Pros/Cons of SS

[magickingdomrules]

Tell me what you liked and disliked about Saratoga Springs.

Thanks

 

[tjkraz]

Try searching the trip reports on the DVC-Mousecellaneous board. You're not likely to get a good sampling of responses. Sorry, but after posting on that topic for the thousandth time, I'm sure many have given up.

 

[mikron]

I own 900 SSR points and love everything about the resort. I like all the resorts, i have stayed at all of the resorts and find each has things for different moods you have for vacationing. I like the location of SSR to down town disney, the architecture, restraunts & water views. I also own at OKW and love the larger rooms. I don't dislike anything about SSR or any of the resorts. Enjoyment is a state of mind and how can you have a bad state of mind at disney.

 

[JimC]

Enjoyed walking the resort, especially early morning walks over to DD -- very different perspective of DD when you have it all to yourself

The theming for the resort is quite nice and true to heritage of the upstate NY namesake.

Would like to have a good onsite sit down restaurant. The food court area is nice and the food good for a fast meal and take-out, but it pales in comparison to Olivias at Old Key West. There is a new restaurant that we have not tried but I have heard it is quite nice, but pricey.

 

[rigsby25]

Although this is not my home resort, and not my favorite, I enjoyed SSR greatly. I love that it is brand new and in the best of shape. I love that it is close to Down Town Disney. You can walk to Down Town Disney. You can sit in the turf club bar and have a drink with a view of Down Town Disney. The extra 12 years have tempted me to buy points there. I liked the rooms and the pool. I loved the handicapped rooms. Being the newest hotel, they are really up to date on handicapped needs. I loved, loved, loved, the quiet pools. The beds are comfortable. The views are all terrific. The decor is elegant.

 

[veenstra56]

My observations of SSR (disclaimer: I do not own at SSR, have never stayed there, but have toured the rooms and have walked the facility many times):

Likes:
-Quiet pools
-Layout of the resort
-Newness of resort (no furniture chips or dirty carpeting for a while)
-Decor of the rooms
-extra 12 years
-Proximity to Downtown
-Overall beauty of the entire facility (color scheme, landscaping, etc.)

Dislikes:
-Main pool (though I'm not exactly sure why)
-Point structure (more points for stays than OKW or standard BWV-why?)
-Lack of a quality restaraunt (although being close to Downtown helps)
-A bit too isolated from parks (don't care for the buses)

In the end, we decided to go BWV mainly because of the fact that we could book SSR at 7 months fairly easily, that there was more value points-wise at BWV vs. SSR, and that we simply love the boardwalk area and wanted to be close to our favorite park (Epcot). The 12 yr. advantage at SSR was tempting, though.

 

[Dad's Not Funny]

We spent two weeks there in the Springs area recently and had a very relaxing time. I think most all of the past complaints I have read on the boards were overly critical.

The CM's at the front desk were very helpful in addressing our needs for room keys, information and dining plan changes each day. I never had to wait more than a few minutes in line. The rooms are very comfortable and nicely decorated. I think they are a little more user space friendly than the older DVC rooms and all of the furnishing were fairly new in appearance. The master bathroom in the 2 BR suite was very large and there was plenty of closet space. The beds were great and made it hard to get up in the morning. I have normally not had this problem as my back says "time to get up" as soon as it can get the attention of my brain in the early morning. It made touring the parks easier to be well rested each night. The kitchen area was well equiped and all the appliances in good working order. Having the washer and dryer in the room was a big plus for keeping the clothing mess from growing too large on a long stay.

The busses seemed to run on a regular schedule to all the parks about every 20 mins. I did not use the internal SSR bus but saw it go by on a similar pace. It would probably be faster to walk between the different areas. We walked over to DTD via the golf course several times instead of waiting on the boats. It was much faster unless you catch one just coming in from OKW. There was also plenty of parking if you drive.

The main pool was pretty busy each day. They had regular games and activities for the kids and the staff were very friendly and outgoing. The slide was a lot of fun. It was not quite as long as the storm slides at the water park but a similar experience. My daughter did it about 25 times in a row one day along with a bunch of other kids so it passed their quality test with flying colors.

The food court was OK in terms of selection for breakfast and lunch. The flat breads were good and there were plenty of fresh baked and pre-packaged goods for snacks. It was much less noisy and hectic than the other resorts I've been in. This made the meals more enjoyable and restful. It was nice to have some grocery type items available as well as the prepared food. It is very quiet before 8 am so you can relax there with a few DVC mugs of your favorite beverage with no problems. We did not try the Turf Club but heard several people comment it was good on food quality and service. You can still get in there easily without an ADR.

The gym area was well equipped and not overly crowded in the morning. It may be more crowded in peak season. I did not try the SPA but saw lots of people going in there.

I lived in Saratoga for two years in the past and have to say other than the street names they don't really compare closely. This version is much better! No snow, more to do than go to the tracks and > 2 day summer season. My biggest fear is everyone will realize how nice SSR is and it will become harder to get a room when we want one!

 

[okwmike]

Our family has enjoyed many stays at Saratoga especially if you get a room with a view of Downtown Disney. My daughter loves it
The main pool is great and the quiet pool overlooking Downtown is best at night.
We can't wait to go back

 

[kdzgon]

...I lived in Saratoga for two years in the past and have to say other than the street names they don't really compare closely. This version is much better! No snow, more to do than go to the tracks and > 2 day summer season. ...

USN, per chance??

