Port Orleans Riverside vs Old Key West 2 Bdrm (with 5 people)

[AnthonyS]

Hey,
We are heading from Australia to Orlando for 3 months and we are resort hopping and grabbing an AirBnB across the time we are there. There's 3 adults and 2 kids and a tonne of luggage.

For 10 days while we are there we have Port Orleans Riverside booked, with 2 interconnecting standard preferred rooms. With the specials that are out there right now we can get a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West for about $500 more.

Is having the preferred room (but smaller space) better? or having more space, but maybe not as easily accessed room better? We can't decide and haven't stayed at either resort before.

The hardest part is we just don't know the size of the rooms from the pics, and what the distance from a 2bd villa to the bus stop is / preferred room to the bus stop is??

Any help in deciding would be great. Thanks everyone!

 

[jmasgat]

I would take the 2BR at OKW in a heartbeat. They are the largest DVC units built by Disney. You would have lots of sleeping space, a full kitchen/dining/living room, laundry, jacuzzi, balcony. Parking is adjacent to the buildings--closer than POR. If you are near Hospitality House, the walk is not bad. (But I have no issues walking any kind of distance) and there are several bus stops within a short stroll.

I have also stayed at POR in both Alligator Bayou and Magnolia buildings. It is a lovely resort. But from a space standpoint, you will have a lot less.

Both resorts have boats to Disney Springs.

For that price difference, I would not hesitate to go OKW.


If you want to see pictures and resort layouts, check out a site like Allears dot net

 

[AnthonyS]

I would take the 2BR at OKW in a heartbeat. They are the largest DVC units built by Disney. You would have lots of sleeping space, a full kitchen/dining/living room, laundry, jacuzzi, balcony. Parking is adjacent to the buildings--closer than POR. If you are near Hospitality House, the walk is not bad. (But I have no issues walking any kind of distance) and there are several bus stops within a short stroll.

I have also stayed at POR in both Alligator Bayou and Magnolia buildings. It is a lovely resort. But from a space standpoint, you will have a lot less.

Both resorts have boats to Disney Springs.

For that price difference, I would not hesitate to go OKW.


If you want to see pictures and resort layouts, check out a site like Allears dot net

Thanks for the tip. We have only ever stayed at Bay Lake Towers / Contemporary, but because we are coming for so long and resort hopping, its great to get all the feedback we can.
I think you're right though, having the extra space would be valuable as having 5 people with 3 months worth of luggage is already like having 5 more people ;-)

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hey,
We are heading from Australia to Orlando for 3 months and we are resort hopping and grabbing an AirBnB across the time we are there. There's 3 adults and 2 kids and a tonne of luggage.

For 10 days while we are there we have Port Orleans Riverside booked, with 2 interconnecting standard preferred rooms. With the specials that are out there right now we can get a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West for about $500 more.

Is having the preferred room (but smaller space) better? or having more space, but maybe not as easily accessed room better? We can't decide and haven't stayed at either resort before.

The hardest part is we just don't know the size of the rooms from the pics, and what the distance from a 2bd villa to the bus stop is / preferred room to the bus stop is??

Any help in deciding would be great. Thanks everyone!

A two bedroom OKW villa would be 1410 sq ft. That is a lot more than two POR hotel rooms. Plus you get a full kitchen, full sized washer and dryer in your villa. OKW only has three buildings that have elevators and they are usually reserved for medical needs. There are five bus stops at OKW - Peninsular Rd, South Point, Turtle Pond, Millers Road and the Hospitality House all kind of located around the resort so you don't have too far to go to catch a bus. Four pools and one of them is themed with a slide. Olivia's is a very nice table service restaurant. There is a smaller counter service (not a food court) at Goods to Go which was originally just the pool dining area with picnic table outside for eating. They have a few breakfast items, but with a full kitchen you can eat anything you want in your villa. The kitchen has a full sized refrigerator with ice maker in the freezer compartment. Even if you are at the furthest area at OKW, you are a short ten minute walk to the Hospitality House. You can also hop any bus to get to the HH because every bus stops there last. You can walk to Peninsular Road bus stop from the HH and ride back to your area if you want. There is also a small pool dining counter service at the Turtle Pond pool that is open seasonally. Check out post #2 on the thread to find out more about OKW.

 

[AnthonyS]

A two bedroom OKW villa would be 1410 sq ft. That is a lot more than two POR hotel rooms. Plus you get a full kitchen, full sized washer and dryer in your villa. OKW only has three buildings that have elevators and they are usually reserved for medical needs. There are five bus stops at OKW - Peninsular Rd, South Point, Turtle Pond, Millers Road and the Hospitality House all kind of located around the resort so you don't have too far to go to catch a bus. Four pools and one of them is themed with a slide. Olivia's is a very nice table service restaurant. There is a smaller counter service (not a food court) at Goods to Go which was originally just the pool dining area with picnic table outside for eating. They have a few breakfast items, but with a full kitchen you can eat anything you want in your villa. The kitchen has a full sized refrigerator with ice maker in the freezer compartment. Even if you are at the furthest area at OKW, you are a short ten minute walk to the Hospitality House. You can also hop any bus to get to the HH because every bus stops there last. You can walk to Peninsular Road bus stop from the HH and ride back to your area if you want. There is also a small pool dining counter service at the Turtle Pond pool that is open seasonally. Check out post #2 on the thread to find out more about OKW.

Thanks so much. Getting all this info is great and it seems as if everyone agrees the OKW is the way to go.
Coming from Aus, and having never stayed at either resort makes the decision difficult, but with everyones help its getting easier and easier (and OKW is clearly the winner!)

 

[AnthonyS]

How does Saratoga Springs compare to OKW in the 2bd villa realm? (the wife has now thrown that into the mix)

 

[Deb & Bill]

Oh, I forgot. One king bed, two queen beds, one queen sleeper sofa and one twin sized sleeper chair.

 

[Deb & Bill]

SSR is a bit newer than OKW, so the rooms are a bit smaller. It's a short walk to Disney Springs from the Paddock and Congress Park areas. Check out Post #8 on that same thread to see more about SSR. It has a real nice counter service area at the Carriage House - Artist's Palette and a nice table service steak house with the Turf Club. There is also a very nice counter service at the Paddock pool. A two bedroom dedicated will get you one king bed, two queen bed, one queen sleeper sofa, but no twin sized sleeper chair. The two bedroom lockoff will be one king bed, one queen bed, one double sleeper sofa, one queen sleeper sofa. Stackable washer and dryer. Full kitchen but no icemaker in the refrigerator. You get your ice from ice machines located around the buildings or make trays of ice in your freezer section.