Saratoge Springs..Villa or Treehouse

[LimoFam5]

Which one would you stay in?
How far are the treehouse villas from the pools and bus stops?

 

[Donna M]

We had a reservation in the treehouses but canceled when I found out the master only has a queen. Going to WDW gives us a chance to sleep in a king sized bed! I've heard the bunks are not comfortable for anyone other than a child. (Not sure if the kids found them comfortable, but the adults didn't.)

If there was a king, I'd give them a try, they look nice.

 

[rentayenta]

We tossed around between the two and decided on the THV. I've always wanted to sleep in a treehouse. It's just so cool. The points reallocation for next year increased for the THV so saving points wasn't a bad side effect. I'm excited to stay in a villa too one day. I think either choice is great.

 

[Moparlar]

I would take a treehouse anytime. We will be in one next week for 7 nights. Can't wait.

LArry

 

[Anal Annie]

Which one would you stay in?
How far are the treehouse villas from the pools and bus stops?

I've not stayed in a treehouse, have only seen peeks of them but they seem to be pretty remote. From what I hear they're OK if you have a car but otherwise they're not so convenient. They look cool but I would only stay in them if we had friends or family coming too and needed 3 bedrooms AND if we had a rental car (which we never do because of the expense). I think when they still only used the same number of points as a 2 bedroom they were probably a stellar value...now, not so much for the inconvenience. I would base my decision on whether or not I'd have a car.

 

[DizDays]

I would jump on the THV in a heartbeat. There is a certain cool novelty to them and I think everyone should try them at least once - especially since there are so few of them. If you have the opportunity, I say go for it!

 

[Pakey]

I have stayed in a treehouse, SSR 2 bedroom, SSR 1 bedroom and SSR studio.

We prefer SSR over THV. It's a huge deal for us to have a themed pool and convenient location and THV just doesn't have that. THV has much nicer decor and the huge deck and individual outdoor grill are nice touches. The master bath is also pretty amazing.

The bunk beds are small; the bedrooms in general are small. But the only real drawback IMO is the feeling of remoteness and lack of convenience.

 

[Carolie29]

I would jump on the THV in a heartbeat.

 

[dgaston]

We loved our stay in the THV in November. We had extended family, all adult kids, one spouse and one grandbaby Abby. We did have a rental van, and drove to the Paddocks pool one afternoon. We are also campers, and the remoteness that PP mention was one of our treats! We used the grill two evenings. Our adult males did not complain about the bunk beds.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

We love them both, and as others have said, there are pros and cons for each. When given the choice, we pick the THV. I'm not sure that will be the case, next year, when the points change and the THV costs more than the 2-bedroom.

Here's my pros and cons list:

2-bedroom villa
Pro: King sized bed in master bedroom
Pro: 2 queen-sized beds in 2nd bedroom of dedicated units
Pro: Larger rooms
Pro: Bus stops have direct service to theme parks
Pro: No steps/ramps
Pro: If you're in the Springs or Grandstand section, you'll be closer to the Carriage House and access to shops, restaurants, bars, and the front desk. You're also closest to the High Rock Spring Pool.
Pro: If you're in the Paddock, you'll be close to the QS restaurant and Paddock Pool.
Pro: If you're in the Congress Park section, you're really close to the Downtown Disney Marketplace
Con: Cooking out requires use of a community BBQ/Picnic enclosure at either the Congress Park or Grandstand pool (utensils must be checked out from the community hall)
Con: Very small balcony when compared to the deck on the THV
Pro: Access to both bathrooms directly from the living room. (THV master bathroom can only be accessed by walking through the master bedroom.)
Pro: Extra table/chairs in the 2nd bedroom. Extra efficiency kitchen if in a lock-off.
Con: No closet in the 2nd bedroom.
Con: There are no luggage carts for self service use at the buildings. Although you can use an elevator to get to your floor, you still need to carry luggage and groceries in from the parking lot individually unless you want to tip bell services to do it for you. (This is particularly fun when you have a 400 lb Owner’s Locker.)

