saratoga springs on april break '07

[andreadoiron]

just came back from a 5 night stay at the ssr (april 12-17) in a 1 bedroom unit. we got lucky and stayed in the springs bldg so we were super close to the bus stop, main pool and artist's palatee also the boat launch to downtown disney. we really had a wonderful stay. the resort was beautiful, clean, quiet and our balcony overlooked the pond w/fountain and waterfowl in it! that said, i thought bus service was very slow and sporadic whereas the boat service was very prompt and frequent.
the parks were insanely busy. wall to wall people, long wait times, fast passes too many hours away to even bother w/. got a fast pass for Expedition everest and it broke down w/no up time known. dinosaur broke down while i was in line and they made everyone leave the bldg on the same morning. even early entry was super crowded. I will never go on my daughter's april break again!

 

[btrim]

First, glad you enjoyed SSR and had a good stay. That is our home resort and we love it there. Even when the place is full, it doesn't seem that busy. We really like the quietness after a long day in the parks. We haven't experienced any long waits for buses, but I would imagine every resort was experiencing that over the spring break period. I feel sorry for people tha can only go at the busiest times. They go with high expectations and then so often they are disappointed because of the crowds.

Anyway, just wanted to say, glad you had a good trip. Our next one isn't scheduled until December, 2007. It seems like forever, but I know it will go by fast, as we are expecting a new Grandchild in the meantime.

Finally it is sunny and warm in Illinois.

 

[CMedley78]

I feel sorry for people that can only go at the busiest times. They go with high expectations and then so often they are disappointed because of the crowds.

That isn't necessarily true. I teach so I can only go during the busiest times (school breaks), but that is something that I have been accustomed to. I am NEVER disappointed and found that if I plan, I never feel rushed and never wait too long in lines. We have a system for rides, fast passes, etc. that really works for us. Disney never disappoints, no matter what time of year it is.

 

[btrim]

I really was thinking about people that don't go as often as we do. I have heard people that take their one trip to WDW at one of the busiest times say "I'll never go again" and I hate that because they didn't really give it a chance. I always go with the mindset of just relax and enjoy everything you can, but of course I know I will be back and can enjoy it all over again. That is the beauty of DVC. It has really changed our way of thinking and the way we do the parks. If we don't get to everything one trip, we know we will be back and can try to hit the places we missed the next time. I love it!

 

[dsnymomof4]

OP, we had a very similar experience at SSR April 7-12. We also stayed in the Springs and loved being close to everything. Also thought the resort was beautiful, clean, etc. Also thought the bus service was SLOW! Seriously, I've stayed at several different resorts, and this was the worst for bus service. We would wait sometimes 30 minutes or more for a MK bus, while 3 Epcot busses went by. And with the resort being so big, by the time the bus got to the Springs stop, it was sometimes already full - even at 7:30 am! Of course, that won't stop me from staying there again - we really enjoyed our stay there!

 

[CMedley78]

btrim- we go every year, too, so I agree that it helps us relax more because if we don't get to it, we don't get to it. If only we could let the first-timers know that the parks can be enjoyed no matter what time of year you go. Disney is magical no matter what.

 

[WDWorld2003]

Glad you enjoyed SSR. I've said I would not go again during Spring Break when it fell at Easter and we were there again this year and it was SO crowded! Someone remind me when I say I'm going next year We also used peak points. We did enjoy the restaurants and the resort but the parks were nuts.

I think Disney's advertising is working but they need to build another park to handle the people!

 

[diznyfanatic]

Glad you enjoyed SSR. I've said I would not go again during Spring Break when it fell at Easter and we were there again this year and it was SO crowded! Someone remind me when I say I'm going next year We also used peak points. We did enjoy the restaurants and the resort but the parks were nuts.

I think Disney's advertising is working but they need to build another park to handle the people!

We were also there the Fri-Fri before Easter and spent the first 2 nights at SSR. We LOVED SSR though, and while we've spent other Spring Breaks and even Christmas at WDW, we were absolutely shocked by the crowds this year.

Everyone we talked to at the parks said the same thing as well. We were so put off by the crowds this year, that we vowed to never schedule another Spring Break trip. We'll go to Vero Beach or Hilton Head instead.

 

[Alexander]

We were also there the Fri-Fri before Easter and spent the first 2 nights at SSR. We LOVED SSR though, and while we've spent other Spring Breaks and even Christmas at WDW, we were absolutely shocked by the crowds this year.

Everyone we talked to at the parks said the same thing as well. We were so put off by the crowds this year, that we vowed to never schedule another Spring Break trip. We'll go to Vero Beach or Hilton Head instead.

This is so very, very true! We go every Easter and this year the crowds far surpassed what we have ever encountered! I told DH we won't visit at Easter again. If I have to use my personal days and go another time of the year we will. I too teach and we always travel when I am on school break, but this year was too much.

The only thing we could figure was everybody had such a rotten winter in the Northeast that they flocked to Florida on school break.

 

[andreadoiron]

I'm glad to read that many of you were surprised by the crowds this easter/spring break. so it wasn't me just being picky! actually the other 2 times we went to disney were spring break following easter 4years ago and after xmas in 2001 and the crowds weren't that bad. even early entry was crowded this year. I would guess that the new DVC resort and better advertisement of the benefits of staying onsite have something to do w/the amount of people at early entry.
well, we will just try to go at another time but school breaks are so convenient for the kids! oh well