Old Key West vs. Caribbean Beach Disney World Resort Guide 2023

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World can be fun but also complicated — especially when you’re trying to choose between 25 resort hotels. If you’ve narrowed down your choices to these two resorts, how do you make your final selection?

Caribbean Beach Resort

Well, we’re here to walk you through the similarities AND differences between Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

Whether cost, room size, location, pools, and/or restaurants are most important to you, we share the information that you’ll need to make an informed decision. After all, we want you to stay at the hotel that is best for your traveling party!

Let’s get started and look at all the details so that you can plan your Disney trip with confidence.

Old Key West

There’s no doubt that Disney vacations are expensive, and no one wants buyer’s remorse when it comes to what can usually be the most EXPENSIVE part of your Disney trip. We’ll dive deeper into the details of these resorts by breaking down our analysis into five categories:

Common Ground
Theme/Rooms
Pools
Food
Transportation

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

It takes a lot of research to plan a Disney vacation, but we’re here to help.

Common Ground

Before we mention their differences, let’s take a look at what Old Key West and Caribbean Beach have in common. First, both have a relaxed vibe with an overall coastal atmosphere featuring tropical decor and landscaping.

So Tropical

Each resort has a large layout that consists of a central lobby building with outer buildings housings the actual hotel rooms.

Cornhole at Old Key West

But what about cost per night? Caribbean Beach Resort is a moderate Disney hotel with standard rooms and thus, it has more reasonable prices.

For Old Key West, that means that for the cheapest room at the cheapest time to visit, you can expect to pay around $457 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts), and it goes up to $3,081 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts) for the most expensive rooms at the most expensive time to visit.

For Caribbean Beach, that means that for the cheapest room at the cheapest time to visit, you can expect to pay around $258 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts), and it goes up to $551 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts) for the most expensive rooms at the most expensive time to visit.

Extra Theme Park Hours Benefits for Disney World Resort Hotel Guests

Theme/Rooms

One thing these Resorts share in common is that they are both LARGE! So much so, in fact, that they each offer an internal bus system that guests can take around the hotel to get to the main Bus Station THEN travel from there to the theme parks!

Caribbean Beach has an internal shuttle!

Of course, where the sprawling grounds may lead to more walking (and bus riding) than you might anticipate, the grounds at each resort also feature lovely water views, scenic strolling paths, and swaying palm trees.

At Old Key West, the shimmering waterways lead to Disney Springs, while Caribbean Beach is home to Barefoot Bay where guests can partake in catch-and-release fishing.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Both resorts have bus transportation to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.

Lounge at Old Key West!

These large resorts boast beautiful landscaping, but they do have some differences!

Old Key West

As a Deluxe Villa Resort, this hotel offers many unique perks. Villas can be booked by Disney Vacation Club members or cash-paying guests, and because of the immense size of Old Key West, rooms are often available!

Opened in October 1991, Old Key West features a relaxed, beach vibe (minus the ocean). Picture yourself vacationing at a Caribbean-style guest house in small neighborhood-type structures. Exteriors are painted in soft hues reminiscent of the Florida Keys. Guests return here year after year because of the laid-back atmosphere and large rooms.

Old Key West Resort — Deluxe Studio Room.

Yes, this resort offers generous square footage in each studio or villa. Studios are furnished with two queen beds and a kitchenette. Take note of that balcony! Two-bedroom villas sleep up to nine people. The one-to-three-bedroom villas have a full kitchen, as well as washer and dryer. Rooms were last renovated in 2019.

Old Key West Resort

Speaking of spacious accommodations, the 3 Bedroom Grand Villas at various Disney Vacation Club properties can sleep up to 12 people! These rooms typically come with 3 bedrooms, 3 (or more) bathrooms, a (very large) full-sized kitchen, living area, dining area, and a balcony. These rooms are available first for DVC members to book, so they’re pretty difficult to score and pricing is not readily available to the public (unless you call Disney to book for a specific date).

If you’re looking for convenience, these amenities might make your trip a whole lot easier!

Caribbean Beach Resort

You’re on ISLAND time at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort! The atmosphere is whimsical, bright, and colorful. With its relaxing island vibe, this Resort sets a calypso tone for a vacation within a vacation!

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

The spirit of the Caribbean is alive and thriving at Old Port Royale, the Resort’s main building. This “port of entry” is where guests check in; it also serves as the hub for dining and shopping.

Old Port Royale

Five distinct villages are situated around the shores of Barefoot Bay. The villages are named after Caribbean islands — Trinidad, Barbados, Martinique, Aruba, and Jamaica, and these colorful quarters are where the Guest Rooms are located.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Standard and Preferred Rooms feature two Queen beds, a King bed, or two Queen beds and a child-size pull down bed. These rooms can accommodate up to five guests depending on the bedding options.

Caribbean Beach Resort guest room

The color scheme inside the rooms is a bit more muted than outside, opting for breezy corals, blues, and rattan accents to keep the island theme going. Unfortunately, these rooms do not have balconies.

Caribbean Beach Resort guest room

Alas, the famed Pirate Rooms of yore are no more. However, you should know that some of the rooms in the Trinidad area are currently receiving a makeover!

©Disney The Little Mermaid-themed rooms are coming to Caribbean Beach Resort

Take a complete Photo Tour of a Caribbean Beach Resort Standard Room here!

Initially Disney announced that the rooms would be refurbished and decorated with “characters from under the sea.” More recently, Disney has provided a bigger reveal with a look INSIDE these new rooms with theming inspired by The Little Mermaid!

You can take a closer look at these upcoming rooms here.

Results

What type of accommodations do you prefer? Both offer a relaxing atmosphere in large, spread-out resorts. Yet, there is a sense of Victorian community at Old Key West, especially with repeat Disney Vacation Club guests.

If you need square footage, Old Key West might be better for your family.

If you want the most recently refurbished rooms, try Caribbean Beach as renovations will hopefully be completed in 2023. And just a reminder, Caribbean Beach Resort Rooms can sleep up to five guests, depending on bedding options.

NEWS! MAJOR HOTEL CHANGE Announced for Disney World

Pools

When the weather is HOT or you just need a break from park queues, head to your resort pool! After all, the pools have their own unique features and special theming. Feature pools at Walt Disney World hotels usually have at least one slide and also offer poolside activities. Look at the hotel’s recreation schedule for more information. Some Disney resorts are so spread out that they also offer leisure pools. These swimming spots are family-friendly with at least one whirlpool spa. Leisure pools are quieter than the more crowded and active feature pools.

You can take some time to relax at your hotel!

Note that poolside towels are always complimentary.