THV
Pro: Unique concept
Pro: Very relaxing / peaceful atmosphere
Pro: Great for BBQing. Your own grill and a giant deck. Each THV also has a set of BBQ utensils.
Con: There is no canopy over the deck, nor is there an umbrella on the table. In the hot sun of July and August, the deck is practically unusable.
Con: Master bedroom has a queen sized bed.
Con: There's a set of steps (or a long wheelchair ramp) that all luggage and groceries need to be carried up and down. You can call bell services to do this for you if you’re willing to tip them.
Con: Bus to a bus. There's no direct service from the THV to theme parks. You need to either walk, bus, or boat to another section of the SSR resort to catch theme park buses
Con: Villas are secluded in a wooded wetland. What might be considered as relaxing and peaceful to some, may be considered spooky and isolated to others
Con: Wooded wetlands have bugs and critters. (This was never an issue for us, but others have commented that bugs were an issue. Frankly, I've encountered bugs in all sections of the resort. It's on the water. There are going to be bugs.)
Pro: There are more bedrooms. If you are traveling with a group that isn't all part of the same immediate family, there are more options for splitting up families.
Con: The THV is only slightly larger than a 2-bedroom (1074 sq ft versus 1070 sq ft), but the square footage is divided up into more rooms. Each room, therefore, is much smaller. There's not a lot of room in the bedrooms to set up the playpen/crib. If you've got long enough arms you can pretty much reach all four walls of the 2nd and 3rd bedrooms from the bed if you tried.
Con: One of the bedrooms has a bunk bed. If this bedroom is to be used by adults (especially a couple), they're not going to be comfortable. The member web site indicates the bunk beds are for individuals 5' 10" and under, and 300 lbs or less.
Pro: One of the bedrooms has a bunk bed. Kids think this is the coolest thing ever!
Pro: Living room has a sleeper chair. THV can officially sleep one more person than a 2-bedroom.
Pro: If you're in the south loop, you're reasonably close for walking to Downtown Disney West End (although not as close as Congress Park is to the Marketplace)
Con: The THV pool is very small, and theming was an afterthought.
Pro: I've never seen the THV pool crowded, and have often been the only one there.
Pro: The THV pool is under a canopy of trees. In the sweltering heat of July and August when other pools feel like a hot bath tub, the THV pool is a little cooler.
Pro: One extra TV in the THV. Each of the three bedrooms has one.
Pro: More bureau and closet space for putting away clothes in bedrooms. (All 3 bedrooms have a bureau, and the 2nd bedroom has a closet.)
Pro: Cathedral ceilings throughout.
Con: Because of the cathedral ceiling, the ceiling fan in the master bedroom is so high up you can't reach it. There's no way to change the speed, and they're set so slow they barely even move the air.
Con: If you have more than one vehicle, you’re only supposed to park one of them in the THV section. Additional vehicles are to be parked in the Grandstand section.
Con: The streets through the THV section of the resort are narrow. Disney uses full-sized buses for the shuttle to the main section of the resort. If you have a very large vehicle, you won’t want to park it at the THV. (We didn’t have any problem with our mini-van, but I’ve seen some of those monster vehicles y’all have!)
Con: There are sidewalks leading to the doors of the individual THV, but there are not sidewalks along the main street. Because of the narrow streets (and especially because of the buses), you need to be mindful of traffic when you’re walking to/from the bus stop, boat dock, or pool.
Pro: Some of the THV have rooms that literally look out directly at the water. You can lie in your bed and watch the boats. (Note: The 3 bedrooms face in three different directions, so each bedroom has a completely different view.)
Pro: It's more cool! Come on, admit it. You've always wanted to stay in one of Disney's tree houses.

 

[mdsd8700]

There is a certain cool novelty to them and I think everyone should try them at least once - especially since there are so few of them. If you have the opportunity, I say go for it!

I would agree

We had the chance to stay just one night on our trip last November and we haven't ever stayed in a villa at SSR so I can't compare but we simply loved THV especially my kids! They can't wait to stay again. We always rent a car so there were no issues there, but I can imagine it would be different without your own transportation. There were a total of 6 of us. The bunk beds were slept in by two 15 year old girls so we didn't experience any problems with the smaller size.

It is a novelty experience and we would definately do it again!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[BeccaG]

As @BirdsofPreyDave summarized, its really a personal preference based on what you are looking for.

We have stayed in both and enjoy the quiet the treehouses offer. It is a nice break from the sensory overload the parks can be.

For me the transportation was not really an issue for a longer stay. If you are a park commando however or are going for fewer days the buses area little speedier at SSR proper and so you may want to take that into consideration.

 

[Cee]

We love everything SSR and you really cannot go wrong no matter what you choose. BUT....those treehouse villas are da BOMB.

 

[Paticake]

Love both, Bird's of Prey gave a great pro/con list. Our only concern is staying in THV's with kids who need a stroller due to bus trasfers. We stayed with our 12 and 9 yo niece and nephew and they loved it.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

We had a reservation in the treehouses but canceled when I found out the master only has a queen. Going to WDW gives us a chance to sleep in a king sized bed! I've heard the bunks are not comfortable for anyone other than a child. (Not sure if the kids found them comfortable, but the adults didn't.)

If there was a king, I'd give them a try, they look nice.

Well, I found the queen bed in the master to be so uncomfortable (harder than a rock) that I went and slept in one of the bunks. We only had two of the bedrooms being used, and the bunks were free. The queen bed was hard as a rock, and I found the lighting in the master bedroom to be just terrible. I didn't care for the layout of the of the masterbath as far as how the shower and tub were set up. I was so glad our stay was only for the two nights prior to our cruise.

We know that until we have some grandkids old enough for the bunk beds, we won't be staying there again.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Pro: It's more cool! Come on, admit it. You've always wanted to stay in one of Disney's tree houses.

You are right, I always have wanted to stay there, starting years ago when we stayed in the Vacation Villas that stood on the land where SSR is now, and we shared bus services with the then version of the THV. I always thought it sooo cool when we rode thru there and saw the rooms up in the trees and the lights flickering like fireflies, it just looked so special and cool and some place I definitely wanted to stay some day, but after one stay there, I am so over it.

 

[marynvince]

with family of 6. THV were preferred accommodations. If staying close to path, quick walk to Main pool at SSR and to bus stop, don't have to transfer busses. Used grill twice and used mix of pools both at ssr and thv. While bus transport is fine to parks, we prefer a rental car for the overall time saved in getting there and back. Don't have to worry about noisy neighbors running down the hall or with heavy feet above. The best of all worlds, we'll stay at THV again.