SSR vs. VWL...My Dilemma..Please Advise

[LIFERBABE]

Yes you did, granted it was in ONE sentence, but you did take a shot (IN ONE SENTENCE) at what is a very positive plus at VWL-it has a FOOD COURT and it is open late. There are "larger" food courts in the WORLD, but that doesn't mean this is not one, and many have NONE at all. Try getting some hot food fast for everyone when you get back to the other resorts (like OKW etc) after leaving the parks after a night show and you will conclude it has a FOOD COURT and it is a great addition to have at your Resort.

I did not comment on the food, the hours or the availability just it doesnt meet my expectations of a FOOD COURT and it has more to do with the offerings than the size for us. Sorry if that was so offensive.

I dont have to take shots at any of the DVC resorts as I am heavily invested in more than half of them and I am entitled to my opinion and I did own the statement I made and did not make a generalized statement.

I will agree to disagree and move on.

 

[pbharris4]

We were also going back and forth between SSR & VWL. I hear so much about VWL and so little about SSR. We own @ BCV and BTDT, and BWV so wanted to try something new. We have a 9 yo DD and a soon to be 2 yo DD. We originally booked @ SSR and almost switched to VWL, but didn't. Now we've never been to either, but chose SSR for it's closness to DTD and an outside entrance if we want to go off site to eat dinner. But we will eat at WCC to check it out for next year. There's more choices to eat at DTD. I am sure there's plenty of activities at both places, but my DD is such a picky eater the more variety the better. Also, DTD has the carousel, train, legos, there's a playground there somewhere too and the geysers (there's 2 of them). I've seen little kids having so much fun running through those things. There's a small one down closer to the bus depot. It comes down to what would work best for all of you. Your closness to the parks, the food, variety, the play areas, etc.

 

[Granny]

Well, I have stayed at the WL and really liked it. I just want to make sure that my boys will be able to enjoy themselves. I imagine we will be at the resort quite a bit since this is a last minute trip.

I am just trying to make an informed decision.

As is the case with any DVC resort stay, you really can't go wrong with either choice.

There is plenty for young lads to enjoy at WL/VWL. In addition to the pools, and the cool geyser, and the sand beach that my girls played on for hours....well, there is a Cub's Den. It is described by Deb Wills as:

"The WL has the Cub's Den for children, a supervised dining and western-themed entertainment club for children. It is open from 5:00pm to midnight. Entertainment includes Video Games, Storytelling, Arts and Craft and Disney Movies. Children accepted are ages 4-12. This program is open to resort guests and reservations are recommended."

Oh, and don't forget the ever-popular duck races in the afternoon!

Let's see...rent a surrey bike for the family.

Investigate all the nooks and crannies, including those animal tracks in the sidewalks.

Go on a Hidden Mickey hunt...they'll give you a sheet at Guest Services with clues.

Hang out in the Iron Spike room and play some checkers.




The hard part will be prying the boys out of the Lodge area to go hit the parks!


But hey, SSR is a great spot too. I just wouldn't base your decision on the concern that your boys will be bored at WL.

 

[MiaSRN62]

plus at VWL-it has a FOOD COURT and it is open late. There are "larger" food courts in the WORLD, but that doesn't mean this is not one, and many have NONE at all. Try getting some hot food fast for everyone when you get back to the other resorts (like OKW etc) after leaving the parks after a night show

I personally like Roaring Forks. And true---you can't get food past 10 pm at OKW. but that's based simply on the fact of how the resort was set-up (as a stand alone) and being it was DVC's first hand at timeshares--- I guess they figured they didn't need places to stay open late because of the full kitches. As much was we love OKW, that is something that is disappointing to us. Even offsite timeshares (such as Vistana) have places to get food late at night on the grounds. But Roaring Forks was built with the WL in mind. Just don't get the Philly cheesesteak there and expect it to be anywhere near as good as an authentic PHILLY cheesesteak. My dh said, YUCK to it.
My vote to the OP is stay put at VWL. The ease of getting to the MK via the boat with little ones is a big plus. As for the busses, we did not have the best of luck with them from the WL in either '98 or '02. Even though SSR sounds like a terrific resort (I have not yet seen it), you have 48 more years to stay there. If the prophesy expressed on another recent thread on this forum comes true, we will all be experiencing major difficulties getting into BWV, BCV and VWL at the 7 month mark in the next year or two. So keep your ressie and enjoy what may be your last trip there !

 

[Disney Doll]

I odn't think you can go wrong with either, but I owuld think that with a 2 year old, the proximity to the MK would be a plus, since that will proabbly be where you spend the bulk of your park time. And if you do spend a fair amount of time at the hotel, I still think you'd be fine with the WL activities...there are plebty of them.

This is not a bash of SSR, which I also happen to think is a lovely place. I'm just thinking along the lines of a family with a young child, I'd want ease of getting back and forth from the MK. Plus, I love the WDW boats!

 

[DarthGoofy]

Wow, I really appreciate all of the info. everyone has given me. This will be our first trip using our own points and I am really excited about it.

Thanks Again

 

[MiaSRN62]

we did not have the best of luck with them from the WL in either '98 or '02.

I thought that maybe my criticism of the WL busses was a little harsh. I'll clarify and say overall the time spent waiting for busses wasn't that bad. But there were a few isolated cases: waiting 45+ min for an MGM bus comes to mind. This was on early entry day and we missed it due to the bus not coming. We ended up getting in our car and driving to MGM (the crowd waiting had grown to 30 or 40 guests). As we drove down the driveway leading out of the WL resort, we still didn't see an MGM bus. Had no idea what happened there. There was another case with an AK bus that was very long in picking us up.....but overall, the busses were ok. I wouldn't let this stop me from staying here though.