Discover the Magic at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa [Review]

I stayed with my husband at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa for 2 nights in June 2025. This was our first time staying at the resort, and we were impressed by its sprawling layout, thoughtful amenities, and peaceful vibe just a skip away from Disney Springs.

Here’s a look at our stay at this equestrian-themed Walt Disney World Deluxe resort modeled after 19th-century Saratoga Springs, New York.

Booking Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

I didn’t have a grand plan for booking this resort. This was the first part of a split stay across multiple resorts, and I knew I wanted to stay at a Deluxe resort to kick off our trip and take advantage of extended evening hours at EPCOT before moving to a Value resort. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was the lowest-priced Deluxe resort for our dates, and my excitement to try out the resort’s Sassagoula River Cruise to Disney Springs sealed the deal.

I paid $288.60 per night — $649.36 for 2 nights, including taxes — with my new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. I earned 2x miles (1,298 miles), and this purchase helped me meet the minimum spending requirement to earn the welcome bonus offer.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

Purchases: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-840)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

 

Hot Tip:

If you pay with the Disney^® Premier Visa^® card or Disney^® Visa^® Card, you might qualify for a discount, such as 30% off for a 5-night stay.

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa Location

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is in the Disney Springs area, next to Disney’s Old Key West Resort. You can walk to Disney Springs or take the Sassagoula River Cruise. The resort is 17 miles from Orlando International Airport (MCO), typically a 25- to 30-minute drive.

We arrived well after midnight using the Mears Connect shuttle ($33.60 per person round-trip, tax inclusive), which I’ve had good experiences using. But this time, ours was the fifth stop on the drop-off route, and it took over an hour to reach the resort, long after I was ready to be asleep. I probably won’t do another late-night MCO to Disney World shuttle.

If we arrive in Orlando late at night again, I’d use a ride-share service or stay at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport Hotel. Using a ride-share service is usually around $50 one-way from MCO to Disney World. It would have cost us about $15 more each way to use a ride-share service, but at a time savings of 30 minutes or more.

Checking In

The shuttle bus dropped us off at the covered main entrance, but the lobby (and everything else) was closed late at night. Knowing we’d arrive after midnight, I’d checked in using the Direct-to-Room service on the My Disney Experience app earlier in the day, and our room was ready before we even arrived at the airport!

Armed with the resort map and directions on the app to our building, the Grandstand, we found our room in a few minutes. I used my MagicBand+ to unlock the door, but the My Disney Experience app would have worked, too.

Bottom Line:

Checking in digitally with direct-to-room service on the My Disney Experience app worked flawlessly for a late-night arrival.

Resort Benefits

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa doesn’t have a resort fee, but guests get numerous resort benefits, including:

• Early theme park entry and extended evening hours
• Complimentary water park admission on your check-in day
• Lightning Lane access up to 7 days in advance
• Access to dining plans
• Bus, boat, Skyliner, and monorail park transportation
• Hey Disney! voice assistant that offers wake-up calls, Disney trivia, and interactive experiences
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Complimentary standard self-parking at the resort and theme parks

We arrived way too late to take advantage of the free water park admission on our check-in day, but we used the extended evening hours benefit for a late night at EPCOT. Extended evening hours are available on select nights to Deluxe resort guests and offer 2 hours of access after the park’s regular closing time, typically with fewer crowds and low wait times. We used our late night at EPCOT for a ride on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and 2 spins on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Lobby

Though we bypassed the lobby with a digital check-in process, we walked through it to the gift shop and quick-service restaurant, the Artist’s Palette. The space had an airy, circular layout with cream-colored walls and white paneling. There were multiple seating areas near the check-in desks and toward the walkway. My favorite feature was the large framed portraits of various Disney horses on most of the walls.

With 2 check-in desks, we never saw a line of guests waiting for service.

Next to the check-in desks was a kids zone, with small tables and chairs and a TV to entertain young guests while adults handle check-in details.

To the left was a small lounge area and a walkway with more seating that led to the Artist’s Palette restaurant.

