Best Resort Vacation... ?

[mybabesuz]

We want to plan a no Theme Park trip.
Our APs have just expired and we are not ready to renew them.
We have Seaworld Tickets that I got with reward points.
They are 2 day tickets.
And the kids 6 and 7 really want to go to the water parks.
We have never been to TL or BB.
So our plan is to go to Sea World and the Water Parks and spend some time at the resort.
We looked at some Seaworld Resorts and off-site places but we just can't bring ourselves to stay anywhere but DVC resorts.
Others just never hold up to our DVC Standards.

At this point our options would be AKV ,OKW, or SSR
We will only be in a studio for 6 nights.
AKV is our home resort. We stay there all the time.
Maybe something new would be nice.

We have stayed at SSR and we liked it.
The new pool area seems nice.

We have never stayed at OKW, but it looks nice and relaxing, something new.
And having a slightly larger room with two real beds might be nice.

Where would you stay?

Thanks
Suz

 

[backyardponder]

I like to try different resorts, if it makes sense. For example, if we're doing heavy Epcot visiting, I like being at BWV. Since you've been at AKV and SSR, I'd go for OKW.

 

[YankeePrincess]

To me, OKW seems like a resort location. Kind of like a relaxing get away. I would probably go with there. It is still in Disney but seems far enough away from the chaos of the parks.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

As Florida DVC owners we frequently do trips that don't involve the theme parks, especially in summer, way too hot. OKW (personal favorite, tropical & relaxing) & SSR (Congress Park, our favorite bldng)are both near DTD and TL and lend themselves to a non-park vacation.

We love taking the boat from either resort and heading over to DTD, beautiful at night. You can go out to eat, go to the movies (AMC now has a Dine In Movie Theater as well) or you can just go for ice cream at Girardellis after a day at the waterparks!

Both resort have nice pools, slides etc., you can't go wrong with either, I happen to prefer the tropical lushness of OKW but when I couldn't get it I really enjoyed SSR's Congress Park location, DTD view, it's very nice! Good luck with your choice.

Heading to OKW ourselves in 30 days!

 

[wildernessDad]

I recommend OKW due to the fact that you go to AKV all the time and the OKW studios have 2 queen beds.

 

[downontheBW]

Agree with PPs. Another vote for OKW due to the room size and real 2nd bed - and especially because you haven't stayed there yet. The pool area is great for your young ones. During non-park trips, we tend to take the boat to DTD nightly from OKW. Same for SSR.

 

[Shazzasmd]

Have only stayed at OKW, not SSR. We enjoyed OKW for the reasons mentioned. You also have the advantage of being able to park very close to your room, which would be convenient for trips off property.

 

[iluveeyore]

Another vote for OKW, our favourite!! Request HH location so the kids are close to the main pool, community hall and all activities. We are trying Kidani for the first time in 11 short days! Will miss OKW, but we are just relaxing too without passes, so I decided looking at giraffes would be wonderful!!

 

[KSL]

Add me to the votes for OKW! Though in fairness, we haven't stayed at SSR yet. I would vote for AKV for all the special, unique things there, but you have stayed there often already so it would not be as exciting (though, your kids are perfect ages - if you & they love it, there's a different kind of anticipation for going back to a favorite spot!). The two 'real' beds at OKW are great, though of course you won't have a couch to sit on if/when you are in the room. As long as you're good with that, I think the two beds are nice plus. I agree with previous posters about the benefits of being away from the theme park chaos, but close enough for a nice boatride to DTD, parking right by your villa, etc. There are so many 'non-park' things to do! Enjoy your trip!!

 

[twinklebug]

Guess I'm an exception here - I don't care for OKW, but you never know until you try it! So go for it!

Between OKW, SSR and AKV I vote AKV - then again... I love my home resort. SSR's not bad at all either. But Kidani..

