WL vs SSR

D

DMut

New Member
So thanks to everyone for their advice on my upcomming trip with a 2.5 and 4.5 year old. As predicted, BLT is booked. So now I have a decision. SSR or WL.

My chief concern is ability to quickly get from MK back to the hotel for naps/pool/lunch, and then back to the park. WL is obviously much closer, but in talking to reservations, the were telling me that the bus from SSR is only 20 minutes, so really, I'd be saving 10 minutes at most by staying at WL.

I have always wanted to stay at WL, but at this point, the cost would be about $125 more per night to stay there vs SSR. I am not sure thats worth it to save 10 minutes per trip, but I'd love to hear from the community. Are there any other factors that would make one appealing over the other?

Thanks again!!!
 
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real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
How Long?

Depends how many days you have in those resorts as against the cost I suppose but if it was me,I would opt for WL. We gave it a visit on our last trip and thought it was beautiful,from the awesome lobby to the outside pool and geyser.But that's only my opinion :wave:
 
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D

DMut

New Member
Original Poster
We're arriving late on a Tues and leaving Friday afternoon. So not a ton of time.

I do want to stay at WL, but another factor is staying at SSR in a DVC unit, is having the mini-kitchen. Might be nice. Ahhh decisions, decisions!
 
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rufio

rufio

Well-Known Member
Definitely WL. I stayed there in 2010 and at SSR this March. The mini kitchen is nice if you actually use it. It wasn't necessary for us. I felt like WL was a lot nicer. The themibg is incredible and its gorgeous! SSR is okay, but its set up more like a motel with rooms on the outside. I LOVED WL and would stay there again. I can't say the same for SSR.
 
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littlered

littlered

Well-Known Member
I too vote for WL. Our DVC home resort is SSR and it is nice and we have enjoyed our stays there. But the times that we were able to get into WL we have done so.

We absolutley love the WL, we love the closeness of everything and my absolute favorite is the boat ride to and from the Magic Kingdom, aside from the monorail I think this is the best way to arrive to the Magic Kingdom. The boat was hardly ever crowded and the most we waited for a boat was 10 mins. I have waited much longer for the buses around SSR. And they still have to circle the resort for multiple stops.

Just my opinion, whichever you choose you will love anyway because you're at Disney World!!:sohappy:

Have fun!!
 
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TopOfTheWorld

TopOfTheWorld

Member
I'm in the minority here - DH and I had an unsatisfactory experience at WL, and there won't be a return visit from us. Also, don't you still have to head over to FW on some of the bus routes?

We loved SSL, but stayed near the first bus stop, which is the way to go. It's so quiet there, and you get that juxtaposed against the hustle and bustle of the parks.
 
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dixiegirl

dixiegirl

Well-Known Member
TopOfTheWorld said:
I'm in the minority here - DH and I had an unsatisfactory experience at WL, and there won't be a return visit from us. Also, don't you still have to head over to FW on some of the bus routes?

We loved SSL, but stayed near the first bus stop, which is the way to go. It's so quiet there, and you get that juxtaposed against the hustle and bustle of the parks.
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No add me to the SSR lovers as well! We also stayed at WL 2yrs ago and probably will never go back either..
WE also had a not so satisfactory stay, we had not one room but two rooms that were dirty.. ANd I'm not a complainer, by any means but when there are towels(not clean on the bathroom floor) the bed clearly had been layed on.. Luggage still in the room along with other stuff.... Yeah our third room was nice, but not enough for us to say "oh lets go back"
..But thats just us...It is a nice resort , lovely grounds ...But I guess we just love SSR....We don;t find it motel like in anyway, I mean it does'n thave Mickey thrown in your face here or there (and I adore the mouse) but to me it definatly is more resort feel to it.
.Or girls who have been going there since they were 3 and 7 love it!! They have a great Main pool and all the other smaller individual pools... And its a 10 min walk to Downtown Disney which is always great for the kids to play in the Fountain , or just for a nice walk... Buses to me its all in timing, sometimes one is there waiting or pulling up, others yeah you may have to wait 10-15 min.....I mean you have to go with may work better for your family...keep trying for BLT something just may open up!
 