This space also had restrooms and water fountains.

A penny press machine was around the corner, too.

Between the covered entrance and the lobby was bellhop service. We dropped our bags here on our checkout day. Later that day, after visiting Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, we checked into Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. Bell services transferred our bags to the new resort and delivered them to our room just a few minutes after we checked in.

Resort Grounds

Getting to our building required walking through the resort, but it was a lovely setting with lush green hills and water features.

The buildings were Victorian style and had shaded walkways.

We stayed in one of the Grandstand buildings.

Our room was at the top of the stairs on the second floor. All of the rooms had doors that opened to a covered exterior walkway.

Deluxe Studio

We stayed in a Deluxe Studio, the standard room type for this resort. It slept up to 4 and had a queen bed and a full Murphy bed.

Next to the queen bed was the Murphy bed. By day, this spot was a small sofa with a table.

I liked that the table had an adjustable top, which was useful for working on a laptop. There was also storage inside.

We moved the table out of the way and pulled down the full-size bed, which had a cute Saratoga Springs Stables mural — including a hidden Mickey. This bed was comfy and way better than a sofa bed without sacrificing floor space during the day.

Between the beds was a nightstand with drawers and a shelf below. It featured a lamp with charging outlets, a phone, and a Hey Disney! device.

The Hey Disney! device is a Disney-themed Alexa. It can be used to get information about park hours, directions, and more, but the interactive Disney activities are the most fun. You can ask it for a joke, play soundscapes, read books, or play trivia.

The lamp had outlets — one of which was used by the Hey Disney! device — and included 2 USB-A ports.

On the other side of the queen bed, there was a small shelf with a regular wall outlet below it.

At the foot of the bed was the dresser, with 6 large drawers and a wall-mounted TV that greeted us by name. There were also outlets on either side of the dresser, including regular and USB-A outlets.

On top of the dresser, we found a Disney World guide with a special insert for Cool Kid Summer.

The drawers were substantial, with plenty of room. However, they didn’t pull out entirely, which I like to do before checking out to make sure nothing fell to the bottom. Just make sure not to overstuff these!

There was additional storage next to the queen bed, along with an extra pillow and blanket for the Murphy bed.

Across from the bathroom was a small kitchen featuring a sink, minifridge, microwave, full-size coffee maker, and toaster. There were also various disposable plates, utensils, and cups. Most Disney resort rooms only have a beverage cooler and a Keurig, so this was a nice step up.

Saratoga Springs is a Disney Vacation Club resort, and this kitchenette is part of what makes the resort rooms suited for longer, more home-like stays.

Another homey feature was the entryway closet, which featured a full vacuum and broom for cleaning up between housekeeping visits. It also had an iron and an ironing board, a hair dryer, and a wall safe.

Balcony

The French door balcony was lovely, even on hot days in June.

It was somewhat private on the sides, with solid walls and small windows, and featured 2 chairs and a small table.

We enjoyed our fairway view. It was so nice to look out and see so much green, trees, and hills of the golf course. With a standard Deluxe Studio, we could have had views of the garden, lake, pool, woodlands, or fairway. Preferred studio views include garden, courtyard, woodlands, or water. If our fairway view is considered standard, I’d bet most rooms have a view that’s at least as good as ours was.

Bathroom

Our bathroom was accessible, though we didn’t request an accessible room. Other Disney resorts I’ve stayed at typically have a vanity area with a dresser-like counter and sink that’s separate from the toilet and shower room. In this studio, the bathroom was all together, and the sink counter was small but had room to roll a wheelchair underneath. Disney-branded bar soap and lotion were on the counter.

The toilet had lots of space around it, along with grab bars on the side and behind it.

On the opposite side was a shower-tub combo, again with grab bars. I was surprised to see it wasn’t a roll-in shower. Plenty of towels were hung up next to the sink and the tub.

