Trip Report Wowww - Spring Break 2018 at Saratoga Springs

We've been back almost a week, so I guess I better get this started! :D

Who: Me and my husband, R
Why: Spring break at my work
When: March 27-31
Where: Saratoga Springs Resort (1st time)

I worked on Monday, but I took Tuesday and Wednesday off, then we were out for spring break the rest of the week. I like taking advantage of these school breaks when I can, even though this is the craziest time for crowds outside of Christmas.

Monday night we dropped our pup-pup off at the dog-sitter's and felt AWFUL. We hate leaving him. They take great care of him and he has another dog there to play with, but it's still hard to leave him behind, especially when we have a night at home without him to snuggle with. I know you all think I'm a nut :hilarious:

We got up Tuesday morning and planned to leave the house by 7:30. I knew there would be some traffic on 240, but the Memphis airport is always totally dead, so I wasn't worried about getting there 2 hours early. Traffic was sluggish as expected, but we got there at about 9 for our 10:30 flight.



On our way into the airport! I felt like a major goober with my jacket AND my Donald Duck suitcase. It was Disney overload....the guy in the elevator smugly asked where we were going :hilarious: Of course he knew...

We checked our bag and I was trying the Magical Express luggage tags for the first time since I think our honeymoon. I was nervous, but thought we'd be fine if it arrived late. We both had a change of clothes in our carry-on.

As we expected, security took no time at all. We have pre-check, but even without it, Memphis is so quick (unless you get their training line!). Pre-check is helpful in Nashville though, where we'll fly out of next month! Also, obvs it's helpful at MCO.



I always get stupid expensive water at the airport. I usually get SmartWater, but I tried Evian this time...not a fan. But now I know! We didn't have a huge wait at our gate, but long enough to get annoyed with a fellow passenger and her phone conversation :rolleyes:. I must be a magnet for loud talkers, because I swear they always sit by me. Can they not see I'm trying to read?!

We had a super empty flight, so we were able to get a window and aisle with a seat between us, which I like. I was hungry and all they had was peanuts...which I don't like. I mean, they're fine, but I much prefer pretzels! I remembered I had a larabar in my bag, so I ate that.

Soon enough we were landing and since we used our Disney luggage tags, we walked straight to the Magical Express! We both had to pee and had trouble finding open bathrooms, which has happened to me before at MCO! So weird.

Our scheduled landing was 1:25, but we were already on a bus and pulling away at 1:45. Great timing so far! I was a little worried about our room being ready though...no text yet. This ALWAYS happens when I make room requests. If I don't make room requests, I almost always have my room assignment before noon. So once we got to the resort (2nd stop), I went to the desk to check on the room.

If I'd realized the quick service place was right there, we would have eaten first, but alas, I didn't explore enough. The cast member did some clicking and got us a room in the Paddock...nothing in Congress Park like I wanted, but it turned out to be fine. It was FINALLY time to eat something. Took me a bit to figure out how their cafeteria works, but we got it.

Their food place and gift shop are all one thing, so you order food, then you can pay for that and your store purchases at the same place...then you go sit down and they bring your food. It's kind of weird, honestly, but it was never busy in there so it was fine.



The inside of the dining area is pretty!



R got a spicy Italian beef sandwich. It looked AMAZING to me, but I tried it and it wasn't my fav. He liked it though.



I got the Bistro buffalo chicken panini, which looked way more awesome in the picture. It tasted good though. It perked me up, too. I didn't realize how hungry I was!

When we finished eating, we took off toward our room. We didn't get lost, but we FELT lost the whole time. There's not much signage, and finding how to get into our building was super confusing. We entered on the far end in a kind of hidden door. Thankfully our room was the first one past the staircase on the 2nd floor, so it was convenient to the first door we found :joyfull:

Sorry this has been so text heavy! Promise it won't be like that the whole time.


The room was pretty dull. I was not big on Saratoga Springs, if you can't tell :hilarious: I was sad because I was excited to stay there, but it just wasn't shaping up to be one of our favs! I guess we just know what we like now, and we don't like these big, spread out resorts. I did like the view from the balcony though!



