7 Things We Love About Walt Disney World’s Old Key West Resort

I recently had the opportunity to stay at the Old Key West Resort. This was the first Disney Vacation Club property I had stayed at and I loved every minute of it. If you are planning a trip down to Walt Disney World in the future and are looking for a place to stay, here are seven reasons why you should consider staying at the Old Key West Resort.

7 – Room Size – Old Key West was the first Disney Vacation Club resort that was built. Since it was built in 1991, the rooms are bigger than most other rooms on Disney property. The studio room had two queen beds, a table, a small kitchenette, and a large bathroom with plenty of space left over. You will also like the various amenities in the room itself. Every room has a balcony with chairs, so you are able to enjoy a book or some coffee while in your room. I also like that the windows had blinds AND curtains so the room was nice and dark at night and when taking naps.

6 – Proximity to Magic Kingdom and Epcot – even though Old Key West is considered a Downtown Disney resort, it is very close to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I was very shocked at how little time it took to get to Epcot (very much right around the corner) and bus transportation to Magic Kingdom was also very quick because of the backroads that the bus utilized. Transportation on the bus was great – the resort has 5 separate stops and I did notice a bevy of buses traveling through at busy times to get guests to the parks.

5 – On-Site Dining – Old Key West is home to only one sit down restaurant – Olivia’s Café. The restaurant does an amazing job of creating an authentic Key West experience with their décor. Their menu has an array of delicious options. On our trip, I had the chipotle pork ribs with a bowl of conch chowder. My fianceé had the Duval burger – a traditional burger topped with grilled shrimp and a bowl of the soup of the day, a baked potato soup. My friend from law school could not stop raving about his cheesy shrimp and grits. There was so much more that I wanted to sample from the menu, but I did not have enough room in my stomach.

Old Key West also has a counter service location that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner options with a very basic menu – burgers, chicken fingers, pretzels. I also enjoyed having a drink at the lounge on-site, the Gurgling Suitcase. The only thing that I wish were different is the size. It is an extremely small space and if you want to belly up to the bar, you better hope it isn’t busy!

4 – Pool – I was able to stop by the pool and liked what I saw. Similar to most Disney resorts, there were several on property, but the main pool was decently sized and had a wonderfully themed sandcastle lighthouse water slide. I was upset that I opted to attend Star Wars Weekends as opposed to taking a few trips down the water slide! I also liked the small area of the pool deck that Disney had outfitted with sand – just a small detail that added much overall to the theming of the resort.

3 – Other Amenities – I don’t know if this is a benefit of being at any Disney Vacation Club resort, or special to Old Key West, but I did notice they had a lot of activities for your family to enjoy. They had a ping pong table, cornhole, and bumper pooll. They also had side-by-side bikes and regular Beachcruisers so you can enjoy the resort. I also noticed that there was a BluRay library for you to rent videos to watch in your room (there was a BluRay player in each room).

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2 – Parking – even though the resort is very spread out, the resort earns a lot of bonus points for being able to park right outside of your room. Unlike the value resorts and the moderates where you will be walking for a good distance, you are able to park within sight of your room. This does help if you need to run to the Hospitality House for food or to shop in their gift shop (which also sells small grocery items).

1 – Meandering Roads – I enjoyed walking and riding the bus around the resort and just enjoying the landscaping and scenery throughout the resort. There are also a couple of holes of a golf course on property which adds to the enjoyment of the resort, Definitely take some time to enjoy that if you choose to stay at Old Key West.

Have you stayed at Old Key West? What is your favorite thing about the resort?

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