Saratoga Springs worth it?

[MamaBelle4]

We are on our way back from our stay. We stayed AKV in a Savannah view suite, which we loved EXCEPT when we went to Disney Springs. Took forever. The bus service was horrendous this trip. We rarely waited less than 1/2 hour for a bus.



Planning on a resort/Disney Springs trip? No way I would book anywhere other than SSR. Convenience cannot be beat. We went to the Poly for a QS dinner after our one MK day. Took us 90 minutes to get to DS and back to AKV afterwards.

 

[RanDIZ]

Additional details about our trip...this would be just a resort only/Disney Springs stay except 1 day at Magic Kingdom. 2 adults and 2 kids under age 6. The kids water play areas at SSR look pretty cool, but so does CBR.

For resort only, I’d prob take advantage of SSR. Plenty to explore plus DS and OKW close by to keep you busy.

 

[wdwnut]

Go for it. I stayed at SSR last February in a renovated room. We were in the Congress Park section which is the closest to Disney Springs. The walk from the building to the bridge was less than 2 minutes. We’d stay there again.

 

[going/again]

Oo, good to know about refurbishment.

It's a military discount direct from Disney. I called, wishful thinking that I could get Deluxe in budget, and was happily surprised when I was quoted a SSR room only slightly more than CSR or CBR.

It looked like some online points renting sites might be even cheaper, but good to know I was right to be hesitant to book that way.

As an owner there I may be biased, but it has everything we need in a relaxed atmosphere, plus biggest benefit is proximity to Disney springs, but only you can make that choice.

 

[quandrea]

We stayed at SSR back in February. The Reno is superb. It will now be a first choice for future trips.

 

[lovin'fl]

We just stayed at SSR like 10 days ago. We were in standard view. Booked a studio and requested an updated room. Were happily surprised with an upgrade to a 1BR...renovated. In Paddock section. It was LOVELY! The Murphy bed in the living room is an awesome addition. When DH was snoring I walked out to living room and pulled down that bed and was back asleep in no time. They also have the little TV stand Murphy too. Great for families with 3 kids (how we were in 2006 when we bought DVC...we always booked a 1BR and DS would sleep on airbed that we would bring). We did not have park tix this last trip (went down to look at houses) and spent every night in DS, eating and having drinks and always ended the night at City Works to watch hockey and have a couple beers. Loved it. Love SSR.

 

[Brett Wyman]

IMHO they have one of the better resort QS restaurants, if that's a consideration.

Two really if you count the Paddock pool side QS. They have a great burger and a great chicken sandwich.

 

[cjlong88]

The SSR refurbished rooms look awesome! Does anyone know when they will be completed?

 

[skeeter31]

The SSR refurbished rooms look awesome! Does anyone know when they will be completed?

All of the preferred rooms are done already and they’re going building by building through the standard rooms. It’s expected to be done in 2021, but no firm date.

 

[Blondie58]

I found a great deal on Saratoga Springs (less than $60 more per night than a moderate), but it would still be more than I've ever spent on a hotel room ($29 a night over my self-imposed budget). Is it worth the extra splurge? We've never done deluxe before, and I would love to be in the Disney Springs area at Christmas. I'd like to try out the various Disney hotels but I read some reviews of SSR that were critical. Our first choice was POR or POFQ but I am doubtful they will reopen by Dec. 1.

Thank you for your service. Beautiful property. Fun at Christmas. We cut back on eating out etc. to save for our WDW tours, spa days and splurges. I have even sold some items no longer needed and put $$$ to Disney extras. I think this property is beautiful as I love to walk each morning before heading out for the day. Also like having a boat and or walking paths to Disney Springs is great.

 

[Julie Amber]

Honestly, we didn't love it. We stayed super far from everything and found it really difficult to get around.

 

[lovin'fl]

The SSR refurbished rooms look awesome! Does anyone know when they will be completed?

Around June 2021. Paddock is almost done and they just beginning on Carousel.

