PrincessTToo
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 11, 2003
- Messages
- 159
Sorry this is so late. Instead of one of my standard trip reports (first I did this, then I did that) I just put together an overview with highlights and comments.
SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT:
I think one of the main reasons I put off doing this trip report is that I knew I would have a hard time coming up with something nice to say about this resort. But Ill try or maybe Ill just be honest and say that I will never stay there again. Either way, here goes
My DMIL house-sits for a huge house. When I describe how big this house is all I say is it has 7 furnaces. When I describe how big SSR is I say it has 4 bus stops. I am so glad I had a car. When I started driving from the Carriage House (reception area) to my room in Congress Park, then I knew I was in trouble. There was no way I would be able to walk all that way at night to get dinner or a snack. Of course, there is one bus that does nothing but drive around the resort. Im pretty sure there is one I did see it once.
Ahhhhh, the buses. And thats not an appreciative ahhhhhh, its one of those hesitation noises I make when Im trying to think of something polite to say. But the truth is that I was unhappy with the buses. It took me an hour to get to MK for the MVMCP, most of that time was spent waiting for the bus. The buses to Epcot werent bad and it never took me very long to get there. When I did go to Epcot then Id take the boat to MGM so I never tried that bus. And I never went to AK on this trip. And because there are 4 bus stops at SSR, then youre making 4 stops coming or going. The bus stop at Epcot was for both SSR and OKW and was very confusing. The bus would come for the other resort and then people had to climb over other people in line to get on their bus. MK had a separate bus stop for SSR. I did drive a couple of times (ex. when I had to be at Epcot early for the Yuletide tour) but I never drink and drive. So for those times when I thought I might be drinking at the parks, then Id rely on the bus. And it seemed like those are the times when I needed a drink.
The room was ok. But all DVC rooms are basically the same. I had a nice view of DTD from my balcony but never used it because of the weather (see below). Housekeeping was a bit off this time which is very unusual. The entertainment center was very dusty. There was stuff on the carpet that never got vacuumed up. Also when I went to bed on the first night I noticed that one of the pillows had a big red lipstick stain on it. There are three pillows and only one of me so it wasnt that big a deal. I figured that it would go away the next night but it didnt. I never knew before that they didnt change the sheets every day. But the stain was gone on the third night. My assumption (and hope) was that these were freshly washed bed linens but that the lipstick stain just hadnt come out in the wash. Once again, it wasnt enough to complain to the manager about but it was surprising enough that I felt that I had to note it here.
One more surprising and annoying feature of SSR was the hourly start of the horse race horn. At first it was amusing. I thought that maybe there was somewhere within the resort where kids could push a button or win something and that is what played the sound. But during one long wait at the bus stop, I started chatting with a couple and the horn sounded. The husband had figured out that it was sounded at the top of every hour. When youre waiting for the bus theres really no need to remind us that another hour has passed!
But what I really liked about SSR was the walk to DTD because of the beautiful landscaping throughout the resort. I think the landscaping is this resorts finest feature. That being said, I also have to mention that it in no way compares to the Garden Walk at Universal. When you get close to DTD you have to walk right next to the busy street and then dodge buses to get to the shops. Also, the pools at SSR looked very nice but I didnt try them because of the weather.
The straw that broke the camels back (so to speak) and why I would never stay at SSR again was the open hallways. They really amplified every noise. The doors on the rooms (at least mine was this way) appeared to have no weatherstripping so the wind just whips right through them along with the noise. The concrete hallways also acted like amplifiers. And when its raining then everything gets soggy in the hallway. The checkout form that was attached to my door knob was soaked and unreadable.
Im sorry, but if I wanted to stay in the DTD area again, I would just stay at one of the DTD Disney hotels instead and pay a lot less for the room. There, I said it. I will never stay at SSR again.
WEATHER:
One of the questions always asked on the DIS is what the weather is like. Ive been so lucky during my winter trips to WDW and have really had no trouble with the weather before. Sure, sometimes its been a little cold (unless youre from Minnesota like me) and sometimes it rains for a little bit. But no big deal. Until this trip.
It rained every day, all day. Sometimes just sprinkles, sometimes heavier. Even the local news people complained. And I got so sick of seeing everyone in those ponchos that I could have screamed. I think they call that a poncho fit! Maybe the Project Runway show should do a challenge where they have to design something better for WDW guests than those ponchos.
