Walking between resorts

My husband and I are planning on visiting Disney in July while friends are staying at Old Key West Resort. I'll admit this from the start...we are frugal. We are not going to stay at Old Key West because of the cost and we have Hilton rewards points we can use. The Hilton chain options are Hilton, DoubleTree, and Hampton Inn. The Hilton and Doubletree are located on Disney property near Downtown Disney. The Hampton Inn is located a bit further away. We are familiar with the Disney bus system and have used it in the past. As great and convenient as it is, it can sometimes be frustrating to stand in line when you could walk there in the same amount of time.
This leads me to my question...Anyone out there have any experience walking between either of these options and Old Key West? Or even other suggestions for transportation? I thought about renting bicycles, but neither Hilton hotel offers that. I did speak with the concierge at the Hilton and she suggested walking to Downtown Disney and taking a bus to Old Key West. She said there were not any sidewalks between the 2 hotels.:mickeykid

Welcome to WDW Radio, jag!

Disney property is not set up for walking between most places. The walk to DTD from the Doubletree Guest Suites on Hotel Plaza Blvd is about 3/4 of a mile; from the Doubletree to Old Key West is close to 3 miles, but there are no sidewalks on the main roads once you get off Hotel Plaza Blvd. (I'm using MapMyRun.com - Map your Running Routes. Find Runs. Join our Community of Running. Runner Social Network. Calculate Calories, Online Pedometer, Distance, iPhone, and More. to calculate this).


There is a boat that runs from DTD to Old Key West (with a stop at Saratoga Springs), so you can walk to DTD and take that (boats run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.), or there is a walk along the river that will go all the way to OKW (it is approx. 1 mile in length, unlit and not recommended after dark).

My vote would be to walk to Downtown Disney and take the bus to OKW. Trust me, there are some crazy drivers on Disney property, and you don't want to walk anywhere that there aren't sidewalks!

Wooo, that'd be a heck of a walk in Florida in July.

Take the bus, its nice and air conditioned :)

Take the bus, very dangerous to walk.

Couple comments...

I didn't see what rates you are looking at or if it is totally free w/your points, but it may be worth comparing to Value resorts on property. With the discounts out there, the prices may be comparable depending on what you get from Hilton. Busses @ the resorts are a bit better than the DTD busses (in my opinion) although that would put you further from your friends @ OKW.

Another option, is to consider renting a car. I know you are looking to save $$, but if you run some codes (Car Rentals from CarRentals.com or Rental Codes.com - Car Rental Coupon Code Source - Avis, Budget BCD, Dollar, National, Thrifty and Enterprise Coupons.) you can sometimes come up w/a dirt cheap rental. Of course down side to that is if you stay off property you pay for parking if you drive to any of the parks. I do think, if you are driving to resorts for meals or to visit a guest you can park for free for a few hours. Depending on how cheap/free you can get the hotel & how much time it can save you it may be worth the extra few dollars.

Another option, depending on where you stay & how often you need it would be to grab a cab. A quick cab from your hotel to OKW, if you only need to do that 3 or 4 times during your stay, may be cheaper than a rental car, quicker than the busses & a lot easier than the walk. Of course that depends on where you stay... I know, on property a cab from one place to another is fairly cheap $15 or less, but off property, I'm not sure about distances & cost from the Hilton or Hampton Inn.

Thanks to everyone for your responses. We will have our own vehicle when down there, but I wasn't sure how parking would work while visiting our friends at OKW. Lots of options for getting around, thanks for the tips. If we use points, hotel will be free, so there's no point in looking at value resorts...Hilton would be free.

You could walk to DTD and the take the boat to Old Key West or take the walking path (follows the waterway) to Old Key West, though I would suggest the boat at night as the path is not lighted too well

Walking in WDW at any time of the year can be ify considering it is warm or even hot all year round AND it can rain at any second, then the sun could come out.......then rain any second again. Spend a few bucks and be comfortable or at best, SAFE!

The only places I've walked to on property were from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom, from the TTA to Polynesian, to and from the TTA from Wilderness Lodge, and to and from DTD from Saratoga Springs. Then again, those are the only four resorts I've stayed at so far.

I'd walk to DTD and take the boat to OKW. The Hilton is at the end of Hotel Plaza Boulevard and appears from the map to be a short walk down the street to the DTD Marketplace.

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Originally Posted by jag

Thanks to everyone for your responses. We will have our own vehicle when down there, but I wasn't sure how parking would work while visiting our friends at OKW. Lots of options for getting around, thanks for the tips. If we use points, hotel will be free, so there's no point in looking at value resorts...Hilton would be free.

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I'd suggest driving over to OKW. They'll give you a 3 hour parking pass.

We stayed at the Hilton. It is the best of the choices you outlined. It is very close to DTD, very walkable. Hilton is the only hotel that has been granted back a few of the perks that the rest of those hotels still have not been been given back. Check, but I believe they now get the early late perk, that they did not have prior.

Try and meet your friends at the destination of the day. The bus from the Hilton to the parks, runs more accurately than Disney Buses do. It is a Coach Bus and we always got a seat. Way back to hotel, bad! Take the Disney bus back to OKW or Port Orleans. At either destination you can return to your own hotel via DTD, by the boat or bus.

Walking in that heat, not a good idea.

You can take the boat to Old Key west from Downtown Disney. It is kinda a long ride but thats the only way.:mousetune