 

[lovin'fl]

Our recent 1BR in Paddock (room 4614).















Our view.



Murphy bed up.



Murphy down.



TV stand murphy down



And I hate to post this because I have gotten some flames for posting this before but we drive over to Congress Park, all the way back, and park near that path over the bridge to DS. We park on the back row corner so as not to take front row/close up spots of the folks staying in that building. And only if there are plenty of empty spots. But we park and walk over. One night, last trip, we took a bus to MK and then took a bus from there to Poly to have food and drinks at Tambu Lounge. Then took bus from there to DS and walked into DS to pop into City Works for beers and to watch hockey. Afterwards we walked ALL THE WAY back to our room. it was long but not too bad and great exercise (especially after having a bread pudding at Tambu). Another day we walked over to the Carriage House to get CS lunch and it was not a bad walk at all.

If you won't have a car...you can hop on a bus and hop off in Congress Park and walk the path from there. Our closest bus stop was Carousel and the park busses (the MK one we got on) stopped at Congress Park and Carriage House (Springs) stops after it picked us up so we could have gotten off at those. The DS bus goes the reverse route. So whatever section you're in, you should be able to hop on one bus or another to get to Congress Park (to walk to DS) or to the Springs (for the Carriage house/main pool).

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi - was looking at online source for dvc rentals - not sure if I can mention the name - and your post caught my eye. Is there any advice you can send my way. Never went this route before. Thanks.

Check over on the DVC Boards. There is a lot of information about renting points, especially on the Rent/Trade Board (but you need to be logged into the DIS).

 

[Beachmom0317]

We are DVC members and stayed there in November for the first time because there was no other availability. We were pleasantly surprised. We were in a standard room in the Paddock section and loved the fact that there are two feature pools. The paddock pool has a wonderful pool quick service that was very convenient. I was there by myself with our two kids and I was able to walk up and order food and they brought it to me - all while I was able to keep an eye on my kids. The main feature pool has the main QS nearby but you have to exit the pool area to access it. We loved the walk to DS. We stayed in a renovated room (were actually upgraded from a studio to 2 bedroom) and it was gorgeous.

 

[mrsap]

I loved the updated rooms! Only thing I hated, for whatever reason, were the numerous doors to the bathroom in a 1 bedroom! Felt like a maze! Will also note, SSR is so centrally located, everything seemed like it was so close. Enjoy!

 

[wdw&sonny]

Since when is SSR considered Deluxe? I thought this was always a moderate. We stayed there once on rented DVC points from a popular site. Was easy to get reservation and price was less than most moderates via same site. That's why we chose it. This was about 2-3 years ago. It was adequate. Similar to CBR, Coronado. Boat to DS was nice. Drive a little longer to most parks.

 

[Denise W]

Since when is SSR considered Deluxe? I thought this was always a moderate. We stayed there once on rented DVC points from a popular site. Was easy to get reservation and price was less than most moderates via same site. That's why we chose it. This was about 2-3 years ago. It was adequate. Similar to CBR, Coronado. Boat to DS was nice. Drive a little longer to most parks.

All DVC resorts are considered deluxe. So SSR is a deluxe resort, as it is entirely DVC.
Denise

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Thanks for the info, everyone! I think we are going to do a split stay between Fort Wilderness for the MK part of our stay, and Saratoga Springs for a couple of days at Disney Springs. Looking forward to our first time at a Deluxe/DVC resort and hoping we have good weather to enjoy those great pools.

 

[lovin'fl]

Thanks for the info, everyone! I think we are going to do a split stay between Fort Wilderness for the MK part of our stay, and Saratoga Springs for a couple of days at Disney Springs. Looking forward to our first time at a Deluxe/DVC resort and hoping we have good weather to enjoy those great pools.

Split stays are great ideas. It's like 2 vacays in 1. ANd if you do Epcot, SSR is super close to there. Short bus ride.