Animal Kingdom, Boardwalk or Old Key West

Kerianne

New Member
Hi Everyone! I am just in the very beginning stages of planning our next Disney trip and would love some opinions! We are thinking of trying to stay in one of the DVC rentals (first time) but are having a hard time deciding on which one because they all seem to have their pros and cons. In my family, there are two adults (my husband and I) and our two little boys (age 3 and 1.5 at the time of the trip). Our last trip was almost 2 years ago when we just had one boy and we stayed at Coronado Springs. I loved the Pepper Market there and was hoping to find something similar at the next resort we stay at. In fact, we used many of our sit down dining options at the Pepper Market instead of going to the Maya Grill. I loved walking around the resort with the stroller but did find that we were really far away from the main building and would have preferred to be closer if possible.

Some things that are important to us are good restaurant options. Our oldest has a dairy allergy and possible gluten intolerance (having him tested). We need a place where the kids will have lots to do on the days we don't go to the parks. We plan to go for 10 days but won't be going to the parks every day. I thought that a beach area or playground would be great, along with fabulous pools too! I would love to be able to walk with the kids in their strollers.

Here are my thoughts on the ones we are deciding on but feel free to let me know if my thinking is off and any other information you might have.
Animal Kingdom (Studio)- I love the fact that it has great restaurants and a wonderful quick service place to eat. We are thinking of just doing the quick service dining plan because of how little our boys are and their short attention spans ;) We went on a Disney trip when my oldest was 11 months and had the sit down dining option and LOVED the restaurants and food but did find that it was a little hard to entertain him while waiting for our food sometimes. We love the rooms themselves (the decor etc). The thing that I don't like is that we will be isolated here just in regards to the fact that we will have to take the bus anywhere we go.

Boardwalk Villas (Studio)- I love the area. The thought of being able to take the boat to Epcot and Hollywood Studios sounds so wonderful! The major drawback for us on this resort is that there doesn't appear to be many restaurant options for Quick Service. Has anyone stayed here and what were your thoughts on the food options. I see that there is a bakery and a pizza counter (both of which may not be options for our little guy). Does anyone know if there is a beach you can access here or a playground?

Old Key West (Studio)- I loved the buildings on this resort and the balconies. The fact that the rooms had two queen beds intriqued me because I was hoping to get bed rails from Disney and have our two boys sleep together. Still unsure about the baby and if he will be ready for that at 1.5. So, there is a chance we might have to have a playpen set up in the room as well. However, two queen beds may also make the room feel smaller? I like the idea of taking a boat to Downtown Disney on some of the days we aren't going to the parks. I liked that it has a beach area and playground. I hear that it is really large (probably like Coronado Springs?) and I worry that our room will be really far removed from the bus stop or the restaurant. Again, it doesn't appear to have great Quick Service dining. However, the sit down restaurant looks to be casual so that could work for us potentially. I read that it might be long waits for the bus. Would it be comparable to the Coronado Springs buses? We never found the wait horribly long but had nothing to compare to it either ;)

Thank you so much for any information you might have!
 

Howe

Well-Known Member
Nope, I don't have any children! It was just my husband and I. Our studio had one queen size bed and a pull out sofa, which of course was plenty of room for us. I think you'd have ample room for a playpen with the sofa not pulled out into a bed. It looks like CS rooms are about 314 sq. ft, vs Kidani studios which are around 366 sq. ft. So definitely a bit more room! There are several drawers plus an armoire or closet if I recall correctly. You also get the kitchenette, which I would think would be beneficial for washing out sippie cups or keeping a stash of kid friendly snacks!
 
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erasure fan1

Well-Known Member
Old key west is great too. Have stayed there twice and it's a nice little get away. However depending on where you are located could put you away from the main pool, and main house.
Thats not always a bad thing though. We always drive to Disney so we request to be further back (turtle pond usually) by one of the small pools and right by a bus stop. This is great because its a lot quieter and if we want to go to the main pool we can just get in the car. Otherwise we can just walk to the side pool that has a nice little play area for the kids.

Some things that are important to us are good restaurant options. Our oldest has a dairy allergy and possible gluten intolerance (having him tested). We need a place where the kids will have lots to do on the days we don't go to the parks. We plan to go for 10 days but won't be going to the parks every day. I thought that a beach area or playground would be great, along with fabulous pools too! I would love to be able to walk with the kids in their strollers.
If you are driving or will have a car, old key west might be a good choice. The pool area at old key west has a nice big white sand area with playground. It has a nice slide but I would call the main pool as a whole about average. The food choices are not very great, but I do like Olivias (good food, good atmosphere). If you drive, Port Orleans is right next door and they have really great food courts. We drive to riverside and french quarter all the time from old key west to swim and eat. If you can't drive old key west is fairly large and not the best for walking from area to area unless you stay in the main section.
 
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Kerianne

New Member
Original Poster
Thanks for that information! Unfortunately, we won't be driving... we are actually flying in from Nova Scotia and then taking the Magical Express to WDW. But I have heard that OKW is really, really great if you have a car!
 
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Hot Lava

Well-Known Member
People always say that AKL is "so far" from everything, but it isn't. It's like two minutes from CSR, where you already stayed. Take the reports of being "so far away" with a grain of salt. It's a beautiful hotel. But they do use busses and not boats.

So how does the distance for AKL compare to that of the All Star Resorts? That is the only place I have ever stayed; so I am wondering how the travel times compare for AKL to having stayed at ASR.
 
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Spikerdink

Well-Known Member
You can always waitlist a room at BWV or OKW if you prefer that resort to AKL.

I have stayed at all 3 and love all three... it really is what works best for you and your family.

With the little guys, and I am guessing strollers, etc - the easiest park access would be at BWV (or BCV if you wanted). You can just walk to Epcot and Hollywood (or take the boat).

The drawback to AKL is that you have to bus to everything....and with a stroller or two, boy that can be a hassle. Good points about AKL - the QS and sitdown restaurants are phenomenal, the pool is fantastic and your kids may love to see the animals all day....

As stated earlier, the studio at OKW is huge (before Disney realized they could make smaller rooms and people would still buy DVC) and if you had a porta crib or similar, you don't need to worry about kicking your feet into it if you get up in the middle of the night. The biggest drawback to OKW (other than the busses, but that is a tradeoff with the room size I figure) is your on site food options are very limited. The QS dining has two options for breakfast: eggs, or eggs. But, Olivias is outstanding.

BWV has good food choices, great access to the parks and nice ambiance.

No matter which one you ultimately stay at, you won't be disappointed!!
 
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