The tub featured a clothesline for drying wet swimsuits and had 2 showerheads, including a low, handheld option. It had wall-mounted sea salt shampoo, marine conditioner, and sea salt body wash. We enjoyed these but had to work pretty hard to get enough product out of the dispensers.

Amenities

As a Deluxe resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was packed with amenities, with multiple pools, golf course access, transportation to the parks and Disney Springs, a community hall, arcade, bike rentals, laundry, and more.

Though some amenities were shared, others were unique to the building areas. For example, the Grandstand section we were in had a separate bus stop and leisure pool, so we didn’t have to go far for these essential amenities.

Pools

There are 5 pools at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, including the High Rock Spring Pool, Paddock Pool, and 3 leisure pools.

The High Rock Spring Pool is the main pool and is centrally located near the lobby, community hall, and the Artist’s Palette.

This pool featured waterfalls and a zero-depth entry.

There were 2 slides, including a small (and accessible) kids slide that dropped into the middle of the pool.

The larger, 128-foot slide was built into the rocks.

During our visit, plenty of shaded tables and loungers were available.

There were 2 spas; one had a lift and shaded tables.

Towels were easily available from a self-serve window near the restrooms and poolside cafe.

A lawn next to the pool featured games including giant chess and Tetris.

The Paddock Pool, in the Paddock section, was the other main pool, but was not centrally located. It had a water tower slide, 2 small slides, zero-depth entry, and a horseshoe-shaped spa.

Leisure pools were in the Congress Park, Treehouse Villas, and Grandstand sections. We visited the Grandstand pool, which had a horse racing theme, spa, and pool cafe and bar.

There was also a small picnic area with a barbecue grill.

Golf Course

Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course is at the resort, and it’s well worth a visit. This 18-hole course, designed by well-known golf course designer “Gentleman” Joe Lee, has hosted the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and USGA events, and is certified by Audubon International as a Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary.

We passed by the golf course pro shop and registration building on the way to the resort’s boat transportation.

The golf course building was connected to the lobby and the Artist’s Palette building, featuring a small golf course cafe at the ground level and the Turf Club restaurant upstairs.

Transportation

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa offers boat transportation to Disney Springs and bus transportation to all other points within Disney World.

Taking the Sassagoula River Cruise to Disney Springs was a delightful way to get to breakfast and offered a great view of Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney Springs. We had virtually no wait time either on the way there or back, and it was a nice, breezy ride under the boat’s cover.

There was also a walkway from Disney Springs, leading through Disney’s Old Key West Resort to reach Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Bus transportation was the best I’ve experienced at a Disney World resort. We could see the bus stop from the front of our building!

The bus stop had a large covered waiting area featuring seating and a vending machine for drinks.

Expected arrival times for all of the destinations were clearly displayed on a screen at the bus stop.

We never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus, and seats were always available.

The Grandstand was one of the first pickup spots in the resort, which made it easy to get a seat but added time to our journey as we picked up more passengers in other resort areas. I considered this a fair tradeoff.

Community Hall

Open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, the community hall featured outdoor games, indoor entertainment, crafts, and other activities.

Cast members were available to help guests pick out and complete activities, including make-your-own Mickey ears, button art, and ceramics. Some activities were free, while others were reasonably priced.

There was also a TV lounge area with a sofa, more activity tables, and a row of console gaming stations.

Horsing Around Rentals, part of the community hall, was available from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and offered complimentary sports equipment, including basketballs, tennis balls, and rackets.

Surrey bike rentals were available, with 2-seat bikes priced at $25 per 30 minutes and 4-seat bikes at $28 per 30 minutes.

Regular bikes were also available at $9 per hour or $18 per day.

Arcade

The Win, Place, or Show Arcade was open daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. next to the community hall.

The arcade featured a variety of racing and shooting games, as well as classic favorites such as Pac-Man. There was also a photo booth, and my favorite feature was 2 massage chairs to work out a long day at the parks.

Sport Courts

The resort had sports courts, including a tennis and pickleball court, with equipment available at the community hall.

A basketball court was next to the racquet courts.

There was also a shuffleboard court.

