Saratoga Springs Resort: Pro's and Con's

[thirtythr33]

We are staying at Saratoga in June. What are the pro's and con's of this resort, in your opinion?

Some people in my group are a little reluctant to stay here. We are from Upstate NY and some feel that this resort isn't "tropical" enough and too much like home.

 

[Safari Queen]

You are in Florida, despite the theming, and will see plenty of palm trees. Saratoga Springs is lovely. It has a superb spa, several very nice pools, good dining options on site, and it's a short walk or boat ride to DTD, with all its stores, restaurants, boat rentals and a 24 screen theater. The cons are that it is very large...you'll likely have to walk a bit. It's beautiful but not filled with characters -- more for adults.

 

[disneyforme33]

I stayed there in August with my daughter. I really did like the resort. No it is not tropical themed but the grounds are really nice. I enjoyed both of the pools. We requested a room in the Congress Park area to be closer to Downtown Disney. I really enjoyed being able to walk to Downtown Disney. We were at dinner one night at the Poly and jumped on the bus to Downtown Disney to get back to our Resort. That was really convenient. I also found the staff to be very friendly and helpful.

Cons- it is a very large resort and it was a hike to get to one of the main pools.

 

[quirty30]

Pros - it's a really lovely resort with great pools and nice dining options and good proximity to DTD. The cons - it's VERY large and if you don't have a car, depending on where your villa is located, just getting back to the building with the shops and restaurants can be a major ordeal. I found the bus service to be just ok...by far the least reliable of any resort I've stayed at. We never drive at WDW, and I just can't bring myself to stay here again unless we were just planning some chill time and wanted to enjoy the pools, spa and DTD. But if you're driving, I wouldn't hesitate to stay at SSR.

 

[jupers]

I own DVC here and we just stayed in a 2 bedroom in January. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. However, the key for us was that we were in the Springs which is the closest building to the carriage house. I absolutely thought the resort was lovely and we had maybe one or two long bus waits but I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

 

[chalee94]

if you are looking for villas and want "more tropical," maybe consider the old key west resort...

 

[AJKMOM]

As said before, you are in Florida, and the theming at SSR is not over-the-top upstate NY. It is a very nice resort, but large so if you don't have a car, ask to be close to what matters- main building, feature pool, bus stop or DTD. We had no problem with the busses, and would stay there again if it was an option at the time.

 

[nolanboys]

The grounds are beautiful and they have 2 great theme pools. Turf Club is also a great restaurant. It is spread out, but we stayed in THV and it was only a 10 minute walk to the main area. We don't mind the walking. Good exercise to walk off those Mickey ice cream bars! We actually like being away from the parks when we are not at them - which is why we like SSR, OKW, and AKV. Yes, you have to take a bus to everything, but we've never had an issue with that. We love to relax in the afternoons at the resort. Although some of the resorts are closer to a specific park, it takes longer to get to others. Give it a try - I think you may be surprised by how much you enjoy yourself.

 

[DizDaD7]

We're ssr owners but yet to stay. We did however stay with our neighbors for 2 days. I would recommend the springs or the paddock. Both have feature pool but the springs is closest to everything elze.food movies spa. Good luck.

 

[thirtythr33]

Thanks for the feedback!

I know we will enjoy SSR regardless. Some people in our group are just pickier than others.

We are looking for a room close to a "quiet" pool but also in close proximity to DTD? Any suggestions?

 

[Greysword]

Congress Park. You can walk to DTD and is a bit to the "left" of the main pool (and has its own quiet pool). However if you prefer to boat to DTD, you'll probably want closer to the Springs.

As for theme, you are in a unique position being from the area . I guess it would be like someone from Key West staying at OKW . Please let us know how you liked the theme.

 

[EvilQueenT]

had to chuckle a little...we live in florida and chose a stay in the treehouse villas at ssr because places like cbr are to much like where we live so i understand your reluctance. believe me when you live in florida a beach theme just doesn't sell the place...gets old. anyway, i think you'll find there's stilll an awful lot of florida in the resort. we really enjoyed our stay in the treehouse villas but we went with a group of 7 adults and 1 child so the layout was perfect for us. it felt more like a rental home than staying at a hotel/resort.

 

[thirtythr33]

Glad we are not the only ones!

I was just a little concerned that the resort was too big. I am glad to hear that it is more "adult" because everyone in my party is 20 or older.

Should I bother requesting a specific room? Also, we are on the Deluxe Dining Plan, and I read somewhere that we would not be charged for a preferred room. Is this true?