Old Key West vs Saratoga Springs?

[luv2boys]

Also differences in preferred and regular at each? Adults only going

 

[MinniesFav]

OKW all day every day. Stay hear hospitality house. Both have boat access to Disney Springs. Size of the rooms is a no brainer.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Not sure what you mean by preferred. But we have been to both and much prefer Old Key west. The rooms are larger. If you get a room near hospitality house it's an easy walk to pool and busses. If you don't it's a nice walk or there are bus stops close to every room area. The Rec area at old key west is small and easy to get around with tennis, shuffleboard, etc right there.

There is a quick service at old key west by the pool that doesn't have inside seating but it has never bothered us. And we love Olivia's.

The boat to Disney springs is great.

At Saratoga the rooms are newer but smaller. It is really spread out like old key west. Finding your room is very hard because of signage. You can walk to DS or take the boat. And they have an inside quick service and a steak house onsite.

If you are using dvc points you can usually find space at Saratoga because it seems to be the resort of last choice and also it's so big.

 

[Babsy]

I agree with the others. OKW is our preferred of the two. It is a very relaxing place to stay.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We really liked our 2BR villa at OKW. The place was huge. And the second bedroom has two queen beds and plenty of space. I especially liked the large kitchen table and the big porch.

 

[mkoerner]

OKW for sure!

 

[shellyj]

I haven't been to OKW, but we were at SSR last fall and wouldn't go again. It's beautiful but no Disney magic. None at all.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I had heard there was supposed to be some type of renovations/refurbishment coming up at OKW? We were considering staying there on a cash reservation in January, but I'm a little hesitant because of that. Anyone know what is going on with that?

 

[Miffy]

We actually really like SSR. We ended up staying there a couple of years ago when the WL construction started and we've been back twice since. We love OKW too, although we've never stayed there, but we always walk over from SSR.

I believe most of OKW has no elevators. I'm sure someone will correct me if I've misunderstood this. If you don't mind walking up and down steps to get to and from your room, that's fine. Also, the studios at SSR have one bed and a sofa. My DH and I like that setup, since it's only the two of us. Another plus for SSR is that there's a QS restaurant there, so you can get a full breakfast (or whatever meal) without having to have a reservation, which I think might be necessary for breakfast at Olivia's. Finally, you can not only take a boat to DS from SSR, but you can walk to DS from SSR--a very pleasant walk.

Take a look at the photos of each place and decide for yourself. Also, as a PP mentioned, there is construction planned or possibly ongoing there.

ETA: Just copied this from Undercover Tourist:

• Aug. 1-June 28, 2018: Room refurbishments will be taking place. Guests may see or hear work in progress and certain pathways may be unavailable. During this time, the resort will be in full operation with all amenities available including dining and merchandise locations, pools and recreation activities. It is possible that construction may be seen or heard, but noise should be not heard from guest rooms between dusk and 9:00 a.m.

 

[DVCKev]

SSR All the way!!!

 

[OKW Lover]

Well, you might be able to tell from my screen name which one I'd pick.

 

[Quellman]

At SSR the preferred rooms are in close proximity to the lobby (The Springs section) and Disney Springs (The Congress Park section). This is beneficial if you plan on using the feature pool, health club, boat to Disney Springs, or walkway to Disney Springs. We personally like the Grandstand section in the 8000 buildings more than the other areas due to location and bus pick up schedule.

 

[Megara5115]

We have stayed at both and I would give a slight edge to Saratoga. I enjoyed the walking view along the riverfront and also because of the opportunity to walk to DS.

If you are planning on utilizing the main buildings of either of these, I highly recommend booking preferred. We requested Congress Park section at SSR and did not use the main house much. At OKW we did not book hospitality house/preferred and it was a hike from our room to the main.

For me, everything else was really a toss up with OKW feeling slightly more "Disneyish".

 

[VAfamily1998]

Does either resort have better transportation to the parks?
We would be going in January and looking online at a cash reservation, a "preferred" 2 bd. at SSR is about $100/night more than OKW (does not specify if preferred or not)
We would have at least one dinner at Disney Springs (arrival night) but not sure if we would really go to Disney springs the rest of the time--so distance to DS is not a huge factor.

 

[OKW Lover]

Does either resort have better transportation to the parks?

No difference

 

[DVCFamily92]

OKW (the original Disney Vacation Club Resort), then SSR as we have interests in both through DVC.