Why We Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Disney World’s Worst Deluxe Resort
One of the hills that I’ll die on is that Walt Disney World’s biggest asset is not that it has 4 theme parks, more than double any other destination. It’s not the classic attractions, unique modern E-Ticket rides, or even the marquee new lands. It’s not the hundreds of restaurants, although we’re starting to get warmer.
Technically, what we love most about it is the Walt Disney World Resort complex as a whole. But that encompasses everything and feels like a cheesy answer, so we’ll narrow it down. The biggest asset of Walt Disney World that is distinct from other destinations is the over two-dozen resort hotels. These are widely varied properties, each with their distinct charm, selling points, as well as interconnectivity and transportation.
The argument could be made that other resort complexes do attractions better, despite only having one or two parks to Walt Disney World’s four. Many fans believe California or Japan have better ride rosters. What they do not have, however, is a better lineup of hotels. This is evident in the topic of today’s post, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, which is our least-favorite top-tier hotel at Walt Disney World. But before you bust out the pitchforks, hear us out!
We love every single Walt Disney World resorts and staying in the bubble. There is not a single WDW hotel we dislike. Literally. All of them have strengths and each brings something special to the table. What makes it the Vacation Kingdom of the World is the spaces between the theme parks; nowhere does it like Walt Disney World.
The one thing we miss most about no longer living in Central Florida is losing those weeknight visits to the resort hotels. Doing a very leisurely dinner and walking it off afterwards via a stroll around the resort while enjoy the atmosphere, and discovering something new.
We still visit often and do a lot of hotel stays, but that’s the one thing that just isn’t the same. Being a local with all sense of urgency removed is transformational in how you experience the resorts. If there’s one reason to choose Florida when ‘moving to the magic,’ it’s that. Not the parks. But I digress.
I say all of this as a preface because every list ranking rides, restaurants, or even resorts ends up being controversial or contentious is because of subjectivity and sentimentality. While there is consensus that Pirates of the Caribbean is superior to Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, some people will prefer the latter.
Same goes for resorts. Many longtime fans have a “home” hotel where they always stay and have fallen in love with over the decades. And unlike rides or restaurants, as discussed above, all of the resorts are varying degrees of good or great.
Dubbing anything the “worst” is courting controversy. Worst is a relative term, and could still be great. A hotel with a guest satisfaction score of 88% (made up number) is still respectable, but could its counterparts with numbers in the nineties.
Perhaps “weakest” or “least-best” are better terms, as this is not mean to be synonymous with bad (like the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, which might score a hypothetical -83% in satisfaction). Something has to come in last place, and that thing could still be excellent!
Enter Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Putting this property in last place is especially controversial with WDW diehards because it has a rich history and a lot of fans with very vested interests (in the most literal sense) in Old Key West.
Old Key West was originally named Disney’s Vacation Club Resort when it opened back in 1991. As in, it was the only one and seemingly intended to stay that way given the name. That quickly changed, and it was renamed to Old Key West in 1996 as DVC embarked on a period of explosive growth, which still has not really ended.
Being the proof of concept for concept for Disney’s timeshare model, Old Key West still has a different vibe than most other resorts. Longtime DVC Members, many of whom fell in love with Walt Disney World and have owned at OKW for three decades, are quite protective of it. There’s a reflexive reaction to any changes made to their sprawling home resort or criticism levied at it.
After a recent stay at OKW, we wanted to return to its ranking as our last place Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort, covering the good and bad, and why almost everything about Old Key West is a double-edged sword. Let’s go category by category…
Old Key West Theme
Old Key West captures the feeling of a bygone-era community in the Florida Keys that Disney has dubbed “Conch Flats,” with a mix of Victorian and Gingerbread architecture. The lush grounds and other thematic details go the extra mile in reinforcing the sense of community.
The way it is romanticized sufficiently distinguishes it from the (nearby-ish) real thing as well as condos and retirement villages around the Sunshine State. This is one potential point of criticism, that Old Key West isn’t quite as immersive or distinct from countless other areas in Florida.
I disagree. This one is not a double-edged sword for me. I love the themed design of Old Key West, and find that the overall ambiance has a relaxed, Jimmy Buffett-esque vibe that works really well for vacationing. If anything, Old Key West is underrated on the thematic front.
My one light bit of criticism here would be that recent modernization efforts to the Hospitality House have gone a bit too far. I miss the old Papa’s Den, charm of the main lobby, and intimacy of Olivia’s. I understand all felt a tad tired and look nicer now, but they could use a touch more personality.
