Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, located near Disney Springs, is one of Walt Disney World’s more “under-the-radar” resorts, which many guests — myself included — don’t visit all that often,
Opened in 2004, the Victorian-themed Saratoga Springs Resort resembles its namesake New York retreat, famous for its spas and horse racing for well over a century. However, what many guests don’t know is that the history of the land where the hotel sits stretches back much further, to the very beginning of Walt Disney World.
A Long History
The site where Saratoga Springs now sits was first developed during Walt Disney World’s early years. Originally planned as the site of permanent homes — the Lake Buena Vista Residential Community adjacent to the Lake Buena Vista Village shopping center (now the Marketplace portion of Disney Springs), 60 villas were constructed in the 1970s. However, Disney abandoned the residential aspect of the property at this time, mainly due to voting rights and taxation issues, and eventually repurposed the homes into The Village Resort in 1985.
Just over a decade later, the hotel — by then known as The Disney Village Resort — was closed and transformed into the Disney Institute. The resort, based on a camp Michael Eisner had often visited early in life, was a “hands-on” experience where guests would choose to participate in an array of over 80 programs. These programs were under categories such as Animation, Culinary, Gardening, The Great Outdoors, Photography, Television, and Youth. Despite being somewhat acclaimed for its courses, the Disney Institute was never a huge success and closed in the early 2000s to be transformed into Saratoga Springs.
Distance is an Issue
One of the first things guests will realize upon arriving at Saratoga Springs is just how far the resort is from all four of Walt Disney World’s theme parks, located all the way at the end of the property. Furthermore, the resort’s only access to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom is via bus.
The Sassagoula River Cruise
While Saratoga Springs is far from the parks, it is directly across the water from Disney Springs. In fact, the shopping district is easily accessible through both walking paths and the Sassagoula River Cruise boats.
The crafts also connect Saratoga Springs and Disney Springs to Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort Riverside, and Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter.
Stagnation?
Since the final phase of its construction opened in 2009, Saratoga Springs has remained relatively stagnant. Don’t get us wrong, the hotel is well-maintained and has DVC guests who swear by it. However, there have been few, if any, major additions which, combined with the hotel’s location at the very end of Disney World property, often leave it overshadowed by its sister hotels.
But all of that should equal a quiet and nice Disney World hotel experience. You shouldn’t find issues with noise, long lines for food, and you shouldn’t have to fight for a chair by the pool! It’s all about balance. So while this hotel is far away and isn’t the flashiest in the bunch, there are some qualities that really make it a winner for Disney fans!
Next time you’re considering a stay at Saratoga Springs, make sure to keep all of this in mind! Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney’s Hotels!
I Didn’t Think I Could Hate This Disney World Hotel Any More…Until This Happened
Have you ever stayed at Saratoga Springs? Let us know in the comments below.
Brian, thank you for this review of Saratoga Springs Resort.
There are a few things that people need to consider when evaluating SSR. Granted it is a large, spread-out complex. It is not “close” to any of the parks. The theming is milder Disney than several of the other resort hotels. There haven’t been any exciting upgrades lately.
But guests would do well to consider that a larger hotel complex can give the feeling of not being crowded everywhere you turn. Milder theming can mean that we are not bombarded with heavy doses of Disney 24/7. To us SSR is more relaxing. There are four pools located throughout the complex with reasonable proximity to all of the rooms. There are five bus stops, each with up to the minute time monitoring. It is important to remember that the number of buses and their travel intervals at each resort hotel is all relative to the occupancy at that hotel. The SSR buses are much faster than the conventional wisdom suggests, plus there is a steady stream of buses most of the time. Our experience has been that waiting for a bus at Boardwalk can be a nightmare compared to the bus travel to any park from SSR. Then there is the boat system to Disney Springs or over to Port Orleans. Artist’s Palette is a great place for breakfast or snacks any time of the day. The Turf Club can be a close by alternative for moderate priced dining on those days when we are traveled out.
We have been DVC members with SSR as our home base since it opened in 2004. We have stayed at most of the other DVC resorts, but we always come back to SSR. It feels good to us.
I simply do not get why people think SS is “sooooo far!” from everything but DS. It’s a heck of a lot closer to the parks than most peoples’homes!
The reason Disney World in all of its large-spanning area is so amazing is that there is something for everyone. Saratoga has beautiful pools (even the “quiet pool” in the Congress’s Park area is amazing), water transport to DS, a highly loved steak house, and, as you pointed out, walkability to the Springs.
We are older adults with grown kids. I own a small DVC contract @ SS. We’ve stayed at several other locations, including Poly & Beach Club, and Wilderness Lodge (where my other half bought a small DVC contract once we stayed at Boulder Ridge). We keep returning to “our” homes because they are magical to us. We resort hop every stay to shop, eat & check out the ambiance,an option available to anyone.
All that and dont forget about the golf course on site