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Trip Report It's Not Goodbye, It's "See Ya Real Soon, AP"/ SSR December trip report *COMPLETED*

Hi everybody! We are back from our last trip from this whirlwind Annual Pass year. Sadly, we have decided to be all responsible and stuff this next year, doing household improvements and repairs. Boo. For DH, it comes at a good time, as he is feeling he needed a break anyway. Definitely not me!! We have plans to get the AP in another year or two again...

This report might not happen quickly, though it is a shorter one, with the holidays (swiftly!) approaching. I'll be headed to Pennsylvania for a few days with family, so not sure when I'll be able to work on it. It might even be best to wait until after the holidays, but we'll see....BUT if you need motivation to read it....this report *mayormaynot* contain a visit with our favorite Disney "character"...

We'll start with the specifics:

WHO: DH, Dave (Mrhappyplace) and me, Amber
WHEN: December 14-17, 2017
WHERE: Saratoga Springs Resort, Studio

Something new we did, was the Keys to the Kingdom Tour...stay tuned for all of the details and pictures!
 
Click to expand...
Bullseye1967

Bullseye1967

Is that who I am?
Premium Member
myhappyplace said:
Hi everybody! We are back from our last trip from this whirlwind Annual Pass year. Sadly, we have decided to be all responsible and stuff this next year, doing household improvements and repairs. Boo. For DH, it comes at a good time, as he is feeling he needed a break anyway. Definitely not me!! We have plans to get the AP in another year or two again...

This report might not happen quickly, though it is a shorter one, with the holidays (swiftly!) approaching. I'll be headed to Pennsylvania for a few days with family, so not sure when I'll be able to work on it. It might even be best to wait until after the holidays, but we'll see....BUT if you need motivation to read it....this report *mayormaynot* contain a visit with our favorite Disney "character"...

We'll start with the specifics:

WHO: DH, Dave (Mrhappyplace) and me, Amber
WHEN: December 14-17, 2017
WHERE: Saratoga Springs Resort, Studio

Something new we did, was the Keys to the Kingdom Tour...stay tuned for all of the details and pictures!
Click to expand...


I'm in!
 
myhappyplace

myhappyplace

Crazy Cat Lady
Original Poster
OK, let's get started!!

I worked on Wednesday, and got done around 3. DH had off all day, intending to run several errands- including the drop off of cats at the boarders. He also thoughtfully picked up a pizza for a quick, easy dinner. We watched an episode of LOST, and went to bed. Got up around 2 am, and left fairly promptly at 3 am...this would allow us to bypass Atlanta's rush traffic. However, we didn't anticipate two wrecks on I75, which delayed us a bit. Our GPS's estimated arrival time kept fluctuating, and I was worried that we would miss our 11:35 ADR. As we sat in traffic (me driving, DH sleeping for this leg), I tried to push it back some, but no later times were available.

Finally, we arrived at our home for the next few days, Saratoga Springs at 11:05. They had us park in the check-in lot, and Wilma assisted us at the front desk. We received our building assignment, the Grandstand section. And a map. A much needed map. We parked over there, and then leaving our luggage in the car, hoofed it to the boat transportation to Disney Springs. Only we couldn't find it!!! We wandered, and then looked at the map. Walked somewhere else and realized it wasn't right. WE COULD SEE THE WATER FOR GOODNESS SAKE but still couldn't find the dock! Oy. We wasted so much time, it's funny now! Finally, we saw a DVC guy and asked him, and he directed us to the correct place, and within minutes, a boat pulled up.

On the boat:
IMG_7252 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Pretty decorations on the dock
IMG_7253 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

It was a beautiful day!
IMG_7259 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7260 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

The balloon was up in front of a blue, blue sky
IMG_7261 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr


As we docked at DS, all of a sudden it seemed that contrary to previous trips there, I was pleased to find that I actually had a sense of direction there !! I remembered where to go for our ADR...

IMG_7282 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr
 
myhappyplace

myhappyplace

Crazy Cat Lady
Original Poster
We were 10 minutes late for our reservation, but they got us right in. I noticed plenty of tables so it wasn't a problem. Whew! The beginnings of this trip were a little stressful, so I could finally relax!

I took some photos of the decor while we perused the menu, though we had some idea already of what we would order. I loved the tree!
IMG_7262 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7265 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7267 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7263 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

I enjoyed all of the little details and southern touches
IMG_7264 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7266 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

I started off with an EXCELLENT sweet tea, because even though Florida is The South, it is darn near impossible to find a good glass of sweet tea on Disney property!!
IMG_7269 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

I went with the Fried Green Tomatoes. As much as I love tomatoes, I have never had fried green tomatoes, but these were AWESOME!! I loved every bite, and the ham on top was so good. DH even tasted them, and he's not big on tomatoes, and thought the breading was good.
IMG_7272 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

We shared the Deviled Eggs. I loved them, DH like them. He thought they were a bit too pickley for his taste.
IMG_7273 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

We debated back-and-forth on getting Art's famous fried chicken, but DH was worried that for the price, we'd ultimately be disappointed. We selected instead to split the chicken sandwich to get a taste of the chicken (which we actually didn't think was all that fantastic, so we were glad with our decision). The homemade chips were tasty.
IMG_7274 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Then we chose the trio of sides: Mashed potatoes with country gravy, mac and cheese, and country slaw. All were delicious (to me...DH doesn't care for mac & cheese done in a southern style). I was in heaven with this entire meal, really!
IMG_7276 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Then, it was time for dessert!
IMG_7277 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

I had something I had been waiting to order here...hummingbird cake! So good!
IMG_7278 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr''

We also ordered the Shine cake, which was also good.
IMG_7279 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr


During our boat ride over to DS, we received our room ready text, so after our meal, we made our way to the dock for a return trip.
 
