What is the Reason Why SSR is Considered the Last Resort?

[davidhr]

With regard to walking: At SSR, we request Grandstand and walk to DS regularly. We even walked to DS from Carousel (not our favorite area of SSR but boy was it quiet) when our request for Grandstand didn't come thru. Granted, we like to walk and are fortunate to be able to do so. If fact, the one time we stayed at OKW, we walked to DS a couple of times from a near-Hospitality House room. I think the walking around the parks is at least as much walking as those walks to and around DS.

We also love to walk and I find walking from SSR to DS so peaceful. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I like Saratoga so much It’s a huge walkable resort.

 

[Girlstar30]

That's what we like too! In fact, our 2 favourite resorts are AKV and SSR and we never rent a car, using Disney transportation only. We even stayed at the dreaded Carousel location at SSR and were kind of bummed out to see that was where they put us. It turned out that we absolutely loved it and would stay in the same location in a heart beat. We were the 2nd bus stop, a mere 2 minutes to the Paddock pool and would cut through the Paddock pool area and over the bridge to the Carriage House if we needed to go there. We walked to and from DS many times. We absolutely love the resort! Oh and the refurbs of the rooms at SSR are gorgeous. This is our 1 bedroom in the Carousel location.

Love it! Call me crazy but I almost feel like you get a more upscale feel without the upscale prices because of lack of transportation. Since it turns out akv is my favorite too tied with boardwalk, I wonder where this will rank !

 

[Girlstar30]

Awesome. I love the "bridle" chandelier.

Love the golden mickey!

 

[Girlstar30]

It is actually our 3rd choice of resort for trips that won’t do parks or if we have a larger group and I need to save points!

We love its location to DS! Always go with RIV first with VGF in split stays. But if not, SSR it is!

Im telling you, I know you like the fancy resorts, so im onto something with my upscale at non upscale pricing lol!

 

[Girlstar30]

We also love to walk and I find walking from SSR to DS so peaceful. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I like Saratoga so much It’s a huge walkable resort.

We felt that way too!

 

[intamin]

So on our last trip, we decided to finally check out the grounds of our home resort, SSR!

And I have to say that we both really actually liked what we saw! I loved that its by Disney Springs which opens a ton of dining options and leisurely boat rides. We loved the pastel colors of the buildings, the fountains, the bridges, statues, seeing wildlife we've never seen before, the stately frog pool we passed, and the fact that it has a lot of land to meander and stroll through!

We admittedly peeked thru some windows and thought the rooms actually looked pretty fancy and we liked the overall vibe. I guess my question is, why so much hate? I was really expecting to walk into something rundown, plain or undesirable with the way its talked about

Is it really just the internal bus loop or is there something im missing? I wonder if perhaps it was smaller it would be more popular and thats the reason for it to be considered one of the last resorts on people's list?

IMO it suffers because of several things, the location not being park adjacent, bus only transportation, sprawling nature of the resort, internal bus loop, all of which are well known. One of the things it also suffers from though which may contribute just as much is the perceived undesirability as a result of it's excess availability at 7 months. In reality though it's a great resort, they really did a great job with the refurb. It's pools are some of the best IMO and the resort is just peaceful. Every building has elevators unlike OKW to make it easy for those in scooters. I know you can request the first floor at OKW but it's nice to have the elevator regardless. Walking distance to Disney Springs is really nice if you incorporate those restaurants into your trip and its also nice when eating dinner at other resorts to be able to take the bus to Disney Springs and just walk back to your resort without having to go to a theme park and then transfer.

 

[Girlstar30]

IMO it suffers because of several things, the location not being park adjacent, bus only transportation, sprawling nature of the resort, internal bus loop, all of which are well known. One of the things it also suffers from though which may contribute just as much is the perceived undesirability as a result of it's excess availability at 7 months. In reality though it's a great resort, they really did a great job with the refurb. It's pools are some of the best IMO and the resort is just peaceful. Every building has elevators unlike OKW to make it easy for those in scooters. I know you can request the first floor at OKW but it's nice to have the elevator regardless. Walking distance to Disney Springs is really nice if you incorporate those restaurants into your trip and its also nice when eating dinner at other resorts to be able to take the bus to Disney Springs and just walk back to your resort without having to go to a theme park and then transfer.

