Loved the resort! I have booked a second trip to same resort
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is our DVC home resort and we have never had a bad experience there. I have stayed in a deluxe studio, a one bedroom Villa, a two bedroom Villa, a three bedroom Grand Villa and a Treehouse Villa. All of them were of very high quality, comfortable, quiet and well appointed. The proximity to Disney Springs is very nice as it is a short walk to a bus stop from there that will take you to the Carriage House and then a scenic walk back to your room. The landscaping is top notch and is constantly being maintained. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The resort is less "themed" than others, and all rooms open to the outdoors (unlike the hotel rooms that open to the lobby / central courtyard or a hallway). The more time I spend here, the more I appreciate those things. There is "theming" a plenty EVERYWHERE on property, so the 'less is more' affect at Saratoga Springs is refreshing to me. As I spend time in other resorts at restaurants or shops or sightseeing, the more grateful I am for the sense of calm and lack of noise (screaming children, clatter and auditory chaos...). The resort truly is a calm and beautiful oasis amidst a World full of sensory overload. Buses come at least every 20 minutes, sometimes more often. I like that there are multiple stops throughout the property and that you can hop on a bus to get to the Carriage House or to the restaurants and shops if you don't feel like hoofing it. Even the walk to the Treehouse from The Springs bus stop wasn't too bad (walking seemed to get us there quicker than the bus connection). Eating at the Artist's Palette has always been fun and tasty. The menus are varied and the food is fresh. A nice selection of groceries and beverages, as well. If you're looking to be in the thick of the excitement, the hustle, the bustle, the noise and the mayhem of Walt Disney World, I suggest you find somewhere else to stay. Saratoga Springs is relaxing, easy, lovely and full of friendly and helpful cast members. Plus, you can almost always get a reservation there (within reason)!
I have been to Disney multiple times and have stayed at Saratoga every time! The resort itself is very pretty, and they have great walking trails, along with a really nice pool area. There is great mousekeeping and one the first day our towels are on our beds in a Mickey shape! The only frustrating thing my family and I have encountered is being far away from the pool and Downtown Disney. There are other small pools around the resort, but if you are not by the big pool, it can be around a 20 minute walk. Last time I went, we had rooms right by Downtown Disney and were able to walk there in 5 minutes!
This is by far the best resort on Disney property, the cast members are always so friendly and it really does feel like home. My family loves the 2 story grand villas, because it is one of the few places on property where we can all stay in one room. It can be a little annoying if your room is in Carousel of Grandstand if you want to get to Artist's Palette, but since The Springs is the last stop on the buses, you can grab any bus to get there, and it isn't that bad of a walk afterwards. Overall, this resort is always a joy to stay at and can't wait to go again in a month!!!!
The grounds were perfect. Our room, a 1 bedroom gets a rating of 0. The A/C sucked! We called 5 times to get it fixed and then just gave up! The room was so small, we always stay at OKW for over 20 yrs. now, and the rooms are so much bigger. The dryer was so loud that I wanted to install a clothes line outside... we bought ‘’ shitoga springs’’ coffee mugs only to return them as the decal washed off.
My Daughter,me and my husband stayed at this resort for the first time. the resort was fine but we had to walk a ways for the pool and the resturant.
Member of DVC and this resort is absolutley amazing. Great atmosphere and great views from every room.
Our family loves to stay at SSR. We enjoy the peaceful grounds, wonderful walking trails, terrific pools and fantastic rooms.
Saratoga springs is one of the worst resorts on the property.
Saratoga Springs really feels like home, it's very nice. Very clean and new looking. The rooms are a nice size, (especially if you get a vacation home) and it's only a short walk or boat ride from Downtown Disney. You can also check out models for the Disney Vacation Club.
