DVC Resort Spotlight Series! Disney's Old Key West Resort

[@davelohrmann2607]

We bought OKW in early 1993 (so near original owner). Our contract is “The Disney Vacation Club”. Still love it. Welcome Home.

[@shannonmiller5618]

We purchased at OKW right after this video. Between the ROFR video and this one, we knew it was time. Thanks to the Dis Unplugged team for their timely advice we only paid $77.00 a point! We are driving back from our first vacation at our DVC villa and the best part is, we are returning in January.

[@daviddexter716]

Early on, as I told co-workers, family and friends I was returning to Disney World as a DVC member (OKW and SS) they would reply "You're going to Disney World - AGAIN!". People with an ownership interest in a cabin never hear "You're going to your cabin - AGAIN!" We are from Minnesota so I now tell everyone that WDW is my Southern Cabin (initial buy in at OKW Dec 1997) ... I am just going to our Southern Cabin "AGAIN"! We take our entire family - our kids, their kids and our parent's - every other year and for that trip we ALWAYS stay at OKW as the rooms are so spacious, including a 3BR villa in addition to 1BR and 2BR villas to fit all 22 of us. We love it there. Thanks for the lovely show! 🙂

[@angelac1316]

I would love a "this or that" showdown of OKW vs. SSR :)

[@haroldpaik]

I'd go with SSR Renovated rooms Proximity to Disney Springs The golf course starts there More pools

[@joyceandersen5023]

The studio rooms are large, too. There are 2 queen beds and still a lot of floor space fir walking around

[@kayliiika]

I just can’t get enough of this show. It’s hands down my favorite of the Dis family of podcast! Your guys are so much fun upbeat and passionate!! I look forward to this every Monday!

[@keithmiath]

We had 8 adults and one child in a Grand Villa. And, everyone thought there was more than enough room when everyone was there! It’s my home resort, and I’m extremely happy with it!

[@johnjubala2200]

OKW is the best vacation getaway staycation for my wife and I. We take the boat ride to Disney Springs and occasionally venture over to other resorts' restaurants and places of interest. See you this fall 🍁🍁

[@scotth1042]

Hey guys - FYI the word is passersby, not passerbuyers. Great show! Love Old Key West!

[@JanSDisney1974]

We purchased OKW in 1997, I believe it was $56 per point. We love staying at OKW, we always had a car and so convenient to park in front of the building. Olivia’s is always a go to every trip no matter which resort we stay at as we purchased 3 other DVC properties.

[@artberton1868]

Not top 20 but my parents were contract 1000. My brother holds it now and did extend to 2057

[@jenniferjohnston8890]

I'm a solo traveler who often rents points for my WDW trips (and one Disneyland trip!) I went to old key west in December 2021 and had the most relaxing wonderful stay in a studio. The bathroom was fantastic. I miss the couch but loved the balcony. I loved it so much I'm going back this December.

[@04forerunner]

Like the vids and Dani is great… keep having her on. She was our rep for BRV purchase in March. Just a suggestion, you should consider doing one to two minutes of video overview of resort area (used to do it I believe for Disboard videos). Thanks for you efforts…

[@lavenderstripes]

Amy! I saw you and Paul at the finish line of the Toy Story 10 Miler! We finished roughly around the same time. I was too scared to say hi though 😅 Great job! That was a tough race

[@YamKriegs]

Say hi next time!!!! We’re signed up for the next two half marathons. :)

[@danielvandersall6756]

My wife and I stayed here back in 2020, shortly after the parks reopened. We splurged on a One Bedroom, since I had purchased an annual pass some time before and got a 40% discount on the cost of the stay. My wife and I are both disabled, so we needed a building with elevators; there are three buildings up front (63, 64, 15) that have elevator access to all floors. Be warned; none of the other buildings do. Our room was on the top floor of 64, overlooking the beautiful lake on the golf hole, and was so huge and beautiful it shocked us. Truly the only drawback is that the resort is BIG. There are 5 different bus stops, and we learned really early to go to the first stop. Even in a largely empty resort, the nearest station to us, at the hospitality house, was dead last on the list and usually would arrive completely full. We would ride our mobility vehicles down to the Peninsular Road Stop, and never had that problem again. Sadly, we never got to use the boat to Disney Springs--it was closed. Maybe some other time...

