lenshanem
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2002
- Messages
- 8,930
SSR (6/25/05 - 7/1/05)
VacationEars - me, Mom, DD7 and DD4 (Girls only trip!)
So I guess youre wondering about the Golden Banana, uh? Well, it seems bananas are quite expensive at SSR - .99 compared to .40 down the road at OKW. Since I gotta have my banana in the morn this irked me. Dont worry - I made sure to inform several people about the bananas (Hey, I learned how to spell bananas thanks to Gwen Stefanis new song! Educational AND a top hit!)
SSR
OK, so we didnt get a welcome home when we first arrived, but later we got plenty. A matter of fact we became quite smitten with the security guard at the gate - hed wave us on in each night since Mom could never seem to reach the key entry. It became a little joke - HEY! Were famous!
Check in was awesome, Mike was friendly and helpful. We had a small wait, but someone came out passing out info packets for us to look thru while we waited. Nice touch. Our two requests were met - non-smoking for medical reasons (DD7 has asthma.) and a studio with a tub for the girls. We even got a bonus - an awesome DTD view. Studio was 1601 in Congress Park. We werent overlooking the quiet pool, but the DTD view was very nice.
Room was in good condition, spotless except Our feet got black from the carpet! That has never happened to us at a Disney resort and I was quite disappointed! (Dont worry - I told them before we checked out.) We had a couple small maintenance issues - fridge never seemed to get cold enough even after a maintenance visit (We had to throw our milk out.) and a lightbulb went out. No biggies. I called and left a message for maintenance before we left.
Loved the room decor, very nice and Mom slept on the pull out sofa and thought it was the most comfortable pull out she has ever slept on. (Are all the DVC resorts going to this style?)
Didnt mind the outside hallways, bell services was very nice and fast both times. Trash and towel service went off without a hitch. Resort is beautiful, but I didnt like the massive size of this resort. I have to agree with many others - the food situation is extremely weak and even the souvenir selection was scarce. The theme pool is fantastic, but not even close to being large enough to accommodate the future size of this resort. I later talked with guest services and they said these are common complaints. I have since emailed guest communications and completed an online survey expressing my opinions on these matters.
Rumors told to me by both guest services and a guide are - a full service restaurant is being planned, along with another theme pool, but it will not have slides. That is the draw for us - the slides. I really wish they would consider putting in another pool with slides. This resort is so huge! After driving around I came to this conclusion - I would like staying in either Congress Park for the DTD view OR The Springs for its proximity to the central hub. Otherwise, I think the other areas would be quite disappointing to me. JMHO
We only used the bus transportation twice - for BB and TL. It was quick both times and we were able to find a seat. I hope this continues as the size of this resort expands. We never took the boat over to DTD. It just seemed quicker and easier to drive, although finding a parking spot at DTD was tough at times.
I did find the room to be quite loud. The very quick fireworks across the lake woke us up a few times and if anyone was walking down the hallways their voices echoed like crazy. Very loud. Again, not a biggie - but worth mentioning. A noise maker might be helpful here like at BWV.
All the staff seemed very friendly, except one irritable woman working the open kitchen. Seems getting a to go box is a problem! In the scheme of things - bunches of super nice CMs compared to one grumpy one? Pretty darn good. Plus we got 20% off our food with my DDE card. I only wish I would have made the member meeting.
Will I stay at SSR again? Not sure. It is very lovely, but not crazy about the potential size. Hopefully, the kinks will get worked out and it will become a great resort with more of a community type feel like OKW has. In my opinion, you just cant beat BCV, VWL or BWV.
Other ramblings
This was a non park trip! OMG! Can you imagine?!? But, we did it and had a very nice time and still managed to stay quite busy. Heres a few things we did -
Coronado Springs pool hop
We only had one day to pool hop before a pool hopping restriction went into effect, so we choose Coronado Springs this time. This was really our only sunny day and we had a nice time. We stayed at this resort years ago and my oldest didnt remember the slide. (She is a slide addict.) Despite the small amount of flack I got on the resort board about pool hopping, the guard got us thru the key entry gate with no questions asked and the pool bathroom was not key locked like I was told on the resort board. It was crowded, the bathroom was DISGUSTING and there was trash by the slide - including a very old sock! Oh, and that poor woman working the counter service... They needed at least five more people working! Overall though, pretty darn cool pool.
