Trip Report Trip Report: Just back from a week at SSR

Great Trip, Kids loved it, however a few observations:
Resort: I am an RCI Member and was treated as such. Since I traded RCI points for DVC points, it seems there is an agreement to lesson the privileges of RCI members. So, I did not get regular made service, it was going to cost me extra for Towels, Linens, etc. I was very annoyed since I am a premium member of RCI.
The resort itself was just OK. The food choices, gift shop were substantially smaller then that of the moderate resorts. That was very disappointing.
Generally speaking, the resort was clean and the staff was nice.

Transportation: The buses were mostly a positive experience save for two trips. One was a before part hours trip to the Poly. The SSR cast members misinformed us on several fronts on what the proper procedure was for getting to the Polynesian Resort. We were told 3 different things. One was there was a bus with a character's name on it that would show up at the bus stations and we could tell them where we wanted to go and he/she would take us there directly. The second was that we could get a regular bus to the Magic Kingdom and then we could take a Monorail to the Poly. The third was that we could get regular bus to the TTC and we could take the Monorail to the Poly. Well we managed to get a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then when we got there the monorail was down for maintenance. A cast member said take a boat, but there weren't any boats at the dock, nor were there any coming. We found a Poly bus dropping off people, so the guy let us jump on board and he took us over there.
The second issue was a Magic Kingdom bus was 40 minutes late picking up at SSR. I was concerned that I was going to miss HDDR, but we actually gave ourselves 2.5 hours because it was a bus and boat ride.

Parks: Mostly a great experience here. The parks are not kept as clean as I remember, Lots of stuff on the ground in the parks, some stuff floating in some waterways etc. Sort of disappointing. There were many rides with broken down parts. For example, IASW seemed like there were several dolls either missing or not working. The sun didn't spin, the doll rolling on the wire wasn't even on the wire. Generally speaking, the parks were great, but not nearly as clean or working as well I expected. That expectation was set in 1981 and 1983.

Magical Express: No complaints, all worked perfectly!

Restaurants: No complaints, food was great everywhere we ate albeit with far fewer selections in some places.

General comments would be that the cost cutting measures of recent years has become very obvious!

 

[montyz81]

I know, that's what I was thinking "poor kids" and the lessons they are (not) being taught, but I am not referring to my kids. And no, not voting for Hillary.

You say poor kids about your own kids? You know you are the parent, you can do something about that.

 

[DfromATX]

You say poor kids about your own kids? You know you are the parent, you can do something about that.

Wow, you were "johnny on the spot" in replying. LOL

 

[xdan0920]

We use hand cloths to wash our bodies

This is horrifying.

How is reusing towels disgusting? Am I missing something?

He can't reuse towels because he is wiping his disgusting with them.

And no one is really downing how you clean that's a personal decision,

I am. He is using towels that other guests have to use to clean his . That is DISGUSTING.

 

[ScoutN]

Totally agree! Another perk I like about SSR I forgot to mention is being able to park right at your building and having your car right there.

. Big time.

@CaptainAmerica said the theme isn't the most robust but I have to disagree. The theme captured the Balston Spa/Saratoga theme wonderfully. The whole resort from the buildings, pools, and landscaping probably some of the best and most vibrant on property. It certainly golds more theme to us than BLT which is beyond a bland and sterile environment. IMO it pulls a better elegance feel than VGF.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

. Big time.

@CaptainAmerica said the theme isn't the most robust but I have to disagree. The theme captured the Balston Spa/Saratoga theme wonderfully. The whole resort from the buildings, pools, and landscaping probably some of the best and most vibrant on property. It certainly golds more theme to us than BLT which is beyond a bland and sterile environment. IMO it pulls a better elegance feel than VGF.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike SSR at all. I check in on Saturday for seven nights, as a matter of fact! When I say the theme isn't "robust," I don't mean poorly executed. I just mean I can see why the theme doesn't feel exotic or exciting for some people. That's not a unique phenomenon to SSR, as I think Animal Kingdom Lodge stands alone in its theming, followed by the Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge. I also tend to lump the villa resorts with the deluxe resorts and treat them as one comprehensive property each. OKW and SSR suffer in that regard because they're only villa units so they don't have the lobbies and F&B offerings of the other deluxe resorts.

 

[ScoutN]

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike SSR at all. I check in on Saturday for seven nights, as a matter of fact! When I say the theme isn't "robust," I don't mean poorly executed. I just mean I can see why the theme doesn't feel exotic or exciting for some people. That's not a unique phenomenon to SSR, as I think Animal Kingdom Lodge stands alone in its theming, followed by the Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge. I also tend to lump the villa resorts with the deluxe resorts and treat them as one comprehensive property each, so OKW and SSR suffer in that regard because they're only villa units so they don't have the lobbies and F&B offerings of the other deluxe resorts.

