Who owns at SSR and why?

[Ms. WDW]

DH and I are thinking of a second ownership. Currently we own at the Boardwalk.

With the promo still going on, we were considering SSR. All I know of the resort is that it's across from DTD.

For those of you who own there and have stayed there (I believe it's still under construction) would you mind sharing your experiences with me? I do realize that not all the buildings are ready and that while still being buildt, some things just may not be up to speed. But how about transportation to and from the parks. Noise from DTD. Condition and layout of rooms. And overall service in general. Oh and the Spa. I'd love to hear about that.

So any information you can provide will be appreciated.

Thanks....

 

[MrShiny]

When I first heard about SSR, I wasn't thrilled. I didn't think of that area as especially a good location. I was happy to see it was completely new (not a redo of the Disney Institute). What really pushed us over was seeing the model of the interior. We found it very well appointed and perhaps some of the best looking DVC furniture.

When we bought, I was thinking maybe we just usually try to switch out at 7 months, but when we stayed there, we were very impressed. It has a very relaxed, yet classy feel, and although you feel away from everything, it still has a metroploitan quality. You can still see DTD, so you can get your Disney bearings, but it's like you're in a very nice suburb.

The grounds are really nice and will only get nicer as the trees grow. We had a great time, and are happy it is our home resort.

 

[NE14DisneyWorld?]

We bought SSr in April this year and absolutely love it. Our main reason for selecting SSR was the additional 12 years. While we do not expect to be around to enjoy the additional years, our children certainly can have a good time. So far we have stayed in both a studio and a 1 bedroom unit. both had great layouts. The one bedroom had a beautiful view of DTD.

Transportation to and from the parks has never been a real problem for us. We use the buses and I cannot remember ever waiting very long and there was always room by the time they arrived at our stop.

I cannot recall ever hearing noise from DTD, even with the unit that faced that area. We especially enjoy walking from SSR to DTD. It is a comfortable walk from Congress Park that takes about five minutes.

Overall the service at this resort is very good. I have not tried the spa, but plan to on our next trip.

Good luck with your decision. We are thrilled with ours.

 

[Ms. WDW]

Good Morning MrShiny and thanks for your quick reply!

You mentioned furniture....do they have the new pull out couches in the living rooms? I heard the newer ones are like futons and very comfortable.

How about the transportation to and from the parks? Somewhere I thought I heard that it wasn't very good. Not that that would matter too much. Our son is older now and his trips to WDW are far and few between. He's at that age where "family vacations" aren't fun unless he has a "pal" with him. And since my "commando" days are a thing of the past, a restfull vacation is probably just what I need.

Well again, thanks for your input. I'm curious as to what others have to say! Have a good day....

 

[aDVCguy]

Saratoga Springs I feel will become more of a community in
the end as opposed to the other Disney properties. This is
what is going to make SSR unique! SSR has a relaxed feel
to it as I 1st stayed there back in April of 2005. Disney seems
to have approached this resort from a different angle.

Give SSR a layed back feeling... as the buildings encompass you
with pastel colors, green lawns, fountains etc.
From what I understand so far, there will be horse drawn carriage
rides and a possible riding stable to give you that Upstate NY feeling.
Given time the foliage will become an intoxicating atmosphere of
relaxation and warmth.

On the flip side should you opt for a day filled with excitement...
DTD(Down Town Disney) is literally a stones throw away!
_____________________________________________





My wife and I made a good choice in purchasing there.
SSR has alot of future potential coming our way.

Go for it!

 

[Ms. WDW]

NE14DisneyWorld? - Thank you too for this quick reply!! You answered some of my questions I just asked MrShiny.

I think the more I hear about SSR the more I'm liking it. We just may have to take a quick trip to WDW to check it out!!! Any excuse is a good one for me!!!

 

[Ms. WDW]

aDVCguy - Thank you for your reply! I never expected this many in such a short time. I think that's it. I'm sold. DH will follow my lead as he tells everyone "when it comes to WDW I never question my wife's judgement or knowledge".

I'm the WDW fanatic in the family. Needless to say when he suggested an additional interest I almost flipped!! We own now over at the Boardwalk and I think SSR would be just lovely!

Have a great day and again; thanks!

