Planning a trip to Walt Disney World can be complicated — especially when you’re trying to choose between 25 resort hotels. If you’ve narrowed down your choices to these hotels, how do you make your final selection?
Well, we’re here to walk you through the differences between Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
We want to help stretch your vacation dollars because trips to Disney World can be costly. Not surprisingly, hotel expenses can take up a big portion of your travel budget. How do you make the right decision for your family? We give you all the details, so you can choose wisely between Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
Whether room size, location, pools, and/or restaurants are most important to you, we share the information that you’ll need to make an informed decision. After all, we want you stay at the hotel that is best for your family!
Let’s get started and look at all the details so that you can plan your Disney trip with confidence.
The best way to tackle such a massive decision like this is with as much logic as possible, so we broke down this comparison into five categories: Common Ground, Theme/Rooms, Pools, Food, and Transportation. Let’s get started on your vacation research.
COMMON GROUND
Before we mention their differences, let’s take a look at what Saratoga Springs and Art of Animation have in common.
First, both resorts offer bus transportation as well as one other mode of Disney transport.Â
Both resorts offer a quick service restaurant, several pools, and various room options.
But what about their nightly rates?
For Saratoga Springs, that means that for the cheapest room at the cheapest time to visit, you can expect to pay around $451 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts), and it goes up to $3,477 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts) for the most expensive rooms at the most expensive time to visit. (Based on 2023 rates)
For Art of Animation, Little Mermaid Standard Rooms start at $201Â per night in value season, and a Finding Nemo Family Suite will cost about $912 per night during the December holiday season. Family suites sleep a whopping six guests comfortably!
Let’s dig a little deeper to see what you can get for the money at these resorts!
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THEME/ROOMS
Saratoga Springs
This resort offers villa-type accommodations with studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, or 3-bedroom layouts.
Speaking of spacious accommodations, the 3 Bedroom Grand Villas at various Disney Vacation Club properties can sleep up to 12 people! These rooms typically come with 3 bedrooms, 3 (or more) bathrooms, a (very large) full-sized kitchen, living area, dining area, and a balcony. These rooms are available first for DVC members to book, so they’re pretty difficult to score and pricing is not readily available to the public (unless you call Disney to book for a specific date).
Studios have a kitchenette. The one-to-three-bedroom villas have a full kitchen, as well as washer and dryer.
If you’re looking for convenience, these amenities might make your trip a whole lot easier!
Here, you’ll escape to a 19th century equestrian resort, although there aren’t any horses! Opened in May 2004, the quaint gardens add to the peaceful atmosphere. The large resort layout consists of a central lobby building with outer buildings housings the actual hotel rooms. Saratoga Springs is a huge resort and thus, rooms are often available!
Studios at this resort provide a queen bed and pull-down bed; these rooms sleep four. Two bedrooms sleep up to 8 people. (Remember that a child under three does not count toward maximum occupancy.) As of 2020/2021, rooms have been renovated.
However, the unique but very remote treehouse villas can accommodate up to nine guests.
Art of Animation
Celebrate the characters, colors, and creativity of Disney animated films at Art of Animation Resort!
Many of our readers tell us that Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is the BEST value resort on Disney World property. It’s a great hotel for families, particularly if you’re needing some more space and you’re willing to pay for it.
Guests may reserve a Lion King Family Suite, a Cars Family Suite, a Finding Nemo Family Suite, or a Little Mermaid Standard Room (277 sq. ft.) for their Art of Animation stay.
The theme feels well done and intricate, so it’s at least a bit nicer than the other values.
PHOTOS! Tour a Lion King FAMILY SUITE at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort!
Results
What location and price point do you prefer? If your focus is spending time at Disney Springs, Saratoga Springs might be the best pick for you. If you need a cheaper starting rate, Art of Animation fits the bill. However, we prefer the more deluxe accommodations at Saratoga Springs.
If you are traveling with small kids, they’ll love the Disney icons situated around the resort at Art of Animation.
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POOLS
When the weather is HOT or you just need a break from park queues, head to your resort pool! After all, the pools have their own unique features and special theming. Feature pools at Walt Disney World hotels usually have at least one slide and also offer poolside activities. Look at the hotel’s recreation schedule for more information. Some Disney resorts are so spread out that they also offer leisure pools. These swimming spots are family-friendly with at least one whirlpool spa. Leisure pools are quieter than the more crowded and active feature pools.
Note that poolside towels are always complimentary.
Saratoga Springs
This resort has two featured pools — High Rock Spring Pool and The Paddock Pool.Â
High Rock Spring re-opened in late March 2023 after a renovation. This pool continues to offer a fun atmosphere with waterfalls, zero-depth entry, and a 128 ft. slide. You’ll find two whirlpool spas at this location. Got kids? They’ll love the Donald Duck splash area with a fun kiddie-sized slide.
The zero-depth entry Paddock Pool showcases a slide that starts at the top of a water tower and provides 146 feet of fun! Kids can splash in the aquatic play area showcasing two small waterslides. Nearby, a horseshoe-shaped whirlpool offers a nice respite.
Leisure pools with whirlpool spas can be found at the Treehouse Villas, Congress Park, and The Grandstand.
Art of Animation
Art of Animation boasts the largest pool of any Disney Resort hotel: it’s The Big Blue Pool!
Guests also have access to two more pools. The Cars section hosts the Cozy Cone Pool (complete with clever Cone Cabanas) and The Little Mermaid section hosts the Flippin’ Fins Pool.
Results
If you have small children, Art of Animation has one of the best splash pad areas — Schoolyard Sprayground — for little kids at Walt Disney World. And the pool at over 308,000 gallons is massive.
However, Saratoga Springs is a more relaxing atmosphere for grownups!
10 Hidden Secrets About Disney World Pools
FOOD
Park days can be exhausting. Whether you’re taking a whole day to enjoy your resort, or you are relaxing after a shopping excursion at Disney Springs, once you’re at your Disney World hotel, you might not want to get back on a bus or boat for nourishment. So, you’ll want to know about the best options at your Disney World resort!
Take a look at the menus and decide which resort has the food that best suits your family.
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