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Old Key West
- Thread starter d dude
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disneycentral
New Member
Question first, answer later...
d dude
Are you a dvc member? If so, do you stay at OKW using points only, or do you sometimes pay cash for your stay. This will help me answser your question.
Oh, and why do you stay at OKW?
d dude
Are you a dvc member? If so, do you stay at OKW using points only, or do you sometimes pay cash for your stay. This will help me answser your question.
Oh, and why do you stay at OKW?
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disneycentral
New Member
OK, here we go...
I personally love OKW. We are DVC members as well, and OKW is our home resort. I have stayed at all of the DVC resorts with the exception of the one on Hilton Head. We usually stay at OKW if our family is coming along. You get more nights for the same amount of points, which is a plus, and it is nice and quiet, so we can head back to the room mid-day and swim or watch golfers or what ever, and it seems like a different world from the parks. It has a substandard pool area compared to the other resorts.
We usually stay at Boardwalk if it is just the two of us. There are great restaurants within walking distance, as is EPCOT, and Disney-MGM Studios, if you don't mind walking for a while. The night life is great there. The rooms are a little smaller, but not really noticeably so. If you want to be in the center of the action, this is the place to stay. Boardwalk's pool is great, and you can walk over to Beach and Yacht Club's pool, which is out of this world.
Villas at Wilderness lodge is in between Boardwalk and OKW. It is quiet, yet close to Magic Kingdom and the amenities of Wilderness Lodge. I love Wilderness Lodge, and the Villas are just an extension of that same feeling. It is about the same price as boardwalk, and if I were choosing between the two, I would go to boardwalk. The pool there is great though, as are the restaurants.
Probably my favorite of all of the would be Vero Beach. It is only two hours south of the magic. It has its own private beach, great pool, good restaurants and a nice little town just down the road. No theme parks, but a great resort. If you have the points, the three bedroom beach house is fantastic. We were upgraded once from a two bedroom to the beach house, and it was so nice I couldn't believe it.
I would assume that the new Beach Club DVC will be similar in price as boardwalk, but a little more quiet, and closer to EPCOT.
As a summary, I find the quality of the resorts to be similar. When you plan your vacation, I would look at staying at some of the other resorts. If you love EPCOT and the night life of the Boardwalk, try that one time. If you like relaxing outside the parks, OKW and Wilderness Lodge are great. For us, it comes down to price, and we usually get more at OKW than at the other resorts. We can usually go twice a year every other year to OKW and stay in a three bedroom for nearly two weeks, where as if we stayed at Boardwalk we would lose a couple of days. Not saying the others are bad, they are in better locations, so you pay for that. Next time you are in Orlando, go around and check out the other DVC resorts. Swim in the pools, ask to see a room. DVC members can swim in any pool at any resort in WDW, with the possible exception of Animal Kingdom Lodge, depending upon who is at the gate that day.
Oh, and the other resorts at WDW that are not a DVC resort are fantastic. I would rate the moderates (Port Orleans) just below DVC and the Deluxe resorts above. Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and Animal Kingdom are out of this world resorts. If you are a DVC member, they will give you a pretty good cash discount if you would rather stay there. Don't use your points though, not a good deal.
Good luck, you won't be disappointed with any DVC resort.
I personally love OKW. We are DVC members as well, and OKW is our home resort. I have stayed at all of the DVC resorts with the exception of the one on Hilton Head. We usually stay at OKW if our family is coming along. You get more nights for the same amount of points, which is a plus, and it is nice and quiet, so we can head back to the room mid-day and swim or watch golfers or what ever, and it seems like a different world from the parks. It has a substandard pool area compared to the other resorts.
We usually stay at Boardwalk if it is just the two of us. There are great restaurants within walking distance, as is EPCOT, and Disney-MGM Studios, if you don't mind walking for a while. The night life is great there. The rooms are a little smaller, but not really noticeably so. If you want to be in the center of the action, this is the place to stay. Boardwalk's pool is great, and you can walk over to Beach and Yacht Club's pool, which is out of this world.
Villas at Wilderness lodge is in between Boardwalk and OKW. It is quiet, yet close to Magic Kingdom and the amenities of Wilderness Lodge. I love Wilderness Lodge, and the Villas are just an extension of that same feeling. It is about the same price as boardwalk, and if I were choosing between the two, I would go to boardwalk. The pool there is great though, as are the restaurants.
Probably my favorite of all of the would be Vero Beach. It is only two hours south of the magic. It has its own private beach, great pool, good restaurants and a nice little town just down the road. No theme parks, but a great resort. If you have the points, the three bedroom beach house is fantastic. We were upgraded once from a two bedroom to the beach house, and it was so nice I couldn't believe it.
