Saratoga with kids?

[Rotti955]

I have read a lot of mixed info about Saratoga. We have two young kids and are considering purchasing. We love going to Disney with our kids but also wanted to plan for the future when our kids are older and may not want to come to Disney with us. Was wondering how other families feel about SSR?

 

[Starr W.]

We own at SSR, first stayed when my youngest was 5. Did SSR and the Parks without a stroller. He would have been insulted if I suggested it.

They love it, especially because you can walk to the Lego store at DTD. They also like to eat at Wolfgang Puck's Express and Earl of Sandwich. Plus they think the quiet pool at Congress Park is great(HUGE!) plus they like the activites at the main pool.

I had a waitlist for Thanksgiving 2008 that I had to cancel about a month in because they wanted to stay at SSR.

"The MLK trip is for staying at other resorts." According to the 12 and now 7 yr old.

DH and I really like SSR and it's our money not theirs so we purchased where we liked.

 

[luvmk1971]

Have a 6 and 3 year old and they love SSR. Love staying in the Grandstand section and playing in the pool and sprinkler area. Not sure how old your kids are but love the little slide at the main pool. There is also a big slide for older kids and adults.

 

[kikiq]

It's really a personal call. First there's the "hotel" vs "condo" feel. Then you have location and finally what facilities are available. Our family loves the "condo" feel of OKW and SSR. Even though my DH loves Epcot and DHS, we like having non park days, OKW and SSR have that home away from home feel for our DDs. We're a very active family, 2 marathon runners (one is a triathlete), a serious bike rider and my DH and I are learning how to golf. SSR offers tennis, bicycles, all kinds of paths for walking/running and the golf course clubhouse is right behind the Turf Club. My brother and his family came with us last summer. They LOVED SSR. My 7 yr old niece loved the playground and quiet pool plus walking over to DTD to play at the Lego store (for free). They decided that next time they stay at SSR, they'll stretch their 10 day park admission to 2 or 3 trips by having more non park days because there is so much to do at SSR.

We spent many summers in Colorado condo resorts when our DDs were younger. They like the "condo" feel over the "hotel" setup. But like I said at the beginning, it's such a personal call. If it is at all possible, you should at least tour the property and if you can, rent points or pay cash to stay at SSR.

 

[Fatalbie]

Disclaimer-only stayed at SSR and OKW-Considering BCV/BWV for OCT.
That being said part of the reason is we like SSR. My kids are 5 and 1 and we have had no problem staying at SSR. Lots to do with the kids, pool activity like movies at night, community hall with games, multiple pools, splash and play area, walk around and take in nature, boat to DTD with all the shops and sights that kids can enjoy, playground, great onsite dining-I have eaten at several WD restaurants and Turf Club is VERY UNDERRATED by most people.

As for adults lots of the same amenities you'd enjoy with kids plus great on site health club,spa if you are into that, golf and really good access to other DTD adult stuff, Cirque, House of Blues, Raglan Road, etc....
I am planning an adults only for my wife and me and I am tempted to stay somewhere else, but really find it hard to not stay at SSR, its a known. Some people on this board will tell you the exact opposite and to them that is the truth. To each his own.

Not close to the parks, but not that bad a bus or car ride either.

Make no mistake it is a big resort and at busy times the pool and counter service can be hard to handle; that's when you head to a quiet pool, park, or other dining venue-plenty to choose from very close. When you are at WDW you do some walking and the resort is well maintianed from a landscape standpoint so walking the grounds is enjoyable.

When I bought resale was actually slightly worse of deal than direct through Disney. Purchasing resale now, see board sponsor TimeShare Store, is a far better deal if you have the ability to wait for the right contract. Direct through Disney can be easier in terms of process but resale will save you some coin.
Just my $.02 since you asked for opinions. I dont think you can go wrong with any of the DVC resorts. Based on the activities offered at the properties, parks included, in general, you WILL find fun things to do no matter where you stay with or without the kids.

Jim

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Our family loves SSR. If given the choice, my son (13) would stay there every time. Like the other posters have said, you can walk to DTD, and the pools are nice. With really little kids, the main pool is great because it's zero entry at one end and has a Donald Duck waterspout!

