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chickie
DIS Veteran
Registered: March 2004
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 743Review Date: Mon April 27, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): large, quiet, beautiful grounds Cons: very spread out
Saratoga Springs is one of our favorite DVC resorts. We usually have a car, so the size of the resort doesn't bother us. The grounds are just beautiful, and the rooms are always clean and nice. I really enjoy sitting out on our patio or balcony and relaxing. If we have a golf course view, I love to sit and watch the golfers go by. We like the Turf Club restaurant, and the Artist's Palette is convenient if we need something for our room. The pools are all really nice, even the quiet pools. Being far from main building doesn't bother us, either, since we just love to walk through the resort. It's great to come back here and relax after a long day at the parks. 
DVCJones
DIS Veteran
Registered: September 2006
Posts: 1750Review Date: Tue April 28, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Everything Cons: None
We stayed in a 1BR for 6 days. It was wonderful!!!The room was beautiful and spotless. I have to admit; I was a little worried about staying here after reading some posts on the boards. However, it turned out to be the most relaxing trip we ever had at WDW. As DVC owners, we have stayed at most DVC resorts and I love them all, but Saratoga Springs is my favorite thus far.
We stayed in the Grandstand section. This location proved to be a perfect fit for our family. We were very close to the "quiet" pool and enjoyed many hours relaxing poolside. My daughters ages 5 and 3 had a blast playing in the splash area. This was the first time I could actually sit and watch my children play without having to follow them around worried that they would fall in a pool. I actually could RELAX as I watched my kids play only a few feet away. The pool is located near by, but far enough away so you can feel comfortable enough where you don’t have to stand over them.
The quick service food was delicious. My husband and I really enjoyed the flatbread and my kids liked the chicken nuggets. The biggest hit was the homemade chips!!! They are awesome!!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
The bus service was great. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. The Grandstand is the first bus stop, so you are sure to always get a seat in the morning.
We also spent some time at the Community Center. They had lots of games, TV, movie rentals, bike rentals, and arts & crafts materials for the kids. We had hoped to spend more time there, but never made it back. The weather was so nice, so we decided to spend most of our time in the parks and by the pools. However, if the weather had been bad, it would have been a great place to go with the kids.
One more thing I think I should mention is how great the spa is. My husband had a Swedish massage at the spa. He said it was “a little bit of heaven” I was a little sad that I didn’t book myself one after I heard how great it was. Oh’ well there is always next year.
dpuck1998
I'm innocent I tell you...innocent! I've been framed!
Worlds second largest Miami Dolphin fan
Registered: April 2003
Location: Vicksburg, MI
Posts: 10292Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 6
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Near Downtown Disney Cons: Bus Service
My least favorite DVC location right now. The rooms are standard DVC size, the location is just okay. Nothing stands out to me about this spot. I just don't feel like I'm at Disney when staying here. If you have a car it is much easier to get around and you can park fairly close to your room.
prettypixie
Mouseketeer
Registered: July 2003
Location: Not Close Enough!!!
Posts: 438Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Peaceful and relaxing atmosphere Cons: Bus system
I am a new member to DVC and I got incentive points to use at Saratoga Springs. Saratoga Springs is a huge resort with 5 sections that are all spread out. I have been to this resort 3 times in the last year and everytime I have been pleased with my stay. I always stay in the Springs section which is located very close to the main pool and the carriage house/food court. My only complaint is I wished the resort had a few dedicated buses for each section. When you are staying in the Springs section you are the last bus stop before heading to the park...this is great! When you are coming back into the resort the Springs section is the last stop! It takes entirely too long to get back to your resort at the end of a long day in the parks. Overall, I will stay here again. The rooms are very clean and I have always had great customet service.
Madhatter266
Wants to Live at Epcot
Registered: July 2000
Location: Maryland
Posts: 595Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): So much to do Cons: Really big!
The entire family loves SSR. Our first visit was within six months of it's opening, and we have been there several times since. We love the pools, the proximity to DTD and the landscaping. We have stayed at other DVC locations, and always feel that we when we don't stay at SSR, we have missed something.
Renysmom
Just wondering what is going on
Something has to pay for my WDW trips LOL
Registered: September 2004
Location: Virginia
Posts: 4496Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 5
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Nicely themed Cons: Far from everything but DTD
For a DVC resort I was unimpressed, mostly due to location to parks and the huge size of the resort.. I love to explore and see the area when we stay at DVC and in this resort it was impossible to do that.
The theme, as Disney does well, was right on point.
