Saratoga Bottom of The Barrell......

[tjkraz]

What you describe isn't unusual for DVC resorts or really any timeshare destinations.

Timeshares have much higher occupancy levels than traditional hotel rooms--even if the resort staff told you they are well under full occupancy. And since member dues are used to pay for the resort upkeep, Disney isn't going to throw hundreds-of-thousands of dollars into full room renovations and flat panel TVs whenever technology advances and guests' tastes change.

All your $25,000 paid for was the initial resort purchase. Upkeep is funded by member dues.

We stayed at the Beach Club Villas back in 2004--just 2 years after it opened--and our room was similarly run-down. Carpet doesn't hold up forever in any high traffic location (timeshares definitely qualify), guests bang the walls and furniture with their 40 lb suitcases, members over-stuff the rooms with too many occupants leading to people sleeping on kitchen floors and couches, etc.

SSR is approaching 5 years old so obviously there will be issues in some rooms.

Things like quality of housekeeping and bus service are within Disney's control. Those are worth complaining about. But maintenance issues are much harder to manage in the long run. Timeshares are designed to be at near 100% occupancy year-round. So when a departing guest damages a room, Disney has very little time to address the issues between guests. Yes Disney could probably be a little more proactive in addressing these issues. But invariably that would lead to higher member dues and longer wait times before guests can get into their villas.

I would never compare any of the DVC resorts to a Motel 6 but the Beach Club was certainly the most run-down of any we have stayed at. Ignoring any perceptions of how the resorts compare today, it's quite widely known that the materials used at BCV were the most inferior of all DVCs. Rehab schedules had to be severely accellerated to compensate for the wear and tear on guest rooms. Most people seem to be willing to look the other way, though, given the location of the resort. The good news is that BCV has gotten some attention in recent months but all maintenance is cyclical. Timeshares can carry the "new" label for a couple of months after opening. Beyond that it's entirely a question of how guests have treated indivdual rooms.

As for the claim that SSR is only at 65% occupancy--that's a load of rubbish. I called 3-4 weeks ago to try and book a room for the night of March 1st. Nothing available.

 

[Cubs Brian]

there are good and bad rooms at every resort including GF. Our expierence at SSR started out bad (for about an hour) and ended up great. We had a 2br villa and in the studio part the toilet was stuffed with... you guessed it #2. Called manager and in an hour were in different room. #2 happens :ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

 

[PoohsGang]

Kind of makes you wonder what the fees go toward........one thing I do know is they havnt been put toward room 1247.

 

[PoohsGang]

there are good and bad rooms at every resort including GF. Our expierence at SSR started out bad (for about an hour) and ended up great. We had a 2br villa and in the studio part the toilet was stuffed with... you guessed it #2. Called manager and in an hour were in different room. #2 happens :ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

again they have made good on it, it's just not my type of resort too big, too far to walk anywhere too hard to get to anywhere but DownTown Disney, which we are enjoying. We are so use to the ease of getting around the BCV BW area.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

I have been to SSR a few times, but never stayed there. I never will, because the whole place feels like a retirement community for me. I was expecting plastic on the sofas. Not my kind of place.

 

[PoohsGang]

I have been to SSR a few times, but never stayed there. I never will, because the whole place feels like a retirement community for me. I was expecting plastic on the sofas. Not my kind of place.

Actually I would welcome plastic as at least that would be cleaner than the junk in these units.......

 

[Phonedave]

As for the claim that SSR is only at 65% occupancy--that's a load of rubbish. I called 3-4 weeks ago to try and book a room for the night of March 1st. Nothing available.

I called last week and got the end of March. I was wait listed for a day, but I ended up with 3 nights in a studio

-dave

 

[PoohsGang]

A quick update, we called our guide who directed us to write a letter to member services. We got a response form someone yesterday who said it was being forwarded to the satisfaction team and we should expect a response in 5 days. We are really not looking for anything, especially another stay at the resort/dump. We just want to make sure it doesnt happen to another family, also let them know that it is not even close to DVC/Disney Standards. Honestly if it was my home resort I would have alot of questions as to what my dues are going toward as it is certainly not maintainence. We will post what there response is when we recieve one.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Good work, its the only way things will be improved, on the appearance side at least.

