Category — q. Reviews

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, see this.)

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is one of many Disney Vacation Club options at Walt Disney World. These resorts are available not only to DVC members, but also to everyone else, just like any other Disney World offering, through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.

Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can also book them for you. See the form near the bottom of this page for how to contact her.

They also are sometimes available to the general public at a discount through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member or point broker.

Because the two sets of options at the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review purposes I count thirteen options among the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.

The overall ranking among them for first time family visitors is as follows:

1. Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (studios only)
2. Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
3. Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
5. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
6. Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
7. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
8. Disney’s Riviera Resort
9. Disney’s Beach Club Villas
10. Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
11. Disney’s Old Key West Resort
12. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
13. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas

The next DVC offering to open will be Reflections, located on grounds that were formerly part of Fort Wilderness.

They also are available to the general public at great discounts through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member.

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa is described on Walt Disney World’s website as follows:

“Inspired by historic Saratoga Springs—a late-1800s’ New York retreat famous for its spas and horse racing—this charming, Victorian-style Resort hotel is nestled between rolling golf course greens and the shimmering Village Lake. Delight in stately Studios and multi-bedroom Villas, dazzling pools and a spa. You can also explore the fun activities and exciting dining options of the Disney Springs area, just a boat ride away.”

The resort was built on the grounds of the old Disney Institute–an ill-fated foray into consumer cognition, but which still exists as a training organization with both on and off-site programs–see this–and preserved several of the buildings from that enterprise.

There are indeed water, greens, fairways and a great spa, but the horse-racing theme is fairly thin.

There are some words words on the maps, like Paddock, a statute or two…

…tack in the table-service Turf Club…

…silks in its bar…

…and some fun lighting, but that’s about it.

Saratoga Springs really is essentially unthemed–big, pretty buildings, lots of lovely water and fairway views, and some great pools, all of which could be almost anywhere.

And by some measures they are. The resort is in the far southeast corner of Walt Disney World, and the accommodations buildings within it are remarkably spread out. Within them, room sizes are in general as small as Walt Disney World DVC rooms get, and have little to recommend them.

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

All Disney Vacation Club resorts except the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows have studio rooms, One-Bedroom Villas, and Two-Bedroom Villas.

Most have Grand Villas as well.  Saratoga Springs has rooms of all four types. These spaces have begun a refurb–my discussion in the material below is of not-yet-refurbed rooms. For floor plans and an overview of  refurbed rooms at Saratoga Springs, see this.

At Saratoga Springs, Studios sleep four, in a queen bed and a fold-out full couch, and have a microwave and mini fridge. The fold-out couch is best for shorter and lighter guests.

• The sleeping area is small and the bath/kitchenette space relatively large.
• This leads to somewhat cramped quarters, and Studios at Saratoga Springs can’t be recommended for first-time family visitors. If you need a studio, almost any other DVC would be better. (Some others, like those at Bay Lake Tower, are more cramped, but have better convenience or kid appeal.)

A photo tour of a Studio begins here.

One-Bedroom Villas have a master bedroom with a king and a master bath, a small full kitchen/dining/living space with a second door to the master bath, and sleep 4. These rooms fit four-person families just fine.

A photo tour of a One-Bedroom Villa begins here.

Two-Bedroom Villas add a second bedroom with a queen, a full sleeper sofa, and a second bath to the amenities of a One-Bedroom, and sleep 8.

• Like other DVC resorts of this basic design, the combined living/dining/full kitchen area is too small for the eight people that the villa will sleep. If your family can fit into the two bedrooms (that is, with 6 or fewer people, in three beds) and not use the sleeper sofa, the layout becomes more livable. Otherwise many other DVC resorts would be a better choice.
• Many larger  families committed to Saratoga Springs will find the three-bedroom layout of the Treehouses an interesting alternative at nearly the same price, so long as they have a car. See this for more on the Treehouses.

Photo tours are available of Studios and One-Bedroom Villas, which combine to make some Two Bedroom Villas, and are very similar to the components of others.

Grand Villas at Saratoga Springs sleep 12 in a little less than twice the space of a Two-Bedroom Villa, in three bedrooms (one with a king, and two with two queens) plus sleeper sofas.

