This January, my husband and I visited Walt Disney World Resort for a 5-night, 6-day stay at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort. Planning to stay at a new Disney resort for the first time is very exciting, but the actual stay can provide you with insight like never before. Walk down memory lane with me as I provide my honest review of Saratoga Springs. Let's get started!
Resort First Impressions
Saratoga Springs Facts
Opened in May 2004
Seventh Disney Vacation Club Resort
Dining
The Artist's Palette (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
The Paddock Grill (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Bar Service)
The Turk Club Bar and Grill (Dinner)
Theme: Upstate New York
Stateroom Stats
18 Villas
828 Vacation Home Rooms
1260 Guest Rooms
60 Treehouse Villas
Guestroom Locations
The Grandstand
The Carousel
The Paddock
Congress Park
The Springs
Treehouse Villas
The first thing to know about Disney's Saratoga Springs is that it is the largest Disney Vacation Club resort at Walt Disney World. With a namesake of the city in New York, the 65-acre resort features plenty of guestrooms, trails, swimming pools, the gorgeous Lake Buena Vista Golf Course, and several amenities to keep the family entertained when they aren't at the parks. There are six key areas of the resort featuring the five guestroom locations (not including the Treehouse Villas) and The Carriage House for check-in. I spent some time reviewing the resort's map online before the trip, but being at Saratoga Springs was a bit daunting considering its size.
My husband and I stayed in a deluxe studio on the first floor at The Carousel. There are two stateroom locations of The Carousel, rooms 7101-7436, and 7501-7836. We were located in the first section of The Carousel and didn't venture around much, but it's good to familiarize yourself with the areas especially if you decide to schedule a rideshare pickup from the resort.
Resort Check-In is located at The Carriage House, and as you can see from the map, it isn't exactly a hop or skip away from The Carousel. Although our room was not available when we arrived, we were able to leave our luggage with Bell Services and venture to Animal Kingdom to start the trip. Upon arrival back to the resort, we stopped at Bell Services to claim our bags, then we made a mistake. When my husband and I first arrived, we didn't realize how far The Carousel is from The Carriage House - keep in mind this was our first time staying at the resort. We decided to roll our luggage to our room because service wasn't available to golf cart us there and just as we were getting closer to our room, one of the wheels on my husband's luggage broke. I guess it had enough of our somewhat bumpy sidewalk journey. The good news is that we were able to purchase another luggage for my husband from a local Walmart before the departure home and the broken luggage is under warranty and will be fixed! Okay, back to the Saratoga review.
Studio Villa Tour
Our studio villa was gorgeous! Thanks to a full resort renovation from 2021, we felt like we were staying in luxury, or at least in a nicer studio than what we are accustomed to at Disney's Boardwalk Inn. The room featured a kitchenette including a mini fridge, microwave sink, toaster, coffee maker, and plenty of space to store the food we ordered from Walmart. As a Disney travel tip, I highly recommend booking a room at one of the parks that has a kitchenette if you are like us and are prone to taking your food to-go from restaurants. The bathroom area featured a sizeable closet, a shower, and lots of counter space. Studios are one of my favorite types of guest rooms because they usually replicate a mini apartment providing a living room, convertible sofa bed, TV, and an outdoor patio with chairs. Take a look at the short video and images below to see details of our room.
"Hey Disney!"
Thanks to the new "Hey Disney!" service, we had extra magic in our room. Disney recently introduced a new magical guest services companion in select resort hotels. This small digital pad decorated with Mickey's ears helps guests during their stay by completing simple tasks such as ordering towels, reading stories, challenging you with Disney trivia, and more. Simply say, "Hey Disney!" to get started and this optional and complimentary room companion will bring more magic to your stay.
Disney Springs, Amenities, Lake Buena Vista Golf Course
When it comes to Disney resorts, Saratoga Springs is the closest stay to Disney Springs. Yet due to the size of the resort, Disney Springs is a far walk from many of the guestrooms if you are not staying at Congress Park. As a hack to avoid walking to Congress Park, I recommend planning your travel to Disney Springs in conjunction with when you return to the resort. That way, if you return via the Disney resort bus or a rideshare, you can get dropped off at Congress Park.
Although we spent more time at the parks than at the resort, Saratoga offers several recreational activities to enjoy. Not one, not two, but five pools exist within the resort. Whether you're looking for some downtime in one of the leisure pools or some gushing waterfalls on one of the waterslides, have fun getting wet! Community Hall is not far from check-in and offers arcade games, ping-pong, board games, foosball, and more! Rent a bike or a Surrey to breeze around the resort in fashion.
For all the golf enthusiasts out there, Saratago Springs lets you hone your skills at the award-winning Lake Buena Vista Golf Course, so tee up and head out to this country-club-style course. This 18-hole course has hosted the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, and UGSA events. One of the nice perks about this golf course is how close it is to the resort. Golfers can easily start their day at The Carriage House where golf carts and friendly cast members are waiting for you to ensure you have everything you need at every hole.
Overall, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was a great stay. Although it does not provide walking paths to a park like the Hollywood Studios resort area does, it has charm of its own that makes me say that I will return in the future. Regardless of where you stay for your next Walt Disney World vacation, let it be comfortable and magical!
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