Old Key West Vacation

[Omoreno]

Okay, so a few weeks ago I asked where my husband and I should stay when taking his extended family on vacation.

I took everyone’s comments into consideration, and I made a power point to help everyone in the family decide. We landed on a two bedroom Old Key West- less points=more days, room size, Florida feel, and proximity to Disney Springs.

I’ve never stayed at Old Key West and want to know what to expect for a vacation in January (assuming we’ll be able to switch at the 7 month mark).

Is the pool heated in the winter months?

If we’re without a car is near hospitality house the way to go?

How far is the bus to the parks?

T

 

[_auroraborealis_]

All Disney pools are heated. That said, depending on the outside temperature, remember that the water will still be cooler than body temperature, and thus may feel cold.

I don't think near HH is essential without a car. Be prepared to walk or use internal buses no matter where you land.

What do you mean by "how far?" There are multiple bus stops and no part of the resort is too far from a stop. Like any resort, time to a park depends on park.

 

[NoTime42]

The Disney Springs proximity may only still mean a shorter bus ride, as the boats to Disney springs have not started, yet (and may not as long as they are doing temperature checks before entering), and I don’t think they allow walking the golf course River path to DS.

Bus distance to parks is better than some (such as AKL) but some people get super bothered at any resort with multiple bus stops inside a resort, and that’s all personal preference.

 

[Disney_Bliss]

If you are a "walker", do not worry about being near the HH - and you could request a room in one of the buildings close to the walkway that leads to Disney Springs (10-15 minute moderate walk). If you want to be by the main pool, close to HH is best, but there are some buildings just a short walk to the HH that are easier to come by (again, it is a room request, no guarantees). As PP mentions, you can always ride a bus around the resort, but if you do not mind walking, it might be just as quick to walk as opposed to waiting for the property shuttle.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Bus distance to parks is better than some (such as AKL)

Eh. Depends how you define "bus distance."

OKW is about 20-25 minutes to everything, wee longer to Animal Kingdom, but has multiple internal bus stops. AKV is about the same to Epcot and DHS, shorter to AK, and a haul to MK. OKW averages out better but isn't going to be a lot closer to 3/4 parks.

 

[Evita_W]

The Disney Springs proximity may only still mean a shorter bus ride, as the boats to Disney springs have not started, yet (and may not as long as they are doing temperature checks before entering), and I don’t think they allow walking the golf course River path to DS.

Bus distance to parks is better than some (such as AKL) but some people get super bothered at any resort with multiple bus stops inside a resort, and that’s all personal preference.

There is a walking oath the SSR that you can use (closes at dusk though) and you can walk to DVC from there.

 

[NoTime42]

There is a walking oath the SSR that you can use (closes at dusk though) and you can walk to DVC from there.

The east side path and bridge from SSR Congress Park to Disney Springs is open all night. After dusk one path from the parking lot to the Disney Springs walkway is closed, but you can still walk between Congress Park buildings at night.

 

[Evita_W]

The east side path and bridge from SSR Congress Park to Disney Springs is open all night. After dusk one path from the parking lot to the Disney Springs walkway is closed, but you can still walk between Congress Park buildings at night.

Right, I meant the walking path from OKW to SSR closes at dusk

 

[Tigger's ally]

The boats to DS will surely be back in business by then, especially with the news coming out that there is very little chance of the virus spreading outside in open air. We always used it every night to go to Springs for drinks and dinner. We actually prefer to not stay near HH as it is more "busier" over there. We love the turtle pond area as it just seems nice a quiet. Just hop any bus or walk to HH. Many times my son and I helped close down the gurgling suitcase and carried our final drink of the day on the walk back to our villa.

 

[Nabas]

Okay, so a few weeks ago I asked where my husband and I should stay when taking his extended family on vacation.

I took everyone’s comments into consideration, and I made a power point to help everyone in the family decide. We landed on a two bedroom Old Key West- less points=more days, room size, Florida feel, and proximity to Disney Springs.

I’ve never stayed at Old Key West and want to know what to expect for a vacation in January (assuming we’ll be able to switch at the 7 month mark).

Is the pool heated in the winter months?

If we’re without a car is near hospitality house the way to go?

How far is the bus to the parks?

We stayed at OKW this January, had a fun time!

But we were watching the weather and booked a few nights when the forecast was for mid-70 degree weather. The weather was all over the map that January; many days with a high in the low 60s.

We went swimming at two different OKW pools. Both were heated and OK. Still, a lot of people ended up in the hot tub to warm up.

Unless you are within walking distance of a theme park (or on the Monorail), the buses feel about the same to me. After all, no matter which park you are going to, you're only talking about a 5-10 minute difference. Most of your time is spent waiting for the bus, which happens no matter which hotel you stay at.

OKW has buses that regularly stop at Hospitality House. Still, if you don't have a car, being near HH is a big advantage, IMO.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Every bus at OKW stops at the Hospitality House last. So if that is where you are headed, you can hop any theme park bus or the internal bus and get to the HH. Getting back to your area you can walk to the Peninsular Rd bus stop and hop any bus to get back to your area. There is an internal shuttle that stops at the HH first and last. So if you catch it at the HH, make sure you aren't leaving the resort to go to DS. Once you leave the resort on your bus, you'll be at Epcot in 5-10 minutes (it's right across the road from OKW). MK will be about 12-15 minutes.

 

[cleophus12]

Every bus at OKW stops at the Hospitality House last. So if that is where you are headed, you can hop any theme park bus or the internal bus and get to the HH. Getting back to your area you can walk to the Peninsular Rd bus stop and hop any bus to get back to your area. There is an internal shuttle that stops at the HH first and last. So if you catch it at the HH, make sure you aren't leaving the resort to go to DS. Once you leave the resort on your bus, you'll be at Epcot in 5-10 minutes (it's right across the road from OKW). MK will be about 12-15 minutes.

So which is the first bus stop when headed to the parks?

 

[The Jackal]

Peninsular Road is the first stop. First on, first off for the parks.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Peninsular Road is the first stop. First on, first off for the parks.

When we stayed on Miller Road, we used to get on and off at Peninsular Road and walk to our Villa. We always got to our villa before the bus got to the Miller Road bus stop.

 

[Tigger's ally]

When we stayed on Miller Road, we used to get on and off at Peninsular Road and walk to our Villa. We always got to our villa before the bus got to the Miller Road bus stop.

We always stay on Old Turtle Pond and my son and I always got off at Penninsular Road when coming back from the parks at night. The girls took grandtinker back to tub and bed while my son and I bonded at the Gurgling Suitcase for a couple nightcaps.

 

[BillPA]

Keep in mind 2 things, NO elevator is all but 3 buildings and if you will have people sleeping in the LR on the sofa bed/chair you may want to be in building 30 or above to have the 2nd entrance to the master bath thru the laundry room.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Theme park buses run - Peninsular Rd, South Point, Turtle Pond, Millers Road, Hospitality House. Internal/Disney Springs bus stops first and last at HH.