SSR Trip Report 1/21-1/26

Day 4
Planned off day with a slow pace.
A few comments on the DDP.
When I got out to eat, especially at dinner, I typically will have an appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. This does not mean I finish everything, but have often been referred to as a charter member of the clean plate club. As you know we are using the DDP. Going into the vacation I did quite a bit of reading on these forums, “knowledge” is power, related to the DDP. After getting many opinions I was beginning to develop some concerns
Will we have enough to eat since no breakfast is included
Will the service suffer once we indicate DDP, tip is already included
Quality of the food and selection
Based on my concern for the amount of food I figured it may be a good idea to pack some snack stuff just in case. That snack stuff turned into a suitcase full of assorted snacks and bottled water, this was overkill, live and learn. Here is my opinion based on my experience.

There is plenty of food to go around, especially since we were sharing with DD2 from our plates. We actually had a hard time using all of our CS credits while in the parks. I read others having this problem and laughed figuring no way that can happen to me. Well based on the timing of DD needing naps, and our ADR’s typically around 5pm, we ended up using our CS credits to eat breakfast at SSR three days. This is definitely not the best way to use your credits in terms of value, but the AP at SSR is very convenient. One of the benefits of SSR IMO. As for snacks we used a couple during the days and ended up with four left over and grabbed a few cookies for the trip home. We also ended up bringing home 90% of the stuff we brought down. Poor planning or over planning I do not know but I will not do it the same again. As for the DDP I would highly recommend for people that like to dine the way I do. If you are not a big eater it is still very convenient but may not be as good a value. I saved all the receipts and have not yet done the comparison but Pucks and Coral Reef were both over $100. DDP is $40/day/adult and includes CS,TS, and snack. I would do it again no question simply for ease of use.

Back to the trip
Wednesday was our planned off/water park day.
We awoke to low 50’s, windy, and light rain/mist. The indication from the weather forecast was the temp would soar into the high 50’s….Blizzard Beach here we come….in a couple of hours. Maybe we can sleep a little late today and see how things shape up. We grab a little extra shut eye and then head over to AP for breakfast. Breakfast is good and they have 4-5 choices of combinations. The queuing lines are a bit confusing during busy times and could use a little help, but if we all act civilized and exercise some basic consideration of others, things will go smoothly. A suggestion a select few, and you know who you are, can take to heart, enough said!!
We eat and head back to the room for the big decision, are we going to BB or no? We have 10 day/park hopper/with 6 plus admissions/no expire. Why not go and see and if its too cold we leave and no big deal. Daddy wins the discussion and off we go!
We pull into the parking lot and no lie I think there may be 10 cars in the lot. We go in rent a locker and hit the slides. The guards are all bundled up. Some with full sweat suits with hats and gloves. We have some good laughs with them and they are all very engaging with DD. Since we had the park to ourselves it was fun to see her run around and have a blast. Here are a couple of photos that include the cute DD. One has the Irish guy from New England in the dead of winter, It is not a pretty sight!!! Look away if you must.
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You may not be able to see it but yes DD’s lips are blue, but she is not cold, RIGHT!!!! I talk DW into the big slide, can’t remember what it is, and she does it. So as to not be a big sissy I then do the same. After about an hour or so its FRRREEEEZZING and we decide to head back home for a stroll around SSR, a nap, and dinner at O’Hana.

For our trip to O’Hana we decide to take a bus to the MK and then a Monorail ride to the restaurant. Good choice! I have read about a front seat potential and decided to ask. We waited and the third time was a charm. The weather was not great but the view was fantastic. As we were getting out of the car the conductor? Handed us three cards that said co-pilot, you would have thought DD won the lottery.
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Entering the Contemp
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At O’Hana
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Most of my photos inside are fuzzy, check other threads for inside restaurant views, very nice theme.
We arrive at the restaurant to island music and a dancer in the lobby, very nice touch. Standing at the host desk to check in we hear the people in front of us do not have a reservation and are told there is no table available until 9pm. The hostess indicates if they come back about 6:30 they may get a table but no guarantees. Glad we made ADR’s. Very nice atmosphere. It is a little loud but since it is all about family that turns out to be a good thing.
On to the Food
Appetizers
Fried wontons with three dipping sauces, I can’t remember what they were but they were GOOOD.
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Wings-EXCELLENT
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Veggies-good but who has time for veggies on vacation
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Scalloped potatoes-Excellent
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Our server is not very interested in us and brings all the food with little time to enjoy between courses. As dishes are piling up finally I request that things slow down a little, and his attentions diminish even more. Thankfully the bus/support person, Joel, is very attentive and actually ends up taking care of all our needs. He gets the extra $$ at the end of the meal in addition to a compliment to the manager, followed by an email upon return home.
During dinner the music strikes up on several occasions and different interactive little activities take place. DD loves all the excitement during dinner and her attention span is extended significantly.
DD and I doing a little dance, not well I might add.

