A few Old Key West questions

[Guest]

Hi All,

Planning a trip to Disney the tail end of October 2014 and am looking at booking at 2 bed villa at Old Key West.

I will be travelling with my wife, son (he will be 3 and a half) and my father-in-law. Joining us will be another 6 family members who are also looking at booking a 2 bed villa.

Previously we have stayed at Coronado Springs, All Stars Movies and Riverside (twice).

1. Anyone who has stayed in OKW do you have any block preferences? I don't mind a walk and don't have to be right on top of the main area but would look a quietish area not miles from Hospitality House

2. People talk about OKW being isolated without a car - should I expect OKW to be anymore or less isolated than Port Orleans Riverside?

3. Having stayed at value and moderate Disney resorts before should I expect much of a difference from OKW?

4. Do you get daily mousekeeping at OKW?

5. I understand the bus service has a number of stops before it sets off for the parks, is this comparable to PO Riverside?

6. Any other tips or suggestions for OKW?

Any help much appreciated

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Dizzy Knee

Hi All,

Planning a trip to Disney the tail end of October 2014 and am looking at booking at 2 bed villa at Old Key West.

I will be travelling with my wife, son (he will be 3 and a half) and my father-in-law. Joining us will be another 6 family members who are also looking at booking a 2 bed villa.

Previously we have stayed at Coronado Springs, All Stars Movies and Riverside (twice).

1. Anyone who has stayed in OKW do you have any block preferences? I don't mind a walk and don't have to be right on top of the main area but would look a quietish area not miles from Hospitality House

2. People talk about OKW being isolated without a car - should I expect OKW to be anymore or less isolated than Port Orleans Riverside?

3. Having stayed at value and moderate Disney resorts before should I expect much of a difference from OKW?

4. Do you get daily mousekeeping at OKW?

5. I understand the bus service has a number of stops before it sets off for the parks, is this comparable to PO Riverside?

6. Any other tips or suggestions for OKW?

Any help much appreciated

See more...

1. we live old turtle pond road, not too far to walk to HH and the small its close to the small pool

2. I dont get this, you can hop on a bus to get to the parks, if you want to get to HH and dont want to walk, jump on a bus and it stops at HH

3. We have stayed in Value / mods and OKW, the resort is very nice, its so laid back, you forget you are in disney ( till you need something, then you remember the service is disney ) the QS food is poor, its only a small counter and the menu is very small, which does let the resort down, we have a danish in the morning from " goods to go " ( the food place ) and then hit the parks, or we just jump on a bus and hit the parks and grab breakie in the parks

4. if you pay for your stay, if its DVC you dont

5. its just a big loop

6. book it up and enjoy it, we love the resort as i said about the QS its not great, we are all Veggies and that doesnt help, the pool has fun and games in the afternoon, the boat to DTD is nice, the bus service is good, rooms are spacious and most importanly, you get a good class of people staying

[BevS97]

1. Anyone who has stayed in OKW do you have any block preferences? I don't mind a walk and don't have to be right on top of the main area but would look a quietish area not miles from Hospitality House
I'd request near HH if you are likely to want to use the main pool frequently, or near a quiet pool if you'd prefer that. We like to be able to walk easily to the pool, so this would be our main request.

2. People talk about OKW being isolated without a car - should I expect OKW to be anymore or less isolated than Port Orleans Riverside?
I don't think isolated is the right word. The buses to the parks are exactly the same as at POR. The difference is, the resort is very big and it's a long walk to the pool or HH if you are in some blocks. At POR you feel in the middle of everything, whereas OKW is laid out a bit differently (more like a housing area than a hotel), so it can be a long walk back to the HH area. However, you can get a bus.

3. Having stayed at value and moderate Disney resorts before should I expect much of a difference from OKW?
If you book a 2 bed villa, then you will be wowed by the accommodation. Tons of space, full kitchen and laundry. The rooms are great. Personally, I found the location to be lacking a little in atmosphere, but the rooms are huge.

