Which Disney Resort Should We Stay At?
The drill is always pretty much the same: I see some tidbit of news that gives me an excuse to start thinking about a Walt Disney World getaway, so I head to DVCMember.com to check availability. As I expand each resort to reveal my results in the “no availability,” “partial,” and “all dates” sweepstakes, there are always two resorts I leave for last because I’m pretty certain they will be available.
If you’re a long-time Disney Vacation Club member, you probably know the resorts to which I’m referring before I even share their names: Saratoga Springs Resort and Old Key West Resort. (Frequently, Animal Kingdom Lodge joins them, too, but I suspect that’ll end soon as Rivers of Light and Pandora make staying close to Animal Kingdom more appealing.)
It’s been a while since we’ve stayed at either resort. Sarah doesn’t care for Old Key West (which I think is underrated, but not to the point that I’ll try to override her veto) and I don’t care for Saratoga Springs Resort (which Sarah likes, but not to the point that she’ll advocate for it over other alternatives). For us, these have been the easiest to book of any Walt Disney World resorts, and yet we have spent less time at them in the last 5 years than any other Walt Disney World resort, and that includes every single All Star Resort. (Yes, really.)
This isn’t because we think the All Star Resorts are better than Old Key West and Saratoga Springs Resort (although I dunno, that Mighty Ducks mask and oversized AOL-era laptop are pretty legit!), but because we don’t want to “waste” our DVC points on these hotels, so we end up paying out of pocket for Value Resorts when our favorite DVC resorts are fully booked. Despite taking multiple trips to Walt Disney World, we actually ended up banking all but 11 of our DVC points last year.
This post is going to be unlike others in that there is absolutely nothing here that’s useful to you. We aren’t trying to help you; this is more a ‘thinking out loud’ post at the end of which, we solicit you to help us choose between the two resort options. (You owe us.)
For both resorts, I think we are long overdue for a visit. It should come as no surprise that I’m jockeying for Old Key West. (Any logical person knows it’s far superior. 😉 ) I love wandering around the resort, and I love photographing that lighthouse.
I also don’t mind the rooms, which Sarah thinks are dated and the worst of any DVC resort. It’s tough to argue that these are like visiting your grandma’s Floridian vacation house, but who doesn’t love their grandma?! (Basically, a vote against Old Key West is a vote against your grandma.) Most importantly, the rooms are spacious.
More important to me than the rooms are the amenities and potential for exploration. I love getting up early wherever we’re staying, and just wandering around the lush jogging trails until I make my way up to the Hospitality House.
There’s a lot we’ve never tried here, too, from Olivia’s (I’d love to do their breakfast) to Gurgling Suitcase to the nightly campfire to Electric Eel Game Room (okay, not that last one), we haven’t done all there is to do at Old Key West.
I’m also feeling a bit nostalgic for it. I stumbled upon DVCInfo.com’s 1993 promotional video highlighting it (back when it was “The Disney Vacation Club Resort”), and feel there’s no better way to pay tribute to Disney Vacation Club’s 25th Anniversary than by staying at the original DVC resort. Maybe it’s just me, but I think an argument could be made that there’s no better year for a stay at Old Key West.
On the other hand, Sarah is Team Saratoga (or #TeamSarahtoga GET IT?!? 😉 ). On the topic of nostalgia, Saratoga Springs Resort holds a lot of nostalgia for us. It was our stay here in 2007, during which we got a free room upgrade, pigged out on the Disney Dining Plan, attended the Pirate & Princess Party, and even met Figzilla(!!!) that really got us hooked on visiting Walt Disney World regularly.
That trip, we stumbled home from the Adventurers Club on several late nights/early mornings, and Saratoga Springs was incredibly convenient for that. Just look at us at California Grill. Ah, young Sarah and Tom, if only we could warn you about the rabbit hole you were about to dive down…
Speaking of which, that’s probably one of the most compelling arguments for Saratoga Springs: its proximity to Disney Springs and the pleasant little walking path from Congress Park to the Marketplace. For several years after the closure of Pleasure Island, Downtown Disney was dead to us. That all changed last year as the Disney Springs project started to emerge from behind construction walls, and with rave reviews coming in from the Town Center, I really wouldn’t mind some late nights sitting on rocking chairs overlooking the placid springs’ water.
Actually, the proximity to Disney Springs is probably our biggest selling point for both resorts. While it’s a bigger deal for Saratoga Springs with that walking path, both also have boat service. If park hours stay short during our trip, we’ll probably end up making 3-4 trips to Disney Springs. As a burger enthusiast, it’s my patriotic duty to try D-Luxe Burger. We also “need” to eat at B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co., Paddlefish, and The Edison. I wouldn’t mind revisiting Morimoto Asia, too.
