I Learned a HARD Lesson in Disney World: This Hotel “Shortcut” Was a Huge Mistake

[Charlie]

Sometimes you just have to learn lessons the hard way in Disney World.


Disney’s Old Key West


Over the years, I’ve made countless mistakes in Disney World — from forgetting to pack a phone charger in my park bag to losing belongings on rides to choosing restaurants that were definitely not right for me. But each time I’ve made a mistake in Disney World, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. And today, I’m here to warn you about a “shortcut” I once tried!

If you’ve been to Disney World a few times, you may know that there are quite a few shortcuts hidden around the parks and resorts. These pathways often connect between lands or hotels to shave off a little bit of transportation time, and they can come in handy when navigating the property if you know how to use them. However, some of them are more harmful than they are helpful.


Disney’s Saratoga Springs


Having the ability to walk from your hotel to the hotel next door is a fun perk — it opens a whole new world of dining and shopping opportunities. But if you’ve ever thought about walking from Saratoga Springs Resort to Old Key West Resort, I’m here to discourage you from taking that path.


View from pathways at Saratoga Springs


You can travel this way by starting on the Saratoga Springs Nature Path near the hotel’s lobby. It’ll take you past part of the golf course, but when it says “nature” path, it MEANS it. You’ll mostly be walking alongside the woods and getting a glimpse at the edge of the property as you go. It almost feels weird to be walking this way, but I followed the signs and maps to make sure I was on the right track.


©Google Maps


From there, you’ll work your way towards Old Key West property and link up with one of the trails heading to the front of the resort. The entire walk takes about half an hour from one hotel to the next, so it’s definitely not the route to travel when you’re in a hurry. And I’ll warn you that it’s fairly easy to get lost! There are a few different paths branching off from this one, and there are golf course walkways to add into the mix as well.


©Disney


If it’s a particularly hot or sunny day, the walk can be kind of miserable as well. In general, I’m definitely going to recommend you just hop on the Sassagoula River Boats (there’s a dock near the Saratoga lobby) and take one of those over to Old Key West instead. If you ride the boats, you can also swap between the two main routes and ride to Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts as well.


Saratoga Springs Water Taxi


So I suppose if you’ve got plenty of free time and energy to do a long walk in the sun, this pathway might be a fun one to know about. It’s not very popular, and it could be a good route for a jog. However, it definitely doesn’t qualify for the title of “shortcut.” There’s nothing short about it!


Old Key West


For hotels that have a much easier walking path between, try staying at the Polynesian Village Resort and Grand Floridian Resort, the Caribbean Beach Resort and Riviera Resort, or the Pop Century Resort and Art of Animation Resort. The Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin, and BoardWalk are all within walking distance of each other as well.


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Do you search for shortcuts in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

 

[Rockster]

We have actually done the walk from Saratoga Springs Resort to Old Key West and it was "interesting." Our goal was to get to Olivia's at OKW for a reserved meal. The first time, we took the wrong path and ended up on the golf cart path and people teeing off were complaining to us that we were going to get hit and why we were on that path. Lesson learned to take the right side path and not the left. So, the next time, we took the right one and it is a good 25 minute walk through a scenic tree lined path, but we turned into Old Key West too soon and got lost on all the paths that go everywhere. We finally flagged down a Disney cast member who was on a golf cart and asked directions to Olivias,, and she told us to get in and she would take us there. Lesson learned again. So, the next time we tried this, we knew where to get off the path and where to head, so we finally figured out the right way to go. But it is a lot easier to just walk from Saratoga Springs over to the Sassagoula river boat launch area located on the bridge that connects Saratoga Springs Resorts to Disney Springs and just ride the boat over to OKW and back again later in the day. Saratoga Springs Resort is our DVC home resort, so that is where we usually stay when visiting the mouse. It is walking distance to Disney Springs, and there are boats that take you to both OKW or to Port Orleans Resort, so that is the easiest way to go. If you are staying somewhere else and just having lunch or dinner at Olivia's at OKW, when you are ready to head home, you can take the boat over to Disney Springs and then catch a bus back to your resort if you are staying on property. You will not find a Disney bus that goes between Disney Springs and any of the parks because Disney does not want people to park free at Disney Springs and then get a free ride to a park. But Disney buses will take you to/from a resort to/from Disney Springs.