SSR Pool too Small?

[DrTomorrow]

We eat lunch at pools all the time while on vaction, just not at Disney-we get CS in the parks, so we don't take time away from our touring!

Trust me, if were our family of 5 and you had all your kids and all their stuff (toys, floatation devices, sunscreen, first aid kit (for falls on the cemet), bathing suit coverups, etc...) at the pool and actually managed to find 5 lounge chairs that were not shaded or a mile away from the pool-you would NOT leave for lunch! When we go on beach vacations or to someplace like Cancun we arrive at the pool in the AM and stay there until we are done for the day (late afternoon). We do not go our room or a resort restaurant for lunch, we eat at the pool. Poolbars that have a wide selection of food are my favorites! My kids can get whatever they want for lunch and DH and I can "drink" our lunch if we want-as in Frozen Margaritas or some other cool tropical drink. As long as my kids can get some sort of lunch with fries, my pool day is perfect.

Thanks for the explanation; it's easy to forget that other folks have different priorities on vacation than we do.

 

[Dano1182]

I do not ever remember getting that chlorine smell at a Disney pool.
The pool are almost always properly maintained and therfore not over or under chlorinated.There was no such smell at SSR.

We like to eat by the pool on a hot day.When we go to the pool it is a pool day.I am not looking for a gourment meal.Just a good sandwich,maybe a hot dog etc.
The frozen drinks for the adults and french fries for the kids is not bad either.

I see nothing wrong with a cold drink and a bite to eat poolside.

There are two impotant rules clean up and DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS.

The bigger issue with overcrowding is chair hogs.
It is amazing howmany people use one towel a bottle of tan lotion and an old magazine to hold chairs .

Placing items on a chair to "reserve it"is unacceptable and should not be allowed.I am talking about for an extended period.

I think that pool stafff should keep an eye on things and if no activity is observed for a period of time this stuff should be removed and sent to lost and found.allowing others to sit. in prime spots

 

[DrTomorrow]

[...]The bigger issue with overcrowding is chair hogs.
It is amazing howmany people use one towel a bottle of tan lotion and an old magazine to hold chairs .

Placing items on a chair to "reserve it"is unacceptable and should not be allowed.I am talking about for an extended period.

I think that pool stafff should keep an eye on things and if no activity is observed for a period of time this stuff should be removed and sent to lost and found.allowing others to sit. in prime spots

I so wish I could cross-post this to a Las Vegas forum I participate in; the whole "reserving chairs with a towel at 8AM but not using them until 1PM" issue is as big a Las Vegas Forum issue as occupancy and mugs are here....

 

[LIFERBABE]

I so wish I could cross-post this to a Las Vegas forum I participate in; the whole "reserving chairs with a towel at 8AM but not using them until 1PM" issue is as big a Las Vegas Forum issue as occupancy and mugs are here....

OMG!! Doc, I am still having nightmares of the chair hogs at Mandalay Bay last month!
We were there on the same day, and I tell you, there was a family there that saved 12 chairs with a pair of flip flops on each!

We arrived at the Mandalay Beach nlt 10am and there was not a chair to be found. We came across these 12 chairs and 3 young girls saving all of them and telling anyone who inquired that the occupants were swimming. Their mom would come and go but basically left these girls and flip flops to save chairs.
We had nowhere to go, so we decided to wait. We waited at least an hour if not more and no one sat in those chairs. I complained to mgmt and they said they were sending guards around to empty chairs with items on them.
Well they never came around to these 12 loungers. Finally, I sat down on one of the loungers to have my lunch.
At that point, I dared them to say something to me, because it was obvious they were chair saving.
At around 1 pm, here comes the waterlogged swimmers, FULLY Dressed Adults!!
Never Again!! I refuse to be held at bay by a pair of flip flops, magazine, towel or other insignificant item when visiting the pool. Life is too short to put up with that. I will simply tell the saver that when the occupant arrives I will happily move on, but until then, I am staying put!
I completely agree about the pool chair hogs having a ne gative impact on pool capacity.
Good luck at BCV, SAB is infamous for chair hogs. Get there early and if you want to spend anytime there, you will have to eat poolside.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We just got back from SSR last Friday. We visited High Rock Springs one afternoon and didn't have any problems finding two lounge chairs. THere were plenty available, yet there were still plenty of people at the pool.

