2bd Villa at OKW or 2 rooms at WL?

[BensWife]

Now that our vacation might be back on, I am looking at resorts again. I would like to stay at WL, but it is a little more expensive. It is about $600 more for 2 rooms at WL vs the 2 bd villa at OKW (5 adults and 2 kids). I think the kids would like WL better for the pools and the theme (plus I think they would love the bunk beds), but $600 is a chunk. My family gets along great, so all being in 1 villa vs 2 separate rooms is not an issue. We could do 2 rooms somewhere else, but I liked the closeness of WL to MK and it seems to be a favorite here for families (our kids 6 and 3 when we go). Any advice?

 

[magicaldisney]

I love the Wilderness Lodge but OKW is awesome too.

One thing that is nice about an OKW 2 bedroom is you will have a common living area to gather and hang out/talk out your day's plan. You will also have a kitchen and laundry. I know that many people don't like the idea of "cooking" or "doing laundry" on vacation. We have never cooked in the kitchen, but we love just getting up and eating cereal/oatmeal type breakfast before heading out. It has saved us on the food fund and in the time department because some will eat while others are showering. We personally love having the in room laundry. We pack less and it's so easy to throw a load in before you leave in the morning and put it in the dryer when you get back in the evening.

If you are renting points for the OKW room you will not have daily housekeeping. If you are paying cash for the room, you will.

 

[TosaTrio]

You'll have to decide if location trumps space. To me the experiences are completely different. With the Villa you are getting two bedrooms, a full kitchen and a washer/dryer in the room. In WL you are getting rooms. OKW is a nice resort, however it is condo style resort compared to a hotel. Why don't you check into renting points from a DVC member for a 2 BR @ VWL? The villas are not as big as OKW, but if you are considering hotel rooms will be fine.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Was in the sane boat a few years ago.... We are die hard WL fans and want 3 rooms in the lodge for a family get away..... None available but CRO offered us the 2 bedroom in OKW at a ridiculous rate,,, too hard to pass on... Never stayed there but took it...

Horrible vacation, bad choice for people used to a park being a boat ride away....though villa was nice , except being 3 floor and no elevator with an infant....

Having one couple having to use the sleeper sofa in the living room, one A/C unit with 3 different lifestyles ....

Having to use the internal bus to get around, food court, main pool and Hospitality House...

Just too huge a resort for us, never used the kitchen, bigger fridge was handy but that was it... Swore, no matter what Disney offers... We'll wait for what we like and want... WL... Enjoy the lakes, being close to the MK, smaller resort compact and all under one roof....location trumps everything in our book!

 

[ChristineOH]

Now that our vacation might be back on, I am looking at resorts again. I would like to stay at WL, but it is a little more expensive. It is about $600 more for 2 rooms at WL vs the 2 bd villa at OKW (5 adults and 2 kids). I think the kids would like WL better for the pools and the theme (plus I think they would love the bunk beds), but $600 is a chunk. My family gets along great, so all being in 1 villa vs 2 separate rooms is not an issue. We could do 2 rooms somewhere else, but I liked the closeness of WL to MK and it seems to be a favorite here for families (our kids 6 and 3 when we go). Any advice?

Book one room at WL, if you can afford it. Let your parents and brother book their own room. That way, if your parents' financial difficulties due to unexpected dental work become a problem again, you can still go as a family. They can join you on the next trip. Take advantage of that great deal on airfare you found.

 

[bookwormde]

I love WL and own at OKW. If you have never stayed in a villa I would definitely say OKW 2br.
Having a big balcony, full Kitchen, jacuzzi and laundry it hard to beat! OF course the only problem is that you will then be spoiled. I never thought the pool at WL was all that special (although the rest of the courtyard is very cool, so OKW's main pool is just as nice plus you have several quite pools also.


Have you thought about a 2br Villa at VWL, while it would be a little more than the 2 rooms, just eating a few breakfasts in the villa would make up the difference.

And if you want to push it a little more you could get a 2br BLT lakeview and really be close.

 

[mom_of_2]

I will start by saying we have never stayed at WL. We stayed in a 2br at OKW and loved it. We had our two small children (3 and 1) and 5 adults with us. We liked having the laundry in the room and the kitchen so we could make a quick breakfast in the morning. The kids loved the pool. I would imagine the biggest downfall is not being as close to the parks as other resorts. The buses however were not bad at all.