Why is Saratoga Springs a good value?

[luckyman_apd]

This is true. BLT is only close to MK.

True, but with BLT you still get the monorail to Epcot, and that's what she prefers. We've had bus issues in the past (again I'm ok with it but she was not). Right now are kids are still small in strollers, so BLT is the resort of choice for our NOV trip(s). But summer trips, I'm not sure I care what resort I'm at. They all have good pools, and it's the downtime part of the vacation I want. But Nov trips are about the parks, and MK is her favorite.

 

[Sammie]

True, but with BLT you still get the monorail to Epcot, and that's what she prefers. We've had bus issues in the past (again I'm ok with it but she was not). Right now are kids are still small in strollers, so BLT is the resort of choice for our NOV trip(s). But summer trips, I'm not sure I care what resort I'm at. They all have good pools, and it's the downtime part of the vacation I want. But Nov trips are about the parks, and MK is her favorite.

All that matters is what works for you and your family, it is all good.

We personally hate the monorail because it seems to break down a lot lately and being stuck on it is no fun. We have never had a bus break down on us or set on the road and not move.

Right now the new Paddocks pool is our favorite of all the pools.

 

[Caren90]

OP, since BLT is your resort of choice now, the better question may be to ask how difficult it is to get a room at BLT (for the dates you usually travel) inside the 7 month window. You could then weigh the risk of the availability of BLT, based on anecdotal history, and determine whether the less expensive SSR points will meet your needs.

Another option is to buy a small BLT contract and a small SSR contract. Although slightly more expensive due to the contract sizes, with banking and borrowing, this would give you the 11 month window at BLT as well as cheaper SSR points for those months when you do not need to worry about the 11 month window.

Your children are young now and MK is their favorite park, but that will probably change. My children are young adults and although they love MK (especially at 2 am) they prefer to stay in the Boardwalk area. They are old enough to zip around all of the parks by themselves and do not mind using the transportation to do so.

Stephen

 

[DizBub]

True, but with BLT you still get the monorail to Epcot, and that's what she prefers. We've had bus issues in the past (again I'm ok with it but she was not). Right now are kids are still small in strollers, so BLT is the resort of choice for our NOV trip(s). But summer trips, I'm not sure I care what resort I'm at. They all have good pools, and it's the downtime part of the vacation I want. But Nov trips are about the parks, and MK is her favorite.

I have no beef with BLT (we own there) but having stayed there realized just how remote MK area actually is. Love the monorail and all the options that come with it. That said, the monorail seems to break down with regularity lately and the fact that it stops running 1 hour after park closing makes it a little iffy.

During our stays at SSR and OKW we found the bus service at both were fantastic. Rarely was there a full bus going or coming back. Bus rides to Epcot and Studios were really short and even AK seemed closer.

We will be staying at BLT (with kids) and SSR (without kids) the first 2 weeks of Oct. Looking forward to both!!

 

[NattysMom]

We will travel mostly in the summer for big trips with flexible dates so we think that we'll take our chances with 7 month availability for other resorts.

We want to try them all out and are actually planning on using our points for the first time at VGC to go to Disneyland. No WDW home resort will help us get dates there!

I did consider two small contracts but I think we'll go with more bang for our buck. We've actually decided to bump up the points we're going to buy and it's still more affordable than the original number of BLT points.

Down the road when our daughter is grown we're going to think of it as a resort destination so lots of activities, nice pools and amenities will be important.

 

[luckyman_apd]

We will travel mostly in the summer for big trips with flexible dates so we think that we'll take our chances with 7 month availability for other resorts.

We want to try them all out and are actually planning on using our points for the first time at VGC to go to Disneyland. No WDW home resort will help us get dates there!

I did consider two small contracts but I think we'll go with more bang for our buck. We've actually decided to bump up the points we're going to buy and it's still more affordable than the original number of BLT points.

Down the road when our daughter is grown we're going to think of it as a resort destination so lots of activities, nice pools and amenities will be important.