nice resort, reminds me of the real saratoga. beautiful landscape, great pool , activities , and pool
We are are a family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 college kids - finishing up a very nice stay at Saratoga Springs. We are in Paddock area (which is big) in room 4836. This is 4th floor, near the stairs and a short walk from the elevator. We are not as far from the central area as some, and are also not close to Downtown Disney. But we are very close to our car, which is the important thing to us. We have enjoyed the Community Center where our son beat us all at pingpong. If we had smaller kids, they would have enjoyed the coloring, crafts, and Playstation 2 there. We rented a 4 person surrey and had fun riding around the resort. Twice we have washed clothes. The laundry is a short walk from our room and is free. However, there are only 2 washers and 4 dryers so they probably get busy. But, we are here during a very busy week and found them empty both times we went. Hubby has enjoyed jogging around the resort lake. We have all enjoyed the quiet pool and whirlpool near our building. The main Rock Spring pool looks fabulous, but is a pretty decent walk and is more kid-oriented. None of us used the spa or fitness center but both look awesome. We like the Artist Point foodcourt. We thought the choices were pretty varied and the food was good. We all had variations on the flatbread pizza the first night and it was all tasty. The sandwiches look good. We are in a studio room which has been fine for us. We brought an air mattress for dd to sleep on the floor and the entryway actually has enough room so that she almost has her own little room. It does obstruct the door when opened, but we just step over it and we're fine. This gives ds the sofa bed all to himself. The lighting in the room is not good, which seems to be a recurring problem in Disney resorts. I think it may be the energy saving bulbs. One over our bed was out and they replaced it promptly. But there is just a little sconce type lamp on the wall over the bed - no lamps on a table and no way to turn one off and leave the other on. Next time I would bring along a clamp on light for my side of the bed. And speaking of my side of the bed, there is very very little room and no table or anything. I am using a tall skinny box (holds our little Christmas tree) as a makeshift bedside table for my glasses and book. Otherwise I would have only had the floor. One nice thing is that there are plenty of outlets, and we are enjoying the fridge and the balcony. We really like Saratoga Springs and would be happy to stay here again.
Stayed at SSR in August of 05. We were in Congress Park, about a 10 minute walk to DTD. So I know this is a little dated, sorry. We stayed in a studio, close to a quiet pool, & were generally pleased with the room and view. Of course, being close to a walkway to DTD means being far away from most of what the resort has to offer. Walk to the main areas was just as long-if not longer!-than the walk to DTD. We bought refillable mugs, but didn't use them much besides meals because by the time you filled them and up and started walking back to your room, you finished your drink and were thirsty again! I know they've since turned Turf Bar into (more or less) a full service restaurant, albiet one with a small menu. Granted, you're close to DTD/PI and all the food options they offer, but it would be nice to see another food court or full-service eatery at the resort, I think it's big enough to warrant it. At least small snack bars by some of the quiet pools. Don't want to complain too much, as it really is very nice place to stay, especially if someone in your party isn't big on Disney theming - it is decidedly more muted here than in some other resorts. I only hope, when all construction is complete, they consider having events and amenities that'll make it seem more communal, so you'd be more inspired to do things while you're there, instead of just taking the boat over to DTD.
Our family of five adults stayed in a two-bedroom villa recently. We were in the Congress Park section, directly across the lake from Pleasure Island, which made for beautiful views at night. The master bedroom was beautiful, with a desk, an armchair, an armoir with television, and even a little bench under the mirror with extra storage. The interesting thing was the bathroom. From the bedroom, there are shutters that can be opened to see into the bath containing a whirlpool tub and vanity. Tucked next to the vanity was a doorway leading to a closet containing the safe. Across from the vanity, and next to the bedroom door (leading to the main room) was a door that opened into another room containing a very roomy standing shower and small vanity area. This room also had a door leading to the main room and a door leading to a 'toilet in a closet'. Yes, three doors in this room, one leading to the master bath/bed, one to the main living area, and one to the toilet. Made for some confusing late night potty-breaks. The over-under washer-dryer in our room was most welcome, as was the full size refridgerator and actuall glasses to use for soda! Popcorn (brought from home) was made in the microwave many times, and the full size electric stove and oven would have been nice if I wasn't on vacation lol. There was also a bench and