If you haven't seen SSR (or the other DVC resorts for that matter), here's a great link. You can also check out the VB and HHI by clicking the box that says "Disney Beach Desinations."
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ho...ResortCategoryFacet=facetValueng:deluxe-villa

Here are some pics from our trip. Hope you enjoy, and best of luck with your decision!

Congress Park Pool and DTD View (from Pool)

Main Pool

Grounds

Inside of Room

 

[della]

My kids really enjoy the pool at SSR. The slide keeps the older ones happy, the zero entry and splash area are great for the little one.

 

[Tiger926]

We own at SSR, and although we've had fabulous vacations there, now with 2 kids, we aren't staying there as much. We find that being in the Epcot Resort Area is where we need to be with 2 small kids (one of whom is a very active toddler) as we can get to 3 resorts without having to drive our car, and we always end up at our beloved AKV for a short period as well (we love split stays) as there is so much for young children to do, plus, the dining options are better.

At SSR, we have to drive everywhere (we always have a car, whether it's our own or rental) and our kids don't care for this as much, especially in the stifling heat of July. We used to spend a lot of time at Downtown Disney before we had kids, and even while our DD was a baby, but now, the kids want to spend all of their time at the parks, and we don't blame them! We don't find there to be as much to do for young kids at SSR, plus, the trek to the main pool (all of the smaller pools are very nice, but DD loves Donald's splash pad) is very long as the resort is so huge.

That being said, we love the look and feel of SSR - the rooms are gorgeous, as are the exteriors, but SSR just isn't as convenient or fun for our small kids as this time. Plus, the dining options leave a little to be desired in Artist's Palette. We love Turf Club though, and so we always eat there as a way of getting in a visit to SSR.

I guess it depends on the ages of your kids, your eating habits and how you do WDW, but for us, other resort areas offer us a better vacation. Once the kids are older, I'm sure they will love this area due to Downtown Disney (we don't like to spend too much time shopping) being so close - we have had some amazing room views of Downtown Disney! Hubby and I also figure SSR will be perfect for a romantic getaway (haven't had one in almost 6 years since DD was born, so not sure when that will happen - LOL!) as well due to it being so pretty, as well as the closeness of Downtown Disney.

It's amazing now that we've owned DVC for almost 5 years and have stayed at every WDW resort (except GF and OKW), how much we've learned about the different resort areas in regards to transportation, food offerings and entertainment. We were so excited when we first bought into DVC and our DD was only 10 months old on her 1st trip, so, now that we've done so much since then, and have another baby, we have learned a lot more about which resorts best suit the needs of our little family.

Good luck in your planning, Tiger

 

[mecllap]

Buckeye -- thanks for the great photos. In the one of the main pool, do you know what the lady with the clipboard (she appears to be a CM) was doing? Is she just counting, or checking keys?

 

[WeLoveAriel0505]

We have 3 kids - DD4, DD2 and DS 2 months..............we were just at SSR in Feb and loved it. Loved the proximity to Downtown Disney and the pools. Also enjoyed taking a Surrey bike ride around the lake. LIttle far from the parks, but if you're looking to buy into DVC, you can get more bang for your buck at SSR and it's a quality resort for a family.......IMO

 

[skoi]

We have 4 kids (14,10,4 and 4). They all love SSR. They enjoy the main pool, the grounds, the spread out feeling of the resort. The little ones like the playgrounds and the feeling that there's room to room.

The only drawback we've had is transportation to and from the parks. When the buses work well, it's great, when they don't, not so good.

We like it enough that we're considering an add on there sometime next year, if we can sell our small BCV contract.

 

[Tiger926]

We have 4 kids (14,10,4 and 4). They all love SSR. They enjoy the main pool, the grounds, the spread out feeling of the resort. The little ones like the playgrounds and the feeling that there's room to room.

The only drawback we've had is transportation to and from the parks. When the buses work well, it's great, when they don't, not so good.

We like it enough that we're considering an add on there sometime next year, if we can sell our small BCV contract.

