Reviews of Old Key West Resort (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by QueenBlackFrost Review Date: 01/30/2024
Rating: (7) Recommended
I recently stayed here for a solo trip in a studio. Overall, I enjoyed the the laid back beach vibe and thought this was a quieter resort. However, there are reasons that I will likely not stay here again. The bathrooms have the sink and vanity in the same room as the shower and toilet. Since I was by myself, this wasn't a problem, but if you are traveling with others it makes it more difficult for people to get ready at the same time. Also, there was no makeup mirror! I was stunned that something that seems to be available in even the value resorts would not be included here. I also remember the days when deluxe resorts had better quality toilet paper, but now it is the same flimsy stuff as the theme parks. There was a rainfall showerhead, which is fine, but again I think you get better water pressure at the showers in the value resorts. There was a tub to soak in after a long park day, so that I did appreciate. The balcony was very pretty. I felt like there were less children staying here, probably because the theme wasn't overly Disney. This made it a relaxing place to be. I also found that the buses ran efficiently, and I never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus to or from the parks.
Pros:
Tranquail, beautiful, spacious rooms, and yummy food at Olivia'sCons:
Wished there had been a quick service food court with more options like most of the resorts have. Room setup is a bit outdated. All the buildings look the same, which is visually confusing.Reviewed by Jazzfool20 Review Date: 10/05/2021
Rating: (7) Recommended
Just returned from a stay in a studio at OKW, was there for a week. Let me start by saying I've been going to WDW for many years, and am a DVC member (although OKW is not my home resort). The property and rooms are lovely. Very restrained victorian Key West style. The common areas, greenery, was all well kept and groomed. Staff was always pleasant and friendly. Did have an issue with my flight they assisted with. The room itself was great. Largest studios on property. I believe they were also refurbished recently, so that was a nice touch; updated, but didn't go overboard or lose the theming. Olivias is lovely, and the take-away place "Goods" was good as well. Also, takes low amounts of points to stay, which is nice.
Now for the not so good. Firstly, EVERYTHING at the resort shuts down at 10pm, the pool, bar, all food options, etc...So if you happen to get back from a park late and want something to eat/drink, your stuck. Secondly, the location is not the best either. Only transport is bus anywhere (the ferry to downtown Disney was not running yet), and that being said, you had to make sure you were on your way back to the resort by 10ish, or whenever the park nearest you closed. Thirdly, the theming is very laid back, to the point where it's a little boring, and you better like Jimmy Buffet and Harry Belafonte, because they're played constantly. Finally, and I don't know if this is a more wide-spread issue, or unique to me, but I did not receive a cleaning of ANY kind until I asked for it! It was 6 days and I was almost out of toilet paper, which prompted me to go to the main desk and ask. The hostess quickly apologized and set up a cleaning for the next morning, but I should have at least had a trash-and-towel in the meantime!
Like OKW, but not high on the list, good for last-minute trips, when you can't get in elsewhere, or don't have a lot of points to use. Recommend with reservations.
Pros:
Large rooms, Olivia's restaurant is lovely, low point chart.Cons:
FAR from everything else at WDW, Bus only transportation, resort shuts down at 10pm.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/29/2021
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
Nice rooms but not a fan of the transportation
Pros:
Big rooms , Olivia CafeCons:
TransportationReviewed by Anondisney Review Date: 01/12/2021
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
Old Key West is our home resort. It has a sense of charm and nostalgia about it. It features a very cute gift shop/pool area/community center and it feels very relaxed. However, compared to other resorts where you can walk/take the monorail to major parks, it can't compare. Neither can it compare to some of the more adventurous themed resorts like the Polynesian. Not as many food options as we would like and too far spread out to save the legs from more walking once off the bus for the day.
Pros:
Charming, quaintCons:
Spread out, lacklusterReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 04/17/2019
Rating: (7) Recommended
We are a family of four who came over from England and used the dining plan. We really liked the hotel itself but we found the quick service options very limited and there were a lot of wasps round the area were you filled up your refillable mugs and only out door seating.