This would be my last DVC of choice when using our points
yitbos96bb
DIS Veteran
Registered: November 2005
Posts: 2404Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Beautiful Resort, Parts are Close to DTD, Lots of availability Cons: Needs better restaurants, Some undesirable locations, buses,
SSR is a beautiful resort that is a little too big. If you can get a room close to the main hall or with a Downtown Disney View, it can be very enjoyable. Even a room close to DTD is nice. Some of the areas are just way out there and the buses are not reliable enough to depend on to get you to the main building. Turf Club was a disappointment: SSR NEEDS a better TS restaurant as well as a Signature Dining Experience.
Carolinagal 
Mouseketeer
Registered: July 2002
Posts: 390Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Beautiful resort, great theming Cons: Very spread out - when raining, can be miserable
We stayed at the SSR when it first opened and were very impressed at the size and amenities in the room. While we are not DVC members, we did book a room there at the last minute due to changes in travel plans.
The resort grounds are gorgeous and entirely within the theme of the horse country grand resorts. However, the resort does not feel at all like Disney - which is why we stay on Disney property. (It was fine for a curmudgeon in our group who can handle Disney in small doses).
The bus service was within easy walking distance down sunny paths that were well-lit at night. However, a Florida thunderstorm made that same trek a nightmare later during our stay.
We only tried the snack bar and were impressed with the food. The pool area is lovely and seems very inviting.
I would recommend SSR as a nice alternative to those who would like to go to WDW but don't necessarily want all Mickey, all the time.
jimmiej
Quite unintentionally, I invented the Naked Segway Tour
Registered: January 2000
Location: New Braunfels, TX
Posts: 8395Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): beautiful resort, very friendly CMs Cons: spotty bus service, pool uninspiring
SSR was last on my list when renting points from a DVC owner. Because I was only two weeks out, I had no choice. I was pleasantly surprised! Our studio room was VERY nice. We had a nice view of the grounds from our balcony.
This is a geographically large resort. We had a 10 minute walk to The Carriage House and pool area.
One morning, we waited 45 minutes for a MK bus. We were late for AM EMH.
I was a little disappointed with the pool. I expected more from a deluxe resort. I thought it was small and the theming was uninspired.
All in all, I would stay here again.
sacinatl
Earning My Ears
Registered: February 2009
Location: Lawrenceville, GA
Posts: 19Review Date: Fri May 1, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Close to Downtown Disney Cons: Can be a hike to the Main pool area
We have stayed at SSR twice now. Both times were in studios. The rooms were very nice and big enough for a family of four to confortably stay for a week. Although the place is spread out, both our stays were very close to bus stops with just a very short walk to the stop. Once however, we were pretty far away from the main pool area, and it was a hike to get over to the restaurant in the mornings for breakfast and coffee. The counter service restaurant (The Artists Palette) is a nice place to grab a quick meal. I can not however recommend The Turf Club Bar and Grill. We have eaten there both times that we stayed at SSR and was very un-impressed with the food either time. The pool here is nice and has a gradual slope entrance on one side of it. Small children can play in this shallow area very easily. The water slide is a lot of fun for the older kids.
clombardi
DIS Veteran
Registered: May 2005
Location: NJ
Posts: 1339Review Date: Sat May 2, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): proximity to DTD, room decor, pools Cons: lack of shade
We really enjoyed our stay in a one bedroom villa in the Grandstand section. The Grandstand pool area was fantastic, escpecially for small children as there is a water play area near the pool. The main pool was terric as well but it really lacked shaded areas. The counter service restaurant, Artist's Pallette, is excellent but a bit small for the resort. We really enjoy the sit down restaurant Turf Club, as well.
little1kry
Mouseketeer
Registered: April 2008
Location: OH-IO
Posts: 220Review Date: Sun May 3, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): beautiful property, close to DTD Cons: large property
We stayed as SS in July 2008 as non-DVC members. The resort was beautiful and impeccably clean. Our two bedroom suite was great - loved the kitchen, large bathroom and washer and dryer (which came in handy with a 4-yr old in our party). The food court had a lot of choices and was large enough to never be too crowded, even in the summer. The proximity to DTD was great and we made the walk to and from there numerous times. While the resort is large and walking times can be long, it was no problem for us as we walk everywhere anyway. Bus stops are numerous, though, so you're never too far from one regardless of which building you're in. We look forward to staying here again.
airman
DisneyNerd
Registered: October 2006
Location: Michigan
Posts: 614Review Date: Sun May 3, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Quite, clean, nice decoration, close to DTD Cons: large if staying at one of the outer buildings
Saratoga is our home resort and love it. I know it's large, but that helps keep the noise level down. I like the themeing, everything doesn't have to have bright colors and scream "DISNEY". The quite pools are nice and the main pool is pretty cool. We stayed at VWL in Feb and found we missed being close to DTD, especially during the season when the parks close early. My only real complaint is dining. The Artist Point is good, but very slow. I'm a food court person and would like to see something like PO French Quarter.
oakmanner 
DVC Member, Disney Cast Member, D23 Member, Disney Movie Club Member...