With regard to Saratoga Springs, specifically, the rooms have been refreshed since our last visit, we have never dined at Turf Club, and we still haven’t gone swimming in the (now not so new) Paddock feature pool. It’s also been ages since I got up early and wandered around Saratoga Springs; it was already 104 degrees with 98% humidity at 7 a.m. (estimates) during our last visit in July. (My last early morning photos of the resort are point and shoot photos from 2007s in the scrapbook layout above.)
So…give us your best pitch. Are you #TeamGrandma or #TeamSarahtoga? Why? Is there a must-have dessert at Olivia’s? A shockingly delicious sandwich at Backstretch Pool Bar? To die-for conch fritters at Gurgling Suitcase? (Are you sensing a trend here?) Or maybe the overstuffed couches in Papa’s Den are the best napping location at Walt Disney World. Perhaps I need to better explore the details that inform the upstate New York theme at Saratoga.
You control our destiny, so make your comments count. Should we give one of these another try, or stick to our less-than-ideal plan of splitting between Villas at Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas? We’re staying where you convince us to stay. That is, unless our Villas at Grand Floridian Resort waitlist comes through…in which case, all bets are off!
May 29, 2016 Update: Thanks for all of the feedback, everyone! By my count, #TeamSarahtoga won (but in analyzing some of the comments, I suspect there might have been foul play and perhaps voter fraud… dun dun dun). However, we decided to do a split stay because there were some compelling arguments for Old Key West, including the photography, breakfast at Olivia’s, and the nature trail to Disney Springs (thanks for the heads up on that!).
There’s another reason we decided to do a split stay, and it’s interestingly the one thing that commenters seemed to overlook. That’s the difference in points needed for a SSR v. OKW stay (we also overlooked this, initially). For the duration of our 5-night stay, Saratoga would cost 20 more points. At a value of $15/point (value if we were to rent DVC points), this works out to be a $300 difference, which is pretty significant. This, too, played a part in impacting our decision.
With that said, we have put in a couple of waitlists for the Villas at Grand Floridian, and remain hopeful those will come through. Our waitlist luck is nothing short of awful (I think we’re 1 for maybe 10?), so we aren’t holding our breath (although we are trying a different “strategy” this time). Even though the added cost is effectively $100 more per night (in points) to stay at the Grand Floridian over OKW, this is one point difference we can more easily justify. Especially around Christmas.
Anyway, thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated!
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Your Thoughts
Where do you think we should stay? Old Key West, Saratoga Springs Resort, or none of the above? Share your take–and not just the 3 word name of the resort–this isn’t some majority wins vote!
I own ar SSR but never stayed there. This will change for next Marathon Weekend: I always tried to book other resorts because I want to try them all and the others are more difficult to get, but this time with all the new restaurants in Disney Spring that I want to try, SSR will be the more convenient for my stay. I’ve already been to OKW so that one is out for me. Count me in #TeamSarahtoga
I think if you are planning on spending some time at Disney Springs (and I would from all the coverage I’ve seen of it lately!!), I would stay at Saratoga Springs so you can walk directly there. And then you can use the best if you feel like it, but you are not tied to it for your trip!!
#TeamSarahtoga
I’ve never been to either resort, but the pictures you shared of Saratoga Springs made me want to be there! Plus, the proximity to Disney Springs sounds like it would make your trip more enjoyable.
I haven’t even visited either resort, but I would strongly vote for Saratoga Springs. One of the cardinal rules for vacation planning: make your wife happy. 🙂
We stayed at OKW for our first ever DVC stay in 2011 and were overall really underwhelmed. While the rooms are large, it didn’t make up for the rest of the problems we had. The resort is sprawling, poorly signed, and our meal at Olivia’s was so bad, with so many mistakes, they ended up comping us for it. We haven’t been back since.
We stayed at SSR for the first time in April for the Star Wars half-marathon weekend, and while we didn’t expect much, we LOVED it, and can’t wait to go back. It’s top of our list for our next trip. We didn’t get the chance to check out the new Disney Springs since it was such a short trip for the race, and we want to check it out and then stroll back to our rooms!
I was going to vote OKW as we loved it on our last trip but you did such a great job of pitching SSR that I am changing my vote to #TeamSarahtoga based on the updated rooms and ease of access to all that’s new at DS. Hoisted on your own petard Tom!
Realise I don’t get two votes for some reason my first comment didn’t appear and then two did at once. Fail.
I was definitely going to vote OKW as we loved it when we visited on our last trip but you actually did such a great job of selling SSR and the fact it is walkable to DS (coupled with outdated rooms at OKW) that I’m going with #TeamSarahtoga now and voting against Grandma…! Hoisted on your petard Tom!
A vote for #TeamGrandma here. The 25th anniversary of the very first DVC? They should’ve made the lighthouse into another giant pink cake. (Then you could’ve had the place entirely to yourselves!) 😛 I like the anniversary aspect for this year’s trip as well as the (seemingly) more plentiful options for interesting photographs around the resort.