Excuse our junk already laying around. I didn't even pay attention when booking that it's only one bed :cry: We share a king at home, so this would be different... Usually if there are two beds, we each take one :hilarious:



I did like all the storage in that entertainment center! Very convenient!




The burnt out light bulb was a nice touch :hilarious:



I changed into my shorts, and we headed out to catch our first fast pass in MK!
 
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sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
@sheriffwoody Enjoying your trip report. Excellent photos again, like in your other TRs. We really enjoy SSR for several reasons, the first being the close proximity to Disney Springs. The walk over and back is pleasant. We like the lovely, manicured grounds and walkways, and enjoy visiting all five of the pools as we spend a lot of time at the resort.
We also like to bicycle from SSR over along the canal to the tree houses and on over to OKW too. Lots of good riding there. Thanks for another excellent trip report.
Oh, I have always hesitated trying bowling alley sushi, but it looks great. We like Kimonos...good stuff there.
The grounds are definitely the highlight of SSR for me! It's a beautiful resort (though a little confusing to get around at first...took me a while to get my bearings). I think just prefer something more confined like Wilderness Lodge. That's been our favorite so far! We don't spend a lot of time out and about at the resort though like you and your lovely wife do. I definitely see how you two would enjoy the resort for the paths and scenery!

Hi
I am late but now caught up and following along.

Your pics are great as always - too bad R does not like participating!!

Max

Thanks for reading! I agree, I wish he'd let me get pictures of him more. As long as I get a few each trip though, I guess I'm satisfied :joyfull:

I'm a total nut when it comes to leaving my dog behind during vacations. I always get a pet sitter for him so he gets to keep his same routine in his home but I'm a crying mess as soon as I get into the car. Bawling and saying that I should've cancelled the trip and Disney isn't worth it. My husband always tells me that I've lost my danged mind LOL. And I love the Haunted Mansion Leota Dooney! I was going to buy the tote when it was on sale on the app but by the time I noticed it, they were all sold out! Made me so mad lol. I think it's one of Dooney's prettier ones.
We tried having one of my student workers dog-sit him at the house last year, but I think I was more nervous that time! I don't know why, maybe because she wasn't familiar with him. He seems to like it at R's aunt and uncle's house even though he gets crated there (we never use the crate at home anymore), but whenever we go to leave him, he always tries to follow us out and it RIPS MY HEART OUT. I am like you, I start saying it's not worth going, we should just cancel and stay home. Once I'm at my destination, I'm fine, but it's a process! R's the same way, so we just wallow together :hilarious:

Thanks for the Dooney love! I was so happy to find it on sale, but I'm sorry you missed out :cry: I don't use it much, so I'm hoping it will last for many many years, and I'm sure my love of Madame Leota and the HM will last forever :inlove:

Enjoying your report! You are giving me some great ideas for things to try at F&G in a few weeks.

So I used to wash my hair every three days. It cut back on so much time! I'm every other day now, but it still saves a lot of time in the week.

I have never stayed at SSR, but I went for dinner once. Took a bus from one of the parks and walked and walked and walked trying to find where we were supposed to go. The signage is AWFUL! It already has a bad taste in my mouth, but you are right that balcony view is wonderful!
Stay tuned! More recommendations coming soon :) Thanks for reading! And yes, it saves so much time! I only washed my hair once on this trip :joyfull: but it wasn't hot out. When I go in Oct, I'll probably have to adjust because of the constant pouring sweat...

Ok I'm glad someone else thinks the signage is bad! There are maps everywhere, but just a few wayfinding signs with building or section names would be SO HELPFUL out there.