Registered: October 2006
Location: Lawrence, Massachusetts
Posts: 1408Review Date: Sun May 3, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Deluxe multi bedroom villas Cons: Large and spread out
We own at SSR and love it. Close to DTD and a golf course on site. Beautiful grounds and landscaping.
jamnut24
Mouseketeer
Registered: March 2006
Location: Chicago
Posts: 83Review Date: Mon May 4, 2009 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 4
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Proximity to downtown disney. Cons: Distance to parks, potential distance to pool.
This property consist of several building that are very spread out so you can be in for quite a walk to the pool or dining options. There are several bus stops to choose from so your walk to the bus stop should not be bad but this also means that there will be several stops for you going to the parks before you ever leave Saratoga Springs property.
mikeandkarla
DIS Veteran
Registered: February 2007
Location: O'Fallon, MO
Posts: 1192Review Date: Wed May 6, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): landscaping, decor, Cons: large resort, bus transportation
We stayed at SSR in December 2007. Standard DVC sized rooms and balcony. Very nice resort with superb lanscaping and room decor. A lot of walking trails and a golf course. Walking distance to DTD and they also offer boat transportation. Nice feature pool with slide, state of the art spa, work out room, Artist Palette CS, Turf Club TS. The one downside of SSR is definitely the size. 5 or 6 bus stops within the resort means over crowded buses and it adds an extra 15 minutes to get to the parks because of all the stops. Not my first choice of DVC, but will stay there again.
oilheadbob
Mouseketeer
Registered: May 2008
Location: Gainesville, Va
Posts: 88Review Date: Thu May 7, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): great rooms Cons: can be a loooong walk to the bus stop or store
Our first stay there as DVC members. Really liked the resort. Nice rooms, good foodcourt and store. Nice grounds, good transportation options, bus or boat to DTD.
jonmcguire
Earning My Ears
Registered: March 2007
Posts: 23Review Date: Thu May 7, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Relaxing resort away from noise Cons: Not on a park
We own at SSR. I love this resort. I find it extremely relaxing to be on property while being a little away. Still deluxe accomodations though.
Artist Palette has great food.
Short walk to Downtown Disney
On site golf
We love the Grandstand area
tinkbutt
DIS Veteran
Registered: March 2008
Location: North Charelston SC
Posts: 2409Review Date: Fri May 8, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): quiet and very scenic. Cons: you might have to wait a little while for a bus
Saratoga Springs was my first DVC resort. I loved it. our room was just far enough away from the pool so we didn't hear any loud noise but was close to two bus stops. We did have a bit of internet trouble, we had to call the front desk several days to access the internet. But, they always took care of the situation right away.
The food court could use some more variety. If your mobility is a little restricted the resort is spread out, so I would ask for a room that is close to a bus stop.
TheBlundells
Mouseketeer
Registered: January 2008
Location: Harrogate, UK
Posts: 125Review Date: Tue May 12, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): The boat trip to Downtown Disney Cons: Having to walk through the parking lot to get to the main building or main pool
We are DVC owners at Saratoga Springs. We stayed in the Grandstand section of the resort, in a 2 bed villa. The accommodation is beautifully decorated with plenty of space for us (4 adults and 2 children).
The nearest pool for us didn’t have a slide (a must for our kids), so we walked to the main pool. Having stayed in many on site resorts we were disappointed with the pool area. For us it lacked a theme.
We had a car so getting about wasn’t an issue for us.
SheenaXena21
DIS Veteran
Registered: February 2005
Posts: 1223Review Date: Tue May 19, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Grandstand was quiet, nice rooms Cons: distance from parks
We stayed in a one bedroom, and it was huge! We were plesantly suprised! We were in the Grandstand section. It was the first off, first on for the bus. And that was great!
The grounds were beautiful. We didn't really explore the resort. It does feel like you kind of far away from everything, but overall was a great resort.
The bus system wasn't as bad as some others I've used. Never waited over 25 minutes.