4. Do you get daily mousekeeping at OKW?
Yes, if you are a cash booker

5. I understand the bus service has a number of stops before it sets off for the parks, is this comparable to PO Riverside?
Yes, very similiar

6. Any other tips or suggestions for OKW?
If a car is an option, I would be happier with one here. But if not, you can manage without. I would pretty much disregard goods to go, and assume you have no quick service option, so plan on eating whilst you are out and about (we do this anyway so not a big deal). You have a full kitchen, so it's easy enough to make some breakfast in your room before you go.

[flying-dutchman]

Agree with all of the above having just returned!

+ = very relaxed and laid back, but still Disney and Disney service when you need it

- = food options other than "sit down"

Overall a great nice (quietish) place to stay... Mrs F-D would like to return, so that is a seal of approval !

[sameeel]

Sorry to hijack do the studios have laundry facilities and if not is there a laundry block like POFQ ?

[tee1]

Originally Posted by Dizzy Knee

Hi


1. Anyone who has stayed in OKW do you have any block preferences? I don't mind a walk and don't have to be right on top of the main area but would look a quietish area not miles from Hospitality House

2. People talk about OKW being isolated without a car - should I expect OKW to be anymore or less isolated than Port Orleans Riverside?


3. Having stayed at value and moderate Disney resorts before should I expect much of a difference from OKW?

4. Do you get daily mousekeeping at OKW?

5. I understand the bus service has a number of stops before it sets off for the parks, is this comparable to PO Riverside?

6. Any other tips or suggestions for OKW?

Any help much appreciated

See more...

1)We stayed in block 29 last month in a 2 bed villa, a bit of a walk to the bus stop... Only 5 minutes...

2) The block we were in worked well. 10 min MAX walking steady to Hospitality House and Olivia's/goods to go and the main pool.

3) It's just a 'nice' place to be, very chilled. It's far better than All stars where we stayed previously. And we are definitely looking at it for our next trip.

4) Yes! Fresh coffee every day as well as the usual bed making etc..

5) Yes, it's comparable IMO. Our bus stop (outside block 27, Peninsular Rd) was the first pickup so it took about 10 mins to get off resort BUT we were first drop off, which was VERY handy on a late park night.

Not forgetting the boat to get to DTD which is a great way to get there for a nice change of scenery and pace.

6) I'd suggest getting Garden Grocer to deliver some food in, the villas have a fantastic kitchen and if you fancy a lazy breakfast it's easy to sort things in the villa.
Bell services delivered the Garden Grocer items to our room prior to our arrival.

[disney20042012]

Another vote for the Turtle Pond road area, it is close to the small pool, easy to walk to HH or get on a bus as they stop there before leaving for the parks.

The rooms are huge and have great laundry facilities.

Olivia's is nice but not a place where you would want to eat every day, the QS options are very limited.

[tonymc]

We have twice stayed near to Turtle Pond pool and absolutely loved it. The pool also has a snack bar, so if you are on DDP, you can get sandwiches, pizzas, ice-creams etc and also use your refillable mug. As some have noted, it's about a 10-15 minute walk to Hospitality House, but both the park and internal resort buses call there. There is also a boat to DTD as well as the bus.

Originally Posted by sameeel

Sorry to hijack do the studios have laundry facilities and if not is there a laundry block like POFQ ?

See more...

The studios do not have laundry facilities. However, there are definitely laundry facilities by Turtle Pond Pool, which were free on our last visit in 2012. Certainly beats doing the laundry at home when you can be sat by a pool in the sun with a cold drink...

[BevS97]

Originally Posted by sameeel

Sorry to hijack do the studios have laundry facilities and if not is there a laundry block like POFQ ?

See more...

No laundry in the studos but they do have laundry blocks near the pools, and it's free.

[Guest]

Really appreciate the answers everyone!

one other question, we are keen on OKW while the other family party going at the same time are booking up SSR (they are booking via Virgin and OKW is not available until 11 months before going..too late for the free dining)

So...OKW or SSR? Any real difference between the two?