SSR owners, did you buy there just to stay at other places instead?

[granmanh603]

Oh forgot to mention when we got on bus early Sun morning at Kidani 6 people got on went to Jambo and 30+probably more, got on bus ,standing room only and realized that they were locals , I know we see that at SSR but surprised at Ak. Oh bus was going to Ak.

 

[lisa3635]

Most of my points are at SSR, we've only stayed there once and it was before buying dvc (rented last minute points). I bought for low cost via resale, maintenance fees and longer life than beach club and boardwalk. I've never had an issue getting where I want at 7 months.BLT is by far our fav but w have been able to get it at 7 months. Saturday we leave for 7 nights in a BLT standard view studio'

 

[DougEMG]

I'm very curious, I see so many SSR owners saying this, that they never stay at their home resort, but wait till the 7 month window to book somewhere else. I'm wondering, if that is the case, why didn't you purchase at the resort that you loved in the first place? Just a totally curious question.

Two main reasons. (1) People who bought direct while SSR was the resort Disney was selling didn't really have much of an option as that is what Disney was pushing. (2) People buying resale who wanted the best bang for the buck but are okay with staying at SSR if they can't switch.

I own SSR and have no problem staying there.

 

[El&Asmom]

We rarely book 11 months out, (almost never). So it's silly for us to pay a premium for a specific resort. We also don't really have a favorite resort and are truly happy to stay at any of the resorts.
We just so happened to buy SSR because that was what they were selling at the time, (along with AKV which has higher MF and is typically easy to book at 7m), so SSR is where we bought.
That being said, we have stayed at all of the on property resorts other than BLT which we are staying at in Oct by booking at 7m or less. The only place we have had difficulty booking at 7m is HH, but we have a small contract there as well for that reason alone.

It's sad that SSR gets such a bad rap. It's a peaceful resort that we always enjoy staying at.

 

[Dean]

It's very simple. Price for some and all that was available retail for others. Whether it was a good decision would depend on specifics.

 

[jupers]

We bought SSR resale... Was the best deal for our $ but my thinking was

Longer contract
THV
Mostly....as the kids get older if we want a less Disney option that would be it.
We stayed at SSR once so far, it's just how things worked out, I love it there too! Fine with me if people don't want to stay there I will!

 

[Breyean]

I had never heard of people doing this until a couple of years ago. We shared a table on a DCL with a couple who bragged about having SSR as their home resort but having never stayed there. They were very proud of it and brought it up several times during the cruise - about how they used their "cheap" points at the other resorts.

Meanwhile, we stayed at SSR for the fist time last year and thought it was beautiful.

 

[Tiger926]

We bought SSR as we bought when it was just opening, and we have stayed there many times. We really like it, and have stayed there more times than any other resort. I have to say though, that at 7 months, we have had great choices available to stay at other resorts.

But, depending upon time of year, and needs of our family, that is how we choose what resort to stay at.

I just cancelled a Value 1 bedroom @ AKV and Standard 1 bedroom @ BWV yesterday to book a 2 bedroom at Saratoga for our upcoming trip, and am beyond excited as the kids love Donald's pool as they call it, as well as Artist's Palette (Mickey waffles!). We are anxious to try Paddock Pool this trip too!

So, we bought direct from Disney what was available at the time, but we absolutely loved what we saw in regards to the theming of SSR, and have had fabulous stays there. Looking forward to many more!

On a related note, we bought AKV thinking we would stay there way more than we have. We have cancelled many bookings there in order to stay elsewhere or at SSR. Interesting when I look at it the other way.

Tiger

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

We bought at SSR when we could have bought there or Boardwalk. We bought SSR sight unseen based on spec pics. We have stayed there for all of our visits except a trip with a 2 BR at AKV. We love SSR -- it's location, it's quiet, it's overall atmosphere.

There's no place like home. There's no place like home.

 

[rutgers1]

Like many people, we were on a vacation, went on the DVC tour on a whim, and ended up buying. We bought SSR for the following reasons:
1) First and foremost, we weren't informed buyers. We got swooped up in the emotion of the day and handed over our credit card.

2) SSR was what they were selling. They didn't even mention the possibility of buying elsewhere. I think we brought it up, but were quickly diverted back to SSR.

3) The guide painted a picture of the home resort being in name only. One of the biggest selling points was that we could stay anywhere. When I left the building, it was my perspective that we were buying SSR because that is what they were selling, but it meant nothing in regard to when/where we could stay.

For the most part, we have been able to stay where we want. The last two trips haven't been as easy to get what we want, but we are nonetheless satisfied.

I love DVC.

 

[bighoo93]

Two main reasons. (1) People who bought direct while SSR was the resort Disney was selling didn't really have much of an option as that is what Disney was pushing. (2) People buying resale who wanted the best bang for the buck but are okay with staying at SSR if they can't switch.

I own SSR and have no problem staying there.

Yeah, we fit into reason #2. I know "buy where you want to stay" is the most common advice, but if you don't have a favorite or just don't want to stay at one particular resort every time, it isn't as applicable.

 

[amym2]

We bought at SSR in 2011 because having stayed in the old THV when I was a kid, I knew we would want to stay in the new THV with our own kids. We did our first DVC stay at SSR and OKW last October and thought SSR was lovely. Fortunately we stayed before the points increase, because with only 4 people on the trip, we didn't really need the space in the THV, but we certainly enjoyed it. The only reason we are unlikely to stay at SSR again is that we have two kids (DS11 and DD9) who can't share a bed, so we would need a 2-bdrm at SSR. At OKW, BLT, and AKV, we'd have the sleeper chair in a 1-bdrm, so those are better options for us.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm curious what you did not care for at AKL?