But we had no problems and would stay here again.
guynwdm
It is a full time job just trying to keep up with all the posts.
Registered: August 2007
Location: West Des Moines, IA
Posts: 299Review Date: Wed June 3, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Location to DTD, quietness, exceptional cast members at checkin desk Cons: some rooms far from food, small dining options, poor spa service
I stayed in a studio in the paddock section for 11 nights. I enjoyed the quietness of the resort and based on the area I picked it was an easy walk across the bridge to the pool, spa, and dining. I do find the dining choices limited compared to the other DVC options (only one sit down dining). I found the check in to be very quick (no waiting in the last 3 visits to check in) The concerige service was excellent in getting dining reservations and arranging things to ship home. I found several cast members trying to connect and go above and beyond. The most disappointing aspect is the spa, the expense, broken equipment, friendliness of the staff were well below the Disney standard (spa is run by a third party company) The workout facility was very nice. There are much better spa facilities on property.
Tinkalink
Mouseketeer
Registered: March 2007
Posts: 153Review Date: Wed June 3, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Quiet,spread out resort Cons: everything is not as accessible as other resorts
Saratoga Springs does a good job of emulating an upstate New York resort. It's a campus of alot of four story buildings surrounded by endless green foilage and big stretches of pastures. This grand retreat can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you picture your stay at Disney. If you are looking for a laid back relaxing vacation of quiet walks, privacy and some hub of activity, this is a great place. If you are on a mission, with a plan to visit everything and anything Disney has to offer, or wasn't planning on doing much walking outside the parks, this place might put a kink in your plans. Transportation to any destination, besides Downtown Disney, requires a bus or car. The buses can be aggravating if you don't start out early, or are looking for a specific park.
We stayed in a one bedroom at Congress Park. We took the water taxi and walked to Downtown Disney. The pool there is a generic pool,(except for the squirting frogs) but it is quiet and my kids loved it. High Rocks pool has a good water slide and a fountain walk that my kids enjoyed also, but it's the main pool and it gets CROWDED. Still it's great for sun bathing and the afternoon activities make for good fun. The Artist's Palette serves excellent food. Kids love the Mickey Waffles, I enjoy the flatbread pizzas. I wish the serving area was set up different- they take one order at a time. As for the Turf Club, we could care less because Downtown Disney has so many great restaurants and its across the lake!
The front desk is great, the people are extremely friendly and helpful. While my husband was checking us in a CM named Diane can over and interacted with my girls giving them books and stickers and asking them all kinds of questions. It really helped me out and made the girls' day.
We love Saratoga Springs because it really has the best of both worlds. With planning we can jump on a bus or ferry and experience all that Disney World has to offer and at the end of the day we can quietly relax and go take a dip. You can have your cake and eat it too at Saratoga Springs.
Tinkalink
Mouseketeer
Registered: March 2007
Posts: 153Review Date: Wed June 3, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Quiet,spread out resort Cons: everything is not as accessible as other resorts
Saratoga Springs does a good job of emulating an upstate New York resort. It's a campus of alot of four story buildings surrounded by endless green foilage and big stretches of pastures. This grand retreat can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you picture your stay at Disney. If you are looking for a laid back relaxing vacation of quiet walks, privacy and some hub of activity, this is a great place. If you are on a mission, with a plan to visit everything and anything Disney has to offer, or wasn't planning on doing much walking outside the parks, this place might put a kink in your plans. Transportation to any destination, besides Downtown Disney, requires a bus or car. The buses can be aggravating if you don't start out early, or are looking for a specific park.
We stayed in a one bedroom at Congress Park. We took the water taxi and walked to Downtown Disney. The pool there is a generic pool,(except for the squirting frogs) but it is quiet and my kids loved it. High Rocks pool has a good water slide and a fountain walk that my kids enjoyed also, but it's the main pool and it gets CROWDED. Still it's great for sun bathing and the afternoon activities make for good fun. The Artist's Palette serves excellent food. Kids love the Mickey Waffles, I enjoy the flatbread pizzas. I wish the serving area was set up different- they take one order at a time. As for the Turf Club, we could care less because Downtown Disney has so many great restaurants and its across the lake!
The front desk is great, the people are extremely friendly and helpful. While my husband was checking us in a CM named Diane can over and interacted with my girls giving them books and stickers and asking them all kinds of questions. It really helped me out and made the girls' day.
