Old Key West Owners Thread

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So do people still need to talk about the photos, do you think?

OKWester here! Soaking up the sun at Southpoint a few times a year.

Will be arriving for a 4 night stay in June. There will be 3 of us, which includes a child. Any activities or things we should be on the lookout for? What about areas to request? We will be staying in a studio. OKW first timers.

If you're willing to roll the dice on traveling with it, the Mickey tie dye activity is a neat souvenir for kids. I always end up with an abundance of plastic bags so I triple wrapped a pillow case and a onesie for the niblings. Made it home fine.

I'm here. My family currently owns 2 resale contracts at OKW. One of our favorite resorts to stay at.

Here! We own 1 contract since 2007. Still one of our favorite resorts...if only they would improve the food court.

Currently trying to convince my spouse to buy another 100 to 150 point contract!

Here! Owner since 2007. I love OKW overall. My only big issue with this resort is paper thin walls for some of the buildings. The ones near community house seems well insulated. But some other ones are not. We stayed at the end of Miller’s Road and we could hear our neighbours just talk... We were happy we had a 1 bedroom and just 2 and nobody was sleeping in the living room - that would have been disastrous for the person sleeping there.

I’m also not in love with the « destruction » of Papa’s Den as it looks more like a Marriott property now… but otherwise I love the feel and quirkiness of the resort. I hope they never get rid of the marine flags that means « welcome home » by the marina!

OKW owner here.. Two resale contracts currently working on our third. Love OKW and the Southern Florida vibe!

Lorna is an absolute treasure at the Gurgling Suitcase!

We LOVE the vibes at OKW!

Disney Springs is just a boat ride away!!

Might consider another contract here, especially if a 2057...

OKW will always be Home. We love trying out the new resorts but we always return Home to the OG!

I have been an Old Key West owner since 1998! Boy has the time flown!

Larry

Hi. One of my home resorts since 2000 - two contracts. 200 (2042) 60 (extended).

Just got back from an 8 night stay.

If you are planning on using the bus system then I think the Peninsular Road area (Buildings 27–29), is the best location. The bus stops are Peninsular -> South Point -> Turtle Pond -> Millers Road -> Hospitality. So getting on at Peninsular means the bus is empty, so finding a seat is no issue. Easy walk to HH, where most of the activities are. If I couldn't get Peninsular, then for me Turtle Pond; mainly because of the pool, and Snack Shack, (when it is open). But I don't have littles, so that makes a big difference.

Hello, We just got back from a trip to OKW with a 1.5 year old. We were in building 40 on Turtle Pond and was great with a toddler. It’s super close to the Turtle Shack Pool and the playground!

Joined DVC during the OKW sale a couple of years ago. We had never been but knew it would be one of our favorites and we were exactly right.

Here 🙋‍♂️

I'm here Jeff. We've been owners since 1993 (yup, 33 years). Can't believe it. We've had SO MANY wonderful memories in those 33 years. We're looking forward to many more.

We're also have ownership at Hilton Head.

OKW since 1995 (newly married)! It’s our family’s favorite place to be. The kids are grown, but they still want to hang with us at our home away from home. 😉

In the process of inheriting OKW points from mom and dad.

Love OKW, especially the Suitcase! Looking forward to the annual BBQ in a few weeks.

Here's our family (from the UK) when we joined the original Disney Vacation Club at our earliest opportunity in 1993 and trying to do a 'funny' shot at Disney Studios during our most recent visit in 2024.
We have 2 direct and 3 resale contracts

We bought our OKW contract during that sale also.

Brand new DVC owner at OKW. Already looking to add more points 🤪

Coming from Canada, the vibes of OKW are always exactly what we want. Even before we joined DVC, OKW was always a family favourite. ❤️

Old Key West owner here. Love the laid back atmosphere of the resort. Gurgling suitcase is a must stop for a drink.

OKW our first home 🌴🏖

OKW owners here...X2. We have a big family and you just can't beat the size of the 2 and 3 bedroom villas. OKW is our go to resort when all our kids make the trip.

We’re OKW owners from the UK. We have a small direct contract and a larger resale one. Absolutely love the resort - it’ll always be home ☺️

Hi David. Thanks for this info. Did you walk from the Turtle Pond area to the HH area? If so, how long was it?

Our last OKW stay was near the end of Peninsular Rd (about as far from Hospitality House as you can get). I remember it being about a 10 min walk with kids. Google Maps says 12 min. It was cooler weather so we didn’t mind.

OKW since 2000! Somewhere in this house I have the original promotional brochures that Disney mailed out when they were building Disney Vacation Club Resort (now OKW). My husband wanted to buy in immediately, but I refused (I should have listened to him 🤣). Our amazing guide at the time was Julie Hughes, and she patiently waited for years for us to buy into DVC (Hilton Head in 1998). Then addonitis hit two years later and we bought at OKW…and addonitis hit again…and again….well, you all know how it goes! We love our DVC points.

Does anyone know when the hard goods refurb on the schedule is going to kick off and complete? Is there any chance that the studios get a bump to 5 adult capacity if they add a murphy pull down and a console pull down?

I'm having trouble picturing where you put a murphy bed in that room. Take out the table? I don't know that you'd have room for that in a lock off.

I was under the impression that the time share rules require them to keep the two beds in the studios.

Do you know what rule would govern this? They've switched over basically every other resort at this point, so I don't think any rules would restrict this. It is ultimately a question of whether it fits the aesthetic of the rooms/resort.

I don't know, I'm just repeating what a DVC cast member told me parents years ago although I also read on Disney Tourist Blog that it is because the contracts actually state, "two queen beds." Switching a pull out sofa for a murphy bed is probably within the rule because it doesn't fundamentally change the makeup of the studio. Would be interested in the thoughts of others, as I said I'm repeating what a cast member told my parents.

We absolutely love OKW. We typically travel with a larger crowd, and it fits us perfectly. I know a lot people complain about the internal bus loop. We haven't had an issue with it. I do wish there was a different set up for food, but it works and it is what it is. The drinks 🍸 make up for it!!

I can see them switching out for a murphy bed and being ok, not sure how they'd add a 5th sleeper spot, but we'd really appreciate the extra capacity in the studios. Right now we're forced to a 1BR (which, let's be honest, is a good place to be :)) and being able to book more nights with the same amount of points would be nice on the nights that a studio would work instead.

We're local, so we're able to take a bunch of quick 2 day trips, so more of those would be nice :)

We love Southpointe too! We arrive on Friday and hoping work on the pool is completed on schedule!

We bought SSR points so we could stay at OKW every year w/ cheaper dues!

Has anyone been in a 1-bdrm recently and if so, do they have the duo coffee makers? I am new to the world of iced coffee and want to bring some pods.

I do not own a contract but have stayed at Old Key West a few times. I like the hospitality house or peninsular road locations as they are near the club house and I can refill my mug although I normally go to publix and grab some drinks as well. I agree with you Jeff in the fact this resort needs the coke freestyle machines like they have at port Orleans. They could easily be located at the bus stations or in a little building that Disney could construct.

Wife and I decided yesterday to take an adults weekend over 4th of July. Was not surprised to see no full availability for the 3 nights we wanted. But had been checking throughout the day today and OKW popped up and was able to snag a deluxe studio. Haven't stayed here before so excited to experience a new resort.

Would love to hear everyone's favorite parts of the resort.

We'll also be there during the 4th of July weekend! Booked it long ago as I knew this was going to be a huge weekend given the 250th celebration.

My favorite part is the laid back feel of the entire resort and honestly the buses aren't too bad.

My least favorite is parking and lack of elevators :(