SSR Trip Report

[BigDisneyKids]

DW and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary last week (8/2 -8/5) at our new home SSR. Here's a very short trip report:

~ Went w/o the DK's and IT WAS GREAT! We missed them the first day, but got over it by day 2. (Don't feel bad for them either, they were just there in Dec 03 for 10 days and are going back in Jan 05 for another 10, they get enough Disney in their lives each day.)

~ SSR is HUGE! Maybe too big. Definitely not enough pools. I hope they (DVC) reads DIS and takes us critics into account.

~ We stayed in Congress Park, yellow bldg, room 2412. A studio for the two of us was perfect. The quiet pool was just a few steps away. We swam in the evening and just about had it all to ourselves. This place is great for watching fireworks at DTD too.

~ Noise from DTD, non-existent. Frankly, even if it was, I wouldn’t care; I sleep like a rock anywhere at anytime.

~ Flew down, no van, felt completely helpless. Won’t do that again, especially with the DK's. Because of which, we spent tons on food since we couldn't go out of the World, Oh, well.

~ Artist Palette - Prices not bad, but wish it was bigger with more selections. I did like the wide selection of DVC merchandise.

~ Disney buses in and out of SSR were great! No more then a 15 minute wait, ever. Buses to and from SSR was virtually empty. We're not used to this, since we only stayed at ASM and the buses were standing room only. Also used the ferry from DTD several times and it too was great, no wait. Highly recommend if going over to DTD.

~ I spoke to a gentleman working the DVC stand at SSR about the size, pools etc… He didn’t know much about the pools, but thinks that they will probably re-evaluate the situation after all construction is complete. As far as the size and transportation issues, he stated that SSR will have an “in-house” service running after all construction is complete.

~ Construction; Yes, it was there. It didn’t interfere with our getaway, just a little eyesore IMO. Small price to pay, if you ask me.

~ I did see something that I've never seen since going to Disney for some 15+ years, an Orange County Police patrol inside the resort (SSR). I’m not sure if it was related to the Homeland Security alert or to a recent event that occurred a few weeks ago indicated by a previous posting. But the police presence at SSR was definitely there. Also saw a Disney Security Officer at WL walking around too. Not sure if they’re related, but didn’t mind.

~ Went to Whispering Canyon Café for dinner, great place for kids and adults too. Since we’ve never been to WL before, we asked CM Kelly there if we could take a peek at a 1 bed unit. She was great; she looked up one on the computer and had someone take us right over. We fell in love with WL! Don’t get me wrong, SSR (our home resort) is VERY NICE, but it’s definitely an adult resort, where as WL is themed more for the DK’s (in our opinion). WL is more our speed, I think our future ressies will be at WL, for a while.

CAN’T WAIT FOR JANUARY!!!

 

[lat]

thanks for the report. We bought DVC because of BCV. However, so far we have stayed at BWV. VWL, OKW, but never at BCV. Our favorite is definitely VWL!!!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

I spoke to a gentleman working the DVC stand at SSR about the size, pools etc… He didn’t know much about the pools, but thinks that they will probably re-evaluate the situation after all construction is complete.

I would hope they have already evaluated the situation since after construction is complete will be a little late. I had read in another post that there will be 5 pools in total, not sure if that is correct or not, but I hope so.

Glad you enjoyed your stay. Isn't it amazing how your WDW trip changes drastically without kids involved, even grown kids for that matter.

Did you have any special meals to celebrate your anniversary?

Thanks for the trip report.

 

[bounceytigger]

We fell in love with WL! Don’t get me wrong, SSR (our home resort) is VERY NICE, but it’s definitely an adult resort, where as WL is themed more for the DK’s (in our opinion). WL is more our speed, I think our future ressies will be at WL, for a while.

Thanks for the report! That's interesting, what you stated about SSR being more of an "adult resort". I can definitely imagine that being the case, with what I've seen from pictures so far of the resort, and from what I've read.

Maybe that's part of the "magic" that people say is missing from SSR so far?? Maybe there's not enough of a "Disney Kid" feel to it?? Hopefully it'll feel more geared towards multi-generations as time goes by and the resort is brought to completion.

I still can't wait to go "home" to SSR with my family in December....but I also got waitlisted for VWL for a few nights, hoping to get to experience that, too!

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip overall!

 

[Nlihte]

We also visited SSR in June. I agree that it isn't for those who are looking for the pixey magic. The Disney feel is not quite right. I would say with children I would skip SSR. For adults who like the night life it will be terrific. Because of the oppressive heat in Orlando we prefer resorts with inside walkways rather than motel like corriders. The ten year addition is quite appealing especially if the eleven month window is not important to you.
For those who plan on purchasing SSR you are trading out some of the familiar Disney characteristics for some other great benefits.
Just be sure you choose with an understanding of what appeals to you. If you already purchased and are not completely thrilled you can still reserve the other resorts and with an extra 10 years more than the rest of us.

