Planning for Old Key West

[SpaceMountain77]

Hi everyone,

There was a time when I feared Old Key West. The thought of a sprawling resort was overwhelming and I had reservations about the theming. However, over the past year, we have made four visits to Olivia's Cafe, for lunches and dinners, and have been taken by the charm, hospitality, and serenity of Old Key West.

Recently, I switched our April reservation from Animal Kingdom Villas to Old Key West, partially because of the planned renovation. Would someone please tell me about the location of resort refillable mug stations (e.g., is there only one), visiting the resort without a vehicle, and success with requesting a ground floor room with a near-hospitality house reservation (i.e., I have a deluxe studio - near hospitality house reservation, but the representative said that only 10 ground floor studios have this designation).

Thanks for your help!
Jim

 

[WelcomeHome]

First of all, I believe that Old Key West is by far one of the most under-rated resorts at Disney. As the very first DVC resort, it has a charm, serenity and spaciousness that is unmatched by ALL of the newer DVC locations that were built with an increasing number of compromises as time progressed. While the masses always run to the newest, shiniest, much more expensive and "hyped" resorts, Old Key West remains as the hidden gem of all the DVC resorts!

As far as refillable mugs station, there is one at "Good's Food to Go" which is the small "Counter Service" window facing the waterfront at the back of the Hospitality area. Visiting without a vehicle at OKW is no problem. In addition to one of the most reliable bus services, there is an absolutely charming and relaxing boat ride that runs every 20 minutes to Downtown Disney! And if you're staying in the Hospitality Area, everything is within walking distance within the resort.

As far as first floor request, I really don't have the experience to advise you but hopefully someone else can provide more info there. Enjoy your stay at the beautiful resort - I'm confident you'll return many times for many years to come!

Best wishes,
David

 

[JWG]

We love OKW! Never feel like we are "settling" when we stay there. Not our favorite resort, but it's a Top 3.
Enjoy!

 

[cedricandsophie]

We love old key west too. Always request near the Hospitalit House. To get a first floor room, I'd suggest calling ahead and making sure the request is on the books. Then I would call a week ahead and make the request again. There is also one or two elevator buildings so if climbing the stairs is an issu, you might request one of those too.

 

[JJZMgailey]

Old Key West was the very first Resort we ever stayed at on our first trip to Walt Disney World back in 2008 and it really holds a special place in our hearts. Back then, it was my husband and I plus our 2 kids, then my parents, and my brother and SIL. There were only 8 of us back then, so the 2BDR was so perfect, so roomy. We're so excited because our son graduates in May/2016 and everyone's coming for a week-long vacation. I now have a niece (who will be 10 months old) and a nephew (who will be 4) so all ten of us are staying in a 3BDR Grand Villa. Each family will have their own bedroom and bathroom plus the common areas to share.

It really feels like home there to us plus the points per night are such a great value where we feel like we're getting more for our money.

It's great to hear that you gave it a shot and have fallen in love with it, Jim!!

Have fun!

 

[bababear_50]

Hi
OKW is one of my home resorts and I have always stayed close to the Hospitality House.
I request ground floor and have usually gotten it BUT many times the unit has been a H/A Handicapped Accessible unit.
For my next trip I didn't request close to Hospitality House as I want to try a more quiet /peaceful vacation.
The main pool last visit was extremely crowded with "outside guests", hopefully this was a one time occurrence.
I am hoping for somewhere near "Turtle Pond' as there is a snack shack/drink refill station / quiet pool there.
Everything I've read says it is open seasonally so, maybe someone who has been there could say when/what seasonally means.
OKW is definitely one of my Fav resorts.
Top 5 things I enjoy
1.close proximity to Disney Springs
2.boat and bus transportation
3.next door to the Spa at SSR
4.CM are wonderful
5.Olivia's food is good

I fly into Orlando from Canada and do not drive when on holidays.
I find the bus transportation reasonable--sometimes I do use cabs.

Hugs Mel

 

[Deb & Bill]

There are only eight buildings in the Near HH area - 11, 12, 13 and 14 directly adjacent to the HH and 23, 24, 25 and 26 right across the bridge from the HH. Bldg 62, 63, 64 are the only buildings with elevators and are usually reserved for medical needs.

We usually avoid the near HH area because of bus noise with 11-14 and the difficulty parking at times (we always have a car) with guests using those parking places as overflow for the HH. We prefer South Point or Millers Road.

Just a note about OKW GVs. One of the two upstairs bedrooms only has two double beds instead of queen beds.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

There are only eight buildings in the Near HH area - 11, 12, 13 and 14 directly adjacent to the HH and 23, 24, 25 and 26 right across the bridge from the HH. Bldg 62, 63, 64 are the only buildings with elevators and are usually reserved for medical needs.

I did not realize that there are 8 buildings with a Near Hospitality House designation. Based on what I found online, I had thought that it was only buildings 11, 12, 13 and 14.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It looks like 17 of the 42 HH studios are on the ground floor so 40%.

 

[stormer]

We stayed on building 11 last time and the bus noise was really bad. We overlooked the road entering the resort. The noise from the busses coming and going was enough to keep us up at night and wake us up in the morning.

