Saratoga Springs- Do you feel like you are in WDW?

I’ve stayed there multiple times and really like it. Since you have a car the size of resort shouldn’t be a problem. We really like The Paddock pool. Very nice food court and The Turf Club is good, might eat there on upcoming trip. The more I stay there the smaller it gets. You won’t be disappointed, although @OBNurseNH makes a good point about halls and resort needing a spruce up.

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I think this is so true! We’ve stayed there a lot, the first time we went only the Congress Park section was complete and the Springs was a hole in the ground. Over the years we’ve seen the resort take shape and expand. I still don’t think of it as that big, possibly because the whole place is so familiar to me. :slight_smile:

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Exactly

I think it depends on how long you are staying, too. We enjoy more theming for shorter stays but find we need a respite from the parks and stimulation on longer stays. I agree with the Paddock area for a great pool and easy access to the main bldg. We also appreciated having our car close with little kids.

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PlTravers -good point on the theming for shorter stays. Question though - is the Paddock pool really close to the main building? On the map it looks like it is across the lake? Dumb question, but can you drive your car over there - or to the Grandstand area for their pool - are you allowed to park there/in another section than where you are staying?

There is a footbridge across the lake - it only takes a few minutes to walk from the Paddock area to Carriage House, where the checkin, counter service etc is. You can park your car in any section regardless of where you are staying, so if you wanted to drive from the Paddock to the Springs you could, however it’s really not that far. You can also hop on any of the park buses, since they all make their final stop at the Springs before heading to the parks. There is also an internal shuttle. To be honest, we just walk everywhere. Nothing is as far as it looks on the map. :slight_smile:

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Yes, you can. And we’ve done it (yes, we are lazy sometimes and will drive to another pool).

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Update: Today I was able to book at VGF 2 bedroom villa - through David’s DVC Rental site - by reducing my stay down from 7 to 5 nights. I then added in 2 nights at BCV 2 bedroom via Disney directly. (No availability in DVC inventory.)
In case you’re interested:
Cost per night for 2 bedroom VGF renting DVC points: $860 -that’s an amazing price!
Cost per night for 2 bedroom BCV booked directly with Disney: $1268 per night. (That hurt! But we decided if we had to go through the hassle of a split stay, we wanted it to be worth it. The pool and access to Epcot won us over.)

I am assuming we won’t be able to book the FPPs for the BCV stay until that 60 day window so that stinks, but overall REALLY HAPPY!

Thanks for all the great, detailed info on SSR. This trip is going to almost bankrupted me so the next trip we will probably select SSR for the lower pricing. :smile:

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This thread came up when I searched for “Saratoga Springs kitchen” info. So I’m resurrecting it! It’s kind of fun to read a thread from the “before times.” :smiley:

Anyway, we’re staying at Saratoga Springs the week after Thanksgiving in a 2 BR villa with my sister and her husband. (Sister, new BIL, me, my husband, and two grown (rotten) kids. Full house! Can’t wait!)

Here’s my question: What kind of cookware comes with the villa? All the video walk-throughs I can find sort of wave at the fridge and say, “And here’s the kitchen. Look! New tile!” And the tile is pretty, but I cook.

I mean, I cook cook. This is going to be our family holiday, so I’ll be making Christmas casserole and cinnamon rolls, and beef carbonnade and mashed potatoes. I mean, at the very least. My husband could very well decide to make his cornbread dressing, so someone (me) will have to make cornbread.

I need to know what’s in there. I’ll need a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, a casserole dish, potato masher… I think that’s all. Well, a big pot for pasta or potatoes. A round cake pan for rolls. Are those things – anything like those things – in the villa’s cute little kitchen?

When I told my husband that I think I need to bring the Le Creuset Dutch oven, he sputtered. (We’re driving. It’s not like it’s a problem to bring a pot.)

Thanks in advance for any help y’all can provide! :smiley: :turkey: :christmas_tree: :rainbow:

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Well, they don’t have a dutch oven…so, you might still want to bring that if you need it! But as @OBNurseNH’s list shows, they have a lot of the basics already.

I don’t recall there being a potato masher…and I don’t remember how large of pot they had. I also don’t remember a round cake pan, come to think of it.

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And as a caveat, some items could be missing or broken - just reach out to the front desk to ask for a replacement :slight_smile:

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I know we made cinnamon rolls at SSR and we just had to use the regular cookie sheet. I would definitely be packing the Le Creuset if I was doing Christmas dinner! Good for you!

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Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!! The only time I’ve stayed DVC was in a Studio at the BoardWalk Villas 21 years ago, and my roomie and I were too busy shutting down Pleasure Island back then to do any cooking!

That list is very helpful. Some vlogger should read it out loud on YouTube. LOL!!! I did see the coffee maker and toaster as well as the larger appliances, but no one ever pulls out the cooking utensils for an inventory. Sounds like I’ll need the Dutch oven, potato masher, and cake pan. So easy! I can do this.

Eeeee! Trip to Disney World!

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Thank you! I really am looking forward to this very different trip. My husband would love to stay in DVC all the time, but that’s mostly for the washer and dryer. We cook on vacations to the beach or to the mountains, but usually, when I go to WDW, I want to buy all my meals and be waited on hand and foot. This is different. This is family Christmas and Thanksgiving and Disney all rolled into one. I don’t know if we’ll ever do this again! I get the feeling my new BIL isn’t “into” Disney, but these are his timeshare points. I have to play nice!

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We cook just enough at WDW to make the full kitchen worth it. Especially the 2019 trip referenced above we had a whole week in the 2-bedroom. I think SSR is a great in between if you are with someone who isn’t “into” Disney. I think think that the theming is just enough to be Disney but subtle. I would request the Paddock if you are not booked preferred! That pool is my favorite.

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My pleasure! :slight_smile:

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Honestly I was thinking about this today, and if you are cooking real dinners, bring Tupperware (if you are like me and are the type to save leftovers). That’s the one thing that hotel/rental kitchens always lack, and ziplock bags don’t always cut it.

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I am not now recalling which resort(s) this might have been in, we have run into some pans being missing. We didn’t do much “cooking” at SSR the last few times we’ve stayed here. Warming yes. :wink:

We did call for replacements.

Inventory when you check in - replacements might not arrive quickly.

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All of this information is very helpful. I really appreciate Liners!!! :mermaid:

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