small table, and a breakfast bar that had two chairs with it. Plenty of room for a few people to sit and eat a meal. The living area had a couch that pulled out into a surprisingly comfortable bed, an armoir with television, and an armchair. There was a balcony off this room with a wonderful view of the lake. The second bedroom had its own bath, with a double vanity and a shower/toilet room. There was also a HUGE closet that you could sleep another person or two in. Through a doorway (affording a little privacy) was the bedroom, with two queen size beds, an armoir with television, and a table with two chairs. All rooms had telephones and were beautifully decorated, with even a few Mickeys around! Everything was tasteful and elegant, but not over-Disney. We were also lucky enough to be located close to a quiet pool, which was beautiful: just a rectangle with rounded corners and cement frogs spitting water into the pool. There were ample chairs and umbrellas, and even a fair sized hot tub that could easily fit ten adults. There was a playground not too far off, but nothing at this pool that would occupy a child. Which, honestly, was nice at night for a group of adults. We were pretty close to a bus stop, and found the buses efficient and easy to use. There is even an Inter-Resort Service bus (which we quickly dubbed the 'IRS') and buses to DTD. We took the bus to DTD and it was really quick, but we had to wait almost 10 minutes for the bus. The walkway to DTD that ends up on the Marketplace side is well lit and easy to navigate. It took us approximately ten minutes to walk this path. The path from West Side to SSR was not as good. You must traverse a large well lit parking lot, but after that it gets much less well lit, and the path really seems to meander. This path seemed to take us forever to get home, but was more realistically just under 20 minutes, plus the time to get from Fultons through Pleasure Island and West Side. The Marketplace-side path seems much more direct. The food selection here was mediocre. There were the normal Disney breakfast staples (sampler platters, Mickey waffles) but lunch and dinner options seemed limited, especially with no full service eatery in the resort. Some of us hopped over to DTD for meals. However, there was a nice selection of frozen and dry goods, including 2-litre sodas for a mere $3.50 (we'd been paying $2.50 in the parks for a 20oz.), frozen dinners and snacks, and cereals. Not to mention Entemanns. Yum. There was also the Turf Club, which had a full bar that also served some pub-fare (burgers & fries) and had a big television, pool tables, and plenty of comfortable seating. Some of our party watched the Superbowl here and enjoyed the bar, food, and companionship of other guests, but were thankful for not having the level of noise and craziness that would be found at EPSN. Overall, this resort was wonderful for a bunch of adults. While the main pool is awesome, and there is an arcade, SSR seems to have little to offer children. Even the decor is much more muted than at other resorts (AKL, All Stars). Its close proximity to Downtown Disney and it's own golf course make it very appealing to adults, and also to older teens, but to cater to your children, another resort might be a better choice.
My sister and I recieved a membership to the DVC at Saratoga Springs for our 21st birthday and chose to celebrate there. I had a wonderful experience late July at the resort. I was very pleased with our accommodations! Though they are somewhat smaller than OKW (which we have stayed at several times in the past) they are exquisitely decorated and detailed and very comfortable. We lucked out with a balcony overlooking the waterway and right into Pleasure Island (which made for an excellent picture on the eve of our 21st - champagne glasses in hand, Princess tiaras on our head and the fireworks of Pleasure Island at midnight in the background!). Our 2 bedroom stuidio afforded plenty of space for the 6 of us including 3 tv's (one in each room) and two complete bathrooms with outside vanities (very important when vacationing with multiple females). The service was classically Disney and though it was not the best I've ever seen (that distinction goes to a certain Thabo who used to work at the Coral Reef Club at the Swan and now is a tour guide at AK Lodge), but it was on par with most of our experiences. We personally had a great experience with the concierge when purchasing tickets and making reservations. Though the walk to the main building was not particularly close, it was much closer than my stays at OKW and made for a very nice walk in the evening after dark when we would venture to the pool after hours. We also had a very welcoming satelite pool a short distance away off the main walk to Pleasure Island, a walk that was a treasure in and of itself. Transportation was located conveniently outside our building (we stayed at Congress Park) close enough that we could run to it were there a bus already waiting when we rounded the corner (which was necessary on more than one occassion!). Transportation by boat in the evening to Pleasure Island was also very nice, and we were able to be dropped off right by the House of Blues. Though we did not eat at the restaurant on this trip, my father and I dined there this past March when we made a quick trip for