 

[abner1776]

We have stayed at OKW many times now and never with a vehicle...always use DME. Yes, the bus rides can be longer than other resorts because of the size of OKW but a lot of it depends on where you end up staying within OKW. Our first stay was in bldg 45 and we definitely noticed the noise of the busses driving by and it took a while to get to the parks. My last stay was in bldg 18 (millers rd) with no road(bus) noise and very quick access to the busses and the parks. There definitely are short cuts to be had depending on where you are staying and since we are generally traveling sans kids a few minute longer wait is not a big deal.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We have stayed at OKW many times now and never with a vehicle...always use DME. Yes, the bus rides can be longer than other resorts because of the size of OKW but a lot of it depends on where you end up staying within OKW. Our first stay was in bldg 45 and we definitely noticed the noise of the busses driving by and it took a while to get to the parks. My last stay was in bldg 18 (millers rd) with no road(bus) noise and very quick access to the busses and the parks. There definitely are short cuts to be had depending on where you are staying and since we are generally traveling sans kids a few minute longer wait is not a big deal.

We noticed that, too, in Bldg 45. We were in the end unit closest to the stop sign.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

First of all, I believe that Old Key West is by far one of the most under-rated resorts at Disney. As the very first DVC resort, it has a charm, serenity and spaciousness that is unmatched by ALL of the newer DVC locations that were built with an increasing number of compromises as time progressed. While the masses always run to the newest, shiniest, much more expensive and "hyped" resorts, Old Key West remains as the hidden gem of all the DVC resorts!

As far as refillable mugs station, there is one at "Good's Food to Go" which is the small "Counter Service" window facing the waterfront at the back of the Hospitality area. Visiting without a vehicle at OKW is no problem. In addition to one of the most reliable bus services, there is an absolutely charming and relaxing boat ride that runs every 20 minutes to Downtown Disney! And if you're staying in the Hospitality Area, everything is within walking distance within the resort.

As far as first floor request, I really don't have the experience to advise you but hopefully someone else can provide more info there. Enjoy your stay at the beautiful resort - I'm confident you'll return many times for many years to come!

Best wishes,
David

Thanks, David!

Jim 8O

 

[SpaceMountain77]

We love OKW! Never feel like we are "settling" when we stay there. Not our favorite resort, but it's a Top 3.
Enjoy!

If our trips to Olivia's Cafe are reflective of a resort stay, then we expect it will soon be in our top three as well!

Jim 8O

 

[SpaceMountain77]

We love old key west too. Always request near the Hospitalit House. To get a first floor room, I'd suggest calling ahead and making sure the request is on the books. Then I would call a week ahead and make the request again. There is also one or two elevator buildings so if climbing the stairs is an issu, you might request one of those too.

Thanks, I will be sure to contact the resort in advance to note the needed request.

Jim 8O

 

[SpaceMountain77]

Old Key West was the very first Resort we ever stayed at on our first trip to Walt Disney World back in 2008 and it really holds a special place in our hearts. Back then, it was my husband and I plus our 2 kids, then my parents, and my brother and SIL. There were only 8 of us back then, so the 2BDR was so perfect, so roomy. We're so excited because our son graduates in May/2016 and everyone's coming for a week-long vacation. I now have a niece (who will be 10 months old) and a nephew (who will be 4) so all ten of us are staying in a 3BDR Grand Villa. Each family will have their own bedroom and bathroom plus the common areas to share.

It really feels like home there to us plus the points per night are such a great value where we feel like we're getting more for our money.

It's great to hear that you gave it a shot and have fallen in love with it, Jim!!

Have fun!

We have not yet enjoyed our first OKW booking in April and I am already thinking of changing my fall Food & Wine weekend booking to an OKW 1-bedroom

Jim 8O

 

[SpaceMountain77]

Hi
OKW is one of my home resorts and I have always stayed close to the Hospitality House.
I request ground floor and have usually gotten it BUT many times the unit has been a H/A Handicapped Accessible unit.
For my next trip I didn't request close to Hospitality House as I want to try a more quiet /peaceful vacation.
The main pool last visit was extremely crowded with "outside guests", hopefully this was a one time occurrence.
I am hoping for somewhere near "Turtle Pond' as there is a snack shack/drink refill station / quiet pool there.
Everything I've read says it is open seasonally so, maybe someone who has been there could say when/what seasonally means.
OKW is definitely one of my Fav resorts.
Top 5 things I enjoy
1.close proximity to Disney Springs
2.boat and bus transportation
3.next door to the Spa at SSR
4.CM are wonderful
5.Olivia's food is good

I fly into Orlando from Canada and do not drive when on holidays.
I find the bus transportation reasonable--sometimes I do use cabs.

Hugs Mel

Thanks, Mel! We also enjoy the boat to Disney Springs and meals at Olivia's Cafe.

Jim 8O

 

[SpaceMountain77]

There are only eight buildings in the Near HH area - 11, 12, 13 and 14 directly adjacent to the HH and 23, 24, 25 and 26 right across the bridge from the HH. Bldg 62, 63, 64 are the only buildings with elevators and are usually reserved for medical needs.

We usually avoid the near HH area because of bus noise with 11-14 and the difficulty parking at times (we always have a car) with guests using those parking places as overflow for the HH. We prefer South Point or Millers Road.

Just a note about OKW GVs. One of the two upstairs bedrooms only has two double beds instead of queen beds.

It is my hope that we are assigned a room in the 23, 24, 25, and 26 community cul-de-sac.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

It looks like 17 of the 42 HH studios are on the ground floor so 40%.

Thanks, Kathy!

Jim 8O

 

[SpaceMountain77]

We have stayed at OKW many times now and never with a vehicle...always use DME. Yes, the bus rides can be longer than other resorts because of the size of OKW but a lot of it depends on where you end up staying within OKW. Our first stay was in bldg 45 and we definitely noticed the noise of the busses driving by and it took a while to get to the parks. My last stay was in bldg 18 (millers rd) with no road(bus) noise and very quick access to the busses and the parks. There definitely are short cuts to be had depending on where you are staying and since we are generally traveling sans kids a few minute longer wait is not a big deal.

Which resorts share DME service with Old Key West?

Jim