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Which Section of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is Right for You?

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Disney’s Saratoga Springs resort sprawls over 65 acres and contains 18 guests room buildings, segmented into five (or possibly six, depending on what you count) areas.

Outwardly, there may appear to be little to distinguish among the regions of the resort, with their common architectural style and room decor. But there are some appreciable differences that impact the quality of your stay, depending on your location and your needs.

Here’s what you need to know about the different sections of Saratoga Springs.

The Grandstand

 

Grandstand Building Exterior
Grandstand Bus Stop
Grandstand Picnic Area
Grandstand Pool
Grandstand Water Play Area
Backstretch Pool Bar
View from Grandstand Building – golf course

PROS

  • Many rooms face the golf course. This means they are quiet, particularly at night, with a pastoral view.
  • There is a dedicated pool for this area of the resort.
  • There is a snack bar by the pool.
  • Buildings 15 and 16 are an easy walk to the Carriage House main building restaurants, pool, and other services.
  • Buses returning to the resort from the parks stop first at The Grandstand. You will be back in your room quickly.
  • Buses on the way to the parks stop at The Grandstand first. You’ll be almost certain to get on a bus and get a seat on the bus.
  • Non-preferred (lower priced) rooms.

CONS

  • The snack bar is “open seasonally,” which is rarely.
  • On the way to the parks, you’ll spend a lot of time on the bus, stopping at other resort areas before proceeding to the parks.
  • The walk to Disney Springs is substantial.

The Carousel

 

Carousel Area Exteriors
Carousel Picnic Area.
Carousel Horse.
Carousel area is located near a resort gate.

PROS

  • Some guest rooms have pleasant views of the lake.
  • Location near a resort entrance gate means that, if you have a car, there is less time spent driving through the expansive resort.
  • Non-preferred (lower priced) rooms.

CONS

  • This is the only area without its own pool.
  • This is the most distant area from Disney Springs.
  • This is the most distant area from the Carriage House main building.
  • The carousel is enticing to children, but is unsatisfying because it is wholly decorative.
  • Some rooms face one of the resort entrance gates. Bus/car noise may be heard.
  • Rooms facing the parking areas and exterior of the resort may see non-Disney hotels, breaking the “Disney bubble.”

The Paddock

 

Paddock Guest Building.
Paddock Bus Stop.
Paddock Pool and Grill.
Paddock Water Slide.
Paddock Children’s Splash Zone.
Walking Bridge Between Paddock and Springs Areas.

PROS

  • Good pool facility.
  • Snack bar is open during breakfast, making it a convenient place to grab coffee in the morning.
  • Some rooms have pleasant water views.
  • Rooms in the Southernmost building are an easy walk to Disney Springs.
  • Non-preferred (lower priced) rooms.
  • Bridge to the Springs area makes it easy for central Paddock rooms to reach the Carriage House main building.

CONS

  • Rooms facing the parking areas and exterior of the resort may see non-Disney hotels, breaking the “Disney bubble.”
  • Rooms facing the parking areas and exterior of the resort may hear occasional noise from the nearby fire station.
  • Some guests may find pool noise distracting during the day.

The Springs

 

Main feature pool.
Springs area poolside bar.
Children’s Splash Pad.
Gym located in the Senses Spa.
Food-court-style restaurant and shopping.
Bike rentals and community hall recreation.
Springs Bus Stop.

PROS

  • Easy walk to the Carriage House main building and services, including the gym, spa, and recreation.
  • Food court is nearby.
  • Quick walk to the main feature pool.
  • Good pool snack bar.
  • Last bus stop in the resort before buses head out to the parks; you’ll be spending less time riding around the resort.

CONS

  • Preferred room pricing (more expensive).
  • Most views are unremarkable.
  • Buses may be full by the time they pick up at the Springs stop.

Congress Park

 

Walkway from Congress Park to Disney Springs.
Congress Park on the left, Disney Springs on the right.
Congress Park Guest Buildings.
Playground adjacent to the Congress Park pool.
Congress Park Pool.
Congress Park Bus Stop.

PROS

  • Easy walk to Disney Springs.
  • There is a dedicated pool area for this section of the resort.
  • Only area of the resort with a playground.
  • Views of Disney Springs are lovely in the evening.

CONS

  • Preferred (more expensive) room pricing.
  • Some guests may find noise from Disney Springs to be distracting.
  • Some guests may find the proximity to Disney Springs to be problematic from a budgeting standpoint (the many nearby shops are tempting).

The Treehouses

 

Treehouse Villa

While the Treehouses are technically part of Saratoga Springs, they are separate enough to be their own entity. If you have a car, enjoy privacy, and don’t need easy access to a fancy pool, then a Treehouse could be a good option. If you don’t have access to a car, then transportation is problematic enough that I’d avoid staying there.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the nuances of Saratoga Springs, you can use our tool to see the view from every room at the resort. You can also ask TouringPlans to make requests for specific room locations.

What aspects of Saratoga Springs do you most enjoy? What’s your favorite area? Let us know in the comments!

First published April 14, 2021. Updated October 24, 2021.

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Erin Foster

Erin Foster is an original member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel (now PlanDisney), a regular contributor to TouringPlans.com, and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. She's been to WDW, DL, DL Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Aulani, DVC Vero Beach, and DVC Hilton Head. She's a Platinum DCL cruiser and veteran of 10 Adventures by Disney trips. Erin lives near New York City, where she can often be found indulging in her other obsession - Broadway theater.

9 thoughts on “Which Section of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is Right for You?

  • Does anyone have any recs on Paddock versus Springs/Congress? We have a car and will be driving to park. We don’t plan to go to Disney Springs. We are doing one resort day and one park day. The Paddock pool sounds great, but so does Springs pool. We have a two bedroom villa and its my parents and two littes (6 months and 21 months). Just trying to figure out best location for our resort day. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Congress does not have a big pool or zero entry so I would say with your littles to not stay there. If you room request (& get it granted) you could ask for the last building in Paddock (building 12 or even 11), closest to Congress & there is a little side road you can leave from (I don’t think you can re-enter there though; tried once & waited forever [long story]…). You can walk (or drive) to the Springs area pool & enjoy it too! *O*

      Reply
  • I think it’s worth mentioning the order of bus pick-ups on the way to parks. The one thing we did genuinely appreciate about staying in the Carousel section was being the second stop to be picked up. My father uses a wheelchair, so we were always able to secure a spot on the first attempt. That was often not true getting on at one of the later stops.

    Reply
  • I love it all there but I love Congress Park the most. The walk to Disney Springs can’t be beat!
    Side note, we just got back 5 days ago & Donald is not longer at the High Rock Pool/Springs area. I was told, when I asked, that he “went back to the parks”. I was sad that my 5 y.o. granddaughter couldn’t experience him.

    Reply
  • I put in a room request through Touringplans a few days ago for the south end of The Paddock, based on my best guesses looking at resort maps. I think that turned out to be a good choice!

    Reply
  • With the Grandstand, you’re at the first bus stop, but can also walk a little further (to The Springs) to catch the last stop. Best of both worlds.

    Reply
  • Thank you for the information very helpful!

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  • We love the Paddock. There’s a building immediately behind the Carousel bus stop (the second stop for the resort) that we always use Tour Plans to request because of the ease of transportation from there. We generally are not willing to spend the points for an upgraded room at SSR (our preference would be to go to a different resort if we’re going to spend more points).

    Reply
    • Hi Michelle! Would you mind to share the building you normally request? Thanks!! Gina

      Reply

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