Reviews of Saratoga Springs Resort (Disney Vacation Club)

Reviews

73

Rating

7.84 / 10

Recommended By

90%



Reviewed by Dnields Review Date: 02/20/2019

Rating: (10)
Recommended

I've been a member since 2004, and I joined at Saratoga Springs because, well, that's what was available. When I joined, I wasn't a huge fan (the complex felt large and confusing), and I assumed I'd often stay at different resorts. Over time, my feelings have changed, I've become a huge fan. I now know my way around, and while the resort is still large, there have been times when I've felt completely private and secluded. I love being able to walk to Disney Springs. I love the rooms (from studio to grand villa). I love the friendliness of the staff and the beauty of the design. I'm not a golfer, but I love being near the course (and I even played it once). I think Saratoga Springs is an unsung star.

Pros:

Proximity to Disney Springs. Combination of isolation and community.

Cons:

Not a huge fan of Turf Club.
1 User found this helpful.

Reviewed by HWFrieds Review Date: 02/04/2019

Rating: (8)
Recommended

We stayed at DSSSR in June, 2018 and January, 2019 in a one bedroom villa - 3 adults. (we trade in our timeshare so our choices are limited). We do love being at DSSSR because its not as close to the parks but is close to Disney Springs. I would agree with other reviewers that it could use some refurbishment, but it is a lovely property, and if you do not need to have your room decorated with Disney items, its true to its theme.

Pros:

Close to Disney Springs, can walk depending on where your room is and your walking ability; great pool(s); Artists Palette is great, we went for breakfast. The kitchen is nice size, you have the sofa; chair and a bench seat with a long table in the living/kitchen area which is nice. Love how the bathroom is set up so you can get in the spa tub and close the door and have a separate shower and separate toilet area. The H2O items they provide are some of the best I've had in a hotel.

Cons:

It sleeps 4 (1 king and 1 queen pullout); however the pullout can be a bit uncomfortable depending on how tall you are. The other con is there is limited drawer space especially for 3 adults. Closet is okay size. I took a few larger handled bags with me to separate my clothing and that worked with the limited drawer space.
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by Springbird Review Date: 01/24/2019

Rating: (7)
Recommended

We stayed here from Jan 11 to Jan 19, 2019 in a 2 bedroom villa. This was our first time on this property and booked it through David's Vacation Club Rentals who was great to work with. The reason we are giving this resort only a 7 (more like a 7.5) is because the room was in serious need of refurbishment, mainly in the living room/kitchen area. The cushions on the couch were disgusting and half of each one smashed down to nothing. I can't believe Disney wouldn't at least replace the cushions. My sister's grandson was going to use the pullout but we didn't even try due to how it looked. The built in bench by the kitchen table was also stained and dirty. The mattresses in the bedroom were good - very comfortable. And the amount of room in the villa was very nice and having 4 sinks for everyone to get ready in the morning was great. Everything else was positive. We were in the Paddock section in a building right next to the pool and the bridge over to the main area. The grounds are huge so if you have any mobility issues you need to watch which area you want to stay in. The grandson loved the pool in the Paddock section and also tried the one in the Springs but liked staying closer to our room. We ate at both the Artist's Palette and the Paddock Grill and both were very good. We only had 1 issue with the buses where we waited for 45 min one morning and the bus driver who finally arrived said the other driver got lost!! We used the Disney Experience app to check the bus arrival times but they are just an estimate. Some came earlier, some a little later. Overall we enjoyed our stay and if they refurbished the rooms, we would give Saratoga Springs a 10!

Pros:

Quiet and beautiful grounds Great pools Good food at Artist's Palette and Paddock Grill Nice walking/running trail Close to Disney Springs

Cons:

Room needed refurbishment! Large resort - very spread out
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by Rockster Review Date: 10/01/2018

Rating: (9)
Recommended

Well, I am a DVC member and have stayed at all the DVC Resorts except for Copper Creek. We live in Illinois but have made more than 30 trips to WDW since 2003 when we bought into DVC. All the resorts have their pluses and minuses. Our home resort is Saratoga Springs, so we have stayed there more than any other place. We have taken friends with us, kids with us, grandkids with us - stayed in every kind of room from a deluxe Studio to the 3-bedroom tree house villas. So, there is something for everyone. We have never had a bad experience in any SSR room nor have we had any bad experience in any of our trips to WDW over all the years we have been going down. In fact, my wife and I are going again this November to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary and staying at Saratoga Springs. We always look forward to our trips - usually in the early Spring for either the Epcot Flower & Garden Show or the Epcot Festival of the Arts - and then every Fall for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. We love SSR which is close to Disney Springs because Disney Springs has so much to offer as it has grown tremendously, adding fabulous new restaurants and shops.

