Why is SSR a "love it" or "hate it" DVC

[LIFERBABE]

If buying resale, how much sense does SSR really make. Wouldn't you be better of buying at a smaller DVC to better utilize the 11 month window? I understand that THV are at SSR, but if you just want a room, the 11th month window doesn't really help as much as say other DVC locations.

Most of them expire in 2042. SSR expires in 2052 or 54. SSR has lower maintenace also.

So you are paying more or equal for less years with the smaller resorts. BLT and AKV are the exceptions. You can throw OKW in there too but most resales there are the old expiration.

If you are going to use the 11 month window, then buy where you want to stay or dont mind ending up.

I wouldnt purchase VB or HHI for WDW due to maintenance fees and availabilitly at the the smaller resorts.

 

[figmentfan0724]

Before we bought at SSR, I was told how horrible it was and how the decor was horrible. We went on our first trip there and I absoutly loved it, we have also taken friends who had never been to disney or a part of DVC and they loved it as well. I can honestly say that I would love to be able to walk to a park, but when we stayed at BCV I had a horrible expierence with rudness and I honestly have no desire to go back. I do want to explore some of the other DVC's like VWL BWV AKV, but the one I have no interest in is BLT, its not worth the points. But that is my two cents

 

[eporter66]

We own at SSR and love it. Everyone has different tastes. so I usually just chalk it up to that. I believe SSR has a ton of those who enjoy it. Here are the things I like :

1. I am a golfer, and obviously it is a great location with LBV on site.
2. It is usually quiet. After a day in the park, it has a relaxing theme
3. I love Horse Racing, live in Saratoga NY, and I think the theming is great. 4. DTD - If I want some excitement in the evening, it is a easy walk over.
5. Beautiful grounds, a very classy feel.

We plan on trying all the DVC resorts. We have stayed at OKW to save points when we get a 2 Bedroom to bring extra family with us. I like OKW, but prefer SSR. We have also stayed at BWV's, and being so close to EPCOT was great. We loved the Boardwalk at night, and hope to stay there again. Our next vacation is booked for AKV's Kidani Village. We really wanted to try this resort.

I can see where people might find SSR to spread out, especially if they like a Hotel style resort. SSR would not fit for them. I love to walk, I mean all we do at WDW is walk, so it does not bother me.

We also rent a car when we go, so if the buses are slow, I could see that being an issue. Everyone says SSR is so far from the parks, but with a Rental car everything is so close, no resort is too far.

Just a few thoughts, I actually miss SSR. I want to go back soon!

 

[spiceycat]

most people who visit wdw do it for the parks. Since neither SSR or OKW is near any of the parks - that is against them.

OKW has the bigger villa - so that helps it. SSR has the same size as BCV or BWV - who are in a much better location.

stayed at and love OKW for years. but people change.

now want BLT.

SSR is not the only one in the hate it or love it - all the DVC resorts are in this same judgemental attitude.

just look around more disers lately have been attacking BLT. Now if I am not interested in the resort generally don't compliment on it. but the haters of BLT and SSR feel it is their DUTY to tell the world.

really silly. don't let these nuts (and yea anybody who goes out of their way to say how much they hated something is definitely a nut) bother or get to you.

don't know why some people feel they can only be happy when making others unhappy and sad.

you just have to understand it is them not you.

if you love SSR and are happy you brought - that is the only opinion that matters.

all the dvc resorts went thru this - really expect it to stop with SSR when AKV and blt were opened.

if it makes you feel better go see what some of these nuts say about BLT.

People who can only say something negative - are negative themselves. they were not brought up with if you can't something nice - it is better to say nothing.

feel sorry for them.

one of my friend was trying to tell me why AKV is better than BLT - sorry - that is her opinion not mind. If she loves AKV that much - then she should buy it.

in the end it is how you feel that matters. You brought it and are paying for it.

 

[Golden Rose]

After reading about so many of the negatives here on the boards, we expected to hate it when we stayed there on developer points. We didn't hate it. I didn't love it, either, although I think some people in our group did.

My mom and her DH loved it because they were doing a no parks trip and they went to DTD and/or played golf every day. Both of them would stay there gladly again. DH and I liked it just fine. We're going back next month, since we booked a last minute vacation and it was what was available without our having to move during the trip.

We have a 4 year old. We do do the parks most, if not all, days of our vacation. We prefer to be closer to at least one park. (Of course, DS's favorite park is AK, and I think he would go there every day if he could, so in some ways, resort location hardly matters even for us.)

I think it comes down to how much do you care about convenience to a park, do you have a strong preference between condo style and hotel style, and do you prefer more subtle or over the top theming. If you feel very strongly about being near a park, vacationing hotel style, and extremely themed, you won't like SSR and may even hate it.

 

[Mississippian]

I'll tell you the reason SSR is resented by many DVC members.