I wasn't trying to discredit your statement, just offer my perspective of it. SSR has a serenity that only OKW and AKLKV can rival. SSR is my home resort and probably my finances favorite. We check on Monday for a week at Poly, which I have never stayed. Mixing in villas with cash rooms will be different for us as the pace is typically much quicker compared to the more laid back atmosphere of the standalone DVC hotels.

My only real Kidani complaint, which we our typical go to if not SSR is the lack of QSR.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I wasn't trying to discredit your statement, just offer my perspective of it. SSR has a serenity that only OKW and AKLKV can rival. SSR is my home resort and probably my finances favorite. We check on Monday for a week at Poly, which I have never stayed. Mixing in villas with cash rooms will be different for us as the pace is typically much quicker compared to the more laid back atmosphere of the standalone DVC hotels.

My only real Kidani complaint, which we our typical go to if not SSR is the lack of QSR.

We're not members and our go-to cash resort is Jambo for specifically that reason. The Mara is just way too good.

 

[sxeensweet]

. Big time.

@CaptainAmerica said the theme isn't the most robust but I have to disagree. The theme captured the Balston Spa/Saratoga theme wonderfully. The whole resort from the buildings, pools, and landscaping probably some of the best and most vibrant on property. It certainly golds more theme to us than BLT which is beyond a bland and sterile environment. IMO it pulls a better elegance feel than VGF.

Totally Agree! Love SSR theming but BLT seems like a sterile office building when we go in there to visit the DVC lounge. Love the lounge but the building is just nothing special. The only thing I love about the rooms there is an ability to get a good view (eventhough the park view has a parking lot below you lol) , and the 1 and 2 bed villas have the extra full bathroom like Kidani does our home.

 

[PinnySmart]

Great Trip, Kids loved it, however a few observations:
Resort: I am an RCI Member and was treated as such. Since I traded RCI points for DVC points, it seems there is an agreement to lesson the privileges of RCI members. So, I did not get regular made service, it was going to cost me extra for Towels, Linens, etc. I was very annoyed since I am a premium member of RCI.
The resort itself was just OK. The food choices, gift shop were substantially smaller then that of the moderate resorts. That was very disappointing.
Generally speaking, the resort was clean and the staff was nice.

Transportation: The buses were mostly a positive experience save for two trips. One was a before part hours trip to the Poly. The SSR cast members misinformed us on several fronts on what the proper procedure was for getting to the Polynesian Resort. We were told 3 different things. One was there was a bus with a character's name on it that would show up at the bus stations and we could tell them where we wanted to go and he/she would take us there directly. The second was that we could get a regular bus to the Magic Kingdom and then we could take a Monorail to the Poly. The third was that we could get regular bus to the TTC and we could take the Monorail to the Poly. Well we managed to get a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then when we got there the monorail was down for maintenance. A cast member said take a boat, but there weren't any boats at the dock, nor were there any coming. We found a Poly bus dropping off people, so the guy let us jump on board and he took us over there.
The second issue was a Magic Kingdom bus was 40 minutes late picking up at SSR. I was concerned that I was going to miss HDDR, but we actually gave ourselves 2.5 hours because it was a bus and boat ride.

Parks: Mostly a great experience here. The parks are not kept as clean as I remember, Lots of stuff on the ground in the parks, some stuff floating in some waterways etc. Sort of disappointing. There were many rides with broken down parts. For example, IASW seemed like there were several dolls either missing or not working. The sun didn't spin, the doll rolling on the wire wasn't even on the wire. Generally speaking, the parks were great, but not nearly as clean or working as well I expected. That expectation was set in 1981 and 1983.

Magical Express: No complaints, all worked perfectly!

Restaurants: No complaints, food was great everywhere we ate albeit with far fewer selections in some places.

General comments would be that the cost cutting measures of recent years has become very obvious!

Did you bother to read your contract? Doing a little research hoes a long way.

 

[PinnySmart]

You either shower or dry off very differently than I do.

Do you do this at home, too? You must do three loads of laundry a day.

This is my favorite post of the day

 

[montyz81]

Did you bother to read your contract? Doing a little research hoes a long way.

I did actually. If you read through the posts, I corrected myself and said I don't get regular housecleaning with RCI. That said, if I have a family of for staying in a room, I would expect to have a set of towels for all four people. We did not and they were going to charge me extra to add. We had enough towels for 3 people in a room that sleeps 4. And really, I was trying to make the point that charging for extra towels from a company that makes billions in profit each year seems a bit greedy to me. Allowing people to have extra towels for free isn't even going to be a rounding error on their bottom line! Is the charge to discourage the use of extra towels so they can say they are green? How bout they let me make the choice of being green in situations where my kids health is at risk. So, close your trap and get off your high horse!