Conch Flats is still great, from the Hospitality House itself to the Sandcastle Pool to the nearby lighthouse. The colorful outer buildings are likewise great, and all of this should serve as the aesthetic blueprint for the upcoming room redesign. Speaking of which…
Old Key West Guest Rooms
Old Key West completed a room refurbishment back in 2019, which was prior to the “cut off” for good redesigns at Walt Disney World. The end result of that was toning down the grandma’s cottage look significantly, but without the same functional improvements and more scattershot themed design.
Ironically, the new rooms are exactly like your grandma’s cottage in Florida would look if she bought sometime in the last decade. The old rooms had a Golden Girls look to them that was quite nice, and is coming back into style. They had personality and pizzazz, and matched the vibe of the resort.
The current rooms feel tired and lifeless. Fans often accuse the lodges of having dark and dreary rooms, but honestly, I think OKW (at least the studios) is worse in that regard. They’re not necessarily dark, but they are drab. These are the negatives of the current rooms.
The undeniable, objective positive is that the rooms at Old Key West are incredibly spacious. Even if they don’t perfectly maximize their floor plans, there’s a lot of breathing room.
Our most recent stay here was part of a split stay with a more modern studio after, and the contrast was stark. The other room had functional improvements and space-saving features, but still felt noticeably smaller…because it was!
The future potential positive is that Disney Vacation Club will be refurbishing the guest rooms at Old Key West sometime soon. That project was supposed to start this year, but it appears to have been pushed back until after the holiday season.
Just based on availability (or lack thereof), we’re anticipating a Spring 2027 start. We keep expecting something to be added to the calendar any day now, with more almost certain to be revealed at the upcoming condo association meeting in December at the absolute latest.
Disney Vacation Club is treating the upcoming soft goods refurbishment of Old Key West as a ‘semi-hard goods’ refurbishment. It’s unclear what, exactly, this means, but several other resorts received the pull-down sleeper sofas during similar projects.
The wildcard with OKW is the shape of the rooms, which may not be conducive to the pull-down sleepers. Either way, it’ll be a longer and more involved project, likely lasting throughout 2027 and potentially into 2028.
If Disney can find a way to add the pull-down sleeper sofas in the studios, that would be huge. That’s really all we ask. The larger rooms are even less conducive to adding the pull-downs, but also don’t need them nearly as much.
Even other improvements to the style and substance could make these among the very best rooms. DVC has been on a roll lately, and we’re cautiously optimistic that’ll continue with OKW.
Old Key West Restaurants
For a resort of its size, Old Key West has a lackluster dining scene. Good’s Food to Go might be the weakest main counter service restaurants at any Walt Disney World resort. Gurgling Suitcase is arguably underrated as a bar, but even so, most resorts have better options.
This pushes people to Olivia’s, which has a loyal fan-following. It’s basically the DVC family kitchen, and has several crave-worthy dishes. The fried chicken is amazing, and several breakfast options are likewise delicious. Even so, a single table service restaurant is insufficient for a resort of this size, and the overall slate is worse than even Saratoga Springs Resort.
However, many DVC members might shrug their shoulders at this. It is, after all, the Disney Vacation Club resort. The villas all have full kitchens or kitchenettes, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the average guest at OKW is more inclined to cook meals than the norm even at other DVC resorts.
Not only that, but Disney Springs is a short boat ride away and simply enjoying the Sassagoula River Cruise unlocks a wealth of world-class restaurants. Maybe the practical reality is that, between kitchens and Disney Springs, OKW does not need more dining capacity. That plus Olivia’s is enough.
I’m skeptical of this. Olivia’s is often busier than it should be for this tier of restaurant, as are the bar and walk-up window. Given the guest complaints we hear about dining around the Crescent Lake Resorts (and how excited fans are at the prospect of a proper counter service at BoardWalk), it’s hard to believe that OKW owners and guests are okay with this.
I’d go as far as to say OKW is Walt Disney World’s worst food resort at the Moderate or Deluxe tiers, and that includes several other resorts that also have kitchens or easy access to Disney Springs. Even both Port Orleans properties and Saratoga Springs are better.
OKW Transportation
Old Key West is the quintessential 1990s Walt Disney World resort, with a sprawling layout and multiple bus stops for transportation. Whether you view this as more or less convenient is a matter of personal preference.
For the average hotel guest, this has fallen out of favor. Walt Disney World is building more consolidated resorts for a reason, and that’s due to complaints about layout, size, and bus stops. This is why people prefer French Quarter of the two Port Orleans Resorts, and why Gran Destino and Riviera Resort exist.
With that said, the flip side of this is that the cluster building style is a gamechanger for guests with their own cars. I would once again hazard a guess that this is disproportionately common among OKW owners.
