Tell me about Old Key West

[Simba's Mom]

The path to DS is near the South Point us stop. Just before the bus stop, if you go left, past the pool is the walkway. Last year, we stayed in a 1 BR in building 54 and loved it-so quiet, no bus noise, but very close to a bus stop.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

OKW is amazing. Out of all the DVC resorts we have stayed at (which is all the WDW ones except Saratoga and Boulder Ridge), it gave us the most sense of actually being on vacation. We had a chance to relax and stop feeling the need to go-go-go, and just enjoy being together. The only Disney stay where I didn’t get back to Toronto and think “wow, I’m tired, I need another vacation to recover from that trip!”

The food at Olivia’s is great too. My DH still talks about the papa’s hash. And we are not vegan/vegetarian.

 

[Janis]

OKW had a recent full refurbishment. The only problem is because of all the windows in the units there was no wall space to install Murphy beds so there is still only the dreaded sofa beds.

 

[SwanVT2]

The path to DS is near the South Point us stop. Just before the bus stop, if you go left, past the pool is the walkway. Last year, we stayed in a 1 BR in building 54 and loved it-so quiet, no bus noise, but very close to a bus stop.

I didn't know that there was a path to DS. How long is the walk?

 

[SwanVT2]

The path to DS is near the South Point us stop. Just before the bus stop, if you go left, past the pool is the walkway. Last year, we stayed in a 1 BR in building 54 and loved it-so quiet, no bus noise, but very close to a bus stop.

Or, is that the wilderness path that goes to Saratoga and then, from there, to DS?

 

[DizDaD7]

It is the first DVC resort and was once called The Disney Vacation Club. As soon as you arrive you will automatically relax because that is the vibe there. The rooms are the largest of the resorts. The boat runs about every 20 minutes to DS.Besides the main pool I believe there are 4 others. Our favorite is Old Turtle Pond and it has a snack bar to boot. You will not regret staying there.

I haven't read through all the replies, so I apologize in advance if I'm repeating anything.

TBH, This is one of my top 3 fav. resorts. Sure there are a few things that can be upgraded/expanded but all the resorts have some shortcomings I think.

I'll start with the Cons (IMHO) 1st.
Our biggest pet peeve, is the QS situation here. I realize it's the OG. and they weren't sure what to expect, but They have to expand this somehow, and also have more seating, w/ preferably some indoor.
A small con is that it's kinda med/far from MK....Not a huge deal for us, but for some it may be.
Gurgling Suitcase (The poolside bar/lounge) is wayyy too small. A small expansion somehow, & perhaps another one at either of the other quiet pools would be nice as well.

Now for the PROS.
1st off, Room sizes.....HUGE!!!!! all categories.
2nd,The laid back vibe here is soooo relaxing.... It's nice to come back here from the parks and De-disnefy ( if that makes any sense ) a lil. Sort of like what we feel when we arrive back at AKV, to a lesser extent. IYKYK.
3rd The grounds are super nice here and if you are/aren't a golfer it's nice to be this close...
4th Olivia's Cafe to us is a nice hidden gem....Great food always, great service, never busy either.
5th The boatride to DS, truly is majestic... It's Sooo relaxing w/ some real nice scenery... It's quite nice.
6th The welcoming area is nice, & the store (Conch Flats) is really large and has a lot of items to choose from.
7th Honestly The buses from here. We've never had anything but good things to say about the service to & from the parks from this resort...Somehow it just works...
I might be missing something else which I'm sure I'll edit later but you get the idea..

Also we also enjoyed turtle pond too. bldg 31 I believe we were... Enjoy.

 

[heynowirv]

I haven't read through all the replies, so I apologize in advance if I'm repeating anything.

TBH, This is one of my top 3 fav. resorts. Sure there are a few things that can be upgraded/expanded but all the resorts have some shortcomings I think.

I'll start with the Cons (IMHO) 1st.
Our biggest pet peeve, is the QS situation here. I realize it's the OG. and they weren't sure what to expect, but They have to expand this somehow, and also have more seating, w/ preferably some indoor.
A small con is that it's kinda med/far from MK....Not a huge deal for us, but for some it may be.
Gurgling Suitcase (The poolside bar/lounge) is wayyy too small. A small expansion somehow, & perhaps another one at either of the other quiet pools would be nice as well.