Wonderful photos!! I'm totally in love with your ears!! Where did you get them?
Thank you!! I got them from an Etsy seller, quesaradesigns. They are heavier than my others, but actually turned out to be really comfortable, and they fit tight enough that they didn't blow off my head.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Wilderness Lodge is probably our favorite too. I love the overall feel. We stayed there several times before the redesign of the DVC side. My favorite spot in all of WDW was Hidden Springs Pool, the quiet pool at the villas. My idea of escape from the crowds was the quiet pool on Monday mornings. When everyone else was headed to the parks, we were at Hidden Springs Pool enjoying the quiet tranquility. We would spend hours there just forgetting about the rest of the world.
The new, bigger pool and more extravagant themeing looks nice, but have not tried it yet. No, I'm not bitter about losing my favorite spot...not bitter at all. Not bitter I say.

Hidden Springs.jpg
Wilderness Lodge 282.JPG
 
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LeighM

Well-Known Member
We tried having one of my student workers dog-sit him at the house last year, but I think I was more nervous that time! I don't know why, maybe because she wasn't familiar with him. He seems to like it at R's aunt and uncle's house even though he gets crated there (we never use the crate at home anymore), but whenever we go to leave him, he always tries to follow us out and it RIPS MY HEART OUT. I am like you, I start saying it's not worth going, we should just cancel and stay home. Once I'm at my destination, I'm fine, but it's a process! R's the same way, so we just wallow together :hilarious:

My Mom used to watch him for me when I would go on vacations but she died in 2016 and I moved to a new area after that. In 2016, a former coworker I knew came down to house sit for us. I was still stressed because my dog has health issues and she wasn't familiar with him but I had known her for years and trusted her. She was supposed to watch him again last month but she had a conflict come up last minute so I had to go with someone I found on Rover. I paid a little more for her because she's a vet assistant going to school to be a vet (plus she's a huge Disney fan lol) so I felt comfortable with the health issues but then I had the stress of a stranger staying in our house! I was a total nervous wreck! I checked the pet camera every day while she was at work, had her text me tons of pictures LOL. Pippy is happy as long as he gets fed, gets taken out, plays fetch, and sleep in his bed every night. I'm going to be even worse next year because of the cruise and not being able to keep in touch. I might get the WiFi package just so I can receive text messages while I'm out to see :) Yes, I'm that bad!!!!!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Help me I can't see any of the pictures, what do I do?
I'm not sure, I'm sorry! They're all hosted on Flickr.com, so maybe your browser has flickr blocked for some reason?

What makes WL your favorite? We are going to do a 2 night stay at a Deluxe next year, and feel like staying at WL wouldnt be much different than staying at a nice resort lodge up in the Smokey's (like the Dollywood resort).

Just curious :happy:
It's hard to put it into words. We also really like several others, but for some reason we keep landing on WL as a fav. I haven't stayed at a resort lodge in the Smokey's, so I can't really compare there :joyfull: I like being in the same building as the lobby/food/store/etc. And I just like the layout of that resort a lot. The bus service was poor, but that may have just been our bad luck. It's certainly not perfect...every resort has pros and cons of course. The Poly might be my favorite if I could afford to stay there...we splurged for our October trip, but I can't see us doing it again for a while.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 3, March 29.

I believe I woke up around 7:30am again...similar routine from the day before. I'm so mad at myself for not taking notes the rest of the time...it really helps piece together the days, even though it was less than two weeks ago!

We arrived at Animal Kingdom and we were a little hungry, so we grabbed a donut and coffee at the Joffrey's cart outside the park. Or course we were picked to go through the metal detector, so I was trying to get my camera off my neck, phone out of my pocket, etc., while holding a donut and coffee. I swear, they seek out the people with the most junk to deal with.




Once we were in the park, we sat down and ate the donut. It was good! Not something I'd get often, but it satiated us for the time being.

As we got us, I spotted DeVine walking out. I love watching her move, but there were so many people trying to get pictures with her, she wasn't able to move around, so that was a bummer.



Also spotted some colorful parrots on the way in!





Our first FP was for the safari, and we walked up right as our window was opening. Since I didn't bring a bag with me, I only had my wide angle lens, and thus didn't take many photos.




