I took a somewhat unplanned trip to Disney World at the beginning of January. After our December trip and being sad that Christian and I wouldn't be back until February, my friend jokingly said "you're welcome to join me Marathon weekend." Don't have to tempt me twice, haha! Sadly I had to leave Christian at home because he didn't want to take days off work.
We were originally staying at Pop Century Resort, old faithful, but a week before the trip we saw our dates pop up on a DVC Rental Facebook group for Disney's Old Key West Resort. We paid $865 for 4 nights by renting DVC points versus $2,043 booking directly through Disney. It ended up being cheaper than our Pop Century cost!
This resort was one of the lower on my list because it's a bit far from some of the parks and isn't in a theme I'm super excited about. But I'm glad I finally stayed here because I do want to stay at all the Disney World Resorts at some point.
Since the resort is so big, we got to take a golf cart to our room with our luggage so we didn't have to lug it the whole way to the room. You can also request this service on your checkout day as well. They carts are a little noisy but it was so fun! It's the little things, I guess, ha ha.
The rooms are in small buildings that house a few rooms each. We were on the second floor of our building. Be warned, there are no elevators at this resort so if you need accessibility accommodations make sure you let that be known. The ice stations are also not part of the buildings. We saw some at the various bus stops and I believe I read there are some by the pools as well.
Transportation
Buses
The main form of transportation besides driving yourself or using rideshare is buses. Because the resort is so big there is an internal bus loop as well as buses to the parks. The bus stops are as follows:
- Peninsular Road
- Old Turtle Pond Road (this was our stop!)
- South Point
- Miller’s Road
- Hospitality House / North Cove
Heading to the parks the bus stops in the above order, the same with returning from the parks. If you're coming from Disney Springs it will stop at the hospitality house first on the way back. It takes around 10-15 minutes to do the internal loop through Disney's Old Key West Resort. Once the bus leaves the resort at the Hospitality House, it takes about 10-15 minutes to arrive at Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios and 15-20 minutes to arrive at Magic Kingdom Park or Disney's Animal Kingdom Park.
Boat
Heading to Disney Springs? There's a boat dock by the hospitality building that will take you over to the Marketplace entrance of Disney Springs. There are also buses, but if you want a more fun ride, and have some time to kill, take the boat. It takes about 15 minutes once you're on a boat.
Walking
It is also possible to walk to Disney Springs from the resort. It is a little over a mile and a quarter (1.3 to be exact) and you'll be walking along the water. This trail, called Conch Flats Trail, will take you to the entrance near near Cirque du Soleil.Dining
Olivia's Cafe
Olivia's is well known for their tasty breakfast, more specifically their buttermilk fried chicken. I had only ever heard good things so I was very excited for our breakfast. Unfortunately, I should have looked at photos before ordering because the breakfast version came with a huge ladle full of southern gravy on it that wasn't listed on the menu. It was listed for the "lunch" version so I assumed that meant it wasn't on breakfast. I didn't want to make a big deal so I scraped it off the best I could but was left a little unsatisfied because I lost a lot of the crispy breading. The Olivia's Breakfast Potatoes also weren't what I was expecting, I assumed a dry seasoned potato but they had a sauce. So make sure you look at photos to make sure you'll enjoy the offerings. I'll get the pancakes next time, haha!
Good's Food to Go
This was Caleb's go to spot for breakfast and late dinners. I actually didn't end up eating here at all because I wanted to save for snacks and breakfast in the park (and when we had dinner at the hotel I ate somewhere else.) Next time I'll make sure to grab something from here too. The breakfast did look very good, I just wanted my Cheshire cat tail from Magic Kingdom instead, haha! They stay open until 10pm if you need a quick bite after a long park day!
Gurgling Suitcase Libations and Spirits
This is mainly a bar but on one of our evenings I got the Savory Hushpuppies which are also available at Olivia's. I opted for no key lime mustard on mine. They were very good, I even brought a few home for Christian to try and they traveled pretty well. It was a little pricey at $14 since I also had to tip the bartender even though I just grabbed them for takeout. They are usually open until 11pm, but hours may vary.
Turtle Shack Poolside Snacks
We did not eat here on our stay but they have basic food items as well as a bar. Grab a pizza, sandwich or even a cheese board while you relax by the pool.
Recreation
Pools
We did not take advantage of any pools on our trip, but there are three "leisure" pools in the Old Turtle Pond, South Point and Miller’s Road sections. There is also the feature pool, aptly called Sandcastle Pool because it has a huge sandcastle slide.
Sporting Activities
Old Key West also has Tennis and Pickleball courts, a basketball court AND a volleyball court for those wanting some fun competition during their stay. The Lake Buena Vista golf course is also visible from the Resort grounds. More information including how to book a tee time can be found on the Disney website.
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