Finally stayed at Saratoga, and really enjoyed it. Will not avoid it going forward.

[DSLRuser]

We were in the Paddock so the bus stop was 3 of 5. plenty of room every time we needed to go some place, and being the 3rd stop was not bad at all.

Actually bus rides to EPCOT and The Studios were very short. Even when going for morning early entry. Didn't mind the AK and MK rides at all.

Our trip was short, (4 nights) but we enjoyed the Paddock pool twice, and went to the main area one time for some food. Rooms were classic DVC 2 bedroom. Need to schedule a 7 night stay.

 

[DsneyDude1]

We were in the Paddock so the bus stop was 3 of 5. plenty of room every time we needed to go some place, and being the 3rd stop was not bad at all.

Actually bus rides to EPCOT and The Studios were very short. Even when going for morning early entry. Didn't mind the AK and MK rides at all.

Our trip was short, (4 nights) but we enjoyed the Paddock pool twice, and went to the main area one time for some food. Rooms were classic DVC 2 bedroom. Need to schedule a 7 night stay.

Thank you for your input! We have a 5 night stay there in a grand villa in early March. It will be my 2 grandsons' first trip (5 & 2.5). I am happy to hear so many positive things about the resort lately!

 

[DSLRuser]

Thank you for your input! We have a 5 night stay there in a grand villa in early March. It will be my 2 grandsons' first trip (5 & 2.5). I am happy to hear so many positive things about the resort lately!

We have avoided it for so many years because it has a negative connotation around it. I should know better. It was splendid. I won't hesitate to start there again.

 

[kes601]

We were in the Paddock so the bus stop was 3 of 5. plenty of room every time we needed to go some place, and being the 3rd stop was not bad at all.

Actually bus rides to EPCOT and The Studios were very short. Even when going for morning early entry. Didn't mind the AK and MK rides at all.

Our trip was short, (4 nights) but we enjoyed the Paddock pool twice, and went to the main area one time for some food. Rooms were classic DVC 2 bedroom. Need to schedule a 7 night stay.

Thanks for the info. We own at SSR but have not stayed there yet. We will probably always choose "walkable" over it but it looks very nice and relaxing.

 

[dclpluto]

Most of my points are at Saratoga 335 out of 555. I have owned there since almost the beginning when it opened. With the ease of the seventh month window I have only stayed there three times. Once to check it out when it first opened. Once in the treehouse . Than once again I had the treehouse book parents was coming with us my mom a couple months before wanted a regular roomdidnt want the steps of the treehouse So Saratoga only thing left. I’m only staying there if I have to.

 

[peabody58]

We really like SSR, especially the Grandstand area. SSR is never our first choice, but sometimes to save points or use Holding points, we will stay there. Love the easy parking, never had an issue with buses, and the access to DS is great. SSR would be a great place for a non-park vacation if you have a car and get outside the bubble. The recent renovations are amazing.

 

[Judique]

We really like SSR, especially the Grandstand area. SSR is never our first choice, but sometimes to save points or use Holding points, we will stay there. Love the easy parking, never had an issue with buses, and the access to DS is great. SSR would be a great place for a non-park vacation if you have a car and get outside the bubble. The recent renovations are amazing.

Now that it's renovated, even better! I've stayed there when it was new and before it was all built. I liked it quite well, but my 11 month priority was at BWV and BCV, so that's mostly where I end up. I've yet to walk to DS or take the boat, but maybe in the future.

And a resort mostly trip would be excellent there. I can't see myself not entering a park as I have old no expiry tickets to use. But I can see doing just one or two days on a 10 day trip.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

We have avoided it for so many years because it has a negative connotation around it. I should know better. It was splendid. I won't hesitate to start there again.

Hmmm….fair weather friend ehhhh. We’re no longer the red-headed stepchild...huh….Well, I guess we can let you stay…IF you keep quiet and don’t tell anyone else. We’re DVC’s best-kept secret, and we can’t just let anyone in.

 

[TonyCnLV]

Glad you enjoyed your stay! I’m staying at Saratoga as a split stay with AKL in February and I’m excited I love checking out the different resorts and it’s distance from the perks doesn’t bother me at all. I stayed at OKW last year before a beach club stay and i really enjoyed it. The bus rides are nothing but I take the bus for my everyday life since I don’t drive. I swear to you Disney bus rides are much better than the city bus. I’ll ride around the okw/Saratoga loop any day haha!

 

[bumbershoot]

We have avoided it for so many years because it has a negative connotation around it. I should know better. It was splendid. I won't hesitate to start there again.

Glad you tried it.

