Saratoga Spring Opinions wanted

[Haley/Hayden Mom]

We are newbie AP holders (after 6 visits in the last 5 years we are finally taking the plunge. yes we are disney addicts) and will be staying at SSR in a studio villa for an upcoming surprise trip for our daughters in August. Would love to get people's opinions on the rooms and pool area. We have previously stayed at Music, Sports, Pop, Caribbean Beach, and Coronado Springs with CSR being our fav.

 

[Rose23]

My husband and I are yearly visitors to Walt Disney World and did stay at Saratoga Springs Resort a few years ago. Here are a few things I can share to help you some:

* Resort was very quiet towards the rear of the property with very few other vacationers.
* We stayed in a studio room on upper floor with balcony. Room was big enough for two or three and the convenience of having a small kitchen (refrigerator and microwave) was GREAT. We were able to go to Walmart Supercenter, purchase a few groceries and save major $$$ on food.
* Bus service was very good at this resort especially if you board the bus towards the rear of the property. Bus stop at the front was always crowded.
* SSR does have a small walk-up style eatery but do not expect a large food court type of cafeteria like Port Orleans Riverside or Art of Animation.
* SSR does have easy walking access to Downtown Disney which provides additional food options, shopping and entertainment.
* Pool area towards the front was busy with families. It is quite a distance from the rear of the property.
* Overall review on a scale of 1-10 would be a 5 due to the fact that you can hear early morning traffic from Interstate 4.

Wishing you a terrific trip!!

 

[Pakey]

I am a BCV DVC owner but have stayed at SSR 5 times plus another stay at THV there.

While a studio with 4 people would never be my choice over a hotel room with 2 beds, I can give you a little info on SSR.

There are 5 sections, Grandstand, Carousel, Paddock, Congress Park and Springs. Those are the order of the bus stops. There are two themed pools in Springs and Paddock. There are counter service, mug refills in both those sections. There are quiet pools in both Grandstand and Congress Park. Only Carousel is without a pool. Therefore, Carousel is the least favored section.

I prefer Paddock over Springs because I dislike the Springs bus stop being last. Not only are the buses sometimes already full by the time they get to Springs, the Springs stop is more crowded from people who walked over there to use the store, etc and then hop on the bus from there.

Springs does have the restaurant, main counter service, store and boat dock to DTD. However, the walks from the other sections are maybe 5-7 minutes. Sidewalks and landscaping are nice throughout the resort.

Congress Park gets you the best views since many of the rooms have DTD views. It's a very short walk from Congress Springs to the Paddock pool and this is my ideal room location.

I have stayed in all sections except Carousel. The one time we were assigned a room in Carousel, I requested a change at checkin to any other location and it was granted-I was given a room in Paddock (it was my 2nd stay in Paddock).

 

[Haley/Hayden Mom]

Thanks . I think if our girls can survive sharing a double bed in the values they can survive this one too. Lol! We are hoping to rent points to stay in a one bedroom savannah view at AKL Kidani next spring. With this being so last minute we are taking what we can get. I requested paddock and crossing our fingers that we get it. (The pool area looks awesome)

 

[darkwing818]

Thanks . I think if our girls can survive sharing a double bed in the values they can survive this one too. Lol! We are hoping to rent points to stay in a one bedroom savannah view at AKL Kidani next spring. With this being so last minute we are taking what we can get. I requested paddock and crossing our fingers that we get it. (The pool area looks awesome)

While staying at the SSR resort in a studio with 4, wouldn't be my 1st choice (we'd do OKW; much larger studios & 2 queen size beds), getting the Paddock section would make it a lot more appealing. Next to the pool at Y&BC the pool at SSR is our 2nd favorite,

 

[Coach81]

Springs location are awesome.. SSR is our home resort.. we LOVE IT!!!!

 

[WillAustin]

The only things we didn't like about SSR were the buses and how spread out the resort seemed. We usually stay at a monorail resort, and at SSR, being far away from the restaurants, store, and themed pools wasn't ideal for us. Buses were sometimes full when they arrived at our stop, and wait times for buses were sometimes very long. We were able to walk to DTD and that was nice.

If we were DVC, had a car, and went grocery shopping, I think we would have enjoyed it even more.

The resort felt quiet and relaxed.

We still had a very nice stay there and would probably stay there again.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The only things we didn't like about SSR were the buses and how spread out the resort seemed. We usually stay at a monorail resort, and at SSR, being far away from the restaurants, store, and themed pools wasn't ideal for us. ...

What's nice about SSR is the criss-crossing sidewalks. It's so easy to walk from one area to another with the sidewalks. There are bridges over ponds so you don't have to walk around unless you want to. We like being able to take an early morning walk around the resort because there is so much to see and it is so quiet in the morning.

You have the High Rock Springs pool at the main building with a splash area for kids. You have the Grandstand pool near the Grandstand. You have the new Paddock pool near the Paddock. It even has a small counter service. These pools all have play areas and slides for the kids. And there is the one quiet, leisure pool at Congress Park that faces DTD.

Artist's Palette is a more upscale counter service near the main building. They also have a large refrigerated section there where you can get stuff to take back to your villa to heat up or just eat in your villa. The Turf Club is a nice steakhouse at the main building.

And don't forget Community Hall where you can participate in activities.

If you are in a studio, you'll have laundry rooms available at each pool area (with the one by the Community Hall and High Rock Springs pool the largest).

You can walk, take a bus or take a boat over to DTD from SSR.

And the spa might be open by the time you arrive. That's a real adult treat in itself.