Here Now at Saratoga Springs and So Happy

[purpliequeen]

Returning knowledge to this amazing online community. Here now with my parents. I have not seen them for 15 months - the last time my DH and I were with them at Aulani in Feb 2020. In retrospect, we are so grateful for that trip - fortunate to use such a large amount of points - but moreso to spend such wonderful time together before returning to our respective states. It’s been a longgggg year and we are so incredibly grateful to have our DVC membership to gather again safely after so long.

Our home resort is SSR and we are those owners you love to hate - the ones who stay at all the other DVC resorts with our points. Well this is our second time at SSR (the first trip was when SSR opened - long before it was fully built out and before the addition of the Treehouses; when Disney Springs was known as Downtown Disney). MY WHAT A CHANGE!!!! I’m in LOVE!!!!

The resort is large, yes, but it’s beautifully manicured. There are bus stops at every community. No issues waiting or boarding. It’s actually nice that we have our own bus. We don’t share w another resort. The plants are flowering. There’s so much water and water features. It’s quiet. It’s so peaceful and relaxing. It’s exactly what I need after this long past year.

The renovation of the rooms is incredible. For those who complain about the reno being boring, my only comment is: Do you recall what it used to look like before?! Yes please to the reno and good riddance to grandma’s stuffy, ugly mansion!!! The reno is so classy. Upscale. Clean. I tagged on to this trip so I’m sleeping in the pull down Murphy bed and it’s so easy and allows for great space in the living room. The mattress is super comfy and I have absolutely no complaints. The bathroom is gorgeous. My mom can put on makeup with the ample lighting. The new washing machine is beautiful and works great. The appliances in the kitchen are new and just lovely. I love the artwork and Disney touches (Mickey trophies) that were entirely missing before. I mean, honestly, this is now a top notch resort room. The WiFi throughout the resort is fantastic. I took zoom work calls yesterday and didn’t have any issues connecting and being on video.

The staff is courteous and kind. The resort is full, but it’s so large we never feel crowded. Only complaint is the helicopter that flies over SSR and DS every five min. Not sure what the flight path is, but it’s no fault of SSR. Might even be security so not necessarily a con.

No issues with bugs (mosquitoes) on the ground floor balcony / patio. My only wish is that the resort included Swiffers in the rooms. All the new flooring could use a nice solid Swiffering/mopping that the vacuum really can’t do.

The walk to DS from our building in The Springs is 15 min and so easy. Beautiful walking paths with tons of wildlife and flowers. The walking path puts you in the marketplace (east side of DS) near the Christmas shop. You just have to go a few hundred more feet than normal to access the closest temp check. Have a feeling this extra add on might be removed when the temp checks go away. I’ll review Gideon’s, everglazed, and all the restaurants we dined on a separate post. But man - it feels good to be back in the World.


SSR gets a bad rep on the DisBoards. But with this new renovation, I really think this is a top notch resort now. Especially w the long awaited expansion and improvement of DS. I am tagging along w my parents on this trip. No park tickets, and am so grateful I don’t have them. There’s so much to do on resort . Not to mention the quick jaunt to DS for shopping and eating. I look forward to returning more and more to my lovely home resort. Thank you, SSR!!!

 

[purpliequeen]

Some more photos of our gorgeous room. Sorry for the the sideways photos.

 

[Carol_]

Returning knowledge to this amazing online community. Here now with my parents. I have not seen them for 15 months - the last time my DH and I were with them at Aulani in Feb 2020. In retrospect, we are so grateful for that trip - fortunate to use such a large amount of points - but moreso to spend such wonderful time together before returning to our respective states. It’s been a longgggg year and we are so incredibly grateful to have our DVC membership to gather again safely after so long.

Our home resort is SSR and we are those owners you love to hate - the ones who stay at all the other DVC resorts with our points. Well this is our second time at SSR (the first trip was when SSR opened - long before it was fully built out and before the addition of the Treehouses; when Disney Springs was known as Downtown Disney). MY WHAT A CHANGE!!!! I’m in LOVE!!!!

The resort is large, yes, but it’s beautifully manicured. There are bus stops at every community. No issues waiting or boarding. It’s actually nice that we have our own bus. We don’t share w another resort. The plants are flowering. There’s so much water and water features. It’s quiet. It’s so peaceful and relaxing. It’s exactly what I need after this long past year.