These outlying buildings enable guests to park right outside their villas, much closer than at most other resorts. (Personal vehicles could also help explain the dining situation, with guests driving elsewhere or even being more inclined to venture off-site.)
For our recent stay, I also put in a room request for the first time ever at Old Key West via the new online check-in feature. It was a relatively last-minute booking and there was no availability in the ‘Near Hospitality House,’ but we still managed to get Building 27 in the Peninsular Road Area.
This was perfect, and made for an incredibly easy walk over to the Hospitality House. Given that the most important amenities are all right there, this made OKW feel more consolidated and completely undercut past complaints about layout.
OKW Cost
This one depends on your perspective. Old Key West typically has the lowest Deluxe/Villa room rates, especially after discount. However, we would not put OKW on par with other Deluxes when paying out of pocket.
The resort is best suited for DVC owners with specific preferences who are paying with points. Most infrequent Walt Disney World guests would be better served by upgrading to something like one of the lodges (Kidani Village is often almost identically priced) or downgrading to the Moderates for less.
The flip side is that Old Key West is a great value when using points. Not only is the DVC point chart very favorable, but it’s one of the easiest resorts to book. Almost all of our stays at OKW (including this one!) have come when scrambling to find last-minute DVC availability, and left with only this or Saratoga Springs as the choices.
Of course, Old Key West having the best availability when booking via points also speaks to its lower popularity even among Disney Vacation Club members. In so doing, it undercuts some of the above that owners are okay with the compromises at OKW.
Its owners will dispute this, much like Animal Kingdom fans argue it’s a full day park even without Tropical Americas. But people ultimately vote with their feet and wallets, and availability tells the story pretty conclusively when it comes to Old Key West (or Animal Kingdom with its afternoon exodus).
Old Key West Conclusion
Ultimately, there’s plenty to like about Old Key West and there are certain demographics of Walt Disney World fans for whom the property is tailor-made. That’s true of every single resort, and why it’s plausible for any to rank as a personal #1 without drawing the sid-eye of skepticism that fans of the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along would receive.
The rooms are spacious, Olivia’s has a cult-following for a reason and the rest of the restaurant scene can be passable if you supplement with cooking in your kitchen, dining at Disney Springs, or driving off-site. And speaking of which, having your own personal vehicle or rental car is a complete game-changer for opinions on Old Key West, likely catapulting it above many other resorts to at least middle of the pack.
Old Key West is a resort that I really want to love. The theme and atmosphere are incredibly underrated, and it’s an exemplar of 1990s early-Eisner era design in the best way possible. I might even go as far as to say Old Key West actually offers the kind of vibes that Poly purports to (or once did). It’s difficult to articulate, but OKW also has a certain x-factor (perhaps the “Buffett-Factor”) that just makes it so much more pleasant of a place.
I’m also optimistic about Old Key West’s future. There’s nowhere to go but up with the coming semi-hard goods room refurbishment, and that alone has the potential to move it up a few spots on our personal list. On top of that, Walt Disney World has been making a concerted effort to improve dining at other resorts, and the same happening at OKW would certainly help our opinion of it.
But for now, from a practical perspective and the places we want to actually stay or recommend to casual guests and infrequent visitors, there’s a reason why OKW is towards the bottom of our Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best. Here’s hoping that changes and Disney’s Old Key West Resort moves up in 2027 or 2028!
If you’re thinking about joining DVC, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. This covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Disney’s Old Key West Resort? Do you stay here or avoid it for any of the reasons above? Thoughts on the room size or quality, dining, transportation/layout or anything else about OKW? Is there another variable that makes it the best or worst pick for you? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’ve never seen inside a room at OKW, and I’m in shock. That’s one of the most depressing colour schemes and layouts I’ve ever seen.
Agree on all the positives though. The poor dining slate, while indefensible, is at least offset by proximity to Disney Springs. Also not mentioned the amazing walking path to Saratoga/DS through the golf course.
My hot take (do people still give hot takes?) is that most Disney resorts are best experienced by car. Free parking is a huge differentiator in Orlando, with theme park included as well, it allows you to focus on the unique transportation and intra-resort shuttles, while driving for other stuff. Off-topic, but I do wonder if there’s a limit to off-site parking charges. I was stung for $40 recently, which is less than i’ve paid to park in Manhattan, and anything around $30 is very normal. I stay on-site at Disney much more now.
One point that wasn’t mentioned is that different buildings have slightly different room designs.
We joined DVC in May, 1992, when only buildings 11 through 22 were finished, and nothing beyond the bridge existed. We’ve stayed mostly in one-bedrooms over the years. In the original buildings, the laundry room is a dead-end, with a solid wall between it and the bathroom. The newer buildings beyond the bridge have a door between the laundry room and bathroom, allowing guests to access the bathroom without going through the master bedroom. I’m not sure which building debuted the change.
