Reviews of Old Key West Resort (Disney Vacation Club)

Reviews

82

Rating

8.27 / 10

Recommended By

87%



Reviewed 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.
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Reviewed by Hstepzinski Review Date: 11/19/2013

Rating: (9)
Recommended

We loved our stay at Old Key West. The rooms were clean and we stayed in a one bedroom suite and we had plenty of room. Having the full kitchen was nice so we could cook at least breakfast there and some other meals. The mousekeeping was really good also, even did dishes we didn't have time to do before we left for parks. Only complaint is there is just a small quick service restaurant with sub par food, but that is not a huge deal since we had a kitchen and prepared out own meals when we were not in the parks. Just sucked the first day before we could run to the store.

Pros:

Large Rooms. whirpool tub

Cons:

lack of good quick service resteraunt
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Reviewed by Motherhen Review Date: 12/11/2013

Rating: (8)
Recommended

We stayed at OKW from 11/29 - 12/09. This resort is absolutely beautiful. The landscaping and architecture of the buildings was gorgeous. As lovely as the grounds were, the CM working there were twice as lovely. Everyone we met, from every department, were pleasant and eager to please. Bell Services deserve special recognition because they have the unenviable task of delivering luggage to the third story of the buildings without the use of elevators.

The only reason I didn't give this resort a higher score was because our two bedroom villa wasn't as clean as it could have been. All of the air return vents were caked with dust & our shower was covered in mildew. I cleaned everything myself but really shouldn't of had to.

The resort is very large and getting around the grounds can be inconvenient, especially first thing in the AM. There are only two places (that we could find) to fill the refillable mugs and neither were convenient to our room location.

Despite it's few flaws, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend OKW to anyone. The rooms are huge and our stay was very enjoyable.

Pros:

Beautiful

Cons:

Large
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Reviewed by slapps Review Date: 01/15/2014

Rating: (8)
Recommended

We once again stayed at Old Key West over the Christmas holiday. We checked into our Grand Villa, building 63 with our friends from up-state NY, on December 18th and left on December 26th. This trip started out bad at check-in with our new bands. I will not get into much detail here you can see my post about the bands on that site. As usual we loved our rooms and location. We were also very fortunate to have the staff we did helping us with our, what seemed like numerous problems. I must give a shout out to front line supervisor Kathy, Scott and especially the resort manager Rodney. They were all so wonderful. They made a trip that could have been a horrible, horrible vacation and made it enjoyable. As stated earlier we LOVE Old key West and will stay here again next year. This was our fourth time in the Villa's. If we had not had the problems we did with the bands I would once again rate it a 10 instead of an 8.

Pros:

Just love the location and decor

Cons:

Bad experience with the new magic bands
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Reviewed by bigsol Review Date: 01/19/2014

Rating: (9)
Recommended

We are DVC members and stay at OKW using our DVC membership. It is not our home resort.

With the exception of two cons, one of which just takes a little forward thinking to remedy, we loved this resort. Don't let the fact that OKW is the original DVC resort fool you. By no means is this an "old" resort. The rooms were refurbished in the last few years, and the entire resort has a very comfy feeling.

Let's start with the room size. OKW has the biggest bang for your buck (or DVC point) as far as square footage goes. We stayed in a 2-br villa, which was just over 1300 square feet. I mean, my first house was only 1400 Sq Ft!! We are a family of four (2 adults, 2 children), and we had more room than we needed. We stayed on Miller's Rd, with a third floor villa overlooking one of the fairways of Lake Buena Vista GC. From our nicely sized balcony we could see the fairway, the main building, 3 water fountain features, a beautiful sunrise and, at night, the ballon going up at Downtown Disney.The layout of the room is ideal, like you would think it should be. Main room has a full kitchen w/island and dining area off to the side. The island acts as a, "partition", of sorts, that seperates the kitchen/dining area from the living room area. Large second br with two queens and full bath off the main room. The hallway has a seperate laundry room followed by the master br, which has the master bath and seperate toilet/shower room. Oh, the balcony has a table and chairs and a ceiling fan for those warm days. Very comfortable.

The staff was more than helpful when it came to things we needed, i.e.- dish soap, dish washer soap, bed rails, etc. The room was clean. It was just as clean as you would expect a resort room to be. I've read reviews where people get angry because they saw a spot or stain on the carpet or the couch. My personal opinion is that if you are going to any resort in the world with the expectation that the room is going to look unused and brand new, you're going to disappoint yourself every time. The room was clean to the standards that I was expecting. I had no problem letting my 1 and 3 year olds crawl, play and roll around on the floor and furniture.