The renovation of the rooms is incredible. For those who complain about the reno being boring, my only comment is: Do you recall what it used to look like before?! Yes please to the reno and good riddance to grandma’s stuffy, ugly mansion!!! The reno is so classy. Upscale. Clean. I tagged on to this trip so I’m sleeping in the pull down Murphy bed and it’s so easy and allows for great space in the living room. The mattress is super comfy and I have absolutely no complaints. The bathroom is gorgeous. My mom can put on makeup with the ample lighting. The new washing machine is beautiful and works great. The appliances in the kitchen are new and just lovely. I love the artwork and Disney touches (Mickey trophies) that were entirely missing before. I mean, honestly, this is now a top notch resort room. The WiFi throughout the resort is fantastic. I took zoom work calls yesterday and didn’t have any issues connecting and being on video.

The staff is courteous and kind. The resort is full, but it’s so large we never feel crowded. Only complaint is the helicopter that flies over SSR and DS every five min. Not sure what the flight path is, but it’s no fault of SSR. Might even be security so not necessarily a con.

No issues with bugs (mosquitoes) on the ground floor balcony / patio. My only wish is that the resort included Swiffers in the rooms. All the new flooring could use a nice solid Swiffering/mopping that the vacuum really can’t do.

The walk to DS from our building in The Springs is 15 min and so easy. Beautiful walking paths with tons of wildlife and flowers. The walking path puts you in the marketplace (east side of DS) near the Christmas shop. You just have to go a few hundred more feet than normal to access the closest temp check. Have a feeling this extra add on might be removed when the temp checks go away. I’ll review Gideon’s, everglazed, and all the restaurants we dined on a separate post. But man - it feels good to be back in the World.


SSR gets a bad rep on the DisBoards. But with this new renovation, I really think this is a top notch resort now. Especially w the long awaited expansion and improvement of DS. I am tagging along w my parents on this trip. No park tickets, and am so grateful I don’t have them. There’s so much to do on resort . Not to mention the quick jaunt to DS for shopping and eating. I look forward to returning more and more to my lovely home resort. Thank you, SSR!!!

Nooooooo! What are you doing?
There’s nothing to see here, people. Move along.
Spend your valuable points elsewhere!
“Resort of Last Resort” - Pete
Ok.
Thanks.
Bye.

 

[LSchrow]

SSR has always been a gorgeous resort, & the renos just made it even better
Most of the complaints about it are simply because it's large so it loses the exclusivity factor (pretty much the same mentality that blue M&Ms taste better than brown because there are fewer of them).
We prefer SSR to a number of the small resorts (VGF, BCV) - the walkway to Springs is fantastic, grounds are stunning, & the rooms are so much nicer than many of the others!

 

[purpliequeen]

Nooooooo! What are you doing?
There’s nothing to see here, people. Move along.
Spend your valuable points elsewhere!
“Resort of Last Resort” - Pete
Ok.
Thanks.
Bye.

Haha I thought about not posting. But quite frankly, SSR could use some love. Everyone loves to hate it. But the kudos are well deserved.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Wow those renovations do look great! I’m definitely looking forward to staying there again now

 

[cvjw]

We stayed in a renovated 1 bedroom in the springs in February. Wow was it nice. We sold our SSR points a few years back because we hated staying there. After our stay in the renovated 1 bedroom, my husband requested we come back and just stay at SSR. The renovations are game changers!

 

[Wedgeout]

Wow!!! Now with this review, you all better get your home reservations before the window opens for all of us outsiders!! You definitely get your points worth of fun there!! Looks gorgeous!! A resort with acreage of beauty. Oh..and by the way…there shouldn’t be any hate for you using your points elsewhere. We all have our home resort window. If you snooze you lose haha.

 

[purpliequeen]

Wow!!! Now with this review, you all better get your home reservations before the window opens for all of us outsiders!! You definitely get your points worth of fun there!! Looks gorgeous!! A resort with acreage of beauty. Oh..and by the way…there shouldn’t be any hate for you using your points elsewhere. We all have our home resort window. If you snooze you lose haha.

I couldn’t agree with you more! I think the preferred sections are absolutely worth the extra points. Altho the other sections would likely help me lose the weight I put on thanks to covid lol!

