Old Key West - overlooked beauty

zackiedawg

zackiedawg

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I thought I'd share a little Old Key West resort ambiance...I don't see it posted often, and even many DVC members don't give it dues. It's a whole different kind of Disney resort, the first true 'getaway' resort where coming back from the parks feels like entering a neighborhood and removing yourself from the parks to a whole beautiful relaxing resort lifestyle. Yet Disney details, architecture, transportation, and service are still all around you. I was just there in September, and pulled up a few older photos too - feel free to share yours if you've got any:

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Check out the view from some of the villas:

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A peak inside the huge and gorgeous 1-bedroom villas:

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awesome, justin. the 2br's are big enough for someone to LIVE in, let alone vacation in. i love OKW.
 
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It seems like a very strange place for the TV - but once you live in the place for a few hours, it seems so right...it's nicely viewable from the huge living room and dining room, as well as the huge balcony area, all at once. That room is massive, with the open kitchen, and the kitchen island's backside serves no other purpose...so Disney came up with a sneaky and cool place to hide the TV.

No kidding Tim - I'd be very happy with one of those 2-bedrooms to live in, let alone the grand villas - the OKW villas are huge even in comparison to the other DVC 2-bedroom villas. Give me a nice view on the lake and golf course, and proximity & transportation to the Disney parks all the time...I'd move there tomorrow if they'd let me (though I'd need to figure out something for an income). ;)

Goofy - it really is a hidden gem. All Disney resorts are nice, but OKW, and to a lesser extent Saratoga Springs, both have a very different feel than the other Disney resorts. Some may not like it, as it's more removed from the Disney park experience somehow - almost like a resort community feel...but it's very nice for a change of pace and a relaxing vacation, and the villas are absolutely huge so they're great for big groups or families.
 
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Thanks for sharing Justin. The resort looks great!
 
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Very cool!
Thanks for showing us. I've never been to OKW.
That porch looks like a very nice spot to spend a relaxing late afternoon or early morning coffee.
 
You got it, Craig. I know your Disney vibe is much the same as mine - time to relax at the resort, coffee with a view, late morning park entrances, summer A/C breaks and some peoplewatching...

OKW is a lovely place for that kind of trip. Coming back to the resort is very homey and removed, the views from most balconies are wide open and scenic, it's very laid back, especially late morning/early afternoon heading down to the bus stop to head to a park and often being the only one there, and often being one of the emptiest busses catching out of the parks too. And the size of the villas is pretty nice too!
 
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My wife and I got "walked" to OKW a couple of years ago and they put us in a two bedroom, and it was just the two of us and it was huge! I remember commenting that I had lived in smaller apartments.

The resort is very nice and homey and we really enjoyed it.
 
"zackiedawg" said:
You got it, Craig.  I know your Disney vibe is much the same as mine - time to relax at the resort, coffee with a view, late morning park entrances, summer A/C breaks and some peoplewatching...
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yep, that's how we spend our time in WDW. I've wondered if being local with an AP spoils you to not having to rush from ride to ride. We have spent many, many days at WDW doing nothing but meandering around!
 
It must be the local thing. Though I still know a few people that live down here and only go every few years - they still seem to have that 'gotta-do-it-all" vibe...but most of my family and friends that go often like I do tend to take it easy and love the lazy days and scenery.

Getting the AP when it first became available was a big step in allowing us to spend some slow time IN the parks - but even before the days of APs, we would still go to Disney every few months for a 4-5 day family trip, and spend at least a day or two hanging around Fort Wilderness when we stayed in the cabins, or touring hotels and having great meals. We would just spend 3 days in the parks each time. With the AP, it's nice to have the option of going into the parks on the hang-out days, just to take in the scenery, grab a meal, or grab a comfy bench on the water in front of Norway to watch the sun set over Morocco. :)
 
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i am down to t-minus 30 days away from going back to OKW. ; i love that place and will come back with MANY photos of the resort. ; you have to work a little bit, but there are many shots to be found from that place if you look around a little.
 
although the boardwalk can't be beat for location, okw is really the best and most laidback feels like home of them all
 
Hey Justin, these photo's are wonderful, and I had a thought while looking at them. ; I think that the first and fourth photo's a are fairly close to being taken from the same spot and would make a great from day till night merged shot. ; How about it?
 
Thanks for bumping this, Tim, as I didn't see it when it was first posted. ; We've only been to OKW on a bus trip, but the lush vegetation convinced me that we'd have to stay there sometime. ; As the first DVC resort, you can bet they put a lot of effort into it to make a strong sell for the program? ; Now that there are so many other resorts, I think OKW gets overlooked.

It's one resort that I know we'll definitely be able to get for our honeymoon at 7 months (we own at Saratoga, but have done that as non-DVC members twice now, so we'd rather something different). ; I would be quite fine with that.
 
Exactly! ; And a nice ambiance, extremely quiet and laid back, less crowded busses, still have the boat to Downtown Disney...love OKW. ; And there's so much room that a 1-bedroom can sleep plenty of extra folks, if you bring inflatable matresses or sleeping bags...tons of floor space in the living room/breakfast area. ; Even the Laundry room is big enough for a person to sleep in!

I'll be at Saratoga in a few weeks...can't wait to get up there. ; Have to get myself ready for the new boat system to DD - that's going to throw me the first time, when it pulls over to PI instead of Marketplace!
 
Poly...I have to get the technique from Tim on that...I tried just slapping one on top of the other, and erasing half, but I couldn't figure out a nice way to get a transitional blend between the two sides.

Tim...any help?
 
they have to be from the same spot, same focal length, and same angle... ; or at least as close as possible. ; yours are too far off to make it work without a lot of effort.
 
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