Saratoga's good points?

[tizzo]

Looks like I may have to stay at Saratoga Springs for my vacation and honsestly after visiting it I have no desire to stay there. Either does my husband and after spending all this money to buy in he is not a happy guy that we have to stay there. Can anyone tell me if they love it there? This way I can tell him some good things and keep him from canceling this vacation on us. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[chalee94]

1. it's on disney property
2. the furnishings in the rooms look expensive and tasteful
3. the grounds of the resort are beautiful
4. it's a good location if you like to golf
5. artist's palette has some nice options for a resort CS
6. access to the bus hub at DTD from the CP area is a nice perk IMO - it's easy to get to other resorts for dining reservations

it's not my favorite either, but it's not that bad...

 

[Tinks "SS"]

I personally have not stayed there as we just joined in june. But i really think that we would enjoy staying there mainly because we love downtown disney. That is almost our 5th park for us. and the proximity to there is heaven to me. we spend at least 2 days there every trip so i think i would like it just for that and all of the different resturants at downtown disney.

I hope this helps out some and i'm sure that others will put in their 2cents about why they love it.

OH! Oh! how about the Tree house villas??? They look awesome.

 

[cogero]

we weren't big fans before staying there but we absolutely loved our stay there.

We walked from the Grandstand to Downtown Disney. The grounds were lovely.

It is beautiful to sit on the balcony and overlook the golf course and enjoy a quiet morning

 

[kenny]

As an owner at SSR I may be a little bias, but I have to admit, I really to love it there (although can't wait to try my other home at BLT in March ).

The most common complaints I see on these boards about SSR are:
- Too Big
- Not themed enough
- Poor bus service

As for the size, personally I like a bigger resort. Even at the most crowded of times, it still feels quiet and peaceful. We were there for Easter week last year. MK closed due to crowds, Epcot was a zoo, yet SSR still seemed quiet, peaceful and calming.

Theming. To this I say to each his own. While I have not stayed at all the DVC resorts, personally outside of AKL (and maybe VWL) I really don't think the "theming" is any different. Those would be the only resorts that I could say (going by pictures now) you would feel "transported" to another destination. Theming is nice, upscale and fits nicely with what Disney was trying to accomplish. However I have been to the real Saratoga Springs in NY and "get" the whole horse racing thing.

Bus Service - We always rent a car so I can't comment on this.

For the other good points, we love the views it provides. We always get a room in Congress Park and request a DTD view. It is really nice to come home at night, sit on the balcony and watch the commotion, etc of DTD and have a glass of wine and relax. It lets you still feel part of all the disney craziness but in a relaxing atmosphere.

The pools are all really nice. Personally like the Congress Park quiet pool better than main pool but they are all nice.

The Turf Club is probably one of the best kept secrets for dining. Very nice atmosphere and great food.

SSR offers a lot of options on recreation and things to due, plus you are a 5 minute walk to DTD which opens up a whole other world of dining/recreation etc.

While it does not have the lure of "transportation/walking" to a theme park, it has SO much to offer and really offers a nice relaxing break from the parks.

But that is the beauty of DVC. There is something for everyone.

Hope you enjoy your stay and try and go in with an open mind, you might be pleasantly surprised!

Here are a few pics:

View from Room:

Building:

 

[CMOORE185]

It is DVC how can you not love it. I have this attitude because I love all the DVC resorts. I could stay at any of them and be happy.

 

[DopeyDave]

Two times I've stayed there, I think I stayed in the Springs section (directly across from the main themed pool). From there, it's an equal walking distance to the Rainforest Cafe in DD Marketplace as it is to House of Blues in DD Westside. Both are lovely walks.

 

[look1angel]

I've stayed here once and it was nice. My home resort is AKL & for me it beat out SSR by far, again the theming.

My brother has stayed at SSR twice, studio & 1 bedroom & loved it.

I stayed once at AS Movies (before becoming a DCV member) & it was just so adorable & fun that I'd choose that over SSR too. More for kids of course then again, I'm a big kid

Bus service at least where we were was less than a min walk.

With all the resorts it's so nice to have choices.

 

[beccasmom]

We've stayed there 3 times; twice we stayed at Congress Park and once at the Paddocks.

It is a nice resort. The grounds are lovely and the proximity to DTD is great. We enjoyed the Congress Park pool especially as it has great views of the lake overlooking DTD and the boats passing by. The rooms are quite pretty as well. We were once upgraded to a one-bedroom unit from a studio and really enjoyed it. The studio is a nice size though.

We found the bus service to be just okay; we experienced some long waits at times. As the resort is quite large, a car would be handy, IMHO.

 

[Technosavant]

We stayed there this past May on incentive points. We weren't sure what to expect, but we absolutely loved SSR. Our only complaint was that the counter service was fairly small and the gift shop was microscopic (by comparison to even moderate resorts). It is a beautiful resort, the Turf Club is outstanding, the proximity to DTD is excellent, and it is just a relaxing place to be.

While we own at AKV, if we suddenly felt we wanted to add on points, I think we'd strongly consider SSR.

 

[Bob Price]

The rooms are big.
You don't have to brush your teeth in the kitchen.
The bathroom doors lock.
You don't have to fix your breakfast in the bathroom.
You can catch a nice nap on the bus ride back to the resort.
No loud fireworks keeping you up at night.
Lots of exercise walking to / from the bus stop or pool.

 

[ballcaptodd]

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at SSR in January, 2009. The grounds are gorgeous, and the views of DTD are beautiful...especially at night. Try to request a DTD view in the Congress Park section, and you can walk to DTD in minutes. As previously suggested, you might also want to see about staying at the Treehouse Villas. They are part of the SSR, are essentially private homes, and parking is practically at your front door. You'll have a great time!

