Get me excited about SSR

Princess_Ariel_5

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 1, 2015
Hi! I’m going to Disney in April staying at Saratoga Springs! It will be my first time staying in a deluxe (usually stay at POP or CBR). Tell me why you love SSR!!
 
Hi! I’m going to Disney in April staying at Saratoga Springs! It will be my first time staying in a deluxe (usually stay at POP or CBR). Tell me why you love SSR!!
If you've booked here, I'm guessing you've already researched all that it offers here...It is different from other deluxes/villas for it has exterior hallways, but the grounds are really very pretty, the pools are all awesome, especially the 2 feature ones. The boat to DS is a nice lil voyage...Or up POR/FQ for some beignets(LoL). Not sure if you play golf , but that's a nice extra perk being that close..Community Hall for the kids. The Turf Club for possibly the Best Prime Rib you'll eat. HmmmMight've missed something but that kinda sums it up.:confused3
 
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We liked how quiet it was after being in the busy parks. It made for great sleeping! Grounds are pretty, buses were good when we were there this summer, food court was decent and proximity to DS is wonderful!
 
I like SSR. We were there several months ago. The CMs were lovely, as were the grounds. If you are looking for a deluxe experience, I don't know that you will get that feel there. Because the hotel is so spread out, it feels more like an apartment complex to me. At AKL/AKV and at Poly and BW we are often in or walking through the lobby. At SSR, we only go there to check in. I don't want to discourage you about SSR because it really is nice, I just want you to understand what you are getting.
 
Unfortunately we did not really have a positive experience at SSR. We’ve stayed at every DVC property and deluxe resort at WDW and this was our least favorite. We did not find the cast members very friendly. When we checked in the CM did not explain very well how to get to our building and the way the resort is set up it can be confusing. We had a 1 bedroom villa. It was OK but nothing spectacular. Housekeeping was just OK but from what I’ve read, this is becoming a common complaint. The outside hallways can be an issue especially on a windy day. We ended up with a LOT of leaves in our room! I hope you enjoy it more than we did.
 


I love SSR, I didn't find the property difficult to navigate and found the CMs to be very friendly. I've stayed in both a 1-BR and a 2-BR in the Paddock and would stay in that area again. I like the low-key theme and the quietness of the resort. Downtown Disney is easy to get to via the walkway or boat. I also thought Turf Club restaurant was very good.
 
We just got back from a stay at SSR about 10 days ago.
I'm afraid I can't get you excited but I can say, give it a chance. It may grow on you
We showed up rather late in the evening, having gotten our room notice during the day. I could see what bus stop we needed to use and where our building was so had no need to go to the lobby.
We got off the bus, found our room without any issue and walked in and I was not happy. While it looks like BWV for the most part it wasn't really like it in comfort. I was horribly disappointed, especially in that thing they tried to call a sofa bed. I started looking right away for any other room we could find on property (or rooms, as we'd needed 2) for the rest of our trip. It was late so I just got the sofa as comfortable as we could (3 phone calls to get that squared away) and decided to face it all the next day. Well, we ended up staying put, couldn't find anything else that worked for our needs. The sofa beds are still worse than prisoners get but the rest grew on me. I'm not sure we'd ever return (until they refurb them) but we did find the grounds lovely, bus service efficient and it was quiet. We got the Carousel area, which I understand is not well liked. But we found we always got a seat on the bus and it was a quick 2nd stop returning to the parks. Our building was right across from the stop. And we did find our way to the lobby eventually, to make a payment, and turned out it wasn't that far from us after all. But then we got a ride back on their cart so it was really, a nice feature.
The PP are right about it not feeling as Deluxe as the other Deluxe resorts, even the Villa's at the other Resorts. But do give it a chance. Don't let the first impression be your final one. I'm glad I didn't.
 
I had EVERY negative feeling going into SSR, but DW and DD wanted to go back since our earlier trip was not so magical (not because of Disney). I didn't want to go in the Summer. I didn't want to be at a horse resort. I didn't want to be so far way. I didn't want to deal with the crowds. I didn't want to deal with the heat and humidity. Turned out to be the best trip we had in a while. The resort was a huge surprise. Gorgeous rooms, tons of space (1BR), great pool area, and convenience to DS. We hit parks early, back to the room for lunch about by 1PM, pool entertainment until 5-6PM, then back to parks around 7PM.

The entire week we had a blast while negotiating the sale of our house for a quick close. We had 5 days to be out when we got home and we had not even started packing. With that going on, coordinating movers, coordinating closing, etc. We still had a blast. Just don't expect to have Disney in your face there. It simply isn't. You have to look for a lot of Disney theming there.
 