Pros:
Nice clean room and friendly staff nice pool areaCons:
Limited quick sevice.Reviewed by sand935 Review Date: 09/30/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
Wass a long trip from checking in to get to our room. Rooms are very large but dark, our room had trees outside so balcony was in the shade. Liked takin the boat to Disney springs.
Pros:
large roomsCons:
wait time for busesReviewed by allec999 Review Date: 03/11/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
First time staying at OKW. It was a short stay, only a couple nights. As other reviews have stated, the room was huge. We were in a 1-bedroom, and it was surprising how big it was. The furniture was showing a bit of wear, but nothing that mattered. It's a scenic resort, but a bit too spread out for my tastes, and other than its proximity to Disney Springs, not a great location. Check in was fine, staff were really great (more on that below). Road construction really slowed down traffic throughout the resort, which was a pain.
I left a baseball hat at the pool, which ordinarily wouldn't be too big of a deal, but my mother-in-law had this hat made for me, and we were heading off to visit said mother-in-law directly after we checked out. So when I asked at the main desk, and the woman came walking out from the back room with my hat, I reacted like a kid at Disney World.
Overall, a nice resort, perfect for a short stay like ours.
Pros:
Room sizeCons:
ConstructionReviewed by colinlyoung Review Date: 11/03/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
We are DVC members and had previously stayed at all of the other DVC resorts in Orlando. Old Key West like all of the other DVC resorts is a great place to stay. It is one of the larger resorts and is like a huge housing estate that is beautifully themed.
We stayed in a studio which was a nice room but was a little dated, and the normal DISNEY attention to detail was missing. The alarm clock was broken, the fridge door tricky to shut, there were no spoons in the kitchen and the emergency sign had fallen off the wall. All minor things, that I'm sure if we'd rung The front desk they would have been fixed. However my point is that you shouldn't have to.
On the plus side the pool near our apartment was beautiful (this resort has 1 main themed pool and a number of smaller pools so nobody has to walk to far to a pool). We spent a morning by our pool which was very peaceful and relaxing.
We had no issues with the bus service and never had to wait long for a bus, you just need to plan where you get on and off your bus. A short walk to a different bus stop can make a big difference as to whether you get a seat or not.
The Boat service to Downtown Disney was a really relaxing way to get there, and the boat captains were really friendly.
So a very good resort, but if you have the choice and want to stay in this area, choose Saratoga Springs.
Pros:
Very Relaxing Resort, great pool and top boat trip to Downtown.Cons:
Disappointing Room Standards.Reviewed by fluffy30 Review Date: 09/08/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
Stayed in a 2 bdrm villa Aug 23 to 29. The villa was spacious, clean and well equipped. Staff were friendly and helpful. We stayed ground floor in building 64 (has elevator) which was close to main pool and hospitality house. Our children (4,4,11,15,16) enjoyed the pool, slide and poolside activities while the adults relaxed on the many loungers with drink refill station close by. We mostly drove to the parks but did use bus transportation to and from Magic Kingdom which was fine going as we got on at Hospitality House then straight to the park but returning at night took forever as the bus makes five stops throughout the resort with ours being the last one. We ate at Olivia's which was good but not at the quick service which is just a walk up window. Over-all a good place to stay but not recommended without a car.
Pros:
large villas, great poolCons:
huge resort, transportationReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 06/13/2023
Rating: (8) Recommended
This was our first time staying at a Deluxe resort of any kind and we loved it! We rented points through David's Vacation Club Rentals, and now that we've tried a deluxe, we will not go back to a moderate. We loved going back to the resort mid-day for a rest and pool break. The pool area is standard and the pool bar is right outside the gates. Characters sometimes show up at the resort, and we saw Goofy, Pluto, and Donald one day!
The only negative is on our check out day, the housekeeper opened our room door at 8:30am, while we were still sleeping! We slept in a little that day (obviously) and I was the last one to close our room door at 10:30am (keep in mind check out is 11am). The housekeeper was waiting right beside the door and looked at me and said "Are you ready?". So we felt a little rushed to leave with that.
Overall, this resort is very nice and we will be back on our next trip with David's!