 

[dvcnut39]

We thought we weren't going to enjoy our stay (3-11DEC05), but we loved it.

 

[PoohsGang]

On an interesting note, I have been viewing all the DVC Resale sites and noticed that Saratoga Points sell from $72 to $78 per point, whereas BCV, BoardWalk AKV all are between 92 to 98 per point, also seems to be alot of Saratoga Inventory on the resale Market. Wouldn't you think Disney would see what the offers for Saratoga come in at and say, hmmmm why is this resort selling for so much less and hmmmm why are there quadruple the amount of these for sale than our other resorts? This is just my thinking but if at the time when I bought BCV I saw BCV points being lower $$ and so many BCV resales available I may have thought twice before buying. As I see it I could get my investment back with BCV if I had to sell, I would never get my investment back with what Saratoga sells for. Also when they take you on the tour The Saratoga Models don't reflect the real condition of the resort. (I'm sure none do at this time though, except for AKV and BLT) Just my thought as I'm still puzzled as to how such a young resort can be so beat up. All I can conclude is that they didn't start with the best materials form the get go, Carpets, Sleep Sofa's etc, otherwise why would they be so worn? I can only imagine in time that the dues will go up substantially at Saratoga as eventually (actually its ready for remodeling in mu opinion) they are going to have to remodel and upgrade sofas carpets etc.

 

[PLeyava]

Well I can understand the worn down part. After 5-6 years with millions of Guests in and out, that's understandable and to be expected. You just got a bad room where everything that could go wrong, did. Last time I stayed there it was great.

But hey, Saratoga is WAY WAY better than a Motel 6, by far. It's much larger and offers way more than Motel 6 does. And nicer. (not your lemon of a room though =P)

 

[PoohsGang]

Well I can understand the worn down part. After 5-6 years with millions of Guests in and out, that's understandable and to be expected. You just got a bad room where everything that could go wrong, did. Last time I stayed there it was great.

But hey, Saratoga is WAY WAY better than a Motel 6, by far. It's much larger and offers way more than Motel 6 does. And nicer. (not your lemon of a room though =P)

your takin to the wrong person,saying its a Motel 6 was generous, when in fact its a dump I will never stay at or recomenend.
Sorry Saratoga left me with a real bad taste in my mouth.

 

[PLeyava]

your takin to the wrong saying its a Motel 6 was generous, when in fact its a dump I will never stay at or recomenend.

Ooohhh, my bad. :hammer:

 

[slappy magoo]

On an interesting note, I have been viewing all the DVC Resale sites and noticed that Saratoga Points sell from $72 to $78 per point, whereas BCV, BoardWalk AKV all are between 92 to 98 per point, also seems to be alot of Saratoga Inventory on the resale Market. Wouldn't you think Disney would see what the offers for Saratoga come in at and say, hmmmm why is this resort selling for so much less and hmmmm why are there quadruple the amount of these for sale than our other resorts? This is just my thinking but if at the time when I bought BCV I saw BCV points being lower $$ and so many BCV resales available I may have thought twice before buying. As I see it I could get my investment back with BCV if I had to sell, I would never get my investment back with what Saratoga sells for. Also when they take you on the tour The Saratoga Models don't reflect the real condition of the resort. (I'm sure none do at this time though, except for AKV and BLT) Just my thought as I'm still puzzled as to how such a young resort can be so beat up. All I can conclude is that they didn't start with the best materials form the get go, Carpets, Sleep Sofa's etc, otherwise why would they be so worn? I can only imagine in time that the dues will go up substantially at Saratoga as eventually (actually its ready for remodeling in mu opinion) they are going to have to remodel and upgrade sofas carpets etc.

Wow, so many things to comment on and correct, where to begin?

