Side trip to Key West?

[Chili327]

If I was to do a trip where we spent one week in WDW and another week in Kew West (not old key west DVC. lol) would you think better to do WDW first or after?

Anyone have experience doing both in one trip?

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

I would expect Key West to be more relaxing so I'd probably do it second to recoup. This would depend on how you do WDW and Key West though of course.

 

[hardcorestitch]

If I was to do a trip where we spent one week in WDW and another week in Kew West (not old key west DVC. lol) would you think better to do WDW first or after?

Anyone have experience doing both in one trip?

I would knock out the REAL Key West first before heading up to Disney. It really makes the Disney portion feel magical. The anticipation of getting to those magical gates after a relaxing, rejuvenating time in Key West is perfect for you guys.

 

[PoppyJ]

Just did this for my birthday last year. It was an awesome trip.

10 nights at BVC, then 5 nights in Key West.

We rented a car for the entire time we were in Orlando, then planned to return it in Key West, where we were flying out.

Couple hiccups. We rented an Airbnb in Truman Annex. Host canceled the day we were supposed to check in while we were having breakfast at Topolino's... We ended up at the Fairfield in Marathon. We have stayed there before, and it's fine.

Then when we were leaving Key West, our plane had mechanical issues. It was delayed, then delayed. We tried to get a rental car to drive to Miami to get a flight out of there. No rental cars available. We were delayed and delayed. Maybe the 5th delay, we ran to the rental counter, got a car. Managed to change our flight to Fort Lauderdale the next morning. Long story short, I will never fly out of Key West again. It's a small airport, so there's a lack of alternative flights and rental cars if something goes wrong. I would rather drive to Miami to fly out.

Definitely thought Disney World, then Key West was the right decision.

 

[Chili327]

Thanks for the great feedback.!!

I think, just based on this, I’m thinking fly into Miami, rent/drive to Key West, then drive to Orlando and return the car for WDW portion, then Uber/Lyft to fly out of Orlando.

As much as going to chill after WDW sounds amazing, I think getting all the unfamiliar out of the way first sounds more comfortable.

 

[kanne323]

This was about eight years ago and for far less time, but we did Key West after Disney (only one park day, was on site for about four days beforehand for a work conference.) The drive down was absolutely fine. I think the only bad thing was the hotel in KW was terrible- it has since closed. The KW portion of the trip was actually sandwiched in between Disney and another significant piece, so we hadn't planned much, only a snorkeling trip (fabulous.) We found ourselves relaxing and enjoying the laid back vibe.

 

[hardcorestitch]

This was about eight years ago and for far less time, but we did Key West after Disney (only one park day, was on site for about four days beforehand for a work conference.) The drive down was absolutely fine. I think the only bad thing was the hotel in KW was terrible- it has since closed. The KW portion of the trip was actually sandwiched in between Disney and another significant piece, so we hadn't planned much, only a snorkeling trip (fabulous.) We found ourselves relaxing and enjoying the laid back vibe.

Glad you enjoyed! Although I bet you cried when you saw the “See Ya Real Soon” side of the Disney gates when you left.

 

[Stargazer65]

If I was to do a trip where we spent one week in WDW and another week in Kew West (not old key west DVC. lol) would you think better to do WDW first or after?

Anyone have experience doing both in one trip?

Yes, did this two years ago. We drove down and stayed a week in the Keys. Stayed at BPK, KW, KL. I was almost tempted to quit my job and live in the Keys lol.

Then we drove to VBR and stayed for a week, then finally followed that up with a week at WDW (RR). That was a good order of events for us, we spent the first half of vacation seeing new sights, the latter half mostly just relaxing. We didn't do theme parks at WDW, mostly just relaxing.

That may have been my favorite vacation.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We stayed in Sanibel and then took the ferry from Fort Myers Beach to KW. It wasn't inexpensive and about a 3 hour ride if I remember one way. KW is so small, a car is really a PIA as there is no where to park. There is a "train" that goes around KW if you need a lift. It is a long drive from WDW to Fort Myers but way shorter than driving WDW to KW. The ferry was enjoyable on the way down, but we had rough seas on the way back. They cancel if the seas are too bad so make sure you have whatever you need with you.

I say it is worth it! It was on DH's bucket list and I surprised him with a day trip and we loved it. We plan to do it again...someday!

 

[NickC]

We like to stop off at a few other places on the drive down. We'll spend 2 or 3 nights in the other keys, which are more laid back. KW can get pretty loud at night, which can be fun, but with us traveling with the kids, it can get to be a bit much.
We usually book a fishing charter in Islamorada, then spend the night. It's a lot different from fishing up north. We take our catch directly to a restaurant and have them prepare it for us.
It sounds corny, but our favorite thing to do at night in KW is the ghost tour trolley. There are no 'jump scares'. It's more about local folklore and actual historic events. The history of KW is really interesting.

 

[Chili327]

We like to stop off at a few other places on the drive down. We'll spend 2 or 3 nights in the other keys, which are more laid back. KW can get pretty loud at night, which can be fun, but with us traveling with the kids, it can get to be a bit much.
We usually book a fishing charter in Islamorada, then spend the night. It's a lot different from fishing up north. We take our catch directly to a restaurant and have them prepare it for us.
It sounds corny, but our favorite thing to do at night in KW is the ghost tour trolley. There are no 'jump scares'. It's more about local folklore and actual historic events. The history of KW is really interesting.

That's good info, because I'm not a drinker, & was thinking KW was basically all of the keys, so I will definitely need to do some research on where I want to stop & stay.

 

[Stargazer65]

That's good info, because I'm not a drinker, & was thinking KW was basically all of the keys, so I will definitely need to do some research on where I want to stop & stay.

This is where we stayed, it was great:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/F3iKDggGtAY6i2Ka6

Big Pine Key is one of the quietest Keys. It's like a national park. We drove to Key West two of the days (40 minute drive), parked in a garage, and used the trolley or walked, then left at nightfall before it got noisy.

 

[NickC]

That's good info, because I'm not a drinker, & was thinking KW was basically all of the keys, so I will definitely need to do some research on where I want to stop & stay.

KW is the southernmost key--closer to Cuba than to a Walmart. The drive from Key Largo to KW is a little over 2 hours. It is a beautiful drive. That's part of the trip for us. Which is weird because I don't love driving. There are a lot of cool places to stop on the way. Kw CAN be done in a relaxed way, but it's not the same type of vibe as like Beaches Turks and Caicos.
There are a ton of videos on Youtube about the drive from Miami to KW with a lot of great info on local stops along the way. It's also worth checking out videos specific to KW. Search for Duval Street at night. Mallory Square sunset. Etc. To get a feel for the vibe.