Paul Krieger
Amy and I are new Orlando, Florida residents where we live with our dogs Odie the greyhound and Hermès the Spanish galgo. We are DVC owners at Animal Kingdom Lodge, BoardWalk Villas, Grand Californian, Grand Floridian, and Polynesian, Disney World Annual Passholders, and love educating Disney Vacation Club members on how to both use and maximize the value of their DVC points!
Thanks gang! Perfect timing! We are strongly considering buying a resale contract here.
I get many of the comments but one of the big plus factors at Saratoga Springs is not listening to screaming kids running up and down the corridors like you have at Animal Kingdom.
Having stayed at Animal Kingdom, its a beautiful resort but the fact that all rooms are accessed off the main building, if you have a room first down one of the corridors then your listening to scream kids running up and down to get to there rooms from late at night to early morning.
We have stayed at Coronado Springs and did not have the issue.
Saratoga Springs has none of these issues.
I think its down to the fact that any resort where the rooms are accessed off one main building and the floors are not concrete and your one of the first rooms down a corridor, yes its nice to be close to the main building but your also going to listen to the stampede of people coming home late from a park and the one going early.
Owning at SSR for over a decade. I agree availability is almost always available.
Artist Palette check out lines are atrocious
Food at Palette has gotten worse.
Have to agree the Turf Club food hit or misses have been more mistakes than misses.
Grounds are picturesque.
Very convenient When need a vacation/time out from life with no parks for availability. Disney Springs is great spot with close proximity walking distance from resort Plus water taxi is @5 minutes ramp to ramp.
Lake Buena Vista Golf Course is below the Turf Club. Nice course to play on if it’s not 85 + degrees.
Agreed once refurbishment is complete it will be much more desired ONLY if the Food is better. This will increase resale value..
Pools – High Springs, Paddock and Congress Park are very convenient. Waiting for Disney to secure gates around pools with magic bands access only.
Just my thoughts
SSR is not my first choice. But, my Dad looooooves it. If we gave him the choice of any resort to stay at, money is no object, he would still choose there.
I will say on the food…for someone, like us, who has about 20 restaurants at Disney Springs they want to try, SSR is perfect. During a normal stay, we might get to DS once or twice, but we aren’t going to be there all day, so we might have a couple of meals at DS. Being able to have most meals, and come and go as we please, at DS….especially when DS has soooooo many restaurants and shops and so little time to do them. So, I would absolutely recommend doing a SSR stay if you are wanting to do a dedicated DS week.
Just wanted to reply to Jerry’s mentioning of having a 5 year old, and SSR maybe not being the best. Last summer, we did SSR with my 4 year old nephew. And he loved it. We went over to the playground a couple of times overlooking Disney Springs, and sat on the rockers watching the balloon, which he was tickled by. The pool areas are great for little ones. The Paddock pool slide was a huge hit for him. I lost count of how many times he went down the slide. 100, maybe? There is also a fun kiddie area in the Paddock pool area as well. They also have some neat activities, as most DVC resorts do. So, if you do have young kids, YMMV, but I think they can have a lot of fun at SSR. A park-adjacent resort might be better, depending on your itinerary, but SSR certainly tries to appeal to young kids.
I think you were pretty harsh on Saratoga Springs and here is why. Everyone I know and discuss Disney trips with are not Florida residents. I live in the northeast and I can tell you that coming from another part of the country to Florida looks at vacation through a different lens. Sure it is fun to be super close to the parks, but coming out of the cold north and being able to walk those beautiful paths at Saratoga is amazing. The grounds are so lovely, the views (birdhouses, racehorse theme, fun pools) while you stroll around is a big part of the getaway. The bus will get you to the parks….and lets face it we all would love it if that were easier…….but at SSR you can sneak over to the Springs for a delightful morning stroll or an evening cocktail or dessert and walk around what feels like a whole other town. And the food at the Springs simply cannot be topped as far as options, quality and diversity…all a walk or charming boat ride from the villas. We own at SSR and are so thrilled with the renovations. The golf course and secret path to OKW and the treehouse villas…..fun! Oh, and lastly my whole family (ages 65 to 8) make the Turf Club a stop no matter which resort we stay at….calm, simple, reasonable pricing and something for everybody in a quiet atmosphere. Home
I am also from the northeast and loves SSR.I think you have to stay at least 5 days to enjoy the whole resort,not 1 day or never stayed there to write a review.
I like that we can park our car right in front of our building. Elevators! The walk from elevator to farthest room can be much less than at some “hallway” resorts. Exterior doors make for quieter rooms. Golf course views. Readily available on short notice. Easy access to Disney Springs. Lower point per night cost than most other resorts. Quick service has been fine for us. No, the theming does not scream “Mickey Mouse” and you can’t walk to a park, but it isn’t as bad as some would have you think.