Just to reiterate, this did not negatively impact my trip in anyway. It was just a disappointment.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I did actually. If you read through the posts, I corrected myself and said I don't get regular housecleaning with RCI. That said, if I have a family of for staying in a room, I would expect to have a set of towels for all four people. We did not and they were going to charge me extra to add. We had enough towels for 3 people in a room that sleeps 4.

As we've discussed, you had more than enough towels for four people. You're upset because you didn't have enough towels for four people with unusual hygiene habits. It's not Disney's fault that you're the one family on Earth that won't reuse a towel. Your complaint is like someone acting all outraged that Disney won't provide them with hemp bed linens because they think cotton is icky.

And really, I was trying to make the point that charging for extra towels from a company that makes billions in profit each year seems a bit greedy to me. Allowing people to have extra towels for free isn't even going to be a rounding error on their bottom line! Is the charge to discourage the use of extra towels so they can say they are green?

That exact same logic can be used to steal a stuffed animal from the Emporium. "Charging for a plush mouse from a company that makes billions in profit each year seems a bit greedy to me. Allowing people to have plushes for free isn't even going to be a rounding error on their bottom line!"

How bout they let me make the choice of being green in situations where my kids health is at risk.

Your hypochondria is not an accurate reflection of the risks (i.e. none) of using a towel more than once.

So, close your trap and get off your high horse!

Says the guy who won't use a towel more than once because it's too icky. That's the most diva-ish thing I've ever read on a site with its fair share of divas, so I wouldn't be too quick to be pointing out other posters' high horses.

 

[xdan0920]

Says the guy who won't use a towel more than once because it's too icky. That's the most diva-ish thing I've ever read on a site with its fair share of divas, so I wouldn't be to quick to be pointing out other posters' high horses.

Let me reiterate....

He can not reuse a towel because he wipes his disgusting with them.

 

[King Racoon 77]

Let me reiterate....

He can not reuse a towel because he wipes his disgusting *** with them.

Why do you keep writing *** face has four letters

 

[montyz81]

As we've discussed, you had more than enough towels for four people. You're upset because you didn't have enough towels for four people with unusual hygiene habits. It's not Disney's fault that you're the one family on Earth that won't reuse a towel. Your complaint is like someone acting all outraged that Disney won't provide them with hemp bed linens because they think cotton is icky.
Y'all are making wacky assumptions. It seems you all think I am actually mad about this. As I said, it was disappointing. I am not the one family on earth that won't reuse towels. In fact we did wash them everyday. I just didn't have enough in the room to start with and Disney were going to charge me to get to the right number of towels. I just think that the charge is a sign of greed when the C level folks get huge bonuses.


That exact same logic can be used to steal a stuffed animal from the Emporium. "Charging for a plush mouse from a company that makes billions in profit each year seems a bit greedy to me. Allowing people to have plushes for free isn't even going to be a rounding error on their bottom line!" Not even close. you're daft1


Your hypochondria is not an accurate reflection of the risks (i.e. none) of using a towel more than once. Not a hypochondriac at all. My children just have ultra sensitive skin, so yes there is a huge risk you idiot. In order to prevent breakouts, we need to make sure the towels and cloths are completely clean even after a shower.


Says the guy who won't use a towel more than once because it's too icky. That's the most diva-ish thing I've ever read on a site with its fair share of divas, so I wouldn't be to quick to be pointing out other posters' high horses.

Jackass, as I said, it isn't diva-ish it is a hypoallergenic issue. Holy good lord i can't believe everyone is getting up in my grill about getting a few extra towels for no charge. What the hell is the big deal.

 

[montyz81]

Let me reiterate....

He can not reuse a towel because he wipes his disgusting *** with them.

My hind quarters are always clean buddy, it is you that leaves all that fecal material in your backside all day and night, that is just disgusting. I don't care what anyone says, you don't get it all when you wipe after using the facilities!

 

[Zipadeelady]

@montyz81 I appreciate your cleanliness! Especially when I'm standing next to you in line at the parks. To each there own. Glad you had a great trip!!

 

[xdan0920]

@montyz81 I appreciate your cleanliness! Especially when I'm standing next to you in line at the parks. To each there own. Glad you had a great trip!!

Do you appreciate it when you get to use his "face" towel next? When it's recently been covered in his dingleberries?

 

[montyz81]

Do you appreciate it when you get to use his "face" towel next? When it's recently been covered in his dingleberries?

@xdan0920 and everyone else, please read on: http://www.housekeepingserviceshhi.com/water-temperature.html

 

[Zipadeelady]

Do you appreciate it when you get to use his "face" towel next? When it's recently been covered in his dingleberries?

You sound like a lunatic. What makes your dingleberries and better than his. Everyone is grown up to know that wash cloths and towels get wiped in certain areas....this is not news. A few of you wont stop beating a dead horse. A few of you don't agree with his towel etiquette we get it, all the readers get it, the poster gets it! Move on. He had a good time at Disney!! Yeah!