Buildings 62, 63 and 64 were built last, after the Commodore House, the original DVC sales center, was demolished, and they have the new layout and elevators.
Throughout our working lives, we loved staying at OKW both for the relaxed atmosphere and the low points cost. We always stayed in a 1-BR even though we were DINKs, and whenever we stayed at another DVC resort we noticed how much smaller their rooms are.
Tom,
OKW is our least favorite DVC resort by a mile. We stayed one time over Christmas because we booked late and this was the only resort available. There was nothing about the resort that would ever get us to return. In fact, we have paid for stays at the Dolphin and Hilton Disney Springs rather than use our points when we encountered a similar booking situation (only resort available for dates we were travelling). A lackluster lobby and dining scene to start. Plus, the resort is too spread out and depending on where your room is, can be quite a walk or always a wait for internal transportation. Furthermore, we disliked our stay so much at OKW I was able to find 1 night (our last night) at WL and we moved without hesitation. I know there are some very loyal DVC members that love this resort…we are not one of them!
Please talk it down more.
If they really want to capture that Key West vibe, they need some free-range chickens!
Don’t forget feral cats!
Pros for me- Larger rooms make for a more relaxed homebase. We usually have 8-10 people with us and do the two bedroom and always feel like there is an abundance of space for us. The expansive resort has a tropical respite from the resorts feel, which is nice. Olivia’s is top notch, especially the fried chicken dinner! We love the convenience of parking when we rent a car or our party drives to WDW. The boat ride to DS is convenient and fun. The cons are the fact that an expansive resort in the summer is not fun. Sitting on the bus ride through the resort is time consuming. The pools are pretty weak, this includes the pools themselves and the seating area around them. We also wish there were more dining options, but between eating a couple of meals (by choice!) at Olivias, boat access to DS, resort hopping for meals and our kitchen, we are not hurting too much in that department.
We will be doing a split stay in June with OKW as our second resort, but I did not realize that there was potential for a refurbishment, so hoping that our experience will be like when we stayed at WL and BC when there was constriction, as it was very unobtrusive.
I would imagine 95% (or more) of guests won’t even notice the refurbishment is happening due to the layout of the resort. They should be able to take buildings offline one by one with zero adverse impact.
We’ve stayed at OKW four times. The first three were in two-bedroom villas with family, and our most recent stay was in a studio with just my wife and me. Aside from the obvious difference in space, I found the studio felt a bit darker and more subdued. The one- and two-bedroom villas benefit from larger patios and seem to bring in much more natural light. Large windows in the main living and kitchen area.
That said, for veteran Walt Disney World visitors, especially those staying on DVC points, OKW is a fantastic resort. Having a car makes a huge difference, though.
We don’t spend much time dining at our resort, but Olivia’s is excellent for both breakfast and dinner. The atmosphere is laid back, the pools are great, and Turtle Pond’s quick-service location is convenient for guests staying in that section of the resort.
If I were booking a studio and paying cash, I’d probably choose one of the Swan or Dolphin resorts, or perhaps a moderate resort instead. But if you’re looking for a relaxing atmosphere, beautiful tropical landscaping, spacious accommodations, great pools, and easy afternoon breaks from the parks, it’s hard to beat Old Key West.
I totally agree that Walt Disney World’s biggest strength is the resorts. I’ve made several trips over the last few years that were totally focused on lounges/dining/sightseeing and were just as satisfying even without entering any of the theme parks. I’ve come to realize that just being in “the bubble” is enough. If I were local enough to I’d totally pop in for a meal, a bar, and an evening walk around as much as possible. As for the subject of the post, I have to admit that for me Old Key West is the most easily forgotten resort at Walt Disney World. I literally forget about it even existing almost every trip, and it is the only resort on property I’ve never even at least visited.
I would love to see them put an open air Geyser Point establishment at the back of the resort to add another dining option and balance things out.
That and the rooms need a serious hard goods refurbishment along the lines of what SSR got. The rooms there are too many soft goods and pseudo hard goods refurbishments stacked on top of each other. It’s also clear certain things have not gotten attention. A couple of years ago the fan on our balcony was really rusty and filthy. I’m certain it was the original fan installed in 1991.
This isn’t the point of your article, but I feel like Aulani also desperately needs those pull-down beds. The sofa beds are now so outdated and uncomfortable that they feel practically unusable, while the pull-down Inovabeds are effectively as good as a real bed!