The room was on Miller's Rd. Our building was exactly a six minute walk to the main building and pool area. Perfect if you want to be close to the main area, but have some peace and quiet while at your room.

The first of my two "cons" fits in right here. OKW has no elevators in any of it's guestroom buildings. In case you missed that, I said OKW has ZERO elevators in the guestroom buildings. Remember when I said that we were on the third floor? Yeah, the view was awesome... The loading and unloading of the car? Not so awesome, but ultimately worth it in the end.

This next one is quick and to the point. If you drive to WDW, which we did, you get to park right in front of your building. Maybe not the first spot right next to the entryway, but you will be within 20 or 30 feet of it. Oh, disclaimer: Our trip was the second week of November; A relatively slow time of year. This may not ring true if you travel during peak season or a very busy time.

The pool. Are you kidding me? It was ridiculous. Ridiculous in the best way possible! Hands down my favorite DVC pool to date. The sand castle waterslide, the beach area, the huge main pool, the relaxing, laid back Key West feeling. It was awesome. We went swimming two or three times and it was so much fun. My older boy and I had the greatest time going down the slide and jumping in the pool.

We ate lunch at the poolside eatery. It was priced as a resort counter service eatery should be (not cheap, but reasonable). The food was standard fare and enjoyable. Nothing to write home about, but you won't feel guilty about spending $25-$30 on a lunch for 4 at Disney. Wait, let me clarify that. I'm over 6ft and weigh 260 lbs. I eat allot... We ate dinner in our room almost every night. It just makes sense when you have the amenities available to you. One evening we decided to have dinner then put on a light jacket and walk over to Olivia's for dessert. It was fun. We sat outside and enjoyed the cool Florida air. My wife and I each got coffee and a Banana Bread Pudding Sundae. Yup, it was as good as it sounds. We shared the sundaes with the boys and got them some milk to wash it down. It was a great little outing and the atmosphere was so enjoyable. For some reason, it took a little longer than we expected to actually get the food. The restaurant wasn't what we would call busy, but, we were on vacation and we didn't care very much. We waited patiently and enjoyed it when it came.

I guess now is as good a time as any to talk about my second "con". Bus stops. There are 5 or 6 of them. I can only speak directly to our stop on Miller's Rd. Pro to Miller's Rd- It's the next to last stop on the way out to the parks. Con, It's the very last stop when you come home!! UGH! You're tired; kids are tired; it's really late; kids hanging on your arms sleeping; stroller folded up in one arm; 3 different bags in the other. You just want to go to sleep. You can add anywhere from 5-10 minutes to your bus trip AFTER you enter OKW property (if your stop is Miller's Rd). Here's where that forward thinking I mentioned earlier comes in. If you can situate and prepare yourself for a hasty egress before rolling onto the property, you can get off the bus at the first stop, Peninsular Rd, which is located just past the main building, and walk to your resort in... you guessed it, six minutes! Now, I know you may think that a six minute walk vs. a 5 - 10 minute bus ride isn't really saving you any time. Well, it's not the time that I'm trying to save; it's my sanity and cramping in my arms and legs! You get off the bus at Peninsular, pop open the stroller, put the munchkins in, clip the bags on and, BOOM, you get to breathe fresh air, stretch your legs a little, collect your nerves, and you STILL beat the bus by a minute or two. It works for me, maybe it doesn't work for someone else.

You're going to have a good time at OKW as long as you want to have a good time. If you go into any situation with the mindset of nitpicking everything you see, guess what, you're going to find something to complain about every day. I don't go on vacation to be miserable. Nothing is ever absolutely perfect. Nothing. That said, Disney does everything they can to get you as close to perfect as they can. In my 14 years of going to WDW, I have personally never had a bad experience. Anytime I had an issue, I called for help and it was corrected. I love Disney, so maybe I'm biased, but I'm also a realist. I realize and accept that everything isn't always going to be perfect. However, as for OKW, we had a great time and I highly recommend this resort.

Pros:

Room size, Pool, atmosphere, parking

Cons:

No elevators, Many bus stops
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Reviewed by Anthony90ny Review Date: 02/23/2014

Rating: (10)
Recommended

Beautifully landscaped. Great place to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Buildings by the hospitality house are best.

