jm26
Registered: February 2012
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Thu June 6, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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bus service, pool, friendly staff
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Cons:
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loud, old
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My family of 3 stayed in an Old Key West resort studio from May 28 to June 4, 2013. I requested a room near transportation and was given a room close to the Turtle Pond bus stop. I used the online check in and the room was ready upon our arrival. The size of the room was adequate and met all of our needs.The nearby pool was nice, it had a snack bar, arcade, shuffleboard, hot tub and playground and wasn't crowded most of the time. Overall we were satisfied with the room and service but I don't think I would recommend this resort for the following reasons. The room seemed old and run down, the carpet was worn and the appliances (coffee pot, toaster) were functional but broken and dirty. The bathroom was dark and had paint peeling. We were on the ground floor and the glass door to the patio was so dirty that you couldn't see out, basically the room was showing it's age and needed freshened up. We could basically hear everything that was going on in the room next to us. Every morning our neighbor whistled the Star Wars theme song while his children screamed at the top of their lungs. I complained to guest services but they didn't do anything about it as far as I could tell. After a few days I determined that they probably weren't being exceptionally loud but that the walls were just that thin, we also had a door that could be used to connect the rooms and I think that was the main source of the noise, but we spent most of our time at the parks or pool so it wasn't that big of a problem.
I have a mixed opinion about the bus service at this resort. The typical order the bus picks up if going to the parks is Peninsula Road, South Point, Turtle Pond, Miller Road and then the Hospitality House. It might go in a different order occasionally depending your destination,in my experience at other Disney resorts the Downtown Disney bus usually goes to the Hospitality House first but I didn't go downtown this visit so I'm not sure about this particular resort. Our stop was Turtle Pond, which for some reason was almost always the most crowded. I only had to stand a few times, once going to the Magic Kingdom for morning magic hours and maybe once or twice when returning home after park closing, but any of those times I could have sat but gave up my seat. I have read several reviews that state that the bus service to this resort is inadequate, obviously these people have never stayed at a value resort where the buses are packed full and at peak hours you might have to wait for several buses to come and go before you get on, compared to that the service here was remarkable. The buses do seem slow however, we had to wait about 30 minutes a few times, and the way the resort is laid out means they have to turn around a few times but overall the bus service was fine.
I am rating this resort an 8. I rented DVC points which saved me a lot of money, if I would have paid the WDW website price for this room I would have been furious and rated it much lower, probably 4. If you are thinking about staying here or any DVC resort I would advise renting points, either directly from a DVC owner or an online points broker.
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Evanston
Registered: April 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Fri April 26, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Beautiful friendly resort
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Cons:
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Early morning grass cutting
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Our family stayed at OKW from 8th April to 22nd April. We are a family of four and we stayed in a 1 bedroom villa. We have stayed at OKW twice before and have stayed in a studio both those times. We were all astounded by the size of the villa and the facilities it offered. We had more than enough space for us all. The decor was bright and clean and the mousekeepers kept it clean and tidy for us everyday. It was a pleasure to come home everyday to a beautiful, clean and tidy villa. The laundry room was great, I used it every other day and the tumble drier was a lifesaver when we got drenched on our last day in Magic Kingdom. The staff in OKW are extremely friendly and nothing is ever too much trouble if you have a question or require anything. The only negative I would say that we experienced on this trip was that we were woken up each morning around 5.30 with noisy grass cutters cutting the grass outside our balcony and shining the headlights from the vehicle into our bedroom. Wearing earplugs each night to block out the noise did not make much difference to the level of noise coming from these machines. Having said that, OKW will still be my first choice for future trips.
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Ranger275
Registered: February 2009
Location: Michigan
Posts: 40
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Review Date: Wed April 17, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Room, pool and grounds
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Cons:
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none
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We are a DVC members and our home resorts are Bay Lake Towers and Saratoga Springs. We chose Old Key West for the overall resort feel, to try another resort and for the larger rooms. We stayed March 31st through April 6th 2013. We had 7 people in our group, 5 kids ranging from 16 to 6.
We really enjoyed this resort. We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa and it was quite large and very nice. Our view was of a golf green and a pond, it was very relaxing. We cooked most of our meals in the room and it had most of what we needed. We also have learned not to bring a lot of clothes and to do laundry in the room. We were able to park right outside our room which was on the ground floor. Our room was ready when we got there which was around noon
We were near the main buildings and main pool. When we didn't go to the parks we used the main pool a lot and it was a lot of fun. I was amazed by the amount of life guards and activity directors they had at the pool. It was very safe and they had activities going all day. The kids used the basketball courts, tennis courts, sand volleyball court and shuffle board area. They also really enjoyed the pool slide. We didn't eat at any of the resort restaurants but the kids did get refillable mugs which they enjoyed.
Overall we really liked Old Key West and it has become one of our favorites. Very relaxing and we will definitely be back. The service at the store was great, they went above and beyond to make sure some coffee mugs we bought would make it home safe.
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mommom
Registered: January 2008
Location: Refton PA
Posts: 38
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Review Date: Tue January 15, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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resort is beautiful
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Cons:
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missing items in kitchen
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Had 2 villas, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom. 2 bedroom the pull out sofa was broke. The 1 bedroom, where I did the cooking for 12 was missing a lot of items from the kitchen. Was put in a handicapped villa and was told the only difference was the shower. This room was completely different. Was not happy with room. But this is still our home away from home.
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slapps
Registered: May 2012
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Mon January 7, 2013
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything
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Cons:
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Bad experience with front desk
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We started our stay at Kidani Village for 5 days and then transferred to Old Key West on December 31st with our great friends from Upstate New York. This was our 2nd stay at this resort and we just love everything about it. The rooms are huge, we stayed in a two bedroom villa and it was wonderful. All of our needs were met and check-in was a breeze. The pool is a very nice perk of this resort. The bedrooms were huge and the beds wonderful.
The only problem we had was I paid part of our room tab on a Disney gift card we purchased for food and other items we charged on our room. I went to the front desk and spoke with a guest service member. I explained to her what I wanted to do, several times. I told her several times I wanted the $500.00 gift card applied to my room charges and did not want my credit/debit card charged. This was 8am. About 8:30pm I was looking at my checking account on-line and noticed a $500.00 charge on my account I thought it was a hold and it was from Disney. I then walked back to the front desk and asked why there was a hold on my card. The person I spoke with was Jerry. Jerry said you paid $500.00 at 8am this morning. To make a long story short the person in the am never charged my gift card, Even though I saw her swipe the card,I had in the mean time thrown my Disney Card in the outside garbage. I went and sifted through the garbage and found the card and had everything redone. I then had the charges reversed on my card and applied the Disney gift card. The thing that angered me was I asked at least 3 times when I did the transaction to make sure she understood. On the bright side Jerry was wonderful and the manager on duty that evening was great.
Even though I had a bad experience with cards it all worked out and I learned to never throw my gift cards out. Overall wonderful vacation and we love Old Key West.
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annarose09
Registered: December 2012
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 13
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Review Date: Mon December 17, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Lowest point cost, very spacious, lovely decor, Olivia's
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Cons:
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Can be very far from hospitality house, no elevators, cleaning left much to be desired
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Old Key West has been my favorite Disney property until our last visit. I had requested a room with an elevator (very limited) or a first floor accommodation as I was traveling with elderly people who would have difficulty with the stairs everyday. I received a third floor, no elevator, farthest from the Hospitality House. I know there is not a guarantee with rooms but we received the exact opposite of our request.
Upon entering our room we found a bug in the bathroom and called the front desk. They immediately sent pest control to put out "traps" and told us it was very normal in this area of Florida and nothing to be concerned of.
The floors were dirty, crumbs on the floor, a pill under the nightstand, dead bug behind the nightstand, and a lot of dust. I brought Clorox wipes with me as I had my 10 month old with me who crawls and I wanted to clean myself. There was what appeared to be mold in the shower and the frame in the bathroom was broken.
The grounds themselves were very nice, we enjoyed the playground and small pool near our area. It was very quiet. Could see fireworks from our balcony every night at 9:30 (not sure from where).
The bus transportation was as expected. We were the last stop each time so we decided to use our own vehicle most days. Definitely enjoyed the boat ride to and from Downtown Disney.
Olivia's is a true hidden gem not be missed! Will do a separate review for that!
Not sure we will stay here again, not soon at least. Loved OKW and sad this experience wasn't great. Definitely would not pay the cash rate for this accommodation.
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JeffFrmJoisey
Registered: August 2012
Location: United States
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Wed November 21, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Lovely Grounds, Large Rooms
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Cons:
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None
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We stayed at Old Key West as DVC members for one (1) week, 08-16-12 thru 08-23-12. We requested a unit near the Hospitality House when we made the reservation. We had an early flight and arrived prior to our room being ready, so we checked in and left our luggage with Bell Services. We upgraded our previously purchased park passes to include the Water, Fun & More option for $22 per person, well worth the money at this price, even if you only go to a water park once. We went to Downtown Disney for lunch to wait for our room.
