Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World
Next Week (February 15 Through February 22, 2015) at Walt Disney World
DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: FEBRUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 22, 2015
The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.
The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic. For more on February 2015 at Walt Disney World, click here.
Note that typos happen, and schedules change! If something seems odd, or if you want to double check, use the calendar links near the bottom to get the latest official Disney World scoop.
OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/14/-2/22/2015
The Magic Kingdom will be open 8a-1a 2/14 through 2/18, 9a-12MN 2/19 and 2/20, 8a-1a 2/21, and 9a-10p 2/22
Epcot will be open from 8a-9p 2/14 through 2/16, and 9a-9p 2/17 through 2/22
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 8a-8p 2/14 through 2/16, 9a-8p 2/17, 9a-6p 2/18, 9a-8p 2/19 through 2/21, and 9a-7p 2/22
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 8a-8p 2/14 and 2/15, 8a-7p 2/16 through 2/18, 8a-7p 2/19 and 2/20, 9a-8p 2/21, and 9a-6p 2/22
EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/14/-2/22/2015
Saturday 2/14 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom
Sunday 2/15 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none
Monday 2/16 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
Tuesday 2/17 Morning: Epcot Evening: none
Wednesday 2/18 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none
Thursday 2/19 Morning: none Evening: Magic Kingdom
Friday 2/20 Morning: none Evening: Epcot
Saturday 2/21 Morning: Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom Evening: none
Sunday 2/22 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none
PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/14/-2/22/2015
The Magic Kingdom:
- Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 12N and 3p 2/14 through 2/21; 3p 2/22
- Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p 2/14 through 2/21; 8 and 10p 2/22
FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/14/-2/22/2015
Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 2/14 through 2/21; 9p 2/22
Illuminations at Epcot: 9p every night
Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 7 and 8.30p 2/14 through 2/17; 7 and 8.30p 2/19 through 2/21; 7p 2/22
SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/14/-2/22/2015
See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.
LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/14/-2/22/2015
See this for forecasts.
DISCLAIMER
Everything is subject to change and typos! Check the Disney Calendars for updates and official schedules. These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:
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February 13, 2015 No Comments
Review: The Pools at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort, see this.)
THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
There’s four pools at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
The main pool is at the Hospitality House area near the north main entrance, and there’s three smaller ones scattered around the resort.
The main pool has by far the largest set of amenities.
The three smaller ones, on Miller’s Road, South Point Road, and Old Turtle Pond Road, have hot tubs as well as pools.
The Turtle Pond pool has other amenities as well.
THE MAIN POOL AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
The main pool at Disney’s Old Key West Resort features an enormous sand castle with a water slide inside.
Here’s a closer look at the slide.
The pool area also features a hot tub…
…the only sauna at a Disney World pool…
…and a kids pool.
Here’s the main pool from another side.
Beyond the sand castle is an extensive sandy kids play area.
From the other side.
There’s some cute dolphins on one side of this…
…and tennis courts on the other. (There’s another tennis court on Old Turtle Pond Road).
Next to these is a shuffleboard area.
Keep walking along the sand and you’ll find a volleyball court…
…and a firepit.
Strictly speaking, there’s no pool bar, but right outside the pool you’ll find the resort’s simple quick service offering and a small bar right next door.
The main pool is quite a hike from many accommodations buildings at Old Key West. However (double check this before you board!) all buses at Old Key West have their last on-grounds stop at the Hospitality House, and their first at the nearby Peninsular Road stop.
This means you can take the first available bus from your area to the Hospitality House, and the first bus at Peninsular Road back to your area.
THE QUIET POOLS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
There’s three more “quiet pools” at Old Key West.
One is in the Miller’s Road area.
The barbecue here…
…and the hot tub.
Another pool is back in the South Point Road area.
Here’s its playground.
The broadest set of amenities among the three is at the pool in the Old Turtle Pond Road area.
This pool is kinda hidden in a far corner of the Turtle Pond area, and is in fact more convenient to many accommodation buildings in the western part of South Point Road than it is to eastern Turtle Pond buildings, as there’s a walkway behind building 49.
You’ll find here, besides the pool, a hot tub…
…a playground…
…heavy on sand…
…shuffleboard court…
…barbecue area…
…and, uniquely among the Old Key West quiet pools, a snack bar.
There’s not a lot to the menu here (as always on this site, click the photo to enlarge it), but given the distance of the buildings near here from the Hospitality House, it’s nice to have the option.
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January 20, 2015 12 Comments
Amenities at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort, see this.)
AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
Disney’s Old Key West Resort is one of many Disney Vacation Club options at Walt Disney World. These resorts are available not only to DVC members, but also to everyone else, just like any other Disney World offering, through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.
Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can also book them for you. See the form near the bottom of this page for how to contact her.
They also are sometimes available to the general public at a discount through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member or point broker.
Because the two sets of options at the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review purposes I count thirteen options among the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.
The overall ranking among them for first time family visitors is as follows:
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (studios only)
- Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas
The next DVC offering to open will be Reflections, located on grounds that were formerly part of Fort Wilderness.
Disney’s Old Key West Resort is described on Walt Disney World’s website as “an island hamlet of brilliant green landscapes, pastel-colored Victorian architecture and ornate gingerbread accents…nestled among swaying palm trees, shimmering waterways and… lush golf fairways.”
Its 156 acres include an area called the Hospitality House, near the top and at the right of the map. You’ll find pretty much everything here except your room itself and some quiet pools.
Bus service at Old Key West is convoluted, because of all the dead-end roads. Currently, all buses have the Hospitality House as their last stop, and another stop a short walk away (near building 28 on Peninsular Road) as their first stop.
This means you can take any bus to the Hospitality house, and walk to the Peninsular Road stop and take any bus back to the stop nearest your room. But ask the bus driver when you get on, as things can change.
The Hospitality House area includes the check-in lobby, where you’ll also find concierge services…
…a comfortable lounging room off the lobby…
…and a well-stocked shop…
…with a nice assortment of groceries…
…which makes sense, given all the kitchens here.
Also in the Hospitality House area you’ll find the table service restaurant, Olivia’s.
Outdoor seating for Olivia’s is available too.
Here’s the review of Olivia’s from our book The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2020:
Outside you’ll find a very small bar…
…and next to it a very small snack bar, which is the only counter-service offering here.
The menu is quite limited (as always on this site, click the image to enlarge it)…
…and there’s no indoor seating for it–just outdoor tables.
There’s another snack offering with an even more limited menu at the far end of the resort near the Turtle Pond quiet pool… understandable, I suppose, given all the kitchens, but awkward for anyone on the dining plan…or in a studio.
Also in this water-side area is the dock where you can catch a ferry to Downtown Disney.
Further down this waterside walkway, past the pool (more on that in a minute)…
…you’ll find this gym.
THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
This review continues here!
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The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at Disney’s Old Key West Resort or anywhere else at Disney World. Contact her using the form below!
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January 18, 2015 No Comments
Overview of Accommodations at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort, see this.)
MORE ON THE ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
All Disney Vacation Club resorts except the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows have studio rooms, One Bedroom Villas, and Two Bedroom Villas.
Most have Grand Villas as well.
Old Key West floor plans of all four room types are below.
At Old Key West, Studios sleep 4 and include a kitchenette with a microwave and a mini-fridge. Most DVC Studios come with a queen and a fold-out sofa; at Old Key West, all have two queens.
They are the third largest Studios at Disney World, with only those at Riviera and the Polynesian larger.
See this page of this review for multiple photos of a Studio/second bedroom of a Two-Bedroom Villa!
Old Key West One-Bedroom Villas sleep 5, including three on fold-out beds in a full kitchen/dining/living space. The living/kitchen/dining area of One and Two Bedroom Villas at Old Key West is by far the most livable and homelike among the DVC resorts.
They also have large porch or balcony, and a separate master bedroom. Some villas don’t have an entrance between the laundry room and bath, meaning that in those the bath is only accessible from the master bedroom.
See this for more images of the master bedroom, and this for more images of the combined kitchen/living/dining space.
Two-Bedroom Villas add a second four-person bedroom (similar, or identical, to a Studio) to the amenities of a One-Bedroom, and sleep 9.
Grand Villas sleep 12 in almost twice the space of a Two-Bedroom Villa, in three bedrooms plus sleeper sofas. At Old Key West, Grand Villas are two-story spaces.
Grand Villas hold three more people in space almost twice as big as the 9-person Two-Bedroom Villas. The extra space downstairs comes from doubling the already commodious size of the kitchen/dining/living area, and moving the second bedroom the the upper level–where it is joined by a third bedroom, also sleeping four.
These spaces are also about twice as expensive as Two-Bedroom Villas…
You all haven’t found the sponsors of this site quite appealing enough yet for me to have been able to afford to stay in a Grand Villa, but I’m sure they are quite nice!! And a fellow can dream…look for a review of one here within the decade…
(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)
AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
This review continues here.
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December 24, 2014 No Comments
The Master Bedroom and Baths at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort, see this.)
THE MASTER BEDROOM IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
The master bedroom and bath area is the same in both One and Two-Bedroom Villas.