I have only stayed at OKW since 1992, with the occasional day or two extension at POP. AKL is on my list as wanting to stay there sometime, but I haven't been able to tear myself away from the large rooms at OKW.

Chuck, you know how much we love OKW too, but we also own a small AKV contract. I LOVE OKW and miss those big rooms and the feel of the resort when we stay at AKV, but I also LOVE the unique things there are to see and do at AKV. I think you should try it for at least part of a trip sometime. I find the annoying things about AKV (dark decor and long hallways) are easily overshadowed by the animals, wonderful guest programs, and restaurants.

As for SSR....We stayed there only once shortly after the resort opened. It was okay, but I am not a fan of the room layouts in SSR, BWV, BCV or VWL. At least they used a different floor plan at AKV that I can live with. Of course, when we stay there, I'm still constantly saying I wish they could put OKW rooms at AKV!

 

[mom2rb]

When we bought, my guide tried to talk us into buying BCV. We wanted the longer contract, plus SSR was cheaper. We bought before SSR opened. We also bought at AKL and BLT, but half of our points are at SSR. When we stay in September or December it is our favorite resort. The parks close early and we hang out at DD.

 

[wdwdano@yahoo.com]

We rarely book 11 months out, (almost never). So it's silly for us to pay a premium for a specific resort. We also don't really have a favorite resort and are truly happy to stay at any of the resorts.
We just so happened to buy SSR because that was what they were selling at the time, (along with AKV which has higher MF and is typically easy to book at 7m), so SSR is where we bought.
That being said, we have stayed at all of the on property resorts other than BLT which we are staying at in Oct by booking at 7m or less. The only place we have had difficulty booking at 7m is HH, but we have a small contract there as well for that reason alone.

It's sad that SSR gets such a bad rap. It's a peaceful resort that we always enjoy staying at.

I agree, it is peaceful. I bought there because of its all around offerings. Although it is very large (one of the down sides for me) it has many pools, access to boat transportation, DD, and golf. We haven't stayed there as much of the other resorts but when we do, it's a great time. I enjoy playing pool at the turf club while having a local Saratoga, ny beer. They should have signature beer like that at other dvc resorts.

 

[graueMaus]

When we bought I looked at places that my wife an I would like when we became empty nesters as well as things that we like to do as a family without the parks being central to our vacation (as we have family in the area). A secondary consideration was accommodations that could house more than our family of 5 and actually being closer to BJ's and outside options for food and supplies.

We chose SSR because (not in any particular order):
1) every trip we spend at least a full day at DTD, sometimes with local family, and enjoy that area a lot;
2) SSR THV afforded us the ability to bring family members along (up to 4) for less points (remember there are 5 of us already);
3) proximity to a Water Park as we do at least one a visit;
4) spa (a must for both of us)
5) golf facility (I and the kids play)
6) easy access to I-4
7) lower cost per point
8) lower membership fees


We only go to WDW about every other year, for our first visit we stayed at AKV Kidani 1BR SV as when we bought it was a stipulation of our buy in and it was about 2 months out from a planned trip at POR. Our second trip to WDW as members we stayed at SSR-THV with close friends that would not necessarily been able to go unless we helped out (special needs family as well, and my wife is a developmental therapist). On our non-WDW year we go to HHI resort which is about 5 hours away for us.

Our plan in the future is to reserve a 2BR at SSR at 11 mths and try to get a 1BR 5 capacity (OKW, VGF, or BLT) that we haven't tried before at 7 mths. Don't get me wrong we love SSR for ourselves, but we want to try a variety of places if we have the opportunity. In fact we had the opportunity to buy in at BLT, but that particular resort has no appeal to us (the CR we really like though) and it is last on our list of places to stay.

 

[DizBub]

I'm curious what you did not care for at AKL?

AKV is a beautiful/wonderful resort but it's just so inconvenient. We stayed at Kidani for 3 nights earlier this month and spent the whole time wishing we were back at SSR where we had just spent 4 nights. Those hallways.......OMG!! And if you are hungry and want to run out and grab a bite? Well, we ended up driving from Kidani over to Jambo House to go to the Mara. I've always heard about the "great" bus service". Not for us this time, it was so sporadic and incredibly crowded. We ended up walking all the way back to our car....at the last elevator on the far end, to drive to our dinner reservation because there were like 100 people waiting for a Magic Kingdom bus, just like we were.

DH said he would be happy to never stay there again. Unfortunately for him we are booked to go back in Dec but at Jambo. Hope it goes better for us.

 

[Desnik]

We bought at SSR because we loved it when we saw it. We visited soon after they opened & we fell in love with the place. We have stayed there a bunch of times. We also bought at AKV because we love it there too. But I want to try every resort on property so we try to book a different one every time we go. (We even pay cash so we can do a split stay so we can try a new non DVC resort)

I have never had an issue getting the resort that I wanted but if I could only stay at the 2 we own in I would be happy. It would make me even happier if I could convince DH to add on at GFV

 

[hakepb]

I can't imagine staying at the same resort every vacation, as I like the differentiation for memories.

We bought SSR because it was the current resort, and is is quite nice..pre-DVC I remember looking across the lake from DTD thinking those lovely buildings would always be out of reach for us

Right now, I would say AKV is my favorite resort, but it wasn't a DVC when I bought

For varieties sake, I do not heavily persue SSR stays, as it always seems to be the backup plan. (I've had 4 SSR stays, more than any other resort)

 

[Lady V]

I bought there because that's what was selling. I didn't care where I bought.