I know there are people who love VGC, and I'm an east coast person, but Disneyland is a whole different can of worms. We just took our first trip out there in June. Will be a long while till we are back because of geography, but it was really enjoyable. However, the immersion feeling is different, and MUCH different cost wise. It's a whole lot more convenient to stay on property at WDW, but Disneyland I don't believe it is. We stayed at the HoJo. Many other guests we spoke to in the parks said our walk to the parks was shorter than theirs from a disney hotel, except the VGC. The points use is also so much higher to stay on points out there. There are some very nice hotels out there to stay without staying on property and not being far away, where it could be more economical to rent out your points and stay on cash, and the experience I don't believe would be any less. Just my HO. You decide what's best for you.

But I will say Carsland was fantastic at DCA. It also made DL much less crowded as everyone was at Carsland in line for Radiator Springs racers.

 

[Caren90]

We will travel mostly in the summer for big trips with flexible dates so we think that we'll take our chances with 7 month availability for other resorts.

We want to try them all out and are actually planning on using our points for the first time at VGC to go to Disneyland. No WDW home resort will help us get dates there!

I did consider two small contracts but I think we'll go with more bang for our buck. We've actually decided to bump up the points we're going to buy and it's still more affordable than the original number of BLT points.

Down the road when our daughter is grown we're going to think of it as a resort destination so lots of activities, nice pools and amenities will be important.

You seem to have a sensible plan for addressing your family's needs now and into the future. Good luck with your purchase and I hope you have many enjoyable years with your DVC!

Stephen

 

[NattysMom]

Thanks again for the advice and help! I've never heard horrible reviews about SSR, so even though we haven't stayed (it was a great idea to resort hop but it just isn't viable in the timeframe before we'd like to decide) I think we'll be ok. We can always add on a small contract later, right?

We actually went to Disneyland a few years ago when Carsland was under construction and we stayed at the Hojo. It was very convenient and we enjoyed it. We timed the walk and it was only 8 minutes! They've greatly curtailed their entertainment book discount from what I've read so we're looking forward to a nice splurge trip on points!

 

[luckyman_apd]

Thanks again for the advice and help! I've never heard horrible reviews about SSR, so even though we haven't stayed (it was a great idea to resort hop but it just isn't viable in the timeframe before we'd like to decide) I think we'll be ok. We can always add on a small contract later, right?

We actually went to Disneyland a few years ago when Carsland was under construction and we stayed at the Hojo. It was very convenient and we enjoyed it. We timed the walk and it was only 8 minutes! They've greatly curtailed their entertainment book discount from what I've read so we're looking forward to a nice splurge trip on points!

I'm curious to try it, but I'm just not willing to spend the extra points. It requires quite a bit more out there. I also have a small contract so it would wipe us out for quite a while to stay there.

 

[tomandrobin]

My view is that the fees are low because they are spread out among more owners.

Because it is the largest resort, there are more sellers causing prices to be lower. Also as it is not next to a park it is not as popular as those resorts next to a park.

Ture....most points and rooms of all the DVC resorts.

The resort has just as many amenities as any of the other resorts. If it was next to a park it would probably be a vey popular resort.[/QUOTE]

Saratoga Springs has the most amenities of all the DVC resorts. The other resorts either share amenities with sister hotels or just don't have them.

 

[tomandrobin]

We are MK people so we're also considering BLT or VWL but we are content with split stays, studios of any type of view, and don't tend to travel at very busy times (although I do like going for Thanksgiving sometimes) so we're wondering if we should save ourselves the $30/pt difference between SSR and BLT and give up the 11 month window for the lower dues and total cost. However, I'd love to hear from experts for any catches or "you get what you paid for" tips because I've never been to SSR.

Thanks in advance!

Buy where you want to stay.....BLT or VWL or both.

We own resorts for 11 month booking - AKV, BLT & BWV and SSR points because its our favorite resort.