Why does it feel like I made a mistake booking SSR?

[mnamna]

i thought we got a great deal, preferred 1bd villa for cheap. When I got on here though it seems like there's a lot of posts telling people to avoid SSR. Why?

We may be renting a car, if that makes a difference.

 

[msjprincess]

I personally like SSR. I bought resale there after renting points for a stay. I like being able to walk to DS, I like the pools. I know a lot of people don't like it because it is spread out with numerous bus stops.

 

[brittanidp]

I felt so so about it too after changing from AKV because we had to change our dates and there wasn't much DVC available, but I had no issues and would stay there again. I liked the resort and didn't feel like the buses were bad or that we needed a car. We were in the Grandstand and it was the first bus stop and close enough to the main building. Go and make you own opinions, don't let the negative experiences deter you

 

[wilkeliza]

I've learned that if you look at any hotel on Disney property in reviews you'll find a ton of people saying to stay away. I think a lot of the SSR is people not realizing what DVC units are when they get them on cash reservations from Disney. Also SSR has really minimal theming. I stayed in a 1 bedroom there years ago and it was actually was what made me think DVC would be for me even though I haven't bought yet. I think it isn't really in the "deluxe" category that they say and that is the issue. It is about as traditional of a vacation rental property as you can get.

 

[steg]

SSR is great! Especially with a car rental, then it doesn't make as big of a deal on where your room ends up being in the resort relative to Disney Transportation and even certain parts of the resort.

We always choose to stay there if we plan to have a lot of evenings or time in general at Disney Springs. It's always clean and quiet there. Only drawback to me is theming and spotty bus service (which you wont have to deal with!) enjoy!

 

[bumbershoot]

When I got on here though it seems like there's a lot of posts telling people to avoid SSR. Why?

I don't know what you're reading (all I ever see are posts like yours, but I don't recall seeing an anti-SSR post), but I assume each post you've seen gave the reviewer's reasons. Tally up their problems then find all the pro-SSR reviews and see what's good about it.

I like the place. I like the rooms, I like the management of the place. I like the Paddock pool and slide.

 

[Amps]

I wasn't a huge fan of SSR when we stayed there in 2010. It felt very 'hotely' and kind of un-Disney.

Part of our experience was that we got stuck in the furthest building, furthest corner, top floor. We couldn't have been further from all the amenities. The design of the resort is just so spread out. It took 15-20mins for the bus to get off property and on the way to the parks. My situation was a worse case but it definitely shows in the layout how it can happen to everyone to some degree.

It was nice walking to Downtown Disney and the property is pretty. It just felt way too 'offsite' for me.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It's absolutely a Deluxe in terms of amenities offered. It's not near a park, only Disney Springs, which sometimes gives it a bad rap, and it has a traditional DVC setup (queens+sofabeds in studios, etc.).

It's a large resort, but it's not any worse/larger/whatever than CSR, CBR or even Pop.

 

[mnamna]

I don't know what you're reading (all I ever see are posts like yours, but I don't recall seeing an anti-SSR post), but I assume each post you've seen gave the reviewer's reasons. Tally up their problems then find all the pro-SSR reviews and see what's good about it.

I like the place. I like the rooms, I like the management of the place. I like the Paddock pool and slide.

They don't really say why though. Usually it's been comments like, "Get the cheapest deluxe room you can, except SSR, and..."

Makes it sound like a plague to avoid rather than just a room preference.

We do have the preferred room if that makes a difference too. ^_^

 

[westie55]

I loved SSR. It does have a theme (Saratoga Springs/ horse racing) and there are definitely equine touches throughout the resort. The theming is nowhere near as immersive as AKL, but it does exist. Honestly, many Disney resorts are toning down the Disney theming. Look at the new YC rooms! SSR is large but I would compare it to CBR or POR in terms of size and bus stops throughout the resort. I stayed in a 1 BR there in the Grandstand in December and it was lovely. The room was huge and I liked the location of the Grandstand because it was the first bus stop to pick up (good for getting a seat on early morning buses to the MK) and drop off. The counter service didn't have as much selection as a food court, but the same is true at YC/BC. I would definitely stay at SSR again without hesitation.

 

[DisneyElite4]

Saratoga is our favorite resort! We have stayed there more any other resort, over a dozen times - we just love it. I totally think the theming is Disney, and have never understood those who say otherwise. The resort is gorgeous and I honestly love that it's spread out. We love the restaurants there and all the pools are just fantastic and usually not crowded because there are a ton of them. The buildings are pretty and we love the layout of the rooms. We usually stay in one or two bedroom villas. We always have a car, but have never had a problem using the buses. It's nice walking to or taking the boat to Disney Springs.