a tour. I found the selection to be very delicious and have since replicated several of the recipes on my own. Of course, it is definitely a more adult menu and is designed to reflect the resort menus of Saratgoa Springs circa its haydays in the 19th century, if it seems a bit foreign to some people. The recreation area right outside the area, while smaller, is a new favorite of mine among Disney resorts. It has a delightful play area for kids, a slide fun for everyone and a delicious drink bar for adults. I'm a particular fan of the sloping beach like entrance where you can sit below a fountaing and enjoy the scenery. This area also features the Win, Place or Show Arcade which as everyone's favorites including DDR! I would also love to give special compliments to the Spa and health club that has not been touched upon in the reviews yet - if you can't afford to induldge in a massage or facial, definitely take advantage of their state of the art equipment which is better than most gyms and free for resort guests! A few tips if you're staying at Saratoga Springs: - Take advantage of the water access to Pleasure Island, its slower than the buses but has a great view of the whole complex - Try walking the quiet path around the waterway to Pleasure Island, its a very relaxing atmosphere after the clubs have closed - Don't neglect the satelite pools, particularly after dark when they're uncrowded and relaxing - I wouldn't reccommend this resort for children under 12 or 13, its atmosphere is more mature - Take advantage of the kitchen and purchase food for breakfast and between park snacks, it'll save you money if you can go to the grocery store or Target and do so - Explore the property - there are many hidden mickey's to find and beautiful spots to relax like benches and gazebos
We were horribly disappointed in this resort during our stay in July. We were so far away from the main building that we only saw the main building the day we rented a car to go to Sea World. We were never able to use the main pool or the cafeteria because they were a 20 minute walk away. The worst part, though, was the attitude we received from the cast members. When we checked in and told the bellman that we werestaying in the Paddock, his response was "You can't be. The building's not open." Our lock died one night, and it was after midnight by the time the locksmith got there. The front desk's response was "What do you want us to do?" The hallway outside our room flooded one night, causing water to spill into our room and damage a suitcase. The response? "Don't leave a suitcase near the door." I'm sure the resort will be nice when it's finished, but if I wanted to look a bulldozers and construction work, I would have stayed home.
I have not yet stayed at SSR, but we pool hopped there and took a tour of the rooms while we were there in October. We loved it. Ironically we purchased our vacation club membership there, but stayed at OKW. Anyway I do want to mention one thing people should be aware of. There is only one place to eat and the menu is limited. I am trying to say this in the nicest way and I probably live a boring life - but eating BBQ beef on a piece of flat bread is bizzare. IMy wife had tuna on a flatbread. live only 100 miles from Saratoga Springs, NY and I just never heard of any of the items on the menu. Now I have an 11 year old and a 6 year old and it's difficult enough getting them to eat pasta or a hamburger. I can tell you I didn't even bother trying to offer them any of the food offerings from the Artists' Palette. I asked if they had any more mainstream food offerings and the castmember suggested a minute walk to Downtown Disney area. Now the pool bar had only drinks when we were there. If hamburgers and other mainstream items are added I would be completely satisfied with the resort. The reason I went on about the food is that I have read lots of reviews about the Resort and none mention the limited food offering. This to me is a big deal. That being said - I love the resort. Yes there is construction going on but that did not deter from the beauty of the resort. Thhe pool was great. The slide was fun. There was a small pool slide my 6 year old loved too. There wet play area was shut down the day we were there, but it looked like a lot of fun. There is a nice big game room that I think is sure to please many a youngster, and the grounds were neat and clean. The resort is somewhat spread out. Basically there are numerous large buildings dotting the grounds. My overall reaction is this: I love the resort, but will not be staying there until they offer burgers, pizza or other more mainstream food items. Hopefully more restaurants will open soon. Hope this helps! Joe
This resort is amazing. The attention to detail is awesome with many hidden Mickey's throughout the resort. The main pool is a bit small, but has a great wet play area for kids and plenty of rockwork with waterfalls. You have a 5 min walk to Downtown Disney and the view of the fireworks at night over Pleasure Island . If you are a golfer, there is a golf course on resort property. Some of the downsides are that the bussing is slow. The resort is not completely open, so I would blame it on that. The quantity of busses should increase when the resort fully opens. This resort could also use a signature restaurant in the future.