What would increase the popularity of SSR

[BroganMc]

Shouldn't this thread more accurently be titled "what can we do to keep those SSR owners staying at their resort instead of ours?"

I don't require anything to improve the popularity of SSR for me. If I did, I wouldn't have booked my next 3 vacations there.

Ok no, there's one thing... they could give each building a luggage cart or two. Honestly, if you're going to park your car right outside the building it would be helpful not to take 5-6 trips lugging your bags in or out. I dread the nightmare BWV/BCV/VWL or even AKV has in store for me.

Yes I know there's Bell Services, but I am a packer of bunches of little things and paying someone to drive over to my building and cart my bags 30 feet to my car seems excessive.

 

[BCV2002]

I heard rumors from a reliable source that there were talks of building a monorail to SSR. I'm all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, and with that addition, I'd stay there in a heartbeat!

 

[Starr W.]

Shouldn't this thread more accurently be titled "what can we do to keep those SSR owners staying at their resort instead of ours?"

I don't require anything to improve the popularity of SSR for me. If I did, I wouldn't have booked my next 3 vacations there.

Ok no, there's one thing... they could give each building a luggage cart or two. Honestly, if you're going to park your car right outside the building it would be helpful not to take 5-6 trips lugging your bags in or out. I dread the nightmare BWV/BCV/VWL or even AKV has in store for me.

Yes I know there's Bell Services, but I am a packer of bunches of little things and paying someone to drive over to my building and cart my bags 30 feet to my car seems excessive.

Like the new title suggestion .

A luggage cart or 2 would be a great idea, though I can see some people hoarding them in their rooms(2br) it they wanted to make sure they got one for an early morning departure.

 

[Dean]

I heard rumors from a reliable source that there were talks of building a monorail to SSR. I'm all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, and with that addition, I'd stay there in a heartbeat!

I'm sure what you heard is there is an easement for a monorail. There's never been any serious talk of actually adding one from my understanding. Don't hold your breath.

 

[corinnak]

I heard rumors from a reliable source that there were talks of building a monorail to SSR. I'm all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, and with that addition, I'd stay there in a heartbeat!

My guide mentioned this at one point- apparently they could do it, but it would be so prohibitively expensive (economies of scale and all) that it is not likely to ever happen. Or so he said!

 

[mamatojon]

Honestly, I hope it never increases in popularity. I love the resort as is and I love that I am likely to get a room there whenever I want with rare exception. I couldn't care less how many other people like it, so if fewer people are demanding rooms there that just means more choice for me. The only suggestions I could think of would be to maybe put in soda dispensers at the quiet pools for refillable mugs, and to increase selection at Artist's Palette. Actually, universally Disney needs to increase selection at the counter service places. Not everyone wants gourmet sandwiches, not everyone wants burgers, not everyone wants plain deli sandwiches, and most people don't want to eat the same two or three things for 10 days in a row.

 

[UConnJack]

I heard rumors from a reliable source that there were talks of building a monorail to SSR. I'm all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, and with that addition, I'd stay there in a heartbeat!

Disney Monorail Resorts: GF, Poly, CR, and SSR !?!?!?



If they are really considering that, and I doubt VERY much they are, they must think SSR is in some serious need of help.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

A dinner show, kids club, character buffet meal (with Jockey Micky, I guess?), an ice cream parlor, a return of DTD fireworks (maybe just once or twice a week would even do it!), a PROPER SSR mug (not Fall 2006! or Epcot!), and now the big one:
Improvements to the queueing area at Artist's Palette - I am not even harping on the separate cash registers for food and gift shop - I just want some line guidance there! OK - good check-out lines aren't really a draw, are they? But it would be nice, wouldn't it?

I absolutely love your ideas corinna. SSR would be the perfect place to vacation for my family if they were all incorporated. We love the place anyway though and that includes its size. No matter how crowded it is it never really seems it. Our family loves spending time at Downtown Disney and we also enjoy beautiful grounds and views. This has it all for us so we're happy with it.

 

[keys2kingdom]

They already have the horse drawn carriage rides.

These have been discontinued, they are now sending people over to POR/FQ for carriage rides.

 

[JWG]

My guide mentioned this at one point- apparently they could do it, but it would be so prohibitively expensive (economies of scale and all) that it is not likely to ever happen. Or so he said!

I agree, will never happen. Wrong thread for this discussion, but Disney needs to expand its monorail or mass transit system. In the '70's and '80's Disney was pioneering, now they've fallen behind the times. There's nothing futuristic about EPCOT, future world or anything else. Unique has left the grounds. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney and have no complaints about my trips, I just feel the parks are no longer on the edge of innovation.

 

[MickeyMcMouse]

There's something happening at the theatre. There was a lot of work going on when we were there a couple of weeks ago.

A more direct bridge over to downtown would help as well.

David

 

[BroganMc]

Like the new title suggestion .

Yes, but then for me those resorts not to be named have already made themselves pretty unappealing already. No zero entry pools, overcrowded common areas shared with hotel guests, and parking in the hinterlands. Those notices on my last trip sure made SSR strikingly more appealing to me. (Plus with my Disney Visa card, a trip over to WoD at DTD is worth waiting to buy anything in a park or hotel. Only there do I get my 10% discount.)

