AggieDizzer
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2019
(I hope I am posting this in the correct forum...it's not a full trip report, just a few thoughts on our resort after our visit last week!)
After our first stay at OKW (we are regulars at Port Orleans Riverside but had the chance to upgrade our accommodations for this trip) I have to say we have been SPOILED! I was absolutely wowed by the resort - from the atmosphere at the hospitality house, to the wonderful cast members, to the SIZE OF THE VILLA, to the beauty of the layout...top to bottom, it was a magical experience. I will never forget when we first entered our 1 BR villa and our kids all simultaneously said "OH MY GOSH!!!" It was so great. It's what makes a WDW trip worth every penny.
I heard about some summer deals that the resorts were running earlier this year on the Dis. We planned on staying at Wilderness Lodge, but I grabbed a deal at OKW on a 1 bedroom villa, sight unseen. (I knew very little about this resort when I booked it.) Since we are not DVC, we didn't get a preferred location; in fact, we were about as far from the hospitality house as you can get (bldg 22). But we weren't too far from a bus stop, and the resort regularly runs an internal shuttle. Plus I like to walk anyway, so it was no big deal to walk to the hospitality house - about a 10 minute stroll. And as a bonus, our room was right on the golf course, and had a beautiful view of the 6th fairway of the Lake Buena Vista course (which I played on this trip, but that's a story for another day!).
The rooms at Old Key west are huge - I mean, huge! I knew they were a little bigger than the standard suites, but I had no idea. The master bedroom had a king bed, which was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in. The suite also had 2 pull out beds in the common area - a twin and a full size. It had a full kitchen, stocked with all the cooking utensils you'll need (if you choose to cook on vacation, which we did sparingly). Full size refrigerator and freezer. Dishwasher. And as an added bonus, which made life sooooo much easier for us - the room came with a full size washer and dryer! I regret I didn't take pics of the inside, but there are tons of pics online.
So the room itself was great. If you are so inclined, you could have food delivered to the room and cook meals here easily. We had breakfast in the room pretty much every day - cereals, fruit, muffins, eggs, etc. The general store has a small selection of items there (bread, bagels, muffins, milk, frozen pizza, ice cream, cereal, condiments, etc) but it's pricey, and if you have a large group it might make sense to pick up food off property or have food delivered to the resort.
One activity I particularly enjoyed was the Wednesday morning fun run!! Every Wednesday the resort hosts a 3k fun run around the resort. As a runner myself, I thought it was a cool activity. I ran with my wife and daughter, scoring a small medal and a water bottle. The cast members made it a lot of fun. Yes, it's hot and humid, but everyone was super supportive of everyone participating (there were maybe 25-30 of us).
While I thought the pool at OKW wasn't quite up to Old Man Island standards, it was nonetheless very nice, featuring a giant sandcastle water slide and several small pools off the main pool. I didn't spend a lot of time at the pool but what I saw seemed very relaxing and fun, like one would expect at a Disney resort. Adjacent to the pool is the Conch Flats Community Center, which offers board games, TV, puzzles, and activities for the younger kiddos (it's also where we signed up for the fun run).
The food options are solid as well, but be aware there is no food court at OKW. There's the signature restaurant, Olivia's, where we had dinner one night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. (I won't do a full food review in the interest of time and because I am not a foodie, but suffice to say we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals here). There's a small bar called the Gurgling Suitcase, which is charming and offers a "bar food" menu along with delicious cocktails and a selection of different beers. Then there is a quick service/counter service restaurant called Good's, which has a selection of breakfast platters, muffins, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches in the morning (NO Mickey Waffles though) and burgers, sodas and sandwiches throughout the day.
The resort runs a ferry to Disney Springs, which we took advantage of on a few occasions when heading out for dinner. It comes in roughly every half hour or so. The view from the boat of the resort is beautiful....
I'll wrap up for now, but I just want to say that OKW gets a 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 from me. I just loved it - I hope we get a chance to go back!! If I can answer any questions, I would be glad to do so. If I can think of anything else I will post. I have been humming "Volcano" by Jimmy Buffett and the "Banana Boat" song (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte since I got home (they play these and an assortment of other island tunes on a loop at the resort). Ah, I hope I get to go back.
I have so much more I could say about our trip last week, but that will all be for another time.
Oh, and I almost forgot - on our departure day, Disney sent us a lovely rainbow!! Talk about magic!
