What would increase the popularity of SSR

[jemiaule]

That is really the ticket. It does not need dinner shows or new restaurants, it needs a bridge. It is way to far of a walk. take 5-7 minutes off the walk and the place will be golden.

Serriously though, the place is beautiful. The color theme, pool community hall, location to DTD is great. I was really worried about that place but now I think it is a great place.

Even a second boat launch at the other end of the resort would be a nice addition. Expecially for those with small children that are beyond stroller age but still too little to do that walk and not be pooped out by the time they reach DTD.

Improving the register line in the food court/gift shop would be nice. When we were there they had only one register open and the line of people paying got long and a bit tangled with those try to order food.

A small counter service place to get snacks, drinks and ice cream by a quiet pool like they have at Turtle Shack at OKW

Better bell service for those who do not travel by car or use ME. (In our experience bell service was really understaffed when we were there - could have just been the week we were there)

Some kind of family evening entertainment or show for those of use who do not like DTD. Somethng like the campfire program they have at Fort Wilderness.

Golf cart rental like at Fort Wilderness. If you are far from the main pool that is quite a hike!

 

[mello]

!

If we are wishing wishes, it would be nice to have a clearer, maybe even scenic route laid out for getting to the boat dock from anywhere but CP - we always found ourselves cutting accross parking lots. Talk about Themus Interruptus!

I'm totally with you on that one. Themus Interruptus indeed

But seriously that parking lot back there is some PRIME real estate. I envision a lovely park there with a huge gazebo in it for bandstand concerts, and a giant chess board, and a pretty fence around the tennis courts, maybe a little ice cream stand and lots of benches to take in the gorgeous view from there... a real gathering spot, that just exudes welcome when you get off the boat.

 

[cobbler]

I just love some anti-SSR threads. They make me happy. It is a terrible resort, no one should stay there, and because of this I will be guaranteed a home in Congress Park everytime.

Ok, but seriously I do with they would have more SSR specific merchandise.

 

[cobbler]

PS, when were the carriage rides discontinued??

I called last minute to get one when I was at the BW the week of the 21st (of January) and they were booked solid the entire week I was there.

 

[CherCrazy]

I totally agree about the SSR merchandise. I would love to have more themed items to bring home with me. And I love some of the ideas mentioned on this post! You are all true DVC imagineers.

I love, love, love SSR. We had a wonderful view from our balcony last trip. We were overlooking the lakes, the fountains and the bridge across the lake to the community center area. It was so peaceful. There were 6 swans a swimming. One morning I got up early and watched a hot air balloon race off in the distance. It was just incredible.

 

[Dean]

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.

As with any resort it has roughly the same number of owners per unit and point available as any other resort. So more units and more members would mean exactly the same availability at any given time. And given it's new with new owners wanting to try it, likely would have less availability at this point as we've seen with VWL and BCV the first few years of their existence. It's routinely available when nothing else on property is, this cannot be explained by size alone. Too bad FL law changed a number of years ago so they no longer have to report occupancy.

 

[Dean]

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

Wasn't there a pretty reliable rumor early on that this would be part of the resort?

 

[Beca]

Since SSR is supposed to be about HORSES, I think it would be a darn good idea if they actually put some there! That doesn't mean they need to be giving the kiddies free rides on them or anything, but to have them there to actually carry out the theme.

I realize that it takes time for trees to grow, but I really think more flowers and tall growing greenery would help.

I've heard that they are building another themed pool, I hope that it is as large as their main pool with another waterslide because it NEEDS it.



This is coming from a 300 point SSR owner. My husband and I are seriously considering selling our 2 contracts, but have been waiting to see if they propose any more improvements.

I TOTALLY agree with you (except, I would WANT "the kiddies" to be able to ride them, since my dd would LOVE to do that), but I have to say I am surprised (and saddened) to hear this from you....I remember how excited you were to purchase there. For your sake, I hope they make some changes that make you really happy.

 

[greenban]

Let me just say, that I'm not dim. I recognize a consistent SSR "basher" pretty easily. However, I felt compelled to respond to this post because I truly feel that there is room for improvement. I really can't see where anyone would argue with me on that. I think if every owner considered their resort they could think of at least one thing they would like to add or take away.

In this case, I feel that SSR needs something really great and I'm holding out for a little while longer to see if it comes along. Isn't there anyone here who would actually like to see them incorperate REAL horses?

Aren't real horses featured on the menu at the new sit down, Track & Turf?

-Tony

ETA: I just finished reading the entire thread. What this love fest needs is some original viewpoints. Where are B3 and Daitcher when you *REALLY* need them?

-Tony

 

[Slakk]

Aren't real horses featured on the menu at the new sit down, Track & Turf?

-Tony

ETA: I just finished reading the entire thread. What this love fest needs is some original viewpoints. Where are B3 and Daitcher when you *REALLY* need them?

-Tony

Shipped right from the Saratoga race track...

 

[tomandrobin]

I have never been to Saratoga NY. I did a search on Saratoga and came away with....Spa, horse racing, Springs, lake and artists. Seems that they have already touched all those bases.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Let me just say, that I'm not dim. I recognize a consistent SSR "basher" pretty easily. However, I felt compelled to respond to this post because I truly feel that there is room for improvement. I really can't see where anyone would argue with me on that. I think if every owner considered their resort they could think of at least one thing they would like to add or take away.