• At Saratoga Springs, Grand Villas are two-story spaces. The master bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the first floor, and the two other bedrooms are on the second. Note that the second floor has another entry door.
• Saratoga Springs Grand Villas have only one balcony–off of the dining room.
• This is one fewer than many Saratoga Springs two-bedrooms have…Other Disney World grand villas have as many as 6 balconies…
• See below for an example of a much more livable Grand Villa, at Bay Lake Tower. A grand villa at any other DVC resort would be a better choice for first-time family visitors.

Below is the exterior of a Grand Villa at Saratoga Springs (the closest I am likely to come to one, given its price) showing the two story window in the living room–and absence of balconies…

(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)

Among the DVC resorts, Saratoga Spring’s strengths for first time visitors are its spa, its propinquity to Disney Springs, and its lower rates….and availability

Saratoga Springs’s principal negatives are its distance from Walt Disney World theme parks, its lack of kid-appeal, its sprawl, and its cramped rooms.

REFURBED SPACES AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here. 

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort or anywhere else at Disney World.  Contact her using the form below!

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF THE LIVING/DINING/KITCHEN SPACE IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

Note: most spaces at Saratoga Springs have completed a refurb. The material below is about not-yet-refurbed spaces. For floor plans and some thoughts on refurbed One and Two Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs, see this.

One Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs include a king master bedroom, an extended bath accessible from both the bedroom and the living area, and a living area with a kitchen/dining/seating area including a fold-out couch that sleeps two.

Two Bedroom Villas essentially add a Studio (see the prior page of this review) to sleep 8. Neither the dining nor the seating area can fit a group of eight…

The entry has a a connecting door to a Studio.

Beyond the entry, the opening to the bath and master bedroom area is on one side…

…and the kitchen on the other.

The kitchen has all the basics, but like other DVC one and two bedroom villas of this particular design (BoardWalk, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge), it is cramped. The earliest (Old Key West) and more recent (Jambo, Kidani, Bay Lake Tower, Grand Floridian) DVC villa offerings all have much better kitchens.

These kitchens come stocked with all standard prep, cooking, and serving gear.

Deeper in the room one side has a TV/dresser, easy chair, and a breakfast bar snuggled up to the kitchen.

The dresser has two large drawers, enough storage for the two people this room sleeps.

The easy chair.

The other side of the room has a dining table across from the kitchen, and a couch deeper in the room.

This side from the back.

It’s hard to fit more than four at the dining table.

The living room seats three to four on the couch and chair.

The coffee table opens to reveal more storage. A storage ottoman with a tray–like in the studio–would have made the room more livable, as the ottoman could be used for seating too.

The sofa unfolds into a bed that I measured as 60 inches by 75 inches–a little smaller than a queen.  It has a four inch deep cushion and is so-so.

Outside you’ll find a balcony or patio.

The room has some cute details–like this lamp…

…and this wall art. It is, I assume, of painters of the Hudson River school working on vistas near the real Saratoga Springs…but maybe not!

A little easier to establish is this wall art, reminiscent of Saratoga Race Course.

PHOTO TOUR OF THE BATH AND MASTER BEDROOM IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

Note: most spaces at Saratoga Springs have completed a refurb. The material below is about a not-yet-refurbed Studio. For a floor plan and some thoughts on a refurbed Studio, see this.

There’s five room types at Saratoga Springs–Studios, One Bedroom Villas, Two Bedroom Villas (essentially a combination of the first two), Treehouses, and Grand Villas.

This page shows what you’ll find in a Studio.

At the entry you’ll find the closet and bath on one side, and the kitchenette on the other:

The spaciousness at this end of the room allows a connecting door here to a One Bedroom Villa, so that the two spaces together can be rented as a “lock-off” Two Bedroom Villa.  A connecting door at this end allows access to the bath in the Studio from the connecting room without entering the master bedroom.

Here’s the kitchenette…

…and here it is open for business.

Note the mini-fridge, microwave, toaster and coffeemaker. The room comes with the paper plates, plastic utensils and such stacked in the top left.

More of the mini-fridge.

