Saratoga Springs Resort

I think a lot of people will disagree with me and I've only stayed there once, but my feelings were:

It was very convenient, but not as magical as some of the other resorts. It was really nice to park close to my room and still have a deluxe-level room, but the decentralized nature seemed to make it a bit less of an "experience" if that makes any sense.

It's quite convenient to DTD. I think it does a pretty good job of capturing the feel of the NY area, but also the vast size and number of buildings give it a bit of a "condo development" vibe. I don't want to make it sound like I don't like it, because I'd be happy to stay there and I think the prices are usually very reasonable for what you get. Just want to try to capture both sides of the coin.

We are DVC members and this is our home resort. Brad I agree with you 100%. It is a lovely resort , it's nice parking steps away from your room if you drive, but thats not always the case. I do not feel the "magic" as much as I do in the Poly of course, but if we get a good DTD view, I am almost as happy.

SSR has the Spa & the Golf Course. AKL has neither.

If you dont have a vehicle, it can be quite a hike from your room to the main lobby and the restaurants. You can catch a launch to DTD from the Pro Shop area or you could also walk. Now that we have stayed at AKL, would I have much rather bought that, rather then SSR, it's a toss up, because AKL is the farthest from the MK, and I can get from SSR to MK in under 10 minutes. But AKL has more dinning options, and the safari.

I can't tell you anything about the bus system, we never used it. I think it all boils down to what are your likes.

I'm an owner at Saratoga Springs and if you don't mind being away from the parks it's a great resort!

Have stayed at SSR a few trips back and really loved it.

The resort is big, and if you don't have a car (like us) you can feel a little out of the loop if you building isn't close to the main house. We asked to be moved to The Springs section as it's right next door to the main building, eateries, main pool etc. The resort has about 5 internal bus stops and some days it took us over 30minutes just to get off the resort. We did feel like we waited longer for a bus at SSR than we have at AKL and POR. It did get frustrating sometimes! Especially after a long day in the parks, we'd be on the resort but our stop was to get off was last, the ride could feel never ending when you're tired and the bus is packed! (But the same can be said for staying at other resorts with regards to that!)

The atmosphere is wonderful and being close to DTD was great as we love being able to take a boat across the lake to DTD. We did walk to DTD one afternoon but it took forver (didn't help we picked the hottest afternoon of the trip!). It's all very lush and picturesque, with little picnic spots and lakes with large fountains in the middle, very tranquil and relaxing all around.

The counter service restaurant does not serve fries. Of any kind. That might not bother you but I was really surprised...pizza and 'house chips', well here in the UK, that's like having a bag of Lays with our pizza! They where quite nice but plain and they got boring after a while. The CS is very limited compared to other resorts, breakfast was probably the best as the western omelette with breakfast potatoes was delicious! The chicken cord en blue panini is very very nice too!

I would definatly stay here again, we got an amazing deal on a 2 bed studio and the extra space was great. It will never win the place of AKL in my heart but it is a lovely resort.

You know i've never seen you stay at any resort other then the poly except for this upcoming trip at AKL....How come you didnt' make the poly your home resort?

Because the Poly is not DVC.

Jess, we do stay in the DVC resorts but if we are not using points we stay at the Poly. We were just at Saratoga Springs in October. We have also stayed at the Boardwalk and Animal Kingdom and the Beach Club.

I own @ SSR, and I totally love it...I feel so relaxed the second we pull into the gates....It just feels ''adult'' to me...Not to say kids won't love it, they will, plenty of pools and playgrounds..Love the spa, love all the pool bars

Let me chime in here and say that SSR is my DVC home resort as well, and we too have stayed at BW, BC, AKL, OKW,as well as SSR and while we love SSR, AKL will remain forever imbedded in our minds as the best DVC resort we have stayed at. Also don't shy away from the Turf Club Lounge and Rest. it really is wonderful.

It is really hard for me to say which one is my favorite. They all have things that I love about them. The nicest one is Animal Kingdom but the downer for me there is it feels like it is so far away from everything else. Saratoga Springs has a different kind of charm to it. It is beautifully themed but I do not get as much of the Magical feel when staying there. The Turf Club is a big plus when staying there and I really like taking the boat to DTD from there. Also the view (if you get a good one) of DTD from your room can be very nice. Between the Boardwalk and the Beach Club I like the Boardwalk the best. I would like to stay at OKW but Mrhub is not very interested in trying that one.

Oh ok... Didn't realize you went and didn't use points

I like SSR, it was the first DVC property that we stayed at and found it quite lovely. We stayed in Congress park, which is in the middle of the bus route, so I never noticed a problem with timing. It is a bit of a hike to the main building, but not too bad if you're up for it.

The feel at SSR is just different than many of the other Disney resorts. It's a nice resort, and the rooms are lovely, but the set up makes it not as convenient to get to the main building/restaurants/etc. I don't mind it so much when I have my car with me (then it is parked right outside of the room where I am staying.)
I do like the convenience to Downtown Disney, and I really like the rooms themselves. I just prefer when I'm at WDW to stay in the Boardwalk/Yacht/Beach Club area.

Because it's not the most popular resort they often discount the rooms here more than other resorts. If you get a good rate I say go for it!

Sue Ellen

i agree with most everything, this is also my home resort, and while it is beautiful it is huge and if your not close to the main building that can be inconvenient when you have small kids to lug around. we do like it there but i do try to get the beach club or the boardwalk villas.