Did Megatron recently become a fan of the BatB sing along or something? There’s been a LOT of shots fired at it the past couple weeks, almost as if your hatred has moved up a notch from repeated exposure 😉
Thankfully, no. She is still unaware of its existence! Here’s hoping we can keep it that way for another year.
Last week’s Impressions de France fiasco just reminded me of how much I hate the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, and now that Disney has killed off several of the attractions I strongly dislike, I feel like it’s time to more actively direct my ire towards that.
Enjoy it Jenn, for a no-parks foodie trip OKW is well placed with the boat to Disney Springs right there. Olivia’s for breakfast is the classic. Grab a drink at the Gurgling Suitcase before dinner.
I completely understand the broad comment about loving Disney World because of the complex as a whole. We’ve been to Disneyland a couple of times and the last few years, and while I love Disneyland Park itself I’ve said to my wife that I’ll always prefer Disney World because I just love being on the property because of everything that’s there. It’s hard to explain.
There are only 3 Disney resorts I’ve not yet stayed in, well 4 counting Lakeside Lodge.
I’ll get to OKW someday but every time I look at the rooms online they look cold, empty and creepy to me. I’ll try them once though.
I love vsiting OKW. It has a great charm and we love the food options.
The key word here is VISIT! Thankfully we always have a car making it an easy stop for lunch.
I also loved the 60’s tv show The Prisoner and this feels like a resort #6 would wake up in.
Gurgling Suitcase is such a great name for a bar, that it gives the whole resort a nice dose of charm. Also, good point about having your own car. I can’t think of any resort that beats OKW for the convenience of parking right at your door.
“Its owners will dispute this, much like Animal Kingdom fans argue it’s a full day park even without Tropical Americas. But people ultimately vote with their feet and wallets, and availability tells the story pretty conclusively when it comes to Old Key West (or Animal Kingdom with its afternoon exodus).”
Very well put. Believe the market results, not what people say. Words are cheap.
I think OKW is perfect for some of the trips we take, especially for a split stay. We are a large family and sometimes bring the grandparents for part of the trip, so a huge 2br villa for a few days of the trip works perfectly. I would not bring first-timers here to immerse them in Disney magic if AKV was available instead, but I truly do love the relaxed resort feel of OKW as a frequent WDW goer.
Totally see the appeal of OKW for a multigenerational family trip. I could see us doing that down the road…if the treehouses aren’t available!
Yes! We have done the same thing with a split stay at the Treehouses, with our 5 kids and my in-laws. It was truly the best. So I’ll amend this to OKW for when we need to save on points. And the Treehouses refurb looks so good, I must do it again ASAP.
Have our first trip booked here for next week. Purposely chose it because we aren’t going into the parks and don’t need expeditious transportation anywhere. Love that it’s a low point value, and for that reason, I actually booked a one bedroom just for my daughter and myself-yes, could have easily done the studio, but they are depressing! The studios are easily interchangeable with any motel room anywhere. Typically, my husband and I go alone and are all about the food scene (a SSR stay is perfect for these). If an OKW studio was the only thing left when he and I go again, I’d book a Bonnet Creek room or something on Hotel Plaza Blvd-this is the scale of my disdain for these.
Wow, bold words about the studios! We almost exclusively stay in studios, and while I don’t share the degree of your disdain, perhaps that explains why OKW is our least favorite!
The studios will always be gone before one bedrooms since they sleep the same number of people! My husband and I love the one bedrooms at OKW, but would never do a studio.
I have to echo the remarks regarding the food options. I love OKW and own at OKW. Olivia’s is nostalgia on a plate. Though after a recent stay at Saratoga, it was evident just how bad the quick service is. The fact that Goods doesn’t have a tots breakfast bowl with the Olivia’s gravy is a travesty. Other than Mickey waffles, there’s nothing on the breakfast menu that would warrant the short walk over to HH. I don’t think the boats to Springs are meant to be a replacement for the lack of food options. If that was the case, why is Saratoga so much better in the food department? They’re even closer. Personally, I think it is laziness on the part of DVC. They know exactly who is going to book OKW both from points owned and that the same people keep coming back trip after trip. There’s no incentive to provide a better solution.
I think the more charitable explanation is that it was the first of its kind resort, and was built with the expectation that guests would be less inclined to use a food court. Adding one after the fact would require a lot of work.
The incentive to change is not “losing” as many guests to groceries/in-room cooking or third parties at Disney Springs.
Maybe we’ll see a push to refresh/reimagine the Hospitality House area ahead of the contracts expiring in order to help resell/renew/whatever. OKW will have very limited appeal to new buyers versus the competition in the absence of dramatically improved amenities. No matter what its fans might think, that’s just the reality of the newer market.