We love Saratoga Springs because it really has the best of both worlds. With planning we can jump on a bus or ferry and experience all that Disney World has to offer and at the end of the day we can quietly relax and go take a dip. You can have your cake and eat it too at Saratoga Springs.
bsusanmb
DIS Veteran
Registered: July 2004
Location: Near Hershey PA
Posts: 2039Review Date: Sun June 7, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10
Positive aspects of the product (pros): beautiful grounds, quiet, pools, close to DTD Cons: none
I love SSR. This is one of my home resorts. I find it bright, cheery, airy, and I love the large open spaces, and grounds. We have stayed in one bedroom 6 times and the rooms are always quiet...which is important to me.
brookelizabeth
Jambo Wildbunch Gang
Registered: July 2006
Posts: 11146Review Date: Wed June 10, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Beautiful views of the river and downtown Disney, quiet and calm, a very nice main pool Cons: Walking distance between buildings, bus service
We stayed in a 1 bedroom in the Congress Park section of Saratoga Springs, and for one night in a Studio. The 1 bedroom did show some wear, but the Studio was incredibly fresh. Both provided beautiful views. We loved walking along the river, walking to Downtown Disney, taking the boat to Downtown Disney and to Old Key West, using the great children's playground and using the pool and hot tubs. We did not like the walk from Congress Park to the Carriage House main building. We had to do that walk many times, and it became annoying. However, we would stay here again with this knowledge and just plan better on not going to the main building very often or at all. Our Studio, #1301 had one of the best views on property according to our Bell Man. Every Cast Member we interacted with was extremly nice and helpful as well! 
spaddy
I swear he would make us ride that over and over
Registered: November 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 3094Review Date: Wed June 10, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Relaxing, close to Downtown Disney Cons: Far from parks,
SSR is one of our favorite resorts. I really enjoy how quiet the rooms are here. I also like the walking the grounds. The main pool is zero entry and the toddler slide is great for the 5 and under set. You can see the entire pool from several spots, so that is nice if you have more than one child. The Grandstand pool is also nice for the water spray guns.
irunnoft
I'm What Willis Was Talkin' 'Bout!!!!
Registered: July 2008
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 710Review Date: Sat July 4, 2009 Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 5
Positive aspects of the product (pros): ummm....it's Disney property? Cons: condo style resort, spread out like a moderate, bus NIGHTMARE!
We recently stayed at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort on DVC developer points. We booked an 8 night stay in a Studio room. Prior to arriving at SSR, I checked in online, which, for the most part, was quite easy. One comment about online check in is that there is no real place to make requests. The only requests that I could make for my room would be either A) close to transportation or B) ground floor. I chose ground floor, but decided to make further requests in person when I physically checked in. The process couldn't have been easier! I will always use this in the future! I requested that we stay in the Congress Park section and that we have a view of the Downtown Disney area. We kind of got both requests granted. We did get a room in the Congress Park section and we had a somewhat obstructed view of the Downtown Disney area. Our view was more of the archway leading into the quiet pool and then beyond that was Downtown Disney, but mostly our view was of trees.
Choice of locations in Saratoga Springs is CRITICAL! This resort is huge and spread out - much like Coronado Springs, except I believe this resort is actually larger. Some sections of SSR can be a haul from the main pool and main building that houses the Quick Service location, Artist Palette along with the store. I looked at a map and thought that Congress Park would be ideal because it was the section next to the main building, but yet it still had a quiet pool and a walkway to Downtown Disney. In the winter or during cooler, less humid months, this section would be ideal. However, during our stay, Orlando was breaking records with heat indexes. There was no way we even attempted to walk from our section to the main pool or to Artist Palette. We also never used the walkway to Downtown Disney. In fact, the entire time we were there, I never saw anybody use that walkway. We wound up driving every time we needed to refill drink mugs (think Nescrapfe in the morning) or to use the main pool. In this regard, having the quiet pool just steps away from our room was fantastic. The main pool was usually busier and noisier, so the quiet pool was used with greater regularity.
The buildings and our room were very clean. I also noticed that Artist Palette, even though it would get quite hectic and crazy, stayed VERY clean. That was a huge plus that we sadly couldn't say about the Mara at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Also, the food at AP was quite good. I liked the food offered here better than the food at any of the Deluxe resort Quick Service locations we've been to thus far. I didn't try breakfast there, but the lunch and dinner was good. Again, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here if I wasn't staying on property, but if you happen to be at the resort, it's great in a pinch.