[@KingOMiami]

This is one of the most fun episodes I have seen for DVC Fan. Great lineup of the panel to talk about OKW!

[@lindaeisenstadt3609]

Why don’t they say key west on has a few blogs with an elevator? Watching 4/10 at 6:30 est

[@lightningsrt4707]

Not sure of my number but I am original DVC with my home being Old key west. I remember when the restaurant Olivia’s use to give out hand made glass figurines for the drink toppers.

[@vickycroft4621]

All our granddaughter will know is Disney & resorts there. 🎉❤🏰 👑

[@mivimc]

Many groups of friends at OKW. As Amy stated we plan our trips to coincide with each other and connect throughout the year when not there. Hands down my favorite resort because of the relationships built there.

[@matthewnelson5699]

That walk is intense with a kid in arms on a hot day lol. Do not let Amy lie to you! haha

[@ElizabethBSoCal]

😂

[@Wildcat32615]

I love my DVC membership since 1996 @$ 72.00 per point. Brought site unseen .

[@karenpetersen4293]

I find it interesting that one of the biggest criticisms of AKL is that it is "so far from everything/too removed/only bus transportation", but people find the same limitations charming at OKW.

[@daniellefenwick3160]

Love Paul’s Ohio State shirt! Go Bucks!

[@omarnoble4788]

🎶The dream of the 90s is alive in Old Key West🎶

[@mothernature4895]

Thanks for show casing Old Key West. We love it. We’re hoping to buy a resale contract soon.

[@vickycroft4621]

Love all that space and back porch. Boat ride to Disney Springs.

[@jeanmacfarland1428]

OKW is definitely one of my all time favorites.

[@officialbitterchickey]

My husband went off to play golf, I decided to sleep in. Turned out he got asked to join a 3 some of DVC agents whose 4th canceled. Came back that afternoon with an OKW contract (with 2057 expiration ftw!) 😂😂.

[@shannonwebb121]

The Olivia’s story is a fictionalized story as part of the legend of Conch Flats. There’s a great full story around it

[@johnritchey4201]

My favorite t shirt, "Old Key West. The first and the best" our member number is in 7k range, second year of sales

[@johnritchey4201]

Mentioning running, I really miss the fun run, Disney please bring it back.

[@npm0219]

Stayed at Old Key West in January of 1992, the Disney vacation club. Did it through RCI at the time. Wish parents would have bought in then, bought into BWV 5 years later.

[@kellykristine1238]

I love homemade potato chips! And they are so much better than Disney French fries. Every time they are on the menu I have to ask if they are homemade 😊

[@jeremyharris1547]

I have stayed in 1 bedroom over thanksgiving in 2017 and my daughter will be staying there this friday for the 10 mile Pixar run. My brother worked for a family who owned the business he worked at and they had a 10k point owner contract.

[@DennisOBrien1]

My biggest complaint about OKW is that the renovation took place right before they started putting USBs in the nightstands. Other than that I LOVE it. Going for my 5th stay this July for a large family gathering in a grand villa!

[@wdwexploreandchill]

I’m not DVC (yet) but I do love Old Key West and I am thoroughly enjoying this discussion!

[@fabavb]

Great video! But then, I also love my OKW. And I have only been an owner there since 2010. Wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else.

[@rustydennis8757]

Loving the Buckeye shirt, O-H

[@brockholman5779]

Love the spotlight!! BUT, Why aren’t you all showing photos, or even B-Roll, of the property and areas you’re talking about?

[@josesalgado942]

I may have missed it, but the only thing not mentioned was the lack of elevators at this resort. We stayed there last fall and loved the resort!

[@bruceuhland8]

Paul, awesome shirt. Go Bucks.

[@matthewnelson5699]

OKW is wonderful for all of that. To me it is a direct competitor with SS and I just cannot pick this over that but if space is your need this is it! Having a car here is pretty helpful too which we never have.