SSR offers essentially the same features as OKW:
pretty resort
dreadful location
poor transportation because of so many internal stops
no signature dining

OKW offers one thing SSR doesn't: The largest DVC rooms available at cheap prices. On the other hand, the Unofficial Guide to WDW says SSR has the smallest units to be found at any DVC resort (excluding AKV "value" rooms).

A one-bedroom at SSR has 714 square feet and costs 25 points for a weeknight during dream season. The same unit at OKW costs 20 points for 942 square feet. So one point gets you 28.5 square feet at SSR or 47 square feet at OKW.

If a guest at OKW or SSR wants to eat at EPCOT -- which is a highlight of most people's trips -- then they are going to have to wait 15 minutes for a bus, visit every resort bus stop for 20 minutes, and then ride 10 minutes to EPCOT. When they get off the bus they will be roughly the same distance from the restaurants as the BWV guests are when they walk out the front door. The park travel situation isn't quite so bad, but transportation for SSR and OKW takes longer. Bottom line is that SSR and OKW guests spend about 2 hours or more a day just getting around than do guests at BWV, BCV or BLT, and about 1 hour more a day than guests at VWL or AKV.

OKW guests get to spend this extra time sitting around calculating all the money (points are money) they are saving by staying at a less convenient resort. SSR guests aren't saving much at all, especially when calculated on a square-foot basis, so all they can do is sit and sit and sit while other resort guests are enjoying themselves at the parks.

SSR is huge, with 800 units. I am aware that many owners prefer a resort with high point fees, tiny rooms, poor transportation, poor dining and a lousy location. I respect their opinion. But many SSR owners want to stay at other resorts, which naturally means that some people who can't always book at the 11-month window end up with the choice of either being stuck at SSR or not going.

If SSR were 200 units or even 400 units I would find it less objectionable, so long as it had a point chart that was slightly cheaper than OKW. But as it stands Disney really devalued the system with SSR. I strongly suspect they have a huge unsold inventory, and I hope they never sell it.

 

[LIFERBABE]

...........don't know why some people feel they can only be happy when making others unhappy and sad.

you just have to understand it is them not you.

if you love SSR and are happy you brought - that is the only opinion that matters.

..........in the end it is how you feel that matters. You brought it and are paying for it.

Nice post spicey!Totally agree. Our family loves SSR and that is all that matters to us. We found something to love in 6 out of the 7 onsite DVC resorts, enough to purchase them.

 

[habg1]

I'm so glad I stumbled across this thread! DSis and I are going on a quick 4 night trip starting the 18th of April. I have 100 points from 2007 I must use/lose. Guess where was open? Yup, you guessed it! SSR. This will be my first trip "home."

I've been on the fence about staying there. I hear bad things and good things.

We're flying in and taking DME for the 1st time as well. So...no car. I requested close to lobby or a DTD view.

Some of you have made me feel better about staying there, while some have not.

I'm debating about trying to get a cancellation and staying else where. I'm gonna have 22 pts that are going to be lost if I stay at SSR.

If anyone has an opinion on what to do - switch if I can/stay at SSR - please say so!

 

[SaratogaShan]

I'll tell you the reason SSR is resented by many DVC members.

SSR offers essentially the same features as OKW:
pretty resort
dreadful location
poor transportation because of so many internal stops
no signature dining

.

How are multiple stops within a resort any worse than a bus stopping at multiple resorts? BWV, BCV, and the swan/dolphin often share buses. I would think that this type of route would take much longer than internal stops?

 

[sgtdisney]

I think many of the resorts are 'love it' or 'hate it', it's just some of the 'lovers' (or haters as it may be) are not as vocal.

We own at OKW and I love it for many of the reasons that people list as 'hates.' Love the spread out feel of the resort. Love the tropical theming that feels away from it all. Love the quiet lush surroundings and lack of multiple restaurants, don't need them. Love being farther from the parks, don't care if I can walk to one park, no matter where you are, you will have to bus/drive/walk/boat to the other 3. love, Love, LOVE the larger rooms. I want to spread out when I am on vacation. I would also NEVER consider vacationing without a car, so we rarely take the bus, except when we go to the MK.

For these very reasons I have never stayed at BWV or BCV, nor have I ever really had any desire to. I am sure they are lovely resorts, just not my cup of tea. The thought of sitting out on a balcony to have a quiet cup of coffee while hundreds or thousands of people wander about beneath you, and all the related noise, is not for me. Probably would like to stay at VWL or AKL at some point, as I like the theming, but when I compare the points to OKW and then think about the size of the room, I hesitate every time. BLT looks interesting, if only to have a view of the MK at some point, it would be nice once. However after looking at those points for a MK view, I doubt I ever will do it.

