Free Upgrade to Saratoga Springs Resort

[cheesekate2005]

Hey...I just took the free upgrade from the All Star Movies Resort in July to the Saratoga Springs Resort in Mid August. I am getting a huge refund on the dining plan and I am pretty psyched. We are now booked in a deluxe suite in the Saratoga Springs Resort. We have a 9 and 6 year old...how is this resort for the kids? I really have no idea of what to expect. Our last stay was at POP. Thanks.

 

[Allison]

That's interesting. Another poster just said they got the same offer.

 

[scoutsmom99]

As best I can tell Disney has been doing this to get people intersting in DVC resorts. A few weeks ago lots of people posted how they got the e-mail about the free upgarde to either SSR or OKW.

cheesekate2005 Check out the DVC forums here for info on SSR.

 

[DisneyMomJen]

My BIL & SIL had a one night reservation at an All Stars. They were notifiied a few weeks before that they were upgraded to a 1 bedroom at SSR. They loved it! The next 5 nights they had reservations at SSR using points they had rented in a studio. It probably is a good marketing plan.

 

[Sammie]

Definitely DVC is always interested in getting more people in to the resorts, but the main problem is they have seriously overbooked the values for this time period and are trying to relocate them.

A great value for those that get the offer. Did they offer you a studio or one bedroom villa?

 

[bpmorley]

I can't see anyone getting a 1 bdr for a room at ASmov. They should give them a studio and upgrade DVC members from studios to 1 bdr's

 

[byoung]

Wonder how many will buy it after staying?

 

[Sammie]

I can't see anyone getting a 1 bdr for a room at ASmov. They should give them a studio and upgrade DVC members from studios to 1 bdr's

Upgrading members is not going to happen, and they have already had some guests given a one bedroom upgrade from a value. One even got a 2 bedroom. Nice upgrade for them.

 

[Cinderella]

That is amazing - you will have a blast. Saratoga Springs is lovely - it's my new favourite resort.

The resort is fantastic for kids. Ask to be in the Springs section, then you will be close to the pool, and the main building. The pool has zero entry, and a great slide, which kids of 6 and 9 will love.

You can rent bicycles, and they have lots of fun activities for kids in the community hall. They also have a pool table in the Turf Club, which my kids loved - I think it was actually free to use too.

You can also walk to Downtown Disney from Saratoga. Have a wonderful time.

 

[Lauraubie]

We got the same upgrade!!! We got an email about a month ago offering us the upgrade. We went from a standard room at the POP to 1 bdrm at the SSR. We leave Saturday!! We are so excited!!! Not bad for FREE!!!

 

[deide71]

We got the same upgrade!!! We got an email about a month ago offering us the upgrade. We went from a standard room at the POP to 1 bdrm at the SSR. We leave Saturday!! We are so excited!!! Not bad for FREE!!!

That's one heck of an upgrade, congrats!

 

[rinkwide]

I have a question:

If you're a new member who just spent $15 grand or more on SSR how do you feel about people getting to stay there who are paying Value Resort prices?

 

[Luigi's Girl]

I have a question:

If you're a new member who just spent $15 grand or more on SSR how do you feel about people getting to stay there who are paying Value Resort prices?

Just had a vision of one of those brand new members(who BTW are staying in a studio) going to WDW with friend or family who thought DVC was a stupid idea. Well this family was staying at a value and now all of a sudden they're upgraded to a 1 BDRM without forking out the big money. The DVC member would never hear the end of it. It could happen!

 

[Jillpie]

I have a question:

If you're a new member who just spent $15 grand or more on SSR how do you feel about people getting to stay there who are paying Value Resort prices?

I don't feel bad about it at all. Its a great business decision on Disney's part. We have our villas for the next 40 years, these people experience it once and maybe they'll buy into it. Its just a one time deal.

 

[BroganMc]

I have a question:

If you're a new member who just spent $15 grand or more on SSR how do you feel about people getting to stay there who are paying Value Resort prices?

I just bought on May 5. I think I'd only feel bad if I was trying to get a one bedroom for the same time, couldn't and read someone from a value got it free. But then I'd remember how DVC rents out blocks of rooms to recoup money for reservation points or other non-DVC exchanges and give myself a chill pill. Then I'd remember how I got into the vacation club scene... a Value-priced 6 night stay at Marriott's Cypress Harbour.

Before that, I associated vacations with cramped rooms, a mediocre bed, a not-so-accessible bathroom (bathtub with seat instead of roll-in shower), and buckets of ice to chill my one warm soda enough to drink. Oh, and fighting with my roommates on the loudness of the TV or what channel we'd compromise to watch. Plus clean clothes being something you got at home or with a day off to community coin laundry.