Rainforest Cafe at DTD
Big thumbs down. I had made PSs awhile back, but yet we ended up with the WORST table in the restaurant - our table stuck literally in a groove of a rock wall formation, facing the store and completely removed from any view of the actual restaurant. I hit my head twice on a sharp protruding rock hanging out the wall. Took thirty minutes to get our drink order in and then another fifteen to speak with a chef that turned out to be a manager and didnt even know what was in the rice after telling me she knew the menu inside out. (DD7 has a SEVERE peanut and tree nut allergy.) Took my youngest to the bathroom and was bumped into TWICE by servers literally running thru the restaurant. Tried to speak to someone about our experience and was basically told - too bad. Never again. Tried to go shopping, DTD was PACKED. Decided to go back to our room.
Blizzard Beach
I had some old park hopper pluses left over from past trips so we only had to buy one child ticket and got the $3 off DVC discount. We had a great time before the rain came in. My girls loved the preteen area and I couldnt believe DD7 did that wire drop thing that sends you flying TWICE. That thing scared me to death just watching it! Very enjoyable day, except DD7 is now too tall to play in the kid area. It made it a little difficult. I bought a disposable water camera before we came and the pics turned out great! Just remember those water shoes!
Whispering Canyon Cafe
It was raining so we used valet with our DDE card. Great time - food was good and the girls had fun. Cant say anything bad about this place, except we never seem to get a table in the middle of the action. I think were table cursed. Chef was accommodating and we got the 20% DDE card discount. After getting stuffed, we headed out to see the end of the Electrical Water Pageant. What can you say? This resort is just beautiful.
Cirque du Soleil
INCREDIBLE, FANTASTIC, AWESOME! Mom treated us, we ordered early using the 25% off DVC discount. We had front row seats on the side of the stage. I was very nervous about taking DD4. I had already mentally prepared myself for the possibility I might have to leave during the show and wait outside with her. HA! She laughed, clapped, danced and every so often would whisper in my ear - Im gonna learn how to do that! Yep, she is my dare devil for sure. Mom and I agreed - this is one of our best experiences at WDW yet. One time the bike performer came skidding over to me - I about had a heart attack! We laughed later, cause they put the spotlight on me and I know I must have looked like a total geek! My heart totally stopped. I totally recommend this. I have seen another Cirque show and this one was definitely more geared toward the entire family. Girls got some funky stick toy that they used during the show for $25 a pop. I didnt mind cause we had such a great time. The store there is EXPENSIVE.
Afterward, the weather was beautiful and we walked around West Side (something I have never done) and really enjoyed ourselves. Got some soft serve and watched DD4 dance around pretending like she was in Cirque. A really great singer was playing outside of House of Blues, too. Fun night. (FYI - You can get a really awesome view of SSR from up the stairs outside of Cirque.)
Typhoon Lagoon
Once again, I only had to buy one child ticket and got the DVC discount. We were doomed - didnt get in much time here before the sky fell out. Course, we were just a few minutes over the time limit for getting a rain check ticket. Go figure. Mom and DD7 had a blast out in the big wave pool while I took DD4 over to some small slides. (I feel sorry for those lifeguards! Those waves are HUGE.) We had a nice time here while it lasted and this time took our soft cooler packed with lunch. Saved some time and money. They closed the park down right as we were handed a raft for the family ride. Oh, well. Back down the stairs we went to grab our things. It was SCARY. This happened to us last time we came here. They announce - Stay away from water, open sidewalks and find immediate shelter. OK Were surrounded by water, walking on open sidewalks with a million other people AND the only shelter I see is a small overhang on a snack stand. Again, go figure. Rain blinding us we managed to make it to the bus.
1900 Park Fare
OK, so the prince is pretty darn charming if I say so myself. (See link to pic below.) And I was surprised to see Cinderella looks EXACTLY like Reese Whiterspoon! (She told me lots of people tell her that, too.) Buffet here was great as always, a little disappointed with the chef. He acted so put out to talk to me and later I saw he had visitors so I guess I was a distraction for him. Oh, well. Last time the chef here insisted on making a fresh plate in the back for DD7. Ill let this time slide cause usually they are TOP NOTCH here. Again, we used valet with our DDE card and got our meal discount. (That card was worth every penny!) Our server went and found us a Sharpie and Cinderella signed DD4s new plush Cinderella doll. DD4 was so proud of that doll!