 

[Golden Rose]

We stayed there on developer points in January, and were definitely hesitant going into it. We were so pleasantly surprised. We thought our room was large, comfortable, and well-appointed. The pools (both the main pool and the grandstand pool) both looked great, although it was too cold for us to use them. We had a nice view of the golf course and gardens, and thought all the resort that we saw was attractive. We did have a car, although we didn't always use it, and we really appreciatd being able to park near the room.

My DM and her DH absolutely loved SSR. They didn't go into the parks at all. They played golf (and one of the golf courses is at the resort), they walked or took the boat to DTD every day, and they relaxed. We (DH, DS, and I) did go into parks, and didn't find the buses too bad, except for the bus back from AK. We waited at SSR for no more than 17 minutes any time, often much less.

It's a beautiful, pleasant resort. It isn't my favorite, but it was definitely a nice retreat after the hectic pace of the parks. The ability to walk to DTD was definitely a plus. (Not as much of a plus as the ability to walk to Epcot, but a plus nonetheless.) We liked the decor, and thought our room in the Grandstand was very well kept up and very nice. (We thought it was much nicer and in better repair than our room at the BWV in May, actually.)

We absolutely would go back again. In fact, my DM was asking me to book it for her for their next golf vacation. We've actually considered doing a small add-on at SSR since my DM and DSF loved it so much.

 

[lazydazy8]

We are hoping to try all the DVC resorts, but wanted to try our home resort for our first DVC trip. We LOVED SSR! It was so quiet and tranquil at night. The paths were a relaxing end to our nights in DTD. We enjoyed the boat rides to DTD as well.

The flatbread pizzas at the artists' palette (CS) are yummy. The breakfast was good, too.

We stayed in the Grandstand section. If you are concerned about the bus service, this may be the building to request. It was the first stop to be picked up (so you always get a seat) and the first to be dropped off. I felt that it was rather close to the MK and EPCOT. (This, is coming from someone who hung her head out the window of a cab from the Contemporary back to SSR after getting food poisoning.) The "quiet" pool outside the Grandstand was nice and had a fun play area with squirting horses! LOL

The views of the golf course are lovely.

Everything felt so new! Loved the bathroom and the way the doors locked off. (We were in a 1bdrm.)

Look at it as an opportunity to start trying all the resorts! Was it really the ONLY resort left? OKW usually has some availability (we LOVED that, too and it's right next door to SSR)!

Relax and get ready to have a wonderful trip regardless!!

 

[castleri]

Looks like I may have to stay at Saratoga Springs for my vacation and honsestly after visiting it I have no desire to stay there. Either does my husband and after spending all this money to buy in he is not a happy guy that we have to stay there. Can anyone tell me if they love it there? This way I can tell him some good things and keep him from canceling this vacation on us. Any help would be appreciated!

Have stayed there at least 5 times and loved every stay. The pool by Congress Park is very relaxing and enjoyed the one at the Grandstand because of the pool bar and closeness to the room we had in the building right next to it. Never had an overly long wait for the bus when staying at GS but did find the buses were pretty full by the time they got to the Springs stop a few times when we were staying in the Springs area. A couple of times we just walked over to the GS bus stop if we saw a lot of people wating at the Springs stop.

Love the Turf Club - have had some excellent meals there. Also love the flatbreads and the salad with the dried cherries at Artist Pallette.

The walk to DTD is lovely and the boat ride is very nice if you want to spare the feet.

In the future maybe you will be able to make your reservations far enough in advance to not run into the problem of "having to stay at SSR" but then again you may find you really like it once you try it.

 

[tizzo]

Thanks to all of you! I am truly feeling better about the fact we may have to stay there. I called and made a reservation for Oct. 24-31 and they had to get a manager to get me the 24th as it was technically unavailable. (I had already bought my air tickets as I was using points). There was no availability ANYWHERE, OKW was close but nothing on the 27th & 28th. I was very happy to learn about the waitlist! Hopefully that will work for us but if it doesn't I feel better and I think my husband is softening. These boards are a great place to learn the ropes!

 

[Sammie]

love, love it.

Spa, tranquility, great pools, best counter service at any Disney resort in my opinion, great staff, beautiful landscaping, boats to Downtown Disney or walking distance, beautiful upscale interior decor, the quietest rooms of any Disney resort, movies by the pool, fun activities for kids, golf, comfy beds, Turf Club, centrally located to all things at the World.

 

[ToddyLu]

Fantastic spa...although a little hard to find our first trip. We were amazed at how big and quiet the resort was compared to POFQ. Very nice. Nice covered bus stop near the spa.....lovely.

 

[rentayenta]

You don't have to brush your teeth in the kitchen.

You don't have to fix your breakfast in the bathroom.

love, love it.

Spa, tranquility, great pools, best counter service at any Disney resort in my opinion, great staff, beautiful landscaping, boats to Downtown Disney or walking distance, beautiful upscale interior decor, the quietest rooms of any Disney resort, movies by the pool, fun activities for kids, golf, comfy beds, Turf Club, centrally located to all things at the World.

And the reasons why we purchased SSR!

 

[MIannie]

We had incentive points from buying into AKL which had to be used at SSR. I'd only seen SSR once from a ME bus, and wasn't impressed. Stayed for five days in sept. 08 then a week in Jan.09, and I love it. Its so quiet and peaceful, and light and bright. I now regret not buying there. I'm afraid AKL will be too dark for me, a SAD depressed person. Luckily with SSR being so large I will be able to get a room there at the 7 month window, and if I add on, it will be SSR.