[@Scaloozy]

Why does SS win over OKW. Curious.

[@shannonwebb121]

OKW is my favourite resort!

[@dee_mcgee11]

Checked off Poly and AKV. OKW is next on our list!

[@spectroman71]

I love OKW and stay there quite often. It'll be interesting to see what happens after 2042 because as we know, not everyone extended to 2057. So then what - offer a 15-year contract at fire sale prices? If half of the resort DOES become empty, I suspect they'll bulldoze half of it and erect another ugly high-rise tower. It's inevitable. I'm glad I won't be around at that point and am just enjoying it in it's original form!

[@chcknctlt2258]

Counterpoint - if you're coming and going to parks all day on a trip....hope you like sitting on buses. Seems like there are 42 stops internally before you even head out to the park. Its a huge pain in the rear for a trip where you are really on the go...and lastly, good look getting bell services to help you get to your room if it is far from the lobby area at busier check-in times...was quoted an hour wait last trip we were there. The store is cool. The boat to Springs is cool. Having 2 actual beds in a studio WAS cool but with so many resorts with the murphy beds, that is less of a perk for us.

[@MikeOnTheHomestead]

1BR vilal at the end of April for me and the fam...looking forward to it. Thanks for the video on it :)

[@leoniemarks4594]

We own at GFV, but have stayed at OKW more than at any other resort - both on points and cash bookings too (back in the day when a hotel & tickets booking got us free DDP). I did just want to correct you, though. Hospitality House is the LAST stop on the bus route to parks, and Peninsula Road is the first stop. We are especially aware and mindful of this, as I have a mobility scooter, and there's just no way we can ever get a bus from HH. The internal shuttle goes round from HH back to HH, and that is the only bus which starts there. Of course, getting on at Peninsula Road means you have a 15-minute trundle round the whole resort before leaving to go to a park, but at least it means we're able to get on! A couple of trips ago we couldn't get on 3 MK buses in a row and gave up and went round the corner to Peninsula Road, along with another scooter user who had been waiting longer than we had.

[@YamKriegs]

You’re absolutely right for the parks busses. Disney Springs busses always run opposite at all resorts so you can use the normal busses for internal shuttle if needed. It stops at HH first and Penninsular last. Penninsular area is definitely our favorite and the bus route is one of the reasons why.

[@qv09vvp]

How much did they offer the owners to extend ? Just curious

[@JoeCosentino]

Old key west is what was promised back in the day, I first looked when it was $50 a point now days all they are building are motel style rooms increasing their profits and decreasing our real value.😊

[@brandibuckley171]

We stayed there one time and loved the resort but the studio room we did not love. The walls were so thin we could hear literally everything from our neighbors, every sneeze, every toilet flush, and our view from the balcony was to the beautiful golf course aaand, right into the neighbors living room, could see right in, so they could see right to where we were sleeping, blinds required. 😂

[@PriestsandParamedics]

The word is "passers-by" :)

[@JL-1123]

Go Blue, Paul

[@markreynolds9135]

As a DVC owner, is there much demand for rental points if I wanted to rent my points about at OKW?

[@officialbitterchickey]

I rent my OKW points with no issues, at 7 months they're all the same.

[@bruceuhland8]

We have stayed at OKW twice. We stayed in a studio both times. A friend of mine owned there and would rent me points. Once in HH and once at Turtle Pond Rd. Honestly, I preferred Turtle Pond Rd.

[@14gtmaj]

333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333🎉🎉🎉

[@LeeAbner]

The one thing that has kept me from staying at OKW is the lack of elevators. I have mobility issues and can do stairs, but it makes my wife nervous, so we have stayed away, If I could be guaranteed a ground floor, I would be ok.

[@leoniemarks4594]

This drives me mad, too. We have stayed there 4 times: twice on points, twice cash bookings. Not ONCE have they put us in a 1st floor room! I have had to waste so much time every single check-in while they tried to find us a suitable unit where I could just drive my ECV into the room (2 of the trips the buildings with elevators were being refurbished and weren't available). I've been advised that if we want to stay there again, we'll have to book an accessible room to guarantee being on the 1st floor - and I don't actually need the facilities of an accessible room and feel guilty about depriving a wheelchair user who needs it more.

