The LaPrads
Living in the Now
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2005
We just got back from our first trip to SSR and I must say, everyone was thrilled with the place!
First of all, Magical Express was excellent. We landed 30 minutes early, walked to the check in, and within 20 minutes we were on the road watching the movie. This was great with kids following a day of travelling.
We arrived at the Carriage House after a quick stop at OKW. Check in was smooth even though the CM was "Earning his ears." We had a lock-off 2 bedroom in the Springs, directly across from the theatre. Our walk to the room from the Carriage House took us directly through the High Rock Springs pool, which was wonderful. (Except that when the kids saw it, they began to beg to go swimming)
Everyone got cleaned up and we headed to Epcot for dinner at the Biergarten, which was great fun! Our DS3 loved the music and dancing. We returned to our room to find all of our luggage there waiting. How nice!
Our view was overlooking one of the ponds with a fountain (the Noisy Water according to DS3). Upon our arrival, the opposite shore was completely unlandscaped. Were talking dirt and construction. The next day we returned from the parks viola! Completely landscaped. Trees, grass, and shrubs as if by magic!
Loved the room. Loved the kitchen.
The Artists Palette was great in my opinion. I would much rather have an artichoke flatbread with a glass of wine than a burger and a beer, so this was very much my kind of place. It had a great casual ambience with very good food. I also thought that the groceries were reasonably priced even though the selection could have been better.
The bus service was very good in my opinion except for the service to Downtown Disney. I think next time I will hop onto any bus to Congress Park and walk. Other than that, I really never spent more than 15 minutes waiting.
Mousekeeping was my only complaint. Not that they did a bad job of changing the towels and emptying the trash, BUT when we returned to our room, they had left the security latch in the door, so the room was open! Luckily, everything was there, so no harm done. I called the front desk to let them know.
Checking out, we called Bell Services to come get our bags. They were there within 10 minutes and took all of our bags to the airline check-in desk. We then gathered our carry-on bags and walked over to meet our luggage. When we arrived, they handed us our boarding passes. Our luggage was already tagged and checked in! So we went to the Artists Palette for some coffee while we waited for the bus. DW and I switched watching DS3 swimming in the pool. The bus came right on time, we hopped on and went to the airport. Walked to the gate and went home. *Sniff sniff*
We loved Saratoga Springs and are very glad we bought there. The staff was great. (The lifeguards knew DS3 by name!) It is definitely HUGE and the transportation to DD needs some work, but it is beautiful and comfortable and we are looking forward to many more trips home!
First of all, Magical Express was excellent. We landed 30 minutes early, walked to the check in, and within 20 minutes we were on the road watching the movie. This was great with kids following a day of travelling.
We arrived at the Carriage House after a quick stop at OKW. Check in was smooth even though the CM was "Earning his ears." We had a lock-off 2 bedroom in the Springs, directly across from the theatre. Our walk to the room from the Carriage House took us directly through the High Rock Springs pool, which was wonderful. (Except that when the kids saw it, they began to beg to go swimming)
Everyone got cleaned up and we headed to Epcot for dinner at the Biergarten, which was great fun! Our DS3 loved the music and dancing. We returned to our room to find all of our luggage there waiting. How nice!
Our view was overlooking one of the ponds with a fountain (the Noisy Water according to DS3). Upon our arrival, the opposite shore was completely unlandscaped. Were talking dirt and construction. The next day we returned from the parks viola! Completely landscaped. Trees, grass, and shrubs as if by magic!
Loved the room. Loved the kitchen.
The Artists Palette was great in my opinion. I would much rather have an artichoke flatbread with a glass of wine than a burger and a beer, so this was very much my kind of place. It had a great casual ambience with very good food. I also thought that the groceries were reasonably priced even though the selection could have been better.
The bus service was very good in my opinion except for the service to Downtown Disney. I think next time I will hop onto any bus to Congress Park and walk. Other than that, I really never spent more than 15 minutes waiting.
Mousekeeping was my only complaint. Not that they did a bad job of changing the towels and emptying the trash, BUT when we returned to our room, they had left the security latch in the door, so the room was open! Luckily, everything was there, so no harm done. I called the front desk to let them know.
Checking out, we called Bell Services to come get our bags. They were there within 10 minutes and took all of our bags to the airline check-in desk. We then gathered our carry-on bags and walked over to meet our luggage. When we arrived, they handed us our boarding passes. Our luggage was already tagged and checked in! So we went to the Artists Palette for some coffee while we waited for the bus. DW and I switched watching DS3 swimming in the pool. The bus came right on time, we hopped on and went to the airport. Walked to the gate and went home. *Sniff sniff*
We loved Saratoga Springs and are very glad we bought there. The staff was great. (The lifeguards knew DS3 by name!) It is definitely HUGE and the transportation to DD needs some work, but it is beautiful and comfortable and we are looking forward to many more trips home!
I don't know how I am going to last another month+ for our trip home. Thanks for the trip report. You mentioned the landscaping, but did you notice how far allong they are with the buildings of the Paddock?