Across the entry hall is the closet, with an iron, ironing board, and safe.  The vacuum cleaner is there because when rooms are let based on DVC points, housekeeping comes only every four days, so you can push the vacuum about in between such visits. If you rent the room for cash, you get daily cleaning like any other hotel room.

Next to the closet is the bath sink…

…and in their own separate space, a tub/shower and toilet.

Deeper in the room on one side you’ll find the TV/dresser combo and a table and chairs.

This side from the back.

The dresser includes open shelving and plenty of drawer space too.

Here’s a closer view of the table and chairs.

On the other side of the room you’ll find a queen bed and a fold-out sofa.

The bed side from the back of the room.

A closer view of the bed.

Note the nice carving on the headboard of the queen.

Between the bed and the couch is this good-sized bedside table with a drawer above and a cabinet below.

The sofa is a little cramped in its space, but has a convenient tray on top of the ottoman, so that the objects combined can serve either as a footstool, chair, or coffee table–a nice touch.

The pillows on the sofa are among the horsey elements of the room, but–at least to me–are too cute to fit in with the style of everything else. .

The sofa folds out to make a bed, which I measured as 75 inches long by 54 inches wide.  It sleeps shorter than that, as there’s an uncomfortable bar at the foot of the bed.  The cushion is four inches deep, but I still found it less comfortable than other similar fold-out beds at Disney World–and I am not picky…

The final feature at this end is a balcony–or, as was the case in my studio, for ground floor rooms a patio.  Note that Saratoga Springs in general cheaps out on balconies (Grand Villas have like one, compared to 4-6 in many Grand Villas elsewhere), so that in “dedicated” Two Bedroom Villas there may be no balcony in their equivalent of this space, the second bedroom.

See the image for an example, where a stacked set of dedicated Two Bedroom Villas a little right of center has just one balcony in the center shared living space.

PHOTO TOUR OF THE LIVING/DINING/KITCHEN SPACE IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

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OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT & SPA FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

Note: guests at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program, and have the ability to pre-book as early as  seven days before check-in Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides. They are also eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.

Most room options at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa are wonderful places for returning visitors to Walt Disney World to stay–especially smaller families and those planning a lot of time at Disney Springs.

For typical first-time visitors, I don’t recommend the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

That said, these “DVC” resorts can be a great choice for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Among the Disney Vacation Club resorts for first-time visitors, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa ranks at the bottom of the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

You can have a spectacular visit at any Walt Disney World resort.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World avoid the Disney Vacation Club resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first.

(You can find extensive detail on the DVC resorts here.)

The recommendation comes from the simple fact that the distinguishing feature of these resorts–extra space and full kitchens–will not be of much value to first-time visitors following one of the itineraries on this site, as they won’t be used much.

However the Disney Vacation Club resorts represent more than 10% of Walt Disney World’s total rooms, and are very appropriate for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Because of this, I’m providing a series of up-to-date reviews as I revisit these resorts.

We’ve stayed at Saratoga Springs eight times, and this review is based on those stays.

DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT AND SPA

(Note: Spaces at Saratoga Springs are being refurbed, and most of this review covers not-yet refurbed rooms. For more on refurbed rooms at Saratoga Springs, see this. Moreover, this review focuses on the main Saratoga Springs resort, not the Treehouses.  For the Treehouses, see this as well.)

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa comes at the bottom of the Disney Vacation Club resorts. (See this for resort rankings.)

This review of Saratoga Springs has eight pages:

• The overview page you are on now
• Theming and accommodations at Saratoga Springs
• Refurbed rooms at Saratoga Springs
• A three page photo tour of a Studio and a One Bedroom Villa (the two combined being a Two Bedroom Villa):
  • Photo tour of a Studio
  • Photo tour of the Living/Dining/Kitchen Space in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs
  • Photo tour of the Bath and Master Bedroom in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs
• Amenities at Saratoga Springs
• Dining at Saratoga Springs
• The Pools at Saratoga Springs

KID APPEAL AND CONVENIENCE AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT AND SPA

Kid Appeal. While quite charming to adults, Saratoga Springs has no real kid appeal compared to alternatives like the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

It has some great pools…and that’s about it. For more on theming at Saratoga Springs, see this, and for more on the pools at Saratoga Springs, see this.