I would assume that the new Beach Club DVC will be similar in price as boardwalk, but a little more quiet, and closer to EPCOT.
As a summary, I find the quality of the resorts to be similar. When you plan your vacation, I would look at staying at some of the other resorts. If you love EPCOT and the night life of the Boardwalk, try that one time. If you like relaxing outside the parks, OKW and Wilderness Lodge are great. For us, it comes down to price, and we usually get more at OKW than at the other resorts. We can usually go twice a year every other year to OKW and stay in a three bedroom for nearly two weeks, where as if we stayed at Boardwalk we would lose a couple of days. Not saying the others are bad, they are in better locations, so you pay for that. Next time you are in Orlando, go around and check out the other DVC resorts. Swim in the pools, ask to see a room. DVC members can swim in any pool at any resort in WDW, with the possible exception of Animal Kingdom Lodge, depending upon who is at the gate that day.
Oh, and the other resorts at WDW that are not a DVC resort are fantastic. I would rate the moderates (Port Orleans) just below DVC and the Deluxe resorts above. Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and Animal Kingdom are out of this world resorts. If you are a DVC member, they will give you a pretty good cash discount if you would rather stay there. Don't use your points though, not a good deal.
Good luck, you won't be disappointed with any DVC resort.
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disneycentral
New Member
No problem
Have a great time. Make sure you eat at Spoodles and Flying Fish while you are there. Without a doubt, two of the finest restaurants in WDW. Hmmm, now I am hungry for some reason...
Have a great time. Make sure you eat at Spoodles and Flying Fish while you are there. Without a doubt, two of the finest restaurants in WDW. Hmmm, now I am hungry for some reason...
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OldKeyWest24
New Member
i stayed at OKW every time but once when i was 5 we stayed at the poly...we are too scared to not go there...we are soo use to it that we dont want to leave. when they say welcome home, they really mean it! its sooo magicaical ther
Susan
Susan
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NowInc
Well-Known Member
Old Key West is one of my favorite resorts...I just love the way it looks, and its also a moderatly priced hotel. Granted...i havn't stayed there in a looong time (now that I Live in orlando..it makes no sence for me to do that)...but i have fond memories of the experiences I had.
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Dizknee_Phreek
Well-Known Member
personally, i'm not a big fan of OKW. i stayed there this past April, it was my first trip down as a DVC member, and we had stayed one night at Boardwalk, and then the rest of our trip at OKW. i just adored Boardwalk...we had one of the greatest rooms ever, and most definately the best view we've EVER had! we were on the same floor as the lobby, and our view was looking directly at the pool. i loved going out on the balcony and watching everyone play in the pool and walk around. it was fun just to sit back, soak up the evening sun, and be observant. i hated leaving the next morning. at first i was kind of excited to see what OKW looked like, but once i got there, i must say i was dissappointed. the rooms were definately bigger...a tad bit too big for my taste...for some reason i like smaller rooms...i guess for the cozy feel of them. and the balcony was MUCH smaller...plus all i could see was trees. OKW is one of those hotels that's ideal for people who'd rather relax in their room, or play golf or whatever, instead of going in the parks....and i'm just not one of those people. plus we had to walk forever to get to the bus stop. plus, to me for some reason OKW just didn't have that Disney feel to it. i felt like such a stranger there. so overall, i didn't get that good of an impression of OKW.
now, 2nd trip as a DVC member, my family and I stay at WL....wonderful place to stay! but for now, in my eyes Boardwalk is a little above WL on my list, for the simple reason of views. like i said, i just feel in love with the view at BW....and i probably would've loved WL even more if we hadn't been on the first floor....which meant NO balcony, just a porch, and NO view...again, a bunch of trees and shrubs. but as for the overall experience at WL, i loved it! the atmostphere was beautiful (except for the burnt woodsy smell at night due to wildfires), the food was great...and boy, that nature trail sure is fun! funny thing is, i live in the boonies of KY...there's 'nature trails' all over the place! but there's just something about the one at WL...has a different feel to it, i guess.
anyway, to answer your question, yes. i most definately would try a different resort, if i was you. and if you don't like it, you can always go back to OKW the next time around! but since you've already tried OKW and WL, i would agree with you in saying that BW probably should be your next to try.
as for Flying Fish...one of my dad's friends ate there once, and has hardly any good to say about the place...not sure about the reason why, though. he said he'd never eat there again. different tastes for different people, i suppose. i've never ate there, so i've yet to pass my jugdement.
anyway, i'm gonna stop gabbing and end this thing...it's gotten rather long to say the least.