 

[dyingtodisney]

We brought our family to SSR in June which included DD8 and DS5 and they had a blast! I didn't get a feel it was an "adult type" resort at all. However this was our first family disney trip as vacation club members so they were just THRILLED at it all. Now after our stay at VWL in December and BWV at Spring Break they may not like SSR as well, it will be interesting to see.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I think just being anywhere in WDW would make my family elated right about now! It's going to be a long year until we get back!

Thanks BigDisneyKids for the report!

 

[bounceytigger]

quote by dyingtodisney:

We brought our family to SSR in June which included DD8 and DS5 and they had a blast! I didn't get a feel it was an "adult type" resort at all.

Yay!! I'm glad to hear that! I'm just guessing as to why there have been reports that SSR doesn't quite have that "Disney magic" feeling to it yet??

But overall, I'm with you---this'll be our first DVC trip, and we (myself, DH, and DS) will just be thrilled to be at WDW, period!!!!!

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by Nlihte

For those who plan on purchasing SSR you are trading out some of the familiar Disney characteristics for some other great benefits.

I find this to be a very misleading - and possibly frightening - statement, particularly for new SSR owners who haven't been "Home" yet. We stayed there in May, and didn't find any of the "Disney characteristics" lacking - except maybe hot dogs and chicken fingers ::grin::. Great "major" pool, wonderful - if subtle - theming, beautiful architecture and landscaping, waterfront location, bits of whimsey here and there and cheerful CMs. I will admit that, perhaps, when you first enter and see the half-completed buildings, the illusion of "being elsewhere" is shattered a bit, but that will be fixed when construction is complete; and I feel that the view of DTD from across the lake is one of the best at any WDW resort.

I guess one thing that folks should know is that this is not a "Hotel" resort, like the ones in Las Vegas, or the BWV, where you walk in the front door and never have to leave the A/C unless you want to swim. It's a "Spread-out" resort, where the lodging is separate from the pool, food court, etc. Not that this should be a surprise - I hope that everyone at least looked at the map of SSR before they bought (or booked) ::grin:: - but some people do seem to be caught unawares.

I'd like to hear what "Disney characteristics" some folks think are missing from SSR that's there at, say, OKW or BWV.

As always, IMHO - YMMV.

 

[westjones]

We bought at BCV, and also fell in love with VWL.

We are going to be going to WDW once a year for spring break, and I am trying to convince DH to just let us split our stay between the two resorts each time (he doesn't like to move).

I know we could rotate between the two each time, but I would hate to have to wait two years for either of them!

So we will see.

DJ

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by Nlihte
For adults who like the night life it will be terrific.

You could say the same thing about The Boardwalk.

We enjoy Downtown Disney for the shop and restaurants. You don't need to be staggering out of Pleasure Island at 2am to be a DD fan.

(And anyone that wants to stagger...stagger-away!)

And with regard to the kid-friendly commentary, we'll be at SSR in December with two kiddies under 3. Frankly, the ability to have a car sitting right outside our door is more convenient than having to rely on busses / valet / self-parking at BWV.

 

[LucyLou&BobWho]

We stayed at SSR in May with our two DS's 8-5. We had a blast. There is nothing about SSR that should give you the impression that it is not kid friendly. The kids loved the pool, walking along the paths looking for frogs and lizards, and the overall Disney experience.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion regarding the various resorts and we loved SSR. I wouldn't be concerned at all about bringing the kids.

 

[BigDisneyKids]

Thanks for the great replies.

A few things we forgot to tell you in our original post:

~ We arrived around 11:30 am at the Carriage House for check in and our room was ready for immediate occupancy! This was great after the long wait in the airport and flight.

~ Numerous WELCOME HOME'S from the many CM's at SSR.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I apologize for creating such a firestorm about our opinion on the magic themes at SSR.

For those of you who haven't been home yet and have dropped a great deal of money on something unseen (like we did), IT IS A BEAUTIFULY DESIGNED AND THEMED RESORT, a first class job by Disney. You will be pleased! By all means, you are getting your money's worth.

Again, it's just our opinion about the DK's liking WL over SSR. Since there only 11 & 5, they've got time (49 years & 7 months) to take in as much magic as they can.

 

[westjones]

I am sure a lot has to do with what your plans are for your trip as to what resort will work best. We hope to stay at SSR next year because we want to go to Cirque for the first time, and we love the Rainforest Cafe, so the location for us will be great.

This past month we did the HDDR for the first time, and we were staying at VWL, so the location was great for that.

If sounds like you will be able to park very close to your villas like at OKW, so that will be a plus for SSR. We liked that part of OKW when we stayed before.

Each DVC resort offers something different, and it is fun to try them all. We were in love with HHI, and then we tried VB this summer and decided it was more suited to what we were looking for in a resort (loved having the beach right outside the resort). Now we are hoping to make a second visit there next summer.

They are all wonderful resorts, and each in their own way offers a magical experience.

DJ