Saratoga Springs Advice and Recomendations

JTT

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just booked a DVC Studio at Saratoga Springs and I have never stayed there.

I need recommendations on what section to stay at. Grand Stand or Springs looks good because of proximity to check and food but is it the best?

Has any section been recently updated?

What section is best for the busses?

We are going in December, so is there any special Christmas section?

Any help or advice on Saratoga Springs would be welcomed.
 

EOD K9

Well-Known Member
SSR is my home resort. The Springs is the closest to the main pool and dining. I usually rent a car so I cant be of help when it comes to bus transportation. The resort is very spread out and Artist's Palette is very good. The whole place has an early 1900s racetrack feel to it. Some people like the fact it is far from other things and spread wide. However, Congress Park is closest to Disney Springs. It is a short walk from there so you can definitely head over to dine and eat as well. Have a great trip.
 

rob0519

Well-Known Member
We stayed at SSR for the first time last November in The Springs. The 1Bd. unit itself was comfortable and the in unit washer/dryer was a nice change. The Springs are directly across from the Main Lobby, Artist's Palette, etc. Unlike EOD K9, we did not find the menu items to our liking, so that is a personal thing.

The bus situation in our opinion was pretty bad. We had a car, but decided to try and take the bus. Because the stop outside the Springs is not the first stop on any route, every bus in the morning was jam packed and we stood there as bus after bus for MK and Epcot didn't even stop so you may want to look at a map and pick a room closer to the first bus stop.

You can get to Disney Springs by boat, but unless they've added additional boats they don't run very often. It took us almost 40 minutes each way.

The lobby was decorated for Christmas. It was nice, but certainly nothing incredible.
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
SSR is our home resort, and we have stayed there many times. We always request the Grandstand section. It is the first bus stop to/from the parks, so you'll pretty much be guaranteed a seat in the morning. It has a quiet pool with a kids play area, and a pool bar that is open during the day. The washer & dryer area is next to the pool. The main building is only a short walk (less than 5 minutes). We like both Artist Palette and the Turf Club restaurant. Turf Club is a hidden gem in our opinion. Usually not hard to get a last minute ADR, and food is excellent to outstanding every time.

Please let us know if you have any other questions. Researching is the best thing to do before going to any Disney resort.
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
Congress Park is only a short walk from Disney Springs if you want to go there.

Unfortunately I didn't like the resort and found the rest of it too quiet, there was zero atmosphere.
 

Beacon Joe

Well-Known Member
SSR is our home resort, and we have stayed there many times. We always request the Grandstand section. It is the first bus stop to/from the parks, so you'll pretty much be guaranteed a seat in the morning. .

This is an interesting comment and I'd like to follow up on the bus routes at Saratoga Springs. From your comment about the Grandstand stop being the first, I assume that a bus will arrive at SRS and work its way through the resort, then head off to the parks, rather than a bus serving one or two sections of Saratoga Springs?

What's the pattern of stops within Saratoga Springs? If we stay in Congress Park, are we guaranteeing that in the morning we'll face a stream of already packed buses bypassing our stop?

We normally stay on the monorail loop and/or have our car, so the bus system is a bit of a mystery to us. Thanks for any info you can pass along!
 

Rob562

Well-Known Member
This is an interesting comment and I'd like to follow up on the bus routes at Saratoga Springs. From your comment about the Grandstand stop being the first, I assume that a bus will arrive at SRS and work its way through the resort, then head off to the parks, rather than a bus serving one or two sections of Saratoga Springs?

What's the pattern of stops within Saratoga Springs? If we stay in Congress Park, are we guaranteeing that in the morning we'll face a stream of already packed buses bypassing our stop?

We normally stay on the monorail loop and/or have our car, so the bus system is a bit of a mystery to us. Thanks for any info you can pass along!

There are five bus stops within SSR. The routes start at Grandstand, and then loop clockwise through the resort ending at Springs before leaving for the parks. Congress Park would be the next-to-last stop on the loop.

