SSR after 3 Years

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

So DD12 and I just returned from 8 days at SSR, and I am more happy then ever to call it home.

Resort
This is our first visit in June, and I was amazed at how lush everything was. The crepe myrtles are starting to bloom and the trees - wow - like children they do grow fast. We enjoyed the changes to the AP ordering system, much less chaotic. What we did NOT enjoy was the change to the boat system. As late as 2009 you could take any boat to go home. Now the only boat home is from PI , heaven, help you if you are in Marketplace - it can take upwards of 50 minutes if you are not aware.
Room
We were in 2334 in Congress Park. It had been reconditioned, and I have to say I love the colors. The greens, golds, and blues are so happy. The softgoods on the chair and couch were also quite nice. The only thing I wish the room had was one of those tuck in hassocks so you could put your feet up. The rest of the room was in good shape - only some discoloring on the refrigerator door handles from cleaning.
Dininig
We traveled without plans this trip and did rather well. We were able to do a walk up at Rose and Crown Saturday @ 3; a walk up @ Yak and Yeti @ 3( with an outside table (inside table)to watch the parade come off of Discovery Island) on Tuesday; and a walk up @ Liberty Tavern @ 3 on Thursday with a view of the parade from our table. Hmmm - I'm sensing a trend here. Two nights we were able to do walk up at Ragland Road, and one night we had reservations for Kona. All and all - very good luck - which allowed us to dine the way we like with our TIW card.
As a note - while the food was generally good, the similarities of wings, ribs for appetizers; steak and chicken for entrees was readily apparent at WDW venues. The sauces and glazes were changed to protect the vendors.
Parks
We found the parks quite manageable. We did not get to ride some of the BIG rides because FPs were gone or the wait was excessive (Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain) but we did get to ride Star Tours 3x in a row Sunday and Friday with minimal wait. I also introduced DD to the Carousel of Progress, PeopleMover, while we did our traditional PoC, Haunted Mansion, Figment, etc. On the whole crowds were moderate and parks in good shape.
Overall
We loved being home. While we were there we opened an Owners Locker account and received our locker Thursday. We put all of our WDW things in it as well as our leftovers. As usual we used We Go Shop, and Amy and her team were aces. They got what we asked for plus a bit more with Publix BOGO deals. We did 2 nights of poolside movies - which reminded me of drive ins and my younger days. The one (up)side to the trip is DD and I had a hard time sharing a BR, and she missed having her own room/bed. I sense a points add on in our future to allow for those things plus our travel time (durations) that we like.
One last note - to mark our first mother/DD trip, I booked the fireworks cruise for Magic Kingdom. It was $275 plus taxes for the 2 of us but it was quite fun. We picked the boat up @ the Poly after dinner at Kona and had Capt Kate from Shippensberg Univ, who was quite knowledgeable and good with kids. The cruise gets 2 thumbs up.
Well that's about it - now to planning the next trip to leverage the APs we bought on this trip.
Any questions, fire away.

 

[wdrl]

Thanks for posting your trip report. We are excited about staying at SSR for the first time at the end of next month.

When we were at WDW last June and October, we noticed that the boats for both SSR and OKW were operating from the Pleasure Island Pier. We rode the boats a couple of times and were lucky because we walked right on and the boats left right away. Since you were staying in Congress Park, could you have walked back to your villa faster than taking the boat from the Pleasure Island Pier?

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

We would of had we known/observed the new route but we were tired and planning to go to AP to pick up packages that we had sent to the resorts from the parks. So our problem for assuming it was the way it always was but I still think it's dumb.

 

[dixiegirl76]

Great report! we've been dvc members since 06 @ SSR and love it! We're constantly amazed @ how much its grown in with trees and such since we took our tour..Its also nice to hear a positive review on it..To us its always been a hidden gem,not to many people want to try it because its not a "disney in your face!" resort! lol ! We like the fact that it is more resort feel to it,which is great @ the end of the day or when you just need a break from the parks! once again great review!


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[DizBub]

We never thought we would want to stay at SSR. Boy, were we wrong. We love, love, LOVE SSR, especially Congress Park. SSR seems to get a bad rap for various reasons but we have found quite the opposite on most counts.

Same for OKW. It just goes to show that you must try them all and preconceived notions can be wrong. Glad you enjoyed your stay!!

 

[Jacksonev1]

We are staying here for the first time in September and are pretty excited! Thanks for your review!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

I stayed at SSR for the first time last month and absolutely fell in love with it as well. I can't wait to go back!

 

[Disney_Mama]

Sounds like a fun trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mlittig]

So glad your trip was so magical

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Thank you for your report.
Can you please go into the changes to AP ordering system?
I really want to hear about those. They really needed to change that system, and I hope it is much better.

 

[Ansky]

I too would like to hear about changes to the AP ordering system. It was fine when nobody was in there, but when it was busy it was sort of a nightmare trying to get anything in there. It was our one big problem with staying at SSR.

 

[LBarLRanch]

We have been SSR members since 2006 and it is our favorite resort. It is so relaxing.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

So to order food, you now enter to the right and go to the grill area at the back in the center of the cook area. You place your order and receive the receipt and number. You can then go to the roped off register to pay or pick up additional items and then go pay. Is it perfect, no but it has some order, which was missing previously.

Hope this helps. Any other questions, please ask.

 

[SnowWhite2]

Our family loves SSR and it is our home resort. Even when we stay at other DVC properties, we need to either take the boat from DD or drive over to "visit" since we miss it so much.

We love other DVC resorts but there is something about SSR that is so relaxing that it is our favorite place.

We also find that the main complaint about SSR, the large spread out villas, is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. We have stayed in all of the areas and none have been more than a 10 minute walk to the Carriage house. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to map out the quickest way, but the distance is manageable. (excluding the tree houses)

Glad you had a good stay.

 

[supersuperwendy]

Nice TR! I think the lushness is one of the best parts of SSR. We were also recently in Congress Park and I just love it. So many people say it's not "disney" enough but I disagree. If you ask my kids where they want to stay on the next trip they all say Saratoga!

 

[Ms. WDW]

Thank you for that wonderful report! You and I just missed eachother at SSR. I was there 6/20 - 6/29 along with all that rain! LOL...it didn't matter; it was "Disney Rain".

SSR is a favorite for us and we also own there. I'm going back in October and if it weren't for the F&W Festival going on I'd be staying at SSR instead of the Boardwalk. I own at both and find they both have totally different things to offer.

I also use WeGoShop and absolutely adore Amy and Kathy!! I have all the confidence in the world that my order will be correct. And yes; we love those BOGO offers! Hahaha...

I loved the new arrangement at AP where someone brings your order to your table! When the woman first handed me the sign with the number on it I guess the look on my face indicated to her that I had no idea what to do so she said with a lovely smile "just put this on your table and we do the rest". I felt like such a dope!!

Well thanks again; reading trip reports helps make the time pass until I'm back in "my happy place".

 

[AnnaS]

Thank you for sharing your great trip with us.

My dd, her friend and I leave in less than two weeks and are staying at SSR for the first time. Looking forward to it!