Get me excited about OKW!!

[Hillary12.8.07]

We are renting points to stay at OKW in December for our first anniversary, getting a FABULOUS deal. Paying MUCH less for a studio there than what I priced at POP for the week.

Anyway...don't know alot about the resort, except what I've read on Allears...not talked about alot I guess b/c its DVC. I'd LOVE to hear what some of you think about it, some advice, pictures, whatever!! I'm already WAY pumped about our great deal, just don't really know what to expect!

 

[spiceycat]

OKW is my home resort and I do love it.

you will get 2 queen beds (not double not the moderates and values), a balcony, a kitchenett.

you don't get a washer and dryer - but never fear - they are still free and are near the pools. So you can wash your clothes and go swimming.

here are some pictures
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/showgallery.php/cat/545

on go ask on DVC planning board or mousecellaneous for more stuff on OKW.

if you can walk around this place - especially early in the morning.

 

[las3888]

Yes, I agree with posting on the DVC boards...there are tons of people who love OKW there and can tell you LOTS! I love it myself...we don't own there, but we are DVC members and go there very frequently. It's very relaxing to us.

 

[Rozzie]

We love OKW!! Our home away from home resort as we like to say. If you like to wet your whistle, The Gurgling Suitcase is a great pool bar there. Spent many a hour and dollar there. Also Olivia's there has a great pancake breakfast we share. Yum!!! It is so peaceful and relaxing there, you are going to love it.

 

[utahkennedys]

It is also our home resort and we LOVE it there. It has such a relaxed, tropical atmosphere -- just what we want in Florida on vacation! The rooms are huge (haven't stayed in a studio but know the size from our 2BR stays). I really enjoy the views of the golf course and water. We like the location on Disney property, feels pretty central to us even though you can't walk to any parks. Check tripadvisor for candid shots, I posted some there like our balcony view from February.

 

[disneymd33]

What I like about OKW is the size of the rooms and the beautiful balconies. It's MUCH more quiet than POP. But my favorite part of OKW is taking the boat over to Downtown Disney at night. The view is absolutely gorgeous. I think you won't be disappointed.

 

[iluveeyore]

It's our favourite - will be there June 1-6 in our 1 bdrm villa. Check out dvcfriends.com for the 360 degree room tour and photos. You'll love this resort.

 

[Buckalew11]

Not my "home" but I absolutely loved it when we were there. No complaints. I thought it was beautiful.

 

[tasha99]

We stayed in a 1 BR there last year and loved it. I found the grounds very relaxing and the rooms looked much nicer in person than they do in pictures. We stayed close enough to the hospitality house to be able to use either their bus stop or ours. That was very handy because ours was the first stop, and the hospitality house was last. We'd get on at HH and get off at the one in front of our villa, which really minimized the bus ride through OKW.

I was surprised at how much I liked Olivia's. Maybe because I didn't expect anything, I found that meal more satisfying than many of the ones I had planned so meticulously into our days. The wings were fabulous and I went back and ordered some just to take back to our room.

Have a great trip--I think you'll love it!

 

[kbtennant]

Just stayed here in January again. Not our home resort, but still love it. This was the first DVC built, the rooms are bigger. Very tropical, relaxing and fun. Seems quieter than other resorts. Jimmy Buffet music playing....I can taste my margerita thinking about it.

Have fun!

 

[alldiz]

Just back....We loved OKW.

We felt so relaxed....only went to the parks for 2 days of our stay.

Try to request a room in the hospitality house area if you want to be near everything.

If you don't don't worry you are just a short bus ride away on any bus to the lobby/restaurant/pool...etc.

I really liked the "town" feel of OKW....past the lobby everything is right there.
the ferry, Goods to go....(CS that seemed to cook food to order.)
Bar, pool, playground.
Olivia's is really good......the pasta dish is soooo good.
and you must have a keylime tart.....to die for.

