Disney's Old Key West Resort has begun removing hundreds of family photos from Olivia's Cafe, a beloved feature that has been part of the resort for over 30 years. These photos, submitted by Disney Vacation Club members, are being removed as part of a refurbishment that began on February 16.
The removal process began in the back room and is moving toward the check-in area, where most photos are displayed. Although the restaurant will remain open during this time, guests will witness the walls gradually empty as crews remove these cherished memories.
Where the Photos Are Actually Going at Disney
Disney is relocating the photo collection to communal albums at Conch Flats Community Hall, accessible daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. This move aims to preserve aging photos better than their current placement on restaurant walls, where sun and humidity cause damage. While the reasoning for preservation is sound, it overlooks the significance of these photos.
They weren’t just images; they represented community and belonging for families who had dined at Olivia's Cafe over the years. The refurbishment sacrifices that emotional connection, and it seems Disney is aware, but proceeding regardless.
Why This Hits Different at Old Key West
Old Key West is not just another Disney resort losing a photo wall. It is the first Disney Vacation Club property, opening in the early 1990s with a focus on making families feel at home instead of just providing a themed hotel room.
The villas at Old Key West are bigger than those at any other DVC resort because they were designed for families. They include full kitchens, separate living areas, spacious bedrooms for longer stays, and layouts that work for families traveling together. This setup creates experiences that turn first-time visitors into loyal guests who return every year. This loyalty led to the creation of a restaurant photo wall that grew to hundreds of frames over 30 years.
When people visit the same resort year after year for 20 or 30 years, they form strong emotional connections to specific details that new guests might not notice. The photo wall at Olivia's Cafe was one of those details for many DVC member families.
The Massive Disney Refurbishment Nobody Was Ready For
Disney is set to undergo a major refurbishment of Old Key West beginning in late 2025, which will significantly transform the resort. This project will involve replacing key room components like kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms, with new cabinetry, appliances, and furniture.
A key question remains about the potential addition of Murphy beds, which have been included in updates at other resorts. This could mark a shift in the resort's design philosophy, given its focus on spacious layouts for families.
Specific timelines for the refurbishment have not been detailed, but it will commence in 2026 and unfold in sections over multiple years. Guests booking stays throughout 2026 and 2027 may find themselves in rooms undergoing construction.
Other Changes at the Resort
Disney confirmed no Skyliner connection is coming to Old Key West despite location-based speculation, so buses and boats remain the transportation options. The water taxi service already came back this year after an extensive dock refurbishment with new decking and safety features, restoring the beloved boat rides to Disney Springs that longtime guests consider one of the resort's best features.
Disney has also been quietly buying back Old Key West DVC contracts through Right of First Refusal over the past year, which combined with the major refurbishment investment signals they're serious about maintaining this resort's place in the DVC portfolio long-term rather than letting it age out gracefully.
The Tradition That's Gone
For DVC members whose family photos are currently hanging at Olivia's Cafe, those photos are coming down starting this week. They'll be preserved in albums at Conch Flats Community Hall where you can still find them if you look, but the wall where they hung for potentially decades is being cleared out permanently.
Thirty years of family vacation memories built one photo frame at a time, and now they're being packed into albums and moved to a recreational hall. The restaurant stays open and the food is presumably the same, but Olivia's Cafe without those hundreds of family photos on the walls is a fundamentally different place than what DVC members have been returning to for three decades. Some traditions don't survive refurbishments, and this one just became a casualty.
