Which would you stay at? SS or OKW

[ski070880]

We are looking to come down this November 2010. There will be 8 in the party. my Parents and me, my wife, and 4 kids (11,8,7,3). We are making this trip due to Dad being given bad news from the DR's. We are looking at either Saratoga Springs or OKW. I've only stayed at POR. Any help would be very helpfull. Also, when do the parks get "dressed up" for the Christmas season. Thanks

 

[JDUCKY]

Had my first taste of SS a few months ago. Much more impressive than I was expecting. Huge complex. Pool wasn't my favorite but it was ok.

The rooms were well appointed from what I saw.

As for the Christmas season, usually a week or two after Halloween the decorations start going up and the castle gets "winterized"

 

[disneylovin24]

SS for sure!!! The resort is beautiful and it's so close to DTD.

 

[stormer]

We like both. I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

Do your kids like pool slides? The slide at OKW is a lot better than at SS. Also the rooms are bigger at OKW.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

If you're paying cash....Saratoga....

If you're using DVC points...Old Key West

old key west...while currently dated...is set to begin a complete rehab any day now (seriously)...so you may also benefit from that as some of the new rooms will be available then. Old Key West's rooms are larger than other resorts in this category as well.

the food at OKW is not so great...the fast food is non-existent and Olivia's has been a victim of menu streamlining like most other spots...

Saratoga isn't any better as far as food...but you do have downtown disney restaurants within a walk

 

[kamikazecat]

We stayed at SSR last summer for two weeks and had a great stay. The resort is beautiful and we loved the pool area. I am sorry to hear about the bad news. I hope you have a wonderful vacation.

 

[Gordon Bombay]

New poster here, but I have to echo what others have said. SS is very nice and a good value. I personally liked the pool.

 

[jasonpicken]

New poster here, but I have to echo what others have said. SS is very nice and a good value. I personally liked the pool.

gordon bombay, love the name coach. i'm another for saratoga. since they are both dvc properties, if you want to save money go to the dvc rent/trade board. there you can rent dvc points from members for about $10 point. that would make a weekday night in the $110/night range. just a thought. i've done in several times now and love it, it's deluxe hotel for less than a moderates price.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I'll vote for OKW, but you knew that would be the case, eh?

The villas are the largest of all the DVC properties (including the studios) with full size laundry rooms (and machines) in the one bedrooms and up...

The Grand Villas are just beautiful with two stories, and hard wood floors...

Parking is directly in front of your villa, none of the schlepping of the other DVCs...

The pools are wonderful, from the main pool, to the secondary pool to the quiet pools...

DTD is a lovely walk along the canal, or a ferry boat ride away...

Renting the surreys is fun too! Flat pavement instead of the hills of other places.

SSR is nice, but OKW is my favorite.

(Don't much like the food at either resort).

 

[kaysmommie]

We stayed at Saratoga Springs in May. It's a huge property as is OKW. I would suggest requesting the Springs or Grandstand area since they are closest to the restaurants, boat dock, and main pool. We liked SSR a lot. Rooms were nice and clean and the kids and I thought the pools were great!! It's a gorgeous resort. Polynesian and Yacht club are still our favorites but we would stay at SSR again.

 

[ElizabethB]

We didn't care for SSR. Units aren't that big. We were in a two bedroom villa and it seemed rather tight. We were in the Springs building and it still seemed far from everything.

The resort is very big, we felt we needed a car to get around and it seemed very unclear as to what the theme is. I know Saratoga Springs, and horse-racing and natural springs. But, to me that seemed artificially imposed over the earlier fact that it was the golf village and then the Disney Institute. The golf course still makes up a big part of the resort. When we had lunch at the Turf Club, everybody else was coming off the golf course. So, I didn't think it really had much theming.

Add to that the fact that we could see lots of other Kissimee-area and non-Disney buildings from the resort and it had very little ambience for me. Also, for me, seeing Down Town Disney from the resort is like seeing a strip mall from the resort. Does nothing for me.

