How The Disney Vacation Club Resort Became Old Key West

by Danny McBride | Oct 20, 2014 | Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resorts | 0 comments

When did you find out about “Disney’s Best Kept Secret?” We’re sharing the history behind Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

Are you a member of the Disney Vacation Club? The history of this massive avenue of The Walt Disney Company lies in the Walt Disney World Resort we know and love today as Disney’s Old Key West Resort. The Disney Vacation Club Resort opened on December 20, 1991. It wasn’t until January, 1996 that it was re-named as Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

The First Disney Vacation Club

Those who were some of the firsts to become a member of the Disney Vacation Club, like my grandfather, received the large case, shaped like a book (shown below). It came filled with several pamphlets, books, and pictures to inform members all about the perks, benefits, and, at that time, the only home resort of the Disney Vacation Club.

This pamphlet inside the DVC member case, “Where The Magic Never Ends,” explained what DVC “points” are and how/where they can be used. In case you’re unfamiliar with the way DVC works, members are given an annually allotted number of points based on how much a member spends. These can be used for stays in DVC villas of Disney resorts, and for rooms as a part of Member Getaways to other destinations worldwide. Let’s take a look at how they introduced the first hotel to use DVC points in Walt Disney World…

One of the things I found most fascinating about the beginning years of the Disney Vacation Club is the fact that members were given free park passes! How incredible would that perk be if they still had that offer today? Below is two documents from the DVC member case further explaining the details and promotions available to them.

Are any other early DVC members out there? Tell us about your experiences at the former Disney Vacation Club Resort!

By Danny McBride I’m from Long Island, New York and I’ve visited The Walt Disney World Resort many, many times since the year I was born, 1995. I am a social media contributor to WDW Magazine and Dad’s Guide to WDW. My lifelong dream is to work for The Walt Disney Company. My favorite attraction is The Haunted Mansion, and my favorite hotel is Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort!

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Posts by Danny McBride

Danny McBride is a WDW Magazine Contributor and the guy behind social media at Get Down to Disness, Destinations to Travel, and Celebration Shirts. He is a die-hard Disney fanatic, proud passholder, volunteer 1,000th Happy Haunt, and #1 fan of Voices of Liberty.