Following an almost four-month refurbishment, the lobby of Disney’s Old Key West Resort has reopened.
Guests entering any Walt Disney World resort right now will be greeted by 50th anniversary welcome mats.
The new lobby has seafoam green walls with a white dado and ceiling.
There is a mix of different seating styles throughout the lobby. Wicker furniture is in one corner, with a cabana-like structure over the sofa.
Mirrors hang on the wall.
In the center of the lobby are couches and armchairs.
To the side is a table with one raised section, surrounded by more wicker chairs.
As with other resorts, Old Key West now has multiple small check-in desks instead of one long counter, making the room more spacious and accessible.
Of course, there is a Disney Vacation Club counter and a Disney Cruise Line display.
The new desks have a light brown wood finish with white countertops.
Beaded chandeliers hang above the desks.
The desks are decorated with seashells and candleholders.
Ocean-inspired artwork hangs behind the desks.
Model trolleys and trains are on display between the main lobby and the den.
There’s also a pressed penny machine.
There are a couple of short tables and chairs for kids.
There is one long table with more wicker chairs and benches.
There’s also a smaller round table with four red and white chairs.
The main section of the den has two large couches in front of a fireplace and bookshelves that guests are free to peruse.
The sofas are all adorned with mismatched throw pillows.
The bookshelves have touches like seashells, dice, and a lighthouse figure.
There are two pink stools.
The rug has a pattern of grey, green, black, and yellow.
A framed pen collection is on either side of the fireplace.
Above the fireplace is a swordfish figure and framed fishing lures.
This pig was one of our favorite items in the den.
Watch our video tour below.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
We’ve been DVC members since 1996. OKW is our home resort… ya… going all the way back to ‘the good old days.’ All I’m going to say is that the newbies at WDW admin need to learn how to NOT mess with what works/has worked for decades… indeed, since day 1. When Walt said things ‘will never be completed and will continue to grow as long as there is imaginaton’ this isn’t what he was talking about! This new lobby decor looks like they dove into old furnishings from the Carousel of Progress and did some reupholstery and painting and threw it together overnight! When you have thousands of acres of ‘clean canvas’ awaiting your imagination and creativity, I think most members would agree, go for it!… But when it comes to what’s worked well to the customer’s satisfaction, a wiser decorating philosophy would be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Keep what everyone knows and loves fresh, clean, new, refurbished and welcoming, but there’s no need to change what was a perfectly warm and inviting reception area into what now appears to be an eclectic showroom of miscellaneous bedroom, kitchen, dining room and living room furniture! Nobody from DVC asked, but that’s my first impression.
So they continue to remove the “Key West” from Old Key West. Apparently making the studios and villas generic Marriott style wasn’t enough. What’s next? The Gurgling Suitcase is “reimagined” as a mini TGI Fridays?
Horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. While it may check off all the boxes for trendy design, it has removed most all vestiges of Key West or the original OKW lobby. Painting over the gorgeous mural behind guest services only to replace it with framed artwork you can get at Marshalls or TJMaxx. Thank God they salvaged the Bill Borough painting of the Hemingway House and put it in Papa’s Den. Did anyone ask for this change? Seriously, did someone say “please take away all the iconic imagery of Key West and replace it with generic Motel 6 furniture and artwork.” Since they have already shoved Mickey and other IP in the OKW rooms, I am surprised he is not here as well. Apparently it is a new Chapek rule that you must see Mickey or some other Disney IP every ten feet.
I like it. *shrugs. It was starting to look very very dated. I mean I adore the Golden Girls as much as the next person, but it put me in mind of visiting my great aunt in Miami’s retirement condo.