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Disney Old Key West or Saratoga Spring

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pinetree1

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I saw some Disney resorts available in interval for next Spring and just wonder which resort I should exchange into. Any suggestions or comment?

We have stayed in Seaworld and Tuscany by HGV and Grande Vista and Cypress Harbor by Marriott, never any Disney Vacation Club property.

Is there any resort fee for non-Disney members?

Thanks. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
 
Inbound exchanges to DVC pay a $190 “resort fee” at checkin. Supposedly it covers Wi-Fi, transportation, parking and other things beyond the actual villa itself.

OKW and SSR are similar in that they’re both large complexes with multiple buildings, multiple pools, and one main building with both sit-down and quick-service restaurants as well as a gift shop with a small grocery section. They rely on bus service to all parks.

OKW is the original DVC resort and has the largest villas in DVC - their size is more what you’re accustomed to at other TS. It opened in 1991, before the ADA, and those original buildings do not have elevators - stairs only! You can request to be on the ground floor if you can’t handle stairs, but there are no guarantees that you’ll get your request. A few buildings were added several years later and do have elevators. A golf course and a waterway surround it, so many of the villas have lovely views. There’s one pool with a slide and several others without slides. Here’s a good source of information: https://dvcnews.com/wdw-resorts/old-key-west/okw-resort-information.

SSR isn’t as old as OKW, and all buildings have elevators, but the villas are smaller. Many have nice views, but some overlook parking lots, although the grounds are lovely with many trees. There are two feature pools with slides and two other pools without slides. There’s a walkway and a boat to Disney Springs. More details here: https://dvcnews.com/wdw-resorts/saratoga-springs/ssr-resort-information.

OKW would be our choice when we were younger, but now that hauling luggage up and down stairs is an issue, we’d book SSR over OKW.

Whichever you choose, enjoy your trip!
 
I prefer OKW because I like the feel of it, but when we stay at Saratoga Springs, I am equally content. We own at both. OKW gets a 10, SSR, 9.9. :) That is how close they are to me. Rick absolutely loves OKW, and when we were at Wilderness Lodge in the older villas via exchange, he said it would have been nice to be at OKW instead. I had both options but booked Wilderness.
 
OKW also has one of my favorite casual table service places (Olivia's) in all of WDW. We make a point of eating there pretty much anytime we are at WDW, whether we are staying there or not. Partly that's sentimental reasons, but it's very relaxed and friendly, the food is usually good, and it's surprisingly easy to get a last-minute reservation or even just walk up.

Heck, we even went there last year when we were staying at MGC and visiting Universal for the week. I did wear my Platform 9 3/4 shirt, just to poke fun.
 
bnoble said:
I’d add one thing to that excellent summary: the vibes are different. Both are relaxing but in a different way. OKW whispers island time everywhere you turn. SSR is more quiet sophistication. It took me a bit to “get” SSR but once I did I really liked it.
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Agreed!
 
bnoble said:
OKW also has one of my favorite casual table service places (Olivia's) in all of WDW. We make a point of eating there pretty much anytime we are at WDW, whether we are staying there or not. Partly that's sentimental reasons, but it's very relaxed and friendly, the food is usually good, and it's surprisingly easy to get a last-minute reservation or even just walk up.

Heck, we even went there last year when we were staying at MGC and visiting Universal for the week. I did wear my Platform 9 3/4 shirt, just to poke fun.
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We also love Olivia's, but I don't know that our DIL loved it. What do you order?
 
bnoble said:
Whatever looks good! If the grilled fish sandwich is on the menu that’s usually a good bet.
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When we ate there about five years ago, they had macadamia nut-crusted fish, and it was good, but when we went about a year ago, it was not on the menu.
 
pinetree1 said:
It looks like that OKW is the winner. Thanks for everyone's valuable input.
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One thing I forgot to mention, which may or may not have been covered in the videos or other information linked above, is that OKW has a boat to DS too. It’s a longer and more relaxing ride than the one from SSR (which you pass on the way). We’ve been known to ride to DS on one boat and catch another boat going to one of the other resorts - Port Orleans French Quarter/Riverside have a boat too - to walk around and get a snack or drink.
 
Boat riding to different Disney resorts is surely a relaxing way to learn more about Disney resorts can offer. Thank you.
 
If you have small or medium kids, I feel like Saratoga is superior for pools and recreation activities.
 
Interesting discussion. I have stayed at both also on exchanges, and agree that both have their good points, but for adults we prefer SSR because of its proximity to Disney Springs. In fact, a few days ago I saw a 2 BR at SSR online in Interval for the first week of March, which is when I always go to the Arnold Palmer golf tournament. In the past several years I have booked various Marriott timeshares (always found those online too), but couldn't resist the SSR, especially since I booked it with a 1 BR deposit. But we will also likely go to Olivia's!
 
Perfect timing for this question as I just returned today from a stay at OKW after many stays at SSR. It had been about 12 years since I had been to OKW.
I will preface this by saying I would happily stay at either, we all agreed that OKW rooms and table service restaurant are better, but we prefer the resort layout and counter food options at SSR.

Room better at OKW: Much larger, especially the kitchen area was more functional. Full size washer/dryer. Larger balcony/more private. Be mindful, no stairs and some units are 3rd floor.

Resort layout and counter service food options better at SSR: No matter the room location we have had at SSR it was always an easy walk to the main area. Our room at OKW was 5522 and it was a good 10-15 minute walk (or bus) to the hospitaly house. The counter service at SSR is superior to OKW, more options.

This was a "Disney" trip for us vs and "Orlando" trip and my 17 YO had a friend with her, so it was nice they had transporation all around. But, my DH and I had 2 non park days that we hung out at the resort. I will say for days hanging out at the resort, the Marriotts in Orlando win, hands down.
 
bnoble said:
OKW also has one of my favorite casual table service places (Olivia's) in all of WDW. We make a point of eating there pretty much anytime we are at WDW, whether we are staying there or not. Partly that's sentimental reasons, but it's very relaxed and friendly, the food is usually good, and it's surprisingly easy to get a last-minute reservation or even just walk up.

Heck, we even went there last year when we were staying at MGC and visiting Universal for the week. I did wear my Platform 9 3/4 shirt, just to poke fun.
Click to expand...

Yes, we like Olivias too! We ate their our first night. DH had prime rib, it was huge and not an insane amount of fat, but still very tender. I had the fish of the day plate (it could have used a bigger piece of fish, but still yummy) the teen girls both had the fried chicken and cleaned their plates.
 
pinetree1 said:
Boat riding to different Disney resorts is surely a relaxing way to learn more about Disney resorts can offer. Thank you.
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We sometimes ride the Skyliner around just for fun, stopping at those resorts for drinks and snacks as desired. One day we enjoyed just wandering around the grounds of AoA for an hour or so, what amazing theming for each area. And if we want to visit the resorts around MK, we prefer taking the boat from MK to GF and then to Poly rather than the monorail. There are separate boats for MK to WL and MK to FW too, each of which have their own attractions. Lots to do outside the parks!
 
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