Pros:

Relaxing and Peaceful

Cons:

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Reviewed by Michelle Norris 67 Review Date: 06/13/2014

Rating: (10)
Recommended

Stayed in a 2 bedroom villa May 25th to May 31st with 4 other adults. This was my third time staying here and I absolutely love it!!! The rooms are so spacious. While the layout is huge, we had a car with us so that wasn't a problem. The bus stop was right in front of our villa so we had a 1 minute walk (if that) 🙂 We never waited for buses more than 20 mins and with its central location, the rides to the parks were never more than 20 mins. I highly recommend this resort!

Pros:

quiet setting, large rooms

Cons:

huge layout
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Reviewed by andreau Review Date: 08/09/2014

Rating: (9)
Recommended

Our party of 7 (3 adults and 4 teens) stayed at Old Key West from 7-30 to 8-7 2014. We had a 2 bedroom villa. It is a lovely resort. We are not DVC members but for the large group we had, we found this resort to be the best "bang for the buck." The resort is very spread out, but we had a car on site which we drove from the Chicago area. We used the car to get to and from the parks everyday. Parking was directly in front of our villa. We did take the bus one day and that did seem to take awhile for the bus to come and then the many stops within the resort. It was a bit of a long walk from our building to the pool, check in area, gift shop, etc., but it really didn't bother us.

Our view of the river was beautiful. It was perfect for my mom in her 70's. She is in terrific shape, did the parks like a pro, but enjoyed sitting on the balcony overlooking the river later in the day. The resort is very quiet. The villa itself is quite large. It did look a tiny bit worn, but this did not bother us in the least and certainly didn't take away any of the magic for us. The kids enjoyed the pool. We found the beds to be extremely comfortable and even the pull out queen sofa and the pull out chair were very comfortable for the teens. This was our first time at a Disney villa and we loved having a washer and dryer in the room. In order to save on food, we brought along or bought (offsite) most foods for breakfast and even a good amount for lunch or dinner. We would have an early breakfast in our room, go to the parks, come back for a mid day break to have lunch in our room, nap, swim, etc. Having a full kitchen really saved on the cost of food. The kitchen amenities were great! If possible we would love to stay here again.

Pros:

beautiful grounds, peaceful, very spacious villas

Cons:

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Reviewed by LISAE Review Date: 08/17/2014

Rating: (10)
Recommended

The only negative I can possibly find is the refillable mug station being near the main pool, outside and covered in wasps. Everything else is amazing. We stayed for two weeks from 2nd to 16th August. Only used Disney transport and only encountered two slight delays in a fortnight. The studio was very nice and compared well to other deluxe resorts we have visited. The resort itself is beautiful and from our studio at one end of the resort to the Hospitality House only took 10-15 minutes. We had a golf course view (as requested), we were across the road from the nearest bus stop and three minutes walk away from a quiet pool. Loved this resort, can't rave enough and it is now our joint favourite with the Beach Club.

Pros:

beautiful resort and studio

Cons:

Refillable Mug area
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Reviewed by buntingd Review Date: 09/02/2014

Rating: (2)
Not Recommended

We stayed in studio 2620 over Labor Day weekend. My husband did not like that when we got there to check-in there was no parking. He had to circle the parking lot several times and still did not find a spot. He kept circling while I went in to check-in. I had did online check-in so even though the check0in area was packed within 10 seconds of walking in and getting in the online check-in line a cast member with IPAD came and checked me in. Because we were early the room was not ready so the texted my our room # later Our little one wanted to swim but since we could not park we ended out driving to DTD. I had requested a room near transportation and the bus spot was next to the 26 building. We were on the 2nd floor so walking up the steps was hard on my bad knees. The room was a good size..Little one loved the towel flower on the bed. We were abel to see some fireworks from our balcony. The main pool was crowded when we finally got there but she enjoyed the slide. The tub did not drain while taking a shower so by the end of the shower you were standing in 6 inches of water. There were some missing tiles on the wall in the bathroom. The exhaust fan di not work well so the mirror steamed up during the shower. The door in the freezer was broken. This was our fist time staying here and we will not be back. I was very disappointed.

Pros:

pretty grounds, cast members

Cons:

no elevators, slow, slow draining bathtub, needs updating
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