just found your TR! What a fun trip for the two of you.
We've owned SSR since 2003 and had our first stay during opening week in 2004. We continue to find many reasons to love SSR and I think you will too over the years.
Wow - I think we must have bought and stayed at the same time. My DW and I bought in November of 2003 at SSR. We went on our usual October vacation and stayed at Wilderness Lodge. We had a great vacation, and we were in the process of adopting our DD, so we knew WDW was a place we would love to come back to again and again. We decided to buy into DVC on the day we left. Although we didnt tour SSR, we got to see one of the villas at WL, and we loved it. Our final vacation with no kids was in May of 2004, and I believe that was the first week SSR was open. It will be 10 years this fall, and we have no regrets. We have had a number of great vacations, and have had both family and friends with us on many visits, and it is great to share with them!
We love SSR. We have stayed at OKW, AKV (our daughters favorite), BWV (love the location) and SSR as DVC'ers. We love SSR, it is a great resort, and just beautiful as they all are. It is even more special to us as we are residents of Saratoga NY. We love all the reminders of home. I am a golfer, so it is great to LBV right there, and my wife and I are both runners, and it is a great resort to go out for a 3-5 mile run. We walk over to DTD all the time to grab a sandwich at the Earl or just walk around.
I understand how people have favorites, but I don't get the dislike of SSR. I would be happy staying there every time. We plan to hit them all someday, but we will be back in a few weeks for our second year in a row!!
It has been a tough year for our family, and I cant tell you how much I am looking forward to this vacation. We have a special dinner planned the night of our arrival, we will be doing
MNSSHP again this year, and of course our favorite the F&W Fest. That is probably my favorite event at WDW, and I look forward to that day of our vacation most of all. We have a few days planned for just relaxing. We arrive Saturday the 19th at 10:30 at the airport, and we will make that a pool afternoon and then head out to dinner. Sunday will be my girls at the pool and golf for me. The only park we have planned so far is 10/24 for the Halloween party, but we will hit them all, we just have to plan the day. I want to get two days of golf in, and we have a late flight the following Saturday (10/26).
My wife is going back in January to do the WDW Marathon with my sister, so she will get two more park days out of that. And, I am hoping to go visit my parents in March and get my spring training baseball fix along with a day or two at WDW.
As much as I want our vacation to get here.....it always goes by so fast! As nice as it is to get home, I always suffer from post vacation depression. Last year when I got back to work, I admit to a little day dreaming while at my desk. I would look at the clock and think, geez, last Tuesday I was on the Safari ride at the Animal Kingdom
That happens for a few weeks....
Love reading all the reports, and hope to have a good one for all you upon our return.
Eric