Saratoga Springs Impressions

[Starr W.]

Makes total sense to me!

My first DVC stay was at OKW and I distinctly remember making a comment in a trip report about how it felt like we were leaving the theme parks behind without leaving Disney behind. It gave the sense of being transported to another place and time while still being a short bus ride from the theme parks and sporting Disney-quality accommodations and service.

The Epcot resort area is very, very nice. But it's also very......busy. If you stand on the BoardWalk and look toward the stores, it's pretty cool. Now turn around. You've got the swolphin dominating the view in one direction....a faux shipwreck and differently-styled resort in another direction....Spaceship Earth rising above the horizon in another direction. It's very "Disney", but it's also impossible to believe you are anywhere other than Walt Disney World. Other resorts like SSR and OKW are more immersive, in my opinion.

Makes sense to me also. We love SSR for that same reason, just got back from VWL and got about the same feeling.

We really noticed the Swolphin complex on this trip, sitting waiting for Fantasmic, and the bus ride to and from VWL. I have no idea what someone was thinking when they designed those buildings.

Can't wait to get back to SSR for Thanksgiving.

 

[Dina]

I really agree with what a previous poster said, some like the hotel type and some prefer the condo type.


We love the condo type. We love parking very close to our unit (it's great). We feel like we're coming "home" every night. I find it a pain to have a far walk from our car-- especially when we have groceries etc. Also, I never give our bags to bell services when we check in (unless we fly and take towncar service), we just keep it in the car (it's just easier)-- so, again, that convenient parking really is a nice feature.

 

[magicmommy]

I found this thread so funny...

We just returned from our first trip to SSR. We have stayed at all the other WDW DVC resorts (except for OKW).

I loved SSR specifically because I felt so removed from Disney. I felt like I was at my family's condo complex in Boca and it was great.

I love the BWV and BCV and especially VWL very much. I just see myself having different types of vacations - the "Disney Immersive" vacation where I want to know, see and feel Disney the whole time I'm there and the "Vacation Home" vacation - where I really feel like I'm in my vacation home.

To me (and I know this is different for everyone) - when I am in the BWV, BCV and VWL - I feel like it's a Disney Hotel vacation - it doesn't feel quite like a "vacation home" in the sense that our "real" (hate to use that word - but I'm trying to come up with a good way to explain what I mean) vacation home feels like.

Does this make sense to anyone? I absolutely loved SSR - we were in Springs - overlooking the parking lot facing the pool (right in front of where teh surrey bikes are parked). Location was fabulous- pool was dynamite. Bus service exceptional. Just a fabulous vacation all around. The parking lot didn't bother me in the least - the distant view of the Cirque tent and DD was terrific and a gentle reminder that we were still in WDW.

That's the best part about DVC - we can choose our "aura" for each vacation!

Totally agree! Love them all! We too have stayed at all onsite DVCs except OKW (which we hope to try someday) and SSR is our home both on paper and in our hearts. We have also stayed in all sections at SSR except the Carousel. IMHO there is not a bad one in the bunch. We just left SSR last month knowing that we would be going to the BCV in October for F&W and we were really sad that we were not going to be staying at SSR. SSR is home to us and we also feel as if SSR is our real vacation home and the other DVC properties are a vacation from our vacation home. We had a wonderful room at VWL in December, we had a BW view room during F&G last May and have had numerous stays including 2 this year at BCV. We just added on some points at AKV with the intent of starting a trip with a weekend at AKV to immerse ourselves in the theming and enjoy the resort. I can't imagine ever being unhappy at any DVC resort but the key is we would be just as happy if all our stays were limited to our home.

 

[mlayton14]

I really agree with what a previous poster said, some like the hotel type and some prefer the condo type.


We love the condo type. We love parking very close to our unit (it's great). We feel like we're coming "home" every night. I find it a pain to have a far walk from our car-- especially when we have groceries etc. Also, I never give our bags to bell services when we check in (unless we fly and take towncar service), we just keep it in the car (it's just easier)-- so, again, that convenient parking really is a nice feature.

Although I see everyone's point about the condo vs. hotel types .. if you really like to condo type accomodations, why not just stay offsite and save a ton of money? If you dont feel like your at Disney, why PAY to be on Disney property?

 

[Starr W.]

Although I see everyone's point about the condo vs. hotel types .. if you really like to condo type accomodations, why not just stay offsite and save a ton of money? If you dont feel like your at Disney, why PAY to be on Disney property?