It’s accessed from a hall behind the kitchen. The bedroom is ahead, and on the side…
…is the laundry room, with in some–but not all–villas, a door to the bath.
The bath is divided into two areas. One space is a full bath itself…
…but with a shower, and no tub.
The second part of the bath is accessible from both this space and the master bedroom, and has another sink…
…and a whirlpool tub.
Closer view of the tub.
There’s also a closet in this space.
Deeper in the master bedroom itself you’ll find on one side this king bed.
The bed from the other side.
Next to the bed is a small chest of drawers and this easy chair.
The other side of the room has a door to the balcony, a TV and dresser, and a bench with additional storage.
The door to the balcony…
…the TV and dresser…
…with plenty of storage…
…and the bench, with even more.
These bedrooms are spacious and well-appointed.
OVERVIEW OF ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
This review continues here.
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December 23, 2014 No Comments
The Living/Dining/Kitchen Space at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort, see this.)
PHOTO TOUR OF THE LIVING/DINING/KITCHEN SPACE AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
The living/dining/kitchen space at Disney’s Old Key West Resort is the same in both the One and Two-Bedroom Villas.
These spaces are astonishingly large, much larger than at the other DVC resorts.
See the One Bedroom Villa floor plan.
The kitchen is full-sized, and the living room nearly as big as you’ll find in many homes. The dining area, while not large, is much larger than at any other comparable DVC resort except the Treehouse Villas, and the Treehouses are also the only DVC resort with a comparably large balcony–big enough for another table
As you enter the Villa from outside, you’ll find an entry foyer, with a closet on one side with a high chair, vacuum, etc.
Down the entry hall you’ll find the entry to the master bedroom area on one side, and if in a Two-Bedroom Villa, to the second bedroom on the other.
As you enter the main kitchen/living/dining space, the five corner windows surrounding the living room space immediately attract your attention.
Most comparable DVC spaces have a small couch and a chair, and really seat only 4. This space in contrast seats 6 comfortably, and eight of slender hips–and even more by grabbing the ottoman or chairs from the dining area.
The dining area is right next to the living area, and adds three more floor-to-ceiling windows (for a total of 8 large windows in this space) which also double as balcony access.
Here’s a closer view of the dining table and balcony beyond. Compared to almost all other DVC resorts this table and the space it occupies is huge. It seats six easily, and more in a pinch (there’s four more chairs at the table on the balcony you can bring in, and, if you have a Two Bedroom Villa, two more chairs in the second bedroom).
In the back of the dining area there’s a counter and set of cabinets–extra storage space you don’t see in other DVC rooms, begging for a Monopoly or Axis and Allies boxed game…
Behind the window shades beyond the dining table are doors to the balcony, with a second table and four chairs. This space is so large it really serves as another room–except during the hot summer months.
Balcony views vary–fairways, pools, woods. Our last stay had a woods view.
Different people will have different favorite parts of these wonderful rooms–but I like the kitchen the most.
All the DVC One and Two Bedroom Villas have the basic kitchen stuff–fridges, ranges, microwaves, toaster, coffee pots, and all the pots, pans, utensils and service items needed to support it.
What distinguishes the Old Key West Kitchen is its large size and vast sweep of counter space, including over the TV. The most complicated things we’ve made here are frozen pizza, scrambled eggs and grilled cheese…but in this kitchen, you really could put together a full meal for 9 without being cramped…
THE FOLD-OUT BEDS IN DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
Two-Bedroom Villas at Old Key West sleep 9, and One-Bedroom Villas sleep 5. In each case, three of those are allocated to the fold-out couch and chair in the living room. (Your visual cortex has not just flipped–rather, this shot and several others among those that follow are from an earlier visit in a mirror-image room. So you’ll see a mix of geometry and fabrics…)
As always, I both slept on and carefully measured each of these beds. The narrower bed comes from this chair.
It’s about is ~29 inches wide by ~78″ long (it sleeps a little shorter than that, because of the configuration of the head–see the shot above for it unfolded).
The biiger bed unfolds from the larger of the two sofas.
It’s ~59″ wide and ~70 inches long.
I wouldn’t put an adult on either of these. The smaller bed would be the better choice–it has a better mattress, about 5 inches of foam, compared to 4 inches on the larger bed. But what I will obfuscatingly call my hips were not sufficiently padded.
Note that while it doesn’t unfold or anything, you can also put a shorter kid on the second sofa. I measured the cushioned area of this sofa as 48 inches long by 24 inches wide, with 4 inch thick cushions.
These living/kitchen/dining space at Old Key West are, by far, the most livable such among the DVC One and Two Bedroom Villas.
THE MASTER BEDROOM AND BATH AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT
This review continues here.
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December 23, 2014 No Comments
