Villas at Saratoga Springs vs Old Key West

[flattfamily5]

Just wanted to get everyone's opinions on the difference between the Villa's at Saratoga Springs Vs the Villa's at Old Key West. Is one recommended over the other? Is one more conviently located then the other? Also if anyone has pictures of either, those would also be wonderful to see

Thanks for any assistance

 

[ChelleinNC]

Just wanted to get everyone's opinions on the difference between the Villa's at Saratoga Springs Vs the Villa's at Old Key West. Is one recommended over the other? Is one more conviently located then the other? Also if anyone has pictures of either, those would also be wonderful to see

Thanks for any assistance

SSR is my home resort and I love it, I haven't stayed at OKW yet but will in Nov/Dec.


They are similar in that they are both "condo" style. Themeing is very different (Tropical/Florida Keys vs. Victorian/Horse Racing Upstate NY) Both are "away" from the parks, very relaxing. Bus service to all parks, multiple bus stops thru the resorts.

SSR is right next to DTD, an easy walk to more restaurants & shopping. Boat & Bus service to DTD as well. SSR is newer.

OKW-- I believe you can walk to DTD, but it's a long walk. Boat & bus service to DTD. OKW is known for having the largest rooms.

I'm sure if you come over to the DVC forums, you'll find a lot more info & pictures.

 

[skipperkim]

Also OKW has full size washer and dryer in the 1 bedroom as compared to a compact one at SSR.

 

[flattfamily5]

Thanks for the responses. We are much more familiar with Disneyland and finding ourselves a bit overwhelmed with "the world". Luckily we still have about 6 more months to plan!

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Villas at OKW are much larger than all other DVC properties at WDW -- about 30% larger in square footage to SSR.

The "feel" of OKW is very different because all the trees are fully grown making the walkways all shady. Lots of cul-de-sacs with buildings on boths sides of the street and parking in between. Much more like a small town. To me SSR has more of a "high-rise" feel.

 

[ElizabethB]

We stayed recently at SSR and were not terribly impressed. I didn't like that you can see lots of plain old Orlando from the property. It seemed like just another Central Florida condo development to us.

 

[BostonRob]

I haven't stayed at either, but the general impression I get on these boards is that SSR is undesirable. And I'll tell you that whenever WDW offers free upgrades because of construction or overbooking it seems like the first thing they offer is SSR, so maybe they have trouble filling those rooms.
Here's what they say on mousesavers:

Old Key West is my Best Value choice in the Disney Vacation Club category. It was the first Disney Vacation Club to be built and the units are a bit bigger than at the other DVC resorts. Yet Old Key West offers the least expensive rates of the villa resorts on Disney property. The themed pool at Old Key West is spectacular, there are nice dining options and overall it's an extremely attractive resort with lots of stuff to do.
However, I only recommend staying at Old Key West if you will have a car. Otherwise it feels a bit isolated and it's not at all convenient to eat at another resort, go to Downtown Disney, or attend special meals such as the Polynesian Luau or Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. Also, you may have to walk long distances from some of the units to the restaurant and main pool -- if you have a car, you can drive over and park near these central services.

My least favorite of the Disney Vacation Club properties is Saratoga Springs Resort. The location is somewhat remote and it has the smallest units of any DVC resort. The large number of units (and their location) means long walks to the central area that houses the pool, food court and spa. Also, the theming at this resort is fairly ordinary, in my opinion.
The only major advantage of this resort is that you can walk to Downtown Disney. I recommend renting a car if you stay here. Otherwise it's not at all convenient to eat at another resort or attend special meals such as the Polynesian Luau or Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue.

 

[ChelleinNC]

I haven't stayed at either, but the general impression I get on these boards is that SSR is undesirable. And I'll tell you that whenever WDW offers free upgrades because of construction or overbooking it seems like the first thing they offer is SSR, so maybe they have trouble filling those rooms.
Here's what they say on mousesavers:

Old Key West is my Best Value choice in the Disney Vacation Club category. It was the first Disney Vacation Club to be built and the units are a bit bigger than at the other DVC resorts. Yet Old Key West offers the least expensive rates of the villa resorts on Disney property. The themed pool at Old Key West is spectacular, there are nice dining options and overall it's an extremely attractive resort with lots of stuff to do.
However, I only recommend staying at Old Key West if you will have a car. Otherwise it feels a bit isolated and it's not at all convenient to eat at another resort, go to Downtown Disney, or attend special meals such as the Polynesian Luau or Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. Also, you may have to walk long distances from some of the units to the restaurant and main pool -- if you have a car, you can drive over and park near these central services.

My least favorite of the Disney Vacation Club properties is Saratoga Springs Resort. The location is somewhat remote and it has the smallest units of any DVC resort. The large number of units (and their location) means long walks to the central area that houses the pool, food court and spa. Also, the theming at this resort is fairly ordinary, in my opinion.
The only major advantage of this resort is that you can walk to Downtown Disney. I recommend renting a car if you stay here. Otherwise it's not at all convenient to eat at another resort or attend special meals such as the Polynesian Luau or Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue.

IMHO it's unfair to put an opinion out on something that you don't know about. You can find "I love" & "I hate" threads on every single resort.

You're right that some people don't like SSR as much as some of the other resorts for whatever reasons, but some people don't like BWV or VWL (and all the rest) for whatever reasons. SSR & OKW both take big "hits" for not being next to a park. That was my concern before we stayed at SSR the first time, however, we decided that we really enjoyed the "away" feeling and had one of our most relaxing trips ever. Disney has offerred SSR as an upgrade, not because they can't get anyone to stay there but because it is the largest DVC to date & they kept more ownership in it, so they have they availability. It's a great way for them to sell more DVC My upcoming trip to OKW is partly because I couldn't get into SSR

I have stayed at SSR twice and had my Dad stay there once. The only time we have driven anywhere was to: AKL for a Boma breakfast, Palm & Magnolia golf courses & a trip to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription. Other than that, we take the busses to the parks or walk to DTD to easily get to other resorts (worked well when Dad was at SSR & we were at BWV).

Different resorts appeal to different people (guess that's why they make them all different ) I've always loved staying at the BC before we bought DVC, loved the Epcot area.....wasn't thrilled with BWV. It's all just personal preference.

One last comment, it's not really convenient to get to Hoop De Doo Review or the Luau from most resorts. All resort to resort travel is time consuming/complicated. It's actually easier from SSR by using DTD

 

[BostonRob]

IMHO it's unfair to put an opinion out on something that you don't know about. You can find "I love" & "I hate" threads on every single resort.

One last comment, it's not really convenient to get to Hoop De Doo Review or the Luau from most resorts. All resort to resort travel is time consuming/complicated. It's actually easier from SSR by using DTD

True, but that's why I prefaced it by saying I don't have firsthand experience. I've read a lot of threads on this stuff and I've formed an opinion of what I think the general sentiment is toward these two resorts, which might be worth sharing with people who don't have as much time to waste on these boards as I do. And that's what I gave, followed up by a review on one of the more respected WDW sites.

You make a valid point about transportation being equally difficult from either of these properties to the Hoopdeedoo. But I'll stand by my points that there are very few non-SSR owners who have many positive things to say about SSR and that WDW seems to have a hard time filling rooms at SSR.

 

[Harambe]

I have never stayed at either, but after doing a lot of research on this board (and others) and viewing pictures, etc. I chose OKW for our upcoming (16 days away!) trip because we are looking for fun at the parks, but also a real laid-back Florida vacation feel.

Resort preferrence is totally personal. For instance, others love Wilderness Lodge but we stay up in Maine for two weeks every year, and I could care less about pine trees in Florida. Others love the whole Cape Cod feel of the Beach Club - again, not interested because we live right on the ol' Atlantic coast! SSR looked to me (again, only in pictures) more like a golf club type place.

We want Florida - lush gardens, swaying palms, and conch fritters! We're kicking back at OKW.

 

[haleofafamily]

We have stayed at both and OKW is my favorite of the two.

SSR was the first DVC property we stayed at and we were very impressed. After staying at other properties, it is my least favorite. The theming is great, the rooms were nice and you can't beat having 2 bedrms and a full kitchen. The pool is also great (better than OKW because of zero entry). The resort is very spread out and very inconvenient (depending on where your unit is located) to get to the pool or refill mugs.

OKW's villas are huge compared to the others. The resort is very peaceful. It's almost as if you get two vacations - the busyness of the parks and the rest and relaxation of the resort. This time I knew to ask to be near the main building and themed pool so the location of the unit wasn't a big deal. We were in a building close to the first bus stop which was perfect.

As for needing to rent a car because of the location - if you are prepared to spend a little extra time waiting for a bus then it is not a big deal. We have never rented a car and never regretted it.

Since this is your first DVC, you will probably love whichever one you choose.