SSR Lovers and Owners Part 3

[The Jackal]

I am new to DVC and have never stayed in a 2BR unit. I am planning a trip with extended family next year and would like to book a 2BR at SSR. Can you tell me the benefits or drawbacks of booking a dedicated 2BR vs. a 2BR lockoff? You’d get two patios and two pull down Murphy beds in the lockoff, right? Any other big differences? Thanks!

Yes dedicated will have 2 queen beds in second bedroom and a larger double sink for the bathroom. Lock off is a 1 bedroom with a attached studio. So the second bedroom is studio, so one queen and a Murphy queen sized bed, extra balcony, kitchenette smaller single bathroom sink and a second door to enter and exit the room.

 

[Lisa P.]

Does anyone know the size of the 5th sleeper? I know the new ones at Riviera do fit an adult, so wondering if these are the larger size also?

Yes, they're larger. My DH is 5"9" and he stretched out on it to guess the length. There were a few inches above his head and also several inches below his feet.

[Congress Park]...there was no dish draining rack, and there was no "large" skillet/frying pan, only the medium and small... Does anyone know if it was just a one-off for our room, or is the standard set of kitchen equipment more pared down in the refurbished rooms?

Our refurbed 1BR in Paddock was also missing these items. Very limited (not sharp) sharp knives and no blender either. Absolutely gorgeous room on the first floor! We really loved the decor and the murphy beds. All super-comfortable.

 

[bigAWL]

This may have been covered elsewhere, but we just got back from a stay in a refurbed 1BR in Congress Park, and noticed that some things I've always seen in other 1BR were missing from this unit. Specifically, there was no dish draining rack, and there was no "large" skillet/frying pan, only the medium and small. Earlier in the trip we were staying at a Boardwalk 1BR that had both of those things. Both of them I actually think are pretty necessary for our stays, so I was surprised that our otherwise pristine renovated room was missing those things.

Does anyone know if it was just a one-off for our room, or is the standard set of kitchen equipment more pared down in the refurbished rooms?

I think there is normally an Amenities list posted on the back of one of the kitchen cabinet doors that lists what should be included in the kitchen (and the rest of the villa), and what can be requested on demand. Maybe someone visiting can find this page and post a photo of it here.

 

[leebee]

We are staying in a studio at SSR for 5 nights next week (4/11-4/16) on rented points, hoping for Paddock. What should I expect regarding housekeeping? Will trash be picked up daily, towels resupplied? I am assuming we make our own beds and do our own dishes, which we'd do anyhow, but are these units stocked with "real" plates, glasses, mugs, and utensils, or just paper products? Should I bring additional? Also, how do we make "pool reservations," and are pool towels available? Between not having stayed at this resort previously and Covid restrictions, I just want to know what to expect (or what to bring with me)!

 

[Lisa P.]

DVC studio units have real coffee mugs and a modest supply of paper products otherwise.
Based on our recent stay at SSR:
Housekeeping visited daily, just to take out trash & recycling. On day 4, they changed out towels. You could not make pool reservations in advance. The 2 "quiet" pools were first come, first serve and heavily utilized midday. If people tried to reserve seats but no one used them for a good while, others moved the items and used the seats anyway. As the 2 "feature" pools filled to capacity on hot days, CMs took arriving guests' names and cell phone number for a waitlist. We were text messaged when space was available and our seats (either 2 loungers or 1 table/4 chairs) were held for 15 minutes before moving down the waitlist. Most people didn't wait in line in the heat but returned when texted. Pool towels are plentiful, provided poolside at all 4 pools.

 

[dropd]

I think there is normally an Amenities list posted on the back of one of the kitchen cabinet doors that lists what should be included in the kitchen (and the rest of the villa), and what can be requested on demand. Maybe someone visiting can find this page and post a photo of it here.

Understood, I was just surprised that amenities that were standard at BWV (where we stayed earlier in the trip), and that we typically rely on (hard to "do dishes" otherwise, for one thing) were missing from the the "newer" SSR villa.

 

[Princess Katelet]

Hello, staying here for the first time next month. I have a dedicated two bedroom preferred villa.

Should I request Springs or Congress Park?? Not having been there it’s hard to decide based on the pro/con list. What makes these two sections ‘preferred’ anyway?

It sounds like I want to request a front facing room, correct? Those have the best view? Some descriptions say the buildings are clustered around a cul de sac or each other. Wouldn’t the front of the building then mean you’d actually just be looking at the other buildings and not the water or DDT?

I always prefer the top floor. Is there any reason to not choose that with a 2 bedroom preferred villa?

thank you!

 

[MissLiss279]

Hello, staying here for the first time next month. I have a dedicated two bedroom preferred villa.

Should I request Springs or Congress Park?? Not having been there it’s hard to decide based on the pro/con list. What makes these two sections ‘preferred’ anyway?