The meats arrive and the presentation is very cool. Each different type of meat is brought to the table on big grill skewer, and then transferred to your plate, beef, pork, turkey, and sausage I think. All in all the meat is OK but has a strange taste to it. I know it is grilled but it has a strange aftertaste, like gas grill not wood or charcoal. Different meat dipped in the different sauces takes on very different flavors, some very good some not so good. No pictures of the meat sorry!
DESSERT-Worth going for all by itself!!!
Banana bread pudding and a caramel sauce with Vanilla ice cream-SECONDS PLEASE!!
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Overall experience here is very good, thanks to Joel picking up the ball, and I would definitely go back without hesitation.
After O’Hana we headed home for an early night.
Great day with a good pace-even with the bad weather!!

Day 5
MK Full day
TS @ Boma
Epcot EMH
See you soon,
Jim
 
So was the water nice at Blizzard Beach? Your daughter looks like she is having a good time! That must have been neat to have the whole place to yourself!

Back to the fireworks at DTD - as far as I know, it has been at least a year. We bought at SSR about a year ago and soon learned that the fireworks at DTD were no more. Here is hoping that they'll bring them back at least a few nights a week once PI is all revamped. :thumbsup2
 
Fatalbie - you brought us to day 4 and left us hangin' - I need more, I have 153 days until my next trip (first time staying at SSR)
 

I know I will finish tonight!!! the longest short trip report in history!!!!:hourglass
 
Great Report!! Great Photos!!!

It is very impressive that you did the DDP and ate at all those places using mainly busses:thumbsup2 That says alot about the transportation system.
 
/
Ok Day 5 and thanks for bearing with me.
Temps in the high 30’s last night and cold windy rainy this morning. We decided it was a good idea to hang around the room for a while since the weather says it is supposed to clear late morning. We headed over to Artist Palette and had some food. Tried to get DD to take a nap. I figured when the weather broke we could leave for the day and not have to return for a nap. She was having no part of that plan. After tossing and turning for an hour or so I got up and opened the curtains. The rain had stopped and the sun was trying to poke through. Since the MK seemed to be the most enjoyable for DD we headed back there for the day. On the bus we met a couple of very nice women. They were entertaining DD with a set of purple sparkle Mickey heads on springs. DD was so taken with them that the woman gave them to her as a gift. Another selfless act of kindness to add to the several others we enjoyed during our stay. DD decided to give the woman a Tinkerbelle pin in trade. The woman immediately took the pin, opened her jacket, and placed it on her Tinkerbelle t-shirt. Apparently she is a huge Tink fan and was very excited. As you will see from the rest of the pictures from today DD cherished those bobble heads as if they were gold. As we headed into the park for the day there was a sign that indicated the park was closing at 6pm sharp today. I felt a bit let down with the late start but then realize we have ADR for first seating at Boma and would need to leave early anyway. Ah yes it is all coming back to me. I remember reading about the early park closing due to a media event and dedication, not sure what for but I think something to do with Cindy Suite and YOMD. Note to readers I will pass along. Take some time to research park hours during your stay and operations updates for dates you intend to travel. It will help when coordinating ADR’s and extra magic hours, and cutting down on travel time to and from parks and dining. It also lets you know if you favorite attractions will be down for planned maintenance. Once in the park there were no lines and lots of riding fun. The weather started to turn and by 1pm it was around 60 and the sun was out. We needed something to eat and decided on Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn. We each used a CS for lunch. I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries and baked beans and Lindsay had a chopped chicken wrap and fries. We both had soda to drink and CS comes with dessert. Plenty of food for the three of us. By this point in our trip we have been eating nonstop and decided to forego dessert. We gave dessert away to a family of four at the next table. The desserts were individually packaged so I offered. The father is a man after my own heart and gladly accepted the desserts, lol. Food was surprisingly not bad. Very Disney but taste and freshness both spot on. We continued to wander aimlessly around MK no plan just kind of rolling with it. We stumbled upon the Family Fun Day Parade and were asked to participate, so we did. Here are a couple of photos from the parade.
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It was totally corny but as you can see in the photos we had a blast. After cruising around a little more we headed for a much anticipated dinner at Boma. DD went from wide awake to sound asleep on the bus in about 15 seconds. She stayed this way through the whole dinner.
On the way in right off the bus
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She was in her stroller tucked in close to the table and DW and I had a “romantic” dinner for two.
Boma had come very highly recommended from all the reading I did on the boards. Recommendation well deserved.!!! The variety and flavors were tremendous. Caution- this restaurant is not your typical menu. If you are not remotely adventurous stay away!!! I tried to capture the inside but as with the rest of my indoor photos they are not good.
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The food is fantastic!!! I took a few photos but they are only a snapshot of what this restaurant offers.
They had at least 7-8 different types of salad, multiple appetizers, 4-5 soup varieties, many different meat dishes some carving type, some in a stew, some in casserole type dishes. And for me an entire section dedicated to some incredible desserts!!!(no dessert photos too busy eating)

