This month’s resort destination is Old Key West Resort which was the first Disney Vacation Club resort and brings the feel of south Florida right to Walt Disney World. Old Key West (OKW) is a rather large resort with buildings spread out including some which are quite a distance from the Hospitality House where the gift shop, restaurants, and front desk are located. Luckily, the resort does run internal shuttle buses, and golf cart shuttles to help bring guests and their suitcases from the Magical Express.
When we were there, they were still renting out boats from the dock. However, that ended the day we arrived back at home. But they are still running the shuttle boats to Downtown Disney.
We were surprised to realize that a golf course goes through OKW. I’m pretty sure its the Lake Buena Vista golf course that also is visible from Saratoga Springs resort. We got to see many golfers teeing off everyday on our walks to Hospitality House. For other leisure activities there was sand volleyball, shuffleboard, tennis courts, and cornhole aka Bags, small quiet pools, and a main pool with a slide. If you look at the slide exit, you notice a “hidden” design element…hint hint.
Our studio was on the 3rd floor which gave us a nice view of some trees. We were in the back of the resort on a cul-de-sac so it was very quiet even though we could see a main road in the background. We stayed here a few years ago, but I had forgotten how large the studios are. Our studio was big enough for 2 queen sized beds with plenty of room to spare. The one downside to this studio was that the vanity was in the bathroom with the toilet and shower. In most of the other studios, the vanity is outside of the bathroom which makes it a lot easier for 3 adults to try to get ready in the morning. As it was, one of us was usually putting on make-up or doing our hair at the kitchenette mirror.
OKW has a sit down restaurant Olivia’s, a counter service Goods to Go, and a bar the Gurgling Suitcase. We had breakfast at Olivia’s, visited Goods to Go daily to fill up our mugs before our trip to the park, and spent a night at the Gurgling Suitcase’s temporary location making friends with other guests.
I personally love the bus rides that play Jimmy Buffet music. There’s nothing quite like coming home from Epcot singing “Margaritaville.”
Sadly for me, I don’t have any more trips to Disney World planned for right now, but I hope to come back to Old Key West!
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Adrienne is originally from the Chicago area but lives outside of Indianapolis with her husband, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. She went to Disneyland when she was 7, which started her love of Disney. She even named one of her dogs after her favorite princess, Aurora. She and her husband celebrated their honeymoon at Walt Disney World in 2007 and have returned for every anniversary. They have stayed at variety of resorts on property and traveled with friends and family. Adrienne and her husband bought into DVC in May 2011 and rewarded themselves with their first fall trip for some of the special events. Adrienne and her husband consider WDW their “second home” and have become the go-to people for any Disney related questions and advice from friends, families, and acquaintances.
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