We stayed at SSR last year and I liked (not loved) the resort. The theming was fine with me but I missed the tropics (and the palm trees) that you find at OKW. To me, as a midwesterner, Florida is Palm trees and tropical decor. The biggest thing I missed at SSR was the ability to park in front of the room and the size of the Living room/kitchen/dining area. Never staying anywhere other than OKW over the years, it was a bit of of shock seeing the size of the kitchen and LR. Those were a negatives, to me, compared to OKW. I will probably go there again, but not for a while. I found myself longing for OKW when I was there, in fact we drove over there to eat lunch one day, and another day just to 'visit.'

That is why it is nice that DVC has so many options now. It seems that there is something for just about any taste (and pocketbook)

 

[Mississippian]

How are multiple stops within a resort any worse than a bus stopping at multiple resorts? BWV, BCV, and the swan/dolphin often share buses. I would think that this type of route would take much longer than internal stops?

Some of these resorts have express buses in the mornings, and it is easy to catch a cab to the Poly from the Boardwalk, grab a coffee and take the monorail into the park. On the return trip from the Magic Kingdom most people take the monorail and enjoy EPCOT on the way to their resort.

The key is that most people will want to visit EPCOT or DHS at least once every day they visit the parks. EPCOT restaurants have zero transportaion time for BWV or BCV when compared to a dropoff at the front gate. DHS is easy to visit. For SSR or OKW guests, these visits are a time-consuming ordeal.

 

[CMOORE185]

If buying resale, how much sense does SSR really make. Wouldn't you be better of buying at a smaller DVC to better utilize the 11 month window? I understand that THV are at SSR, but if you just want a room, the 11th month window doesn't really help as much as say other DVC locations.

I bought it because it was by far the best deal and I have never had a problem booking outside SSR at 7 month window.

 

[Tara]

I neither hate nor love SSR. It's never really appealed to me, but I just stayed there last Sunday night using a few developer points. I was impressed with the prettiness of the resort and the quiet feel. The location leaves something to be desired for me, though, and I'd trade some of the quiet for being next to a park. (Which is why I bought BLT!) That said, the two things I don't like are:

Parking: I'd rather valet park and walk inside to my room than look for a parking place around a building then walk outside corridors.
Quick service: Very small selection and few registers - I can't imagine what it's like during a mealtime rush as I was there in the late morning and early afternoon only. I also don't like this about BCV, but location and pool far compensate

Those are the two things that have a noticeable impact on my stay and I expect will have a bigger impact when I'm there next month with my husband and son. If it weren't for the developer points, I wouldn't be staying there, but I'm happy to have the points and it isn't like SSR is a hardship, either.

 

[SaratogaShan]

The key is that most people will want to visit EPCOT or DHS at least once every day they visit the parks. EPCOT restaurants have zero transportaion time for BWV or BCV when compared to a dropoff at the front gate. DHS is easy to visit. For SSR or OKW guests, these visits are a time-consuming ordeal.

Maybe I am odd, but I certainly don't want to visit Epcot or DHS every day. There are two other parks, downtown disney and waterparks that command our attention.

Also, I don't travel from park to park to eat. I plan my meals at the "park of the day" or our resort or downtown disney if it is a "no park" day. Don't assume that everyone has YOUR vacation style. For many folks, being able to "walk" to Epcot has absolutely no meaning whatsoever.

Just like for me, with two small children, I love being able to park near my room and have my vehicle handy. This may hold no appeal for other folks.....I realized long ago that everyone has a different vacation "style". What is important to one....not so much for another.

 

[kikiq]

If anyone has an opinion on what to do - switch if I can/stay at SSR - please say so!

Why not stay at SSR? Yes there are people who "love to hate" SSR and take any opportunity to let anyone know, BUT in the end, there are people who LOVE the resort, like OUR FAMILY. And what are we...chopped liver...for loving our home resort. AND we bought SSR even after visiting all the other DVC resorts.

We love the condo style of SSR. It reminds us of the condos in Colorado during the summer/winter and good times. The grounds are beautiful to walk, run or bicycle. Very peaceful in the mornings walking around lake or along the river. Love to sit on the "small" balcony Love to walk to DTD. Love to eat at the Turf Club. And because we are no longer park commandos, we enjoy the community hall activities, the bike rental, the spa, and hopefully in the near future the golf course. We really didn't think the bus transportation was an issue again because we aren't park commandos.

My take on the love/hate is...it is what YOU make of it. To tell you the truth, we're trying BWV this summer and my DH is having SSR withdrawals already. While he loves Epcot and DHS, he's not sure about giving up his SSR...that's how much he loves SSR.

 

[littlestar]

One big improvement we liked with BCV and SSR was the placement of the lock-off doors up near the entrance of the unit. It really makes a difference on noise level if you have noisy neighbors.

Probably a lot of you guys weren't on the Dis boards when Richams used to post - but he had the funniest post ever about BWV (Richams loved OKW) Here's his post from 2003:

"If convenience and luxury are what you are after, BWV will not dissappoint!