Afterward, we planned on going to the Poly to watch Wishes in front of the one speaker I have found there that plays Wishes, but the monorail was down. The weather looked questionable so I asked guest services where to watch from there. I never knew about the view from the marina! Dead on view of the castle! Unfortunately, Wishes just isnt the same without the music. Regardless, the GF is so nice. I love the music in the lobby they have in the evenings - such a nice touch.
Chef Mickeys
Our last morning tradition, good as always. Chefs great, food good, characters fun. Last time well probably use this DDE card. I wish this thing didnt expire! We then did some shopping and took the monorail for a spin. We planned on swimming back at SSR, but the weather just wouldnt cooperate.
Offsite adventures
Our first and last nights we stayed at Holiday Inns. The first was in Altamonte Springs. Older resort, but the rooms were very nice. Last night was off International Drive. Boy, I didnt have a clue what that road was like! YIKES! Packed, packed, packed and sooo touristy. YUCK. DD7 was amazed with WetnWild. Guess well be visiting it in the future.
We checked out the Disney outlets in Orlando. Premium Outlets is very close to DTD. It is a fairly nice outlet mall, walkways mostly covered. It was packed, but the Disney outlet is worth going to. It seemed like the place to buy shirts. Most everything was 50% off. Mom bought me a nice GF shirt (So people can think Im rich enough to stay there.) and bought Dad an Animal Kingdom backpack. We picked up a few other things, too.
We also went to Belz Outlet Mall, which I think is changing names to Prime? Anyway, it is further away and much older. Not so great. It has two Disney outlets, but in different buildings. They both had basically the same stuff as Premium Outlets, but were not as crowded. Well probably stick with Premium next time simply cause it is closer.
Overall, we had a nice trip. I even got Mom considering joining DVC. Next stop - Disney Wonder in January. Were surprising the girls at Christmas - our first cruise! And Ive almost completed the DVC circuit. Now when will I squeeze in that HH trip???
Girls snag a prince...
VacationEars - me, Mom, DD7 and DD4 (Girls only trip!)
So I guess youre wondering about the Golden Banana, uh? Well, it seems bananas are quite expensive at SSR - .99 compared to .40 down the road at OKW. Since I gotta have my banana in the morn this irked me. Dont worry - I made sure to inform several people about the bananas (Hey, I learned how to spell bananas thanks to Gwen Stefanis new song! Educational AND a top hit!)
SSR
OK, so we didnt get a welcome home when we first arrived, but later we got plenty. A matter of fact we became quite smitten with the security guard at the gate - hed wave us on in each night since Mom could never seem to reach the key entry. It became a little joke - HEY! Were famous!
Check in was awesome, Mike was friendly and helpful. We had a small wait, but someone came out passing out info packets for us to look thru while we waited. Nice touch. Our two requests were met - non-smoking for medical reasons (DD7 has asthma.) and a studio with a tub for the girls. We even got a bonus - an awesome DTD view. Studio was 1601 in Congress Park. We werent overlooking the quiet pool, but the DTD view was very nice.
Room was in good condition, spotless except Our feet got black from the carpet! That has never happened to us at a Disney resort and I was quite disappointed! (Dont worry - I told them before we checked out.) We had a couple small maintenance issues - fridge never seemed to get cold enough even after a maintenance visit (We had to throw our milk out.) and a lightbulb went out. No biggies. I called and left a message for maintenance before we left.
Loved the room decor, very nice and Mom slept on the pull out sofa and thought it was the most comfortable pull out she has ever slept on. (Are all the DVC resorts going to this style?)
Didnt mind the outside hallways, bell services was very nice and fast both times. Trash and towel service went off without a hitch. Resort is beautiful, but I didnt like the massive size of this resort. I have to agree with many others - the food situation is extremely weak and even the souvenir selection was scarce. The theme pool is fantastic, but not even close to being large enough to accommodate the future size of this resort. I later talked with guest services and they said these are common complaints. I have since emailed guest communications and completed an online survey expressing my opinions on these matters.