[@carlarnott5209]

Whilst I appreciate it’s frustrating not to be able to guarantee a ground floor room, can I also say thank you for not using up accessible rooms if you don’t need them?! As the father of a son with quadriplegic cerebral palsy we really need those rooms, especially with lots of space for wheelchair turning etc. There are plenty of DVC rooms (albeit in other resorts) that are totally OK if you’re in an ECV without using up the accessible rooms!

[@bluemangroup4]

Hi I have a question. Is the information on disboards about sold prices trustworthy? It seems all over the place, and I had a broker tell me people lie a lot. I'm not sure who to believe!

[@jackylsmith8138]

I’ll be at OKW very soon.

[@elplata7224]

So drawbacks with OKW and SS are if you are far away on the outskirts, since it’s so spread out?

[@loracaro4427]

It's still in the Disney bubble they are both very nice resorts towards Disney springs and Saratoga springs has a great golf course..If I was to become an owner I would go to thaes resorts and animal kingdom lodge ..there are many videos on these resorts.

[@DestinationTimeshare]

Do any of the buildings at OKW have elevators? Are there a few? This might be important for people to understand about this resort if they have mobility issues.

[@carlarnott5209]

Yes absolutely, if you select a room with accessibility allowances, and it is not on the ground floor then there will be a lift. We stayed in a wheelchair accessible 3 bed grand villa last year and it was on the upper floor(s)

[@vickycroft4621]

Yes. Sauna, hot tub. 😊

[@elplata7224]

The car perk is a good one

[@vickycroft4621]

Our Home Resort 1997. 🏰 ❤️ 💙

[@cyndimeyer837]

We will be at OKW in May

[@patriciafrancescone1591]

A lot of the Peninsular Rd buildings are considered “near Hospitality House” booking category.

[@mivimc]

Yes Amy misspoke. The HH areas are in front of the HH and then the first set of buildings on Peninsula before the bus stop over the bridge

[@YamKriegs]

Yep, you’re right! We always like 27 which is the first Penninsular not HH category.

[@hashtagheadies6594]

I like the back because it quite but its a bit pf hassle to get to the front, thats the only negative to me, everything else is great

[@patriciafrancescone1591]

The sauna is in the lighthouse.

[@frankcarney4882]

A 2 bedroom at AK for value is 31 per night

[@frankcarney4882]

Paul/Amy WL has a path to Fort Wilderness you can run on

[@kimbrojm]

Unfortunately they closed that path when they started construction on Reflections. Even though that project has been put on hold, they have not reopened the path.

[@jenny71WDW]

path been closed for years sadly

[@YamKriegs]

They closed it when they started construction on “Reflections” and never reopened it :( We walked over to it- it’s gated off and overgrown now sadly.

[@frankcarney4882]

@@YamKriegs thanks

[@carries.213]

​thats sad

[@wadesanecki7269]

Member since April of 1992. Toured the facilities in January of 1992, and by built March I was sold and made the purchase. At that time, the resort was far from complete. A 3 bedroom grand villa had not even been built at this time. Also, FYI, the first grand villas were not accessible units, and thus design changes had to be made. Super large rooms are the greatest, so guests don´t feel on top of one another in the rooms. Also, the full size laundry in the units. Mini washer dryers are nice, but the full size washer and dryer are truly the next level. I confirm the sauna in the lighthouse near the main pool. And ,if Disney kept giving the perks given to us, DVC would be 3-5 times more popular. Lastly, you get to park your car, right outside your room.

[@jeffreynardecchia7615]

Might have to fire Paul, wearing an Ohio State shirt.

[@shawnokeefe1580]

It’s a key west story

[@Angel-ds5wp]

Just got back from OKW- it was just ok. Olivia’s was not great. Very slow service, quality not there. People in party with allergies, all of the meals were mixed up, we received the exact opposite of what we ordered. Kind of a mess. Also, the pull out couch and chairs are not sleepable. Very uncomfortable. Disappointed this time. Have stayed before - was better.