Saratoga Springs or Old Key West

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Was panning on staying at PORS (Royal Guest Room) next year but with the "Give The Gift of a Magical Stay" promotion till April, am looking at Saratoga Springs or Old Key West for only about $100 more a night. Saratoga Springs dining options seems better and is only a short walk away from Disney Springs (correct?) … whereas the rooms at Old Key West are undergoing refurbishment but the resort is more spread out (?) and it looks like you would have to request a building with elevator access if a guest has mobility issues. Can't seem to find out when Saratoga last underwent refurbishment … but if given a choice between the two, which one is your favorite or one that you would recommend? Thanks …

 

[hakepb]

SSR will begin a refurb in late 2019 (after OKW is finished)

Unless you are really looking forward to multiple walks to DS, Or spa treatments, I’m not sure if an SSR studio is worth an upgrade. (A 1BR+ would be nicer than a hotel room)

SSR and OKW are still outside entry and have multiple bus stops.
SSR studios have a queen bed and a pull out couch. (Nice to have a sitting surface of if just a couple)
OKW is the only studios with (2) queen beds. At OKW you can make a medical request for ground floor or elevator, but it’s not absolutely guaranteed.

SSR does have (2) feature pools with some QS near them, OKW just has a take out window for QS. A moderate food court would have a much larger QS selection.

 

[FFstreetDoc]

Having stayed at both this year I will point out the differences we saw.

1; Looking at both I would say SSR is more "resort like" OKW really looks like a Florida condo subdivision other than the main lobby / pool area.

2; Both are very spread out compared to the other resorts, However; If you get a room in the south end of OKW it is a long walk to the amenities / Dining options, all of which are at the far north end (3/4 mile from end to end). SSR has somewhat of a "hub" layout. The main lobby, pool and dining options are in the middle. Shorter walk from most buildings.

3; If you have any plans on Disney Springs shopping / dining, you can request the Congress Park area and have direct access by walkway. We walked from OKW to DS, it is almost 2 miles. Side bar; If you like it quiet, request Grand Stand area. Away from the hub area with a quiet pool, AND first stop on the bus route.

4; OKW is mostly renovated while SSR is waiting it's turn. If this is important, The OKW refurb is very nice, However; As mentioned, the OKW studio has 2 queen beds and a small table with 2 chairs. SSR has a single bed, couch, table and chairs.

5; Views / Quietness, both resorts are spread out along the LBV golf course and have beautiful golf course views. There are a few buildings at both resorts with water front / river views. If this is a draw research building numbers and make a room request. We have always been in buildings we requested. I will add that about 1/4th of the buildings at OKW have little or no view at all as they are backed up to Buena Vista Dr or Bonnet Creek Pkwy. We stayed in building 56 at OKW and had a river view but could hear the traffic when out front of our building.

6; Transportation; Both resorts have multiple stops within the resort. Take time to figure out the stop sequence. I could give it but it is a lot of typing lol. I am not sure if it was just bad luck or not, but we seemed to wait longer for buses at OKW than we ever have at SSR.

I hope this helps you make your decision. We are DVC owners at SSR and love it there.

 

[bumbershoot]

I like ssr.
I love okw. And even their studios are nice and big, and have two queens instead of one queen and one pullout.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I know i'm exaggerating, but i swear the OKW studios are twice as big as at SSR.

 

[Deb & Bill]

At OKW, the buses go Peninsular Road, South Point, Turtle Pond, Millers Road and Hospitality House for the theme parks. For the internal and Disney Springs bus, they go Hospitality House, Millers Road, Peninsular Road, South Point, Turtle Pond and back to Hospitality House.

At SSR, the buses go Grandstand, Paddock, Congress Park, Springs.

OKW refurbishment (that removes almost every trace of Key West from the inside of the villas -grrrr!) should be completed by mid-2019. That's when SSR will undergo refurbishment. The sleeper sofa in the SSR studio is double sized. The bed is queen sized.

 

[shevys]

Never stayed at OKW, but we really enjoyed our stay at Saratoga Springs in the Grandstand section. We had a car, but when we opted to use the busses, we found the service excellent. First on, first off, and highly recommended.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I know i'm exaggerating, but i swear the OKW studios are twice as big as at SSR.

390 vs 355. I think it comes down to the layout. No entry area at OKW and SSR has a small entry area going into the room. OKW has all the bathroom inside the bathroom, tub/shower, toilet and sink/counter. SSR has the sink/counter outside the tub/shower/toilet room. More hallway in SSR than OKW. In other words, less wasted space at OKW.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yeah, that's what it is!

 

[DizzyStitch]

We tend to stay for almost two weeks at a time and I found the kitchen area of the OKW studio to have virtually no storage. While the room was bigger we ended up being messier because of the lack of storage for our food stuff. I cannot wait to get back to SSR in May! Plus while one person is showering another can be brushing their teeth or doing their hair, unlike the situation at OKW. And yet we had the perfect room at OKW right across the street from the Hospitality House. Tons of Pool time that way.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We tend to stay for almost two weeks at a time and I found the kitchen area of the OKW studio to have virtually no storage. While the room was bigger we ended up being messier because of the lack of storage for our food stuff. I cannot wait to get back to SSR in May! Plus while one person is showering another can be brushing their teeth or doing their hair, unlike the situation at OKW. And yet we had the perfect room at OKW right across the street from the Hospitality House. Tons of Pool time that way.