This giraffe was trying to get something with his tongue for so long... :joyfull: Bless him. I hope he got what he was looking for!




Saw one of the elephants holding straw between his tusk and trunk, and the guide compared it to us holding a package or something under our arm so it's easy to access. Smart!





This was where I wished I had my 85mm...the lion walked all the way over to the rock and up to the top where he lay down. I love seeing them moving around!

After the Safari, we had an Everest FP, but we had some time in between, and I was hoping to meet Baloo (FINALLY) I've tried to meet him several times and either he's not out or the line is insane. Well the line was long, but we had time. So I hopped in line and R went to sit and wait for me.

At first there wasn't a photo pass person, but one showed up a few minutes before I got to the front. As the people in front of me were gathering their things and I was about to go up, the photographer turned around to get a picture of me approaching, and I got this gem...



:hilarious::hilarious::hilarious::hilarious: I laughed so hard when I saw this in the app. Hardcore judging me for meeting characters without a kid! Oh well :joyfull:

I gave hugs and got some kisses from King Louie, then scolded Baloo for not giving me kisses too. It was a super short interaction, but I got my photo and that's what I was interested in...






They're so cute! King Louie was more engaging that Baloo, but I'm sure that varies from day to day (or you know...friend to friend)

I scooted out and found R sitting nearby. He took a couple of pictures of me with Everest in the background. It's too bad my shirt isn't pointing to the mountain!



My Everest ride photo didn't make it into my Flickr album for some reason, but it wasn't anything special so I'll just leave it out. After that, we didn't have a whole lot else we wanted to do. I would have liked to see FotLK, but I think at this point it was shortly after a show had started, so it would be another hour.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We were feeling peckish though, so we needed a snack of some kind. I knew there were some kiosks on the way back to the Tree of Life, and we stopped at one called Eight Spoon Cafe. OMG



Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Pulled Pork

We sat off to the side of the path away from people and enjoyed this delicious treat. It was so tasty! I would absolutely get this again.

We continued on and I mentioned doing the trails around the Tree of Life, and as we were walking around the front of the tree, this little show with some macaws started. They flew in, the trainers gave some fun facts about them, then they flew back out very low and close to people's heads. It was pretty cool!







I couldn't pick a fav :joyfull:

The trails weren't as much as I thought they would be, unless I missed some. We just looked closer at parts of the tree, which was fun. Every few seconds we'd see another animal!






I think after this was when we decided to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch since we hadn't been in a while. We didn't do much, just walked around and did the rainforest sound booth thing. But it was leisurely and not at all crowded over there, so that was nice. We looked at the stuff in the tanks too, even the spiders :arghh:

As we were walking out, I brought up the Nomad Lounge, which we love. R was game, so we cut over there.

There was a couch open! Score!




Mine (on the right) Boto-Rita (Zignum Reposado Mezcal, Combier Grapefruit Liqueur, Guava Purée, and Lime Juice). R's was a Hightower Rocks (Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila, Watermelon, Sweet-and-Sour, and Lime Juice) Both were good! We also got the Chicken Satay (Spicy Peanut Sauce, Cucumber Salad) which was SUPER tasty! So far, high marks for AK food today.




R ordered this beer in addition to his cocktail, and he liked it. We both like Dogfish, but don't see it much around here.

After some lounging around, we headed back to the bus stop.


I didn't feel like laying around, so I grabbed by book when we got back to the room and headed out to walk to the main building.



I got a coffee and found a spot in the shade near our room (there was a little courtyard facing the water) and read a bit. Had someone back home texting me about a phone issue that I probably should have just ignored until later, but besides that annoyance, it was a nice relaxing time.

I think I was outside for about an hour total, then I spent some more time on the balcony before getting dressed and ready for dinner.

Dinner will be in the next post! We revisited a restaurant from a past trip, which we rarely do :joyfull:
 

becca_

Well-Known Member
First of all - I'M HERE!! YAY!!