And yep - we are the ones who (foolishly) travel during the priciest point windows so we’ve never had issues finding resorts 7 months out.

 

[jimmytammy]

We are amongst those who weren't fans out of the gate when SSR was very small. We stayed and vowed to never go back, DTD wasn't much of a draw in those days, and there wasn't much to do around SSR, the buses were slow(took me an hr and 30 to get to MK one time)
FF to many years later, we were on a already planned DVC trip to another resort and we were looking to tag on 2 nights at another resort. SSR was available so we snagged a studio. We were hooked and have had a few more trips for week long stays there. DS is now a draw, hanging out at the Turf Club lounge after a long day, Animators Pallete IMO is best resort QS on property. We love the Grandstand area! Sitting on the patio watching the golfers in the AM as we drink coffee, now that's a vacation

 

[Carol_]

We are amongst those who weren't fans out of the gate when SSR was very small. We stayed and vowed to never go back, DTD wasn't much of a draw in those days, and there wasn't much to do around SSR, the buses were slow(took me an hr and 30 to get to MK one time)
FF to many years later, we were on a already planned DVC trip to another resort and we were looking to tag on 2 nights at another resort. SSR was available so we snagged a studio. We were hooked and have had a few more trips for week long stays there. DS is now a draw, hanging out at the Turf Club lounge after a long day, Animators Pallete IMO is best resort QS on property. We love the Grandstand area! Sitting on the patio watching the golfers in the AM as we drink coffee, now that's a vacation

That’s it. I’m flagging this thread as contrary to the interests of SSR owners. Grrrr. Get off my lawn.

 

[lizdis1]

Love it, too! We stay 18 days in Dec- Jan and only went to a park one day. My daughter LOVED the main pool and we loved walking to Disney Springs!

 

[crazymomof4]

Returning knowledge to this amazing online community. Here now with my parents. I have not seen them for 15 months - the last time my DH and I were with them at Aulani in Feb 2020. In retrospect, we are so grateful for that trip - fortunate to use such a large amount of points - but moreso to spend such wonderful time together before returning to our respective states. It’s been a longgggg year and we are so incredibly grateful to have our DVC membership to gather again safely after so long.

Our home resort is SSR and we are those owners you love to hate - the ones who stay at all the other DVC resorts with our points. Well this is our second time at SSR (the first trip was when SSR opened - long before it was fully built out and before the addition of the Treehouses; when Disney Springs was known as Downtown Disney). MY WHAT A CHANGE!!!! I’m in LOVE!!!!

The resort is large, yes, but it’s beautifully manicured. There are bus stops at every community. No issues waiting or boarding. It’s actually nice that we have our own bus. We don’t share w another resort. The plants are flowering. There’s so much water and water features. It’s quiet. It’s so peaceful and relaxing. It’s exactly what I need after this long past year.

The renovation of the rooms is incredible. For those who complain about the reno being boring, my only comment is: Do you recall what it used to look like before?! Yes please to the reno and good riddance to grandma’s stuffy, ugly mansion!!! The reno is so classy. Upscale. Clean. I tagged on to this trip so I’m sleeping in the pull down Murphy bed and it’s so easy and allows for great space in the living room. The mattress is super comfy and I have absolutely no complaints. The bathroom is gorgeous. My mom can put on makeup with the ample lighting. The new washing machine is beautiful and works great. The appliances in the kitchen are new and just lovely. I love the artwork and Disney touches (Mickey trophies) that were entirely missing before. I mean, honestly, this is now a top notch resort room. The WiFi throughout the resort is fantastic. I took zoom work calls yesterday and didn’t have any issues connecting and being on video.

The staff is courteous and kind. The resort is full, but it’s so large we never feel crowded. Only complaint is the helicopter that flies over SSR and DS every five min. Not sure what the flight path is, but it’s no fault of SSR. Might even be security so not necessarily a con.

No issues with bugs (mosquitoes) on the ground floor balcony / patio. My only wish is that the resort included Swiffers in the rooms. All the new flooring could use a nice solid Swiffering/mopping that the vacuum really can’t do.

The walk to DS from our building in The Springs is 15 min and so easy. Beautiful walking paths with tons of wildlife and flowers. The walking path puts you in the marketplace (east side of DS) near the Christmas shop. You just have to go a few hundred more feet than normal to access the closest temp check. Have a feeling this extra add on might be removed when the temp checks go away. I’ll review Gideon’s, everglazed, and all the restaurants we dined on a separate post. But man - it feels good to be back in the World.


