Old Key West questions?

[puente0629]

Hi,

My family and I are doing our first DVC stay...we will be staying at OKW (BLT, our home resort was booked) and wanted to get some reviews on the resort. We will be in a 2 bedroom villa with 4 adults and a senior...how are the beds, the actual villa, location, pool, amenities, etc? Pics would be great?

Thanks,

 

[wdwnut]

My home is BWV, but I've stayed at OKW several times. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Rooms are the largest of the DVC resorts. The second bedroom will have 2 beds. We do enjoy the areas near Hospitality House with the grandkids-takes a little less time to walk. We have stayed in the rear sections and it doesn't take long at all to make the walk if you don't want to wait for a bus. Going to DTD by water is very relaxing as well. The only downsides I really have are the very firm beds and being a bit "isolated" from the hustle and bustle of the Boardwalk.

 

[dvc deernut]

HIIIIIIIIII, OUR HOME RESORTS ARE BOARDWALK AND SARATOGA. BUT WE USUALLY STAY AT OLD KEY WEST. WE LIKE THAT LAID BACK ATMOSPHERE, YOUR POINTS GO FURTHER, TRANSPORTATION IS THE BEST, ROOMS ARE LARGER NICE VIEW OF WATER OR GOLD COURSE. dTD IS CLOSE BY ON THE WATER TAXI. OLIVIAS GREAT FOOD. iNTERESTING POOL. YOU DONT FEEL LIKE YOUR IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE COMPLEX OF WDW. WE HAVE STAYED THERE MANY TIMES, A WEEK AGO WE STAYED AT PENNISULAR AND REALLY ENJOYED LOCATION. CLOSE ENOUGH TO WALK OVER BRIDGE TO HH AND MAIN POOL AND TAKING BUS FROM HH OR CATCHING THE BUS AT PENNISULAR WHICH IS FIRST STOP INTO OKW. IF YOU NOTICE YOU MISSED YOUR BUS YOU CAN WALK OVER TO HH AND CATCH THAT SAME BUS COMING BACK OUT. I HAVE PHOTOS OF ALL OVER OKW WHEN I GET A CHANCE I WILL LOAD THEM INTO PHOTOBUCKET AND THEN ON HERE.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Hi,

My family and I are doing our first DVC stay...we will be staying at OKW (BLT, our home resort was booked) and wanted to get some reviews on the resort. We will be in a 2 bedroom villa with 4 adults and a senior...how are the beds, the actual villa, location, pool, amenities, etc? Pics would be great?

Thanks,

Our first stay as DVC members was at BWV, and it still holds a special place in my heart. We were so excited, so I hope your stay is as wonderful as ours was!

As for OKW...it's probably my favorite. The rooms are huge, and I love the landscaping and overall feel of the resort. It's very peaceful and relaxing. Here are a few links that will provide a lot of info:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/old-key-west-resort/
http://allears.net/acc/faq_okw.htm
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/okw.htm

As a PP mentioned, it's nice staying near the Hospitality House. If that section is not available, we love Turtle Pond. The first picture of the pool is the Turtle Pond pool. The others are of the main pool at the HH. The pool at Turtle Pond has a snack bar (fast food type stuff), which is really nice when you're at the pool and don't want to go back to the room.

Here are some pics as well:

 

[Chuck S]

You mention you have a senior....if he/she has limited mobility issues, you'll want to request a ground floor unit, as only 3 buildings at OKW have elevators. If they can take mild stairs, no problem, the steps at OKW are an easy rise with a landing every 1/2 flight.

 

[puente0629]

Thanks...I was reading some reviews on www.tripadvisor.com and some were not so good, which got me to worry. People were complaining about the room being dated, the beds being hard as rock, no flat screens, etc.

Do they have handicap rooms? Also, do they have bar-b-q's and where are they located? Can anyone advise which location to request for our room?

Thanks again,

 

[Chuck S]

Yes, there are handicap accessible rooms. In studios, this usually means the bathtubs have been replaced with roll-in showers and raised commodes. In 1 bedroom and larger units, the whirlpool tub is the same as a non-handicap unit, but the stall shower has been modified to a roll-in shower, raised commodes, lowered counters and few, if any, under sink cupboards.

Beds are such a subjective thing. My 85yo Mom loves the firm beds at OKW.

 

[dmoore22]

The only downsides I really have are the very firm beds and being a bit "isolated" from the hustle and bustle of the Boardwalk.

Which is exactly why we like OKW! The firm beds and being away from the hustle & bustle after a busy day in the parks. It has that laid back feel of "Old Florida" circa Ernest Hemingway without Mickey in your face.

I was reading some reviews on www.tripadvisor.com and some were not so good, which got me to worry. People were complaining about the room being dated, the beds being hard as rock, no flat screens, etc.

. . . Also, do they have bar-b-q's and where are they located? Can anyone advise which location to request for our room?

I have found tripadvisor.com to be consistently inconsistent. There is no doubt one can glean from some of the comments that some of the reviews were manufactured by people that have never been on site. As far as the resort being dated it's supposed to be. It's themed to be 1920's Key West! All the DVC properties undergo renovations/upgrades on a scheduled cycle. OKW was one of the first DVC properties to move from VHS to DVD units. The transition to flat panel has been a little slower. Since watching television is not a big to-do for us when we travel we see that as a neutral amenity. As for the mattresses, we love em. We were there at Christmas and could tell that the mattress and box springs were rather new.

Yes they do have bar-b-ques! Located near the quiet pools/playgrounds. I'm not sure about the main pool area. They do have clam bakes in the beach area past the tennis courts on select evenings.

As for as where to recommend staying all depends. HH is nice and convenient. As for the quiet pools we are partial to Old Turtle Pond/Turtle Shack area (bdgs. 41, 42, 43). It seems to have the convenience of everything. However, we have never been disappointed in any of the locations we have stayed at OKW.