I like it, and our first stay involved a room so filled with mildew/mold you couldn't step two feet inside of it without being overwhelmed by it. (it was during a refurb, and they'd had it locked up after working on it, apparently) But they took care of us and we had fun, and it was ultimately OK. (would have been even better if my then-husband had said "yes" to moving us that night from the 2 bedroom to a Grand Villa, but he was listening to my silly self LOL)

 

[mort1331]

SHHHHHHHHHH.....please keep your opinions to yourself....keep everyone thinking that we bought into SSR for SAP. Which we did not. Daughters love the pools and close access to DS. I like having our car close by. But come on lets leave SSR for everyones last choice, that way I get my resort for last minute stays...lol.
Welcome and enjoy/.

 

[howardlee2]

very happy to hear. My son and family will be there in 5 days! he has only stayed at OKW but I am sure he will welcome the change.

 

[I Run Long]

We love it too! Stayed there a number of years ago in a 1 bedroom as a family of 4. This was before we were DVC members. We had originally booked in a 1 bedroom at OKW and then got a PIN code which we couldn't use at OKW but we could at SSR. I was sooo bummed out about it, but I had to get those savings with the PIN Code. I expected to dislike it - a lot. It turns out we all loved it (this was well before the refurb). We were in the Springs area and I really thought I would hate the transporation to the parks. It was great! Also you can't beat the proximity to Disney Springs. We are doing a spit stay next Fall between our home resort (AKV) and SSR - just because we love it so much.

 

[Brian Noble]

We have avoided it for so many years because it has a negative connotation around it.

DVC sometimes suffers from the idea that only hard-to-get things can be good.

I will admit I wasn't a fan in the early days because the buildings seemed to be out of scale with respect to the grounds. They reminded me of the "McMansions on a moonscape" look that is all too common in the newer subruban/exurban subdivisions.

But, as the trees have grown in I've really come to appreciate it. I like my resort to be a more relaxing respite from the go-go-go of the theme parks, and spend real time in the resort without needing to maximize every theme park moment. Accordingly, I am more of a fan of the "remote" resorts than are most others.

Saratoga has a quiet elegance about it, and that doesn't seem to be replicated anywhere else. It's an excellent resort for walking, second only to the VWL/Ft.W combo among the ones I've experienced. But it is also convenient to plenty of activity just across the water at Disney Springs.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

We loved Saratoga too! We used it as home base for a few days while we did other Florida things. I thought the drive in at night was lovely and we had a very serene view from the balcony.

I let a friend talk me out of staying there a few years ago, but tried again this summer. It just goes to show that opinions vary and try everything once to see for yourself.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Stayed at SS for the first time ever last weekend......get the flames ready, I didn't like it at all. I own Animal Kingdom but like OKW best. The all white room decor was boring and would be a nightmare with young kids. I was in the carousel section so it was a hike everywhere. The food court didn't have the selection that other resorts have. In retrospect, I wish I would have saved the points and stayed at a Hampton Inn instead.

 

[Disneypapa]

Saratoga is far from my list of favorites. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[EatMoreVeg]

SSR was inadvertently our first DVC experience. Our flights got changed to a day earlier and I had to add an extra night to our existing reservation last minute. Loved the refurbed lobby and rooms! Unfortunately we were woken up around 4 AM by blaring Christmas music. We stayed in the Paddock area near the pool and I guess they must've been having issues with their audio system and speakers. It played for a solid 40 minutes before someone from maintenance was able to shut it off, where it promptly started up again 10 minutes later... They were able to fix it much quicker the second time around, but it came on again around 8 AM. Needless to say, we were glad we were only staying there one night. I would give it another chance in the future...but probably not anytime soon!

 

[Kimly]

I agree! We stayed there for the first time in a few years in Nov, and loved it so much we changed our upcoming May and June trips from the Boardwalk and the Poly to Saratoga. I love the space, layout and updated 2 bedrooms. Plus, their pools look like a lot of fun too.

 

[dragonflymom]

I love the preferred view rooms in Congress Park due to the water view and the proximity to Disney Springs. Back when rental car prices were reasonable, we would just drive to the parks if we were concerned about transportation times, except MK, which is a hassle with the monorail transfers. I still remember staying there during Christmas week 3 years ago and after 4 days battling crowds at the parks, we decided to take a break to just hang out and people watch passers-by on the pomenade. We were able to saunter over the bridge (5 minutes walk) to grab lunch at Earl of Sandwich, dinner at Wolfgang Puck's and snack at Wetzel's Pretzel. There were tons of night time entertainment at Disney Springs during that holiday week and we all enjoyed it. Would definitely do it again.