That's funny - we want to sell some or all of our SSR contract and buy BCV!

Tiger

 

[TwingleMum]

The Golden Rule of DVC is buy where you want to stay. Don't buy thinking I'll buy X because its cheaper but stay at Y. I bought BCV b/c we love the EPCOT area and the ease of going to 2 theme parks. My kids (7,5,5) love SAB so much many times they didn't want to go to parks. They just wanted to stay and have fun at the pool. I love that EPCOT is soo close we can walk 5 mins into the WS and get dessert if we are relaxing at the resort. I would try and stay at the resorts you are considering before buying and test drive them. I also bought thinking of the future and felt my kids would want to be at EPCOT and DHS the most so I bought with the most convenient resort to those 2 parks. But there are people who feel just as passionate about VWL, OKW and SSR. Thats the great thing about DVC theres something for everyone. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[5 for WDW]

Our home resort is SSR. Our kids are 11, 9 and 5 and it is the only resort they ever want to stay at.

We love everything about it. The grounds are gorgeous. The Villas are beautiful. We have never had a problem with the buses. But, that is luck of the draw of course. We really love the Grandstand section and the themed pool there. The main pool is a huge hit as well. We love walking to DTD.

The resort is large but, our daughter has been walking around the resort without a stroller since she was 4.

My husband and I took at trip last June and stayed at OKW. We missed SSR the entire trip. I stayed at BWV last December with friends and I loved the location. But, I missed my SSR then as well.

Yup, we are BIG fans!

 

[dddisrunner]

It is so nice to hear all these wonderful reviews of SSR! We will be there in June for 12 nights and really looking forward to it!

 

[Crisgw]

We own at AKV but just stayed at SSR (and are slated to stay there in May) and our 4 and 6 year old sons LOVED it. We rented bikes and rode around for an hour, they loved the pool and splash pad areas (even though they only spent one day there since it was TOO cold!). But, they do love it (and IMO, the gym is great!)

 

[dddisrunner]

We own at AKV but just stayed at SSR (and are slated to stay there in May) and our 4 and 6 year old sons LOVED it. We rented bikes and rode around for an hour, they loved the pool and splash pad areas (even though they only spent one day there since it was TOO cold!). But, they do love it (and IMO, the gym is great!)

Are the bike rentals at DTD or at the main building at SSR? Also, where are the boat rentals (sea raycers)? Thanks!

 

[SaratogaShan]

The bike rentals are atall a walk up window at Community Hall at the main pool. I think it is called "Horsin' around rentals". Sea Raycers can be rented at Downtown Disney, near Captain Jacks.

 

[NJ Goofy]

My kids are older (12 & 15), we bought at SSR because we liked the resort and the access to DTD.

It gives us, and as the kids get older, a place to go at night without needing transportation. We also have access to several great restaurants close by.

With that being said, we just bought an add-on at BWV because we love that area also and being able to walk to EPCOT & DHS.

 

[Chim Chiminy]

My kids are now 15 and 9 and we bought SSR during it's presales.
We have stayed there three times since then, and also own at BCV. Have stayed at all DVC resorts except AKV, though we do enjoy visiting the Lodge.

Having said that, my kids have enjoyed each visit to SSR. When DD was younger, she really enjoyed the zero entry end of the main pool and the little kids water slide.
She also enjoys the playgrounds at the resort, they have several nice ones that are also quite big. In fact when we went with our best friends, the playground was the first place she and her BFF went. They had a blast together and it makes a great memory.

Both kids enjoy the main pool and the quiet pools with the little fountains spilling in to the pool. My kids love the slide at High Rock Springs.
We didn't get to enjoy the pool at the Grandstands on our last visit, but it looks like fun.

They also like being able to walk along the pathways, especially around the lake.
And take a boat to DTD. They love DTD, so being in close proximity is a plus.

Most times, we don't find the bus transportation to be an issue. Any resort can have slow buses, we have found.
We always have a car, so if it becomes an issue we just drive. We don't find the distance to the parks to be so bad either.

SSR has a great Community Hall and a nice arcade, again both pluses for my kids.