I think that DS bus transfer to any resort is a huge advantage for dinners too, our transfers from DS back to our resort after visiting another resort have always been so slow at the other resorts, I dont even bother to resort hop for dinner like that anymore unless im walking.

 

[mikeuno]

I can remember my mom taking us to classes at the former Disney Institute -
Back in the early 1990's, before it was referred to as the Resort of Last Resort ...

 

[Girlstar30]

I can remember my mom taking us to classes at the former Disney Institute -
Back in the early 1990's, before it was referred to as the Resort of Last Resort ...

What kind of classes did they have. I dont mean to refer to it like that, was just wondering why the hostility and got my answers loud and clear

 

[Kailunkat]

Haven’t stayed there but I love the look/vibe from video. I think the horse racing theme is fantastic. Point charts are great and as an “always have a rental car” family, buses are not a big deal. Also I think Disney should bring an actual racetrack and sponsor some major races, double down on the Saratoga theming and vibe.

I would settle for a carriage ride or a petting zoo
Seriously though, this us a wonderful dream but the logistics and cost associated with a racetrack would be impossible. Horse racing has teetered on the edge of extinction at many well established and historic tracks for years due to profitability issues. Disney doesn't want ANY of that action.

It was the second WDW resort I ever stayed in, and I thought it was beautiful and peaceful at the time. But somehow as I get older, something about the buildings themselves feel too much like an average FL apartment complex to me. Do have fond memories though!

This - the outdoor hallways and cookie cutter nature of the buildings make it seem more motel than hotel for me. That being said, I stayed there last month and the rooms are very pretty and the main bedroom of the 2bd has great theming (the other bedroom was more blah).

I will say that the split shared/master bath in the 2bd also makes zero sense to me - I don't understand why Disney keeps the massive whirlpool tubs in the room renovations. It would function much better to have a second toilet or shower than to keep the massive tub. This isn't an issue exclusive to SSR but the master closet there is also HUGE considering the size of the rest of the room and surely they could have designed that bathroom/closet layout to be more utilitarian for the majority of guests.

I think there is also a "novice user" bias for all of the sprawling resorts where those who aren't as experienced as your average Disboard user doesn't understand how to make a room request for the building that will be best for them. When you stay at a resort and unexpectedly end up in an outlying building a LONG way from your favorite amenities it can really sour the trip.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

My last resort, resort would be RIV.

 

[Carouselofplanning]

When talking about Saratoga it blows my mind how: these boards, the popular podcasts and the vloggers all omit that Saratoga has a great golf course off the back of the lobby. No other Disney World resort can say this. None. It’s a huge amenity. And simply seeing a golf course from your hotel is not the same thing.

Saratoga has so much going for it with the proximity to Disney Springs, the great rooms and pools as well. The grounds are so relaxing.

It has been my observation that people value park proximity the most at Disney coupled with feeling as if their points are valuable if they have booking priority at a hard to get resort. The problem with that is it also seems, from reading these boards, that it’s also hard for home resort people at said resorts to book what they want when they want. You don’t experience that with Saratoga. You can actually use your membership as it’s envisioned.

Lastly, nostalgia plays a big role. “I’ve stayed at xyz for 30 years and we love it”. Saratoga doesn’t have as many of those types. Looking at a resort through this lens overlooks a lot of shortcomings.

 

[zackiedawg]

Lastly, nostalgia plays a big role. “I’ve stayed at xyz for 30 years and we love it”. Saratoga doesn’t have as many of those types. Looking at a resort through this lens overlooks a lot of shortcomings.

