We will be heading down to our first trip to SSR, our home resort, in just over a week. We have been going back and forth about which building to try to request and was wondering if anyone had any feedback.

We think we want to be near the pool and main buildings, but was wondering if there were benefits to any specific building or area. (ie: buses, quiet pools, etc.) I know its a large, spread out resort, so I am sure there are pros and cons to each area.

Thanks in advance for any comments / feedback that you might have.

I have stayed in the Grandstand and Congress Park. I liked both of them equally for the purpose they served at the time.

Grandstand was nice because it has it's own quiet pool and a pool bar (although I did not get a chance to use it) and is not to far a walk to the main building and pool. It was also not to bad a walk to the bus stop. If you look at the map it seems kinda far but it was not really that bad.
This trip it was my family and I.

Congress Park was nice because it was right near the path to walk to DtD. This was a girls F&W Festival weekend. We never looked for the pool so I have no comment on that. We did walk to the main building a few times which was a bit of a hike but not bad for adults.

This year it will be our four and my FIL, MIL, SIL & GFIL. When I added the grandfather to the ressie I asked for a building close to the main building because he will be using a scooter. We will see how that works out. Hopefully we will end up in the Springs in one of the closer buildings.
I am hoping to make it as easy as possible for him to get around and I'd hate for him to have to take a bus or use up the battery just getting to the main building.

Saratoga Springs Resort Map (http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/Saratoga.htm)

Holy cow, Katrina! I just looked at that map and it is HUUUUGGGGEEE!

That's one of the biggest complaints I here about some of the DVC resorts. I know my one girlfriend and her family prefer to stay at one of the ones that is more like a hotel then the separate buildings. They like being able to walk down to the lobby and get a snack or coffee in the morning with out having to take an internal bus. It does not bother us as we don't usually do so much at the main building. We swim at our quiet pool and bring things to eat in the mornings and drinks. Last year we did spend one half day at the main pool at SSR but it was not that far of a walk from our building.

The bus stop that is closest to the main building, I believe in the Springs section, is also the last one on the internal loop (except for the DD bus, which goes the other way, I'm pretty sure), so it may be full on busy mornings by the time it gets to that stop. We've stayed at Congress Park and, I think the Paddock. The last stay, we were right by the bus stop, and, to get to the main building, we could either walk, or take a bus, if one happened by. Once you get the hang of the sidewalks, it wasn't that far to walk. SS is our home resort, and we'll stay there if we need a one or two bedroom unit, and I order groceries, so we have breakfast in the villa. For weekend stays, I like to get a studio at a hotel-based DVC property. We've stayed at the Beach Club villas twice, and Animal Kingdom villas, once.

Thanks all for your comments. Of course, one of the things that drew us to SSR was the fact that it was large, which gives some nice, unique experiences as well as ease of making reservations at 11 months out.

Of course... the vastness of the property does provide its own challenges.

I think I will do some searching about the SSR bus service before I ask any more about that. I mean, I think that is the one item that we are going to have to balance a bit. We dont mind the buses at all, but at the same time, its always good to try to be prepared.

Thanks again...
(Keep the comments comming! :) )

GusMan,

SSR is also our home DVC resort, and we've stayed at The Springs section on our last 3 visits to WDW. If you plan to make use of the food court or the main pool, The Springs is the closest section and just a few steps away. On the downside, The Springs is the last stop in the external bus route. That means the buses may be full by the time they get to that stop. This happened to us a couple times in April 2008, and we had to wait for the next bus to Magic Kingdom -- definitely a frustrating experience. Also, after a long day at the parks, you'll be the last off the bus.

Arnold