Later all! God Bless!
now, 2nd trip as a DVC member, my family and I stay at WL....wonderful place to stay! but for now, in my eyes Boardwalk is a little above WL on my list, for the simple reason of views. like i said, i just feel in love with the view at BW....and i probably would've loved WL even more if we hadn't been on the first floor....which meant NO balcony, just a porch, and NO view...again, a bunch of trees and shrubs. but as for the overall experience at WL, i loved it! the atmostphere was beautiful (except for the burnt woodsy smell at night due to wildfires), the food was great...and boy, that nature trail sure is fun! funny thing is, i live in the boonies of KY...there's 'nature trails' all over the place! but there's just something about the one at WL...has a different feel to it, i guess.
anyway, to answer your question, yes. i most definately would try a different resort, if i was you. and if you don't like it, you can always go back to OKW the next time around! but since you've already tried OKW and WL, i would agree with you in saying that BW probably should be your next to try.
as for Flying Fish...one of my dad's friends ate there once, and has hardly any good to say about the place...not sure about the reason why, though. he said he'd never eat there again. different tastes for different people, i suppose. i've never ate there, so i've yet to pass my jugdement.
anyway, i'm gonna stop gabbing and end this thing...it's gotten rather long to say the least.
Later all! God Bless!
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1000th_Guest
Member
Here are the opinions of me and my wife:
OKW - best room layout. The kitchen is larger than any other on WDW property. This resort is nice and quiet. For a worthwhile experience, you really must have a rental car.
BW - Our favorite resort. Kitchen is small, room decorations are nice. We love being 10 minutes from EPCOT and 15 minutes from the Studios (both are walk times - we rarely take the boats). We have found the bus transportation to be spotty, but haven't tried the bus from here since Bus On Demand was enacted. Also, we LOVE the Boardwalk Bakery (even though they no longer sell the humungous Rice Krispy triangles) -- the Banana Cream pie and Key Lime Tart are really good. The brewery has rather good food. The night life is better here than at any other resort (Pleasure Island isn't a resort).
WL - We think that this is the prettiest resort on all WDW property. Rooms have identical layout to BW. From our room (first floor, front-side) we could see bushes, and a hint of MK fireworks at night. The short boat ride to MK is nice -- it's a full-sized boat, so you can get on without folding strollers or wheelchairs.
If you don't spend much time in your room, it almost doesn't matter which resort you stay in. OKW's points are nice and low, but we can never get in (our home resort is BW and we can never get into OKW in the seven-month window).
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Thanx a lot guys!!! 
i just got back from OKW. Next time i'm definetly staying at Boar Walk. since my last stay OKW has become a holiday inn. theres stians allover the carpet, the employe's were really rude and there were, um, cocroaches.:hurl: i checked out Boardwalk while i was there. the rooms are smaller, but nicer and the people there are real nice. they also have the best food and you can get to any park(exept AK) from there.
i just got back from OKW. Next time i'm definetly staying at Boar Walk. since my last stay OKW has become a holiday inn. theres stians allover the carpet, the employe's were really rude and there were, um, cocroaches.:hurl: i checked out Boardwalk while i was there. the rooms are smaller, but nicer and the people there are real nice. they also have the best food and you can get to any park(exept AK) from there.
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OldKeyWest24
New Member
d dude..i find that hard to belive. Ive stayed at OKW 10 times and everyime has been magical. the employees are wonderful..juss like EVERY disney employee. Stains on the carpet?? neva for us..even if there where..im sure its clean and sumthing spilled long time ago..its not like its dirty. Cocroaches?? i doubt that...and just remeber disney is going trough a tough time..Dont get me wrong ur allowed to ur opinion but we are very critilaly people when it cmes to our hotels and we have found zero faults with OKW juss a simply friendly relaxing paradise.
Susan
Susan
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PrincessAriel
New Member
I just got back today from Old Key West (my home resort). Everything was pleasent except the maid knocking on our door at 8 this morning asking us when we were checking out. hahaha :snore: Check out time is 11am hahaha
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OKW24, I didn't belive my eyes when i got there. This was my 6 stay there and It has always been magical and clean and nice, but not this time. But, maybe I was the lucky one and got the dirty room and the week all the nice people take off though.:veryconfu
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OldKeyWest24
New Member
i dunno..im sry i didnt mean to explode like that..its juss we spend thousands of dollars each year when we go there and i get upset easily when people dont like it..i know i should pelase dont be mad
Susan
Susan
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