Any downsides to OKW?

[Papa Deuce]

We're going to talk to a DVC rep, possibly next week. From my other post everybody recommends OKW for what I want. But what are the negatives to OKW?

 

[JimC]

Some folks don't like the fact that OKW is away from the action. It is a more laid back and relaxing type of resort.

Some also don't like that most of the buildings do not have elevators (I believe three do). So if you are on the second floor you need to carry luggage, strollers, etc up/down stairs.

We love the place, but for some it is not what they are looking for.

 

[Chuck S]

Well, I personally love OKW...but the comments I've heard against it from folks expecting more of a "hotel" experience rather than a timeshare experience are:

1) No room service meals are available...though both Disney on-site and off-site pizza delivery is available from the places such as pizza hut, dominos, etc.

2) External stairways and entryways versus a standard hotel where you enter your room from a hall - I actually prefer being able to park very near my room.

3) No food court type eateries. Though there is a snack bar near the main pool and a seasonal sandwich shop at Turtle Pond pool, as well as Olivia's full service restaurant.

4) Some folks prefer the Queen bed/ full size fold out sofa design of studio accomodation used at other DVC resorts, all OKW studios have two queen beds - which again is a plus for us.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Some folks don't like the fact that OKW is away from the action. It is a more laid back and relaxing type of resort.


Some also don't like that most of the buildings do not have elevators (I believe three do). So if you are on the second floor you need to carry luggage, strollers, etc up/down stairs.

We love the place, but for some it is not what they are looking for.

Big PLUS, big MINUS.....

 

[StephenKay]

Simply,



None

 

[JimMIA]

One generic comment. If you are going to buy OKW, I'd sure do it resale. OKW is one resort where you will save a bunch of money with resale.

Some folks don't like the fact that OKW is away from the action. It is a more laid back and relaxing type of resort.

I agree, this is a big plus for me -- not for everybody, but for me it is. Also, OKW is really more "not in the middle of things" than "away from the action." It's actually very close to both Epcot and DTD and an easy drive/bus ride from anything at WDW.

It is not within walking distance of two parks like BWV/BCV, but I'm fine with that. If I want to crawl home from Food and Wine, I'll get whatever I can at BWV at seven months.

Some also don't like that most of the buildings do not have elevators (I believe three do). So if you are on the second floor you need to carry luggage, strollers, etc up/down stairs.

That's a definite minus. But if you are coming for a long stay and will have a lot of luggage, you can always use a bellman.

 

[dianeschlicht]

OKW is by far our favorite DVC, and while I understand the things some folks don't care for, they are usually the things that make it special for me. As for the stairs...I am "OLD", and I don't find them a problem at all. They are done with each step with a nice easy rise, so even my arthritic feet don't have too big a problem with them. You really don't have to carry luggage up and down if you don't want to. There is bell services for that. We really like the size of accommodations and the peaceful atmosphere at the end of the day. I have never understood why people complain so much about the stairs, but those same people think it is a plus to be able to walk 15-20 minutes to get to a park, that I can get to in the same time on a nice cool bus.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

We're going to talk to a DVC rep, possibly next week. From my other post everybody recommends OKW for what I want. But what are the negatives to OKW?

Just remember, DVC is only actively marketing SSR right now. So if you bring up OKW, they'll say something like "Why buy OKW at $92, when you can get 12 more years at SSR for $90." They'll act like the resale market isn't there.

The big advantages to OKW is that they are the a) cheapest points on the resale market for a WDW property; b) have the lowest dues of all the DVC resorts and c) give you the 11 month advantage to book the cheapest and largest DVC accomodations, especially if you want a GV.

We did consider OKW, but went with HHI instead. Comparing them with OKW above: a) HH points are about $5 cheaper than OKW on the resale market; b) Dues are slightly higher; and c) we have the 11 month booking advantage at HH for summers.

So HH has the "a" advantage and OKW" has the "b" advantage. On our 200 points, we're paying approx $38 more per year in dues. So at this rate, it would be approx 25 years for the cost of HH to surpass OKW. Though, I admit, "a" carried more weight than "b" with us, but the high dues at VB kept us from considering there. "a" also kept us from considering BCV/BWV/VWL.

(But actually, with a credit from '04, our net MF's for '05 is only $3.88, which is just $.03 more than OKW or $6 for the year. So if anyone can post if OKW had a credit from their '04 dues and what their "net" '05 dues are, that would be great. But without that info, I'll just stick with the $38 amount.)

So it basically came down to "c", which is more or less the mantra on these boards "Buy where you want to stay" which in reality should be "Buy where you want the 11 month advantage". And since it's a more reasonable drive to HH, having the 11 month advantage for summer bookings made sense to us.

 

[beccasmom]

Can't think of any.....we love it!!

 

[momsully]

We have always loved VWL and bought our points there resale a few years ago. We made our first trip to OKW in April and loved it so much we ended up doing a small (60 point) add on there. My two boys 6 and 3 actually liked the pool at OKW better than VWL.

 

[Laurabearz]

Stairs.... We have always beeen on the first floor at OKW but once at HHI, when I was 6 months pregnant with boy and traveling alone with my two girls, I had to hike up stairs to our Grandvilla (middle of the night in the pouring rain)It sucked, but once all the stuff was up, none of us minded the stairs.

Your villa could be a long walk to the main pool and HH area. But the internal busses help with that...

OKW is my DH's fave resort. I love the feeling you get walking around there, but my tastes run towards room service. SO that is my only complaint about OKW... no room service! lol

Papa Duece... I would look into the resale market for your OKW points. Jaki and atimeshare.com and the site sponser are good places to look. If you dont see the size contract you want on their websites, call them I bought 2 contracts from Jaki that had not been listed yet.