 

[puente0629]

I was looking at the map and noticed Turtle Pond backs up to a main road, is their road noise that you can hear from the pool and/or rooms?

 

[Chuck S]

I was looking at the map and noticed Turtle Pond backs up to a main road, is their road noise that you can hear from the pool and/or rooms?

Occasionally. We stayed in bldg 50 on South Point Rd, which also backs up to the main roadways...so we did hear an occasional siren and some road noise. It wasn't too bad, though...it depends upon how sensitive you are.

 

[dmoore22]

I was looking at the map and noticed Turtle Pond backs up to a main road, is their road noise that you can hear from the pool and/or rooms?

I didn't notice any road noise at either location. We stayed at Southpoint last Christmas in Bdg. 46. There we noticed the sound from the Disney buses passing by. It wasn't too bad.

 

[WDWMom]

Occasionally. We stayed in bldg 50 on South Point Rd, which also backs up to the main roadways...so we did hear an occasional siren and some road noise. It wasn't too bad, though...it depends upon how sensitive you are.

It can't be any worse than hearing the buses in bldg 23 so very early in the morning and late into the night. I never noticed but DH did. We had the end unit and I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Only once have we been disppointed in a room view. I think it was bldg 45, studio, end unit. No view except of trees when we hoped we could see the river. Never been near Millers Rd or South Point in the 12 years of owning. Not sure why as we hardly ever get our requests since we tend to arrive on Th or F.

 

[dmoore22]

It can't be any worse than hearing the buses in bldg 23 so very early in the morning and late into the night. I never noticed but DH did. We had the end unit and I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Only once have we been disppointed in a room view. I think it was bldg 45, studio, end unit. No view except of trees when we hoped we could see the river. Never been near Millers Rd or South Point in the 12 years of owning. Not sure why as we hardly ever get our requests since we tend to arrive on Th or F.

I think the noise we're making on these boards is louder than the noise from the buses mentioned in the previous posts. I have a feeling I probably made the issue of bus noise sound worse than it is really is. Generally it is so quiet that you notice things you wouldn't blink an eye at when home. I get my best sleep when staying at OKW.

 

[dvc deernut]

I think the noise we're making on these boards is louder than the noise from the buses mentioned in the previous posts. I have a feeling I probably made the issue of bus noise sound worse than it is really is. Generally it is so quiet that you notice things you wouldn't blink an eye at when home. I get my best sleep when staying at OKW.

WE HAVE STAYED AT ALL LOCATIONS AT OKW, OUR HOME RESORT IS BOARDWALK BUT WE ALWAYS BOOK OKW OR SOMETIMES AKL. HOW CAN ANYONE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE NOISE THERE, ITS SO PEACEFUL AND I LIKE HEARING THE FOUNTAINS IN THE WATER. THE ONLY NOISE WE HAVE HAD WAS WHEN THE FIREWORKS WERE GOING OFF AT EPCOT YOU COULD SEE THEM FROM THE POOL AT TURTLE POND. I AGREE ABOUT THE LOOK OF THE PLACE ITS SUPPOSED TO BE DATED EARLY 1900s IN OLD KEY WEST. THE BUSR SERVICE IS REALLY GOOD THERE. WE JUST CAME BACK FROM THERE AND STAYED AT PENNISULAR. THATS THE FIRST STOP. YOU HAVE A CHOICE GET ON BUS THERE OR WALK TO HH AND GET SAME BUS AS ITS LEAVING. AS FOR FLAT SCREEN TVS MY GOD HOW CAN YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT WHAT TV IS IN THE ROOM. YOUR STAYING AT DISNEY FOR THE ATMOSPHERE AND VISITING WDW NOT PARKING YOURSELF INFRONT OF THE TUBE. ANYWAYS WE LOVE OKW THE ROOMS ARE BIGGER GREAT ATMOSPHERE GOOD FOOD AT OLIVIAS, QUIET EASY AXCESS TO DTD AND PARKS, AND USES THE LEAST AMOUNT OF POINTS. OH AND I ALSO GET A GREAT SLEEP ON THOSE NICE FIRM BEDS

 

[Glamis]

WE HAVE STAYED AT ALL LOCATIONS AT OKW

Wow.

Turn off the caps lock key my friend.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

We own at BLT and AKV and decided to give OKW a try this week just to save a few points.

I have to admit, I had my anxieties coming here. I'm a CONVERT now.

We're in a 1 BR (4915) that backs up to the main highway and while there is some road noise and even an occasional siren, it's negligable IMHO. I think these are the rooms people complain about because they are so far away from everything.

I'll tell you what... I'll take this room in this location and this size for these points all day long and twice on Sundays. I am sold on Old Key and I came here kicking and screaming.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell anybody!

 

[dvc deernut]

SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS IM NOT YELLING

 

[dianeschlicht]

We own at BLT and AKV and decided to give OKW a try this week just to save a few points.

I have to admit, I had my anxieties coming here. I'm a CONVERT now.

We're in a 1 BR (4915) that backs up to the main highway and while there is some road noise and even an occasional siren, it's negligable IMHO. I think these are the rooms people complain about because they are so far away from everything.

I'll tell you what... I'll take this room in this location and this size for these points all day long and twice on Sundays. I am sold on Old Key and I came here kicking and screaming.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell anybody!

Now doyou see why some of us think South Point is the best area to be anywhere on DVC properties? We LOVE South Point at OKW. While I like buildings 49-56, I LOVE buildings 45 and 46!

 

[dmoore22]

SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS IM NOT YELLING

Yelling? I thought you were just emphasizing a very important point.

 

[Glamis]

SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS IM NOT YELLING

Then turn off the caps lock.