which is a big difference. Anyhow, my question is about the Turf Club - are you allowed to sit outside on the terrace with just drinks or do you need to have a full meal from the restaurant?

 

[hayesdvc]

Are there any Studios beside each other at SSR? If available, I assume there would be no connecting door and there would be no guarantee in getting them together.

 

[msjprincess]

Are there any Studios beside each other at SSR? If available, I assume there would be no connecting door and there would be no guarantee in getting them together.

No, there is a building layout on page 1.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Are there any Studios beside each other at SSR? If available, I assume there would be no connecting door and there would be no guarantee in getting them together.

There are no side-by-side studios at SSR, sorry. The only DVC resort that features connecting studios is the Polynesian. The best you could hope for at SSR would be to be on the same floor.

 

[hayesdvc]

There are no side-by-side studios at SSR, sorry. The only DVC resort that features connecting studios is the Polynesian. The best you could hope for at SSR would be to be on the same floor.

Thanks for the answer and ALL the SSR info here. I can see the light at the end of the resale tunnel. I hope to have points in my account by the end of the month to make my initial reservation at SSR.

 

[jnthree]

I forgot to add one more transit question... we will have a car with us. It looks like from what I've read that taking the bus to MK is the way to go. But is there a reason to prefer car over Disney Transport for getting any of the other parks from SSR?

 

[cbtengwife]

Checking into SSR in 2 1/2 weeks. When I did online check in, I requested Congress Park, Upper Floor. We are in a studio and would like to have Disney Springs view. Should I make this request before we check in? If so, who do I call? The resort or DVC? Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Checking into SSR in 2 1/2 weeks. When I did online check in, I requested Congress Park, Upper Floor. We are in a studio and would like to have Disney Springs view. Should I make this request before we check in? If so, who do I call? The resort or DVC? Thanks in advance for any tips.

Call DVC Member Services and ask them to add requests to your reservation. Not sure if they'll be able to make the change after you've already done online check-in, but it's worth asking. The only other option would be to do it with the front desk when you arrive.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I forgot to add one more transit question... we will have a car with us. It looks like from what I've read that taking the bus to MK is the way to go. But is there a reason to prefer car over Disney Transport for getting any of the other parks from SSR?

It's really a matter of personal preference. We've done many vacations using just Disney Transportation, any never had any major problems. For the past 3-4 years, though, we have been paying for a rental car. We tend to do a lot of dining reservations at other resorts, and it's easier to do that with a car. It's also nice to be able to run out for groceries or other things if needed.

For parks, it's a mixed bag for us as to whether we drive or bus. If I know I'll be having drinks, like at a F&W Festival wine pairing meal, I'll take the bus. If we're going to park hop from one park to another, we'll usually take the bus. Otherwise, I just prefer to drive to Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. For Magic Kingdom, though, we'll usually take the bus just to avoid the TTC.

 

[hayesdvc]

I am closing on my initial SSR contract soon. I purchased this as my home resort based on all the videos, pictures, and information provided by this thread. I will be in traveling to Orlando this weekend (non Disney related ) I will have time to go "visit" my home. Will I have any issues getting past the guard house just look around?

 

[LenInMaine]

We're new members and SSR is our home resort. It took forever to buy via Resale, but was worth the savings. We'll Be booking our April stay tonight. I was shocked not only to see so much available at SSR, but almost every other resort. I guess we just have good dates? Anyway, being our first time as DVC, and first time at SSR, any suggestions of must do's as members, and specifically must do's at SSR? We're a family of 6, with 4 children, ranging 2-8. I'd love your suggestions!

 

[jnthree]

It's really a matter of personal preference. We've done many vacations using just Disney Transportation, any never had any major problems. For the past 3-4 years, though, we have been paying for a rental car. We tend to do a lot of dining reservations at other resorts, and it's easier to do that with a car. It's also nice to be able to run out for groceries or other things if needed.

For parks, it's a mixed bag for us as to whether we drive or bus. If I know I'll be having drinks, like at a F&W Festival wine pairing meal, I'll take the bus. If we're going to park hop from one park to another, we'll usually take the bus. Otherwise, I just prefer to drive to Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. For Magic Kingdom, though, we'll usually take the bus just to avoid the TTC.

Thanks, this is so helpful! We are combining our trip with a visit to relatives in FL, and so need a car for that portion of the trip. We'll probably keep the car the whole time since there doesn't appear to be any cost savings for renting the car a shorter vs longer period of time.

On our last trip to WDW we stayed at POR. I remember the bus to MK was pretty good, but getting AK (& coming home) seemed to take FOREVER. (We didn't do Epcot or DHS- short trip, and DD was very into princesses and animals at that age.)

 

[ArielSRL]

As with all DVC resorts, it you're a regular coffee drinker, you'll want to bring some of your own. The small amount of coffee that's in the room at check-in won't last very long.

What type would we need to bring? Is it the 4 cup pre-filled filters?

Also, just verifying, the refillable mug stations are only available if the grill/court/bar is currently open?