Sell me on Old Key West

[KittieKat]

Due to the second wave of the taking away resort availability, I am now staying with my family in a one bedroom villa at OKW. It wasn't my first choice and I don't know much about it. Any advice or tips on what you love about it is appreciated.

 

[TCRAIG]

I love OKW - large rooms - big screen porch - beautiful grounds - very relaxing...and Olivia’s is always a favorite.

 

[ScubaCat]

Dedicated, never-crowded busing everywhere, BIG rooms, nice amenities, beautiful grounds. If you want to be near the feature pool and Olivia's (restaurant - very good), ask for a room near the hospitality house. Otherwise, you'll be good. They do run internal busing as well so you'll still be able to get there. If you're in certain sections you can walk over, but it can be a hike if you're across the resort. There is also a larger pool and snack bar (not sure if it's open now) in the "turtle pond" section. You may be spoiled by the room size and layout; they're one of a kind, built before Disney knew DVC would be a success and that they didn't have to build them so big

 

[KittieKat]

Nice. How are the internal buses to get to front? How long do they take? This was really why I wasn't sure I wanted to stay here.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Any bus marked Disney Springs starts at Hospitality House, proceeds to the other stops, then returns to Hospitality House before leaving the property. That's the official internal bus. But any park bus skips BY when entering, first stops at Peninsular Road, proceeds to the other villa bus stops, and hits IN just before exiting.

So really, guests can take any bus from their rooms to Hospitality House. The actual internal bus is only necessary when going back to the room. Even then, you could grab a bus at Peninsular Road to get to other areas.

 

[cpep42]

I stay right at Old Key West for four to five months at a stretch...yes that long. It is, in my estimation, the best resort on property as far as friendliness and homey feelings. The cast members are my second family. I just can't say enough good things about it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Disney allows you to stay in any single onsite property longer than 30 consecutive nights?

 

[Moliphino]

The rooms are huge and very nice. I would try to be near Peninsular or the Hospitality House to avoid the long bus rides through the resort (its an easy walk between the two, to be able to get on at the last stop and get off at the first stop). The bus route through the resort is the worst thing about OKW.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The rooms are huge and very nice. I would try to be near Peninsular or the Hospitality House to avoid the long bus rides through the resort (its an easy walk between the two, to be able to get on at the last stop and get off at the first stop). The bus route through the resort is the worst thing about OKW.

Hospitality House is a DVC points booking category. You probably won't get it on a cash reservation.

Even if you are at the furthest point from the Hospitality House, you are only about ten minutes walk. You can hop any bus from the different areas to get to the Hospitality House since that is always the last stop. You may need to remind the bus driver that you are getting off at the HH so he doesn't head out before stopping there. You can then walk back to the Peninsular Road bus stop and take any bus back to your area.

Another perk is the twin sized sleeper chair. Not too uncomfortable and a real twin sized bed. The sleeper sofa is queen sized. The master bedroom has a king sized bed. If you have guests in the living room other than your own family, you'll want a villa numbered 30 or higher (usually South Point or Turtle Pond) since those have an extra door through the laundry room to the toilet/shower/sink room. You won't have to go through the master bedroom to get there. The tub/sink room is separated from the master bedroom by shutters, not a wall or door. The tub is a large, oversized jetted tub, too. And the washer and dryer are full sized, not stackables like most of the DVC villas. There is an ice maker in the freezer section of the refrigerator.

 

[plygph]

Close to being my favorite for all of the reason that have been cited.

 

[kda]

Once you know about getting on any bus for travel within the resort, it's very quick and easy to get from your villa to the Hospitality House/main pool/store/Olivia's/quick service and back again. Just have to be sure to mention to driver that you want to get off at the Hospitality House (main building). And when ready to go back to your villa, walk across the street from the HH to the first bus stop and it will circle around the resort.
We love OKW because it's relaxing, rooms are big and cast members have always been great. Balconies in a 1 BR are full size, with a table and 4 chair and a ceiling fan. It's close to Disney Springs (either by boat or walking -- if you're at the end of the property closest to West End). We spend a lot of time on the balcony or at the pool.
Unfortunately, we've never been crazy about the quick service food, but do like Olivia's very much. You can usually get in without a reservation. If you have a car, it's a very quick drive to Saratoga Springs, which has an excellent restaurant and quick service that offers some different options.
If you can do stairs, you may want to request a room on the top floor. Views are usually better and no one is above you. In most buildings, the top floor is the second floor, so it's not a long climb. Many rooms overlook the golf course and some have a 'water view' of the river or a lake. We've stayed there many many times and continue to love to go there, even though it's not where we purchased DVC.
Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Tigger's ally]

I love OKW - large rooms - big screen porch - beautiful grounds - very relaxing...and Olivia’s is always a favorite.

Stayed many times and porch/balciny has nevrr been screened. They are big and nice complete with full suze table and chairs snd ceiling fan.

 

[cpep42]

Disney allows you to stay in any single onsite property longer than 30 consecutive nights?

Yes...the longest we stayed was about 5 1/2 months. Our manager called us aside and said "now remember, this is as much as you can stay without becoming a Florida resident". Greatest people there.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Stayed many times and porch/balciny has nevrr been screened. They are big and nice complete with full suze table and chairs snd ceiling fan.

Correct. There are no screens on the porch.

...It's close to Disney Springs (either by boat or walking -- if you're at the end of the property closest to West End). ...

You can walk to Disney Springs, but you'll have to do that walk during daylight hours. There is no lighting on the path at night. The path starts near the South Point pool. It's about 0.8 miles to Disney Springs. You can also take a bus to Disney Springs when the boat isn't running or if the weather is bad or it's dark outside.

 

[tuckymom]

About 8 years ago, I had an almost 3 week conference at Cornado Springs. We got a per diem everyday. I was at 4 different resorts during that time in part to keep cost down and in part because I had my family come down for a few stays and stay with me and then several friends as well during another weekend. IT WAS AWESOME! (Anybody cares it was like 8 days CS, 3 nights WL, 4 nights All Star Movies, 4 nights Poly or something like that.

Stayed at OKW for 3 nights with friends who just wanted to be someplace warm with a pool. Liked Olivia's a lot. The prices and variety were nice. It felt more like a "stay at the resort" resort than many of the others.

 

[The Jackal]

Disney allows you to stay in any single onsite property longer than 30 consecutive nights?

A single reservation cannot be longer than 30 days, but you can make multiple reservations 30 days long. If it is at the same resort you could ask to stay in the same room.

 

[Wild4Walt]

I like how large the 1 bedroom is and the general set up is more user friendly than other 1 bedroom DVCs. It is a very large resort so I would look at the map to get your bearings before leaving and maybe requesting a room close to the hospitality house.

 

[clayfolks]

In order to get a room close to the Hospitality House, since you probably don’t have that booking category, you can request Peninsular Rd. and close to transportation. That never fails to get us very close.

 

[Bullseye]

Only stayed there once in a studio near HH. I enjoyed it. The vibe was very laid back and comfortable. It's got that old Florida feel to it. My only con is no inside quick serve dining.

 

[bcuinohio]

I have stayed in an OKW studio twice. We really like it there. Our favorite area is Turtle Pond Road. We enjoyed the quiet pool there.

To me, the only drawback to OKW is the QS food options. There is no inside seating for Good's Food to Go. On the bright side, it is pretty easy to drive over to Apopka Vineland Rd for some take out if you have a car.