If you are looking for a laid-back, relaxing, welcoming, paradise-like resort experience, Old Key West is the place to go.
I know I briefly mentioned Old Key West in a blog a few weeks ago when I mentioned Olivia’s (the resort’s main restaurant). However, today I would like to dive into why Old Key West (OKW) is me and my family’s favorite Disney Resort.
You know you’re in Old Key West when you hear the steel drum music playing over the speakers everywhere you go. And when you look down to see the colorful, imprinted walkways, with little salamanders scurrying around. Look up and you will see the beautiful, tall, mature palm trees that are all over the resort. They really add to the paradise aesthetic.
The resort is themed to be like Key West, FL (as you may have figured out). The resort is super colorful (not in a tacky way), with all the housing complexes having colorful fences, walkways, pool areas, and more.
The campus and layout of OKW is different from many of the WDW resorts as it is more spread out and less centralized. It has a main entrance, and main pool and boardwalk area, however, depending on how fast you want to get there, you may have to drive to this area, especially if you live on the outskirts of the resort. While some people may not like this and feel too segregated from the food*, shop, and services offered at the main entrance area, for me, this adds to OKW’s charm. It makes you feel less like you are in a hotel, and more like you are staying at a real, resort. It makes you feel like you are away from all the stress and craziness of life, and can truly relax.
*The Turtle Pond pool area (more on this later) does have a snack bar, however, so you have food options closer to you. Also, room service is available.
The rooms are a very nice size, something you won’t find in many Disney resorts (particularly the newer ones). This is because Disney has begun constructing resorts with smaller rooms so that more guests can stay in the resorts.
So, I may have hinted at it in the last paragraph, but Disney’s Old Key West is a relatively older WDW resort. It has a stigma about it that if you stay at Old Key West (and are a Disney Vacation Club Member (DVC) –which my family is) that you’re an old Vacation Club Member, and you aren’t staying at one of the premier, newer Vacation Club Resorts. And this may be true (although my family is not an “old” DVC family as we joined around 2005), but don’t let that scare you away. Old Key West has undergone some major renovations (nothing that change the feel of the resort however) to add new technology, new floors, new pluming, new everything. So, although the resort as a whole is older, the accommodations are new. They were still renovating sections of the resort during my last vacation to WDW in the summer of 2018. Though they are all done now.
Also, because OKW is not considered a primer DVC resort, the price for staying at the resort is less than some of the other resorts. And for my family, that means a two-week vacation instead of a one week.
It is important to note that even though OKW is considered a DVC resort, anyone can stay there whether they are a member or not. And this applies to all DVC resorts.
What makes Old Key West very unique from all the other resorts is its easy access to entertainment (besides the parks) and offers beautiful scenic views (including of the fireworks if you stay in the right area). OKW offers a ferry service to and from Disney Springs (it is one of two resorts that offer this) which means easy access to all the shopping, dining, entertainment, and nightlife that Disney Springs has to offer. OKW also has a golf course on its campus (and it is beautiful!) which adds another exciting activity to try on vacation!
My family’s favorite area is the 39-41 area (or the Turtle Pond Area). It is very quiet, has a nice pond outside your back deck (which is really cool to look at early in the morning to see all the wildlife living back there), has a really nice view of the fireworks, and has its own pool area literally 50 feet from your room. There is also a nearby bus stop in case you are using the buses for transportation.
And because the area is further away from the main pool/main resort area, the pool is much less crowded than some of the other pool areas you will find in WDW. One of my family’s favorite traditions is to go to the pool area (which is officially called Turtle Pond), at night before it closes, sit in the hot tub, and watch the fireworks going off.
Old Key West is a quieter, relaxing resort, and somehow it pretty much always maintains this characteristic, even when nearly every room is booked. I’m not sure exactly how they do it, so I like to just chalk it up to Disney Magic. 🙂
Old Key West always has, and always will be my favorite WDW resort, if not for all that it has to offer, or for its style, then because of all the wonderful memories I have there, which I will always cherish.