I would vote for access to the large volume of new restaurants at Disney Springs; particularly if legal beverages are part of the sampling so that walking back is a safety measure!
Legal beverages? Personally, I’m in favor of the illegal ones…you can find Tom’s Moonshine Shanty set-up inside the giant football helmet at All Star Sports select dates this fall. (Note: I will not be held responsible if you go blind. No one can prove that was caused by my moonshine.) 😉
I really enjoy your case on nostalgia Tom! Celebrating 25 years of DVC at the original DVC resort sounds fantastic! We haven’t stayed at either yet since becoming DVC members, but I feel you may be on to something. #teamnostalgia 🙂
I vote for OKW, only because friends of ours rave about it and stay there every trip. We are staying there for our first time in August. We stayed at SSR just once, and I did not like it. Too spread out, bus difficulty, limited counter service option…
I’d have to go with #TeamSarahtoga – the walking-distance proximity to Disney Springs can’t be beat, especially since your plans reflect heavy interest in checking out the new eateries in Town Center. Additionally, having that bus depot nearby could potentially cut down on transfer time to the rest of the World, especially if you’re wanting to go visit another resort, instead of switching buses at a park. We almost picked Saratoga last time because it’s so close to Disney Springs and now regret not doing so!
I’ve never stayed at either, but I had dinner at Olivia’s once while in the area for a business trip and had a really great burger topped with shrimp and an excellent mai tai. Then I rode the boat to DTD. It was a really nice night, so I vote OKW.
I’ve only been to OKW once to eat dinner at Olivia’s, which was entirely unimpressive to us, and I’ve never been to SSR at all. That said, you must choose #TeamSarahtoga just because it’s so perfect. And speaking as a wife, I can tell you, it will ALWAYS be better to make your wife happy!
Regardless, enjoy your trip!
I think in the interest of equality, Sarah shouldn’t receive any bonus points for the goal of ‘making my wife happy.’ It’s what she would want. (Probably. I didn’t ask.) 😉
Tom, I really enjoyed this post and look forward to reading the comments and potentially a follow-up post with the collected feedback and decision.
As for me, OKW gets respect points for being the first DVC resort and for having high potential for exploration and photography. Count me in with #TeamGrandma
Haha, I like that hashtag. I’m going to have to steal that!
SSR so you can review new rooms, more time at Disney Springs, and treat your spouse. Sounds like a win-win-win.
I think with all the new restaurants and bars at Disney Springs I would choose Saratoga for an extended stay even though I like the themeing of Old Key West better. I haven’t eaten at Saratoga yet and don’t remember the food from Old Key West so no help there. My top vote would be to just go to Animal Kingdom Villas for the whole stay if possible 🙂 With Uber available it is easier to get around and the food and ambiance at Animal Kingdom Villas can’t be beat.
We absolutely love Old Key West. It actually makes me happy that it almost always has availability because people pass it over in favor of other locations. We love the vibe of the entire resort. It’s so laid back, relaxed and easy going which is exactly how we like to treat our vacations to WDW. Quiet mornings on the patio overlooking a pond or the river drinking my coffee is always a highlight of our stay. We also really like the nature trail from OKW to Disney Springs along the river. You see all the boats pass by and there is never anyone walking on it so it makes us feel like we are in our own little world. The walk from OKW to Disney Springs is maybe 10-15 minutes and totally worth your time. For my husband, SSR is just a nice resort. That’s it. He feels it lacks a lot of theme and it doesn’t really have the “Disney Sparkle” (his words not mine, and I honestly don’t know what he means by that). Sure OKW could use an update to the rooms and yes its spread out but for our touring style, its exactly what we need. Grab a drink and head over to the hammocks near the tennis courts at the hospitality house if its not unbearably hot! We will be staying at OKW in January for marathon weekend and cant wait to head back to it!
“We also really like the nature trail from OKW to Disney Springs along the river.” I’ve literally never even heard of this. Do you have any more info?
I think this would help push OKW over the top, as the biggest selling point for SSR is the walk.
Really? Well I am happy to share. The nature trail starts at the back of the resort between building 55 and 54. It will take you over a small dam, past the tree house villas and then past SSR and drops you off right at the end of the Westside. I haven’t seen it advertised on many maps or websites but I found out about it when we were staying at OKW and I asked the front desk about a running path. Now that I know about it, I generally run a loop around OKW, take the nature trail through SSR and then I head back to our villa. Its wonderful. I believe its official title is the “Conch Flats Trail” and I will say that we haven’t been to OKW since 2014 so I may be disclosing some archaic information, but I hope this helps! We will be requesting a room near this area for our stay in January to take advantage of the walk to Disney Springs!
My vote is for Old Key West. The boat ride to Disney Springs is amazing. I really missed it when we stayed at SSR, as the ride is much shorter, and the dock isn’t as nice. This is going to be a close one I think Tom!
I haven’t stayed at either yet, but my vote would be for SSR since you can walk to Disney Springs.