Its my understanding from stays at other resorts like Riverside that if a bus fills up before finishing the loop, they'll radio dispatch and let them know for the next bus. But in my experience across two stays, I've never seen that happen at SSR. Standing room only, yes. No room left at all, no.

-Rob
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
This is an interesting comment and I'd like to follow up on the bus routes at Saratoga Springs. From your comment about the Grandstand stop being the first, I assume that a bus will arrive at SRS and work its way through the resort, then head off to the parks, rather than a bus serving one or two sections of Saratoga Springs?

What's the pattern of stops within Saratoga Springs? If we stay in Congress Park, are we guaranteeing that in the morning we'll face a stream of already packed buses bypassing our stop?

We normally stay on the monorail loop and/or have our car, so the bus system is a bit of a mystery to us. Thanks for any info you can pass along!

There are five bus stops within SSR. The routes start at Grandstand, and then loop clockwise through the resort ending at Springs before leaving for the parks. Congress Park would be the next-to-last stop on the loop.

Its my understanding from stays at other resorts like Riverside that if a bus fills up before finishing the loop, they'll radio dispatch and let them know for the next bus. But in my experience across two stays, I've never seen that happen at SSR. Standing room only, yes. No room left at all, no.

-Rob
We have had a few trips in the morning when the bus will be filled at Congress Park, and then had to totally skip the Springs stop. We never had to bypass the Congress Park stop, though the people there did have to stand almost every morning, so that is something to consider. Of course, when we have gone at slower times, it hasn't been an issue at any stop.

The order is Grandstand, Carousel, Paddock, Congress Park, and the Springs.
 

littleroo

Well-Known Member
We just returned from our first stay at Saratoga Springs for ten days. We loved it. We stayed at Congress Park and would again in a heartbeat. It is close to Disney Springs and the Springs where Artist Pallet and turf club are located. We had wonderful adrs. Turf Club was our favorite!! Food was outstanding! Strip with lobster fondue, the salmon and the prime rib were delicious!! We ate at the boathouse, morimotos, raglan road, garden grill, and brown derby which were all fantastic but turf club ranked first
 

Rob562

Well-Known Member
The OP is going in December, so this doesn't apply to them, but something else to mention for others coming into this conversation is that starting in January 2017, Saratoga is introducing a "Preferred" booking category. This new category will be all buildings in Congress Park and The Springs.

If booking through DVC (or renting DVC points) you'll have to use slightly more points, though it also means that point cost for non-Preferred units will go down slightly to offset the increase in the Preferred units. (Since overall point totals for the resort as a whole must remain constant year over year) I haven't been onto the WDW site to see what the change means for cash-paying Guests.

For those who like to book in Congress Park but don't want to pay for a Preferred room, I'd suggest the Paddock 6500 building. It's right near the Congress Park bus stop, and is about the same walking distance to Disney Springs as the farthest Congress Park 2500 building. (I expect this building to become a *very* popular request next year)

-Rob
 

Mickey1984

Active Member
How long is the walk from the Congress Park to DS? Just wondering if we booked in this area whether it would be do-able to have breakfast in DS most mornings?
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
Is it worth requesting to be in this area?
Well, not to us. We always stay in the Grandstand area, as it is the first bus stop, has it's own quiet pool with pool bar, and is a short (less than 5 minute) walk to the main area and boat to DS. Some prefer to be closer to DS to walk there, but just doesn't work for us.
 

Rob562

Well-Known Member
How long is the walk from the Congress Park to DS? Just wondering if we booked in this area whether it would be do-able to have breakfast in DS most mornings?

To give you an idea, Google Maps says from the Congress Park quiet pool to Earl of Sandwich is 0.3 miles/7 minutes walking. Half the rooms will be closer than that, the others farther.

-Rob
 

HurricaneHanna

Well-Known Member
The OP is going in December, so this doesn't apply to them, but something else to mention for others coming into this conversation is that starting in January 2017, Saratoga is introducing a "Preferred" booking category. This new category will be all buildings in Congress Park and The Springs.

If booking through DVC (or renting DVC points) you'll have to use slightly more points, though it also means that point cost for non-Preferred units will go down slightly to offset the increase in the Preferred units. (Since overall point totals for the resort as a whole must remain constant year over year) I haven't been onto the WDW site to see what the change means for cash-paying Guests.