So, I've never stayed at OKW, but I would pick that one. We have dined at Olivia's occasionally and have enjoyed it.

 

[williamson_ja]

I've stayed at SSR and liked it quite a bit. I have to say that my kids like the grounds better at OKW. When ME was taking us to our resort last time, they stopped at OKW first and I told them that we could have stayed there instead of SSR and they were mad. lol. They thought it looked so much more relaxing. I haven't stayed there, so I have no comment on OKW rooms. SSR rooms were very nice and roomy. We were in the Carousel section which meant we were REALLY far from everything in the main area, but the bus stop for the parks was right next to our building, which was really nice.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

We didn't care for SSR. Units aren't that big. We were in a two bedroom villa and it seemed rather tight. We were in the Springs building and it still seemed far from everything.

The resort is very big, we felt we needed a car to get around and it seemed very unclear as to what the theme is. I know Saratoga Springs, and horse-racing and natural springs. But, to me that seemed artificially imposed over the earlier fact that it was the golf village and then the Disney Institute. The golf course still makes up a big part of the resort. When we had lunch at the Turf Club, everybody else was coming off the golf course. So, I didn't think it really had much theming.

Add to that the fact that we could see lots of other Kissimee-area and non-Disney buildings from the resort and it had very little ambience for me. Also, for me, seeing Down Town Disney from the resort is like seeing a strip mall from the resort. Does nothing for me.

So, I've never stayed at OKW, but I would pick that one. We have dined at Olivia's occasionally and have enjoyed it.

You are 1000% correct about Saratoga...it is the most pathetic excuse for a "themed" resort disney has ever built....
they used the rehashed failure that was Disney Institute...added modular looking concrete lodge buildings...put up two horse statues and slapped pastel paint everywhere.

It was an embarassing thrown together cheap DVC unit to take advantage of the "funny money" era of 2002-2008....exactly the kind of frivolous spending that caused near financial catastrophe. And since the resale market is flooded with points and undoubtedly disney is sitting on tens of thousands at saratoga...i'll take that as evidence to my case.

they should be ashamed of that...i'll stand by that with anybody. The combo restaurant/shop area screams cheap. The pool jammed into a former parking lot area below screams fly by night.

And i'm not only a critic...i'm also a member

It does have some advantages...proximity to downtown is a nice perk...but out of the six DVC units in Orlando...Saratoga is the 6th best in my opinion...and probably will never lose that distinction

 

[mamaprincess]

ummm alrighty then...

For those of us who have never seen the Disney Institute and don't give a rat's patootie what was there before, SSR is positively gorgeous with really beautiful grounds, lovely decor (IMO the prettiest rooms in DVC) and tons of eating choices and shopping a wonderful boat ride or stroll to DTD. Artist Palette has really tasty selections and Turf Club is very good for a sit down. There is a real advantage to staying at either OKW or SSR in that if you have dining reservations at any of the other resorts you can take the bus back to DTD and walk or boat back to SSR and boat back to OKW. For any other location you'd have to take a bus to a park, then bus from their to your resort. I'd choose SSR because it's newer and fresher and the room decor is better than OKW IMO. The spa at SSR is fabulous. There are 3 pools 2 of which are wonderfully themed the other is a quiet pool.

SSR is not in your face with giant Mickey's but it is gorgeous and magical. It feels very Disney to me. I think you will enjoy it.

 

[Pakey]

I've stayed at both and I have definitely been there enough times to see the Disney Institute. I do not think SSR is a joke of a resort.

SSR does not have any cheezy theming but it's got an elegant feel to it. I've enjoyed all 5 of our stays there once each in Springs, Grandstand, Congress Park and twice in Paddock. The resort is large but certainly manageable; we have walked every inch of it and have no problems walking to DTD from any of the sections where we have stayed. The CS and grocery store area are poorly planned and congested but it's not the end of the world. The spa is very nice here; the main pool is okay but we prefer the quiet pool at Congress Park. The TS, Turf Club, is a nice enough place to eat.