Well, this is going to be random but...
1: You've heard from plenty of people (myself included) who told you that they did not share your awful experiences at the resort. So for you to say "Just my thought as I'm still puzzled as to how such a young resort can be so beat up" without a hint of your opinion being biased (as are all our opinions) makes your opinion sound more like incessant than thoughtful criticism. I stated there last December. Room was fine, pool was fine, restaurants were fine albiet food court was often crowded.

2: Anyone who buys a timeshare in anticipation of reselling it for profit is foolish. The high resales for BCV, VWL and BWV are exceptions, not the rule.

3: You can reasonably argue that, because SSR doesn't have the location appeal many other DVC resorts have, people become disenchanted and decide to resell, especially if they can never get into any of the other resorts in the 7 month window. But that's not everybody. SSR is the biggest resort. I think it's got twice as many rooms than most of the other DVC resorts. That's another reason why there are so many more rooms for resale, and why the prices are lower. And because it's a newer resort, more people bought recently. And a lot of people financed. Now, let's see...what's been going on recently that might make people want to cut losses on a timeshare investment? Oh, yeah, the freakin' economy imploding. Unofficial employment rates greater than 10 percent. 401(k) accounts disappearing. Retirement plans destroyed. Lives ruined. While I'm sure not every SSR resale fits this sad category, it'd be asinine to think some SSR resellers aren't hurting in this economy, and need to take what they can. Whereas many people who bought earlier models, for less money, are already paid off, so it's not as much of a burden on their budgets. Ironically, there's a thread now about how resale fees in those resorts have gone down recently.

4: Although maintenance fees invariably go up, room renovations are always anticipated in the fees generated, so the odds of fees jumping dramatically are slim unless something unforeseen happens, the sort of thing that requires extensive un-planned-for renovations/restorations that insurance for some reason doesn't cover.

So, your "interesting" note? Not so interesting. Yeah, we get it, your experience sucked. You don't seem to get that most people here haven't had your sucky experience. By all means, I hope you get more satisfaction that you've currently received and you should feel within your rights to continue complaining. TO DISNEY. Because now, here, you're beating a dead horse. No one can stop you from sounding petty, but we can point it out. Either be willing to take it up with Disney or let it go.

 

[fredrickr]

Congress Park

Maybe it is Congress Park. We stayed in the 1100 building when we were there last month, and yes it was really showing its age. But I think that some of that is directly influenced by the management of that particular resort. When we arrived, quite a bit of SSR was occupied by girls attending the cheerleader championships, and so a change of rooms was not possible. When we checked into our 1-bdrm unit late on 2/7 we found many things that were in disrepair. I provided a lengthy list of things that I found wrong in the unit to the front desk (items such as a hole in the bathroom door just the right size to get little fingers caught in, a kitchen cabinet door that was hanging by one screw, and lots of mold in the shower among the the more major). Never heard back from anyone in management. This was the first time that I've ever had to complain about our room in SSR, and we prefer to stay in Congress Park because of its location to DD. If the buses are running slow in SSR, we usually just walk over to DD and catch a bus to wherever we want to go. I think I may just give our DVC salesperson a call and let him know about our last stay.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Wow, so many things to comment on and correct, where to begin?

Well, this is going to be random but...
1: You've heard from plenty of people (myself included) who told you that they did not share your awful experiences at the resort. So for you to say "Just my thought as I'm still puzzled as to how such a young resort can be so beat up" without a hint of your opinion being biased (as are all our opinions) makes your opinion sound more like incessant than thoughtful criticism. I stated there last December. Room was fine, pool was fine, restaurants were fine albiet food court was often crowded.

2: Anyone who buys a timeshare in anticipation of reselling it for profit is foolish. The high resales for BCV, VWL and BWV are exceptions, not the rule.

