Day 7: She’s Back! / Four Resorts, Two Festivals 2019

Home » Everything Disney » Walt Disney World Trip Reports » Day 7: She’s Back! / Four Resorts, Two Festivals 2019 » Page 7

Please Share This Post!

Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

We have stayed at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (SSR) before – in 2016 – for just one night. We really enjoyed the tranquil surroundings and wanted to revisit again.

On this trip, it was to be another flying visit, with just two nights, but unfortunately it did not get off to a good start.

After the 15 minute or so drive from Magic Kingdom to SSR, we headed straight for our room in The Paddock area of the resort.

The Paddock

However, once stepping inside the room, all we could smell was a disgusting musty, damp aroma. Not pleasant at all.

The smell was so bad it was making me feel sick and I knew we wouldn’t be able to stay in this room.

We called the front desk, and they told us that someone would come to inspect in 5-10 minutes. Ten minutes came and went and so we called again – they said someone was on their way now.

That also didn’t happen, so after waiting for about half an hour we drove over to The Carriage House which is the main lobby area.

We expressed our concerns with the room, as well as the fact that no one came to inspect it as promised.

They initially offered to come and spray the room with air freshener – which we had to scoff at because that would only mask the smell temporarily.

Eventually they offered to move us to a different room, in the same area – The Paddock, but on a different floor.

Now, I thought that Saratoga Springs was like Disney’s Old Key West Resort (which we stayed at in 2014) and didn’t have elevators in the buildings. So when I booked SSR I chose a ground floor room because of my ECV.

However, my thinking was wrong, and there are elevators at SSR, so being up on a higher floor was fine with us.

So after about an hour or so we finally got into our room and was able to unpack!

Inspired by historic Saratoga Springs—a late-1800s’ New York retreat famous for its spas and horse racing—this charming, Victorian-style Resort hotel is nestled between rolling golf course greens and the shimmering Lake Buena Vista

Walt Disney World
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

I believe that the resort is going through a full refurbishment, so rooms may look different to how it was when we stayed in 2019.

Room plaque, 5301
Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
“Ideas come from curiosity” – Walt Disney
Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
“I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse” – Walt Disney
Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Lots of dark wood furnishings, and in general quite darkly coloured rooms. Our room was spacious enough, and sleeps up to four people – the sofa is a pull out bed.

The horse theme is carried over into the cute sofa cushions, and you’ll find other horse-related theming around the resort.

Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Kitchenette - Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Kitchenette

The kitchenette has a small sink, fridge, coffee machine, toaster, microwave, and cupboard space for groceries.

There are cups and glasses, as well as paper plates and bowls, plastic cutlery, and some basic kitchen utensils like a corkscrew.

You don’t have to worry about cleaning supplies either as there is a small bottle of washing up liquid, a sponge, tea towel, and paper kitchen towers.

The bathroom and toilet are in a separate room to the sink and vanity unit with complimentary toiletries.

Bathroom - Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Bathroom - Room 5301 (The Paddock area) at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
blank
The Artist's Palette- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
The Artist's Palette- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

After settling in and unpacking (we used packing cubes to keep us organised on this multi-stay trip) we took a wander over to The Carriage House – it took us about 15 minutes and is a nice walk through the grounds.

The Artist’s Palette is the resort’s counter-service location and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is a sit down area, or you can take-away.

You can also buy basic groceries here, as well as a selection of Disney merchandise.

We took our dinner to-go and we picked up some groceries at the same time including bottled water, crackers, chips, bagels, jam, and orange juice.

blank

The Artist’s Palette »

Me: Italian Flatbread Sandwich – Ham, Salami and Mortadella, Provolone Cheese, Mayonnaise, and Red Wine Vinaigrette ($11.79)

Steve: Spicy Italian Beef Sandwich – Shaved Roast Beef, Provolone Cheese, Horseradish Mayonnaise, Arugula, and a Spicy Relish ($10.99)

We also bought:

Chicken, Artichoke & Spinach Thin Crust Pie – Chicken, Artichoke Hearts, Baby Spinach, Alfredo Sauce, and Three Cheese Blend ($10.99)

Purple Potion Cupcake – filled with a White Chocolate Marshmallow Mousse, topped with Buttercream ($5.99)

blank
Italian Flatbread Sandwich
Spicy Italian Beef Sandwich - The Artist's Palette
Spicy Italian Beef Sandwich
Chicken, Artichoke & Spinach Thin Crust Pie - The Artist's Palette
Chicken, Artichoke & Spinach Thin Crust Pie

2019 was the year of the Purple Potion at Walt Disney World with lots of purple merchandise and snacks popping up all over the place.

Naturally we had to try some purple treats, and the Purple Potion Cupcake from The Artist’s Palette was yummy!

Cupcakes are Disney are often heavy on the frosting, so one cupcake is more than enough to share between two!

Disney Purple Potion Cupcake
Disney Purple Potion Cupcake

The Artist’s Palette »
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Bill: $39.76 + Tax: $2.59 + Tip: $0 = $42.35


Total Paid: $42.35

There was a pretty selection of cupcakes and desserts at The Artist’s Palette, so the last few photos of today’s report is of those…

Purple Potion Cupcakes
Purple Potion Cupcakes
Oreo Hazelnut Cupcakes
Oreo Hazelnut Cupcakes
Vanilla Cheesecakes topped with Fruit
Vanilla Cheesecakes topped with Fruit
Milk & Cookies Cupcakes
Milk & Cookies Cupcakes
Dark Chocolate Mickey Dome Cake
Dark Chocolate Mickey Dome Cake
Briar Rose Gold Cupcakes
Briar Rose Gold Cupcakes

And that’s it for day 7 of Four Resorts, Two Festivals 2019! Tomorrow we are off to Hollywood Studios!


Read about the day after:
Day 8 – Play Time!
Hollywood Studios & Toy Story Land; Dinner from The Artist’s Palette

Read about the day before:
Day 6 – Story Time!
Pool Day; Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

» Read ALL the days!


More Disney Trip Reports

Affiliate Disclosure
We have included affiliate links to products and services related to the topic of this post.
This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on those links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read Our Full Disclosure and Privacy Policy

The camera I use for my Disney photography is a Canon EOS 70D.
The two main lenses I use: Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro and Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC Art. Both of these lenses will also fit Nikon and Sony DSLRs.
I also take some photos on my iPhone7 for sharing on social media – follow my Disney Instagram account – LoveDisneyPhotos
Pool photos are taken with: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5. A similar model is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT30EB-A
Videos are taken with Panasonic HC-V720, although the newer model is the Panasonic HC-V770.
Any photo editing is done with Photoshop or with Instagram editing features and filters.

Please Share This Post!