Rumors told to me by both guest services and a guide are - a full service restaurant is being planned, along with another theme pool, but it will not have slides. That is the draw for us - the slides. I really wish they would consider putting in another pool with slides. This resort is so huge! After driving around I came to this conclusion - I would like staying in either Congress Park for the DTD view OR The Springs for its proximity to the central hub. Otherwise, I think the other areas would be quite disappointing to me. JMHO
We only used the bus transportation twice - for BB and TL. It was quick both times and we were able to find a seat. I hope this continues as the size of this resort expands. We never took the boat over to DTD. It just seemed quicker and easier to drive, although finding a parking spot at DTD was tough at times.
I did find the room to be quite loud. The very quick fireworks across the lake woke us up a few times and if anyone was walking down the hallways their voices echoed like crazy. Very loud. Again, not a biggie - but worth mentioning. A noise maker might be helpful here like at BWV.
All the staff seemed very friendly, except one irritable woman working the open kitchen. Seems getting a to go box is a problem! In the scheme of things - bunches of super nice CMs compared to one grumpy one? Pretty darn good. Plus we got 20% off our food with my DDE card. I only wish I would have made the member meeting.
Will I stay at SSR again? Not sure. It is very lovely, but not crazy about the potential size. Hopefully, the kinks will get worked out and it will become a great resort with more of a community type feel like OKW has. In my opinion, you just cant beat BCV, VWL or BWV.
Other ramblings
This was a non park trip! OMG! Can you imagine?!? But, we did it and had a very nice time and still managed to stay quite busy. Heres a few things we did -
Coronado Springs pool hop
We only had one day to pool hop before a pool hopping restriction went into effect, so we choose Coronado Springs this time. This was really our only sunny day and we had a nice time. We stayed at this resort years ago and my oldest didnt remember the slide. (She is a slide addict.) Despite the small amount of flack I got on the resort board about pool hopping, the guard got us thru the key entry gate with no questions asked and the pool bathroom was not key locked like I was told on the resort board. It was crowded, the bathroom was DISGUSTING and there was trash by the slide - including a very old sock! Oh, and that poor woman working the counter service... They needed at least five more people working! Overall though, pretty darn cool pool.
Rainforest Cafe at DTD
Big thumbs down. I had made PSs awhile back, but yet we ended up with the WORST table in the restaurant - our table stuck literally in a groove of a rock wall formation, facing the store and completely removed from any view of the actual restaurant. I hit my head twice on a sharp protruding rock hanging out the wall. Took thirty minutes to get our drink order in and then another fifteen to speak with a chef that turned out to be a manager and didnt even know what was in the rice after telling me she knew the menu inside out. (DD7 has a SEVERE peanut and tree nut allergy.) Took my youngest to the bathroom and was bumped into TWICE by servers literally running thru the restaurant. Tried to speak to someone about our experience and was basically told - too bad. Never again. Tried to go shopping, DTD was PACKED. Decided to go back to our room.
Blizzard Beach
I had some old park hopper pluses left over from past trips so we only had to buy one child ticket and got the $3 off DVC discount. We had a great time before the rain came in. My girls loved the preteen area and I couldnt believe DD7 did that wire drop thing that sends you flying TWICE. That thing scared me to death just watching it! Very enjoyable day, except DD7 is now too tall to play in the kid area. It made it a little difficult. I bought a disposable water camera before we came and the pics turned out great! Just remember those water shoes!
Whispering Canyon Cafe
It was raining so we used valet with our DDE card. Great time - food was good and the girls had fun. Cant say anything bad about this place, except we never seem to get a table in the middle of the action. I think were table cursed. Chef was accommodating and we got the 20% DDE card discount. After getting stuffed, we headed out to see the end of the Electrical Water Pageant. What can you say? This resort is just beautiful.
Cirque du Soleil
INCREDIBLE, FANTASTIC, AWESOME! Mom treated us, we ordered early using the 25% off DVC discount. We had front row seats on the side of the stage. I was very nervous about taking DD4. I had already mentally prepared myself for the possibility I might have to leave during the show and wait outside with her. HA! She laughed, clapped, danced and every so often would whisper in my ear - Im gonna learn how to do that! Yep, she is my dare devil for sure. Mom and I agreed - this is one of our best experiences at WDW yet. One time the bike performer came skidding over to me - I about had a heart attack! We laughed later, cause they put the spotlight on me and I know I must have looked like a total geek! My heart totally stopped. I totally recommend this. I have seen another Cirque show and this one was definitely more geared toward the entire family. Girls got some funky stick toy that they used during the show for $25 a pop. I didnt mind cause we had such a great time. The store there is EXPENSIVE.