This was an herb-cheese flatbread with three different hummus dips, sun-dried tomato, olive, and white bean
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A chicken curry soup with two different salads. One was a curry pasta salad and the other was carrot, raisin, and ? watermelon rind maybe. All very good!!!
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This is just a mix of meats and a lamb stew-All great, I like well done!!
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We actually ate quite lightly and sampled lots of different items. It was like a tasting and left us satisfied and not overly stuffed. They had a Zebra Dome cookie or something for dessert, the one item I would STAY AWAY from. Must be like a cigar, you need to develop a taste for it, lmao!!!
We finished dinner and our darling cherub decided it was time to wake up. We took her for a stroll on the patio that overlooked the savanna and got to see some of the animals as the sun was going down.
After dinner we headed for Epcot EMH. We did quite a bit at Epcot that night and I would highly recommend Soaring, it was pretty cool. We also spent quite a bit of time in the Seas wandering around the aquarium. DD loved it. If you look at the ground in the tank from the second level they have the stones arranged in a Mickey Head!! Here are a couple outside of Epcot.
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We stuck around for illuminations and called it a night.
This is DD watching Illuminations-Notice the ears still attached!!!
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Well long day/night combo and we need to get ready to go back to MA. Thankfully the temp in MA is supposed to rise to 12F for our return on Friday!!!!

Day 6
Suns out must be time to go back to reality.
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Thank you for all the nice comments, I hope you all enjoy the experience as we did.
Jim
 
Thanks! Great TR and thanks for the pics! I would love to be eating at Boma right now! :)
 
Great trip report, and I loved the Toon Town pictures/video/story! What a memory!
 
WOW! What a phenomenal trip report! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it and add pictures. I especially appreciated your dining reviews. You were very honest and very thorough with a full evaluation. As for the zebra domes, I did not like them the first time I tried them but gave them a second chance. You definitely need a taste for coffee to enjoy those. But Boma is our favorite buffet - we love the African flavors and dishes. The hummus choices are top notch!

I am really impressed with your traveling skills, too. Just being able to get to all of those eateries using the bus system is very impressive!

I hope you and your family are able to get back yearly. Your daughter is beautiful and obviously loves the Mouse House!

Thanks again!
 
Jim you did an awesome job writing that report. I must admit, it's the first one
I've ever read from beginning to end. I think the inclusion of pictures/video
was the reason. Very, very good. I've always wanted to try Boma and now
I definitely will. We also love SSR and have loved that location ever since it
was the Disney Villas, then Disney Institute and now the lovely Saratoga Springs. I hope you enjoy many, many wonderful Disney vacations filled with
magic and wonder. I know we all will continue to look forward to, and enjoy
your very entertaining and thorough reports. Thank you! :thumbsup2
 
Wow Jim what a great TR and a beautiful family!!
We are SSR owners and were there in Dec. Thank you for sharing your vacation with us!
 
Thanks for sharing your wonderful report and pictures, Jim! Your daughter is so cute! :)
 
What a great trip and what a really good report! The expressions on your daughter's face were priceless!!!
 
Jim -
Thanks for the very, detailed trip report. As another poster said, I usually do not read entire TRs. But I read yours and was kinda wishing that you had had a 12 day stay.

Maybe next time....

BTW, when did you share with your family that you had purchased DVC? Or was your DW involved in that decision? My perception from your first post was that it was something that maybe you had done without her knowing....

Again, Thank You for the report!

-Edward
 












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