SSR Lovers and Owners Part 3

[MrsJobba1]

Hello,
I'm so excited to be coming 'home' to SSR next year. We have booked a split stay at our two dvc resorts 5 nights at BWV and 6 nights at SSR ( both in a studio) .

I don't think we've been to SSR since 2009 and then we stayed in a 1 bedroom .

Does anyone have any pictures of a studio at SSR?

When booking I told the cm that for medical reasons I needed grab rails in the bathroom . They said that wasn't a problem.

I booked preferred and requested springs due to some mobility issues.

I'm so excited to be visiting SSR.

 

[Matt T]

I'm sure it has been asked a million times here, but whenever I try to perform a search, I get a million different results.

We (family of 4 with 2 boys 12 and 7) are staying at SSR in October. I've seen some posts that say that transportation is horrible, and some that say it is way better than it used to be.

So here it goes... Should I rent a car or not? Why or why not? I'm leaning towards no, but this is our kids first trip ever to Disney and I don't want to have the frustration of poor transportation, if it is still a problem.

Thanks!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Hello,
I'm so excited to be coming 'home' to SSR next year. We have booked a split stay at our two dvc resorts 5 nights at BWV and 6 nights at SSR ( both in a studio) .

I don't think we've been to SSR since 2009 and then we stayed in a 1 bedroom .

Does anyone have any pictures of a studio at SSR?

When booking I told the cm that for medical reasons I needed grab rails in the bathroom . They said that wasn't a problem.

I booked preferred and requested springs due to some mobility issues.

I'm so excited to be visiting SSR.

Congrats and welcome home! The Springs is very nice. Did the cm actually book you an accessible room? If so what kind I would check. There are several kinds. For example I need a roll in shower and grab rails. Some just have grab rails but still have a shower over the tub.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I'm sure it has been asked a million times here, but whenever I try to perform a search, I get a million different results.

We (family of 4 with 2 boys 12 and 7) are staying at SSR in October. I've seen some posts that say that transportation is horrible, and some that say it is way better than it used to be.

So here it goes... Should I rent a car or not? Why or why not? I'm leaning towards no, but this is our kids first trip ever to Disney and I don't want to have the frustration of poor transportation, if it is still a problem.

Thanks!

Hi. It really depends in which block you are in and time of year. October you should be fine. I generally find the bus stops at The Grandstand and The Paddock are better. The Springs picks up last and the bus can be full. Have you requested an area? We do rent a car but often use the bus this time of year. If we are at the springs though it can be an issue as I have a wheelchair but I assume you don't have that issue. Trying to load a scooter/wheelchair on a full bus. Forget it! So we go to another bus stop or drive.

 

[jaysmom4285]

I think it's important to keep in mind that no Disney resort controls its own bus service. Buses are dispatched from a central location, so differences in bus service aren't consistently specific to any one resort. Sometime three MK buses will come in a row, and sometimes you won't see one for 45 minutes, but the resort has nothing to do with that. As far as SSR goes, we've stayed there a few times and never had any substantial problem with bus service. For my money, the Grandstand is the best location for bus service. It's the first pickup point for the resort, so you've virtually assured a seat on a busy morning because the bus arrives empty. And it's also the first drop off point, so you'll get to your room sooner at the end of a tiring day. It also has a very nice pool area and is a very short stroll to the Carriage House.

 

[funatdisney]

I'm sure it has been asked a million times here, but whenever I try to perform a search, I get a million different results.

We (family of 4 with 2 boys 12 and 7) are staying at SSR in October. I've seen some posts that say that transportation is horrible, and some that say it is way better than it used to be.

So here it goes... Should I rent a car or not? Why or why not? I'm leaning towards no, but this is our kids first trip ever to Disney and I don't want to have the frustration of poor transportation, if it is still a problem.

Thanks!

We went to SSR last month (split stay - 4 nights at a studio, The Springs, then onto a Treehouse for 7 nights) We found having a car made for an easier vacation, but we did ride the buses, too. Especially while staying at the Treehouses (I meant the rental car.)

We never used to rent a car, but had to last year (DD was playing a volleyball tourney at the convention center). We found renting a car was so much easier for some activities, the buses for others. For instance, we had a dining reservation at the California Grill. Driving there made sense for that reservation (we dressed up and taking a bus just wouldn't do). When gong to MK, we always take the bus. Parking just added another step when just taking a bus dropped us right in front of MK.
Keep in mind, onsite guests get free parking at all the parks. This was useful for making those early entry days.

Anyway, my two cents.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm sure it has been asked a million times here, but whenever I try to perform a search, I get a million different results.

We (family of 4 with 2 boys 12 and 7) are staying at SSR in October. I've seen some posts that say that transportation is horrible, and some that say it is way better than it used to be.

So here it goes... Should I rent a car or not? Why or why not? I'm leaning towards no, but this is our kids first trip ever to Disney and I don't want to have the frustration of poor transportation, if it is still a problem.

Thanks!

IMO transportation is still exactly the same. You can run into problems but mostly it's pretty good. What is helping a LOT is that they have added display monitors to most of the resort locations (not certain if SSR has receive them yet though) so now you at least know when to expect the arrival. Just that alone reduces the stress. Of course, nothing at the parks yet and I'm doubtful that's on the plan but it would be nice.