Convenience. Saratoga Springs is not as isolated as it is sometimes described to be–it’s not far from Epcot, for example, and right next door to the great dining at Disney Springs. That said, its distance, sprawling layout, and multiple bus stops make it the least convenient of the Walt Disney World resorts.

Transport to all Disney World Destinations except Disney Springs is via bus.

You can walk to Disney Springs from the Congress Park area, or take a boat there from the Springs area. Internal buses will take you to either area.

OTHER DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT AND SPA

Saratoga Springs has a number of very strong positives.

First is value for money.  While rooms are small compared to many other Disney Vacation Club resort options, it is typically among the lowest cost options of all the DVC resorts. There’s an overview of accommodations at Saratoga Springs here, and a photo tour of its principal room types starts here.

A second positive of Saratoga Springs–one that it shares with Old Key West–is that because of the “single-sided” building layout that both of these resorts have, there are no bad views.

Accommodations buildings at Saratoga Springs are spread among fairways and water, giving great vistas and fine views.

Third, the resort is the closest of all of the Walt Disney World resorts to Disney Springs, and the only one from which one can walk to it. Boat service to Disney Springs is also available.

Fourth, it contains the best spa at Walt Disney World–a spa commonly ranked among the top five resort spas in the country.

Fifth, the start of Lake Buena Vista golf course is on property–handy for golfers. The image is of the Treehouse Villas across a fairway.

Finally it has a couple of great pools–the main themed pool, High Rock Spring pool, near the Springs section, and the best second-best pool at Walt Disney World, the Paddock pool in the Paddock Section.  More on the pools at Saratoga Springs is here.

Saratoga Springs also has some distinctive negatives.

It is quite sprawling.

As a result, only a few buildings–specifically those in the Springs and a few in the Grandstand sections–are a quick walk to the main pool, shops, and restaurant, and many–specifically those in the Carousel, Congress Park, and Treehouses sections–are quite a hike. (See below for a map.)

Dining is thin for a resort that can fit so many people.  See this for more on dining at Saratoga Springs.

Furnishings and finishes are nice but overfill the small rooms.

In particular, the living areas in the one and two-bedroom villas are so small that if the couch is unfolded for use as a bed, the rest of the room becomes near unusable.  This area is also woefully small for the eight people that two bedroom villas can hold.

Other DVC options are more kid appealing, more convenient, more livable…or all three! There’s an overview of accommodations at Saratoga Springs here, and a photo tour of its principal room types starts here.

BEST AND WORST ROOMS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT AND SPA

Because of its size, and the scattering of its building areas in a 200+ acre space, there is a real difference in the convenience of the buildings.

The Springs buildings are the most convenient–closest to the main pool, restaurant, and spa.  The nearer buildings in the Grandstand area are your next best choice, and after that those Paddock buildings that are near the footbridge that connects them to the Springs area. See the map.

Ask for a second story or higher room in the Springs buildings, or if unavailable, the Grandstand or Paddock buildings. (Second floor or higher so that you get a balcony, rather than a patio.)

Avoid all the Carousel area–remarkably distant, and abutting a road with substantial bus traffic to Disney Springs.

Most should also avoid the Congress Park area, also distant.  Congress Park does have a wonderful view of Disney Springs. For returning visitors interested in the wonderful new dining at Disney Springs, Congress Park is within the easiest walking distance of it.

The Treehouses are so far, and so different, that they would be another resort if there were not only 60 of them.

Because of this, they have their own review here.

BEST FOR:

Families seeking a bit of extra privacy or more beds, families looking for a more comfortable place to stay, families with a car (so they can overcome the inconvenience and sprawl of the resort), families interested in the spa or Downtown Disney.

WORST FOR:

Families looking for a kid-appealing or convenient resort; families without a car, families that mean to fit more than six people into one of its Two-Bedroom Villas.

THEMING AND ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S SARATOGA SPRINGS RESORT

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(For the first page of this review of the Treehouse Villas, click here.)