I have my first stay there in January. It was the only thing available after Irma blew us away. And like you, OP, I am not sure about it.

Reading this thread, I just found out that they outside hallways. This is actually one of the reasons I book deluxe and bought DVC. I hate outside hallways. All of that dirt and grime in my room, and it only gets cleaned every 8 days. I really didn't book a vacation so I could run the old 50's vacuum.

I am also dreading the bus service. I have a scooter. Which means that if the bus is at all full, I can't get on. So, what I wait until the next one and pray that it has space for me and my scooter? And if it doesn't, well, either take the car and all that that entails. Or wait again, for another bus.

My only thought is, I only have to do it this trip. And if I hate it, I don't ever have to return.
 
I have my first stay there in January. It was the only thing available after Irma blew us away. And like you, OP, I am not sure about it.

Reading this thread, I just found out that they outside hallways. This is actually one of the reasons I book deluxe and bought DVC. I hate outside hallways. All of that dirt and grime in my room, and it only gets cleaned every 8 days. I really didn't book a vacation so I could run the old 50's vacuum.

I am also dreading the bus service. I have a scooter. Which means that if the bus is at all full, I can't get on. So, what I wait until the next one and pray that it has space for me and my scooter? And if it doesn't, well, either take the car and all that that entails. Or wait again, for another bus.

My only thought is, I only have to do it this trip. And if I hate it, I don't ever have to return.

MaryLovesPoohBear, don't worry about your stay at SSR. It's the resort I have been staying for the past five years and number six is coming up...also in January.

I have never had leaves or dirt/grime blow into the room from the outside hallways. Actually, the halls are open to the outside, but most rooms are located in such a way that they are closed off by other rooms in small hallways. You'll understand what I mean when you see it. As for the bus stop/scooter situation...that depends on which stop you are located and what time you're there waiting. Grandstand is the first stop and Carousel is the second. In the morning, you should have a good chance with getting on because buses will be empty coming in. The Paddock and Congress Park are next, the buses usually arrive more full there. I usually get on at Congress Park and have been known to wait a bus (or two) in the morning rush to find a seat. The last stop, I don't remember what it's called, but they usually get skipped by full buses. Just request a room in those first two stops and you shouldn't have any problem. Also, this resort has elevators in all buildings, so don't think you have to take a first floor because of the scooter.

As for the rest of the negative comments... I love SSR because of the lack of Disney-in-your-face and the low noise level. The grounds are beautiful, ample parking, wonderful cast members and spacious 1-bedroom villas. After being in the parks all day, it's nice to come "home" and relax. Having visited other resorts, I know I have chosen well. Though, AngieTN is correct...the sofa/sofa bed is HORRENDOUS!

Enjoy your stay and say hello if we pass in the resort!

:earsboy:
 
Sofa beds are awful no matter where you stay on property. I've never found a comfortable one. The chair sleeper is better but not brilliant, and also not available at SSR. If you're not likely to have to sleep in the living room that's not a problem though.
 
MaryLovesPoohBear, don't worry about your stay at SSR. It's the resort I have been staying for the past five years and number six is coming up...also in January.

:earsboy:
So we had to book preferred, which means The Springs or Congress Park. The last two stops on the bus route.

We were figuring that The Springs would work, and that way we could "walk" over to Grandstand. Unless there isn't a safe way to do that.
 
Sofa beds are awful no matter where you stay on property. I've never found a comfortable one. The chair sleeper is better but not brilliant, and also not available at SSR. If you're not likely to have to sleep in the living room that's not a problem though.
We've used the sofa beds elsewhere on property and they didn't even remotely come close to being as bad as the one at SSR was.
I personally slept on the one at CC the night before we moved to SSR and found it no problem at all. Not something I'd want to live on daily but it was not uncomfortable to the point of the one at SSR, and didn't need anything added to it
Even BWV, which on the first glance, looks just like SSR in the room, was not bad. DD and DGD slept on it a week and didn't need anything to make it usable.
The one in SSR is different and doesn't even have a solid mattress on it. Heck, the sofa beds I had back in the late 70's, early 80's were better than this, and it was a single foam pad. At least it was solid.
 