Good luck... Happy shopping!

 

[GGOOFY1]

OKW is our favorite. I have offered to my DD amd DS to stay elsewhere, but they want to go "Home". When we purchased OKW was the only DVC resort. So you have quite a choice to make. You can't go wrong with DVC. We joined in 1993 and have not regreted our purchase. Like previous posts, make your decision on your 11 month window. Most of the time you will be able to get your request at any resort, but, if you decide to go during peak holiday seasons, you have to book at the 11 month mark. Good Luck

 

[drakethib]

We're going to talk to a DVC rep, possibly next week. From my other post everybody recommends OKW for what I want. But what are the negatives to OKW?

The only bad thing I can say about OKW is having to leave it to go home.

If you like a relaxed atmosphere, I truly believe you will enjoy it.

 

[kathleena]

Well, you are asking for negatives - I'm not sure these are resort negatives - they are just my personal thoughts about it.

And I will preface by saying I don't mind staying there for a week - it's certainly a lovely resort - it's just not my first choice. More like my 4th choice.

1. Lack of dining options. I think the other 4 have either more options, or easier accessed options.
2. The studio decks and some of the other rooms are now overgrown with vegetation. I like a deck with an open area.
3. Distance to the main pool. When it's really hot or cool, it's a drag! Even with the buses - you still have to wait for the bus in the heat. I like being able to walk thru BWV or BC to the pool.
4. It just feels like any Florida resort to me. I don't think that's a resort negative - that is totally just my opinion, not a fact!
5. Some of the studios don't have windows! All they have is the door to the deck and with all the trees - they are very dark! These studios are in the back corners of the "U" shaped buildings. I hated this room!
6. I don't like the two beds in a studio. I love having the sofa for sitting. Sitting on the bed to read or at the table just isn't comfy.
7. Some of the 2 bedrooms are under grand villas. They have hard wood floors and it is very noisy underneath them. We listened to young kids running, chairs scraping, college kids stomping all week long.

I have to say I would never stay in a studio there again for the three reasons I mentioned re: studios. 1 and 2 br fine. But studios will always be somewhere else. And after staying with 6 in a 2br at BCV, I think if I ever had 8 I would go to OKW. I think 8 is just a lot for any 2br, so you may as well have the extra room.

You know best what you would look for in a resort. That's just some of my observations. Most comments I look at as being a personal preference (i.e. walking to a park vs walking to a bus to take the bus to a park). I don't think that makes a resort more positive or negative - it's all how you view your experience.

I hope you get your vacation purchase done soon and you get it just the way you want it!

 

[Papa Deuce]

Thanks Kathleena, these are the types of thing I was curious about.

 

[SB in KY]

My only negative is similar to the previous post....OKW has been our home resort since our initial purchase in 1994...we love it there and our entire family thinks of OKW as our vacation "home"....that said I would agree with the studio issues at OKW....we almost always travel with friends or extended family and are in 2BR villas....OKW is my absolute #1 choice for 1BR, 2BR or GV's without a doubt....they are noticeable larger than any of the other DVC resorts.

However, studio's are another story....if you plan on reserving studios frequently I would look carefully at the OKW set up. They are really just good sized hotel rooms. 2 queens, a tiny round table with 2 straight chairs and that's about it. The kitchenette nook is quite small. I know a lot of people prefer the 2 queen beds to the other studios with 1 bed and a sofa bed....but I really like the feel of having the sitting area with couch for use by day and the fold out bed at night, seems a lot more "home like". I also like the kitchenette area better in the other units.

Again...I would consider 1) where you want your 11 month window and 2) what size unit you will be reserving most often and 3) whether you prefer the laid back atmosphere at OKW vs the resort hotel environment at the other resorts.

 

[PKS44]

I agree it is our last choice though far from "unacceptable." It is a lovely resort...but the theming of it is rather dull compared to the other choices on property...it's location is too far from the parks for our tastes...some love that...we don't...it has a definite condo feel to it and that is something we do not want...we can get that visiting our Miami relatives--it felt like Old Key West to us....again--just one family's experience...obviously many love it..luckily there is more than one choice and more than one type of resoprt for those who feel otherwise... as someone once said...if everybody liked the same things they would all be chasing after Grandma.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I feel like I'm at WDW when I'm there. The theming is Florida and I associate WDW with Florida. But if you're expecting to feel like you're somewhere else like Polynesia or Yellowstone or another century it doesn't fit the bill.

It's big for what that's worth. I've heard a few complain about the buses driving around and distance to the main pool.

We looked at OKW and BWV before buying and for us it was no contest -- we bought OKW. If we had made a decision based on this forum I'm not sure that's what we would have decided. And then we would have been disappointed.

My point is, if there's ANY way to see the resorts before buying you should. I think the feeling you get from a resort is personal and can't be predicted by others' opinions.

 

[PHILCT]

There is nothing like getting out of your Minivan at the end of the day, and driving up to your OKW Condo, and walking a few steps to fall onto the 2 bedroom couches.

You can't drive that close to your resort room at the VWL, BWV, BCV.
You can't lay on "2" couches there either. "2" couches at OKW are better than "1". The extra space in the OKW living room, makes me feel like a KING.

You love the quiet when you get back to OKW at the end of the PARK DAYS, You love the peace, You wish your own home had such beautiful pastel colors.

I can't wait till I am back at OKW in October.

OKW is Disney's Best KEPT SECRET about DVC !

 

[AInWonderland]

I can't think of any downsides but I did want to add the balconies here are the best. They are very large. Great to have a quiet breakfast on, while looking at the beautiful landscaping, and seeing a bunny or two hop by.