Saratoga Springs help!

[suncup1225]

Hi everyone! We are staying at Saratoga Springs in just 47 short days! We have never stayed their before or even visited. I am hearing mixed reviews and am also hearing some not so great things about the buses. I read some reviews that said the bus rides to all of the parks are extremely long. I requested to stay at the Grandstand area because I heard it was a central location...does anyone have any advice or other helpful hints for me?!

Thanks!

 

[FreeTime]

I would say that the bus rides to the parks felt long, but I enjoyed the ride much more than driving, parking my car, taking a tram, etc. On occasion, you may have to do a transfer at the main stop (but I can't recall exactly what for, sorry).

As for the rest of the resort, we have stayed there several times due to not having anything else available. It has now become one of our favorites. We enjoy being parked right outside the room in case we want to go offsite. The evening dinner offerings at Artist Palatte are usually good. The kids like the pool. The folks in Community Hall are great.

 

[sweetdana]

I think every location except Car. is great. Each has its own special thing.
I do not know that is centrally located, but it has a great splash park. I like springs, being close enough to Artists Pallet and main pool. I guess now Padd. would have that too, but I haven't seen the pool.

I think your location is fine, esp if you have little ones who do not swim yet. You should get it requesting there. Congress Park, has DTD views, and walking to DTD too. Also right by pool too. I would say that is for sure more common.

I love SSR will be there is 9 days.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Busses at all the resorts get mixed reviews so I wouldn't worry too much about that. SSR has pretty typical bus ride lengths but they do make several stops around the resort unlike other resorts such as BWV or VWL that have only one central stop. The Grandstand is the first stop for the busses so when you are going to the parks you will tour around SSR if you get on at the Grandstand but on the way back you would be the first off. Depending on where you are in the Grandstand you could always walk over to the Springs bus stop which is the last stop before leaving the resort. The con with that is you might not always get a seat.

 

[Audiec1993]

Hi! I have stayed at Saratoga Springs a few times as it is our home resort. We like it very much. The bus rides can be a bit long, but it's really not that big a deal, unless late at night with little kids who will for sure fall asleep on the bus!

It is very peaceful there, and the pool is nice! Enjoy!

 

[Saratoga Springs Tom]

SSR The bus rides are the best way to get around in my opinion. It may take a bit of time but beats driving yourself around. The resort itself is very nice and the pool area is very nice too. I think you will enjoy SSR. It is

 

[TisBit]

SSR is not adjacent to a park, so you have to bus everywhere. They are not excessively long, about 15 minutes from departing the resort (remember multiple stops in the resort)...but they are consistent. It takes about the same time to get to any park from SSR.

SSR is a nice resort, remember it is a golf/condo style resort and enjoy that atmosphere. I really like SSR including the proximity to DTD. With any disney resort, if you go in with an open mind you will probably enjoy it. You are at least researching and knowing some of the potential issues. My worst experiences are when I go to a resort that is absolutely raved about and no one has pointed out its downfalls (they all have them) and when I get there I am annoyed because of the layouts or crowds or busses (epcot area resorts were the worst).

 

[delaneyc52]

TisBit is so right in saying that it's a golf/condo style resort. I've stayed twice and yes, sometimes the buses are frustrating. But it's free and they get you where you need to go. Just leave some time. The resort is beautiful, well kept. I love the sandwiches at the Artist's Palette. Turf Club was ok as well. We usually stay in Congress Park and the pool there overlooks DTD...very pretty. There is a nice walk to DTD or you can take a boat. (We found walking was faster ). As others have said here, I've only stayed when I could not get Boardwalk or Beach Club...it's more laid back and I like a little more "magic" and people watching.

 

[Golden Rose]

We stayed at the Grandstand, and were happy with it. It's the first bus stop, so you're likely to be able to get a seat on the buses, which is nice. It also has a good pool, which doesn't get as crowded as the main pool.

On the whole, we liked SSR pretty well. My DM and DSF, who were doing a no parks, all golf and downtown disney trip, loved it. We had a lot of long waits for buses, but that was really the only negative. I didn't find the bus rides themselves unbearably long (we own and stay often at AKV, which has longer bus rides), but I thought the waits were sometimes excessive. We had our own car, so by the second half of the week, we shifted to driving ourselves, which we found more relaxing. We also liked being able to park near our room.

The grounds are beautiful, the rooms are pretty, and the pools are great. We liked being able to walk to Downtown Disney. SSR is very pleasant. You'll have a wonderful time.

 

[bnk1120]

Stayed at SSR for the first time in July. We were absolutely impressed with everything! Our home resort is VWL so we were a little nervous about the size of SSR and it being a condo style resort rather than the hotel style we are used to.
Yes, the resort is large, but we never had a problem walking back and forth to the main pool.