Not only can you see the TV from the hot tub, you can actually reach into the kitchen and re-fill your coffee from the hot tub!

You can reach in and grab a beer from the fridge while you are out on the balcony!!!

Some people call those units tiny, I think Disney had luxury and convenience in mind.

In the new spirit of humor being disparraged, I guess I need to add a discmaimer.

Disclaimer: You can't actually reach into the fridge from the balcony or reach into the kitchen from the hot tub. While I do believe the units are tiny and really unusable, I was using exageration as a tool for humor. I apologize in advance for any feelings I may have hurt."
__________________
"Trust me, your criticisms have fallen on deaf, stone deaf, boulder deaf ears".
-Rich Hyams

 

[Chuck S]

I think it was also Rich that said "There are those who believe OKW is the only true DVC Resort."

Why in the world would anyone enjoy walking a mile, or more, from BWV through EPCOT to the monorail to get to the MK or MK Resorts? And like another poster said, I do not park hop for a meal. I don't over plan, but I do have a ADR in whatever park we decide we'll probably visit on a given day. We do not go to EPCOT or DHS from another park just to eat.

 

[tjkraz]

don't know why some people feel they can only be happy when making others unhappy and sad.

you just have to understand it is them not you.

That's pretty much my own observation as well.

I haven't been around long enough to see what happened with other resorts. But my own observation is that people just seem to get more of a charge out of bashing SSR than others. There are certainly people who don't like VWL, BCV, and so on. But for the most part those people seem content keeping those opinions to themselves...or at least limiting the discussion to when it's topical (e.g. "which is better, BCV or BWV?")

By comparison, there are some who seem downright gleeful whenever given the opportunity to recap their disdain for SSR.

There are many thousands of owners who love their SSR Home. And anyone who suggests that DVC was somehow wrong for pursuing the location/design/theme is just speaking from a personal preference which is NOT mirrored by the DVC membership as a whole.

As an owner and a DVC member, the only real criticism I will levy is that DVC shouldn't have built the last 1/3 of the resort. It's a little bigger than it should have been.

Aside from that...different strokes, people, different strokes! Don't like it? Book your home before the 7 month window and you'll never have to worry about SSR!

 

[mickeysmate65]

As you can see I am more of a lurker than poster but found this thread interesting. I often wonder the same thing as the OP. The SSR-haters are definitely vocal about their opinions. I am glad to see the SSR-lovers post their opinions. Not sure about anyone else but I definitely notice a difference in posting "tone" between the two groups. We love SSR for all of the reasons posted but I'll give my thoughts anyway.

Resort Size - I love that the resort is open & spread out with beautiful walking paths and grounds. I go to Florida to enjoy the outside and nature not just the Parks. Definitely don't feel like we are on top of anyone else. We don't walk from one side of the resort to the other so that isn't an issue.

Buses/Location - While the resort isn't close to any one park that is fine b/c the distance really isn't all that bad. All of the resorts have parks that they are further away from. I like being able to get away from the hustle and bustle as vacation is for relaxing. The buses have been fine on our stay. We've stayed at BW & BC and actually found the buses at those resorts to be more cumbersome. We rarely had an issue with the buses at WL but have heard others with complaint.

Dining - I find the choices at Artist Pallete to be much better than Roaring Forks. The cash register area could be bigger but again much better than RF. We love Turf Club and the lounge area. Being close to DTD is always a plus from a food standpoint - not that different than the Epcot concept described by an earlier poster.

Rooms/Decor -Very relaxing. So many people like AKL decor but personally not for me. Prefer the lighter decor. The room size has been fine for us. Anything is better than a standard hotel room. I was really leary about the "outside" corridors - very much an interior gal! Because of the way the corridors are set up I haven't even noticed they aren't true interiors.

Amenities - Love the spa! Eventually the golfing will be used as well. Quiet pools are a plus. Bike riding and activities are also a plus. We've been to Disney so many times that we like to do things outside of the Parks as well. The resort is "grown-up" but not definitely family friendly.

Hope this helps.

 

[sgtdisney]

Yes, I was actually thinking about Richyams when I was writing my post about loving the size of the OKW units. Rich was quite a guy. One can only imagine what pearls of wisdom he would have had to say about SSR or BLT. He was great.

I am another one who does not visit Epcot every day, we don't even plan our meals in advance very often and go where the breeze takes us. Years ago, when we first joined and got the free passes, and when all tickets included park hopping, we may have done that once or twice. Now, that tickets for a week for 4 cost as much as they do (and even more to park hop), we don't do that anymore. Plus, if we want to go to Epcot for an evening, we can take a nice little drive in our air conditioned and usually quiet (unless the kids are acting up) car, over to the Beach Club, park there, and walk right in. Shhhh....