Anyway....enjoy your stay.....biggest rooms in all of WDW.
Kerri

 

[MickeyNicki]

We stayed there for 4 nights March 29-April 2 and we really enjoyed it. We wanted a nice quiet stay, we were spending alot of our day at the pool. When we first drove in DH wanted to scope out the grounds and check out the pools so we can request a certain building. We were able to get into buiding 54 which is right by the quiet pool and it was quiet the entire time we were there, it was perfect for us. We were on the second floor end unit (studio) with a view of the pool and spa. Free laundry machines, that helped us out alot. The room was very nice and super clean, I liked having the bathroom all in one behind closed doors. Beds comfy but the tv was very small.

Olivia's breakfast was fantastic, loved the hash brown casserole and the chocolate mango toast. We did not eat there for dinner but the wait was never more than 30 minutes long (overheard the CM's telling people) The gift shop was small but adequate for us, bought juice and bananas. The game room (video) was very small, had about 6 games in it but there was a large room next to it with puzzles and games and such. We had a snack at Goods to Go and it was ok, your standard CS burger and fries.

To us OKW was very similar to any mod resort but it did seem alot quieter so for that reason alone we really enjoyed our stay there. Would we go back? Sure if we get the $189 a night rate (40% off postcard) again we would go back but for the full price we wouldnt go back.

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

Thanks for all the responses!!! I have checked out Tripadvisor.com and Dvdfriends, GREAT pictures!!!
It looks beautiful, and I'm WAY excited about the larger rooms and the relaxing feel of it, that's one of our favorite things about a vacation. The only thing I'm a bit worried about is how spread out everything is. We stayed at WL during our honeymoon and fell in love with it. I really love having everything under one roof. But the deal we got for this was just incredible, RIDICULOUSLY cheap.
And we just have 2 day tickets left from our honeymoon, we may add a day or two, but may not...I'm looking forward to just resort hopping and hanging out at the pool, riding that boat to DTD. Can't wait!!

Thanks again, and feel free to jump in if anyone has anything else to add!

 

[alldiz]

Have a great trip....the boat ride is really nice.
You probably won't add park days.
Happy planning
Kerri

 

[jkjs]

Is renting Points the best way to stay at OKW?

 

[chalee94]

Is renting Points the best way to stay at OKW?

nope.

the best way is to buy a DVC contract and OWN part of OKW... ( )

more seriously, if you want to rent, please read this first, to understand the potential pitfalls:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1669863

renting is cheaper than booking direct, but with more limitations

 

[alldiz]

Is renting Points the best way to stay at OKW?

Renting points is the cheapest way to stay at any DVC resort....you need to be careful....the owner has total control over your reservation.
Kerri

 

[spiceycat]

both Okw and AKV (some of its rooms) have a lower point costs than the other DVC resorts (okay BWV - standard rooms only).

so it is a good deal. just don't stay fri or sat.

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

There are alot of risks, and I was nervous about renting points. But I did alot of research, talked to other people who had done it, and hopefully found a very trustworthy person. She has been great, very quick response to emails, sent me references, and we got a paper confirmation in the mail within two weeks. And the points at OKW are so low, depending on who you rent from, what they charge for rent, you can find a super great deal. Check out the rent/trade DVC board, and read alot of the stickys to get info.

Like I said, we're renting points for a studio at OKW for $12 less a night than what Pop would have been. However, like someone said, points are alot higher on the weekends so our first night, Saturday, we are staying at Pop and then moving to OKW the next day.

We are planning on buying into DVC in the next few years hopefully, so this is a great way to see some of the DVC resorts now!

 

[mom3sonstt]

We love OKW!! It is our home resort. We have our first reservation for a non-OKW stay booked right now (at AKL) and are trying to talk ourselves in to going back to OKW. We (hubby and I) thought it would be fun to try a different resort, but we love OKW so much that when we look at the other resorts we only partially see what they have to offer that OKW doesn't, but we glaringly see what OKW has that they don't. The one big thing that keeps drawing us back is the space. OKW is the biggest of the DVC resorts and we are going to have 4 teen-age boys with us this trip and every square inch of space is important!!