Vacation-Disney's Old Key West-Timeshare-Regular Season

Description

Five Nights at Disney's Old Key West!
Five night stay starting on a Sunday during off-peak season
So, you're thinking of going to Walt Disney World? Great! You know, studies have shown that families that go to Disney World are more attractive, get better grades, retire earlier and have a longer life expectancy.
OK, I made that up. Can't blame me for trying, though, can you?
Moving right along, did you know that you can take a family of four to Disney World for as little as a day? Of course, that's if you bring your own food, camp out in the parking lot, and don't actually go into the parks.
Let's face it, Disney is expensive (where do you think my username came from), but it's not unreasonably so, and you don't have to spend an arm and a thigh (the price of legs having gone through the roof lately) to have a nice Disney vacation, and you don't have to stay at Motel 6 and eat peanut butter sandwiches to do it, either. I can start you off by getting you a deluxe quality room on Disney property. Being on property is important, especially if it's your family's first time, since you can take advantage of the Extra Magic hour (this gets you into one park an hour earlier than the general public, but it's only available if you're staying in a Disney resort).
The room I'm offering here is a studio at Disney's Old Key West resort, one of the Disney Vacation Club resorts (the others are Boardwalk, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge and Saratoga Springs). This is a timeshare, but I own it - you don't have to take a tour or anything like that; you will be going as my guest and nobody will know that you are not the owner.
This auction is for a five night stay starting on a Sunday during reguarl season (January 30-February 11th, May 1st to Jun 10th, August 21st to September 2nd). Other weeks are available too; just ask if you don't see a relevant auction. I can always set one up if what you're looking for is available.
Old Key West is a beautiful property with four swimming pools (3 quiet pools plus a main pool with a water slide and a playground) and a golf course. The buildings are all three stories, but most don't have elevators (so specify a first floor room if you have trouble with stairs). Parking is right outside the door; no valet parking is necessary. There is also a grocery store, game room, bike, surrey and boat rental, tennis courts, and of course a restaurant (Olivia's). Rooms at Old Key West are the largest of all the Disney Vacation Club properties, and some of the largest in all of Disney World. They include two queen size beds, mini kitchen and a balcony. Capacity is 4 adults plus one child undre three. Whenever I stay on property with my family, we go to Old Key West.
If you haven't decided on dates yet, allow me to make some suggestions. If you don't have kids (or your kids are not yet in school), consider going during times when most kids are in school. September, early November, December, January, the first two weeks of February, and May are good. If you do have kids in school, well, prepare yourself for crowds. The busiest times of the year are, starting from the most crowded: Christmas/New Years, Easter (weeks before and after) and President's Week.
Once you have your dates, email me
before bidding
! Very important, unless you're flexible; many dates will be sold out, especially if you're trying to book something for the next couple of months. Let me know what dates you can go, and I'll tell you what's available.
After you book your room, I can get you set up with the Disney Dining plan which will save you money on food. The Dining plan is a good deal. Here's why: For each night you stay, you get one full service meal, one counter service meal, and one snack, plus a refillable drink mug that you can use at your resort for the duration of your stay.. Full service includes most Disney restaurants, and gets you non-alcoholic drink, appetizer, entree and dessert. And it's plenty of food, don't worry about not having enough with only two meals a day. When I go with my family, we generally bring some bagels or muffins to have a quick bite before we start the day, then we have an early counter lunch and then an early dinner, avoiding the crowds both times. Note that having the dining plan does not get you out of having to make reservations; you still have to fight the lines with everyone else, so I recommend making your dining plans as early as possible (Disney will let you reserve a table up to 180 days ahead - take advantage of that!).
The next step is tickets. Unfortunately, there aren't many places to get really big discounts on tickets. The places that advertise really cheap tickets require you to take a timeshare tour (do you really want to waste your valuable vacation time on that?). You can buy tickets on ebay, but I know several people who have gotten scammed that way, so be extremely careful and check feedback if you're going to take a chance. I may be able to make a couple of recommendations, so be sure to ask me when you reserve your room.
Of course, you still need to get to Orlando (actually Lake Buena Vista, which is south of Orlando). For that, I recommend using Sidestep (
www.sidestep.com
) to find the cheapest flights. There is no charge for booking a flight through them, unlike other sites like Orbitz (although Sidestep will sometimes direct you to Orbitz for certain airlines, you can usually eliminate the fee by booking that same flight yourself directly on the airline's web page). I am not a big fan of Priceline's "Name your own price" model; since you don't get to choose times, you could waste about a day and a half of time you could be enjoying at Disney world. Important: don't wait until the last minute to book your flights; prices generally increase as your departure time approaches.
Sidestep can also find you a rental car. However, consider whether you need one. Disney has a program called Magical Express (which is free to all guests staying in Disney resorts) that will pick you up at the airport and bring you to your hotel, and then bring you back to the airport at the end of the stay. Advantages of having a car are that it is quicker to drive around Disney World than it is to take Disney transportation, you won't have to get up as early to leave compared to taking magical express, and you can go off property. Disadvantage of driving around is that you will have a longer walk from your parking spot to the park entrances (buses drop you off right in front), which will cause you to lose a good part of your time advantage. However, if you're planning on visiting other places on property besides the four main parks, the advantages of having the car will probably outweigh the disadvantage.
Here are some tips if you decide to rent a car:
1) As of this writing, Orlando International Airport does not rent economy cars (at least not for any rental companies at the terminal); the smallest it has is a compact. However, since the rental companies' systems allow you to book economy, you automatically get a free upgrade.
2) Alamo usually has the longest lines in the terminal, so if the price difference is only a few dollars, you may want to choose a different company.
3) While L&M Car Rental has decent prices, in my experience their cars are generally of a lower level (e.g. fewer options, less luxurious) for a given size than other companies.
4) If you have an Entertainment book (for any area), there are coupons for free upgrades, discounts and free nights for most car rental companies.
5) Even though their websites say otherwise, you can sometimes get a lower rate by calling the company directly.
6) Avoid rental companies not at the terminal. There is a big enough selection that you can still get a good deal without having to waste your vacation time by taking a shuttle.
OK, so back on subject: you win the auction, you email me your information, I'll book the room, you pay, I send you a copy of the confirmation in email (this usually takes a few weeks). Capische? Payment via Paypal. I don't take shells or children, sorry.
Cancellation policy: OK, here's where it gets complicated. Disney Vacation Club is a points-based timeshare. If you cancel your reservation more than 30 days before your check-in date, no problem; you will have full credit towards a future stay. If you cancel 30 days or less, you can only book a new date 30 days or less before your new check in date. Example: Say you have a reservation for March 1st and you cancel on February 15th. You now decide you want to go on May 15th. I can't start booking the May 15th stay for you until April 16th. Now, I can be a little flexible, so if I'm holding another reservation I may be able to swap points around to give you more time. But no promises, ok?
By listing this auction I verify that I am the actual travel agent or travel provider and not a third party affiliate. The travel/accommodations in this auction will be booked directly through me and not an outside agency.  I also verify that, other than the government taxes and related government fees stated within the listing description itself, there will be absolutely no additional fees, charges or after auction purchases associated with booking the travel within this listing.