I wanted to verify the 'dirty look' of the water but it really is just the coloring on the bottom going along with the theming (I think that was already established in this thread but wanted to add my verification).

This was our second swim in HRS since it opened and we enjoyed it very much! It's a beautifully themed pool and in a nice location.

 

[Jennyvelaz]

Does this mean that our dues will go up if a bigger pool is built? or is it already planned so it is already encompassed in our payments? I hope, based on the whole development, that our dues are already based on the potential occupancy. or am I living in a globe like David Blayne?

 

[DrTomorrow]

I believe that the initial construction costs aren't a factor in dues, but any on-going costs, such as lifeguards, do play a part in dues. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

 

[Sammie]

I believe that the initial construction costs aren't a factor in dues, but any on-going costs, such as lifeguards, do play a part in dues. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

I think that is correct and the insurance to cover the pool.

 

[seabright1]

The pool at the Paddocks is so small that I would not even call it a "pool"
I would call it an oversized bath tub. LOL!
It's small that if you stand at the center of the "tub", you can almost touch both ends of the tub.

 

[thelobstershanty]

We just got back from SSR and we were at the main pool everyday for 8 days. We never had a problem finding chairs at the pool. Also the pool lounges are the nicest lounges at any WDW resort pool. It was so nice to not have the plastic strap type loungers.
Can't say we had a problem with the pool bar either. We always received quick and efficient service, and believe me, we had our share of adult beverages by the pool.
We were surprised to see the lack of food at the pool bar, but really Artist Palette is only a flight of stairs away. We just went to Artist Palette and got our food to go and ate at the pool. We saw many other families doing the same thing. We did not find it to be a hassle at all.
After reading about the darker colored pool bottom on the boards, we made a conscious effort to notice it. Quite frankly, if I had not read about the darker colored pool bottom, I do not think we would have even noticed it. We thought the pool was very nice.
I do agree the pool is small for such a large resort and another pool will be needed once the resort is completed. While we were there, there were plenty of people in the pool but there was still enough room for everyone. We found that what made the pool feel crowded was not the number of people in the pool but the people playing ball in the pool. They would literally stand at opposite ends of the pool and throw a water ball back and forth. Then they would get annoyed if swimmers got in the way of their game!
Everyday we saw CMs going around and removing towels left on empty chairs.
Maybe we are just not picky people, but we had no problems with SSR's main pool. We enjoyed our daily visits to the pool very much.

 

[EpcotMatt]

As with all things DVC, one person's perceived weakness is another's strength.It's relative. My little five-year-old thinks it's huge. Maybe you're just a bit too big.This promotes sharing and allows you to make new friends.Chips are the #1 snack food in the U.S. and that's what most everyone wants to eat at poolside. People are much more polite to each other in swimsuits and the resulting orderliness at mealtime is a blessing.Try the tater-tots, they're delicious.A real moneysaver - one less park souvenir to buy.Most guests I saw there on my last trip could've used the exercise.This is themeing. It's a very authentic replication of one in Saratoga, NY.SSR's unofficial motto is "The More - The Merrier".Make that A-Okay for me and my family!

Maybe it's just me, but I'm put off by several of rinkwide's replies. "Maybe you're just too big" and "Most guests I saw there on my last trip could've used the exercise." I didn't sense any joking manner with these remarks. I myself am not a large person, but find it very offensive that this person rails against those that aren't "model" types. I'm surprised that no one else was offended at this veteran's remarks. If the entire response was made with jest, so be it. But that's not the impression I got. The OP made legit remarks & "being too big" and "needing exercise" do not address the issues of crowded pools or having to walk to a restauarant. My nickel's worth.