CROWDS (including cheerleaders and Pop-Warner boys):
The crowds are always another big question. When I first picked out the dates for this trip, I had assumed that the crowds were going to be very, very light. In fact, a certain guidebook said that it should be one of the lowest crowds of the year. Then I found out that it was cheerleader week and Pop Warner week.
But that being said, while I was surprised by the large size of the crowds I was equally pleasantly surprised by the cheerleaders and the Pop Warner kids. All the ones I saw traveled in small packs and were very well behaved. I especially loved some of the Pop Warner boys who tried so hard to look bored and cool but you could look in their eyes and see how happy they were to be at WDW. Its hard to look cool and aloof when you feel like a 6 year old. I know, Ive tried.
But for some reason even though there appeared to be a lot of people in the parks, the crowds didnt affect wait times. I didnt do a lot on this trip but what I did do I didnt have to wait in lines very long for. I never even used FastPass. The only affect the crowds had was just making it more difficult trying to get from Point A to Point B. I guess there were a lot of people at the parks but they all just decided to stand around or walk around as slowly as possible. As s-l-o-w-l-y as p-o-s-s-i-b-l-e.
FOOD:
SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT:
I think one of the main reasons I put off doing this trip report is that I knew I would have a hard time coming up with something nice to say about this resort. But Ill try or maybe Ill just be honest and say that I will never stay there again. Either way, here goes
My DMIL house-sits for a huge house. When I describe how big this house is all I say is it has 7 furnaces. When I describe how big SSR is I say it has 4 bus stops. I am so glad I had a car. When I started driving from the Carriage House (reception area) to my room in Congress Park, then I knew I was in trouble. There was no way I would be able to walk all that way at night to get dinner or a snack. Of course, there is one bus that does nothing but drive around the resort. Im pretty sure there is one I did see it once.
Ahhhhh, the buses. And thats not an appreciative ahhhhhh, its one of those hesitation noises I make when Im trying to think of something polite to say. But the truth is that I was unhappy with the buses. It took me an hour to get to MK for the MVMCP, most of that time was spent waiting for the bus. The buses to Epcot werent bad and it never took me very long to get there. When I did go to Epcot then Id take the boat to MGM so I never tried that bus. And I never went to AK on this trip. And because there are 4 bus stops at SSR, then youre making 4 stops coming or going. The bus stop at Epcot was for both SSR and OKW and was very confusing. The bus would come for the other resort and then people had to climb over other people in line to get on their bus. MK had a separate bus stop for SSR. I did drive a couple of times (ex. when I had to be at Epcot early for the Yuletide tour) but I never drink and drive. So for those times when I thought I might be drinking at the parks, then Id rely on the bus. And it seemed like those are the times when I needed a drink.
The room was ok. But all DVC rooms are basically the same. I had a nice view of DTD from my balcony but never used it because of the weather (see below). Housekeeping was a bit off this time which is very unusual. The entertainment center was very dusty. There was stuff on the carpet that never got vacuumed up. Also when I went to bed on the first night I noticed that one of the pillows had a big red lipstick stain on it. There are three pillows and only one of me so it wasnt that big a deal. I figured that it would go away the next night but it didnt. I never knew before that they didnt change the sheets every day. But the stain was gone on the third night. My assumption (and hope) was that these were freshly washed bed linens but that the lipstick stain just hadnt come out in the wash. Once again, it wasnt enough to complain to the manager about but it was surprising enough that I felt that I had to note it here.
One more surprising and annoying feature of SSR was the hourly start of the horse race horn. At first it was amusing. I thought that maybe there was somewhere within the resort where kids could push a button or win something and that is what played the sound. But during one long wait at the bus stop, I started chatting with a couple and the horn sounded. The husband had figured out that it was sounded at the top of every hour. When youre waiting for the bus theres really no need to remind us that another hour has passed!
But what I really liked about SSR was the walk to DTD because of the beautiful landscaping throughout the resort. I think the landscaping is this resorts finest feature. That being said, I also have to mention that it in no way compares to the Garden Walk at Universal. When you get close to DTD you have to walk right next to the busy street and then dodge buses to get to the shops. Also, the pools at SSR looked very nice but I didnt try them because of the weather.
The straw that broke the camels back (so to speak) and why I would never stay at SSR again was the open hallways. They really amplified every noise. The doors on the rooms (at least mine was this way) appeared to have no weatherstripping so the wind just whips right through them along with the noise. The concrete hallways also acted like amplifiers. And when its raining then everything gets soggy in the hallway. The checkout form that was attached to my door knob was soaked and unreadable.