The main pool is pretty standard for a Deluxe resort. There are a few waterfalls, but nothing fancy. It is a free form pool with the requisite water slide. The slide is similar to what you would find at Animal Kingdom Jambo House or Wilderness Lodge. Nothing fancy, but the kids seem to love it. The one day we used the main pool, it was so warm it literally felt like a hot tub. I know the sun and recent high temperatures probably heated all the pools, but this was noticeably hot. We never swam in that pool again. In fact, we left it and went almost immediately to the quiet pool in Congress Park and it actually felt refreshing and like a pool should. It was comfortable - not hot!
The bus situation was less than desirable. The busses make about five internal stops before they leave the resort to -- the Treehouse Villas. Seriously! It took forever to get on the road towards the theme park, so we just drove ourselves after that. Be advised that you will need to factor about 40 - 60 minutes for travel time if you plan to use the bus. Driving our own car allowed us to leave at about 7:30am-7:40am to make it to any given Extra Magic Hour park at 8:00am. That seemed pretty good as opposed to having to wait at the bus stop at 7:00am!
I couldn't help but draw comparisons between SSR and Coronado Springs. Both seem to be sprawling and large. Some rooms could be a hike away from the pool or main building. There are many internal bus stops if you use the Disney Bus system. Also, there are no internal corridors. One of the things I love about the Deluxe resorts are internal corridors. These are great for those frequent afternoon lightning and rain storms. It's no fun to have to run outside in the rain to a main building just to get something to eat, wash clothes or go to the game room. I personally do not care for the "condo-style" of this deluxe resort.
I will say that there were some definite benefits to staying at a DVC room. I liked the increased room size and some of the features of the studio room were great. I loved the larger refrigerator, the microwave, the toaster and coffee maker. However, I absolutely HATED the fold away bed. This room, like almost all Studio rooms, had a queen bed and a queen sleeper. The sleeper bed, which I was lucky enough to sleep on, was terrible. The mattress was about as thick as a Ritz cracker and there was a metal bar that ran down the center of it when it was unfolded. The bar made it impossible to sleep in the middle because you would roll to one side or the other - also, metal bars aren't notorious for comfort anyhow. Suffice it to say that it was actually more comfortable to sleep on the bed in it's couch form, even though my legs hung over the arms. Even though we are only a family of three, a one bedroom or two bedroom is the only way to go with a DVC resort. So the Studio room had some definite benefits over a regular room, but it also had some drawbacks - namely the sleeper bed.
All in all, I would recommend this resort to somebody who likes the moderate level resorts. I would not pay or use DVC points to stay here. I hate the condo style resort. I also don't like the sprawling layout of most moderate resorts. I prefer the enclosed internal hallways and the layout of the traditional deluxe resort.
One thing I forgot to mention, when it rained, the hallways in our buildings became like little lakes. There were huge puddles of water even though we were on the second floor. For whatever reason, there were always towels thrown down in the hallways and "Wet Floor" signs everywhere. You literally couldn't go down a hallway without having to move a "Wet Floor" sign out of the way. Seriously!
ckquan
MouseheadSF
Registered: March 2009
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 138Review Date: Wed July 8, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8
Positive aspects of the product (pros): Close to Downtown Disney Cons: Very spread out
I like how Saratoga Springs is walking distance to Downtown Disney. However the property is very spread out. If you want to be near the main swimming pool area, then try to book a room in the buildings near there. The Artist Palette is well stocked. They have some yummy and healthy food options such as sandwiches and salads. DH and I also got to enjoy the community hall. We played different games and had a relaxing and enjoyed time there. Lastly, I got a really good massage at this resort.
minniemimi52
Earning My Ears
Registered: June 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 62Review Date: Sun July 26, 2009 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10
Positive aspects of the product (pros): comfortable rooms, great pool, great location Cons: travel time within the resort
We just returned from a week's stay at SSR in a one bedroom. Our room was on the third floor in The Springs -- right across from the pool and close to the bus stop.
The bed was comfortable and the pullout sofa for our 3 year old was also comfortable -- much more comfortable than most hide-a-beds. The kitchen was equipped fine for us. We did some cooking. The only inconvenience was there was no can opener, but a call to housekeeping brought us one within 10 minutes.
This time we had a car with us which was a great asset. We were able to drive to the parks. Boy was it faster than the buses most days!
The resort has the Disney touch, but it also feels like home (no wonder DVC uses that slogan!). We felt like we were in a small community, very unlike staying at one of the "regular" resorts. We are new DVC members (1 year) and this was our second stay. We feel like we really do have a second home and look forward to our next stay.
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