For those who like to book in Congress Park but don't want to pay for a Preferred room, I'd suggest the Paddock 6500 building. It's right near the Congress Park bus stop, and is about the same walking distance to Disney Springs as the farthest Congress Park 2500 building. (I expect this building to become a *very* popular request next year)

-Rob
I'm looking to book a 1 BR Villa in early 2017 as a cash paying guest directly through Disney. I have the page up right now for my dates and there is no differentiation by area. Until reading this post I had assumed we could book now and then request Congress Park at online check in. Please elaborate on how this change would affect our reservation. Staying at SSR is already a bit out of our comfort zone as we usually do an Epcot or monorail resort. We are not familiar with this property and are trying to gather info so that our visit is a positive one.
 

HurricaneHanna

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know the answers to these questions about SSR?
- Is the walking path from the Congress Park area the only way to walk to Disney Springs?
-During what hours can you walk through Disney Springs (how early, how late, only while shops are open, etc.)
-Is there full daily housekeeping service?
-Are towels provided at the pools?
-In general, are the amenities in line with Disney deluxe resorts?
-Is there any adult nightlife onsite (at SSR proper, not in DS) such as an active lounge? How late does it stay open?
 

Rob562

Well-Known Member
I'm looking to book a 1 BR Villa in early 2017 as a cash paying guest directly through Disney. I have the page up right now for my dates and there is no differentiation by area. Until reading this post I had assumed we could book now and then request Congress Park at online check in. Please elaborate on how this change would affect our reservation. Staying at SSR is already a bit out of our comfort zone as we usually do an Epcot or monorail resort. We are not familiar with this property and are trying to gather info so that our visit is a positive one.

I admit I was only making an assumption. I thought it would be something like Bay Lake Tower where you're given choices of Standard, Lake or Theme Park views when booking. I also went into booking Boardwalk and was only given Standard View option. It's possible that they'll only offer Standard location when booking with cash, and leave the Preferred locations for DVC owners to book with points.

I also just went in an tried to book, but was only given one choice.
Does anyone know the answers to these questions about SSR?
- Is the walking path from the Congress Park area the only way to walk to Disney Springs?
-During what hours can you walk through Disney Springs (how early, how late, only while shops are open, etc.)
-Is there full daily housekeeping service?
-Are towels provided at the pools?
-In general, are the amenities in line with Disney deluxe resorts?
-Is there any adult nightlife onsite (at SSR proper, not in DS) such as an active lounge? How late does it stay open?

Let's see....
-You can get to the West Side of Disney Springs by way of a walking path that starts behind the Carriage House and follows the edge of the waterway, but when walking from Congress Park that'd be WAAAAYYYYY longer than walking to the Marketplace. If you happen to be over on the West Side and want to get back to Congress Park, it'd be easiest to take the Disney Springs water taxi that actually docks along the walkway between Congress Park and the Marketplace.
-Disney Springs doesn't physically close, there's no way for them to do so. So you can walk through at any hour (though security might question you if you'd doing it at 4am...)
-If you're paying cash directly through Disney, you'll get daily housekeeping. Guests staying on DVC points do not.
-There are towels available at all of the pools.
-I'd say amenities are generally comparable to the other DVC resorts, though with a few differences. The spa and fitness center are often said to be the best on property. SSR itself does not have a Signature restaurant, though its proximity to Disney Springs means that SSR has a vastly larger number of restaurants in close proximity.
-SSR has a lounge adjacent to the Turf Club restaurant, but it would be closer to the Belle Vue Lounge at Boardwalk and not really "nightlife". A bar, chairs to sit and chat, a pool table, etc. The DME app says that the Lounge is open 4pm-11pm (though that's the bar's serving hours. The space itself is open all day before that)
 

Beacon Joe

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info on the buses!
I wish that I had read this thread before booking :banghead:. I would have picked the Grandstand.

Oh well. We had to use a few leftover points, and being close to the Disney Village Marketplace is still a positive for us.
 

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