Questions about Old Key West

[mevelandry]

Hello!

I just realized that OKW has studios (I thought there was only villas and never though I could afford one) and they can be at a very good price (around 275$/night) during promotions.

I still can't believe my eyes. It looks absolutely charming and gorgeous!

Can you tell me more about it? I'd really like to hear what people (especially those who tried the moderate/other deluxes too) think about it.

Didn't I hear about Olivia's being a nice restaurant?

Please tell me more... I'm thinking about booking OKW for our trip in April 2015!

 

[magicaldisney]

OKW is a Disney Vacation Club resort. It is a big resort with outdoor entrances, more of a condo feeling than a hotel feeling. There is one main themed pool and several quiet pools. Olivia's is a nice table service and there really is no quick service like what you would have at a moderate resort. There is boat service to DTD. Only some buildings have elevators, so keep that in mind when booking if you can not get up the stairs.

As for the studios, OKW is the only DVC resort that offers two beds in the studio instead of one bed and one pullout sofa. OKW also offers the most sq. footage in the studio compared to the other DVC resorts. If you are interested in larger than a studio, you might want to consider renting a reservation from a DVC member. A one bedroom or larger will give you a full kitchen and washer and dryer in the unit.

 

[mevelandry]

Thanks for your info... DH and I like to do split stays a studio would be perfect for us. Do they offer any kind of activities?

The pictures I saw of the resort make me think of it as it "feels like home".

I'm very curious about it.

 

[glaserjm]

The activities on offer are fairly similar to other resorts where you can rent equipment like water sprites, bikes, etc. There are shuffleboard, tennis and basketball courts as well. The organized activities are centered around the pool and geared more towards kids.

The Gurgling Suitcase is also a little gem of a bar (my fave on property). There are poolside grills, there a jogging path and DVD rentals in the community hall next to the fitness center.

As you can see in my sig...OKW is our favorite!

 

[chalee94]

lots of us love OKW:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3113113&page=73

olivia's is not really a destination restaurant IMO, but i've never had a bad meal there. it's especially a good option for a sit-down breakfast.

if your dates are locked in, definitely look into renting DVC points. you typically cannot get a refund and you'd need to book very soon, but it's a great deal.

david is a reliable broker (and a DIS board sponsor):

http://www.dvcrequest.com/

or go to the DIS's rent/trade board to deal directly with an owner:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

 

[davedmaine]

We stayed there once, and honestly wouldn't go back.
Unless you have a car, it seems like a nightmare. The place is huge and really spread out. We actually had to ride a bus to get to the pool. Also, the quick service restaurant is not great and there's no inside seating.

 

[Chickkypoo]

I'm at OKW right now.

It's actually one of my favorite resorts because it is so spread out. It's a lot quieter, and it does feel like you are going "home" every day, instead of back to a hotel.

The studios are nice as they have the 2 queen size beds and are very roomy. There is a microwave, fridge and toaster, which is nice for making breakfast in the room in the morning.

Old Turtle Pond is my favorite area. It's a short walk to the pool with the snack bar, the bus stop is pretty central to all the units and it's a distance away from the main entrance which makes it quieter.

The resort is pretty spread out, but the bus transportation is really good, and if you need to go up to the front, you can take a bus up there. The downtown Disney bus will take you back. There is also a boat up near the front of the resort that will take you to Downtown Disney.

 

[chalee94]

The place is huge and really spread out. We actually had to ride a bus to get to the pool.

The resort is pretty spread out, but the bus transportation is really good, and if you need to go up to the front, you can take a bus up there.

yeah, some of it is perspective.

but if you have a car, it is great since you can park right out front of your villa or studio.

also, you should understand that most of OKW does not have elevators, so that is something to be aware of...

 

[mevelandry]

lots of us love OKW:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3113113&page=73

olivia's is not really a destination restaurant IMO, but i've never had a bad meal there. it's especially a good option for a sit-down breakfast.

if your dates are locked in, definitely look into renting DVC points. you typically cannot get a refund and you'd need to book very soon, but it's a great deal.

david is a reliable broker (and a DIS board sponsor):

http://www.dvcrequest.com/

or go to the DIS's rent/trade board to deal directly with an owner:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

I did not know I could find such a thread under DVC resorts, but thank you!

I have nothing against point renting but since I sometimes need a little flexibility in my schedule, I think I'll book through the Disney system. I'd rather pay more and be able to get refunded if an emergency happens and I have to cancel.

 

[mevelandry]

We stayed there once, and honestly wouldn't go back.
Unless you have a car, it seems like a nightmare. The place is huge and really spread out. We actually had to ride a bus to get to the pool. Also, the quick service restaurant is not great and there's no inside seating.

In comparison, how much bigger than CSR would it be?

I don't have a car... But DH and I are "optimistic walkers" and 30-60 minutes walk to get from point A to point B is fine for us.

What kind of bus did you take to go to the pool? Is there an inside transportation system ?

 

[mevelandry]

yeah, some of it is perspective.

but if you have a car, it is great since you can park right out front of your villa or studio.

also, you should understand that most of OKW does not have elevators, so that is something to be aware of...

We don't use elevators except when it's higher than 3-4 levels.


Well, I am more and more interested by this resort.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Olivia's is good and reliable (while not spectacular), you probably don't need an ADR, and the Gurgling Suitcase is the only bar on property that really feels like a neighborhood bar.

There is an internal shuttle (just a Disney bus that goes around the resort) but there are also 3 or 4 pools. You are bound to be close to one of them, unless you really want to go to the main feature pool.

I don't mind walking, so absent inclement weather I don't think the walking is all that bad. Disney buses might take awhile depending on your stop, I think the resort has 5 stops.

 

[saskdw]

Hello!