We were in the Paddock section, but preferred the High Rock Springs pool due to the nice bar and ample shade. Also loved the quiet pool at Congress Park.

We used the busses for the entire week and had no problems. Never waited long to leave the resort or come back to it and the busses were never too packed (except one night after Illuminations when it was standing room only). There are multiple stops( 5, I think ) so that does add time on to the trip.

We love to spend time at DTD and found it was wonderful to be able to get there quickly. Our experience has been that it takes a really loooong time to get to DTD from BWV and VWL due to stops at other resorts. The ability to get to DTD quickly for Earl of Sandwich - our favorite counter service- was fantastic.

We actually loved SSR so much we are looking to add-on there.

As another poster said, keep an open mind and enjoy a new experience and you will have an awesome trip!

 

[webcs]

SSR is one of the most under-appreciated facilities.

Its gorgeous and the bus system is pretty darn good considering. I have to say out of all the resorts its the least one i would like to have a rental car at because there is little room to park at the home house i believe.

 

[delaneyc52]

SSR is one of the most under-appreciated facilities.

Its gorgeous and the bus system is pretty darn good considering. I have to say out of all the resorts its the least one i would like to have a rental car at because there is little room to park at the home house i believe.

Not sure what you mean by home house, but we've been at the Paddock and Congress Park and always had plenty of room for parking. We are not bus fans and always rent a car.

 

[Madhatter266]

We love SSR and have stayed there at least ten times. We always request Congress Park and love it's proximity to DTD. The bus service, in our opinion, is no better or worse than at any other resort. We have stayed at several other locations on site, and quite honestly have been very disappointed with several that received rave reviews. Everyone has their own opinion!

 

[Iggipolka]

Has the construction on the Grandstand pool area been completed? I think my 2 year old daughter would have a blast there. Any pictures?
Thanks!

 

[acomasdiaz]

Has the construction on the Grandstand pool area been completed? I think my 2 year old daughter would have a blast there. Any pictures?
Thanks!

We just left there yesterday and the construction on the pool was complete. My kids loved the pool which was not crowded and the water play area.

 

[River Country]

I loved SSR so much i bought 160 points there in May. We stayed at the Springs which i thought was great. Walking distance to get coffe in my mug while waiting for the bus.

Busses are tricky at the Springs station it is the last on the route for pick up and drop off. Now if you are in a THV then you have to take a bus from the THV to SSR then another bus to the park of choice. Dont worry about the busses they are very frequent. I can say that the worst leg is DTD, but you can always walk there from Congress Park. The DTD busses often stop at a Water Park as well before returning to the resort. enjoy the trip and dont worry about the busses.

 

[juncker]

We had a car with us in April, but did decide to let Disney do the driving and took the bus about 50% of the time. No issues. The ride did seem long, but driving my car wouldn't have saved me any time, especially because they drop you off at the door.

Boat to DTD was a snap too.

 

[suncup1225]

Thanks Everyone! I really appreciate all of the responses, seeing the positive comments makes me happy!! We have only stayed at a monorail resort our last few stays so we have become spoiled, especially since we spend most of our time at MK and Epcot. Being able to roll our infant onto the monrail train without breaking down the stroller is a breeze so I think that is why bus transportation scares me lol!

 

[whamma]

Has the construction on the Grandstand pool area been completed? I think my 2 year old daughter would have a blast there. Any pictures?
Thanks!

The Grandstand pool has not recently had construction. It's the Paddock that has an entirely new area and Congress Park that has been undergoing rehab in August.

We just stayed at SSR in the Grandstand area Aug. 9-16. We really enjoyed it. Our kids are older (8 & 14). The pool is between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 feet deep throughout with stairs in to one side. There were ALWAYS chairs available--or tables with umbrellas.
Here's the pool area:

The water play area for little ones has a rubberized non-slip surface and it looks like the starting gates at a horse race. There are "horses" that constantly squirt water. Here's that area:

The Grandstand area would be a good choice since you'll have a stroller. Since it's the first stop in SSR, in the morning most buses will be empty, there will be plenty of open seats and it will be easier to maneuver the folded up stroller on the bus. If you are going to a park later in the day--there will already be people on the bus returning from the parks but you'll be able to find a good seat after people start getting off at their stops in SSR. The only time Grandstand isn't the first stop at SSR is for the DTD/TL bus--because that bus leaves the resort from a different entrance/exit--Grandstand is the second stop on the DTD/TL bus.

Oops, forgot to mention that it is a nice easy walk from the Grandstand area to the main building at SSR.

 

[DisneyDame27]

SSR is our home & favorite resort. 50 days for us. We also request the grandstand everytime we go. DH is a golfer & the proshop is right there and we always request a course view. I agree with what everyone here has posted. I don't think I saw anyone post this yet but the Grandstand pool has movies for the kids - not sure what the schedule is/will be but that's always a plus.