In this case, I feel that SSR needs something really great and I'm holding out for a little while longer to see if it comes along. Isn't there anyone here who would actually like to see them incorperate REAL horses?

I hope you're not calling me an SSR basher. Do a search on my posts and you will see I have defended SSR and the owners. However based on comments in other posts (I have never been there myself), I agree with you that "there is room for improvement" and therefore I posted this thread. I hope it is constructive and that if there are any good ideas DVC will be reading them.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I hope you're not calling me an SSR basher. Do a search on my posts and you will see I have defended SSR and the owners. However based on comments in other posts (I have never been there myself), I agree with you that "there is room for improvement" and therefore I posted this thread. I hope it is constructive and that if there are any good ideas DVC will be reading them.

I think Sajetto was saying just the opposite. I too have seen many bashing threads and this was not one of them, (although it has brought out some of the heavy hitters ) that is why I chose to respond also. If the title was changed to BCV, BWV, OKW, or VWL, I would have suggestions for those too. They are small and fill up quicker, but that doesnt mean there is not room for improvement at any of them. I can book most of them at 11 months, but we choose SSR, because it has the most to offer our family and we really enjoy the resort. I still think they need soft serve!

 

[dwelty]

A community hall should have been an obvious.

I don't understand this response, since my kids and I spent almost a whole day in December in the Community Hall at SSR. They have a very large community hall, with craft projects, video games, toys, a foosball machine, and a large screen TV.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I don't understand this response, since my kids and I spent almost a whole day in December in the Community Hall at SSR. They have a very large community hall, with craft projects, video games, toys, a foosball machine, and a large screen TV.

Yes, SSR has a great Community Hall the best imho. I didnt understand that comment either, but some have never been there and just go by what is posted on the boards.
Also the reason SSR is consistantly available is because it is not finished yet. Bldgs are not booked until completed. If they booked and then had construction delays and members ended up at the ASMO or POP, it wouldnt be pretty. I dont think any real occupancy rates can be analyzed, until the resort is completed and all units are available to book at the 11 month window.
I do rather enjoy the open availability. I have yet to book at 11 months and not change something so having the flexibility is great.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

The comments about the community hall confused me too. I found it just by walking around.

Move the DVC offices to AKL asap and then have live theatre. It doesn't have to be the same show week to week and it would be great if it changed all the time. Maybe a family show in there by default that occasionally is replaced by Broadway Touring companies or by smaller renowned theatre companies that are invited by Disney to perform (for free or a free vacation) through out the year. For people who are doing original theatre it'd be a huge opportunity to showcase their work.

Put in a Trolley car style shuttle bus that goes in a reverse pattern to the regular busses with a stop at the back entrance to the Turf Club and a stop as near as possible to the DTD path in the Congress Park area. Right now the boat dock isn't close to anybody except maybe the Grandstand area. It's so far from the bus loop that when I was there (pre-Grandstand) no one used the boat. It'd also help with getting snacks from AP on a rainy day. I picked a trolley because its smaller than the usual Disney busses & therefore more agile. Every other spread out resort could use smaller internal busses as well.

A snack/pool bar closer to a road would be great. Artist Point is really inconveniently located if you are getting food for your room.

 

[crisi]

I don't think a draw can compensate for the size. If the "popular" BCV with its SAB were 1,000 rooms, it would be "out of balance" as well. Increasing demand would help the situation, but I don't think you can create a situation where the resorts all "sell out" at an equal pace and calling at five months out gives you a choice at any resort. Creating that sort of balance would be incredibly tricky. But the combination of draw and size makes SSR a really problematic resort if you are talking about "balance." And balance is only important for people who want to be able to book what they want when they want - who think they should have all available choices five or six (or four) months out. If you book your home nine months out and are content, the size and draw of SSR is meaningless - and that's true if your home is BCV or if its SSR.

And SSR isn't the only culprit, the small supply of BWV Standard View rooms is similarly unbalancing in the other direction.

With DVCs rules (i.e. they can't do points adjustments) the easy way of controlling demand (by controlling cost) is closed to them. So they have to live with what they've got or try to add enough value - and adding value adds expense to a built and sold resort - which doesn't add much value for The Disney Corporation. They seem to have decided this is OK in my mind by having four (!) different room types at VAK - without any real world idea of how well conceirge rooms will go over with DVC members or what they will be worth to us (will the be very overbooked? - like two queens at BCV - will they be "why would I pay the extra points?" and be available at six months?).

 

[JodyTG]

In my experience (not great I will admit ) I have found that more people like the "idea" of horses than the actual fact of having one. Horses are beautiful creatures, yes, but they also take a lot of upkeep which includes a lot of time and money. Anyone who's ever owned a horse can tell you how expensive they can be. I'm not talking about the purchase price either. From food (expensive stupid oats), to grooming, to housing, to veterinarian on retainer...the bills just pile up.