SSR gets a bad rep on the DisBoards. But with this new renovation, I really think this is a top notch resort now. Especially w the long awaited expansion and improvement of DS. I am tagging along w my parents on this trip. No park tickets, and am so grateful I don’t have them. There’s so much to do on resort . Not to mention the quick jaunt to DS for shopping and eating. I look forward to returning more and more to my lovely home resort. Thank you, SSR!!!

Thanks so much for this. Loved reading all the positives about the resort. We are doing a parks-lite trip in Oct. We have 2 golfers coming so SSR made sense (last 2 nights we move to OKW). This will be our first time ever at SSR. Well, we DID stay in the Treehouse Villas in 1987 & 1992 but they obviously weren't part of SSR then.
You wrote: "There’s so much to do on resort". What are some of the resort activities (or non-park things) you enjoyed?

 

[purpliequeen]

Thanks so much for this. Loved reading all the positives about the resort. We are doing a parks-lite trip in Oct. We have 2 golfers coming so SSR made sense (last 2 nights we move to OKW). This will be our first time ever at SSR. Well, we DID stay in the Treehouse Villas in 1987 & 1992 but they obviously weren't part of SSR then.
You wrote: "There’s so much to do on resort". What are some of the resort activities (or non-park things) you enjoyed?

Hi! SSR & OKW are perfect for golfers. You'll have a great time. Some things to do:
~ Pools: There is one for every "community" with the main interactive (kid-friendly) pools at The Springs (near the main building/lobby/artist palette) & The Paddock. I enjoyed the Congress Park pool - has a nice little jacuzzi too. The interactive pools obviously have the games, music, etc.
~ Great Walking Trails: Which is also used for jogging. Ample flora & fauna.
~ Surrey Bike Rentals: We didn't do a bike rental this trip, but did the Surrey Bikes on the Boardwalk. I'm assuming you can also rent normal bikes!
~ Community Hall: Same as any DVC resort.
~ Senses Spa: I can't find the post, but I know that the Saratoga Springs' Senses Spa is the best on Disney property - better than GF's. I can't find the Instagram post, but someone spoke to the spa CMs at GF and all confirmed that SSR's was better! There's a day pass, which I think they're offering again, but obviously check before you go.

And in true Disney fashion, I found this link that explains it all better than me.

In all true honesty, I think the walkway to DS is invaluable. It's such a pleasant, easy walk from The Springs (13 to 15 min) and shorter from Congress Park. Note that they're only letting folks who are walking in via the Marketplace (World of Disney/Earl of Sandwich) side. West side (via Cirque tent) is currently closed. This is due to the temp checks. However, they're elim. the temp checks in a week or so; not sure if this means all the gates, etc. will be reopened. You can also take a bus - which we did several times when the temp was 95*F+. With a parks-lite trip, you'll be able to line up for Gideon's!

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Visiting for the first time at the end of the month and not planning on doing any parks, just relaxing so these tips are invaluable.

Excited too because it's one of the few WDW resorts I have left that I've never stayed in. After SS and OKW, I'll have done them all!

 

[jimmytammy]

That’s it. I’m flagging this thread as contrary to the interests of SSR owners. Grrrr. Get off my lawn.

Carol, I used to do the same thing about my home resort, VWL(sorry, still cant bring myself to calling it Boulder Ridge). Move along folks, nothing to see here. Didn't work. Dont stop trying, just saying, it didnt work for me

 

[Judique]

Carol, I used to do the same thing about my home resort, VWL(sorry, still cant bring myself to calling it Boulder Ridge). Move along folks, nothing to see here. Didn't work. Dont stop trying, just saying, it didnt work for me

I feel like saying that about BWV and HH, but contain myself.

I've stayed at VWL in the past and enjoyed it just fine. I did have the studio with the dumpster view on one occasion, lol. It's lovely resort but so long since I've been there!

Anyway, I was confused about the names - wasn't sure which was which BR or CCV - you have now cleared that up for me. Probably should have been obvious but I'm pretty locked into staying at my home resorts these days.

And, don't get why they felt they need to rename VWL. Now that I know which is which I will rebel and call it VWL, not BR.