Fitness Center

This resort had one of the largest fitness centers I’ve seen at a Disney property.

It had extensive equipment, including treadmills, rowers, assisted weight machines, and free weights.

There were also stair steppers, ellipticals, and stationary bikes.

I suspect this fitness center is especially large because this resort used to have a spa, as evidenced by the
“& Spa” in the resort name and this empty check-in desk and waiting area we saw at the fitness center entrance. The spa space is still there downstairs but isn’t active.

Hot Tip:

Some of Disney’s Deluxe resorts have decommissioned spas. The only active spa on Disney World property is at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Prefer an outdoor workout? There was a running trail throughout the resort property.

Laundry

A large laundry room was next to the community hall and arcade.

It featured 8 washers and 8 dryers, 2 large folding tables, and a detergent vending machine. Everything was free, from the machines to the detergent. We just needed a room key card to get in.

Resort Activities

Resort activities were available throughout the day, including poolside activities at the High Rock Spring Pool deck starting at 12:30 p.m. each day. A nightly 6 p.m. campfire with roasted marshmallows and s’mores was at the Disney Vacation Club courtyard. At 8:30 each night, the DVC courtyard featured a Disney movie under the stars, including “Tangled,” “Toy Story,” and “High School Musical.”

Gift Shop

The gift shop between the lobby and the Artist’s Palette featured mementos and necessities, including souvenir apparel, mugs, cups, pins, and toys.

Parking

Parking was complimentary for guests, with parking lots adjacent to each building section for convenient access.

Food and Beverages

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa had several dining options.

The Turf Club Bar and Grill

The Turf Club Bar and Grill was open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner from 4:30 to 9 p.m., and featured steaks, burgers, signature chocolate cake, and golf course views on the patio.

The Artist’s Palette

The Artist’s Palette was open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

A quick-service restaurant, this spot was busy every time we visited. This is where you could pick up Mickey waffles, sandwiches, salads, and grab-and-go items. There was also a small grocery section for items to prepare in your room.

On-site ordering was only available at the cashiers, not the food stations, and the lines could be long. Mobile ordering with the My Disney Experience app was the best way to go here!

We picked up some desserts in the grab-and-go case. The artist’s palette cookie was mostly for visual appeal, but the Pride Month special honey cake was an adorable and tasty post-park treat. A white cupcake with honey simple syrup, it featured blackberry-lavender jam, a lavender meringue, and a sugar bee.

The Paddock Grill

The Paddock Grill, adjacent to the pool in the Paddock section, was open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It featured the Saratoga burger, sandwiches, and a Cobb salad.

On the Rocks Pool Bar

On the Rocks Pool Bar at High Rock Spring Pool was open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and served frozen cocktails, pizza, and sandwiches.

Backstretch Pool Bar

The Backstretch Pool Bar at the Grandstand leisure pool, open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., served frozen drinks (including a mint julep) and poolside bites such as Mickey-shaped pretzels and churros.

Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Café

Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Café at Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course is a snack stand open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. It offers deli-style sandwiches and snacks.

Service

As expected at Disney World, service was warm and helpful throughout our stay. Bell services seamlessly delivered our bags to our next resort, and we had polite and efficient interactions with cast members in the gift shop and restaurants. Housekeeping was prompt, and everything was cleaned and replenished quickly. Overall, our experience lived up to Disney’s high service standards.

Final Thoughts

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is the third Deluxe Disney World resort I’ve stayed at and the most impressive so far. I loved the savanna views, abundant theming, and engaging resort activities of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the comfortable, EPCOT-area convenience of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, but this resort had some of the most thoughtful features.

I appreciated that our room had a space-saving (but totally comfortable) Murphy bed and a functional kitchenette, and that crucial amenities, including a pool and bus stop, were so easily accessible from our building, even in a sprawling resort. With features like a delightful river cruise to Disney Springs, an on-site golf course, bike rentals, and free laundry facilities, I could see myself settling in for a long stay here, whether I want to visit Disney World parks or not.