Now for the PROS.
1st off, Room sizes.....HUGE!!!!! all categories.
2nd,The laid back vibe here is soooo relaxing.... It's nice to come back here from the parks and De-disnefy ( if that makes any sense ) a lil. Sort of like what we feel when we arrive back at AKV, to a lesser extent. IYKYK.
3rd The grounds are super nice here and if you are/aren't a golfer it's nice to be this close...
4th Olivia's Cafe to us is a nice hidden gem....Great food always, great service, never busy either.
5th The boatride to DS, truly is majestic... It's Sooo relaxing w/ some real nice scenery... It's quite nice.
6th The welcoming area is nice, & the store (Conch Flats) is really large and has a lot of items to choose from.
7th Honestly The buses from here. We've never had anything but good things to say about the service to & from the parks from this resort...Somehow it just works...
I might be missing something else which I'm sure I'll edit later but you get the idea..

Also we also enjoyed turtle pond too. bldg 31 I believe we were... Enjoy.

Heynow Diz,
We love the gurgling suitcase for what it is a no frills drinking hole. There's seating everywhere around there if you want.
I agree about Good's(QS) but we rarely buy anything there anyway.

 

[DizDaD7]

Heynow Diz,
We love the gurgling suitcase for what it is a no frills drinking hole. There's seating everywhere around there if you want.
I agree about Good's(QS) but we rarely buy anything there anyway.

LoL, not saying I don't like the quaintness of it, but with larger groups and all it's tough to grab some chairs.... Maybe just adding another one somewhere by the pool, or one of the others.... The bartenders there are really cool as well.... friendly to boot.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

I have some new guy questions… for context my kids are 5, 5, and 0.5 I’m looking at 2 bedrooms.

Which buildings are the “near HH” category. I feel like that would be a necessity with little kids and strollers for proximity to the main pool and food.

What is “requestable” through MDE for room preference for both categories of near HH and not? I feel like I’ve had better luck through the app than via MS (e.g., near Skyliner at RR gets me… near the Skyliner).

Can I request first floor only (for the strollers…) through MDE or is that chat to MS and pray?

How long a distance is the walk to DS?

 

[DizDaD7]

I have some new guy questions… for context my kids are 5, 5, and 0.5 I’m looking at 2 bedrooms.

Which buildings are the “near HH” category. I feel like that would be a necessity with little kids and strollers for proximity to the main pool and food.

What is “requestable” through MDE for room preference for both categories of near HH and not? I feel like I’ve had better luck through the app than via MS (e.g., near Skyliner at RR gets me… near the Skyliner).

Can I request first floor only (for the strollers…) through MDE or is that chat to MS and pray?

How long a distance is the walk to DS?

So This what a found...I remembered Trying to find out this info, when we were booking OKW during that trip.. You can request 1st floor, and they will add it to your resv. Heres a link to a past thread.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...ospitality-house-at-okw.2705165/post-40826645

 

[DVCjj]

Two things I didn’t care for at OKW were 1) outside doors near yo the beds make me a little uncomfortable and 2) the studio, though wonderful to have two actual beds vs normal DVC studios with one bed and pull out couch, I thought the room configuration was odd. Like a ‘U’ shape.

I prefer to pay the extra money for BWV, BCV, BRV etc etc

 

[Kingdome8]

Me and my wife went there and stayed a few nights there on points for food and wine. It was nice and the studio was a good size. But not my fav hotel. I’ll be honest everything would have to be sold out for me to stay again. Actually liked Caribbean beach better. Maybe it’s just cause I got a taste of the riviera and ruined me. Lol

 

[Travel60]

The walk from OKW to Disney Springs is just over 1.5 miles. You walk along the canal, cross canal right by the boat launch at SS then continue along the path by the lake. Paved and wide.

 

[heynowirv]

Agree. But frequent mentions of OKW being "old" seemed to be framed as a negative. In reality, some of the most iconic WDW resorts are 10-20 years older than Old Key West. And others aren't much newer.

When you're putting it that way I agree with you.

 

[CarAnn]

I did not read all the comments so someone else may have already mentioned this. I have stayed at Old Key West several times. My most recent stay was over the 4th of July 2022.

It seems “cooler” to me there in the summer than at other resorts and the parks. There are a lot of trees so shade is abundant.

I also always have my car with me and enjoy being able to park it right outside the building where I am staying. It makes it much easier to unload the car and to get our things inside the villa.

 

[Ellester]

I have some new guy questions… for context my kids are 5, 5, and 0.5 I’m looking at 2 bedrooms.

Which buildings are the “near HH” category. I feel like that would be a necessity with little kids and strollers for proximity to the main pool and food.