Secondly, I love Saratoga but I totally understand how you didn't fall in love immediately. I think I just associate it with my mom since that's her home resort and that could be why I'm obsessed!

Third - you're so dang cute!!!

Fourth - I totalllllly feel you on not washing your hair every day! My hair is LONG and super thick so I am an every other day kinda gal :)

Can't wait for more! :inlove:
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
How have i missed your report until now?!!

I love your macaw pictures!
Other than your sitting placement I think Morimoto is now on my "must" list. My vegetarian daughter would've freaked out!
My son's favorite sushi on Disney property is at Splitsville. :cautious: I don't eat sushi but I always thought that was funny and a little bit gross.:happy:
I fully judged @lostpro9het on the shampoo :joyfull:. Daughter uses and likes the cheap Suave brand of dry shampoo. Too much leaves a film though.
 

MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
HAHAHAHA totally judging you. Kidding, only kidding. I have regular shampoo that I like (Moroccan Oil, REPRESENT), I just need to find a dry shampoo (the spray stuff that basically just masks your dirtiness) that I like. I think MO makes one, but I already give them a lot of money :hilarious:

My fave dry shampoo is by Big Sexy Hair. I have not found one I like better....it’s volumizing and it doesn’t leave a residue on darker hair. I buy it at Ulta.
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
The grounds are definitely the highlight of SSR for me! It's a beautiful resort (though a little confusing to get around at first...took me a while to get my bearings). I think just prefer something more confined like Wilderness Lodge. That's been our favorite so far! We don't spend a lot of time out and about at the resort though like you and your lovely wife do. I definitely see how you two would enjoy the resort for the paths and scenery!



Thanks for reading! I agree, I wish he'd let me get pictures of him more. As long as I get a few each trip though, I guess I'm satisfied :joyfull:


We tried having one of my student workers dog-sit him at the house last year, but I think I was more nervous that time! I don't know why, maybe because she wasn't familiar with him. He seems to like it at R's aunt and uncle's house even though he gets crated there (we never use the crate at home anymore), but whenever we go to leave him, he always tries to follow us out and it RIPS MY HEART OUT. I am like you, I start saying it's not worth going, we should just cancel and stay home. Once I'm at my destination, I'm fine, but it's a process! R's the same way, so we just wallow together :hilarious:

Thanks for the Dooney love! I was so happy to find it on sale, but I'm sorry you missed out :cry: I don't use it much, so I'm hoping it will last for many many years, and I'm sure my love of Madame Leota and the HM will last forever :inlove:


Stay tuned! More recommendations coming soon :) Thanks for reading! And yes, it saves so much time! I only washed my hair once on this trip :joyfull: but it wasn't hot out. When I go in Oct, I'll probably have to adjust because of the constant pouring sweat...

Ok I'm glad someone else thinks the signage is bad! There are maps everywhere, but just a few wayfinding signs with building or section names would be SO HELPFUL out there.


Thank you!! I got them from an Etsy seller, quesaradesigns. They are heavier than my others, but actually turned out to be really comfortable, and they fit tight enough that they didn't blow off my head.
That sounds like that could work for me. My big problem with “head pieces” is the pressure it puts right behind my ears. I’ll look into that!! Thank you!!
 

imahistorygeek

Well-Known Member
I use Batiste Dry Shampoo. You can find it at Ulta, Walmart, RiteAid, etc. It's relatively inexpensive and does a pretty good job, plus they have many different varieties, both for blonds and brunettes. A little bit goes a long way. Plus, you can find it in travel sizes for your carryon bag. I tried Dove a while back. Made my hair feel yuck.
 

Rista1313

Well-Known Member
I use Batiste Dry Shampoo. You can find it at Ulta, Walmart, RiteAid, etc. It's relatively inexpensive and does a pretty good job, plus they have many different varieties, both for blonds and brunettes. A little bit goes a long way. Plus, you can find it in travel sizes for your carryon bag. I tried Dove a while back. Made my hair feel yuck.

I think I tried Salon Selectives, and that STUNK! Pee EWE!
 

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