3: You can reasonably argue that, because SSR doesn't have the location appeal many other DVC resorts have, people become disenchanted and decide to resell, especially if they can never get into any of the other resorts in the 7 month window. But that's not everybody. SSR is the biggest resort. I think it's got twice as many rooms than most of the other DVC resorts. That's another reason why there are so many more rooms for resale, and why the prices are lower. And because it's a newer resort, more people bought recently. And a lot of people financed. Now, let's see...what's been going on recently that might make people want to cut losses on a timeshare investment? Oh, yeah, the freakin' economy imploding. Unofficial employment rates greater than 10 percent. 401(k) accounts disappearing. Retirement plans destroyed. Lives ruined. While I'm sure not every SSR resale fits this sad category, it'd be asinine to think some SSR resellers aren't hurting in this economy, and need to take what they can. Whereas many people who bought earlier models, for less money, are already paid off, so it's not as much of a burden on their budgets. Ironically, there's a thread now about how resale fees in those resorts have gone down recently.

4: Although maintenance fees invariably go up, room renovations are always anticipated in the fees generated, so the odds of fees jumping dramatically are slim unless something unforeseen happens, the sort of thing that requires extensive un-planned-for renovations/restorations that insurance for some reason doesn't cover.

So, your "interesting" note? Not so interesting. Yeah, we get it, your experience sucked. You don't seem to get that most people here haven't had your sucky experience. By all means, I hope you get more satisfaction that you've currently received and you should feel within your rights to continue complaining. TO DISNEY. Because now, here, you're beating a dead horse. No one can stop you from sounding petty, but we can point it out. Either be willing to take it up with Disney or let it go.

How far up your own are you? You quite clearly state that you were happy with your experience at SSR than the OP. Well done Im pleased for you. I like the Op think SSR is in comparison with other DVC resorts sub par. Now given this is a subjective although quantified opinion It is valid regardless of your own isnt Disney just fab opinion.

Now given the poster has quite clearly stated they have like myself not only taken it up wit Disney, but received an answer I suggest you should just let those with genuine concerns express them to those who have neither a rose tinted nor fan bhoy outlook.


what a pleb

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Maybe it is Congress Park. We stayed in the 1100 building when we were there last month, and yes it was really showing its age. But I think that some of that is directly influenced by the management of that particular resort. When we arrived, quite a bit of SSR was occupied by girls attending the cheerleader championships, and so a change of rooms was not possible. When we checked into our 1-bdrm unit late on 2/7 we found many things that were in disrepair. I provided a lengthy list of things that I found wrong in the unit to the front desk (items such as a hole in the bathroom door just the right size to get little fingers caught in, a kitchen cabinet door that was hanging by one screw, and lots of mold in the shower among the the more major). Never heard back from anyone in management. This was the first time that I've ever had to complain about our room in SSR, and we prefer to stay in Congress Park because of its location to DD. If the buses are running slow in SSR, we usually just walk over to DD and catch a bus to wherever we want to go. I think I may just give our DVC salesperson a call and let him know about our last stay.

Now no dont make it up, its perfect, Slappy said so

 

[PoohsGang]

Wow, so many things to comment on and correct, where to begin?

Well, this is going to be random but...
1: You've heard from plenty of people (myself included) who told you that they did not share your awful experiences at the resort. So for you to say "Just my thought as I'm still puzzled as to how such a young resort can be so beat up" without a hint of your opinion being biased (as are all our opinions) makes your opinion sound more like incessant than thoughtful criticism. I stated there last December. Room was fine, pool was fine, restaurants were fine albiet food court was often crowded.

2: Anyone who buys a timeshare in anticipation of reselling it for profit is foolish. The high resales for BCV, VWL and BWV are exceptions, not the rule.

