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

[AndrewJackson]

I've stayed at both. My preference is SSR.

There are 2 very nice themed pools at SSR, including a zero entry pool and water slide. It is also newer, and the room amenities are more up to date.

OKW has only 1 themed pool, and a few quiet pools. The rooms are bigger, and there are 2 queens in the studio instead of a queen and sleeper sofa as in SSR.

Both resorts are large, but SSR is HUGE. I thought the bus service at both resorts worked well.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Like AJ, I have stayed at both, and liked both... SSR is my home resort though, so I tend to stay there more...

Honestly, picking where to stay will depend on what you are looking for... OKW is a rather large resort, but very quiet... SSR is a large as well, but I never felt as if I was far from anything... I never felt far from a bus stop, you are right around the corner to DTD... But depending what building you are in, you could be far from the main lobby... But that is true with both resorts...

I had a 2 bedroom villa in SSR this past October... I cannot find a real negative thing to say about the room, other than the slide door to the balcony gave us problems... Otherwise, SSR is just fine... I think it sometimes gets too much of a bad rap...

[Mousemates]

We have stayed at both...enjoyed the theming a little bit more at Key West, but since we enjoy being able to walk to downtown disney... SSR wins out for us.

[ThanxForNoticin]

95% of the time, this would be a very easy recommendation for us. We've done both and we find OKW to significantly more appealing for us - the rooms are larger and nicer, the theme is more relaxing.

The one advantage SSR has location-wise is if you plan to spend time at DTD. If you are on the DTD side of SSR, it's a simple walk. But there is a nice boat ride from OKW to DTD, too.

That being said, the one negative about OKW is that most of the buildings do not have elevators. It's a mistake they corrected at all future DVC resorts, but OKW is still lacking. So with elderly family members in the group, it might be something you need to be aware of. If you can get a room on the first floor, or get into one of the newer buildings near the entrance (where they have elevators), I would definitely recommend OKW. If not, I would recommend SSR and the convenience of the easier access.

Have a great trip!

[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!

[Melanie]

This is a duplicate thread, so I'm closing this one, and all further discussion can take place in the one in DVC.