Here's my experience with SSR:
1. The grounds are beautiful and it's quite peaceful. Which can be nice to come back to after a crazy day at the parks.
2. I love Congress Park because it's the closest to DS. I love being able to walk to DS within about 5-7 minutes. Earl of Sandwich is my favorite, so I'm over there almost every day to get my "Earl" fix!
3. The buses have been hit or miss for my stays. Sometimes they have been great, other times, not so much so. But I've experienced this as most other WDW resorts too.
4. The quick serve restaurant has some of my favorite bacon on property (breakfast)!! :)
5. The rooms have been decent, with the exception of the couches. We don't use them to sleep on, but even just sitting on them was uncomfortable.
6. The fitness center is one of my favorite on property. It's big and has lots of "free" space. This is very beneficial for doing crossfit workouts.

I was a little apprehensive about my first stay at SSR, but it ended up being quite nice.

Have a great trip!
 
I have my first stay there in January. It was the only thing available after Irma blew us away. And like you, OP, I am not sure about it.

Reading this thread, I just found out that they outside hallways. This is actually one of the reasons I book deluxe and bought DVC. I hate outside hallways. All of that dirt and grime in my room, and it only gets cleaned every 8 days. I really didn't book a vacation so I could run the old 50's vacuum.

I am also dreading the bus service. I have a scooter. Which means that if the bus is at all full, I can't get on. So, what I wait until the next one and pray that it has space for me and my scooter? And if it doesn't, well, either take the car and all that that entails. Or wait again, for another bus.

My only thought is, I only have to do it this trip. And if I hate it, I don't ever have to return.
We were at SSR in September. My DH and I both have scooters. Only one time we could not load on the bus together. The driver made a call and a buss was there for us in 5 minutes.
We were in Carousel. My family did not like the sofa bed at all. They slept on the floor.
 
We really enjoyed our 9 night stay at SSR. Things in particular we liked:

1. Very quiet rooms--never heard a peep from the outside hallways or other rooms around us
2. Beautiful grounds. We live in an urban area and enjoyed the walks outside with the well kept landscaping.
3. Great pools that never felt crowded. The paddock pool in particular (which isn't even the main feature pool) is better than many other resorts' feature pools.
4. Great food choices (to us anyway). We enjoyed our dinner at the Turf Club very much and thought the quick service was pretty good, especially near the Paddock pool.
5. Good bus service. We drive to HS and Epcot and take the bus to AK and MK. Never waited more than 5-6 minutes going or coming.
6. Great being able to both walk and take the boat to and from Disney Springs. We did both.

The biggest downside of our stay was the room itself. We were given a room that had not been properly cleaned when we arrived which I was pretty unhappy about. Front desk immediately credited us $100 and got it fixed. Another night, our air conditioning went out. They got a maintenance guy out immediately and fixed it that night, but it as a couple of hours of having someone in our room when I would have rather been by ourselves. Were given three anytime, any attraction fastpasses for each member of our family for that inconvenience. So they addressed our problems readily, but obviously I would have rather not had the problems in the first place. Room felt a bit old and dated, and the living area, while adequate isn't big. Villas at DVC Hilton Head, our more usual DVC stomping grounds, are definitely nicer. I'd stay at SSR again though.
 
The biggest downside of our stay was the room itself. We were given a room that had not been properly cleaned when we arrived which I was pretty unhappy about. Front desk immediately credited us $100 and got it fixed. Another night, our air conditioning went out. They got a maintenance guy out immediately and fixed it that night, but it as a couple of hours of having someone in our room when I would have rather been by ourselves. Were given three anytime, any attraction fastpasses for each member of our family for that inconvenience. So they addressed our problems readily, but obviously I would have rather not had the problems in the first place. Room felt a bit old and dated, and the living area, while adequate isn't big. Villas at DVC Hilton Head, our more usual DVC stomping grounds, are definitely nicer. I'd stay at SSR again though.

I do have to agree here. In my past few years, there has been need for maintenance calls in the one-bedrooms that I have stayed in at SSR. Mostly the shower drain being clogged. They always come while I am out and snake it clear for me so no harm in my opinion but with AC out, I also would expect immediate repair. :scared:

The rooms are very quiet and I like that. There was the year that the kids (young adults) staying in the studio next to me trashed the room and the entire family got booted (parents and grandparents were in separate rooms)! Maintenance had to replace all the furniture they broke... the guy guy said he'd never seen such damage! Yikes! After that, the new guests went unheard.

As for mousekeeping issues, it'seems always beneficial to befriend them and they'll treat you right. At least that's how I roll...

:earboy2:
 
I applied the phrase, lipstick on a pig, to sum up the condition of the rooms at SSR.
On the surface they look nice but underneath there are issues that come from age and constant use.
I'm not sure the last time there was a significant rehab/refurb there (hardlines or softlines) but I'm thinking it's got to be close to another one.
 

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