Im sorry, but if I wanted to stay in the DTD area again, I would just stay at one of the DTD Disney hotels instead and pay a lot less for the room. There, I said it. I will never stay at SSR again.
WEATHER:
One of the questions always asked on the DIS is what the weather is like. Ive been so lucky during my winter trips to WDW and have really had no trouble with the weather before. Sure, sometimes its been a little cold (unless youre from Minnesota like me) and sometimes it rains for a little bit. But no big deal. Until this trip.
It rained every day, all day. Sometimes just sprinkles, sometimes heavier. Even the local news people complained. And I got so sick of seeing everyone in those ponchos that I could have screamed. I think they call that a poncho fit! Maybe the Project Runway show should do a challenge where they have to design something better for WDW guests than those ponchos.
CROWDS (including cheerleaders and Pop-Warner boys):
The crowds are always another big question. When I first picked out the dates for this trip, I had assumed that the crowds were going to be very, very light. In fact, a certain guidebook said that it should be one of the lowest crowds of the year. Then I found out that it was cheerleader week and Pop Warner week.
But that being said, while I was surprised by the large size of the crowds I was equally pleasantly surprised by the cheerleaders and the Pop Warner kids. All the ones I saw traveled in small packs and were very well behaved. I especially loved some of the Pop Warner boys who tried so hard to look bored and cool but you could look in their eyes and see how happy they were to be at WDW. Its hard to look cool and aloof when you feel like a 6 year old. I know, Ive tried.
But for some reason even though there appeared to be a lot of people in the parks, the crowds didnt affect wait times. I didnt do a lot on this trip but what I did do I didnt have to wait in lines very long for. I never even used FastPass. The only affect the crowds had was just making it more difficult trying to get from Point A to Point B. I guess there were a lot of people at the parks but they all just decided to stand around or walk around as slowly as possible. As s-l-o-w-l-y as p-o-s-s-i-b-l-e.
FOOD:
- Artists Palette I was surprisingly happy with this place especially after reading some negative comments. My normal routine is to have a small breakfast in the room, then a big lunch in the parks and then a small dinner or snacks in the room. I was able to get a bagel for breakfast and at night I was able to get my favorite, mashed potatoes and vegetables. The vegetables were very fresh and the mashed potatoes tasted homemade. Yum.
- Electric Umbrella I dont normally write about the fast food type places but I just had to mention that they got rid of the veggie burger (which tasted like it was cooked with the regular burgers anyway) and now have a vegetarian chili. It was very good. I had it with fries but didnt need to because it came with a nice roll. Very good, very quick and very nice.
- Rose and Crown I havent been there in a long time mostly because I didnt think they had a very good option for us veggies. So I was surprised when I just loved my meal there. I crossed the line and had the potato and leek soup. I didnt ask if it was made with chicken stock but it didnt taste like it. It was delicious. And I had the curried vegetables which were wonderful, especially the carrots. I dont remember what I had for dessert but it was good. The waitress was very good especially considering that the restaurant was full to capacity because of the Candlelight Processional. I was seated at a table for one right next to a lovely non-working fireplace but I felt so conspicuous because I was in a room with two huge family groups. You could just feel the looks and the oh, that poor woman. All by herself. She must have no family or friends. I have no problem eating alone at lunch but dinner always throws me for some reason especially when I get those pity looks.
- San Angel Inn I went there for lunch and had my usual veggie option from the vegetarian menu which is ridiculous because it only has one appetizer and one entrée. Why do they even bother making a separate menu? Anyway, it is always good and very filling. Once again I was seated next to a large family. A Mom, Dad and 5 kids all looking to be under the age of 10. But this time instead of looks of pity, Mom and Dad looked at me with total envy. Felt good.
- Brown Derby Normally I love the Brown Derby. They have my favorite meal in all of WDW, the coconut-crusted tofu. But this time it was not very good. I think that someone didnt drain the pasta very well and the sauce was very, very watery. Tofu is very hard to get right under the best of circumstances (I still cant do it right) and the watery sauce made it really bad. Instead of crispy, it was very mushy. But the crème brulee was heaven, as usual. Made up for the tofu.
- Goofys Candy Co. Im going to admit it right now. Im addicted to Goofys Candy Co. shop. Time for an intervention. I went there three times on this trip. I got a great peanut brittle with coconut on one trip there. I love the look of this store, I love the smell of this store, I love the treats in this store. I could live in this store.
