Saratoga Springs vs Old Key West - Advice & Opinions Wanted!

[wonderrx]

Hello all, thanks in advance for your responses.

We are planning a relatively last minute trip arriving at Disney World July 4th through July 12th.

Party of 6.

2 Grandparents who get around pretty well, but are 73 and 83. A 11 year old and a 9 year old and 2 parents.

We took a tour of Saratoga Springs on an earlier trip and remembered the 2 bedroom units with kitchen, we are planning on going with that type of unit.

I know Old Key West has a similar set up to Saratoga but differs in some ways.

Taking the facts above into consideration where would you stay?

What are your pros and cons for each resort?

Any pro tips for these resorts/getting a good room?

Thanks again!
Tony

[sassafras]

We've stayed at both resorts and while Old Key West is very nice, we prefer Saratoga Springs. Saratoga has a small, but nice food court and a really nice sit down restaurant plus poolside snack bars. OLD KEY West only has a couple of snack bars at the pools plus Olivia' s. Both resorts are very spread out, but it seemed easier to get on an uncrowded bus at Saratoga. My understanding is that Old Key West doesn't have elevators in their buildings, where Saratoga does. Besides being close to Downtown Disney, an added bonus for me was the walkway along the river complete with benches where you can sit and watch the river traffic and relax. If you explain the elderly parent situation to them when you make the reservation, that probably would help. Be sure to request the Springs section when you make the reservation. You would be centrally located, close to a bus stop, not too far from the Carriage House where the food court, restaurant, gift shop and check-in are located. There's a pool and the Spa close also. We found it to be a very quiet resort, almost to the point it seemed we were the only ones in our building for the first three days. We enjoyed it do much we're doing it again in August. Hope this helps!

[faline]

We have stayed at both resorts and enjoyed both very much.

Saratoga Springs: Resort is quite spread out. We found it easier to walk to main areas than bus to them. They have a very nice sit-down restaurant. It was on the cool side when we stayed here so we did not use the pools. It is quite close to Downtown Disney though I understand the walkway to Downtown Disney is currently closed due to Downtown Disney construction. We liked the room space but the layout is pretty much the same as Beach Club and Boardwalk, among others.

Old Key West: Resort is also quite spread out. If stairs are an issue, you can request a first floor room. The rooms here are huge. For a family your size, you would likely have more room to spread out here than at Saratoga Springs. There is also a very nice sit down restaurant at this location. Since we stayed very close to the main buildings, we did not need to use bus transportation to get to the restaurant, shop etc. There is a boat from here to Downtown Disney.

Of the two, and with a family your size, I would probably select Old Key West.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We have stayed at both and much prefer Old Key west, mainly for theming. Saratoga Springs didn't really feel Disney to us. We felt like we could have been in any condo complex in Florida.

[Checkers]

We have stayed at both resorts and enjoyed both very much.

Saratoga Springs: Resort is quite spread out. We found it easier to walk to main areas than bus to them. They have a very nice sit-down restaurant. It was on the cool side when we stayed here so we did not use the pools. It is quite close to Downtown Disney though I understand the walkway to Downtown Disney is currently closed due to Downtown Disney construction. We liked the room space but the layout is pretty much the same as Beach Club and Boardwalk, among others.

Old Key West: Resort is also quite spread out. If stairs are an issue, you can request a first floor room. The rooms here are huge. For a family your size, you would likely have more room to spread out here than at Saratoga Springs. There is also a very nice sit down restaurant at this location. Since we stayed very close to the main buildings, we did not need to use bus transportation to get to the restaurant, shop etc. There is a boat from here to Downtown Disney.

Of the two, and with a family your size, I would probably select Old Key West.

I agree. We love OKW!

[wonderrx]

Thank you all for your feedback!

We have booked at SSR with a AAA discount (got it competitive to some of the DVC resale websites). We are going to request to be on the end nearer to Downtown Disney.

If I forget to circle back here and post our experience in this thread someone reply here after July to remind me!

Thanks again!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Thank you all for your feedback!

We have booked at SSR with a AAA discount (got it competitive to some of the DVC resale websites). We are going to request to be on the end nearer to Downtown Disney.

If I forget to circle back here and post our experience in this thread someone reply here after July to remind me!

Thanks again!

I usually request Congress Park with a DTD view...