So, cars add a convenience but we don't consider them a necessity. Because of off site plans we will still often have a rental but it's parked more than it's used when we're just going around WDW.

 

[pinklotusflower]

We stayed last year at SSR and our hire car spent most of the time parked up, it was so much easier using the buses. This year we're not bothering with a hire car and instead will use UBER for the few trips off site and for reservations to resorts which saves two bus trips.

 

[funatdisney]

IMO transportation is still exactly the same. You can run into problems but mostly it's pretty good. What is helping a LOT is that they have added display monitors to most of the resort locations (not certain if SSR has receive them yet though) so now you at least know when to expect the arrival. Just that alone reduces the stress. Of course, nothing at the parks yet and I'm doubtful that's on the plan but it would be nice.

So, cars add a convenience but we don't consider them a necessity. Because of off site plans we will still often have a rental but it's parked more than it's used when we're just going around WDW.

There were monitors there last month, but at The Springs bus stop. They were quite helpful and friendly. Careful on the display monitors. They were not accurate all of the time. You could rely on them if there was a monitor there to check and verify the arrivals times. Of course, it may be different in the fall. We were there during the week before the 4th of July.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

There were monitors there last month, but at the The Springs bus stop. They were quite helpful and friendly. Careful on the display monitors. They were not accurate all of the time.

I believe you mean CM's since they were friendly? Did they have tv monitors showing expected bus arrival times mounted somewhere at the stop?

 

[funatdisney]

I believe you mean CM's since they were friendly? Did they have tv monitors showing expected bus arrival times mounted somewhere at the stop?

There was a TV monitor at the back of the bus stop with the each of the parks icon with the time of arrival under each. (At least that is what I remember.) I don't know if they were at every bus stop. I think so....

Not sure about the monitors. There was a different one every day. I got the impression there were not CM's.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

There was a TV monitor at the back of the bus stop with the each of the parks icon with the time of arrival under each. (At least that is what I remember.) I don't know if they were at every bus stop. I think so....

Not sure about the monitors. There was a different one every day. I got the impression there were not CM's.

Thanks!

 

[Douglas Clark]

We just returned from a weekend at SSR-Grandstand section. We were in the building next to the Grandstand pool. It was a very reasonable walk to the Main pool and Carriage house. When/if we stay again, I'd be sure to request either Grandstand or Springs to be close to the action.. the other sections are quite a way out and being first on/off the buses is a big plus.

 

[MrsJobba1]

Congrats and welcome home! The Springs is very nice. Did the cm actually book you an accessible room? If so what kind I would check. There are several kinds. For example I need a roll in shower and grab rails. Some just have grab rails but still have a shower over the tub.

Thank you I'll phone dvc & double check.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Thank you I'll phone dvc & double check.

Yes I would they failed to do that to me once! If you type in the reference number to MDE it should tell you what type of room it is.

 

[Gondingl]

What are some tips, tricks and hints to make the most out of an upcoming SSR stay? As a newbie to this resort, anything I should know about? TIA!

 

[bbn1122]

We are so excited for our first stay at SSR! We will be arriving on 7/28 next Thursday.
We are staying in a 2 bedroom. My sons ar 16,18 and 22 , so proximity to DSA will be great! Walking around no problem. My husband is a gym rat, so he excites to have a decent gym.
Our first nights dinner is at Raglan Road.

I am excited to try all the QS offerings at DS, Wolf's sausage, the new burger place and we have never been to the Earl of Sandwich.

DS's new Town Center shopping area looks like a bank breaker.

I will be sure to report back about our stay.

Thank you to everyone, especially this thread for providing such great info on SSR.

 

[Sorrel]

I am slowly but surely reading through this thread, and want to say thank you for all of the info and photos. My partner and I are staying for 15 nights from 28th September, and are really excited as it is our first time at SSR. We did visit it last trip to walk through the resort and get a feel for it and decided it is somewhere we would like to try. The grounds seem full of green areas and water, and hopefully a bit of Florida wildlife as that is something we love to see.

We would really prefer to stay at Congress Park as we are on the DP, and intend to spend quite a few evenings at DS. I know it is early, but we are just trying to get our heads around where to request. Out of the 4 buildings in that area it looks like the middle 2 overlook the pool - is that right? We would really NOT want to do that. Could we request just the outer buildings? We would ideally prefer a DS view, and we have learned from this thread that even numbers do not face the parked car area. So do we request something like Congress Park, outer building, even numbered room, DS view? Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[PoohsFan1]

Hey all, we will be returning to our home in 4 days and we cannot wait . This was an impromptu trip that was just booked on Monday and we leave on Wednesday 8/10 for 5 nights. What is crazy is that when I originally booked this trip, I was looking to see if there was any availability for our dates but nothing showed up (I was looking for a Studio) so I went ahead and booked at a Value resort instead. Well, yesterday morning I happened to go on to MS again and decided to see if a 1 bedroom was available, and to my wonderful surprise, it was for all of our dates. I happily booked the 1 bedroom and cancelled the Value resort. I did request for the Paddock section (we stayed there the last time and loved it) and hoping to be in a building closest to the pool/bus stop .

 

[MrsJobba1]

Hi ,

Does anyone know, when were the SSR studios last refurbished? It's been a long time since our last visit & we r looking forward to coming home next year.

Thanks