It sounds like I want to request a front facing room, correct? Those have the best view? Some descriptions say the buildings are clustered around a cul de sac or each other. Wouldn’t the front of the building then mean you’d actually just be looking at the other buildings and not the water or DDT?

I always prefer the top floor. Is there any reason to not choose that with a 2 bedroom preferred villa?

thank you!

You can check out https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-saratoga-springs-resort-spa# for room views and use their general descriptions for room locations, if you haven’t already.

Choose the Springs if you want to be close to the Carriage House or The Rocks feature pool. Choose Congress Park if you want the shortest walk to DS (but you can always hop on any bus and get off at Congress Park or drive over there if you want a shorter walk).
Those two sections are preferred, because they are a shorter walk to amenities that a lot of people want (Carriage House/DS).

 

[Princess Katelet]

You can check out https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-saratoga-springs-resort-spa# for room views and use their general descriptions for room locations, if you haven’t already.
View attachment 567385
Choose the Springs if you want to be close to the Carriage House or The Rocks feature pool. Choose Congress Park if you want the shortest walk to DS (but you can always hop on any bus and get off at Congress Park or drive over there if you want a shorter walk).
Those two sections are preferred, because they are a shorter walk to amenities that a lot of people want (Carriage House/DS).

There looks to be a road or bridge connecting Congress Park to The Springs. Doesn’t that make it a short walk from Congress to The Carriage House?? Everything I read says it’s a long walk. Hard to tell from a map though, but they are right next to each other!

 

[MissLiss279]

There looks to be a road or bridge connecting Congress Park to The Springs. Doesn’t that make it a short walk from Congress to The Carriage House?? Everything I read says it’s a long walk. Hard to tell from a map though, but they are right next to each other!

It just really depends on what you consider a short walk. And if the weather is great - short walk. If it is storming or hot and humid - maybe a long walk??

It’s a road and sidewalks. GoogleMaps show it at about 0.25-0.3 miles from the center of Congress Park (could be a little shorter or a little longer if you are at one end or the other).

 

[The Jackal]

When we stayed in Congress Park we didn’t find the walk to the Carriage House that long, but everyone is different.

 

[Princess Katelet]

Wow, so much to absorb in such a short period of time. Yikes! I went to the touring plans room view page and it was really hard to understand because when you look at the map of the buildings they face a different direction (and in every direction imaginable), but when you click on them they are ALL oriented just one way (forming a wide 'U') so it's hard for me to wrap my brain around which way they were looking per their situation on the map. I HAVE determined that the most important thing to me is being on the fourth floor and facing OUT, not on either of the sides. I'm not sure how to explain or word that for Disney. But they make a U and I want to be at the bottom of that U and not the sides.

Is there a dedicated page to interior room pics of the newly renovated rooms? In the two bedroom dedicated rooms are there two murphy beds? One above the couch and one below the tv? Does either one have linens?

Thanks!

 

[Princess Katelet]

I can't figure these buildings out for anything! The diagrams on the first page of this thread show VERY few rooms, across the width, yet when I see videos or pics of the outside they are HUGE with clearly more rooms! I don't get it...

Also, what are the gorgeous turret balconies I see on the left of buildings?? You have the turrets, then no balconies, then a group of balconies that have an annoying angled boxed in look for what looks to be the third floor? Then no balconies, and then nice balconies that are kind of rectangular and not turret.

Can anyone explain any of this? I have a dedicated two bedroom. Do those have turrets?

 

[NoTime42]

Wow, so much to absorb in such a short period of time. Yikes! I went to the touring plans room view page and it was really hard to understand because when you look at the map of the buildings they face a certain way, but when you click on them they are ALL oriented just one way so it's hard for me to wrap my brain around which way they were looking per their situation on the map. I HAVE determined that the most important thing to me is being on the fourth floor and facing OUT, not on either of the sides. I'm not sure how to explain or word that for Disney. But they make a U and I want to be at the bottom of that U and not the sides.

Is there a dedicated page to interior room pics of the newly renovated rooms? In the two bedroom dedicated rooms are there two murphy beds? One above the couch and one below the tv? Does either one have linens?

Thanks!

In post 7a? It looks like the side rooms end in even numbers, so asking for a 4th floor, odd numbered room should work.

here’s a video I found of a refurbished dedicated 2BR, the living room has the couch Murphy bed and TV bed. All official DVC beds (including hiding beds) are supposed to have linens, so you can ask if for some reason they are missing.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/l...-refurbished-2-bedroom.3808669/#post-62177034

 

[The Jackal]

I can't figure these buildings out for anything! The diagrams on the first page of this thread show VERY few rooms, across the width, yet when I see videos or pics of the outside they are HUGE with clearly more rooms! I don't get it...

