Resort dilemma

[lchughes75]

Old Key West or Art of Animation? And, why? Which pools are better? Thanks!

 

[bigbabyblues]

How many people in your party and what are you looking for in a resort? Are you looking at a suite at AoA or a regular room? What room type at Old Key West? What do you want in a pool?

 

[Nancyg56]

Oh my! We need more than that. What is your budget, your expectation from the resort, sleep surfaces necessary, etc

 

[sbd78]

AoA's pools are fun, but since it's a value there is no slide or hot tub if that's important to you?

 

[lchughes75]

No budget concerns. 4 ppl. 2 adults. 2 kids (7 yo and 9 yo). They love theming but also the look of the sandcastle pool. Wanted Boardwalk but no availability. It would be a regular room at AoA. Don't care about distance to bus, food court, etc. Never bothered us before. Hope that clarifies a bit. Sorry and thanks to everyone again!

 

[Babsy]

I would stay at OKW. I like AoA, but would prefer the extra space at OKW. Like the proximity to DS as well.

 

[Hi Pluto]

By "regular" room does that mean the little mermaid room? Those don't appeal to me what-so-ever.

OKW seems much more "deluxe" to me. I personally would go for OKW, especially if you were going for the boardwalk quality.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If the choice is Little Mermaid or OKW, OKW wins without any doubt whatsoever.

 

[TOBS2010]

Did you need/want a food court? For us, with kids 6 & 3, we relied more on the food court last summer than we thought we would. It was nice to be able to grab food and go. AOA has a nice food court. OKW has a small walk up (only open for lunch/dinner) with slightly odd hours and a very small menu. The bonus about OKW is that you could opt for a space with a full fridge and kitchen if you wanted. OKW does have Olivia's which is a TS. The two are very different feels. OKW has their main pool which reminds more a little more like the Boardwalk.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My vote is "other", but if those are your only choices, definitely OKW.

 

[lchughes75]

My vote is "other", but if those are your only choices, definitely OKW.

I have to ask...what's the other? Maybe I missed something in my research.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I have to ask...what's the other? Maybe I missed something in my research.

"Other" meaning I could list many other resorts I would rather stay at than OKW, but, again, if it's between OKW and AoA, I would do OKW.

 

[lchughes75]

"Other" meaning I could list many other resorts I would rather stay at than OKW, but, again, if it's between OKW and AoA, I would do OKW.[/QUOT

I knew what you meant...I was asking what your "other" (favorite) is.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Did you need/want a food court? For us, with kids 6 & 3, we relied more on the food court last summer than we thought we would. It was nice to be able to grab food and go. AOA has a nice food court. OKW has a small walk up (only open for lunch/dinner) with slightly odd hours and a very small menu. The bonus about OKW is that you could opt for a space with a full fridge and kitchen if you wanted. OKW does have Olivia's which is a TS. The two are very different feels. OKW has their main pool which reminds more a little more like the Boardwalk.

Agree. If you expect a food court at OKW, stick with AoA. There is no food court at OKW, just a really small pool side food counter with picnic tables outside (Goods to Go). They do offer breakfast foods, but not like you'd get in a food court.

Most of the building at OKW do not have elevators, so if you aren't on the first floor, you'll need to hike the stairs. OKW villas are large, generally the largest in DVC. Studios have two real queen beds. One bedrooms have a king bed in the bedroom, queen sleeper sofa and twin sleeper chair in the living room.

 

[Nancyg56]

I like OKW but I htink that if a food court is on your necessity list, you might want to skip thsi resort and choose a different one. Personally, I believe that the choice of OKW or AofA is strange because the two resorts could not be more different and I usually see some sort of commonality when folks narrow their choices down.

Since you mentioned Boardwalk Inn, I am going off script and suggesting Beach or Yacht club. The pool is awesome for young people and older alike, and the proximity to two parks cannot be beat. No food court but plenty of choices nearby to choose, and the QS choices in the two resorts are adequate.

The Boardwalk at night is so much fun, and we generally stroll after a nice meal simply to enjoy evening entertainment.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Actually, none of the deluxe resorts have food courts like you see at the values or moderates. They usually have some sort of counter service, but the offerings are different and they are usually a whole lot smaller than a value or moderate food court. Deluxe resorts usually have at least one, if not more, table service dining locations. The DVC resorts all have at least a kitchenette in the studio and full kitchen in the one bedrooms and larger. So you can make your own meals in the villas.

We bought our first DVC points at OKW 22 years ago and have stayed there over 20 times. So you can see we love OKW. But it definitely meets our needs. We like dining at Olivia's and seldom eat at Goods to Go unless we just want to pick up something quickly, like a burger, ice cream.

 

[Minnie1222]

Disclosure: I have not visited these two resorts but I've stayed at Disney many times. If these two were the only ones available, I would choose OKW simply because it's in the deluxe category.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Oh! I would do any other deluxe except SSR and would also consider POR and POFQ.

 

[Hi Pluto]

OP, when are your dates?

 

[beccasmom]

We obviously love OKW as it’s one of our home resorts. However, there are not great food options other than Olivia’s, which is terrific, but is table service. Good’s is the counter service. It is okay, but the menu doesn’t have many options and I find it to be pricey with slow service. We order food from Garden Grocer and have a fair number of basic meals in our unit. The units themselves are very spacious and comfortable and most have been recently renovated.

For that reason I base our stays on who is traveling with us. If it’s just DH and I, we have no problem with taking the watercraft from OKW to Disney Springs. But if my elderly mom or some of the grand kids are with us, we try to book where there are more immediate meal options such as BLT with its pretty painless access to the CR or other monorail resorts. (And one-bedroom units at BLT have two full bathrooms, a really great convenience.). Booking at an Epcot resort would also bring you closer to an array of meal options. No food courts, but options in all price levels from ESPN to Cape May Cafe to the eateries at the Swan and Dolphin.