3BR Grand Villa - Saratoga or OKW?

[kimmar067]

We're thinking of staying at a 3BR villa and we've narrowed it down to these two locations. One person in our party is a paraplegic and is in a motorized wheelchair. Which would you stay and why?

 

[WildernessMickey]

They are both nice resorts. Your main issue might be that the Grand Villas at OKW are mostly on the upper floors, and most of the buildings don't have elevators. I booked a Grand Villa at OKW a few years ago and brought my parents. I requested a building with an elevator. When I checked in they didn't have any available, and my mother could not use the stairs. The CM ended up moving us to Saratoga Springs. All those units have elevators.
Additionally, both OKW and SS Grand Villas are two stories. If you do get a building with elevators at OKW, you still have stairs inside the unit, so the person in the wheelchair would not be able to access the second floor as far as I can tell. The units at SS have access to the outside from the second floor so the person in the wheelchair could go back to the elevator and go up one more floor and still access the unit.
I don't know the details about handicapped units, so they may be more accessible than what I experienced at OKW.

 

[kimmar067]

They are both nice resorts. Your main issue might be that the Grand Villas at OKW are mostly on the upper floors, and most of the buildings don't have elevators. I booked a Grand Villa at OKW a few years ago and brought my parents. I requested a building with an elevator. When I checked in they didn't have any available, and my mother could not use the stairs. The CM ended up moving us to Saratoga Springs. All those units have elevators....

....good to know.

 

[kimmar067]

...Additionally, both OKW and SS Grand Villas are two stories. If you do get a building with elevators at OKW, you still have stairs inside the unit, so the person in the wheelchair would not be able to access the second floor as far as I can tell. The units at SS have access to the outside from the second floor so the person in the wheelchair could go back to the elevator and go up one more floor and still access the unit....

...we were pretty much going to delegate the master BR [on main floor] for that couple.

 

[kimmar067]

Also, does anyone know any specific building numbers [or areas] to request?

 

[kimmar067]

I also am interested in the flat-entry shower, since it cannot even have a small lip.

 

[sethschroeder]

Is OKW and SSR because of price? Or what is the reason? Both appear to be multilevel where as I think other resorts have single level grand villas.

If you have a vehicle for driving then AKV might be a good choice since the parking is literally below you and covered in Kidani and on Jambo side its a single level grand villa.

 

[sethschroeder]

I also am interested in the flat-entry shower, since it cannot even have a small lip.

Have you looked at youtube videos? Some good walk throughs.

There is also a site out there that does matterport walk throughs of all the rooms but the site is blocked here.

Also hopefully someone has first hand knowledge, good luck

 

[Marionnette]

I also am interested in the flat-entry shower, since it cannot even have a small lip.

It sounds as if you would want a HA GV with roll-in shower. These are limited in number at all DVC resorts but can be reserved during the booking process to ensure that you get one.

 

[kimmar067]

Is OKW and SSR because of price? Or what is the reason? Both appear to be multilevel where as I think other resorts have single level grand villas.

If you have a vehicle for driving then AKV might be a good choice since the parking is literally below you and covered in Kidani and on Jambo side its a single level grand villa.

....using DVC points and yes, they are the best bang for the buck. The only obvious downside is the transportation issue.

 

[kimmar067]

...There is also a site out there that does matterport walk throughs of all the rooms but the site is blocked here...

...I'm not sure what that is...

 

[Deb & Bill]

It sounds as if you would want a HA GV with roll-in shower. These are limited in number at all DVC resorts but can be reserved during the booking process to ensure that you get one.

Two. Bldg 48 and Bldg 63.

 

[kimmar067]

Two. Bldg 48 and Bldg 63.

....wow! Valuable info! Thanks so much! Um, this is OKW, right?

 

[Shamus]

If points allow, I would suggest booking a HA GV at BWV if available. That will put you in room 3047, a single story GV where two of the three bedrooms/bathrooms and the kitchen are all set up as HA. The Master had a roll in shower when we last stayed there, but I don't recall if there was any "lip" or not. Great location at the corner of the building above the ScreenDoor General Store and not far from elevators. Master even has an small extra balcony off the side overlooking the Village Green.

 

[kimmar067]

If points allow, I would suggest booking a HA GV at BWV if available. That will put you in room 3047, a single story GV where two of the three bedrooms/bathrooms and the kitchen are all set up as HA. The Master had a roll in shower when we last stayed there, but I don't recall if there was any "lip" or not. Great location at the corner of the building above the ScreenDoor General Store and not far from elevators. Master even has an small extra balcony off the side overlooking the Village Green.

....wow, thanks for that bit of info.....it's really helpful. One of the downsides that we originally decided against BWV is that it didn't seem like enough room to navigate around the furniture with a motorized wheelchair. My DS's GF's brother-in-law became [for the most part] a quadriplegic during a pool accident, so he is really dependent upon others.

 

[Shamus]

....wow, thanks for that bit of info.....it's really helpful. One of the downsides that we originally decided against BWV is that it didn't seem like enough room to navigate around the furniture with a motorized wheelchair. My DS's GF's brother-in-law became [for the most part] a quadriplegic during a pool accident, so he is really dependent upon others.

Understood. Disney likely keeps that in mind when they stage this particular GV. It always seemed to have a more open feel then the other non-HA units. I'm not sure if there are any video/pics of this particular unit, but take another look at some of the video tours of the other single story BWV GVs keeping in mind all that space and that most of that furniture you see can be moved around if needed. Also if/when the Friendship Boats are running, they provide relatively easy on and off access for transportation to and from two of the four parks.

 

[kimmar067]

Understood. Disney likely keeps that in mind when they stage this particular GV. It always seemed to have a more open feel then the other non-HA units. I'm not sure if there are any video/pics of this particular unit, but take another look at some of the video tours of the other single story BWV GVs keeping in mind all that space and that most of that furniture you see can be moved around if needed. Also if/when the Friendship Boats are running, they provide relatively easy on and off access for transportation to and from two of the four parks.

....we only considered the 'bus' situation. I never thought of that, but it's a great point.

 

[CastAStone]

Have you looked at youtube videos? Some good walk throughs.

There is also a site out there that does matterport walk throughs of all the rooms but the site is blocked here.

Also hopefully someone has first hand knowledge, good luck

www.dvcrequest.com has matterport walkthroughs and they are not blocked.

Old Key West:
https://dvcrequest.com/information/videos-virtual-tours/5-old-key-west
Saratoga Springs (pre-renovation, in renovated rooms some of the furniture is different):
https://dvcrequest.com/information/videos-virtual-tours/6-saratoga-springs-resort-spa

 

[kimmar067]

www.dvcrequest.com has matterport walkthroughs and they are not blocked.

Old Key West:
https://dvcrequest.com/information/videos-virtual-tours/5-old-key-west
Saratoga Springs (pre-renovation, in renovated rooms some of the furniture is different):
https://dvcrequest.com/information/videos-virtual-tours/6-saratoga-springs-resort-spa

....thanks...I'll be sure to check these out!

 

[Deb & Bill]

....wow! Valuable info! Thanks so much! Um, this is OKW, right?

Yes. OKW.