Saratoga Disappointed Owner

[sunshinegirl]

I'm really glad to hear that there are so many others who enjoy SSR because we bought into it and did not like it very much the first time that we stayed there. We usually stay at WL. Granted, our kids are little (4 and 6), so we like being close to MK right now...and that will eventually change. But I just did not feel the "magic" at SSR.

 

[sittle]

Happy Saratoga Owner...

I think Disbest & Co are firing the cannons a little too early on this one, and they are pointing the finger in the wrong direction. This resort isn't really even open at 100%. I had the privelige of staying there shortly after this resort first opened in late January 2004, and it's a real winner in my books.

Before you complain think about why you bought there. Did any of you naysayers (no pun intended (if you like horse humour)) think about when you'd be visiting this resort when you layed down the lump of cash when you first bought it (peak vs value)? Did you consider the finished size of this resort and all the other amenities capacities before you purchased? Did you ever consider how 'far' away from all the other parks it was before you eagerly forked over your hard earned money?

And I'm so sorry to be mean but, if your driving to any park while you stay on Disney property you really need your head checked, I could only see a few reasons why that would be necessary. The bus service at Disney is better than any city out there. The free ride service is a benefit of staying on property. I suppose these people that complain about how far it is to drive to the parks are the same people that would wonder why the price of gas is so high.

This is almost like complaining that the park is too crowded and hot, when someone visits in the summer right around July 4th, or Labour day. Duh, of course it is!

Too me sometimes it seems like too many people are so quick to blame others for their own short sightedness. A couple of hot tips come to mind, "You get what you pay for" (if you like BW or BC or OKW so much why didn't you buy there?) and another favourite is "A fool and their money are soon departed", (why not put some deep thought into this offer before actually purchasing?).

I've stayed there once since 2004 (last January) and I will be going back again this Feb/March. I know the past two times, the food has been great, the pool has been great, it's been quiet in the rooms, the grounds have been spectacular, the service excellent, and the bus service was even better. I think the location is also a real plus. I think if you really don't like it, maybe you should just stay elsewhere, more room in the pool for me?

 

[weluvtink]

My family enjoys Disney World. We have gone to Disney each year for the past 4 years. Last year we decided to purchase points at Saratoga Springs. After spending our first vacation there I was disappointed.

The main pool is small and it is lacking a good restaurant. One day the pool was so crowded, it was standing room only. There was no room to swim. We requested either a pool view or a view of downtown Disney when we made our reservations. We were placed in the Paddocks, which is a long walk to the pool. The pool by the Paddocks was very small and was not worth a visit.

Although the room was nice the bus service was very slow. We waited 45 minutes for a bus to take us from Epcot back to Saratoga Resort. Other resorts had 2 to 3 buses stop before one Saratoga bus came to pick us up.

We visited the Beach Club. The Beach Club Pool is excellent and the location is great. You can walk to Epcot. Other Disney resorts are very close. I now understand why there are very few Beach Club resells. The resale value is much better that the other resorts. The current resale value is $97 a point.

You definitely need a car if you stay at Saratoga. It is far from most places in Disney.

It also is difficult to stay at another resort other than your home resort. This year we attempted to make reservations, 7 months in advance at the Beach Club and Board Walk only to be placed on a waiting list. I heard others are running into the same problem.

Overall I think DVC missed something when they designed Saratoga Springs.

I now begin to understand why so many DVC Saratoga members are selling their time share after owning for only a couple of years. I would recommend if you are interested in buying a vacation club it may be worth it to wait for the next DVC. I am hearing rumors that it will open early next year. Hopefully DVC will do a better job with the next resort.

We are hoping that it gets better as they finish phase 3. It definitely needs, better bus service, a larger pool and a good restaurant.

Does anyone know if they plan to make any improvements to this resort before it is completed.

Remember this is just one owners opinion and after seeing other DVC resorts I had high expectations for Saratoga Springs.

You can use your points at any DVC. Don't sell before you've stayed elsewhere.
We love SS. We are planning our next trip for May.

 

[disbest]

You can use your points at any DVC. Don't sell before you've stayed elsewhere.
We love SS. We are planning our next trip for May.

I have to agree with you. We stayed at the BWV and loved it. The 10 minute walk to Epcot was great. We also enjoyed the boat ride to MGM. What was very enjoyabe were the shows on the Boardwalk. After the parks were closed we were throughly entertained by the street magicians.
After the fire works, while everyone else is scrambling for the busses to return to their resorts, we had a short walk back to our room.

DVC definetly got this one right.

The only issue was were placed on a waiting list for BWV and did not get confirmation until 30 days prior to our trip. This made it difficult to plan our vacation.