When we got our text, we returned and checked in. We were assigned a Deluxe Studio in Building 24. Talk about close to the Hospitality House!! The walk from my door to the first smoking area on the Marina side of the Hospitality House took less time than it took to have a smoke while we walked over. We loved the size of the room!! Compared to the Deluxe Studios at Jambo House AKV, this was an estate! We have no idea if this was one of the renovated rooms, but it was clean. I had read reviews of green mold problems in the rooms – this was NOT THE CASE for our room. It was well cleaned and mold free. Our first night we thought the folks upstairs had come home and that we were going to hear every footstep – Not so, we were hearing Illuminations!! Until the last couple of days, we only knew the attached One (1) Bedroom Lock-off unit was occupied only by seeing that family enter/exit their room. The last couple of days, we heard we had neighbors – so we placed a towel at the door bottom to block the crack and it cut down on the noise. The A/C in our room was quieter than those in some Moderates we’ve stayed in but louder than other Deluxes – it also worked extremely well – from warm to meat locker in a matter of minutes – I had to raise the temp at night or sleep with a blanket up to my ears to block the cold breeze (not complaining here, just telling it like it is).
We had heard/read about how bad the bus service was at OKW. We did not find this to be the case. Perhaps it’s because we treat Disney Transport as another attraction! For the most part, the only time we use mass transit is when we are at WDW. When the buses/boats/monorails are packed, we call it the New York City Rush Hour Transit Experience!! The Peninsular Road bus stop was our stop – it was no bother to get the “Grand Tour” of OKW with each ride – it took maybe 5-7 minutes on average. We did have a car for part of our stay to explore off-site and used it to go to DHS one day. Yes, it was quicker to drive back to our room – once we waited for the tram to take us to the far end of the lot where we parked then stood outside while the A/C cooled the car off to a bearable temperature. So, that’s waiting twice before we leave the lot. Sometimes I’d rather just wait once then board the Disney Transport “Freezer Truck With Windows” for the ride home.
As for the OKW’s dining options – we tried Olivia’s Café for breakfast once – it was above average. You’ve got to try the Cheesy Potatoes - they were Out Of This World! We ate breakfast at the Good’s To Go Quick Serve counter a few mornings. The lines were short. The food was fresh – it shares a kitchen with Olivia’s Café, so the Cheesy Potatoes are the same! I had a Turkey Club Wrap for a snack one evening – it was better than I expected. The Dining we experienced at OKW was much better than those described in some of the reviews on AllEars, which paint a grim picture of OKW’s dining options. We have no complaints about our dining experiences at OKW.
Maybe it’s because we’re used to the Moderates after so many stays, but we feel walking right outside from our room gives us more of a Disney Experience than staying at a resort where you enter a hall and walk forever until you can get outside into the World. This adds to our opinion that Old Key West Resort is a Great Place to Stay. We loved the room size, the décor, the lushness of the grounds. We will stay at OKW again and will recommend it to family and friends!
PS: It’s real easy to get lost (confused) at OKW and trying your key in the wrong door – all of the buildings look very similar if not alike. You’ve been warned!
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Schindysx5
Registered: January 2007
Location: Southwest Wisconsin
Posts: 15
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Review Date: Sat November 17, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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beautiful resort, great cast members,very relaxing
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Cons:
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None
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We just returned from our 2nd stay using our DVC membership, Oct 26-Nov 6. We were assigned to unit 1122 (2 bedroom studio). We were celebrating our 18 year anniversary as well as my oldest daughter’s birthday. Our family enjoyed our stay, but will book the 3 bedroom Grand Villa for our next “family” vacation. (10 days of togetherness was too much for a 2 bedroom unit).
The only downfall we had during our stay was that after checking in and getting settled, we had to call to let maintenance know about a broken cupboard door in the kitchen. It appeared someone either swung the door open too far or was hanging on it and the hinge had pulled out of the wood. Our concern was since this was the cupboard with the glasses in it, and it would be opened and closed a lot. We feared one of us would open the door and have it fall since it was just barely hanging on. 10 minutes later and maintenance was there. They stated they would need to contact a carpenter to fix the problem and were not able to say how long it would be until it was fixed. We let them know that was not a problem but requested they just remove the door so that there was no risk of it falling off. Maintenance took the door down and apologized over and over for inconvenience of having to call them and having to look at the glasses in the cupboard until it was fixed.
We used the main pool, Olivia’s and the Gurgling Suitcase, Goods to Go, Conch Flats General Store, and Hank’s Rent and Return numerous times through out our trip without a hitch. Goods to Go could use a much bigger space but it didn’t bother us as what we had was always pool side.
We can’t wait to return “home” again for our next vacation!
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worco
Registered: January 2011
Posts: 35
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Review Date: Sun October 28, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Beautiful layout.
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Cons:
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Big resort that required a lot of walking.
