SSR Lovers and Owners Part 4

[zackiedawg]

The trails are great. It's also a pretty good wildlife resort, especially if you're a birder or bird watcher. surprisingly good species diversity there - lots of migrating warblers and songbirds in the trees around the buildings, herons & egrets & cormorants and various other wading birds in all the lakes, wild turkeys wandering around, kingfishers and ospreys hunting, bald eagles, nesting great blue herons in the trees by Congress Park and Disney Springs, and more. Lots of rabbits, some raccoons, plenty of lizards and snakes (not the poisonous kind, and you probably won't encounter them unless you're looking for them, so snake haters don't panic!).

 

[Simba's Mom]

The trails are great. It's also a pretty good wildlife resort, especially if you're a birder or bird watcher. surprisingly good species diversity there - lots of migrating warblers and songbirds in the trees around the buildings, herons & egrets & cormorants and various other wading birds in all the lakes, wild turkeys wandering around, kingfishers and ospreys hunting, bald eagles, nesting great blue herons in the trees by Congress Park and Disney Springs, and more. Lots of rabbits, some raccoons, plenty of lizards and snakes (not the poisonous kind, and you probably won't encounter them unless you're looking for them, so snake haters don't panic!).

I'm glad you mentioned that! I'm a birdwatcher so I can agree. One day I took my binoculars and headed over to SSR resort to do some bird watching. It was really good, saw quite a few-and since I'm not from Florida, some were real rarities for me.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'm a wildlife photographer and birder, so I love taking mornings looking around when I'm there - I live in S Florida, but there are some migratory birds that never come as far south so the Disney area is often my only chance to see some species. I rarely have my proper birding lenses with me at Disney, but still like to do a little bird photography when up there - Saratoga has been the best spot overall. Some examples spotted on SSR grounds:

Swallow-tailed kite (over the Disney Springs lake):

Bald eagle right next to building 1, on the path to Disney Springs:

Chestnut-sided warbler (in the trees around Congress Park):

Ruby-crowned kinglet (in the trees around Congress Park):

American goldfinch (shot from my balcony in building 1, in a tree next to the lake):

Tufted titmouse (trees around Congress Park):

Limpkin, fishing along the shore of the Disney Springs lake:

Wild turkeys, showing off in the parking lot next to Congress Park's bus stop:

I've got a lot more, but don't want to overwhelm the thread with bird photos! Just a sample of what you might find walking around the grounds.

 

[Jonnnyap]

I'm a wildlife photographer and birder, so I love taking mornings looking around when I'm there - I live in S Florida, but there are some migratory birds that never come as far south so the Disney area is often my only chance to see some species. I rarely have my proper birding lenses with me at Disney, but still like to do a little bird photography when up there - Saratoga has been the best spot overall. Some examples spotted on SSR grounds:

Swallow-tailed kite (over the Disney Springs lake):

Bald eagle right next to building 1, on the path to Disney Springs:

Chestnut-sided warbler (in the trees around Congress Park):

Ruby-crowned kinglet (in the trees around Congress Park):

American goldfinch (shot from my balcony in building 1, in a tree next to the lake):

Tufted titmouse (trees around Congress Park):

Limpkin, fishing along the shore of the Disney Springs lake:

Wild turkeys, showing off in the parking lot next to Congress Park's bus stop:

I've got a lot more, but don't want to overwhelm the thread with bird photos! Just a sample of what you might find walking around the grounds.

These are great photos! You have a great eye (and camera)! Thanks for sharing.

 

[zackiedawg]

These are great photos! You have a great eye (and camera)! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Jonny. Generally I would be out doing wildlife and bird photography with a 100-400mm or 200-600mm lens - but I don't bring those with me to Disney very often. Usually I try to bring at least a 70-300mm lens for walking around the resort, or I just have a basic kit lens (18-135mm) with me so end up having to crop a ton. I do most of my wildlife photography down in S Florida in the wetlands areas and Everglades, and can do much more detailed closeup work with the long-reach lenses like this:

I think I'd get some strange looks wandering around a Disney resort with a 2-foot-long lens!

 

[sticker231]

Thanks Jonny. Generally I would be out doing wildlife and bird photography with a 100-400mm or 200-600mm lens - but I don't bring those with me to Disney very often. Usually I try to bring at least a 70-300mm lens for walking around the resort, or I just have a basic kit lens (18-135mm) with me so end up having to crop a ton. I do most of my wildlife photography down in S Florida in the wetlands areas and Everglades, and can do much more detailed closeup work with the long-reach lenses like this:

I think I'd get some strange looks wandering around a Disney resort with a 2-foot-long lens!

