Is this a good deal?? Saratoga

[newbie72]

Hi everyone....pretty new to this website, but hoping you all could help me out. We are planning a "last minute" trip to WDW Just bought plane tickets two days ago...leaving 10/29 - 11/5.

We were able to secure a 1 bedrm villa at Saratoga Springs for $258/nt...is this a good deal? THis is room only. We know nothing about SSR, have only stayed at Wilderness cabins once before other than that...never on property

We have three kids, DD 5, DD 3, DS 1.

Is this a good resort to stay at with my age kids?
It seems very huge and spread out..where is the best place to request?
Is the main pool the one with the slide and splash pad.

Any help is appreciated...we have so many questions on how to navagate with three young children.

Thank you so much!

 

[Susan C]

Hello,

We are DVC owners at SSR.. we love it! My husband is the number cruncher and he says you "got a steal" at that price. My DS8 loves the main pool, and I love being within walking distance of downtown Disney...
The rooms are very nice.. love the bathroom...

Have fun

 

[Pakey]

I agree, it's a good deal. I hope you enjoy it.

Most people request either the Springs or Grandstand. Springs is the area closest to the counter service food area/main pool with the slide. It's also the last stop for the busses which means that they are sometimes crowded by the time they get to this Saratoga stop.

Grandstand is the area closest to springs and it has it's own pool with a children's area. Many people with young children prefer this section. It's also the first bus stop within Saratoga which means it will be emptier when you board and you'd be the first ones off at the end of the day.

Congress park has the views of DTD, closest to walk to DTD and is about a 5 minute walk to the food/main pool area. There is a "quiet pool" here but it has nothing special for children.

There's also Paddock and Carousel. Carousel is considered by many on here to be the least favorable section.

 

[Sxofus]

You got 40% off the room rate. That's about as good as it gets. Congrats and enjoy.

BTW, we stayed at the cabins this past August and loved it!!! We're bouncing back next year - staying in the 2 bedroom at SSR.

 

[Donald is #1]

The previous posters seem to have answered your initial questions, so is there more that you would like to know about SSR? Will you have a car or will you be using ME?

Are you familar with the layout in the 1 BRs? If not, they have a king bed in the bedroom, a queen pullout sofa in the living room plus a pack-n-play for infants. Your bathroom will include both a shower and a jetted tub plus there will be a table (for 4?) that you can eat at. The main room is split into a living room and a kitchen where the kitchen includes a refrigerator and stove. You can buy groceries at the store in the Springs area or you can have groceries delivered by a couple of different independent grocery services.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The Springs is close to the main pool with the Donald fountain play area. But the Grandstand is also a newer themed area.

Enjoy your stay, you got a great deal at SSR. It's a lovely resort.

 

[newbie72]

Thank you to everyone! All of your advice is great! This trip is a bit last minute as we will be there in 10 days! But couldn't pass up the airfare deal we found and the SSR deal...My husband assured me getting this as room only and purchasing tix seperatly is cheaper than the package. So, now on the hunt for tickets.

I just purchased the MNSSHP figuring I better since I had only two days to play with and the 31st was already sold out. I figured I could just go to a Disney Store or just purchase when we get there.

I think we will request either Grandstand or Springs. I am a bit confused though. Is the main pool the one where there is zero entry, with the splash play area for the kids and the slide? Someone mentioned that there is a newer area?? Does this have the splash pad for the kids?

Also, getting groceries delivered is a great idea!!! What a time saver! I am going to assume that purchasing groceries at the SSR store will be more expensive than having an independent come in? Does anyone have any info on that?

I was a bit apprenhensive to stay at SSR. I had heard such negative things about it and from what I can tell on the pictures, it looks beautiful. I am so glad you all could help me out.

Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!! Does SSR do any character meet and greets, etc?

Thanks again!

 

[Hopefully]

As far as grocery delivery there are 2 major services discussed here on the DIS, Garden Grocer.com and Wegoshop.com. Goodings will deliver as well.
We have used wegoshop.com 5 times and will use them again on our upcoming trip. Marge Peck, the owner, is great to work with.
There are a couple of basic differences between the 2. Garden Grocer has an extensive on line list that you choose from. They have a minimum order amount. They set a 2 hour delivery window. Over a certain amount ($200??) delivery is free.
Wegoshop.com allows you to type in any item (Brand name, unit size, quantity) that you want to purchase vs. choosing off of a grocery list. There is no minimum order amount. Their delivery window is 30 minutes and they have Always been right on time. Their delivery fee is higher ($17 the last trip). Even so we have saved over the cost of using the resort store.
I like wegoshop.com better, others are very happy with Garden Grocer. I like typing in exactly what I want and I like the percise delivery times.
We usually order breakfast items, coffe, juices, water, soda, beer, wine, and snacks and I am sure we save money over the resort stores, as well as I love the convenience.
If you are interested, call soon, as their delivery slots do fill up.
Have a Great Trip

 

[Cee]

This is WONDERFUL. You will have a one bedroom condo with full kitchen and
W&D for less than the price of a Deluxe Resort hotel room with none of the above. Good for you!

 

[bab31]

just curious for other world vistors to be- how did you score the price!?

 

[Desnik]

You got a great deal for SSR!! We are DVC'ers and SSR is one of our home resorts. We love it.

To answer some of your questions, the main pool area(high rock springs) next to the check in building(carriage house) and counter service is the zero entry pool with 2 slides(one kiddie and one for kids/adults). There is the splash play area with Donald. Here is a link to a picture of that play area:
http://allears.net/acc/ss71.jpg
If you want to be nearest to this area request the Springs location.
If you want walking distance to DtD request Congress Park.
The newer area, The Grandstand has it's own pool, pool bar and kids play area. It is our favorite cause the rooms are newer, the bus stop is the first in the resort, the play area is fantastic and it is about a 5 min. walk to the main building(carriage house) At the back of the carriage house there is the boat dock to get to DtD. The carriage house has the counter service(Artist Palette) and restaurant Turf Club as well as a store. You can buy groceries here but expect to pay a higher price. We usually just ship our groceries down. If you need perishables than you can just buy those few items at SSR or use one of the places like gardengrocer.com or wegoshop.com. Here is a link to a picture of the play area in the Grandstand location:
http://allears.net/acc/ss218.jpg

Here is a picture I took on our last trip there:

The kids can shoot water at each other using those horse things. My kids had a ball here.

No character meet n greats. Actually I don't think any resort does that. Some resorts offer character meals but not at SSR.

One other thing to mention is that your room will have a washer/dryer in it. As a mom of 3 small kids I'm sure you can appreciate that!LOL

 

[DjdBrit]

We stayed at SSR in April with my Dad, DH, DS 7, DS 4 and DS 2. We had the best time. We had a 2 bed villa and were in teh Grandstand pictured above.

We loved this resort and are staying there again in May. It was great for kids. Enjoy your stay. I am hoping for a deal.