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First of all I thought the resort was very nice. It is wrapped around a golf course and offers beautiful views of the holes. The resort is big. The jogging trail is about 1.5 miles round, and it doesn't take you through the whole resort. The room was clean and comfortable. Bathroom was spacious and we had plenty of room to stretch out. The internet did not work and was not fixed until the last night we were there. That was a little frustrating as I called everyday and was told they were working on it. I was advised to go to the hospitality house to use the internet there. That required either walking to the hospitality house or taking a bus there while carrying my laptop. Neither option was easy or convenient. Now shame on me for bringing the laptop on my vacation, but unfortunately in todays society it is easier to bring it to verify restaurant reservations, check in to airlines, and check other things.
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xrayvision
Registered: August 2009
Posts: 24
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Review Date: Sun October 28, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Quiet, beautiful
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Cons:
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Lacking quick service food for such a large resort
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Resort is beautiful with mature vegetation. Saw snakes, bunnies, lizards and many birds. We are DVC members (not our home resort) and decided to try a stay here the end of Sept 2012. Feel the quick service dining to be lacking for such a large resort. WE had a room request which was closely accommodated. (1 building away) Close to golf. Bell services drove us over to Port Orleans, Sassagoula Float Works, for dinner one night as we were wanting some jambalaya. They even came back to get us when we were finished.
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tink1970
Registered: October 2012
Posts: 8
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Review Date: Sat October 20, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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size, jacuzzi tub
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Cons:
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confusing layout
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Two families stayed in a 2 br at OKW Sept 2011 for the half marathon.
We had more than enough room, loved the kitchen, and I enjoyed the very large "master" bathroom immensely, using the jacuzzi multiple times.
It was also nice to have a washer and dryer to use after the run, and housekeeping was very helpful.
When traveling with others, this provided more than enough privacy, and I rank this as my favorite DVC property, despite its age.
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mdouc82231
Registered: May 2006
Location: NH
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Wed October 3, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Beautiful suite
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Cons:
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All the bus stops, long walks to bus stops and hospitality house
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I had booked a studio, but when we went to check in, it was somewhat confusing. The first person to help us said she didn't have everything on her computer. So the manager helped us, also seemed confused and stopped to talk to other employees, leaving us waiting again. She finally finished and apologized to us. We finally got to the room, but it was a 1 bedroom suite! I had booked a studio! They assured me that this was our room that we booked, but it really wasn't! We got to stay in that beautiful room for the studio price!
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thenardier1500
Registered: August 2008
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Wed October 3, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Studio size, beautiful resort
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Cons:
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Transportation, size
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We just checked out from a 4 night stay at Old Key West, studio 3836/3837. The resort is really very beautiful, and studios were larger than I expected. This was my first stay at OKW, and really appreciated the different layout of the villa. Our issues: how ridiculously far we seemed to be from Hospitality House. Building 38 is a bit of a walk from the bus stop, which is also where the ice machines happened to be. Thankfully, after the 2nd night I discovered the ice trays in the freezer, waiting to be used.
Our other issue: the transportation. The bus service seemed, well, clumsy, with the roundabout ways they have it going to make the stops. It seemed ridiculous to drive past our stop to get to another, and stop there on the way back. We were in DTD one day, and from the time it took me to step n the bus, to when I walked in my studios, it took almost 40 minutes!!! Seemed a bit ridiculous, since OKW is only right up the road from DTD. Finally, we gave up and started paying for cabs when we had to make an ADR and even to get back from MK on our last night.
All in all, this was a nice resort that I would stay in again, if we weren't so very far from the main building.
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gmuuva
Registered: October 2012
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Tue October 2, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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very peaceful and roomy
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Cons:
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none really
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We visited Old Key West in 2010 and loved it. Stayed in the two bedroom condo in building 63. They were very accommodating to get us close to the hospitality house as we had a person on a scooter and a double stroller. Last year, we decided to try something different and stayed at the Pirate room at Caribbean Beach resort. I have to say while yes the pool there was great, and the food court was nice, the resort was also very large like Old Key West. The part that I found the hardest to adjust to was the size of the room for the Pirate room. I admit Old Key West spoiled us with the large rooms. I also loved that I could cook some meals myself when we had the kitchen. We did the dining plan in 2012 and while it was a fun experience, by the 4th day I was eating out worn out. I wanted to make my own meals the way I like them. As a result of what we learned, I have to say I love love love Old Key West even more and we will be heading back there again this April. We have a one bedroom this time, we are skipping the dining plan (love AllEars for helping me do a cost comparison for the price of everything). I think from now on we will take Old Key West over the other Disney resorts unless they too are part of the DVC. As for the buses, the waits for us was less at OLD Key West then at Caribbean Beach and much less crowded.
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robyroberts
Registered: February 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Tue September 18, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Lots of room
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Cons:
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nothing
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Hello all, We stayed in the Grand Villa at Old Key West 9/2 to 9/7. My family and friends loved it. There were 10 of us. So after a hard day at the park we would go abck a cook and relex. The resort it self is big but very nice. There is alot to do here. I will stay here again. This is why I love being a DVC Member.
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