Yikes, two weeks in any studio would drive me crazy. Glad you enjoy them. And we only stay in OKW studios, no other studios because we each get a real bed. But our studio stays only last a few nights at most. For two weeks, I'd prefer a one bedroom at least.

 

[SharonZ]

I wouldn't upgrade at $100 per night more. How many people are in your party?

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Thanks everyone for the input. There will be three people in our party. We've stayed at PORS on our last three trips and was looking for a different experience. But for a three night stay, not sure if it would be worth it upgrading … love the idea of a jacuzzi tub though …

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thanks everyone for the input. There will be three people in our party. We've stayed at PORS on our last three trips and was looking for a different experience. But for a three night stay, not sure if it would be worth it upgrading … love the idea of a jacuzzi tub though …

The jetted tubs are not in studios, only one bedroom or larger villas.

 

[WDW_Diane]

following

 

[blakefamily]

We are trying to decide between SSR and OKW. Either 2 studios or a 2 bedroom. We will have a car, so the bus situation doesn't affect us. As far as pools and food go, what would you all recommend ?

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are trying to decide between SSR and OKW. Either 2 studios or a 2 bedroom. We will have a car, so the bus situation doesn't affect us. As far as pools and food go, what would you all recommend ?

The OKW studio will have two real queen beds and more space than the SSR studio. the SSR studio will have one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa. SSR studios are scattered around the different buildings. OKW studios are mostly at the ends of the buildings except for a few buildings where they are located in the corners of the building (building is U shaped). So you might be located over one another or at opposite ends of the building if you are located in the same building. OKW has elevators in only three buildings and those are usually reserved for medical needs.

OKW two bedroom might be dedicated or a lockoff. If dedicated or lockoff, the second bedroom will have two queen beds. Dedicated two bedroom will not have a kitchenette in the second bedroom, nor a porch. There is a second large closet where the entrance would have been with a lockoff. There is a second sink outside the bathroom where the kitchenette would have been with a lockoff.

SSR two bedroom will have two queen beds in the second bedroom if dedicated, but one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa in the lockoff. If you get preferred, you'll probably want to request the Springs since that is a themed pool. If you book standard, you might want either the Paddock which has a themed pool or the Grandstand which has a themed pool. Only the Congress Park (preferred) area doesn't have a themed pool, but rather a leisure pool without a slide or food service.

 

[blakefamily]

The OKW studio will have two real queen beds and more space than the SSR studio. the SSR studio will have one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa. SSR studios are scattered around the different buildings. OKW studios are mostly at the ends of the buildings except for a few buildings where they are located in the corners of the building (building is U shaped). So you might be located over one another or at opposite ends of the building if you are located in the same building. OKW has elevators in only three buildings and those are usually reserved for medical needs.

OKW two bedroom might be dedicated or a lockoff. If dedicated or lockoff, the second bedroom will have two queen beds. Dedicated two bedroom will not have a kitchenette in the second bedroom, nor a porch. There is a second large closet where the entrance would have been with a lockoff. There is a second sink outside the bathroom where the kitchenette would have been with a lockoff.

SSR two bedroom will have two queen beds in the second bedroom if dedicated, but one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa in the lockoff. If you get preferred, you'll probably want to request the Springs since that is a themed pool. If you book standard, you might want either the Paddock which has a themed pool or the Grandstand which has a themed pool. Only the Congress Park (preferred) area doesn't have a themed pool, but rather a leisure pool without a slide or food service.

WOW, thanks for the excellent info. We will be 2 families, 2 adults and 1 11or12 yrd old daughter in each family. The girls are best friends so if we get a 2 bedroom they will be fine to share the pull out. As far as OKW or SSR, which resort would be easier for the girls or even us adults to get to the pool areas. I assume we will have our arrival day to hang at resort and go to dinner, then a couple park days and then our departure day we will likely hang out and enjoy the resort pool before driving to our offsite condo for a week.
I guess I'm also a bit torn on if a 2 bedroom would really be that much better. Hmmmm

 

[Deb & Bill]

OKW has a pretty good table service with Olivia's. They have a limited counter service, Goods to Go, which only has picnic tables outside for eating (or take it to the pool). There is another counter service at the Turtle Pond pool that has limited service hours (seasonal, too). SSR has Artist's Palette for counter service which is a bit upscale and has indoor dining. At the Paddock pool there is another outdoor counter service. Plus I think they have a limited service counter service at the Grandstand pool area, too.

At OKW, there is the main pool at the Hospitality House with a slide, and three additional pool areas kind of centrally located to their area - Millers Road (right next to Bldg 19 and 20), Turtle Pond, a bit bigger than Millers Road, and South Point, similar to Millers Road right at the end of the shorter street near the walking path to Disney Spring. Only the main pool at OKW is themed with a slide and daytime pool games.

At OKW, the two bedroom would also have the full sized kitchen and full sized washer and dryer (instead of stackables). The living room will have both the queen sleeper sofa and the twin sleeper chair if the girls decide not to share the queen sleeper sofa.

Both resorts have a nice Community Hall with lots of activities for the girls.

 

[Disneyhenry]

We are trying to decide between SSR and OKW. Either 2 studios or a 2 bedroom. We will have a car, so the bus situation doesn't affect us. As far as pools and food go, what would you all recommend ?

I have stayed at OKW 2 bedroom and loved it! The room was fantastic! The kids loved the pool, I have to say the restaurant is great, QS not so much. I would stay there again for sure