 

[the ghost of boat]

Does anyone know how the size of the pool compares to the # of guest the resort will hold vs other DVC resorts?

IMO a larger% of guest at SSR would use the pool then guest of the other resorts. My logic is, that when you stay at SSR you are staying in a location that somewhat removes you from the parks, which would mean that you may well be planning on spending MORE time at the resort.

 

[Chuck S]

Judging from satellite photos, the 2 existing pools at SSR seem to be roughly the size of the main pool at OKW...larger than the 3 quiet OKW pools.

 

[LIFERBABE]

SSR currently has 3 pools open. The 4th is already dug and paved. I believe there will be a fifth pool but not sure on that one.

WL pool serves the Villas and the Main Lodge. That pool deck is alot smaller than SSR's because of how that pool is shaped and the bar and hot tub is situated. It is also smaller than SSR's pool.

BWV serves both Inn and Villa rooms too. That is not a huge pool either. Huge slide, but not a huge pool.

SAB is huge, but it serves Yacht Club, Beach Club and the Villas.

Could the pool be bigger? Yes! With the exception of SAB they all could.
But rarely except the busiest times (and thats rare too) do we get live reports of any DVC pool being overcrowde or there not being enough seats. There has been plenty of speculation but not actual reports.

 

[thelobstershanty]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm put off by several of rinkwide's replies. "Maybe you're just too big" and "Most guests I saw there on my last trip could've used the exercise." I didn't sense any joking manner with these remarks. I myself am not a large person, but find it very offensive that this person rails against those that aren't "model" types. I'm surprised that no one else was offended at this veteran's remarks. If the entire response was made with jest, so be it. But that's not the impression I got. The OP made legit remarks & "being too big" and "needing exercise" do not address the issues of crowded pools or having to walk to a restauarant. My nickel's worth.

I also found that post offensive, and no, none of us are large or big people. If the post was meant in jest, the humor also escaped me.

 

[Uncleromulus]

thelobstershanty:
One would hope the lifeguards would curtail that "acrosss the pool" ball throwing.
But they don't at OKW either. We saw several swimmers get hit by thrown balls (in this case, a tennis ball) last trip.
Would weigh in with pool size comments, but can't since we'll be going to SSR in September. Did swim there once when we were at OKW, and the pool seemed big enough--but that could be because it was not very crowded.

 

[swissarmyknife]

While I found SSR to be a lovely resort as a whole I did find the pool area to be to small. It was very crowded when I was just there in May. I remember thinking then that it was too small and just wait until the resort is finished. I also found it odd that the pool bar didn't serve food. Who is this Rinkwide character by the way? Offensive posts I've seen of his to be sure. Maybe he/she has lost there posting privledges or mabe they should be banned. I'm not sure why the OP is taking such heat for there honest report and views of SSR? I love it but maybe they don't.


Mary

 

[Dis-best]

I find it interesting that when someone expresses their honest opinions about SSR that is precieved to be negative, there are a few people that attack them and label them as SSR bashers.

Could this be DVC sales people trying to overshadow the negative?

I too experienced the same issue with the pool. It was very crowded during our stay last year. I think it will only get worse as they sell more units.

 

[HUFF590]

all the post up to this point, this has been so much fun! So now here is my opinion( just mine)
1. For those who have read Rinks post over the years know its just for jest.I bet for everyone offended the same amount laughed( right or wrong)
2. I was at SSR in May also NO POOL PROBLEM never was crowded great drinks lots of chairs, but a few of the big kids would not let me slide.
3. And I think everyone has the right to his or her opinion thats why its called the Dis, and thats my DIs. Keep it up great reading.

 

[seabright1]

Could it be that the AP discount they are currentlly offering to members and future members is just a "gimmick" to entice buyers into buying this huge Saratoga aprtments?? hmmmm..beginning to wonder...(was at saratoga last month just to see it for myself why some or perhaps alot of people dislike this place).