 

[Mich Mouse]

I lived in Saratoga for two years in the past and have to say other than the street names they don't really compare closely. QUOTE]

So true! We visit Saratoga Springs every summer, and it is nothing like Disney's version. Disney has done a wonderful job creating a resort at SSR, but nothing compares to the town at the foot of the Adirnodacks in summer. It is a beautiful place.

 

[Olaf]

Didn't I read somewhere that SSR was to have a really cool pool? Something like a racetrack? If they do something like that, it will be really popular. It would be nice to see some drawings of the proposed pool area.

 

[skibum]

Initially, the extra 12 years and lowest maintenance fees made us buy. Bought sight unseen.
After being there, we like the location near DTD, the pool, the fact it is new, and being able to park near your room.
Great place, but want to try them all.

 

[Slakk]

SSR is our favorite. We have stayed at all the resorts except OKW so far and we love SSR. I like the fact that is close to DTD and that I can relax.. Plus the Spa is second to none!

 

[Pluto 2]

most of these have already been said but the low maint fees and the extra 12 years are nice. i might not be around to enjoy those extra 12 years but my kids or grandkids thats not born yet might enjoy it.
being close to dtd you can walk there it doesnt take long or take a boat.

 

[kdzgon]

most of these have already been said but the low maint fees and the extra 12 years are nice. i might not be around to enjoy those extra 12 years but my kids or grandkids thats not born yet might enjoy it.
being close to dtd you can walk there it doesnt take long or take a boat.

While you and I might not be around long enough to enjoy those extra 12 yrs, it still will affect new buyers, IMO. According to both Disney and resellers, the avg hold time for a contract is 8-10 yrs. In 10 yrs, the older resorts will have a little more than 25 yrs to run, SSR (& AKL?) will have just over 37. While there is little to no premium for those 12 yrs (SSR) now, I fully expect that to change by time of resale if we sell at the "avg" time. Right now the contracts have ~35 and ~47 yrs to run - each long enough to pretty much outlast expected "usability" for the majority of buyers. However, ten years from now that will have begun to shift, especially as life expectancies will likely have increased that much more. I would expect that shift to affect my resale value ten years from now. While that potential diff in value would not restrict my purchase to SSR (or AKL), it is something that would at least factor in to my decision-making process.

edited to correct my math, as (kindly, via pm) pointed out to me (thanks, fellow DIS'er!). Oh, well - my reasoning is the same, and the correct figures show that even more. note to self: don't be so quick to post at 2 AM!! lol

 

[WDWorld2003]

Last March I stayed there with my DD and her friend as it was the only DVC available and we really enjoyed it. We then moved over to BCV the last few nights and I missed SSR which really surprised me.

We loved our view at SSR (downtown Disney), the quiet pool at Congress Park, the new clean rooms and the more open feeling.

If we had bad weather it would not have been as nice a trip as we did not have a car and it was a long walk to the main building. Luckily it was beautiful every day.

 

[PinkTink63]

Didn't I read somewhere that SSR was to have a really cool pool? Something like a racetrack? If they do something like that, it will be really popular. It would be nice to see some drawings of the proposed pool area.

That is what I've been wondering! I read in our DVC magazine about it, but I was hoping for some drawings or pictures of what it is supposed to look like.

Steph

 

[eporter66]

I lived in Saratoga for two years in the past and have to say other than the street names they don't really compare closely. QUOTE]

So true! We visit Saratoga Springs every summer, and it is nothing like Disney's version. Disney has done a wonderful job creating a resort at SSR, but nothing compares to the town at the foot of the Adirnodacks in summer. It is a beautiful place.

I live in Saratoga, and although it was cool to see the buildings with names like Congress Park, The Paddock etc... I think Disney went for the spirit or Saratoga (having the Spa, Carousel, the racing theme). Although - some of the older homes and the track itself have similiar looks to the buildings (not the colors).

I love the resort. I never had a problem with the food because we would walk to DTD. With the expansion of The Turf Club, hopefully that will satisfy everyone. I love the main pool, maybe it should have been bigger, but it is great. We usually rent a car, so getting back and forth to the parks was never a big deal. I can see where waiting for the bus and then making a few stops could get aggravating. But we have been there without a car and thought the transportation was fine.

To each his own. All the resorts have a unique feeling to them, and I have been lucky enough to stay at SSR & BWV as a member so far. I plan on trying them all! But, this last time, I must admit to missing SSR while at BWV.

E

 

[kdzgon]

I live in Saratoga, and although it was cool to see the buildings with names like Congress Park, The Paddock etc... I think Disney went for the spirit or Saratoga (having the Spa, Carousel, the racing theme). Although - some of the older homes and the track itself have similiar looks to the buildings (not the colors).

I love the resort. I never had a problem with the food because we would walk to DTD. With the expansion of The Turf Club, hopefully that will satisfy everyone. I love the main pool, maybe it should have been bigger, but it is great. We usually rent a car, so getting back and forth to the parks was never a big deal. I can see where waiting for the bus and then making a few stops could get aggravating. But we have been there without a car and thought the transportation was fine.

To each his own. All the resorts have a unique feeling to them, and I have been lucky enough to stay at SSR & BWV as a member so far. I plan on trying them all! But, this last time, I must admit to missing SSR while at BWV.

E

My DD & DSIL live there, too for a number of years now (well, technically they now live in Ballston Spa, though they used to live right by the racetrack). It will be kind of neat to compare.

We're in the process (hopefully) of purchasing SSR, so I'm looking forward to our first stay. Cas I ask you what you missed about SSR whie at BWV? Also, was BWV more convenient transportation-wise?

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I liked the general store. Good selection and laid out nicely.


I didn't like that fact that I needed a car. I don't like driving while on vacation. I get lost so easily. But I think you need one there.