What is “requestable” through MDE for room preference for both categories of near HH and not? I feel like I’ve had better luck through the app than via MS (e.g., near Skyliner at RR gets me… near the Skyliner).

Can I request first floor only (for the strollers…) through MDE or is that chat to MS and pray?

How long a distance is the walk to DS?

So I actually made a 1st floor request through Touring Plans and also called the front desk since my mom has a scooter and couldn’t walk up all those stairs anyway (no accessible rooms available plus she hates when we get those since she doesn’t need any of the accommodations other than limited steps). I called again on our check in day and then when we were assigned our 2BR in the app, it was on the top floor of a non-elevator building. Sigh. After a visit to the front desk they were able to move us but honestly I was super frustrated since I had done due diligence to get that 1st floor and they obviously had one since we eventually got one. But it worked out in the end. I will avoid OKW when we travel with my mom from now on just to not have to deal with that again. We did love the size of the rooms, not impressed with Olivia’s (at least not with the takeout they offered, meals smooshed all together in a tiny box). As far as the decor, I grew up in Florida so it actually feels the least ”vacationy” to me since it’s just like the apartment complex I was raised in! I can see how non-Floridians would like it though. The boats weren’t running yet last we were there (Feb 2021) so that was a bummer too.

 

[MulanMom]

So I actually made a 1st floor request through Touring Plans and also called the front desk since my mom has a scooter and couldn’t walk up all those stairs anyway (no accessible rooms available plus she hates when we get those since she doesn’t need any of the accommodations other than limited steps). I called again on our check in day and then when we were assigned our 2BR in the app, it was on the top floor of a non-elevator building. Sigh. After a visit to the front desk they were able to move us but honestly I was super frustrated since I had done due diligence to get that 1st floor and they obviously had one since we eventually got one. But it worked out in the end. I will avoid OKW when we travel with my mom from now on just to not have to deal with that again. We did love the size of the rooms, not impressed with Olivia’s (at least not with the takeout they offered, meals smooshed all together in a tiny box). As far as the decor, I grew up in Florida so it actually feels the least ”vacationy” to me since it’s just like the apartment complex I was raised in! I can see how non-Floridians would like it though. The boats weren’t running yet last we were there (Feb 2021) so that was a bummer too.

We were owners at OKW for 23 years, having bought in when it was the original Disney Vacation Club. We thought we'd always be able to do stairs, even in our 80s. Unfortunately, DH was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease. We made the 1st floor request many times, then it got to the point where they would unabashedly assign us to an upper floor room even though my DH was in a scooter. They insisted the only way a first floor could be guaranteed was if we booked a handicapped accessible room. There were many reasons why a room like that did not work for my husband at the time...including his stubbornness about giving up anything that was regular or normal because he knew at some point in his life, accessible rooms would be his only option. In any event, we ended up selling our DVC, not just because of how often this issue occurred but it was a contributing factor.

If you do the 1st floor request, have a backup plan. Fortunately, when it happened to us, my DH could still climb stairs. We were able to keep the ECV overnight in Papa's Den in the main building. I drove it over, made sure it was plugged in and charging, then picked it up and brought it back to my DH the next day.

Enjoy OKW. It's a lovely resort!

 

[Simba's Mom]

We were owners at OKW for 23 years, having bought in when it was the original Disney Vacation Club. We thought we'd always be able to do stairs, even in our 80s. Unfortunately, DH was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease. We made the 1st floor request many times, then it got to the point where they would unabashedly assign us to an upper floor room even though my DH was in a scooter. They insisted the only way a first floor could be guaranteed was if we booked a handicapped accessible room. There were many reasons why a room like that did not work for my husband at the time...including his stubbornness about giving up anything that was regular or normal because he knew at some point in his life, accessible rooms would be his only option. In any event, we ended up selling our DVC, not just because of how often this issue occurred but it was a contributing factor.

If you do the 1st floor request, have a backup plan. Fortunately, when it happened to us, my DH could still climb stairs. We were able to keep the ECV overnight in Papa's Den in the main building. I drove it over, made sure it was plugged in and charging, then picked it up and brought it back to my DH the next day.

Enjoy OKW. It's a lovely resort!

That's why I'm trying to convince DH to consider someplace other than OKW. He ONLY wants to stay there. However, I also have a progressive neuromuscular disease and use an ECV. Eventually (like very soon) I'll just have to tell him that either we book HA or we stay elsewhere. The stress of wondering and waiting for our room assignment is getting too much.

 

[Tink6584]

We have a question… which buildings for the
One bedroom living room and master bedroom has the best sunrise view?