Old Key West Next January

[AlvaroLuis]

I'm not a DVC member, but we finally received our confirmation from Interval Intl. (exchange company) for a week (Jan 8-15, 2005) at Old Key West Resort. It will be a one-bedroom apartment, full kitchen, king size bed in main bedroom and sofa bed in living room.

My wife and I are very excited (we haven't told our children...it will be a surprise!!! ) Our only experience at a Disney resort was 2 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge about 2 years ago.

Need ALL the information I can get about this resort: how is transportation, are the rooms comfortable, is the sofa bed big enough for our 2 children (14 & 11) and if not, is there a way to get an additional bed (a sleeping bag might not be an acceptable option for more than a couple of nights ), how is the restaurant (Olivia's), etc. Since this is an exchange, I don't think we will have much of a say about room location, but given the opportunity, what would be a good choice?

I might come up with more specific questions later on. Would appreciate any help with these questions.

Thanks,

 

[Pa@okw95]

First, there are no bad locations at OKW. You are always near a bus stop and pool, in Jan the later may not make any difference. the one bedroom at OKW is 1005 square feet, which is very large, you will be surprised at the size of the place. The restaurant is good. The bus transportation is about like it is at most places. You should have no problems getting around by bus. There are 5 bus stops at OKW and 4 pools heated in the winter to about 80% but the air outside will be a lot less. You have a washewr and dryer in the unit also. Now here is one tip that is important to you. Ask for a unit with a number of 30 or above, the reason being that those units have a seperate entance into the bathroom from the living room. Numbers below that do not have that extra entance. You will have a great time and be shocked at the size of the place. Most hotel room run about 350 square feet or so, so this will be great. There is a TV in the bedroom as well as the living room and the jacuzzi in the bathroom is great also(2 can fit in) Well I hope I helped some.

 

[PamOKW]

Congratulations on getting a trade! I think you will love staying the one-bedroom. Here's a link to some photos for you to get a feel for the resort

OKW Photos

The sofa bed is a queen size. They are in the process of switching to a new style that is said to be more comfortable. They do not provide additional beds or bedding at OKW. However, some people bring along Aero beds or form a makeshift second bed out of the cushions from the couch and/or the sleep sofa. They may end up being fine sharing the sofa bed.

The transportation is by bus and is comparable to that at every other WDW resort. OKW does not share with any other resort (except for special circumstances with SSR as it just starts to open). There is also a boat that goes to SSR and then DD. (Also a bus to DD). There are several stops within OKW.

There's a lot of personal preference involved when asking for a room assignment. I don't think there are any rooms that are "bad". One consideration is that only the two newest buildings have elevators. The rest are either a two or three flight walk-up. The golf course or water view are both very popular. Some people like to be near the Hospitality House/main pool area but I've never found this necessary. The walk just doesn't seem too bad to me and there isn't a real necessity for going up to that area anyway. I like the second floor for a better view and the chance that no one will be above me (only some parts of the building go to 3 stories). There is a lot of wildlife that comes out on the golf course in the morning and evening that is fun to watch.

Poke around on these boards and you'll get lots of ideas. We'll all be happy to answer questions for you.

The main pool area of OKW will be redone this fall and is scheduled to open late December/early January. You may be among the first to enjoy the new OKW slide!

 

[Pa@okw95]

I said room number over 30 in my previous post, what I meant was building number. the building numbers run from 11 to 64. be sure and get a building with a number above 30, and tell the person at the front desk that you want it because you want two entrances to the bathroom, other wise the kids will be going through the master bedroom to get to the bath.

 

[dianeschlicht]

You have been given some good info so far, but I wanted to add that the living room slleep situation for the kids could be made even better by letting one sleep on the love seat and the other on the sofa bed. I know kids that age sometimes don't like to share a bed. You will LOVE the size of the units! The balcony is perfect for an early morning breakfast without disturbing those in the living room. Both the master and living room open onto it.

Bus transportation has been great the past couple of years. We usually go in January (doing December this year), and you will also love the lack of crowds of the parks!

 

[Pa@okw95]

You picked a good week to go, it will be real slow, Martin Luther King day is January 17 th so you will long gone by then. Your last day there you might see a slight change in the amount of people at OKW. Members make use of the MLK long week end, which does not start until Saturday the 15th.

 

[cdziuba]

Go to www.tug2.net, which is the Timeshare Users Group. For $15 you can access their many reviews of all the timeshare resorts in the world, and Old Key West has a good number of them. We also confirmed a 1bdr OKW this coming September thru Interval. First time for us too. OKW has one of the highest ratings possible on TUG.

 

[AlvaroLuis]

You have been great! I'm taking notes of every piece of advice I'm given. Will try to get in a bldg. #30 or above (2nd entrance to bathroom), on a second floor (view + maybe not a 3rd floor) and will let the boy make up a bed with the cushions (my daughter will appreciate not having to share the bed with him...he wouldn't mind....the way he sleeps is like there's nobody else with him...

Thanks,

 

[spiceycat]

remember to bring sheets and blankets - OKW will only give you enough for their bedding...no extra's.

 

[AlvaroLuis]

Well, I might have to buy some when I get there...no point in bringing them all the way from Panama

 

[canwegosoon]

Wanted to also post that you can get info on OKW at www.allearsnet.com (look in accomodations)...while you're there you might want to also check out the restaurant section to help with the menus. Also www.LaughingPlace.com will have past years hours the parks were open for historical data.

Have Fun