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TopOfTheWorld

TopOfTheWorld

Member
dixiegirl said:
No add me to the SSR lovers as well! We also stayed at WL 2yrs ago and probably will never go back either..
WE also had a not so satisfactory stay, we had not one room but two rooms that were dirty.. ANd I'm not a complainer, by any means but when there are towels(not clean on the bathroom floor) the bed clearly had been layed on.. Luggage still in the room along with other stuff.... Yeah our third room was nice, but not enough for us to say "oh lets go back"
..But thats just us...It is a nice resort , lovely grounds ...But I guess we just love SSR....We don;t find it motel like in anyway, I mean it does'n thave Mickey thrown in your face here or there (and I adore the mouse) but to me it definatly is more resort feel to it.
.Or girls who have been going there since they were 3 and 7 love it!! They have a great Main pool and all the other smaller individual pools... And its a 10 min walk to Downtown Disney which is always great for the kids to play in the Fountain , or just for a nice walk... Buses to me its all in timing, sometimes one is there waiting or pulling up, others yeah you may have to wait 10-15 min.....I mean you have to go with may work better for your family...keep trying for BLT something just may open up!
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Thank you! Just b/c SSR isn't "in your face" doesn't mean it's boring. It's for folks who want a traditional resort experience. And I still wouldn't trade the convenience of a kitchenette or kitchen to stay in a standard room. With young kids, and needing to return to the resort for naptime, having the kitchen/kitchenette is a great time-and-money saver.
 
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bigorangeandy

bigorangeandy

Well-Known Member
One thing about the boat ride back and forth to WL is that may seem like another adventure to your kids. The extra $125 per night would pay for a lot of food everyday by staying at SSR.
 
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Obi

Obi

Well-Known Member
also add me to the list of liking ssr.

agreed that it's not overly in your face disney type of resort.

yes, you do have to take the time to ride through the rest of the resort on the bus. however, if you stay in the grandstand section that is the first stop on the route.

yes, there is no boat ride to mk from ssr. however, there is a boat ride, or walk, to dtd where there are plenty of shops, restaurants and shows there that you can check out.

has a nice main pool and a few other quiet pools around the resort, with a renovated pool over in the paddock section.

having the kitchenette/kitchens is nice, in case you want to have a snack there or even have a meal.

also in the rooms, except the studios, there are washer/dryers in there that make doing laundry easier. plus, whirlpool tubs as well to soak the tired bodies in to rejuvenate after a long day.

they also have kids activities that they do at the main pool area.
 
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D

DMut

New Member
Original Poster
WL was 330 a night (maybe less when AP rates come out). Or we we'd be able to secure a Villa through family and we kind of agreed to pay then what works out to 200 a night.

A lot of food for thought here. Seems my initial thought for WL purely on ease to MK is still winning out. Plus like i had said, i really have had it on my todo list for a long time. SSR does sound great, but since this is only a 2.5 day trip, a lot o the SSR pluses might not be as useful as they would on a longer trip (other than the kitchenette).
 
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captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
DMut said:
WL was 330 a night (maybe less when AP rates come out). Or we we'd be able to secure a Villa through family and we kind of agreed to pay then what works out to 200 a night.

A lot of food for thought here. Seems my initial thought for WL purely on ease to MK is still winning out. Plus like i had said, i really have had it on my todo list for a long time. SSR does sound great, but since this is only a 2.5 day trip, a lot o the SSR pluses might not be as useful as they would on a longer trip (other than the kitchenette).
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Why don't you ask them to book the Wilderness Lodge Villas then? If they're DVC members, they can do this, and the price won't be much more.
 
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