THE MASTER BEDROOM AND BATH AT THE TREEHOUSE VILLAS

The master bedroom in the Treehouse Villas has a queen bed–smaller than the kings in other DVC master bedrooms.

Here’s another view of the queen. Note the fun headboard…

…and the tables on either side, with a drawer above and shelf below.

On the wall between the living room and bedroom you’ll find this dresser…

…with four smallish-drawers.

The wall across from the foot of the bed has a bench with a coat rack above, and a desk with a 54 inch TV above.

The bench includes this large drawer.

Near the door to the bath you’ll find this closet–there’s plenty of storage both in this room and in the Treehouse overall. (The lower clothes rod makes the closet more accessible. Standard rooms have a higher one.)

The master bath layouts vary quite  a bit between accessible and standard rooms. First I’ll show a standard bath.

The master bath opens from the back of the bedroom. It offers this sink and large counter, with storage underneath.

Note the fun sculpting of the faucet–one of many little design touches in the Treehouses that add add to their woodsy charm.

In a drawer under the sink you’ll find a hair dryer.

Beyond is a glassed-in whirlpool bath, with, unusually…

…a shower before the bath in the same glassed-in space.

The toilet has its own separate space.

Accessible master baths have a different layout other than the sink, and the sink has a cutout rather than storage shelves below. The toilet is in the area where in a standard room you’d find the tub and shower…

And vice versa, except in an accessible room you get a tub/shower combo.

THE BACK BEDROOMS AND BATH AT THE TREEHOUSE VILLAS

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(For the first page of this review of the Treehouse Villas, click here.)

PHOTO TOUR OF THE LIVING DINING KITCHEN SPACE OF THE TREEHOUSE VILLAS

The Treehouse Villas are oddly shaped and one story off the ground. As a result, they have an unusual floor plan.

You enter past the barbecue grill up to the deck via stairs–some Treehouses with ramps are also available, for those who need the access assistance.

The deck is quite large–the table there easily seats six, with additional chairs taken out from inside.

The door from the deck opens into the expansive dining/kitchen/living space. Note the woodsy decor.

Immediately on the right at the entry you’ll find this closet–one of four in the space.

A closer view of the large safe in this closet–my book is six inches by nine inches.

Next is the dining table.

Bigger than those in any other DVC resort, it seats six with ease, and seven if three on the bench have slender hips.

Deeper in the room are three upholstered chairs.

A closer view of the couch and larger chair.

This space from the back, by the master bedroom.

The TV in front of the couch is 42 inches–smaller than the 54 inch TVs you’ll find in the bedrooms, because it has to fit in the kitchen counter.  The viewing angle of the TV is fine from the couch, less so from the two chairs.

The couch folds out into a bed that I measured as within an inch of 5 feet wide by 78+ inches long, with a good 5 inch deep cushion.

The larger chair next to the couch folds out into a bed that’s narrow at about 28 inches wide but 77 inches long with a 5 inch deep cushion.

There’s nothing in this space that functions as a dresser for those sleeping in it. There’s the large entry closet noted above, but it has no drawers.  However, for most groups there will be excess space in the drawers in the two back bedrooms that can be used.  You may also be able to create space in the kitchen cabinets, but there’s not as lot of excess in these.

The kitchen includes a breakfast counter with three stools…

…and on the other side of it a sink and prep area. My latest Treehouse room was an accessible room, so in other Treehouses you’ll find the sink cabinet flush all the way down rather than inset like this one, and the trash cans in a cabinet. Note the toaster and coffeemaker.

A closer view of the coffeemaker.

Across from the sink you’ll find a range and microwave. Note the barbecue tools to the right of the stove, for use on the outdoor grill. Non-accessible rooms will have the microwave hung above the range.

Next to them is a full fridge/freezer–above is from one of my other Treehouses…

…and this one, with the freezer below, from the accessible Treehouse.

As with all DVC villas, these kitchens come with all of the basics you’ll need to prep, cook and serve the number of people these rooms will sleep–here’s a couple of photos of just some of the stuff it comes with:

THE MASTER BEDROOM AND BATH AT THE TREEHOUSE VILLAS

This review continues here!

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