Day 733: Saratoga Springs

Originally when we planned this trip, we started out staying where we usually start out staying: Old Key West. Since we've been DVC members since 1996, and our home resort is OKW, it's just where we always begin. Occasionally we'll stay at another DVC resort, often times Bay Lake Tower, which is the only location other than Old Key West that I believe we've stayed with our points more than once, and I'm pretty sure we'll be back there in the future. January 2015, at that point, actually was planned for a different resort: Wilderness Lodge. I've never stayed there, and was pretty excited about the prospect of staying at a new resort. Wilderness Lodge has been on my list for a while, and that made it all the better. 

And then Megan and Ashley both decided to tag along, so the plans changed yet again. At that point, there were very few options on where to stay, but Saratoga Springs was one of them. Since it's right next door to Old Key West, I have to say that I felt like I should stay there sometime as well. Plus, staying at Saratoga with my friends meant that we, for the first time, would have a two bedroom unit. This, of course, is huge for us since we generally only have the one bedroom or a studio. 

It's sort of funny actually, that we've never stayed there before. My parents were actually at the grand opening of the resort years ago, but we never got around to actually staying there. So of course, this seemed like the perfect chance, and we weren't let down. 

While I definitely still prefer Old Key West and Bay Lake Tower, Saratoga Springs is a wonderful resort. It's closeness to Downtown Disney is a huge plus, as we actually walked back from the shopping district twice during the trip (much to the dismay of our hurting feet). It reminded me a bit of BLT in that respect, as I love walking from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom and it's actually one of the main reasons I love staying there. That convenience factor has become more important to me over the years, especially as I love staying out until 1 or 4 in the morning in the Disney Parks more and more. Being the last guests in Magic Kingdom in July of 2013 was really magical, and I can't wait to do the same thing again the next time I stay at Bay Lake Tower. 

But Saratoga also offered a little bit of my home resort feel. The reason I love OKW so much, aside from the fact that it's my home resort and I've stayed there more often than all the other places combined, is the quiet, home like feel of the entire resort. It's very laid back there. You can walk all over the resort, you can play in the sand at the playground (like we did...pictures are below), you can play ping pong at 10 at night with absolutely no one around you. While we didn't spend a lot of time at Saratoga, I definitely feel like that side was there too, and maybe that's to be expected with it's closeness to OKW and setup. 

In case you were wondering, "The Kid" is my brother, "Lizzard" is me, "Frank" is my friend Ashley and "Shovell" is Megan. We have weird nicknames, and don't even get me started on Daviiiid. 

Overall, Saratoga Springs is a lovely resort. I would probably stay there again...if there weren't a multitude of other resorts I'd like to stay at. I think that's the problem with Disney World (one of the few). There are so many great places to stay that it's incredibly difficult to decide where to stay. You have to choose between your favorites, in my case BLT and OWK, and new resorts such as Wilderness Lodge or, as my brother wishes, The Polynesian. Granted, I've checked quite a few resorts off my personal list, but there's still plenty to go! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 11 due to the Disney Trip!)