I just realized that OKW has studios (I thought there was only villas and never though I could afford one) and they can be at a very good price (around 275$/night) during promotions.

I still can't believe my eyes. It looks absolutely charming and gorgeous!

Can you tell me more about it? I'd really like to hear what people (especially those who tried the moderate/other deluxes too) think about it.

Didn't I hear about Olivia's being a nice restaurant?

Please tell me more... I'm thinking about booking OKW for our trip in April 2015!

We've look at OKW as well. With the 30% off their studio's are now the cheapest Deluxe rooms at WDW.

The rooms look fine. The resort looks beautiful. Obviously they are having trouble filling rooms there, thats why the rates are that cheap. I think its because of the size (It's more spread out than CSR or CBR) and location. It's farthest away from the parks. Less of an issue for people with a car. But for us folks who like to get off the plane and use Disney transportation it would be significantly longer wait and travel times than what were used to at CSR.

But if you can live with that the resort looks nice and the deal is good.

 

[chalee94]

What kind of bus did you take to go to the pool? Is there an inside transportation system ?

i think all of the park buses stop at the main area (lobby/olivia's/main pool/gift shop) before heading out to the parks.

but the DTD buses do specifically operate as an internal resort shuttle, IIRC.

 

[mevelandry]

We've look at OKW as well. With the 30% off their studio's are now the cheapest Deluxe rooms at WDW.

The rooms look fine. The resort looks beautiful. Obviously they are having trouble filling rooms there, thats why the rates are that cheap. I think its because of the size (It's more spread out than CSR or CBR) and location. It's farthest away from the parks. Less of an issue for people with a car. But for us folks who like to get off the plane and use Disney transportation it would be significantly longer wait and travel times than what were used to at CSR.

But if you can live with that the resort looks nice and the deal is good.

It would actually be the kind of resort where we would just stay... to relax, take peaceful walk and swim all day long. So far, it sounds perfect to me.

 

[gjroe78]

OKW was our "home" when we were DVC members and had many awesome vacations there and remains in our top 5 Disney resorts(have stayed in 10+)
If you are ok with a little walking then it is fine, Olivia's is great for breakfast as mentioned above.
The rooms are really well decorated and a really good size, we always stayed in the 1 or 2 bed villas as we loved the hot tubs
Book it ! You won't be dissapointed

 

[mevelandry]

OKW was our "home" when we were DVC members and had many awesome vacations there and remains in our top 5 Disney resorts(have stayed in 10+)
If you are ok with a little walking then it is fine, Olivia's is great for breakfast as mentioned above.
The rooms are really well decorated and a really good size, we always stayed in the 1 or 2 bed villas as we loved the hot tubs
Book it ! You won't be dissapointed

I love hot tubs but I'd be surprised to see one in a studio.

 

[mercydisney]

It would actually be the kind of resort where we would just stay... to relax, take peaceful walk and swim all day long. So far, it sounds perfect to me.

This is the resort for you!!
I just stayed at OKW with my 2 teenage girls. I told them we will not stay here again because they just wanted to stay in the resort and not go to the parks.

 

[jd65]

We will be staying at OKW in about 12 days. We are going for MNSSHP. We chose OKW because we need a cheap but not moderate level resort. We don't really like moderates, especially considering the deluxes we've stayed at. We actually really dig the resort theme and they actual just refurbished the Gurgling Suitcase Bar and Good's Food To Go! Good's food to go is now bigger with a more spread out drink re-fill area. We really will enjoy the boat to DTD. We also stayed at CSR and actually, CSR is bigger. Yes, OKW is spread out but in terms of rooms they are one of the smallest resorts! There are 760 rooms! To put that in perspective for you, CSR and POR both have 1,000+ rooms, while WL has 729 (OKW isn't far behind WL in capacity). It is such a quaint resort and almost like a real community, the neighborhood community association of Conch Flats :3

 

[BareNecessities]

Hello!

I just realized that OKW has studios (I thought there was only villas and never though I could afford one) and they can be at a very good price (around 275$/night) during promotions.

I still can't believe my eyes. It looks absolutely charming and gorgeous!

Can you tell me more about it? I'd really like to hear what people (especially those who tried the moderate/other deluxes too) think about it.

Didn't I hear about Olivia's being a nice restaurant?

Please tell me more... I'm thinking about booking OKW for our trip in April 2015!

Salut! Fellow Montrealer - ok - so I live near T.O. now, but my heart is still there! (Except for the traffic jams on the Metropolitan!)

I've stayed at many of the resorts, and as fellow disboarders have commented, OKW is spread out, with old Florida decor and architecture. I really enjoyed it. Any of the buses we ever needed were always quick. We were near the second bigger pool, and loved the atmosphere there too. The main pool is often short of chairs, although they are working on that. For 'ambiance' it is much much calmer than all the other resorts. DTD is so easy to get to, for many more activities beyond the standard resort activities. It depends on the varying ages in your party.

Inside the rooms, there is a sense that you're getting more "elbow room" too, and storage room....less apparent with the studio of course, but I've noticed it. More than in most CSR, or CBR rooms. If there are more than 2 people sharing a studio, that really helps with the crowded feeling. It also has a real relaxed-vacation feel to it - somewhat like CBR. I'm not sure if that's due to the layout of the resort, or some other factor. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe you also get a private balcony, which you wouldn't in a moderate.

As other posters have written, there are limited choices for dining. With DTD so accessible, they must have factored that into their decision. Having said that, Olivia's has very decent food, even if it isn't necessarily "gourmet." I'm very sensitive to "fast-food" type preservatives, and additives, and didn't have any troubles there whatsoever (neither did the diabetic in our party - sufficient variety on the menu for us - better than most moderates). For special meals, we head to Epcot anyway!

Enjoy your planning - that's 1/2 the fun!