 

[Ali and boyz]

as our sons got older (16 and 20) they loved (as I do for the shopping) going to DTD. we have prevousley always stayed off-site on a villa and found ourselves sometimes to far away to come back out at night and that is what we really missed. we love to wander at night, go for a nice walk. etc. to work of the HUGE portions at dinner time

our guide also told us that the new restaurant is opening before we go back out in July although that wouldn't have stopped us buying as DTD is right on the doorstep for restaurants. I thought the decoration both inside and out was truly lovely and the grand villa was to die for although we will never have enough points for that but one can dream

also typhon lagoon, Boardwalk etc are a stones throw away

good luck with your decision

 

[Ms. WDW]

Ali - thanks so much for your reply. My son is 16 and unfortunately unless he has one of his "pals" with him, he has no interest in WDW anymore. Shopping just isn't his thing but he did like the Virgin store when we were there last trip.

I know there are tons of places to eat at DTD, but what about a the resort? I see from these posts that a full service restaurant is in the making. What about now. Are there any places to eat at the resort proper?

Thanks again....

 

[Ali and boyz]

Ali - thanks so much for your reply. My son is 16 and unfortunately unless he has one of his "pals" with him, he has no interest in WDW anymore. Shopping just isn't his thing but he did like the Virgin store when we were there last trip.

I know there are tons of places to eat at DTD, but what about a the resort? I see from these posts that a full service restaurant is in the making. What about now. Are there any places to eat at the resort proper?

Thanks again....

Hi, at the moment there is The Artist's Palette and they are adding the full sit down restaurant but remember that The crossroads is a stone throw away . Would he being 16 not like disney quest. we have never been but might try it this year.

 

[LeCras]

I agree with Ali and boyz, I think DisneyQuest could be a hit with your son. It's basically a whole building full of video games - and once you've paid to get in it's free to play! There are all sorts of games, ranging from oldies like space invaders and pac-man to the newer type of interconnected racing games where you can race others... Oh, and everything in between - not forgetting the pinball machines!

DH and I are big fans and go every time.

Charlotte

 

[Ali and boyz]

I agree with Ali and boyz, I think DisneyQuest could be a hit with your son. It's basically a whole building full of video games - and once you've paid to get in it's free to play! There are all sorts of games, ranging from oldies like space invaders and pac-man to the newer type of interconnected racing games where you can race others... Oh, and everything in between - not forgetting the pinball machines!

DH and I are big fans and go every time.

Charlotte

LeCras we are def. going to try disney quest this year but tell me do you queue to do everything or how does it work.

 

[AOPI57]

Ms. WDW,

We also own at BW and Vero Beach. We wanted to do an add -on at HHI but changed our minds and added on at SSR last week. The incentive was a big factor. MY DH also likes to golf and liked the fact that the pro shop was there. We love to walk around DTD at night. MY children are also older-DS20, DS17,DD14 and liked the proximity to DTD. I just booked SSR for April and can't wait to stay there. We will eventually add-on at HHI but felt now was the right time to add-on at SSR. Good luck with your decision!

 

[La2kw]

DH and I are thinking of a second ownership. Currently we own at the Boardwalk.

With the promo still going on, we were considering SSR. All I know of the resort is that it's across from DTD.

For those of you who own there and have stayed there (I believe it's still under construction) would you mind sharing your experiences with me? I do realize that not all the buildings are ready and that while still being buildt, some things just may not be up to speed. But how about transportation to and from the parks. Noise from DTD. Condition and layout of rooms. And overall service in general. Oh and the Spa. I'd love to hear about that.

So any information you can provide will be appreciated.

Thanks....

I had no desire to ever stay at SSR and couldn't understand why anyone would ever want to purchase there. I toured it shortly after it opened and was not impressed. Then, last summer we were forced to stay there since it was the only resort available on short notice. We were disappointed we didn't get into OKW, but decided to go ahead with the trip anyway. We were quite surprised at how much we ended up loving this resort. We have never added on before, we have been members with OKW as our home resort for years and never thought we would want to buy anywhere else (though we have stayed at every DVC resort at least once). After a few days at the resort, we decided we were going to add points there. Along came the 15% off deal and we bought 120 points right away- our first ever add-on!

