Doug7856
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2003
- Messages
- 2,027
Cast: Myself
DW
DS (age 2 until December 17th then 3)
MIL
This was our second DVC trip but our first home at SSR. Previously we stayed three nights in a studio at OKW. This time we got a wonderful 1 BR at SSR. Having read about room assignments and people getting poor room locations without requested items (such as non-smoking) we decided that I would fly down in the morning with all of our luggage, check in, unpack, get groceries and then go back to the airport to pick up my DW, DS and MIL.
We requested a non-smoking room for medical reasons (son has asthma conditions), non-handicapped, and Downtown Disney view. I was told at check-in that because of our non-smoking/medical request a room had been pre-assigned and that all of our requests had been met; however, the room wasnt ready not a problem for me at all. I ate lunch and got our groceries. The room was ready at about 3:45 pm. I headed over to the airport for the rest of the family at 6:30 pm and we had the rest of the evening to enjoy the resort.
The room was perfect!! We were in room 1425 in the 4th building to open (furthest from the Carriage House). It was in great condition and we just loved the spacious rooms. The view was one of the best Ive ever had at a resort! We faced Fultons Crab House with a great view of Downtown Disney Marketplace and Pleasure Island. At night the view was spectacular! We enjoyed sitting on the balcony and just enjoying the evenings!
Our bed was very comfortable and MIL said the pull out sofa was comfortable as well. We loved just about everything about the room. We had trash and towel service on Saturday. I meant to change it to Friday, but in the excitement of checking in I forgot! They also replenished our soaps and laundry detergents. We loved not having to worry about daily maid service. We never thought we would say that, but it is true!
The walk to Downtown Disney was pleasant and the evening walking the grounds was very enjoyable. DS loved the small play area and wanted to visit it every day! He also liked the frog fountains at the leisure pool.
The weather was a bit cool but we got a pool day in on Thursday. My son loved the little slide. Very few people used the pools during our stay due to the cooler temperatures. The Donald Duck splash area is still walled off. It appears that they have re-poured the cement and will be re-installing the fixtures (just an observation no real knowledge).
Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party was wonderful as always! Our little secret is out though! When we first started attending MVMCP, you could walk onto the rides, but this time the park was crowded from my perspective. It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all! A new feature for us was the Character Hop. A DJ played music and provided wonderful atmosphere. Characters were out dancing with children all night (till midnight!). My son loved it and we got some great video of him dancing with Pluto and Pinocchio! This is a not to be missed event if you have young children and attend MVMCP!
We spent Friday at Epcot with priority seating at the Rose and Crown and the 6:45 Processional. Dinner was ok, service was awful. Our priority seating was at 4:30. Our drink order was not taken until after 5 pm! After we finished eating we had another 30 minute wait for our dessert order. It was very difficult for our 2 year old waiting all this time. I reminded the waitress that we had 6:45 Processional seating, but dessert still took forever. So I asked for the dessert in a take away box. We arrived with five minutes to spare and not so good seats. I think that having the Processional first and dinner after is the best way to go! The Processional was amazing and Kirk Franklin was a fantastic narrator.
Saturday was a very busy day at the Magic Kingdom due to the filming of the Christmas Day special. We saw lots of MVMC Parade floats throughout the day as we passed through the park. It was great seeing the characters and even some celebrities. I would never want to be a part of the filming due to the slow progress, but the park was decked out in its best! The day was cool and well below the forecasted temperatures. We left about 2 pm for nap time! That evening DW and I went to Disney MGM Studios for date night while our son stayed with Grandma in the room. They had a good time and so did we. We enjoyed the Osborne Lights and a few rides. A nice evening to end our trip!
We ended our stay with a little shopping at Downtown Disney and a flight home on Sunday.
Our only negative experiences seemed to be with eating. In addition to our poor service at the Rose and Crown, I had a poor experience at Artists Pallet. I had lunch on the first day at Artists Pallet. The service was very poor. It was not very busy, but there were four people behind the counter with personal conversations that were more important than my order. It just left a bad impression. When I asked for the member perk discount that is listed on the members web pages I was told that the discount was not available in high season. (I just checked and the web site still lists the discount. Ive sent an email to member services suggesting that they update the web pages.) While waiting in line, the people in front of me had purchased some breakable items. So I waited for the packaging while my hot food was getting cold. Mixing merchandise and food may not be a great idea. I decided that that would be my last meal at Artists Pallet.
I overhead a DVC salesperson tell a prospective buyer that a full service restaurant is planned for next year. Dont know how accurate the information is, but I guess they do get that question often.
I hope to have some pictures to post on Tuesday or Wednesday. Ill update the pictures here. If you have any questions, Ill be glad to answer them if I can. Overall we loved our stay at SSR and look forward to many more vacations there!