Peace and blessings.
After our first stay at OKW (we are regulars at Port Orleans Riverside but had the chance to upgrade our accommodations for this trip) I have to say we have been SPOILED! I was absolutely wowed by the resort - from the atmosphere at the hospitality house, to the wonderful cast members, to the SIZE OF THE VILLA, to the beauty of the layout...top to bottom, it was a magical experience. I will never forget when we first entered our 1 BR villa and our kids all simultaneously said "OH MY GOSH!!!" It was so great. It's what makes a WDW trip worth every penny.
I heard about some summer deals that the resorts were running earlier this year on the Dis. We planned on staying at Wilderness Lodge, but I grabbed a deal at OKW on a 1 bedroom villa, sight unseen. (I knew very little about this resort when I booked it.) Since we are not DVC, we didn't get a preferred location; in fact, we were about as far from the hospitality house as you can get (bldg 22). But we weren't too far from a bus stop, and the resort regularly runs an internal shuttle. Plus I like to walk anyway, so it was no big deal to walk to the hospitality house - about a 10 minute stroll. And as a bonus, our room was right on the golf course, and had a beautiful view of the 6th fairway of the Lake Buena Vista course (which I played on this trip, but that's a story for another day!).
The rooms at Old Key west are huge - I mean, huge! I knew they were a little bigger than the standard suites, but I had no idea. The master bedroom had a king bed, which was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in. The suite also had 2 pull out beds in the common area - a twin and a full size. It had a full kitchen, stocked with all the cooking utensils you'll need (if you choose to cook on vacation, which we did sparingly). Full size refrigerator and freezer. Dishwasher. And as an added bonus, which made life sooooo much easier for us - the room came with a full size washer and dryer! I regret I didn't take pics of the inside, but there are tons of pics online.
So the room itself was great. If you are so inclined, you could have food delivered to the room and cook meals here easily. We had breakfast in the room pretty much every day - cereals, fruit, muffins, eggs, etc. The general store has a small selection of items there (bread, bagels, muffins, milk, frozen pizza, ice cream, cereal, condiments, etc) but it's pricey, and if you have a large group it might make sense to pick up food off property or have food delivered to the resort.
One activity I particularly enjoyed was the Wednesday morning fun run!! Every Wednesday the resort hosts a 3k fun run around the resort. As a runner myself, I thought it was a cool activity. I ran with my wife and daughter, scoring a small medal and a water bottle. The cast members made it a lot of fun. Yes, it's hot and humid, but everyone was super supportive of everyone participating (there were maybe 25-30 of us).
While I thought the pool at OKW wasn't quite up to Old Man Island standards, it was nonetheless very nice, featuring a giant sandcastle water slide and several small pools off the main pool. I didn't spend a lot of time at the pool but what I saw seemed very relaxing and fun, like one would expect at a Disney resort. Adjacent to the pool is the Conch Flats Community Center, which offers board games, TV, puzzles, and activities for the younger kiddos (it's also where we signed up for the fun run).
The food options are solid as well, but be aware there is no food court at OKW. There's the signature restaurant, Olivia's, where we had dinner one night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. (I won't do a full food review in the interest of time and because I am not a foodie, but suffice to say we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals here). There's a small bar called the Gurgling Suitcase, which is charming and offers a "bar food" menu along with delicious cocktails and a selection of different beers. Then there is a quick service/counter service restaurant called Good's, which has a selection of breakfast platters, muffins, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches in the morning (NO Mickey Waffles though) and burgers, sodas and sandwiches throughout the day.
The resort runs a ferry to Disney Springs, which we took advantage of on a few occasions when heading out for dinner. It comes in roughly every half hour or so. The view from the boat of the resort is beautiful....
I'll wrap up for now, but I just want to say that OKW gets a 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 from me. I just loved it - I hope we get a chance to go back!! If I can answer any questions, I would be glad to do so. If I can think of anything else I will post. I have been humming "Volcano" by Jimmy Buffett and the "Banana Boat" song (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte since I got home (they play these and an assortment of other island tunes on a loop at the resort). Ah, I hope I get to go back.
I have so much more I could say about our trip last week, but that will all be for another time.
Oh, and I almost forgot - on our departure day, Disney sent us a lovely rainbow!! Talk about magic!
Peace and blessings.
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