different areas of Saratoga Springs

[Disbound]

Can someone explain if there are pros and cons of different areas of Saratoga Springs Villas? We are booking for March 2013. Are some buildings quieter than others? Longer walks to transportation? Are there any major differences to being in different buildings at the resort? Thanks!

 

[Pakey]

Grandstand is the first bus stop so you are pretty much guaranteed a seat on every bus. They also have a children's splash/play area.

Springs is closest to main area where restaurants and main themed pool are but it's last bus stop and at peak times buses will be full or SRO. I've also found it noisy to sit on the balconies here.

Carousel is 2nd stop and the only section I have not stayed in. There is no pool here.

Paddock is 3rd stop. There is a new themed pool here.

Congress Park is the 4th bus stop, has DTD views for many rooms, has shortest walk to DTD, is the first section to have room refurbishments and has a quiet pool.

We are adults only and we like Congress Park. It's quiet, we love the quiet pool, love the walk to DTD, and it's only a 5-7 minute walk to the main area. Most people prefer Springs or Grandstand if they have kids.

 

[weezyree]

We ALWAYS stay at SSR becuase we love it so much. We have always requested to stay at The Springs because of its proximity to eating, shopping, the pool and the transportation to parks and DTD.

However, we were very pleasantly suprised when we checked in last month for two night and they put us up in Congress Park.

Our room was ready when we got there at 0900. We had just gotten off the cruise and it was nice to have extra time to unpack, get some washing done and hang at the pool before dinner res at DTD.

The misconception of CP is it IS the last stop on the transportation; however, it is a three to five minute walk from The Springs....so it is convenient to the same ammenitites. Their pool is also very nice and quiet compared to The Springs.

If you wanted to watch an evening movie, the walk to The Springs is so short. You can catch the bus at Congress Park leaving out and get off at The Springs returning and just walk the few minutes to your room instead of staying on for three more stops.

I found it very peaceful at CP compared to TS with less traffice because it isn't on the main road through SSR, and the parking lots are on the far side of one building.

I think we found our own little pot of gold and will from now on stay at CP.

Also, their is a drink station and bar at the pool, so refillable mugs can be filled at that station without having to walk over to the quick service area. It does close in the early evening, but it's nice if you are at the pool for the day.

I think both locations are awesome; however, my fav is now CP!!!


Enjoy your vacay no matter what!!!

 

[tinkerpea]

I was wanting to know this info too! everybody goes on about how big the place is and how not to stay if you dont have a car im quite scared of our stay now!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

We ALWAYS stay at SSR becuase we love it so much. We have always requested to stay at The Springs because of its proximity to eating, shopping, the pool and the transportation to parks and DTD.

However, we were very pleasantly suprised when we checked in last month for two night and they put us up in Congress Park.

Our room was ready when we got there at 0900. We had just gotten off the cruise and it was nice to have extra time to unpack, get some washing done and hang at the pool before dinner res at DTD.

The misconception of CP is it IS the last stop on the transportation; however, it is a three to five minute walk from The Springs....so it is convenient to the same ammenitites. Their pool is also very nice and quiet compared to The Springs.

If you wanted to watch an evening movie, the walk to The Springs is so short. You can catch the bus at Congress Park leaving out and get off at The Springs returning and just walk the few minutes to your room instead of staying on for three more stops.

I found it very peaceful at CP compared to TS with less traffice because it isn't on the main road through SSR, and the parking lots are on the far side of one building.

I think we found our own little pot of gold and will from now on stay at CP.

Also, their is a drink station and bar at the pool, so refillable mugs can be filled at that station without having to walk over to the quick service area. It does close in the early evening, but it's nice if you are at the pool for the day.

I think both locations are awesome; however, my fav is now CP!!!


Enjoy your vacay no matter what!!!

I second with Springs!!! It is a great location and has a bus stop right near it. Pretty much every area of SSR has its own bus stop. Don;t worry about getting a seat on a bus...you will b fine.
The pools are great and the boat to DTD is wonderful also.

Have a great trip!!!!

 

[cannonboys]

We just stayed there in June, had a beautiful view of DTD at the Congress Park area. LOVED IT!! I think it is one of Disney's best kept secrets!! My boys 11 and 6 had the best time at the pool at night and we loved the refillable drink station at the 2 main "fun" pools. You won't be disappointed!!

 

[magicaldisney]

Pakey has nailed it. The descriptions of each area is right on. The Paddock would be my first choice. The new themed pool and not being the last bus stop is a plus. People get caught up on the fact the SSR is so big. If you can tour a park at WDW you can handle SSR. It takes so little time to get to the main building that I don't know what the fuss is all about all the time.

 

[delmar411]

I was wanting to know this info too! everybody goes on about how big the place is and how not to stay if you dont have a car im quite scared of our stay now!

well you aren't going to be walking all over the place so I'm not sure why you'd need a car?

We've stayed there at least a dozen times and there is no car needed.

Just ask for either the Springs or Grandstand section and your walking will be very limited.

But we also walk from Grandstand, through the resort and over to DTD, at a nice leisurely pace and get to DTD in a max of 15mins.

SSR is our family's favorite resort.

 

[SAHDisneyMommy]

Grandstand is the first bus stop so you are pretty much guaranteed a seat on every bus. They also have a children's splash/play area.

Springs is closest to main area where restaurants and main themed pool are but it's last bus stop and at peak times buses will be full or SRO. I've also found it noisy to sit on the balconies here.

Carousel is 2nd stop and the only section I have not stayed in. There is no pool here.

Paddock is 3rd stop. There is a new themed pool here.

Congress Park is the 4th bus stop, has DTD views for many rooms, has shortest walk to DTD, is the first section to have room refurbishments and has a quiet pool.

We are adults only and we like Congress Park. It's quiet, we love the quiet pool, love the walk to DTD, and it's only a 5-7 minute walk to the main area. Most people prefer Springs or Grandstand if they have kids.

When does everyone usually request which area you'd like to stay? At the front desk when checking in or when you make the reservation?

 

[Karabee]

My sister and I will be staying here at the end of November and we're so excited. It's so nice to see a thread for SSR (which is rare). We requested Congress Park so we can easily walk to DTD - looks like we picked correctly!
For me, no resort is too spread out - the beautiful grounds make up for any walking

 

[jollygreengirl]

We just arrived at SSR today for our first visit at this resort. I requested Congress Park (for a refurb) or Paddock (for the new pool) and got a refurbed studio in CP with a perfect view of DTD. We are down at the end and couldn't be closer to DTD, which is nice. Took us 5 minutes to reach the Marketplace this afternoon. The walk to the main building is not too bad, but this place is very sprawling. I knew from my research that it was a big place, but wow, it's huge. There is a lot of construction down by Springs, so I think they might be refurbing now. I was afraid we'd have too much noise from DTD on this end, but so far it's quieter than I expected. Everyone here has been so lovely and nice. I know SSR gets a bad rap and is always the "leftover" DVC property with availability, but it's perfectly lovely. The only thing I don't really like is the low-end feel of the exterior "hallways." We are down this weird open-air, cavernous hallway that feels like a rinky-dink beach hotel or something. If it wasn't Disney, I'd feel a little nervous coming and going at night because you're completely hidden from view.

 

[Vicky 458]

We are staying at SSR in October with children ages 6 and under. What area of the resort would be better for the children..

 

[MinnieGirl33]

With the addition of the Paddock pool & QS area, I really don't think there is a bad section in SSR anymore. It's just a matter of personal preference as each area has something to offer.