Also, what are the gorgeous turret balconies I see on the left of buildings?? You have the turrets, then no balconies, then a group of balconies that have an annoying angled boxed in look for what looks to be the third floor? Then no balconies, and then nice balconies that are kind of rectangular and not turret.

Can anyone explain any of this? I have a dedicated two bedroom. Do those have turrets?

Well a 2 bedroom is the width of 3 studios. So floors going across from the 2 ends are 3-2 bedrooms wide ( 2 dedicated 2 bedrooms and a 2 bedroom lock off which is a 1 bedroom with an attached studio). If they were studios that would be 9 rooms. I think the turrets you see are the staircases on the sides of the building. There are one on each end and one in the back along with a set of 2 elevators.

 

[Princess Katelet]

Well a 2 bedroom is the width of 3 studios. So most floors are 3-2 bedrooms wide. If they were studios that would be 9 rooms. I think the turrets you see are the staircases on the sides of the building. There are one on each side and one in the back along with a set of 2 elevators.

They are definitely balconies and are so beautiful!! It still looks like way more than nine rooms (or window sets) to me, unless those are two buildings right next to each other, and I didn’t see any like that on diagrams. Hmmm...

Hope you can see my attached photo with arrows showing the turrets. I’m not tech savvy do I hope it works.

 

[bigAWL]

They are definitely balconies and are so beautiful!! It still looks like way more than nine rooms (or window sets) to me, unless those are two buildings right next to each other, and I didn’t see any like that on diagrams. Hmmm...

Hope you can see my attached photo with arrows showing the turrets. I’m not tech savvy do I hope it works.

Compare your photo to the floor diagrams on the first page. Moving far left to right, let's look at the second floor (floor diagram is flipped, so we'll move right to left there)...

• The first angled boxed in balcony is studio ending in x247.
• The next boxed in balcony is half of the 1BR x245, with a non-balcony window blocked by trees.
• The next three window bays (one blocked by trees, one huge window, and another without balcony), those are all for the grand villa x241.
• 2BR x235 is then blocked by trees.
• Now we come to your arrows and the turret balconies. Along with the two windows on either side, those make up the 2BR x227.
• The next non-balcony window plus the first boxed in balcony is for the 1BR x225.
• Then there's a boxed in studio x223.

The rest of the building continues off the right side of the photo. So you're actually seeing only half the building, and yes it looks like a lot of window, but they all correspond to 12 different villas across the back, water-facing side of each building.

Hope that helps.

 

[The Jackal]

They are definitely balconies and are so beautiful!! It still looks like way more than nine rooms (or window sets) to me, unless those are two buildings right next to each other, and I didn’t see any like that on diagrams. Hmmm...

Hope you can see my attached photo with arrows showing the turrets. I’m not tech savvy do I hope it works.

That photo is taken at an odd angle. The turrets you point to are the balcony for a dedicated 2 bedroom. What you see to the left of the turrets is the end of the building, since they are u shaped. The windows to the left and right of the balcony belong to the dedicated 2 bedroom. So 2 windows to the right of your turrets is a window for a one bedroom then the balcony in the living room, then the balcony for the studio. Next it will go window, balcony window for another dedicated 2 bedroom. As for the turret they just simply have different style balconies based on roof lines I guess. Some nice architectural design.

 

[Goldfish Are Feral]

DVC studio units have real coffee mugs and a modest supply of paper products otherwise.
Based on our recent stay at SSR:
Housekeeping visited daily, just to take out trash & recycling. On day 4, they changed out towels. You could not make pool reservations in advance. The 2 "quiet" pools were first come, first serve and heavily utilized midday. If people tried to reserve seats but no one used them for a good while, others moved the items and used the seats anyway. As the 2 "feature" pools filled to capacity on hot days, CMs took arriving guests' names and cell phone number for a waitlist. We were text messaged when space was available and our seats (either 2 loungers or 1 table/4 chairs) were held for 15 minutes before moving down the waitlist. Most people didn't wait in line in the heat but returned when texted. Pool towels are plentiful, provided poolside at all 4 pools.

Is the Paddock grill open to those that don't have a reservation? I had planned on using that as a QS meal here and there, while I dont mind doing our part and making a reservation, I was wondering if you say cast members allow guests to order food and then eat it back in their room?

 

[Princess Katelet]

That photo is taken at an odd angle. The turrets you point to are the balcony for a dedicated 2 bedroom. What you see to the left of the turrets is the end of the building, since they are u shaped. The windows to the left and right of the balcony belong to the dedicated 2 bedroom. So 2 windows to the right of your turrets is a window for a one bedroom then the balcony in the living room, then the balcony for the studio. Next it will go window, balcony window for another dedicated 2 bedroom. As for the turret they just simply have different style balconies based on roof lines I guess. Some nice architectural design.

SUPER helpful, thank you so much!! Those diagrams are very deceiving!