Saratoga Springs

[GrumpySue]

I don't see a lot of posts about Saratoga Springs, can anyone tell me about this resort? It looks really nice in pictures but I don't hear a lot of buzz about it and wondering why ?? Also, is there a walking path to Downtown Disney, which would be great considering the parking situation there now. Thanks for any help

[disneymom15]

Least favorite resort on Disney property. Stayed there using DVC points in a deluxe studio. Bus service was horrible, pull out sofa bed was the absolute worse. On the positive side, there is a walking path to DTD, Artists Palette quick service food was very good, & the resort itself is very pretty.

[sassafras]

We fought staying there for years, but gave in three years ago. Quickly found a new favorite resort. It used to be the old Disney Institute, but was redone. It is a huge property and divided into several sections. We prefer the Springs. It is close to a bus stop, the main pool, spa, food court. It is a very quiet resort. Not as in your face with the Disney theming. We never had too long to wait for buses and they were never packed like some of the other resorts. There is a walkway to Downtown Disney which is a nice walk. We prefer taking the boat from there to Downtown. Not nearly the wait you have at DTD bus stops.Guess it all depends on the theming you want, but we like it.

[lawgirl]

We have stayed at SS 2 years in a row, in the 2 bedroom villas. We absolutely love it. It is so peaceful and calm, and just gorgeous. We have always stayed at Congress Park, which is close to the bridge to Downtown Disney. The only drawback I can think of is that the resort is huge, especially if you don't have a car. And the Artist's Palette is nice, but slightly limited in their menu. But other than that, we have loved it. The villas are huge and well decorated. The landscaping and pathways are so peaceful and pretty.

[Janmac]

We were at Saratoga Springs the third week of January - returned a week ago.

We asked for the Paddock area, which is the area across a lake from the Carriage House - main area of the resort. I wanted the building nearest the main entry road and that is the building we wound up in, somehow. We were just steps away from the Carousel bus stop.

The only bus problem we had was on our last full day when we were headed to DD and a DD bus took well over 40 minutes. We prefer to use Disney transport, so don't mind the bus wait, usually.

We were hoping to spend time at the Paddock Pool but it was closed. We all missed that notice. It was a fairly short walk to the main pool - High Rock Spring - and that's where we hung out some. It was ok, and had the afternoon pool party.

We ate once or twice at Artist Palette which was ok. I liked my Greek Salad and my grandniece loved the spinach flat bread. One night we walked up to the Turf Club (no reservation) and enjoyed our supper there.

We had intended to check out the Community Hall but never did - the weather stayed nice enough for the pool. We took the bus to Downtown Disney twice and saw the walkway but didn't use it.

Our two bedroom was fine. Typical DVC two bedroom. My sister had a studio to herself. Both couches were in bad need of being replaced. Not comfy to sit on at all; I can't imagine having to sleep on them. Otherwise, I can't recall any other major problems.

If Saratoga was the only availability we'd stay here, of course. We like the villas at Wilderness Lodge because of the access to other MK area resort restaurants. We like the villas at the Boardwalk because of the access to the Epcot area resort restaurants.

If a person were staying at Saratoga for access to the Downtown Disney area, the Congress Park area would be the place to stay, for sure.

If a person had little kids, perhaps the Grandstand is the place, as it's a short walk to Artiste Palatte, etc and has the specialty pool with the kiddie area.

I think the lack of buzz is as much the location.

Jan

[DizneyFreak2002]

There is really nothing wrong with Saratoga Springs... it gets a bad rap, but it is unwarranted...

When I stay (SSR is one of my home resorts), if I'm not staying at the tree house villas, I request Congress Park... Congress Park is right by the pathway to DTD, er, Disney Springs... it's not a bad walk at all...

[GrumpySue]

Thanks for all the replies, it is just me and my husband and we have stayed at almost every resort so far over the years except Saratoga and Old Key West. I don't know why, we just don't hear a lot about them. A quiet resort sounds great, and the walkway to DTD sounds wonderful considering all that is going on there now.

[tjstrike]

We've stayed 3 times so far at SSR and I agree with some of the above postings in that it's just too big and the location is no good unless you plan to hang out at DTD a lot. I think I enjoyed staying at congress park the most, sitting on our balcony at night and watching the balloon ride go up and all the lights from DTD are very pretty at night.

[ThanxForNoticin]

We're DVC members, and SS is always our last choice. It's not a bad place. In fact, it's pretty nice. But we had a couple lesser experiences there with rooms and service, and we only book there now if it's the only option. The location is good with regard to DTD, but the resort is large, and a walk can be lengthy.

They've made some improvements in recent years, like a new pool, which have helped.

But that's the beauty of the options at Disney - enough variety for everyone to have a different favorite place to stay or eat!!!

[epceddie]

We spent our honeymoon at Saratoga Springs in a 1BR in Congress Park with a great view of DTD. We loved it and would not hesitate to return except for the fact that we're DVC members at Old Key West and can book there 10 months in advance.
Congress Park was nice and quiet and we love the quiet pool there. It's never very crowded and there's a sitting area behind it right on the water with rocking chairs. It's our top go-to spot for a relaxing afternoon of just doing nothing.

[faline]

We've only stayed at Saratoga Springs on one occasion, and, based on that experience, I would not hesitate to return. I had heard all of the bad reports about this location and just didn't find that was our experience. We stayed in a one bedroom villa on the first floor. We had a lovely patio area overlooking grounds and water. We were within an easy walking distance of Downtown Disney which was a nice plus. Additionally, the walk to the main building was not very long at all. We had no problems with bus and/or boat service.

We had also heard negative reports about the table service restaurant at this location. One evening we had a last minute dining experience here and were pleasantly surprised by the serice as well as the food.

As I mentioned above, I would definitely stay here again.