Bottom Line - After 15 years of multiple yearly trips, we can hardly imagine taking a vacation anywhere else. Every trip has new experiences and they have all been very positive.

Pros:

Close to Disney Springs. Rooms are nice with nice views out the windows. Multiple interesting pools spread around the property. Decent restaurants on the property. Disney buses that take you to the parks go only between SSR and the parks. DVC members get free parking.

Cons:

Largest of the DVC resorts so there is a lot of walking to get to Disney Springs unless you are staying at the Congress area which is closest to DS. There are multiple bus stops on the property - 5 to be exact. So, it takes a while to get through all the stops picking up passengers before the bus heads to your park of choice. Same for returning and dropping off passengers at all the stops.
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by vickey t Review Date: 09/30/2018

Rating: (10)
Recommended

My son's favorite for a long time now. Odd for someone who was only 19 this year.

Pros:

Being able to walk to Disney Springs

Cons:

Not as close as other resorts to the parks.
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by RodNShirle Review Date: 09/27/2018

Rating: (9)
Recommended

We just returned from a stay in the Springs section. Two adults and two children in a one bedroom unit. The room set up at Saratoga is similar to Boardwalk in that the bedroom was very large and spacious, but the common area not as much.

Pros:

This was a great location because it was close to the main pool, the restaurants, store, etc. and our building was close to a bus stop. Unit was clean, all staff we encountered were friendly and helpful.

Cons:

We ate in our room most of the time and the way the kitchen is arranged in the one bedroom unit is awkward, and there were a minimum of cooking utensils. Had to call for a couple of things.
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by Joel0917 Review Date: 09/26/2018

Rating: (8)
Recommended

We've stayed in the paddock section probably a dozen times. We always rent a car as the buses can get pretty packed and slow. Rooms are great and the resort is pretty quiet. I've had studios and one bedrooms there. Never a problem with the rooms. The main pool is cool but we prefer the Paddock pool area. Nice water area for kids.

Pros:

Proximity to Disney Springs. Short walk there.

Cons:

Buses. Very slow
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by Colleen Review Date: 09/26/2018

Rating: (7)
Recommended

This is a beautiful resort, but it is very large and spread out. The rooms are dated and a little worn, but even though we had heard some bad reviews our room was perfectly fine. We had a car, but the few times we used the buses we had very short waits. We had done online check-in but we did stop at the main building to leave our bags with bell services and later to pick up our bags, attach our credit cards to our magic bands, and pick up refillable mugs. All the cms there were very friendly and helpful, but we never went back there as it was too far a walk from our room. We loved being able to walk to Disney Springs to dine and shop in the evenings, but this can be quite a walk from some locations.

Pros:

beautiful, peaceful resort nice pools close to Disney Springs

Cons:

huge resort rooms are dated and worn
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018

Rating: (7)
Recommended

We stayed in a two bedroom villa in the Paddock section. This is a lovely resort with beautiful grounds. The décor in our room was dated and the carpet a bit worn, but there was really nothing wrong with it at all. We were close to the Paddock pool which we really enjoyed. There was a bus stop right in front of our building, and we had excellent bus service when we needed it. We did have a vehicle, and it was great to be able to park right by the resort. The only drawback to this resort is that it is huge. We had chosen to stay here for the first half of the trip to take advantage of the restaurants at Disney Springs, and although we did walk there every night it was a very long walk from our room. We were also quite far away from the main building and only stopped there once when driving back from the parks.

Pros:

beautiful resort close to Disney Springs

Cons:

very large and spread out dated decor
0 Users found this helpful.

Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018

Rating: (8)
Recommended

A reservation at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa brought to mind luxury and we were excited for the experience. We stayed in a one bedroom villa-preferred. The location was perfect! There was only a short walk to Disney Springs and transportation was reliable and very efficient. The villa itself was immaculate, well-stocked, and lovely. There is definitely a \"horse\" theme to the resort, with a carriage house, bronze horses, old fashioned lamps, and amazing landscape. We had a full kitchen, a whirlpool bath, shower and beautiful décor.

Pros:

Beautiful and inviting. Convenient to Disney Springs. Loved the boat rides for transportation!

Cons:

Very uncomfortable sofa bed. Had to ask Mousekeeping for a mattress pad to cover the coils in the sofa. I think these sofa beds have been replaced since our last visit. however. Mousekeeping was great and responded quickly to our request.
0 Users found this helpful.

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