For us SSR is the "quiet part" of Disney. We like it so we can recharge our batteries, walk over to DTD to eat at HOB or WGP. Then we are ready to go back and hit the parks. We got the same feeling at VWL last week, it's so peacefully you forget you are at WDW(but SSR has better bus service IMHO).
Plus with staying at WDW, we don't need to rent a car and fight traffic to get to the parks or resturants(we'll let the guys and gals in purple pants deal with that).

 

[Pootle]

Although I see everyone's point about the condo vs. hotel types .. if you really like to condo type accomodations, why not just stay offsite and save a ton of money? If you dont feel like your at Disney, why PAY to be on Disney property?

..... erm, let me see ..... transportation, resale values and the fact that it IS Disney .... will they do for you?

 

[magicmommy]

For us SSR is the "quiet part" of Disney. We like it so we can recharge our batteries, walk over to DTD to eat at HOB or WGP. Then we are ready to go back and hit the parks. We got the same feeling at VWL last week, it's so peacefully you forget you are at WDW(but SSR has better bus service IMHO).
Plus with staying at WDW, we don't need to rent a car and fight traffic to get to the parks or resturants(we'll let the guys and gals in purple pants deal with that).

Exactly!!!! Well said!!!

 

[Chuck S]

Although I see everyone's point about the condo vs. hotel types .. if you really like to condo type accomodations, why not just stay offsite and save a ton of money? If you dont feel like your at Disney, why PAY to be on Disney property?

Because of Disney service. We get room delivery of park purchases, room charging, all the onsite amenities, along with the privacy and down time. The best of both worlds.

 

[Dina]

Although I see everyone's point about the condo vs. hotel types .. if you really like to condo type accomodations, why not just stay offsite and save a ton of money? If you dont feel like your at Disney, why PAY to be on Disney property?

I would never ever stay off Disney property. I do not want to get into my car and drive to WDW every day. We like to get up, get some Mickey Waffles (or make them in our Villa if at OKW) hop on a bus, hit a park, come back for a mid-day break a swim, then head back to either a resort for dinner or another park. That would be WAAAAYYYY too much of a hassle if we stayed outside of WDW. That's just not a disney vacation to me. Plus, we always end more than a few of our days in World Showcase, with a few in the countries. Even though we do not get "drunk," (we still have our kids to take care of) it's very important to us that we don't have to drive "home" at night.

 

[DVC Grammy]

One other benefit is EMH! By having those extra hours to go into the parks, there's less pressure midday to do "commando-WDW".
Whether you choose early or late EMH, you know the parks will be less crowded than during the day, no matter what time of year you visit.

It definitely makes for a more relaxing vacation.

 

[loribell]

Funny you should mention that .. we stayed the first 3 nights at Coronado Springs to save the weekend points .. .and guess what? Both my wife and I agree that after experiencing Saratoga Springs, we would opt for Coronado Springs (or maybe even POR) over SSR the next time. Yes we felt THAT strong about the lack of ambience at SSR. Obviously the inside of the rooms arent as nice .. but thats it.

SSR felt like we were staying offsite ..

And CSR is a great resort. It was our first onsite resort and holds a special place in our hearts.

 

[Deb & Bill]

And CSR is a great resort. It was our first onsite resort and holds a special place in our hearts.

I agree, CSR is a very nice resort for a moderate. We like to stay there occasionally before our DVC stay.

 

[tjkraz]

Interesting, I guess we were one of those 8% at Congress Park. There were trees in between our balcony and the parking lot, but it was a sad excuse for a barrier because the parking lot, bus stop, and ugly skyscraper dominated the view (we were on 2nd floor).

I don't know how many DVC stays you've had, but views like that are not particularly uncommon. All of the resorts have them--some at a much greater percentage than SSR. For example:

Below is the view from one of our stays at BWV. BWV has a service road that runs past most of the Preferred Garden / Pool view rooms and is used throughout the day. In the background you get the Swan and its parking facilities...

Or this BWV view about 30-40' removed from the valet parking lot...

BWV also has a large segment of rooms lining the resort's front driveway, albeit with lower point costs.

Over a BCV, you've got about 30% of the entire resort sitting about 30' away from Epcot Resorts Blvd. That road is the sole public access for all 5 Epcot area resorts. In other words, it is a lot more traveled than the SSR interior roads. Here is a photo borrowed from THIS post...

At Old Key West you've got rooms with balconies that face either Bonnet Creek Parkway or Buena Vista Drive. I don't have photos handy but we have stayed in rooms that face both of these roads.

VWL has the infamous dumpster view and even a few rooms with no balconies.