DW
DS (age 2 until December 17th then 3)
MIL
This was our second DVC trip but our first home at SSR. Previously we stayed three nights in a studio at OKW. This time we got a wonderful 1 BR at SSR. Having read about room assignments and people getting poor room locations without requested items (such as non-smoking) we decided that I would fly down in the morning with all of our luggage, check in, unpack, get groceries and then go back to the airport to pick up my DW, DS and MIL.
We requested a non-smoking room for medical reasons (son has asthma conditions), non-handicapped, and Downtown Disney view. I was told at check-in that because of our non-smoking/medical request a room had been pre-assigned and that all of our requests had been met; however, the room wasnt ready not a problem for me at all. I ate lunch and got our groceries. The room was ready at about 3:45 pm. I headed over to the airport for the rest of the family at 6:30 pm and we had the rest of the evening to enjoy the resort.
The room was perfect!! We were in room 1425 in the 4th building to open (furthest from the Carriage House). It was in great condition and we just loved the spacious rooms. The view was one of the best Ive ever had at a resort! We faced Fultons Crab House with a great view of Downtown Disney Marketplace and Pleasure Island. At night the view was spectacular! We enjoyed sitting on the balcony and just enjoying the evenings!
Our bed was very comfortable and MIL said the pull out sofa was comfortable as well. We loved just about everything about the room. We had trash and towel service on Saturday. I meant to change it to Friday, but in the excitement of checking in I forgot! They also replenished our soaps and laundry detergents. We loved not having to worry about daily maid service. We never thought we would say that, but it is true!
The walk to Downtown Disney was pleasant and the evening walking the grounds was very enjoyable. DS loved the small play area and wanted to visit it every day! He also liked the frog fountains at the leisure pool.
The weather was a bit cool but we got a pool day in on Thursday. My son loved the little slide. Very few people used the pools during our stay due to the cooler temperatures. The Donald Duck splash area is still walled off. It appears that they have re-poured the cement and will be re-installing the fixtures (just an observation no real knowledge).
Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party was wonderful as always! Our little secret is out though! When we first started attending MVMCP, you could walk onto the rides, but this time the park was crowded from my perspective. It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all! A new feature for us was the Character Hop. A DJ played music and provided wonderful atmosphere. Characters were out dancing with children all night (till midnight!). My son loved it and we got some great video of him dancing with Pluto and Pinocchio! This is a not to be missed event if you have young children and attend MVMCP!
We spent Friday at Epcot with priority seating at the Rose and Crown and the 6:45 Processional. Dinner was ok, service was awful. Our priority seating was at 4:30. Our drink order was not taken until after 5 pm! After we finished eating we had another 30 minute wait for our dessert order. It was very difficult for our 2 year old waiting all this time. I reminded the waitress that we had 6:45 Processional seating, but dessert still took forever. So I asked for the dessert in a take away box. We arrived with five minutes to spare and not so good seats. I think that having the Processional first and dinner after is the best way to go! The Processional was amazing and Kirk Franklin was a fantastic narrator.
Saturday was a very busy day at the Magic Kingdom due to the filming of the Christmas Day special. We saw lots of MVMC Parade floats throughout the day as we passed through the park. It was great seeing the characters and even some celebrities. I would never want to be a part of the filming due to the slow progress, but the park was decked out in its best! The day was cool and well below the forecasted temperatures. We left about 2 pm for nap time! That evening DW and I went to Disney MGM Studios for date night while our son stayed with Grandma in the room. They had a good time and so did we. We enjoyed the Osborne Lights and a few rides. A nice evening to end our trip!
We ended our stay with a little shopping at Downtown Disney and a flight home on Sunday.
Our only negative experiences seemed to be with eating. In addition to our poor service at the Rose and Crown, I had a poor experience at Artists Pallet. I had lunch on the first day at Artists Pallet. The service was very poor. It was not very busy, but there were four people behind the counter with personal conversations that were more important than my order. It just left a bad impression. When I asked for the member perk discount that is listed on the members web pages I was told that the discount was not available in high season. (I just checked and the web site still lists the discount. Ive sent an email to member services suggesting that they update the web pages.) While waiting in line, the people in front of me had purchased some breakable items. So I waited for the packaging while my hot food was getting cold. Mixing merchandise and food may not be a great idea. I decided that that would be my last meal at Artists Pallet.
I overhead a DVC salesperson tell a prospective buyer that a full service restaurant is planned for next year. Dont know how accurate the information is, but I guess they do get that question often.
I hope to have some pictures to post on Tuesday or Wednesday. Ill update the pictures here. If you have any questions, Ill be glad to answer them if I can. Overall we loved our stay at SSR and look forward to many more vacations there!
