Going to SSR? Bring some track shoes...

[nuttylawprofessor]

OK, this place is too danged big!

We just had an extended weekend at SSR and have a mixed review.

We had a brand new room in the Paddock...
but nobody could take us to our room when we arrived at 10 pm.

We had to schlep ourselves, our little one, and our stuff across creation to get to the room. *boooooo* The maps were hard to decipher and we got nailed by sprinklers while we were trying to get down the paths. *hissss*

There was a towel animal waiting in the room.
We were close to a bus stop.
The buses were nice and efficient.

The folks at community hall were great, thanks Quinn!!!

The fountain was a HUGE hit for our little boy...even when a territorial little girl kept trying to kick him everytime he went near *her* fountain.

So, all in all, I have mixed feelings about this one. It seems like this resort is best suited for families coming in from points nearby with their cars. OH, and can we get a little more shade in there! Goodness gracious, the place feels like more cement than schlEPCOT!

 

[iankh]

Goodness gracious, the place feels like more cement than schlEPCOT!

Thanks for a great and evenhanded review. Question - do you own at SSR or another resort?

 

[KLEONARD]

nuttylawprofessor, I own at SSR but have not stayed yet. Is the quiet pool at Paddocks open? If so, how is it? Did you try the health club or try a spa treatment? Were you able to sample the new Turf Club menu?
Thanks for the report. Sorry you saw so much cement. Maybe when I go next May, the landscaping will have filled in a little more.

 

[dsneygirl]

Thanks for the review. We'll be at SSR in 12 days.

 

[pbharris4]

We stayed in the Paddock in July. While the resort is pretty and nice..I wouldn't stay there again unless we are in either COngress Park or The Springs sections (unless they put something closer to the PAddock. While it's good exercise it's really hot during the summer and we were in a studio so we had to drive or hoof it everywhere. (We don't do the buses with our 2 yo). The pool in the PAddock was open back in July and was nice and quiet we had it to ourselves most early evenings and a weekday or two. DH and I both had massages. We got the swedish massages (DVC discount) and when you get in there they ask you if you want to upgrade to a Aromatherpay for $15 more (do it, it's still cheaper than if you booked the Aromatherpay seperately!) The spa is really nice. I didn't work out, but the gym looked nice. If you are on the heavier side..let them know when you book the appt. and they will have a robe in your locker. One lady (who wasn't chubby) got a robe that was like 5x too small..she was POed and didn't look very comfy and relaxed!

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Answering some questions:

-We own at BWV, but seem to stay EVERYWHERE. SSR is probably low on our priority list unless we can get into the Springs or Congress Park.

-The pool at Pads is open, and it's quiet. The playground was nice and gets a thumbs up from the little one. But like the rest of the resort, there is insufficient shade. It's a roaster.

-We didn't get to the Turf Club, but the food market was nice enough. We had a tasty breakfast on our last morning.

-We didn't get to the gym or spa this trip either, but I don't think you can go terribly wrong there. I think for most gym-goers, the health clubs at DVC are generally more than adequate. I've been disappointed in the spas at WDW so far. I'll give SSR Spa a try in November/December.

-Why do spas always seem to have tiny little robes?!?! Give me a tent people, I don't want to worry about sitting like a lady in a tiny skirt.

-I don't know that there will ever be much shade around this resort. I didn't see any vegetation to grow into shade. It's a bare area. Bring some serious sunblock.

 

[Sammie]

Why would anyone take a robe that is too small, when all you have to do is ask for another one.

As to shade, I would think all new Disney resorts face the same problem. I can certainly remember that being the case at Coronado Springs, etc when they first opened.

I am surprised there was no one to help you get to your room. What did they say when you asked for assistance?

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Big SSR fan Sammie?

As for robes, why make people have to fret about the size of the darn thing? Spa attendants can be ellusive creatures. I'd rather not need to track one down in my tiny robe to get a bigger one. Why not give big poofy robes to everyone in the first place?

Disney tends to strip the land of vegetation, creating cement ovens, in every building project. But like I said, there isn't any vegetation to grow in and provide shade in lots of the areas of SSR. There aren't nearly enough umbrellas available in the pool areas, either.

Reply when I asked how we were supposed to get to our room:
"Well there is an internal bus over there *pointing in a non-descript direction* Or you can ask at bell services, if there is anyone still out there." At bell services: "You'll need to take the internal bus, over there." Still didn't know where "over there" was. After we finally found the bus stop we decided to hoof it.

By the way, we never did see the internal bus, and we were at the bus stops long enough to have seen one. I've heard people say that you should just hop one of the attraction busses to get around, but I don't see how that would've worked. Every bus we were on went from outside to Carousel to Paddock to Congress to community center to outside destination. Had we waited for the bus at the community center when we checked in, I don't see how we would've ever gotten to the Paddock, except via an outside destination.

 

[Mickmse2002]

Haven't stayed at SSR as of yet but we did take a walk through there and promptly got "lost" looking around. It's not like we were really lost but trying to find DTD was a chore, and a long walk.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Haven't stayed at SSR as of yet but we did take a walk through there and promptly got "lost" looking around. It's not like we were really lost but trying to find DTD was a chore, and a long walk.

Our experience in January '05 was the exact opposite. We stayed in Congress Park and followed the well marked path that led to DTD. We were there in 5 minutes -- and that was with our pokey little puppy, aka DD5. The return trip with ice cream from Ghirardelli's was much slower - one needs to stop to enjoy the ice cream every few steps.

FWIW, she didn't find the walk from the farthest most Congress Park building to the main pool to be too onerous and enjoyed the return trip as we walked along the pathways to our "winter home."