Hi guys,
We have just come back from a 10 night stay in Walt Disney World and I've decided to do a trip report to combat some of those inevitable disney blues!
My husband (Gideon) and myself (Amy) went to Disney World last year (March 2013) for our honeymoon (back before I discovered these forums) and had an amazing time, but the post wedding and post disney blues on our return were just too much for us so we decided last summer that we needed to come back and do everything we never got around too the first time (along with everything we did again!)
For our honeymoon we stayed in All Star Sports and loved it- we are from the UK so trips cost a fair amount for us (because of the airfare) so we were happy to go value for our honeymoon (especially after all those wedding expenses!) as long as it meant we could be at disney! We loved All Star Sports and were quite happy to go back there- but when we booked they had 40% off rooms at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa for UK guests along with free dining and it worked out around the same price to stay there instead with what we would normally have had to save on top for food so we treated ourselves to a little luxury and went for it!
As the time of our departure drew nearer our excitement got hard to control... My colleagues were counting down the days at work (Until they could finally stop having to listen to me talk about Disney world) and I spent all my free time browsing these forums and reading disney blogs so that we knew everything we wanted to do and had planned everything!
The day of our departure finally arrived, May 31st 2014. We had driven to Gatwick airport the night before and stayed in a hotel overnight as our flight was at 11:15 the next day, so we were fresh faced and ready to go! Our flight ended up being about 45minutes delayed- but 8 and a half hours later we landed at MCO, sped through security (no queue!! What were the chances?!?) and made our way to the Magical Express. The bus was waiting for us when we arrived, and after a few stop off's at other resorts we at last arrived at the beautiful Saratoga Springs!
(Please excuse my photos- they are not good quality- I was too excited running round disney world to actually stop and make my pictures look decent.)
Check in was really easy, we were given our lovely magic bands (they don't ship internationally so we had to wait until arrival). We paid for a deluxe studio- but upon arrival were assigned a one bedroom villa! The disney magic truly was at work already! No complaints from us, as we had a friend (Liz) coming to stay later in the holiday for 3 nights so more room was very welcome!)
Fabulous carousel pony in the check in area!
We were then transported over to our room on a golf buggy and given lots of useful tips from the bellman (lovely guy- wish i'd got his name, he was super helpful). We opened the door to our apartment, stepped inside and WOW! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
Kitchen area
Bathroom area (Jacuzzi tub!)
Fab sofa (ruined by our rucksacks!)
Biggest, most comfortable bed EVER!
And... A balcony with the view of the water!!
It was so much nicer than anywhere we have ever stayed in before- but it didn't feel grand or like we didn't belong there. It was a very relaxed, peaceful and unassuming resort. I had read a lot of negative comments about Saratoga Springs before we arrived, but we truely had a magical stay and I would recommend it to anyone. The Magic is not lost here- its just suited to different tastes!
Outside of our building!
By the time we had got from the airport to SSR, checked in and settled down into our room it was about 7:30pm so we headed over to downtown disney on one of the boats from the resort (so quick and easy) and had a wander around (i'll expand more on our views of downtown disney in another post) before our 8:30pm reservation at Planet Hollywood.
By the time we made it into Planet Hollywood, the effects of the long day of travelling were starting to get to me, so we had a quick meal (Texas tostadas and a cobb salad for me) (buffalo tenders and a pulled pork sandwich for Gid) and then bussed it back to SSR for a good sleep because
THE NEXT DAY WAS MY BIRTHDAAAAAAAY!
We have just come back from a 10 night stay in Walt Disney World and I've decided to do a trip report to combat some of those inevitable disney blues!
My husband (Gideon) and myself (Amy) went to Disney World last year (March 2013) for our honeymoon (back before I discovered these forums) and had an amazing time, but the post wedding and post disney blues on our return were just too much for us so we decided last summer that we needed to come back and do everything we never got around too the first time (along with everything we did again!)
For our honeymoon we stayed in All Star Sports and loved it- we are from the UK so trips cost a fair amount for us (because of the airfare) so we were happy to go value for our honeymoon (especially after all those wedding expenses!) as long as it meant we could be at disney! We loved All Star Sports and were quite happy to go back there- but when we booked they had 40% off rooms at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa for UK guests along with free dining and it worked out around the same price to stay there instead with what we would normally have had to save on top for food so we treated ourselves to a little luxury and went for it!
As the time of our departure drew nearer our excitement got hard to control... My colleagues were counting down the days at work (Until they could finally stop having to listen to me talk about Disney world) and I spent all my free time browsing these forums and reading disney blogs so that we knew everything we wanted to do and had planned everything!
The day of our departure finally arrived, May 31st 2014. We had driven to Gatwick airport the night before and stayed in a hotel overnight as our flight was at 11:15 the next day, so we were fresh faced and ready to go! Our flight ended up being about 45minutes delayed- but 8 and a half hours later we landed at MCO, sped through security (no queue!! What were the chances?!?) and made our way to the Magical Express. The bus was waiting for us when we arrived, and after a few stop off's at other resorts we at last arrived at the beautiful Saratoga Springs!
(Please excuse my photos- they are not good quality- I was too excited running round disney world to actually stop and make my pictures look decent.)
Check in was really easy, we were given our lovely magic bands (they don't ship internationally so we had to wait until arrival). We paid for a deluxe studio- but upon arrival were assigned a one bedroom villa! The disney magic truly was at work already! No complaints from us, as we had a friend (Liz) coming to stay later in the holiday for 3 nights so more room was very welcome!)
Fabulous carousel pony in the check in area!
We were then transported over to our room on a golf buggy and given lots of useful tips from the bellman (lovely guy- wish i'd got his name, he was super helpful). We opened the door to our apartment, stepped inside and WOW! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
Kitchen area
Bathroom area (Jacuzzi tub!)
Fab sofa (ruined by our rucksacks!)
Biggest, most comfortable bed EVER!
And... A balcony with the view of the water!!
It was so much nicer than anywhere we have ever stayed in before- but it didn't feel grand or like we didn't belong there. It was a very relaxed, peaceful and unassuming resort. I had read a lot of negative comments about Saratoga Springs before we arrived, but we truely had a magical stay and I would recommend it to anyone. The Magic is not lost here- its just suited to different tastes!
Outside of our building!
By the time we had got from the airport to SSR, checked in and settled down into our room it was about 7:30pm so we headed over to downtown disney on one of the boats from the resort (so quick and easy) and had a wander around (i'll expand more on our views of downtown disney in another post) before our 8:30pm reservation at Planet Hollywood.
By the time we made it into Planet Hollywood, the effects of the long day of travelling were starting to get to me, so we had a quick meal (Texas tostadas and a cobb salad for me) (buffalo tenders and a pulled pork sandwich for Gid) and then bussed it back to SSR for a good sleep because
THE NEXT DAY WAS MY BIRTHDAAAAAAAY!
)
, you're making me hungry. Oh well I will just enjoy your report instead. The Boardwalk is an exciting area to visit, enjoy.