 

[DizWacko]

I don't know how many DVC stays you've had, but views like that are not particularly uncommon. All of the resorts have them--some at a much greater percentage than SSR. For example:

Below is the view from one of our stays at BWV. BWV has a service road that runs past most of the Preferred Garden / Pool view rooms and is used throughout the day. In the background you get the Swan and its parking facilities...

Or this BWV view about 30-40' removed from the valet parking lot...

BWV also has a large segment of rooms lining the resort's front driveway, albeit with lower point costs.

Over a BCV, you've got about 30% of the entire resort sitting about 30' away from Epcot Resorts Blvd. That road is the sole public access for all 5 Epcot area resorts. In other words, it is a lot more traveled than the SSR interior roads. Here is a photo borrowed from THIS post...

At Old Key West you've got rooms with balconies that face either Bonnet Creek Parkway or Buena Vista Drive. I don't have photos handy but we have stayed in rooms that face both of these roads.

VWL has the infamous dumpster view and even a few rooms with no balconies.

Ouch ... those BCV ones sure are a buzzkill.. but again the road thing is present EVERYWHERE at SSR .. its inescapable pretty much everywhere at the resort. When Walt Disney envisioned Disney World the idea was to insulate the overall resort experience from the real world. You can walk just steps away at one of those Epcot resort areas or VWL that you illustrate and feel transported to a Disney fantasy.. I cant name one single place at Saratoga where we felt transported anywhere special... it just felt like a place to park and sleep.

I cant argue with people who feel otherwise .. we all have different sensibilities. I would be SHOCKED however if Disney ever built another resort like SSR.

 

[jdg345]

We returned from SSR a month ago and we could have written your review. It really didn't "feel" Disney at all to us. All of those parking lots make it seem like an apartment or condo complex not a DVC Resort.

The bright side is we own BCV and love that resort. We won't be returning to SSR either so we WILL be booking 11 months out to ensure this.

Happier travels ahead.


Mike

That makes sense ... it seems that the folks that really like the 'Park at Your Door' DVC's aren't as keen on the 'Hotel-ish' DVC's and vice versa.

It sounds like most of the complaints were related to that style of construction, so it's okay. It's just not for some people. That's why we have all these choices.

 

[FinallyBoughtDVC]

Although I see everyone's point about the condo vs. hotel types .. if you really like to condo type accomodations, why not just stay offsite and save a ton of money? If you dont feel like your at Disney, why PAY to be on Disney property?

I have one other real (not a timeshare) vacation home in SE Florida and we are looking at homes in Vermont.

We chose the DVC because we love Disney. There are times we do stay in the "hotel" DVCs (my kids prefer them). Quite honestly - I have loved them all. The buses, room charge, late nights, early mornings, Disney service (and reputation) - all those reasons are good enough for me. I would NEVER travel to the Orlando area and stay outside of Disney - the only reason we go to the Orlando area is for Disney (and occasionally Sea World).

Disney built HH and VB and they're not anywhere near Disney property. I would stay in a Disney resort anywhere in the world. KWIM?

 

[ANTSS2001]

Although I see everyone's point about the condo vs. hotel types .. if you really like to condo type accomodations, why not just stay offsite and save a ton of money? If you dont feel like your at Disney, why PAY to be on Disney property?

have you ever had a BBQ and your guest were the whole Disney Horticulturist... well not the whole crew... just who ever went in that day ??? It was a blast... you should try it sometime.. and yes it happened at SSR... that is one great reason for us.... and we're doing it again in Sept...

another reason is you dont get welcome mats everywhere

 

[ANTSS2001]

I would never ever stay off Disney property. I do not want to get into my car and drive to WDW every day. We like to get up, get some Mickey Waffles (or make them in our Villa if at OKW) hop on a bus, hit a park, come back for a mid-day break a swim, then head back to either a resort for dinner or another park. That would be WAAAAYYYY too much of a hassle if we stayed outside of WDW. That's just not a disney vacation to me. Plus, we always end more than a few of our days in World Showcase, with a few in the countries. Even though we do not get "drunk," (we still have our kids to take care of) it's very important to us that we don't have to drive "home" at night.

Totally get you!!!

 

[starbox]

Below is the view from one of our stays at BWV. BWV has a service road that runs past most of the Preferred Garden / Pool view rooms and is used throughout the day. In the background you get the Swan and its parking facilities...

You know, I can't look at the Swolfin without hearing the theme song to Miami Vice in my head.

 

[Starr W.]

another reason is you dont get welcome mats everywhere

DH was looking for the mats at VWL! He's looking forward to our 2nd Thanksgiving at SSR.