 

[Harlemgirl720]

I vote for OKW. I want to stay there myself. It looks so peaceful and serene.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm going to go against the crowd here, and yet I do like OKW. But when we were there a couple weeks ago, I gave this same question some thought. I decided OKW isn't where I'd want to stay. Either hearing or at least seeing all the buses go by made me want to go to the parks. Yet, one day we had lunch at AKV and I said, as I've said many times when I've been staying at AKV that that's where I'd choose to stay. There's so much to do, or I could just watch the animals for hours. I do enjoy watching the golfers, but it just doesn't feel as special as watching the giraffes.

Also, I just remembered, AKV has places indoors (in air conditioning) to sit and read-at Jambo, there's a small lounge off the lobby that I love. At OKW, it's an outdoor walk and not as convenient to sit in the lobby area.

 

[TosaTrio]

I'd pick SSR or AKL. SSR and AKL have 2 themed pools which may make the trip a liitle more fun. We did a no park trip to AKV in the past and it was one if our favorite... Dined at Boma and Saana, swam at both pools, hung out at community hall, took the bus to DTD. It was great. If you think your family will enjoy DTD a lot, it is fun to walk from SSR. SSR also has the spa and golf right there also.

 

[Dean]

We want to plan a no Theme Park trip.
Our APs have just expired and we are not ready to renew them.
We have Seaworld Tickets that I got with reward points.
They are 2 day tickets.
And the kids 6 and 7 really want to go to the water parks.
We have never been to TL or BB.
So our plan is to go to Sea World and the Water Parks and spend some time at the resort.
We looked at some Seaworld Resorts and off-site places but we just can't bring ourselves to stay anywhere but DVC resorts.
Others just never hold up to our DVC Standards.

At this point our options would be AKV ,OKW, or SSR
We will only be in a studio for 6 nights.
AKV is our home resort. We stay there all the time.
Maybe something new would be nice.

We have stayed at SSR and we liked it.
The new pool area seems nice.

We have never stayed at OKW, but it looks nice and relaxing, something new.
And having a slightly larger room with two real beds might be nice.

Where would you stay?

Thanks
Suz

For that trip I'd stay off site. I can tell you that there are a number of resorts that are as nice or nicer than the DVC resorts. They often have larger and nicer rooms, better and larger pools and a lot more activities. For your situation I'd look for a rental to the Hilton GVC Seaworld, Marriott Grande Vista, Marriott Harbour Lake, Marriott Cypress Harbour, Marriott Lakeshore Reserve, Bluegreen Fountains (also listed as Oasis Lakes at times) or Vistana Villages. Other than theming, there is NO compromise from a resort standpoint for these resorts. The only exception is MHL which is understated on room luxury and size but has the best kids pool areas of all of them. All are within a mile or so of Sea World except MLR but it's by far the nicest and most upscale of the group. While we don't generally have problems with Disney, we find that off property top timeshares generally treat us better and are more responsive.

 

[mybabesuz]

Thank You to everyone who replied.
We have decided to try OKW.
We want to stay everywhere at least once.
We have stayed at BCV, BWV, SSR, and AKV.
Next up OKW !

Thanks again,
Suz

 

[bobbiwoz]

Guess I'm an exception here - I don't care for OKW, but you never know until you try it! So go for it!

Between OKW, SSR and AKV I vote AKV - then again... I love my home resort. SSR's not bad at all either. But Kidani..

Me too! And I add Jambo to the

 

[mybabesuz]

Me too! And I add Jambo to the

I know that AKV, Jambo and Kidani, will always be our favorite.
We have stayed there 3 times in the last year.
We really want to try all the resorts at least once.

 

[Sojas3]

We are in the midst of a no park vacation and I'd agree that the resorts closer to Downtown would be the best ones. We are at Boardwalk(kids choice) and we're finding we're spending a bit of time downtown and it's a pain to get there.
I do have to say this is one of the best vacations we have ever had. We're just taking our time doing nothing. You'll love it!

 

[DisDaydreamer]

You have made a good choice. Get to know the resorts and you have many years to craft the perfect stays for the situation.