MinnieM123

MinnieM123

Premium Member
I like all your pictures, especially the balloon in flight. It's uplifting (no pun intended). Makes me just want to jump in that thing and go fly someplace! :)
 
myhappyplace

myhappyplace

Crazy Cat Lady
Original Poster
MinnieM123 said:
I like all your pictures, especially the balloon in flight. It's uplifting (no pun intended). Makes me just want to jump in that thing and go fly someplace! :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! The balloon did look inviting; I've always wanted to go hot-air ballooning!

wdwfamilynh said:
Can’t wait to hear what you thought of SSR. Following along :)
Click to expand...
Thanks for reading, stay tuned!
 
myhappyplace

myhappyplace

Crazy Cat Lady
Original Poster
I was really impressed with the various holiday decorations at the different restaurants and stores, and couldn't resist a couple pics.
IMG_7280 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

DH while waiting for me
IMG_7281 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

I had to peek in Raglan Road to see the decor
IMG_7283 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7284 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Our ineptness at navigating SSR would continue as we docked back at the resort. There were people looking at the directory/map with us, and I told them under no circumstances should they follow us, as it seemed like they wanted to at first. We knew the direction we needed to go, just could not find the path to take us there. We wound up going through the golf shop and making our way through to the gift shop and lobby, and finally figured out that you could walk through the Artist Palette door. We stopped and purchased our resort-specific trading pin for this trip, and walked toward our room, taking pictures on the way through.

IMG_7287 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

In the lobby is a waiting area for children, and they have Disney horses in portrait...but we didn't see Maximus from Tangled?
IMG_7291 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7293 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7292 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

The small tree in that children's area
IMG_7294 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

And the big tree in the lobby
IMG_7296 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

And the gingerbread house, complete with horses in the paddock.
IMG_7295 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

And the lobby...not quite as magical as some of the other deluxes, but still nice
IMG_7297 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

I thought at first that this was an old-fashioned car. It had been a long day already :p
IMG_7297 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7299 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

I liked the detail on the corner of the building at the Grandstand pool
IMG_7300 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

On our way to the room, we encountered a little bit of a mess on the sidewalk...

puke...definitely child's puke

We decided to make it a game to see if it would be cleaned up, and when. Keep reading to see!

Coming up tomorrow:
Our room, and Epcot for the evening!
 
Mrhappyplace

Mrhappyplace

Well-Known Member
ajrwdwgirl said:
Looking forward to seeing more of your report. Sorry to hear you won't be getting another AP for awhile. And even if your hubs needs a break and you don't perhaps you could swing a short solo trip.;)
Click to expand...

Oh she has been talking about a trip with her little brother and/or nephews and occasionally a trip with some of her girl friends. I have no objections but say she can't stay at a deluxe if she is going without me.
 
myhappyplace

myhappyplace

Crazy Cat Lady
Original Poster
ajrwdwgirl said:
Looking forward to seeing more of your report. Sorry to hear you won't be getting another AP for awhile. And even if your hubs needs a break and you don't perhaps you could swing a short solo trip.;)
Click to expand...

Me, too...hopefully we'll be able to again soon! It just depends on how many of these home projects we can get done, and DH's job stability. I do want to try to take my little brother (he'll be 16 at the time) and my oldest nephew (10 at the time) for a trip maybe in spring 2019, so we'll see. We do have a Disney cruise planned for next November too, so I don't have to be away from all Disney for too long.

Thanks for reading along!
 
myhappyplace

myhappyplace

Crazy Cat Lady
Original Poster
As I said, we were in the Grandstand section of the resort. We could see the treehouses from the parking lot nearest to it.

IMG_7301 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Little Mickeys lined the railings on each level of the building
IMG_7302 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Our room
IMG_7312 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Overall, SSR was fine & nice, but had more wear and tear than the other resorts we've stayed at. The bottom dresser drawer was broken, the bathroom door stuck...things like that. Nothing that ruined our trip or anywhere close to that, but just things we noticed. One good thing I did like was it still has the bedrunners!
IMG_7303 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7304 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

Sorry that we already dumped our luggage inside before I took the pic!
IMG_7305 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7306 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7307 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

IMG_7308 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

So I had these grand ideas of making the room really Christmasy...this is as far as it went. Funny story. I have these two, plus two other tinsel trees (see why I love DHS's Christmas decor so much? I love 1950s-ish chintzy tinsel stuff! Anyway...) that I display some years. These two I just store in a garbage bag. I had the garbage back set with our luggage for quite awhile and thought it seemed quite heavy. When we carried the bag up to the room, it clinked and clanked like something metallic was in there, but I didn't think anything of it. Come to find out, we also had hauled our metal Christmas tree stand!

Our pitiful display:
IMG_7311 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

DH laid down, first on the couch, then the bed for a bit and took a bit of a snooze while I showered. After about 45 minutes or an hour, we headed back out with Epcot as our destination! I took this out of the bus window, which didn't turn out too shabby.
IMG_7314 by Amber Zaremsky, on Flickr

We learned that the Grandstand is the first to pick-up, and the first to drop off, which generally worked out well. Even if the bus was full when it pulled up, because people were coming back from a park, it cleared up at the next stop or two. On the route through the resort, I noticed a sign that I thought was an antique vehicle crossing, and mentioned how cute I thought it was to DH...he had to correct me that it was actually a golf cart because of the golf course at the resort. For some reason, I also thought the vehicle that is displayed near the lobby was an antique car, and he had to correct me that it was a carriage. IDK what goes through my mind sometimes :rolleyes:
 

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