Looking for info on staying at Key West

[liquidsky88]

My wife and I were debating on staying at Key West. Just looking for some feedback if it's up to par vs Wilderness Lodge and the Boardwalk Inn. We've stayed at both of those resorts before and really liked them. Looking for a new resort to try.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

We stayed at OKW last year & really liked it.
It's probably the least "Disney" themed of the resorts but don't let that put you off, it's a beautiful place to stay & very quiet.
I'm sure you know already, it's very spread out & depending on where you end up staying you could be looking at 15 minutes on the bus just to get out of the resort & on your way to a park.
We took the in-laws & booked a two bedroom apartment which gave us plenty of space to spread out & looked out on to the golf course.
The dining options at the resort are somewhat limited, but the in-laws ate at Olivia's & loved it.
Is it up to the same standard as WL & the BWI?
No, it's not a hotel for a start so it doesn't have the big lobby area with numerous places to eat & other amenities that WL & BWI have & you will have to drive or take a bus / boat if you want to get to the parks or Downtown Disney.
Saying all of that, we still enjoyed our stay there & found it a really relaxing place to be based, we were there for 10 nights before moving to the Yacht Club & although the YC has all of the amenities that the BWI has, we all still kind of missed returning to OKW each night, the place is very unique in WDW.
We are in the process of working our way round the deluxe resorts but as we live in the UK it's going to take some time until we have tried them all but we would have no hesitation in going back to OKW in the future.
If you have any specific questions please feel free to PM me.

 

[ArwenMarie]

No, it's not like the WL or BW. Those are both close to parks and are very compact resorts with lots of theming. To me, OKW feels almost like an offsite villa. It's very nice in it's own way, the 1 and 2 br villas are spacious. But it is very spread out as the PP said.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

I adore OKW, I was at first apprehensive about staying there, but was sold after my first visit.
The rooms are ENORMOUS. They are way larger than any other villa property, which is a huge plus, and the resort feels like you are taking a vacation, with some park time. (I don't know that I'd recommend it to park commandos)
Couple of things though- I generally do Disney with a group of 6 adults and a child, so for convenience sake, it's our best option, 2 adults is a different story. Also, we're semi-local, so we always have cars. It can be inconvenient to get to the main building and pool if you are in the back of the resort. (You can take any bus, but it can take awhile)

 

[ModernArtist]

There is probably an OKW info thread on the resorts board.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

OKW is the hidden Gem of WDW....much nicer then the *box* resorts like the BC and Boardwalk. Large units, wonderfully themed and landscaped and the pace is just a bit slowly then the rest of WDW.

A great main pool and 3 other pools. We usually go to the far end...Turtle crawl where the have a nice pool, usually quiet and a small snack stand and fruity drink bar. There are BBQ's and table and we would plan 1 night of relaxed pool fun and cook dinner ourselves there.

The bus service is good with various stops around the resort. Rarely a delay.

What ever you decide, have a great trip!

AKK

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

OKW is our favorite. The rooms are huge. The resort is peaceful. The busses are plentiful and you can boat to DTD is you would like. Olivia's has never disappointed us and the quick service serves our kids needs also.

 

[Sparkly]

We're staying here in November, so good to know everyone likes it!

It looks beautiful. We often stay offsite, so I don't mind a lack of Disney theming at all. That's what the parks are for!

 

[sharadoc]

At WL and BWV you have a Deluxe Hotel with a full featured lobby attached. OKW is villas only. But you have a store, restaurant, pool bar, small quick serve and great pool. It's all on a "boardwalk" kind of thing along the water. You can grab a boat to DTD or rent small watercraft too. There's also a fitness center.

You just have to take the bus to get to the main area from the majority of buildings.

The amount of space in a 1BR is SO MUCH more, and you can really spread out. The outside deck is fantastic too, there's a ceiling fan and lots of lovely views.

If you're looking for lots of activity and hustle and bustle, then you won't like OKW, but if you want a beautiful resort, quiet and convenient to all the parks with great bus service, then try OKW. We love it, and will be there for our 3rd stay in November.

 

[patrickpiteo]

Its our DVC home resort and we love it.. Nice big one bedrooms.. larger then the other resorts. Good bus service.. laid bck and quiet.

 

[Disfan1968]

I have stayed here a couple on a family member's points and boy is it nice. Not as nice in terms of proximity to parks as say Boardwalk, but really spacious and just plain pleasant. I highly recommend it.

 

[Cookiecamilla]

We stayed there a few years ago. We loved it when we went but we were 6 adults and 2 kids so it was perfect. Personally though now that we have 2 kids and dont go as often we like to stay at BWI or BC because it is so close to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. EPCOT is our favorite park and we loathe the buses! but that is just a personal opinion.

OKW was beautiful and we loved siting on the back patio eating breakfast and relaxing in the evenings if we made an early night of it. I just prefer being closer to the parks.

 

[hakepb]

There is probably an OKW info thread on the resorts board.

There might be more info in the DVC resorts board
http://www.disboards.com/threads/okw-lovers-thread-part-2.3113113/