Afterward, the weather was beautiful and we walked around West Side (something I have never done) and really enjoyed ourselves. Got some soft serve and watched DD4 dance around pretending like she was in Cirque. A really great singer was playing outside of House of Blues, too. Fun night. (FYI - You can get a really awesome view of SSR from up the stairs outside of Cirque.)
Typhoon Lagoon
Once again, I only had to buy one child ticket and got the DVC discount. We were doomed - didnt get in much time here before the sky fell out. Course, we were just a few minutes over the time limit for getting a rain check ticket. Go figure. Mom and DD7 had a blast out in the big wave pool while I took DD4 over to some small slides. (I feel sorry for those lifeguards! Those waves are HUGE.) We had a nice time here while it lasted and this time took our soft cooler packed with lunch. Saved some time and money. They closed the park down right as we were handed a raft for the family ride. Oh, well. Back down the stairs we went to grab our things. It was SCARY. This happened to us last time we came here. They announce - Stay away from water, open sidewalks and find immediate shelter. OK Were surrounded by water, walking on open sidewalks with a million other people AND the only shelter I see is a small overhang on a snack stand. Again, go figure. Rain blinding us we managed to make it to the bus.
1900 Park Fare
OK, so the prince is pretty darn charming if I say so myself. (See link to pic below.) And I was surprised to see Cinderella looks EXACTLY like Reese Whiterspoon! (She told me lots of people tell her that, too.) Buffet here was great as always, a little disappointed with the chef. He acted so put out to talk to me and later I saw he had visitors so I guess I was a distraction for him. Oh, well. Last time the chef here insisted on making a fresh plate in the back for DD7. Ill let this time slide cause usually they are TOP NOTCH here. Again, we used valet with our DDE card and got our meal discount. (That card was worth every penny!) Our server went and found us a Sharpie and Cinderella signed DD4s new plush Cinderella doll. DD4 was so proud of that doll!
Afterward, we planned on going to the Poly to watch Wishes in front of the one speaker I have found there that plays Wishes, but the monorail was down. The weather looked questionable so I asked guest services where to watch from there. I never knew about the view from the marina! Dead on view of the castle! Unfortunately, Wishes just isnt the same without the music. Regardless, the GF is so nice. I love the music in the lobby they have in the evenings - such a nice touch.
Chef Mickeys
Our last morning tradition, good as always. Chefs great, food good, characters fun. Last time well probably use this DDE card. I wish this thing didnt expire! We then did some shopping and took the monorail for a spin. We planned on swimming back at SSR, but the weather just wouldnt cooperate.
Offsite adventures
Our first and last nights we stayed at Holiday Inns. The first was in Altamonte Springs. Older resort, but the rooms were very nice. Last night was off International Drive. Boy, I didnt have a clue what that road was like! YIKES! Packed, packed, packed and sooo touristy. YUCK. DD7 was amazed with WetnWild. Guess well be visiting it in the future.
We checked out the Disney outlets in Orlando. Premium Outlets is very close to DTD. It is a fairly nice outlet mall, walkways mostly covered. It was packed, but the Disney outlet is worth going to. It seemed like the place to buy shirts. Most everything was 50% off. Mom bought me a nice GF shirt (So people can think Im rich enough to stay there.) and bought Dad an Animal Kingdom backpack. We picked up a few other things, too.
We also went to Belz Outlet Mall, which I think is changing names to Prime? Anyway, it is further away and much older. Not so great. It has two Disney outlets, but in different buildings. They both had basically the same stuff as Premium Outlets, but were not as crowded. Well probably stick with Premium next time simply cause it is closer.
Overall, we had a nice trip. I even got Mom considering joining DVC. Next stop - Disney Wonder in January. Were surprising the girls at Christmas - our first cruise! And Ive almost completed the DVC circuit. Now when will I squeeze in that HH trip???
Girls snag a prince...
, thank you for sharing. The girls look so beautiful, posing with "Prince Charming" 
I think I need to do that character meal! Your girls look adorable as always. 