We love OKW because of the community feel of it. It's more residential and less hotel. We go to WDW for 2 weeks every summer and don't want to spend 2 weeks in a hotel atmosphere. SSR has a similar community feel to it. It feels larger, so instead of a neighborhood, it feels like a village. We love walking to DD and using all the resort buses to resort hop. We love DQ and having a Ghiradelli ice cream sundae whenever we feel like it. Artist Palette is a great little fast food restaurant with an upscale environment and food that's a notch above the typical food court. The cm's are some of the nicest we've ever encountered. I love having the Buena Vista Golf Course on site. We had no problems with buses over the 16 nights we spent there last summer. There were a few long waits, but we've hard worse waits elsewhere. They were rarely crowded. We love the decor of the rooms and feel it's nicer than any of the other DVC resorts, with the exception of OKW.

 

[vascubaguy]

In addition to the extra years and the promotions they offer on SSR, I also liked the look of the resort. I haven't stayed there yet, but we were in awe when we were at DTD and looking across the water at SSR. We were like, "Wow, I wanna live THERE!"

Another thing I liked about SSR is that the points required to stay there a little higher than OKW and BWV (std view), but cheaper than BWV (pref views), BCV, and VWL.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Linda, we've got the same mix you're proposing - we own at BW and at SSR, and stayed at SSR for the first time Dec. 29 - Jan. 2.

Love 'em both. They are different, and that's the charm, methinks.

Everyone's likes and dislikes are totally subjective, of course, but what appeals to me about SSR are the nicely appointed rooms (I don't think "elegant" is too hyperbolic) and the proximity to DD. SSR comes across as a hybrid of OKW (the condo-ish feel) and the other resorts. I really like the Congress Park view of DD. Now, there still is plenty of construction going on, and the immaturity of the landscaping still makes things feel like you're in a cow pasture. Give it time. I think it'll age gracefully. I'd love to see some horses about, like AKL does with their livestock. It would warm things up; maybe the carriage rides will add to the ambience. The Springs area has a nice community feel, sorta like a small town. Works for me. DW and DD adored the Spa ... the way they raved, I'm not sure what the heck went on back there. (Maybe I don't wanna know. Is it a cult?)

And a sit-down restaurant will help, too. Folks just need to remember that this is a work in progress.

But DW and DD love BW, and DS thinks VWL is the only place to stay, so, heck, I'm just glad we aren't locked into one place, variety being the spice of life and all that.

 

[LeCras]

LeCras we are def. going to try disney quest this year but tell me do you queue to do everything or how does it work.

Basically there are rooms full of games and you just wait until the one you want becomes available. The only arcade game there is an actual queue for is the linked racing game, I think it's Sega. There are about 10 games in a row, all linked so you can race other people. Very popular!

We usually just wander around and play any game that's free at that moment. We're into pretty much all sorts of games - we're not picky!

You should definitely go, it's a great laugh! We're taking my family this year, and I can't wait to see the look on my little brother's face (age 11) when he sees the games...

Charlotte

 

[greenban]

I bought 3 add-ons at SSR directly from Disney because of great incentives offered at the time (Free annual passes, Banked Points, Lower Cost, and Bonus Developer Points). While we have yet to stay there, we enjoyed out tour, and like the amenities. (Back in the days of the giant corregated metal building, is that still there?).

I also like the extra 12 years or so. I also hope the CRV materializes for the same ownership timeframe.

-Tony

 

[cobbler]

We bought at SSR for a couple of reasons.
1 - The 12 extra years. I am in my late 20's and hubby in his early 30's so this is pretty big to us.
2 - I decided that when we were ready to buy I would buy into the newest resort. I didn't want an older resort.
3 - Location to DTD. As the kids get older they may not be into the parks as much as they would be for shopping and such.
4 - Price That always helps.
5 - Decor, its right up my alley. Very elegant, quiet sophistication.

So those are our reason.

Bus service, on our trip our bus service was good. I think only one day it was a longer wait but not bad. Right now I think it is hit or miss with service there.

Haven't tried the spa yet but I plan on it next time we go home.

Our room was wonderful and the staff was very helpful. We didn't know that the pots and pans were under the stove in the drawer. So we called to get some and they were very prompt and helped us locate them.

ETA:
DTD noise, never heard it. We stayed while they were still doing the fireworks everynight at PI and we never heard them.

 

[Ali and boyz]

do they still do the fireworks at night