OKW could stand some updating but the balcony size, room size and grounds are superior to SSR. If we are going to go for a resort trip, everyone in my family would vote for OKW over SSR. They also like the main pool and quiet pools at OKW better than at SSR. And it's nice to not have to walk the long hallways to get to your room as you have to at SSR. We think the TS, Olivia's is ok, but we prefer the Turf Club at SSR.

For us, if we are staying in a regular studio we prefer SSR. If we are staying in a larger unit, we prefer OKW.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We had a nice stay at OKW but though the room was really run down and in need of an upgrade....DH is really wanting to try SSR the next time

 

[Amy&Dan]

I have stayed at both several times each. I am a big fan of both. But I give the edge to SSR.

SSR units are newer and fresher. Some OKW units are in bad need of some rehab because it is older. I have heard they do some sort of rolling refurb thing there but I can tell you if you get a room that is on the bad end of that roll, its a bummer. We had one of those once, the other two times our rooms were fine. I do find them a bit dated, especially the studios with that crazy small tv and kids style dresser. The one bedrooms are huge and so nice and having the full sized washer and dryer is great. But I always like things fresh and SSR does better in that department in my book.

SSR has better pools in my opinion, it has the High Rock Springs pool which is our favorite main pool we have stayed in and it also has a second feature pool in the Grandstand area with water cannons, jets and its own pool bar. Then it has two very nice quiet pools, the one in Congress Park is my favorite quiet pool due its lovely views of DTD. Especially at night. Dh and I love to have a glass of wine in the rocking chairs located at river's edge right at that Congress Park quiet pool. The OKW main pool does have some nice nooks and crannies for some quiet time and I do really miss the palm trees it has when I stay at SSR. OKW also has an enormous hot tub at the main pool.

SSR has better dining for cs in particular. Artist Palette has way more selection than Goods to Go at OKW and unlike Goods has indoor seating and more (way more) outdoor seating as well. I love Olivia's and Turf Club about evenly and think they are both hidden gems for WDW dining.

All SSR buildings have elevators. Only like four OKW buildings have elevators. If you get third floor, its a big bummer to have to deal with those stairs. This is the issue that kept us from staying at OKW in June. We were travelling with dh's aunt and she can't do stairs. I just couldn't chance she'd get a studio on the second or third floor. She had stayed at SSR before and done fine but we all agreed OKW buildings with their lack of elevators for the most part would not work for her.

SSR is more accessible to DTD, especially the Congress Park section. Some units in that section have gorgeous views of DTD. Its much easier to walk over to DTD from SSR than OKW and we like that feature very much because we enjoy dining in DTD.

Now, OKW has some great features too! Its lushly landscaped, very laid back and the units are larger and have much larger balconies. We have enjoyed all of our stays there although I would have been very upset had I gotten one of the rooms that is basically on a busy street and I do think the rooms are really showing their age. I think they need to be redone completely to look more in line with the other DVC resorts as far as the quality of the furnishings. But the grounds are drop dead gorgeous, I love Olivia's and the spacious units cannot be matched at any other DVC resort. Although we didn't feel cramped in our two bedrooms at SSR with a party of 8 but for sure we would have had more room in an OKW 2 bedroom.

We took my parents to SSR back in 2005 (that was our first stay) and at the time my mom had just gotten some bad news with her doctor and dh and I decided to go for it. We did the same thing with his dad a few months later. I cannot say enough how much dh's dad and my parents loved SSR. I have so many great memories from both of those trips. At the time, I hadn't stayed at OKW and even though we did later on and loved it for our family of four, both dh and I agreed that we were glad we had chosen SSR for our trip with our respective elderly parents (both of whom had health issues). SSR to me is easier to get around, the bus route makes more sense and is in my opinion much faster and the lack of elevators at OKW would have driven me insane with worry that we woudln't get one or a first floor room. With SSR you have no worry.