A luggage cart or 2 would be a great idea, though I can see some people hoarding them in their rooms(2br) it they wanted to make sure they got one for an early morning departure.

There's a solution to this. My beach condo complex adds an extra floor to the luggage carts over the summer months. All covered in the resort hall carpeting and just wide enough that it can't be wheeled inside an apartment door (but can fit in the elevator). It has ended the practice of hording forever.

The only trouble you find at resorts with the same check-out times/days, is that carts are in use early. When I hopped from my Marriott to SSR last December, we ended up with no carts. Not bad for SSR since we were on the ground floor by the elevators, but at my marriott we were on the 4th floor at the end of the hall. We were schlepping back and forth so many times I was wiped.

 

[BroganMc]

Isn't the theater supposed to be showing Disney movies? I'm envision family movie night where they serve free popcorn and drinks (even the refillable kind). They can swap out 3-4 movies at a time, perhaps some direct-to-DVD movies that tie-in with the new releases. Like show Return to Neverland the same week Peter Pan gets released.

 

[Starr W.]

Yes, but then for me those resorts not to be named have already made themselves pretty unappealing already. No zero entry pools, overcrowded common areas shared with hotel guests, and parking in the hinterlands. Those notices on my last trip sure made SSR strikingly more appealing to me. (Plus with my Disney Visa card, a trip over to WoD at DTD is worth waiting to buy anything in a park or hotel. Only there do I get my 10% discount.)



There's a solution to this. My beach condo complex adds an extra floor to the luggage carts over the summer months. All covered in the resort hall carpeting and just wide enough that it can't be wheeled inside an apartment door (but can fit in the elevator). It has ended the practice of hording forever.

The only trouble you find at resorts with the same check-out times/days, is that carts are in use early. When I hopped from my Marriott to SSR last December, we ended up with no carts. Not bad for SSR since we were on the ground floor by the elevators, but at my marriott we were on the 4th floor at the end of the hall. We were schlepping back and forth so many times I was wiped.

We're going to try VWL this May, DH has the same feeling as you having to share with hotel guests. We saw the massive lines at the bus stops for Bc/YC/BCV and VWL/WL at Thanksgiving. Hopefully won't be too bad in early May or I'll never hear the end or wanting to try another resort.

The hoarding thing came from my last college dorm(high rise) and it was like finding a pot of gold to get a luggage cart any mass movement time.

 

[BroganMc]

We're going to try VWL this May,

You evil SSR owner! Don't you know you're supposed to stay in your pen? Now some VWL family will have to sleep on some cold sidewalk instead.

DH has the same feeling as you having to share with hotel guests. We saw the massive lines at the bus stops for Bc/YC/BCV and VWL/WL at Thanksgiving. Hopefully won't be too bad in early May or I'll never hear the end or wanting to try another resort.

I confes I've always taken my car to Disney except for one trip. Then I had flown down and stayed at the All Star Sports. Talk about your early morning cattle calls.

All in all, I think I'd worry less about the transportation systems being clogged and more about the crowds in the pool, lobby and dining areas. WL does seem more laid back, but BCV/BWV are madhouses. SAB always seems packed to me and the Boardwalk lobbies are so loud. We really got turned off the notion of staying there this last trip. Mind you, we visit both for meals and will take a ferry or stroll over to the International Gateway. I'm well versed in its convenience to Epcot.

The hoarding thing came from my last college dorm(high rise) and it was like finding a pot of gold to get a luggage cart any mass movement time.

The joys of high-rise life. Well SSR can still over you Bell Services as an option if the horders come out in force. But usually I've found people to be cooperative.

 

[tomandrobin]

These have been discontinued, they are now sending people over to POR/FQ for carriage rides.

Well, that is disappointing news to read!

 

[tomandrobin]

There's something happening at the theatre. There was a lot of work going on when we were there a couple of weeks ago.

A more direct bridge over to downtown would help as well.

David

They are adding another model in the theater, probably to help in sales of AKV.

A more direct bridge would not be a good idea, since foot traffic could and would flow both ways.

 

[chevyAZ]

Oh also I wish there would be Disney Shows in the theater that is being used as something else right now. Maybe similar to shows from the cruise ship that could be shorter or scaled down depending on they woud like to offer ticketing.

I heard a rumor that the theatre was going to be used as a luggage processing center.

 

[Sammie]

The theater is going to be used for the model rooms for AKV and probably any future DVC.

I would love an onsite minature golf with a race track theme and its own marina with boat rentals.

 

[Mtnman44]

Unless someone knows something about what the occupancy rates are for all the DVC resorts, how do we know there is a proportional lack of demand for SSR. It is the largest so it is the one most likely to have the most rooms available any given night, but after all is said and done what is the occupancy rate for SSR vs. the other resorts.

I would speculate that is long as the rate trends roughly the same as the other properties, I don't think Disney will feel the need to invest more than what is already done or planned.

Although the only Disney Properties I have stayed at are Wilderness Lodge and all star movies, I have to say that I believe my favorites will be OKW and SSR. This is for the reason of a more remote feel and the ability to get away from the action a little each day and recharge. We also want to stay in the Epcot area for a few days each trip so we will do an add-on at BWV but will likely try all the resorts as often as we can.

Everyone has their own favorite features and priorities and all the resorts have different pluses and minuses. I really think it is a stretch to infer that one resort clearly the best or the worst.