Review: Disney’s Old Key West Resort

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

Disney’s Old Key West Resort is a wonderful place for returning visitors to Walt Disney World to stay.  However, for first-time visitors, it ranks near the bottom of the Disney Vacation Club resorts. 

(For a report on a recent visit, see this.)

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

You can have a spectacular visit at any Walt Disney World resort. However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World avoid the Disney Vacation Club resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. (You can find extensive detail on the DVC resorts here.)

The recommendation comes from the simple fact that the distinguishing feature of these resorts–extra space and full kitchens–will not be of much value to first-time visitors following one of the itineraries on this site, as they won’t be used much.

That said, the Disney Vacation Club resorts represent more than 10% of Walt Disney World’s total rooms, and are very appropriate for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Because of this, I’m providing a series of up-to-date reviews.

DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Disney’s Old Key West Resort comes in near the bottom of the Disney Vacation Club resorts. (See this for resort rankings.)

Kid Appeal. While quite charming to adults, Old Key West has no real kid appeal compared to alternatives like the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Convenience. Old Key West is not as isolated as it is sometimes described to be–it’s not far from Epcot, for example. That said, its distance, sprawling layout, and five bus stops make it among the least convenient of the Walt Disney World resorts.

OTHER DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF OLD KEY WEST RESORT  

Old Key West has a number of very strong positives.

Old Key West Resort presents far and away the best value for money among the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

It has the lowest prices of the DVC resorts, and, in its one and two-bedroom villas, the largest and most livable spaces. 

Compare the One-Bedroom Villa floorplan (right, purple) with that of a similar villa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (below, orange). 

(Click the images to enlarge them.)

The One and Two-Bedroom Villa living/kitchen/dining area space is much larger at Old Key West than at any other DVC resort, as is the balcony. 

The practical effect is that One and Two-Bedroom villas are much more livable in general, and in particular when the pullout beds in the living room are unfolded.

A second positive of Old Key West–one that it share with Saratoga Springs–is that because of the “single-sided” building layout that both of these resorts have, there are no bad views.  Views at Old Key West can be of water, trees, or golf courses–but not parking lots or the backs of buildings.

A third positive is that, thanks to its recent renovation, it is now one of the few DVC resorts to offer 5 person one bedroom villas, and 9 person two bedroom ones.

Furnishings and finishes had been tired, but as a result of a recent renovation–70% of rooms were complete as of November 2010–they are now terrific.

Finally, the sprawling layout with its multiple smaller guest room buildings makes the resort feel much less like a hotel, and more like a small town.  The casual architecture supports this look and feel. 

Old Key West Resort also has some distinctive negatives. 

As noted, it is sprawling. As a result, only a few buildings–specifically 11-16, 23-26, and 62-63–are a quick walk to the main pool, shops, and restaurant, and many–specifically buildings 30 through 56–are quite a hike. (See below for a map.)

Only three of its 49 three-story buildings have elevators–Buildings 62, 63, and 64.

For One-Bedroom villas, only buildings numbered 30 and above have an entrance to the (only) bath from both the master bedroom and also from the kitchen/dining/living area. 

In buildings numbered lower than 30, one has to enter the master bedroom of a One-Bedroom villa to get to the bath.  Since one of the key benefits of the One-Bedroom villas is separation and privacy, this is a big deal for many.

BEST AND WORST ROOMS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

Buildings 62, 63 and 64 are the best buildings at Old Key West. (See the resort map below.) Request a third floor room (better views, quieter) in one of these buildings.

These three are the only buildings at the resort that have each of an elevator, both master bedroom and living room access to the bath in the One-Bedroom villas, and a very short walk to the main pool, shopping, and dining area of the resort.

Buildings 62, 63 and 64 are, in fact, the only buildings that have more than one of these three features! Building 62 is my favorite among these.

All of the other buildings that have the extra door to the bath (30-56) have no elevators, and are distant–often very distant.  30, 31, 45 and 46 are the closest of these.  If you don’t care about elevators and don’t mind a bit of distance, request a second floor room in one of these four buildings. (The second floor because it’s high enough to guarantee a balcony rather than a deck, but avoids the extra stairs to the third floor.)

The other buildings that are a short walk to the main pool and such (11-16 and 23-26) have no elevators and no second door to the bath.  These buildings are great if you do not care about the door or elevator.  Of these, 11-14 are the closest to the main area.  Building 12 is my personal favorite. Request a second floor room (same reasons as above). 

Avoid buildings 19-22, 38, 39, 41, 42, and 49-51, because of the traffic noises they can face.

Click the image to open a map of Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

BEST FOR:

Larger families, families seeking a bit of extra privacy or more beds, families looking for a more comfortable place to stay, families with a car (so they can overcome the inconvenience and sprawl of the resort).  It’s one of my personal favorites.

WORST FOR:

Families looking for a kid-appealing or convenient resort; families without a car. 

MORE ON DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

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