Everyone vacations differently, If it's something you enjoy, bring your equipment.

Thanks for your pictures!

 

[Simba's Mom]

And thanks for the picture of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet especially. Those little guys move so fast, you must have had quite the fast reflexes and great lens to get that. But I must say that turkey gets around-I think he was also walking around OKW. Or there's a family of turkeys around there.

 

[Girlstar30]

I'm a wildlife photographer and birder, so I love taking mornings looking around when I'm there - I live in S Florida, but there are some migratory birds that never come as far south so the Disney area is often my only chance to see some species. I rarely have my proper birding lenses with me at Disney, but still like to do a little bird photography when up there - Saratoga has been the best spot overall. Some examples spotted on SSR grounds:

Swallow-tailed kite (over the Disney Springs lake):

Bald eagle right next to building 1, on the path to Disney Springs:

Chestnut-sided warbler (in the trees around Congress Park):

Ruby-crowned kinglet (in the trees around Congress Park):

American goldfinch (shot from my balcony in building 1, in a tree next to the lake):

Tufted titmouse (trees around Congress Park):

Limpkin, fishing along the shore of the Disney Springs lake:

Wild turkeys, showing off in the parking lot next to Congress Park's bus stop:

I've got a lot more, but don't want to overwhelm the thread with bird photos! Just a sample of what you might find walking around the grounds.

Another reason for me to stay here, beautiful pics!

 

[M0005]

Is Paddock Pool still closed? The notice says it may be closed until "early December." Anyone have a guess about how "early" is "early December"?

 

[CastAStone]

When we were there a week ago it didn’t look close.

 

[zackiedawg]

Counting down - by this time next week, I'll be at Saratoga, probably headed to Disney Springs for dinner (6pm reservation at TRex). Hopefully one of my room request numbers comes through - Congress Park, Building 1, 2-4th floor rooms ending in 03 or 45. If not, anything in building 1 is great, and left side of building 2 OK as well.

 

[CastAStone]

Counting down - by this time next week, I'll be at Saratoga, probably headed to Disney Springs for dinner (6pm reservation at TRex). Hopefully one of my room request numbers comes through - Congress Park, Building 1, 2-4th floor rooms ending in 03 or 45. If not, anything in building 1 is great, and left side of building 2 OK as well.

Cong. Park requests tend to get filled. Best of luck!

 

[famgel]

Looking for help in booking for next year but thought SSR’s holiday decorations would have been up by the week before Thanksgiving (11/15-11/22/25) but they weren’t? I check the specific thread for all resorts regarding decorations & it seems Disney was very late on completing all of them! We can only go every 3 yrs with a large family now & don’t want to miss these! Any help or advice would be appreciated! Ty!!

 

[zackiedawg]

In my experience, that's a bit unusual...usually they have them up by November 15th at all the resorts. Not sure if they were late this year for a particular reason or delay, or if they've shifted a bit lately and don't put all the resorts up by then. I haven't stayed at Saratoga for Christmas season since 2020, so things may have changed post-pandemic. But other resorts I've been to in 21-24 have had them up before Thanksgiving. In 2023 a friend stayed at Saratoga starting Nov 20th, and all the decorations were already up.

 

[CastAStone]

Can confirm Saratoga had no Christmas anywhere on Thanksgiving.


Other than, of course, the gift shop.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'll be there Friday - so we'll see if they did put up the usual Christmas stuff again just late, or if they are paring back.

 

[Bozni]

I'll be there Friday - so we'll see if they did put up the usual Christmas stuff again just late, or if they are paring back.

If you have a spare moment, can you take a look at the Paddock Pool and see if it is operational?

 

[zackiedawg]

Sure. I was planning tomorrow night after dinner at Disney Springs to do some night photography around the SSR grounds, so I will check out the Paddock pool as well.

 

[Disdreaming479]

Sure. I was planning tomorrow night after dinner at Disney Springs to do some night photography around the SSR grounds, so I will check out the Paddock pool as well.

I’m curious if they have started any work on the expected refurbishment at the THV. No news except one person complaining about the condition being poor.
Edit: no new timelines reported from the condo meetings.

 

[zackiedawg]

I won't likely be walking over to the TreeHouses - however I do have a dinner res one night at Port Orleans Riverside and was going to take the boat back to Disney Springs and walk back to my villa - I'll see if I can peek into the Treehouses to see if any look like they're being refurbed or worked on.