I'll also add that both of our stays at SSR with my mom (who had cancer and had just completed chemo and then the next time we had ds' dad who was in congestive heart failure plus an elderly aunt who had mobility issues with her hip) we didn't have a car. We all got around just fine. My mom walked from our room in the Paddock (which back in 2005 was the most distant location at SSR) each day across the bridge and she did great! She loved the peaceful, serene and quiet resort. My kids loved the main pool and all the activities they do at SSR (and they do those at OKW now too). I do not agree that you need a car at SSR. I have now stayed in each section of SSR and only one time did we have a car in all our stays there. There are lots of shortcuts. OKW in my opinion is less easily navigated.

Sorry some people find SSR pathetic but then no resort can be all things to all people! I won't bother with trying to sell SSR to the people who still find it a DVC embrassment because they have their opinion and hey, they are entitled to it. But I will stand by my opinion based on many stays, its a lovely resort. Its is further removed from the parks (as is OKW) but to us, that is a plus. And we still find the Disney magic and theming at the resort, albeit in an understated way. And for the trip we took with my parents and dh's, it was perfect. They needed some space to relax and enjoy and SSR provided that. My parents and dh's family all enjoyed it and thought it was a lovely resort and given the amount of travelling they have all done all over the world that was good by me!

Sorry that was so long winded but I have done trips with a similar make up of family members so thought I'd share!

 

[LeahA]

I have stayed at both and although they are both nice resorts I would pick SSR. The main pool was closed the 2nd time we were at SSR, and I really enjoyed our smaller pool back by the Grandstand. It didn't have a slide but it did have a hot tub and a childrens area with guns to squirt at each other. The main pool was fine, but, we preferred the quieter pool. The counter service at SSR we enjoyed very much, alot of selection and pretty good food. We walked to DD one night. Our first visit we had a room accross the water from Bongo's Cuban Cafe at DD westside, that was fun to sit on our patio and look accross at all the lights. Our last trip we had a balcony overlooking the golf course and we could see some of the Treehouses. The resort is very clean, the transporation was good. The boat service down to DD was nice. We have 3 boys, ages 6/9/12 that we took.

Our room at OKW looked a little worn, we had a nice view of a waterway, but, really didn't take advantage of the patio. We were there during the Food and Wine Festival, so we didn't eat here. We did use the pool one day and my dh used the hot tub. Transportation was fine.

 

[rkpatteson]

I love both resorts, but choose SSR over OKW b/c of the zero degree entry pool for my babies...it's been a life saver!!!!!! If OKW had one (and when the building rehab is done) then I'd probably pick OKW b/c of the size of the units. Both are lovely, we appreciate ALL things disney.

3 weeks to SSR!!!!!!

 

[Missytara]

We are looking to come down this November 2010. There will be 8 in the party. my Parents and me, my wife, and 4 kids (11,8,7,3). We are making this trip due to Dad being given bad news from the DR's. We are looking at either Saratoga Springs or OKW. I've only stayed at POR. Any help would be very helpfull. Also, when do the parks get "dressed up" for the Christmas season. Thanks

I just stayed at SSR late last year. My home resort is POR.

One thing you will notice is how the whole bus/food court thing works in the morning.

First of all, the choices in the food court for breakfast are nothing like POR. They are very limited.

Also, I was very used to just going to the food court from my room each morning and then walking through the main building right out to the bus stop.

We stayed in Springs section in SSR. You had to walk past the bus stop to the main building, eat breakfast (which was not the best choices) and then walk all the way back to the bus stop.

After the first two days, we went over to WPE's each morning for breakfast, walked all the way back to the bus stop to go to the parks. After two days of that, we just ate in the parks for breakfast.

However, you will enjoy being that close to DTD. We used the DTD buses to get to the resorts at night, or walked around DTD every night. While the ride to DTD from POR is wonderfully slow and relaxing, I loved being that close from SSR.