The "smell" that someone mentioned on here earlier is only there due to lack of proper care for the animal. If you keep the horse clean and healthy (and keep those hoof IMMACULATE for goodness sake) the "bad" odor is miniscule (much less than dogs or cats). Also, any good horse owner has something like a "pooper scooper" and cleans up the "mess" when in public areas.

So, even though I love horses (and miss having my own), I wouldn't agree with having horses at SSR. I never let inexperienced riders on my horse since bad hands could ruin good training. Most trailride horses are just sad and it would be a shame to mar the idea of Saratoga Springs, NY at our own SSR by having those poor horses at our resort.

Well, this is a bit longer than I intended, but... .

 

[KathyRN137]

We own at SSR and stayed there for our first DVC vacation in December of '05. Even though it was partially under construction, I felt it was a beautiful resort. We had a gorgeous view of DD from Congress Park and an easy walk to DD as well.

That said, we used our points at OKW last year and hope to stay at either BCV or BWV this November.

What really attracted me to DVC was the ability to stay at different resorts during different times of the year, etc., etc.

Once we've tried them all, we will probably start over again with SSR! By then, it should be completely finished.

I do hope that they utilize the theater for some type of live evening show. WDW does them so well! During the day, they could run older Disney cartoons/movies for a (free) rainy day activity , or just for guests who enjoy a midday break from the parks.

My (then) 9yr old daughter did ask us why there were no horse races there! Not so sure WDW would go for that!!

The one and only criticism that I had for SSR when we were there was the bus transportation. Obviously, the SSR buses are used as a convenient way for resort guests to travel from the parks directly to DD and it adds to the crowding. I also personally witnessed many non-resort guests who parked at DD and utilized the SSR bus to get to and from the parks. I would like to see this addressed. I cannot presume, however, to offer any solution and so I will just offer it up to a higher power and move on!

I'm glad that SSR has a unique theme and atmosphere; why would we want all our DVC resorts to be the same? I'm looking forward to staying there again someday.

Kathy

 

[Beca]

I don't think a draw can compensate for the size. If the "popular" BCV with its SAB were 1,000 rooms, it would be "out of balance" as well. Increasing demand would help the situation, but I don't think you can create a situation where the resorts all "sell out" at an equal pace and calling at five months out gives you a choice at any resort. Creating that sort of balance would be incredibly tricky. But the combination of draw and size makes SSR a really problematic resort if you are talking about "balance." And balance is only important for people who want to be able to book what they want when they want - who think they should have all available choices five or six (or four) months out. If you book your home nine months out and are content, the size and draw of SSR is meaningless - and that's true if your home is BCV or if its SSR.

And SSR isn't the only culprit, the small supply of BWV Standard View rooms is similarly unbalancing in the other direction.

With DVCs rules (i.e. they can't do points adjustments) the easy way of controlling demand (by controlling cost) is closed to them. So they have to live with what they've got or try to add enough value - and adding value adds expense to a built and sold resort - which doesn't add much value for The Disney Corporation. They seem to have decided this is OK in my mind by having four (!) different room types at VAK - without any real world idea of how well conceirge rooms will go over with DVC members or what they will be worth to us (will the be very overbooked? - like two queens at BCV - will they be "why would I pay the extra points?" and be available at six months?).

I agree with everything you have stated. I really wish DVC would've built similarly-sized resorts....but, I guess it is a little late for that.

I also agree that the view rooms at AKV are going to FUN, but a bit of a nightmare. Tony's point charts show the concierge rooms to be, IMO, pretty darn cheap (when compared to rack rates of the concierge rooms). I would LOVE to stay in those rooms (how many of them are there again?? FIVE??!!!), but I realize that will probably be an "owner's perk", and I wouldn't want to stay there every trip....just maybe once or twice. However, if I owned points at AKV, it might be something I opted for (especially in low point times, like early December). I do think DVC is underestimating the "demand" for this type of room.

While I also realize that SV rooms at BWV are somewhat of a pain to administer, I have to admit that I LOVE the idea of "paying for certain views". I have one favorite view at BCV, and I would never mind paying to guarantee that view. I think this will be even more important at AKV than it is at BWV. Personally, I think views actually "increase" owners' satisfaction at a resort. I was reading one poster, who posted that the "Carousel" section at SSR should be cheaper in points. I don't know anything about the carousel section (I guess it is close to a road, and doesn't have great views)? But, I have to say, ITA!! Not giving differentiated views and points charts for SSR was, IMO, a mistake. Being next to the pool, or having a DTD view is definitely something that many people would pay for. And, I think it would be disappointing to "hope" that you would get that view, only to get placed in a building that is far from DTD.

After DVC "promised" that BWV would the last DVC built with "view" options and pricing....I am SOOO happy to see that they are building another one. The views option is one of the reasons we would consider adding-on at AKV....and, the concierge (even if it is a SMALL number of rooms).

I think it is also cool that this is the first time DVC has existed inside the main structure of a deluxe resort...that is awesome, too.

Ironically, the theming is NOT my tastes at all, but the opportunity to see animals is a big draw for our family right now. I do think AKV will end up being a BIG draw for DVC, and I give them great kudos for snagging this resort!!!