back from Old Key West - what's the deal?

[marshmallow]

We just got back from Old Key West and have some questions. Our mattress was rock hard and by our last night it was painful to try to sleep. Did the resort have something that would have helped and I neglected to ask? Also we were in building 30 in a studio and had paint flaking in several places is that true for the whole resort or were we in a unit that needed a refurb?

The resort is charming and the staff wonderful, just wondered about these items.

 

[Chuck S]

OKW is scheduled for major rehab in 2010, including painting , soft goods and furnishings.

The beds are very firm. I wonder if new mattresses are included in the rehab? You could have requested a foam "egg crate" type pad from housekeeping, it may have been more comfortable for you.

 

[marshmallow]

Thanks Chuck, that is good to know. I did not think of asking till we were on the plane home and I knew the Disboard would have the answers.

 

[izzy]

You could have requested a foam "egg crate" type pad from housekeeping, it may have been more comfortable for you.

Chuck,

Do you know if you can get these egg crate pads any of the other DVC resorts? I tried to get one for the sofabed at AKV Jambo, and housekeeping said that they don't have them.

Izzy

 

[Chuck S]

I honestly don't know. I just know that some friends were able to get the egg crate pads at OKW about a year ago.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

OKW is scheduled for major rehab in 2010, including painting , soft goods and furnishings.

The beds are very firm. I wonder if new mattresses are included in the rehab? You could have requested a foam "egg crate" type pad from housekeeping, it may have been more comfortable for you.

In my opinion, a resort should never *need* refurbishment. If it does need refurbishment, they waited too long to refurbish it.

In my opinion it should always look new, and never get to the point of having paint peeling from the walls.

MG

 

[Chuck S]

In my opinion, a resort should never *need* refurbishment. If it does need refurbishment, they waited too long to refurbish it.

In my opinion it should always look new, and never get to the point of having paint peeling from the walls.

MG

I think it would cost more to do it that way that to wok with scheduled rehabs. Disney and other companies have a lot of experience in the field of maintenance vs. cost for both hotels and timeshares, so I'm sure the numbers justify it.

Especially if you consider the higher cost of furnishings if you replace "as needed" rather than getting a quantity price for a full resort rehab.

 

[Brian Noble]

Reasonable people could certainly disagree about the upgrade schedule at OKW (or any of the other resorts). Naturally, more-frequent refurbishments would lead to higher dues, while less-frequent refurbishments lead to lower dues.

The unit we were in this past February (a 2BR in building 21) was definitely a little bit tired---a few spots on the carpet that mousekeeping spotted before we checked in, rust on the fridge, etc. The only problem that really impacted our stay, though, was the top rack on the dishwasher---it was hanging on by a thread, and tended to come all the way out if you weren't careful when opening it. If I owned there, I might well be willing to pay a little more for more aggressive refurbishment cycles. But, it didn't negatively impact our stay in a material way, and I don't regret staying there.

 

[Anal Annie]

We just got back from Old Key West and have some questions. Our mattress was rock hard and by our last night it was painful to try to sleep. Did the resort have something that would have helped and I neglected to ask? Also we were in building 30 in a studio and had paint flaking in several places is that true for the whole resort or were we in a unit that needed a refurb?

The resort is charming and the staff wonderful, just wondered about these items.

Someone confused "firm" with "slab"!!

Vero has the same crap going on with their mattresses too.

 

[RoutemanDan]

Chuck,

Do you know if you can get these egg crate pads any of the other DVC resorts? I tried to get one for the sofabed at AKV Jambo, and housekeeping said that they don't have them.

Izzy

I got one at VWL last week.

 

[jodifla]

Bed was TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE in our OKW king in Jan. We normally prefer OKW, but the bed issue has chased us away.

OP, please be sure to COMPLAIN to the DVC satisfaction team. The newer resorts have pillowtop beds, but the older ones are getting these crappy hard beds.

 

[twinklebug]

Someone confused "firm" with "slab"!!

Vero has the same crap going on with their mattresses too.

That's sad to hear - I was thinking of trying Vero Beach next fall for a few days, but I'm huge on being able to sleep when on vacation (isn't rest part of the point?) and can't sleep on a harder bed.

.... maybe If I drive and bring a mattress topper...

 

[katmittens]

I got one at VWL last week.

I hope the mattresses are not too hard at VWL. We will be there in Jan, and we usually stay at OKW (it is our home resort), but after our trip there last Jan we decided we could not sleep on those mattresses again until they are replaced. I had 3 egg crates on my side of the bed and then I was finally able to sleep. I am thrilled to hear OKW is getting a refurb. It needs one. I am scheduling a trip there for June and now I have OKW in a 1 bedroom, but may try to switch since they will be in a refurb and I will probably get a room that is not done yet. So it may be on to AKV at Jambo. Stayed there in Oct and loved it.

 

[Tony-NJ]

We were just in a 1 bedroom for 9 nights and had no issues with the king bed - the sofa bed was another story. The unit was in very good condition with our only complaint was 2 burnt out bulbs in the bathroom - that took 5 minutes for someone to come and fix.

We heard that the beds would need an egg crate at OKW but ours was just fine.

 

[TINKERIFIC]

So, when is this scheduled rehab at OKW scheduled for in 2010?

 

[Chuck S]

So, when is this scheduled rehab at OKW scheduled for in 2010?

It is scheduled to begin ni the Spring. Likely they will close only few building at a time.

 

[TINKERIFIC]

It is scheduled to begin ni the Spring. Likely they will close only few building at a time.

I am waitlisted for a grand villa in June. Wonder if (1) I will get my waitlist and (2) if it will be in a rehabed room?

 

[delmar411]

Bed was TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE in our OKW king in Jan. We normally prefer OKW, but the bed issue has chased us away.

OP, please be sure to COMPLAIN to the DVC satisfaction team. The newer resorts have pillowtop beds, but the older ones are getting these crappy hard beds.

Don't complain too loudly! I love the rock hard beds at OKW.
They are wonderful for my bad back and it's the only resort I slept like a rock (LOL) the entire trip. Normally I toss and turn constantly and end up taking a lot of pain killers for my back.

I know I'm in the minority though so I figured those beds wouldn't last too long. Maybe they'll keep in the storage and I can get one next time we go there!

 

[Elana]

We like hard beds too.

When we were there in Feb, it looked like there were some major work going on. I think it was around building 62. You could not park over there. It was blocked off.

 

[jodifla]

Don't complain too loudly! I love the rock hard beds at OKW.
They are wonderful for my bad back and it's the only resort I slept like a rock (LOL) the entire trip. Normally I toss and turn constantly and end up taking a lot of pain killers for my back.

I know I'm in the minority though so I figured those beds wouldn't last too long. Maybe they'll keep in the storage and I can get one next time we go there!

This was literally like sleeping on a cement slab. It was way worse than any other trip we had there, and we've probably stayed there 20 times. I thought it was a fluke -- until everyone else started saying they had switched to these horrible beds (well, for me, anyway.)

Apparently they get frequent complaints at the front desk.