3: You can reasonably argue that, because SSR doesn't have the location appeal many other DVC resorts have, people become disenchanted and decide to resell, especially if they can never get into any of the other resorts in the 7 month window. But that's not everybody. SSR is the biggest resort. I think it's got twice as many rooms than most of the other DVC resorts. That's another reason why there are so many more rooms for resale, and why the prices are lower. And because it's a newer resort, more people bought recently. And a lot of people financed. Now, let's see...what's been going on recently that might make people want to cut losses on a timeshare investment? Oh, yeah, the freakin' economy imploding. Unofficial employment rates greater than 10 percent. 401(k) accounts disappearing. Retirement plans destroyed. Lives ruined. While I'm sure not every SSR resale fits this sad category, it'd be asinine to think some SSR resellers aren't hurting in this economy, and need to take what they can. Whereas many people who bought earlier models, for less money, are already paid off, so it's not as much of a burden on their budgets. Ironically, there's a thread now about how resale fees in those resorts have gone down recently.

4: Although maintenance fees invariably go up, room renovations are always anticipated in the fees generated, so the odds of fees jumping dramatically are slim unless something unforeseen happens, the sort of thing that requires extensive un-planned-for renovations/restorations that insurance for some reason doesn't cover.

So, your "interesting" note? Not so interesting. Yeah, we get it, your experience sucked. You don't seem to get that most people here haven't had your sucky experience. By all means, I hope you get more satisfaction that you've currently received and you should feel within your rights to continue complaining. TO DISNEY. Because now, here, you're beating a dead horse. No one can stop you from sounding petty, but we can point it out. Either be willing to take it up with Disney or let it go.

I did take it up with Disney, (Perhaps you missed that in my post there almighty and powerful Slappy one!) my expireience did suck, also the way Disney has handled it, (thus far) I posted hoping it wouldnt happen to another family, is that ok with you there Slappy? Should I have run my post through you first there Slappy? If I did anything wrong in my post there Slappy please turn me into the moderators otherwise you have the right to not read it there Slappy OK? Obviously ther Slappy I must have offended you.......All hail Slappy if he says Saratoga is ok it must be ok, I made all this up just to anger old Slappy.......pinch me my bad expierience must have been a dream, Slappy say it isnt so..........Saratoga is the best Slappy (are you happy now there Slappy?)


Somehow I feel this post will get locked, it was an informative and civil post until a particular posted came through and felt he had to disect everything I wrote. I don't think my post personally attacked anyone. (Although a particular poster must feel that way) Now if I am allowed to continue. beating what one person feels is a dead horse. I did receive a call yesteday from Disney asking questions, I will post the results of my complaints if a particular poster would stop disecting every coment I post so thet WE can all see how Disney handle complaints, as I said thus far it has been poor but according to them it is still in the member satisfaction teams hands and I for one would like to see and share how it ends. Please do me a favor and stop reading this thread if your intentions are nothing more than to have it closed and argue every valid point that my family and friends had on our trip to Saratoga, I see you love the place and Im happy all your expieriences have been great there. I for one dont want the thread closed without being able to post how Disney handles it. Please do us all a favor and don't read on in this thread so I may continue to post the procedures that Disney has taken to handle complaints, it just may help us all in future stays that have been less than Magical.

 

[PoohsGang]

Maybe it is Congress Park. We stayed in the 1100 building when we were there last month, and yes it was really showing its age. But I think that some of that is directly influenced by the management of that particular resort. When we arrived, quite a bit of SSR was occupied by girls attending the cheerleader championships, and so a change of rooms was not possible. When we checked into our 1-bdrm unit late on 2/7 we found many things that were in disrepair. I provided a lengthy list of things that I found wrong in the unit to the front desk (items such as a hole in the bathroom door just the right size to get little fingers caught in, a kitchen cabinet door that was hanging by one screw, and lots of mold in the shower among the the more major). Never heard back from anyone in management. This was the first time that I've ever had to complain about our room in SSR, and we prefer to stay in Congress Park because of its location to DD. If the buses are running slow in SSR, we usually just walk over to DD and catch a bus to wherever we want to go. I think I may just give our DVC salesperson a call and let him know about our last stay.

Look another person who found a problem with Congress Park area, Im wondering if that area was one of the first opened? Maybe thats why it is so worn. Perhaps Slappy can answer that for us, or perhaps its a conspiracy that not everyone feels Saratoga is Magical.......