 

[Steven Noggle]

Saratoga is awesome so nice to walk around the trails at night, and just a walk to the springs. Its my first choice. There are a lot of bus stops, and it takes a while for the bus to get to all the stops, so depending on where you get on the bus, it can sometimes take a while to reach your destination. Steve in bell services is awesome! (Most Steves are awesome) they also have International delight french vanilla coffee creamer, which to me is like liquid gold.(Try to find it at a value resort, I dare you.) in short, you did not make a mistake.

 

[mnamna]

Thanks everyone! Just glad to see it wasn't like some unspoken place to avoid! Lol!

 

[TavieP]

It's my best friend's home resort (mine is OKW) and I usually opt to stay at OKW when I can. Did SSR once about 10 years ago and it was very pleasant. We're probably going to be doing Saratoga Springs again this coming October (no other availability!) and I'll enjoy the proximity to Disney Springs since I haven't been over to Disney Springs since it became Disney Springs and now I'm just trying to see how many times I can say Springs in one sentence.

 

[Marionnette]

i thought we got a great deal, preferred 1bd villa for cheap. When I got on here though it seems like there's a lot of posts telling people to avoid SSR. Why?

We may be renting a car, if that makes a difference.

I'll admit that SSR is not my favorite Disney resort but it's far from horrible. I don't care for its size, the way it is so spread out that it needs an internal bus system, the fact that it is not near any parks and that many of the rooms open directly to the outdoors instead of having interior hallways.

However, parking is much easier at SSR than it is at most of the other DVC resorts (except AKV-Kidani). It has great access to Disney Springs, which means you have the best variety of dining and shopping of any DVC resort right in your backyard. The distance from the theme parks lends a relaxing atmosphere to the resort. There is no refurb or construction going on, unlike BWV - which seems to be in a constant state of noisy construction - or OKW, which will be undergoing a hard goods refurb later this year.

 

[Jules76126]

I have stayed at SSR before. I agree with other posters that it is more spread out than other deluxes. But there is nothing wrong with the resort itself. The boat to DS is very nice and it is on the golf course (if I remember correctly) so it was very pretty to walk about. We were there in January so we did not check out the pools. I think SSR gets a bad rep because it is more spread out than the other DVC resorts (besides OKW) and the theme is more subtle. Is SSR my favorite? No. I prefer BC or BWI villas, but that is because we love the pools and really enjoy Epcot and that is important to us. However, staying at SSR is way better than no Disney at all.

 

[daannzzz]

I have never been a big fan of DVC and when they were building SS and completed it, I was not impressed until I walked over from Downtown Disney. I found it to be very nice and more interesting than it looked from afar. I married into DVC and one the first place we stayed as SS. I enjoyed it much more than expected. I am from California and this definitely felt like an upscale country club from the east coast area. You hardley ever see photos of the fronts of the buildings where the white fencing and gardens are. The room was fine. The decor not my favorite but it fit the theme of the resort. Not sure about any new decor. We had a great view down the fairway of the golf course and were close to the grandstand pool which had a great old fashioned feeling to it. That being said we have not been back as I have wanted to try to other DVC locations and our home resort is the Beach Club Villas.

 

[bettybooplove]

I stayed at Saratoga once. It was okay. It wasn't horrible, far from it. But it wasn't a memorable resort.

The food court area is pretty big. There are a lot of pools and splash areas which is nice. The colors are pretty and calming. We also roasted marshmallows and that was cute.

I didn't think the buses were bad at all. The waits weren't very long and I'd rather ride around to a few different stops around the resort than wait 40 minutes on my feet.

I believe it has one sit down restaurant there which we checked out for one lunch and one dinner.

It has a spa and I had a mani/pedi. It's nowhere near as nice as the spa at the Grand but the employees were friendlier.

I didn't like the exterior doors because of the bugs but I guess it's the equivalent to hearing screaming children in interior hallways.

It's clean, the cast members are pretty nice but no it didn't blow any of us away. I don't like how close it is to the other hotels around Disney Springs. It doesn't feel tucked away and special. But I'd rather stay there than off-property because it's still a Disney resort and it's so close to Springs.

 

[sharadoc]

I think people don't like it if they go in expecting to use a lot of "main building" amenities like the food court, table service restaurant, shopping, bar, etc. Both OKW and SSR satisfy our need for a kitchen and relaxation along with access to a pool. We drive and the location to all of the parks is terrific, it's really central.

 

[Deb & Bill]

They don't really say why though. Usually it's been comments like, "Get the cheapest deluxe room you can, except SSR, and..."

Makes it sound like a plague to avoid rather than just a room preference.

We do have the preferred room if that makes a difference too. ^_^

I think there are a lot of guests who don't like the village type setting. But tell them they got Grand Floridian or Polynesian and they go bananas. Those two resorts are also the village concept and not a single building. You just can't drive from building to building.

SSR and OKW are both larger resorts and pretty nice.