Two memberships and 4 years later, and those crappy hotel rooms are something I do on the road trip to vacation. Even business meetings are a grind now despite the 5 star marble-tiled hotel which is just an overpriced Value room.

Come, have fun, and delude yourself with the fantasy that you'll ever be satisfied with ASM or POP again.

 

[mamatojon]

I have a question:

If you're a new member who just spent $15 grand or more on SSR how do you feel about people getting to stay there who are paying Value Resort prices?

I am a fairly new member, just over a year now, and I am totally okay with it. I'm sure the rooms are coming out of Disney's inventory, not member's, and as such they would obviously just be sitting there unrented, might as well use them for advertising! If DVC sales pick up that benefits all of us, they aren't going to build more properties if sales tank so it is in our best interests for sales to be brisk. I think it is a real win-win for everyone really, and how cool to get such a "magical" surprise of such a huge upgrade! To the OP, have a great trip!

 

[bpmorley]

I have a question:

If you're a new member who just spent $15 grand or more on SSR how do you feel about people getting to stay there who are paying Value Resort prices?

Great ? rink.

I think every member should voice their opinion to DVC. I can understand trying to get move people into the DVC resorts(SSR because they're still trying to sell). But a studio alone is a nice upgrade from a standard room at a value. There was a thread like this a while back and it's still my opinion. Give them the studios and upgrade the member into 1 bdr's.
I'ts only me and my wife, we always stay in a studio, maybe if we stayed in a 1 bdr we'd buy more points cause we'd want to stay in the 1bdrs from now on. Same kind of sales pitch. Trying to get new members and trying to get addons. JMHO

 

[Cinderella]

I'm a member at SSR and I'm totally ok with people getting these upgrades. Before joining DVC, I used to get fantastic deals on Disney Deluxe resorts, and never paid full price, so I wouldn't complain about others getting a great upgrade. And, as others have pointed out, once you've stayed in a DVC resort, it would be difficult to go back to the All Stars, so I can understand why Disney are giving out these upgrades.

However, I can understand a new buyer being upset, especially if they get talking to someone whilst at SSR, who got an upgrade from the All Stars.

Upgrading DVC members from a studio to a one bedroom is something I definitely don't agree with. Imagine if member started posting on here, having used points for a studio, and getting upgraded to a one bedroom. What would it start, apart from a lot of arguments - a dvc lottery? Would we all be calling DVC at a couple of weeks out, asking for a free upgrade to a Grand Villa?

DVC don't need to sell members on the benefits of a one bedroom, because we already know.

 

[DrTomorrow]

I have a question:

If you're a new member who just spent $15 grand or more on SSR how do you feel about people getting to stay there who are paying Value Resort prices?

Ya know, rinky, if I didn't know it was you, I'd think this was a post from a not-so-dear departed DISer.

Honestly, though, it's a giant non-issue. First - as you know - these upgrades are NOT coming out of owner inventory, but out of Disney's share of the resort. As such, I don't really care what they do with them: overcharge, upgrade, give them away for free, keep Christopher Walken chained up in one, whatever. Many timeshares offer free stays as sales incentives; in this case, Disney/DVC is targeting likely purchasers - WDW Guests - not simply folks bullied off the street. (And yes, I'm sure that AS guests can afford DVC - yeesh).

Second, if it is true that Disney overbooked values, then it makes sense to use SSR as overflow. Not because Daitc - er - blackjack thinks SSR == AS, but because they have the most unused inventory at the moment. And to those who say "Why not a studio instead of 1BR", I say that it is common DIS knowledge that 1BRs are the last to fill up, so what do you think is most available? (And upgrading DVC points stayers [not-a-word alert!] would be a point-tracking record-keeping nightmare).

Finally, it's not like they are advertising "SSR Quality at AS rates", or that this is going to available to all for decades to come; a few lucky AS guests are winning the lottery. And I truly believe that it will be tough to "keep them down in the values once they see DVC".

rinkwide, I hope this doesn't bug you, 'cause then you'd have to worry about how much everyone else paid for their plane tickets & rental car, and if anyone is using BOGO coupons at meals, and if someone is getting more cowbell at a 10% discount....

IMHO - YMMV - Be well!

 

[Ali and boyz]

well all I have to say is we loved SSR thought it was a beautiful resort. when we bought we got our money back on our whole holiday stay so disney do incentives in different ways and if this a marketing idea or otherwise I for one couldn't care less. doesn't bother me in the least

I have already answered a similar thread on another SSR issue saying that the value resorts are the same as SSR

all I can say to that is DUH

SSR - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful