Saratoga Springs Questions ?

[stink]

I will be at Saratoga Springs in September. First time staying at a DVC resort. Any info on buildings, tips for the stay etc. would be much appreciated.

Is the bus service to parks acceptable ? We do not plan on renting a car for this trip. How are the restaurants at SSR? What are the main pool hours ?

How is the Spa ? Does the DVC discount apply? I have had a positve although not completly outstanding expreriences with the GF Spa in the past.

Any info on Saratoga Springs or recent trip experince is much appreciated !!!

 

[tjkraz]

Search the forum and you will probably find a dozen trip reports from the last couple of months.

Generally speaking:

- There are only 4 buildings open--less than 200 rooms. Most rooms have a view of Downtown Disney. All are about the same distance from the main pool, bus stop and other resort amenities.

- There is quite a bit of ongoing construction. Most people seem to report little disturbance from the construction. Others were bothered by the cosmetic issues inherent to large-scale construction.

- The one restaurant at SSR has not been well-received. Menu selections are very limited, and vary from day-to-day. The resort has does plan to expand the menu as the resort grows.

- There is a walkway to Downtown Disney if you wish to dine at any of its restaurants.

- There is a DVC discount on spa services. All of the reports I've seen were very favorable.

- Bus service has been pretty well-received from what I have seen. Most of the time SSR has dedicated busses--although I think I read one or two posts that reported it doubling-up with OKW to get people out of a theme park at closing time. We took a bus once from the MK to SSR in May, and only waited about 10 minutes for it to arrive. We were the only ones on the bus.

 

[sueg]

DH is urging me to try a relaxation session at the spa during our late Aug. trip. Guess I must seem a little tense. I'll post any spa experiences when I return.

 

[kkmauch]

We stayed at SSR in May, had a two bedroom unit and the rooms were WONDERFUL!
The bus service was anything but stellar when we were there. Many times we waited for a very long time at SSR to catch a bus. However, leaving the parks we always had a bus quickly and only doubled up with OKW once--leaving Epcot just after Illuminations.
The restaraunt was a disaster in our opinion. Very little selection and particularly expensive.
The Spa was among the brightest parts of the trip. We had an excellent experience at the spa and the discount does apply.
The other bright parts included the pools which were wonderful, the view of DTD, and the golfing.
The walkway to Marketplace was not open when we were there, but the VERY long walkway (very winding) to West Side was. We didn't use the boat to DTD as the timing was inconsistent and many people reported they were never picked up, they just watched other boats pass them.
All in all, we did love our trip to WDW and our stay at SSR. We chalked the less desirable parts up to it being so new. I am sure you will have a great time there and I wouldn't worry too much.