The Pools at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
For many of us, the resort’s pool is a major consideration when planning a Walt Disney World vacation. We want to stay somewhere where we adults can relax while the kids have fun.
So for this article, we’ll see what the pools at Disney’s Old Key West Resort have to offer. Over the past few months, I’ve spent a good deal of time at the resort, including staying in a deluxe studio.
During that trip, I spent some time at the resort’s feature pool, the Sandcastle Pool. Additionally, I took a bicycle tour of the resort and discovered three leisure pools spread out over the property.
So grab a shovel and sand pail because we’re headed out to Old Key West to check out all its pools! And we’ll see what else we might dig up along the way.
The Sandcastle Pool at Old Key West
At the time of my visit, the pool hours for the Sandcastle Pool were between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. I caution against stating the exact pool hours because they adjust throughout the year.
The Sandcastle Pool has an enormous faux sandcastle. This aesthetic feature doubles as the pool’s waterslide.
A few rules are posted outside the slide’s entrance. For instance, only one rider can enter the slide at a time. Additionally, per the signage, the pool depth at the bottom of the slide is 3′ (feet).
You’ll enter the line for the slide at the base of the sandcastle. A spiral staircase leads up to the top deck.
From there, you can see out to the surrounding pool area.
There is a red and green light at the top of the slide. When the light turns green, it’s your turn to go. Remember red light, green light.
From what I could tell, the Sandcastle Pool has a maximum depth of 4′ 6″ (4 feet, 6 inches).
A lighthouse sits towards the back of Old Key West’s feature pool area.
There’s a pleasant sitting area near the lighthouse.
This same area is where you’ll also find the whirlpool tub.
Here is a view from the lighthouse area to the feature pool. Complimentary life jackets are available.
Plenty of sitting areas surround the pool.
A fun water feature sits between the pool and a small bridge near the water slide area.
Behind the sandcastle slide, there’s an area with a kiddie pool.
And even more fun, a large sand area includes a playground. Get a load of this oversized sand pail!
Your children probably won’t want to return to the parks after checking out the resort’s recreation area. As always, make sure to plan a full resort day or at least a few afternoons at the pool.
The theming falls in line with what you would expect on the sandy shores of the Florida Keys.
Towels are provided at the pool. However, the signage asks that you don’t use the towels to reserve chairs. Seriously, there’s nothing more annoying when you’re trying to find a seat at the pool than finding dozens of empty chairs covered with lone towels.
In addition, to the hot tub, slide, and playground, there are several other recreational things to do near the feature pool. For instance, there’s a shuffleboard court.
And here is a look at the basketball court.
Or maybe you might prefer a tennis match? Unfortunately, not many resorts have all of these lovely things to do.
But as of late, every resort has these outdoor chess tables. Seriously, I can only assume some solid salesperson came through and did an excellent job selling these things. I keep running into them everywhere I go.
Bet you were already thinking they don’t have a volleyball court. Wrong, they do.
And there’s a fire pit at the far end of the recreation area.
Community Hall sits toward the front of the resort’s pool area. A few tabletop games were available in this area.
I even thought to step inside and take a few photos of the changing area. You can see there is a shower with soap, shampoo, and conditioner attached to the wall.
The area between the shower and the exterior curtain provides a dry space to change, a bench, and a place to hang your items.
On the vanity, there was a hair dryer. These things would come in handy if you have a late flight out one evening and would like to spend the day at the pool. You could easily use the pool bathhouse to shower and get ready before heading to the airport.
Moving on, we’ll look at the quiet pools in the different sections of the resort. Our first stop is the Miller’s Road leisure pool. Most of the flats in this area are near Hospitality House, where the resort’s feature pool is located.
Therefore, the Miller’s Road pool sits toward the back of this section of the resort. You’ll find the pool across the street from the Miller’s Road bus stop.
All pools, including the feature pool at Old Key West, have a laundry room. I have a separate write-up about the ins and outs of doing laundry at Old Key West.
Here are a few of the pool rules. This same signage is posted at all of the quiet pools. Mainly, I take these photos to provide the pool hours, 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.
Hours at the quiet pools tend to stay the same throughout the year because these pools are not attended by a lifeguard. However, if the temperature drops low enough, all of the pools will close.
Next, we make our way down to Old Turtle Pond, home to the largest of the resort’s leisure pools. This leisure pool is probably more of a cross between a quiet pool and a feature pool because it has a few extras.
Those extras include a whirlpool spa.
And there’s a playground.
A snack bar, the Turtle Shack, sits toward the back of the pool area. It sells snacks and has a beverage station for guests who purchase a rapid refill mug.
I noticed there was a shuffleboard court back behind the pool too. Having a shuffleboard court is a very Florida thing.
Funny enough, there’s a small game room called Flying Fish beside the snack shack.
There were only a few games. You can see the beverage station I mentioned sitting toward the back of the photo.
A few picnic tables and a grill were available.
Lastly, we make it to the quiet pool at South Point, which is where I stayed on my last visit.
Related: Deluxe Studio at Old Key West
This area was my favorite of the quiet pools because it was a bit more private. Additionally, the area at the back of the pool looks out to the waterway boats use to go back and forth to Disney Springs.
Related: Old Key West Transportation Tips
This pool had a few extras, too, like this whirlpool spa.
And this pool area had a lovely shaded playground area.
Overall, Disney’s Old Key West has enjoyable pools with plenty of amenities and recreational activities nearby. I sure didn’t mind the time I spent hanging out at the pool.
For more information about the resort, we have a guide that lists all of our articles:
Or you might enjoy the following:
- Disney’s Old Key West Review
- Laundry at Old Key West
- Disney’s Olivia’s Cafe Review
- The Gift Shop at Disney’s Old Key West
What do you think about the pools at Old Key West? Have you ever vacationed here?