True - Though it's been open now about 21 years as Saratoga, I'm one of the few that's stayed at that location going back 40 years. When it officially opened as SSR, I was already nostalgic to see my old Disney Villas and Disney Institute location refreshed and being used again.

The golf connection is indeed nice - I'm sure the percentage of people staying there who are intending to golf is a small percentage of the overall guests, but definitely something that makes it unique.

And side benefit - SSR has the highest quality and least expensive lunch of any Disney resort or park, that almost no one knows about (except golfers).

 

[Carouselofplanning]

True - Though it's been open now about 21 years as Saratoga, I'm one of the few that's stayed at that location going back 40 years. When it officially opened as SSR, I was already nostalgic to see my old Disney Villas and Disney Institute location refreshed and being used again.

The golf connection is indeed nice - I'm sure the percentage of people staying there who are intending to golf is a small percentage of the overall guests, but definitely something that makes it unique.

And side benefit - SSR has the highest quality and least expensive lunch of any Disney resort or park, that almost no one knows about (except golfers).

You made me think of one more point: Disney fans love theming. Saratoga is beautiful and the building design definitely captures a time period and the layout creates an overall lovely feel but you don’t get a sense you’ve been transported anywhere exotic. Very literal Disney theming is also highly prized:
One hotel takes you to Africa, another to Hawaii, another to the “future”, another to the wilderness of the west, another to the French Riviera, etc. Saratoga takes you 45 minutes north of Albany lol.

 

[intamin]

When talking about Saratoga it blows my mind how: these boards, the popular podcasts and the vloggers all omit that Saratoga has a great golf course off the back of the lobby. No other Disney World resort can say this. None. It’s a huge amenity. And simply seeing a golf course from your hotel is not the same thing.

Saratoga has so much going for it with the proximity to Disney Springs, the great rooms and pools as well. The grounds are so relaxing.

It has been my observation that people value park proximity the most at Disney coupled with feeling as if their points are valuable if they have booking priority at a hard to get resort. The problem with that is it also seems, from reading these boards, that it’s also hard for home resort people at said resorts to book what they want when they want. You don’t experience that with Saratoga. You can actually use your membership as it’s envisioned.

Lastly, nostalgia plays a big role. “I’ve stayed at xyz for 30 years and we love it”. Saratoga doesn’t have as many of those types. Looking at a resort through this lens overlooks a lot of shortcomings.

I'm not a golfer but OKW has a golf course right next to it as well right? How much of a further walk is it for OKW?

 

[Carouselofplanning]

I'm not a golfer but OKW has a golf course right next to it as well right? How much of a further walk is it for OKW?

It’s the same course. You see holes from OKW but you cannot start a round there. You cannot walk to the clubhouse from Old Key West. Technically can you hike over with your clubs, sure I suppose if you were hell bent on demonstrating it’s possible but that’s not at all easy or intended. You need to drive over to Saratoga, go through the main gate and park or take a free Mears taxi over.

 

[miksicnarf]

What kind of classes did they have. I dont mean to refer to it like that, was just wondering why the hostility and got my answers loud and clear

I took a photography class at The Institute back in the '90's.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'm not a golfer but OKW has a golf course right next to it as well right? How much of a further walk is it for OKW?

Depending on where you are in OKW, it's anywhere from a mile to a mile & a half walk, down a path by the woods, over a bridge, to the clubhouse at Saratoga. Walkable for those who like to walk, but a bit of a sludge carrying your golf bag and equipment too!

 

[zackiedawg]

Disney Institute offered classes in various things like cooking, photography, gardening, art, animation, dance, golf, tennis, etc.

 

[intamin]

It’s the same course. You see holes from OKW but you cannot start a round there. You cannot walk to the clubhouse from Old Key West. Technically can you hike over with your clubs, sure I suppose if you were hell bent on demonstrating it’s possible but that’s not at all easy or intended. You need to drive over to Saratoga, go through the main gate and park or take a free Mears taxi over.

All the more reason for me to be team SSR over OKW