For those that have stayed at OKW and SSR.....?????

[edk35]

We are new to DVC. We stayed 5 nights at SSR in Aug. followed by 3 nights at BWV. Then in Nov. we just recently returned from 8 nights at SSR. I am looking ahead to next Aug....wanting to try OKW for a week or more. I would love comparisons, feed back, likes and dislikes you have about OKW comared to SSR and see if we would enjoy staying there. My kids like the Springs pool and we know nothing about OKW pool. Also, how are the food establishments at OKW. I have to say that is the one downfall to SSR. We were not that impressed with lunch at Turf Club and Artist Palette gets old fast....very limited menu. I appreciate any advice and tips. Looking forward to planning my next vacation. Oh.....we will be going in Aug. for sure. IT has gotten just too hard to pull the kids out of school. We just took them out 2 days for this past trip and that was two days too much as far as makeup work and stress for them went. So any insight into OKW in Aug. would be appreciated too.

 

[AKV707]

I have not stayed at SSR, (not my style) but I have stayed at OKW and loved it! The resort is beautiful, and the accomodations are great. n terms of food, Olivia's never disappoints. Goods to Go is the CS place and is pretty good with a limited menu.

I highly recommend OKW!

 

[Chuck S]

The main themed pool at OKW has a sandcastle slide, the other three neighborhood pools are nice, but are pretty basic. They all have a sandy childrens play area.

OKW rooms are much larger than any other DVC resort. Studios have 2 queen beds, no sofa sleeper, so they could "feel" small for 4 people.

The one bedroom and larger units are very spacious, and have a full sized washer dryer.

Olivia's has a nice selection and is tasty for table service. The Counter Service selections at Good's to Go is pretty limited, and the Turtle Shack near the Turtle Pond pool has all pre-packaged salads and sandwiches.

Olivia's Menus They also usually have a lunch special.

 

[edk35]

The main themed pool at OKW has a sandcastle slide, the other three neighborhood pools are nice, but are pretty basic. They all have a sandy childrens play area.

OKW rooms are much larger than any other DVC resort. Studios have 2 queen beds, no sofa sleeper, so they could "feel" small for 4 people.

The one bedroom and larger units are very spacious, and have a full sized washer dryer.

Olivia's has a nice selection and is tasty for table service. The Counter Service selections at Good's to Go is pretty limited, and the Turtle Shack near the Turtle Pond pool has all pre-packaged salads and sandwiches.

Olivia's Menus They also usually have a lunch special.

IS the washer and dryer a stackable?? I really want to stay there for several reasons one being WE ALMOST BOUGHT INTO OKW when they were the first DVC. Plus I have heard the rooms are big and it just seems A GOOD STYLE fit for me. WE are thinking of renting a van next summer and doing some off site stuff first....ending our trip at OKW for 5-7 days. We have never really ventured off site except to Sea World last week. I know there is lots to see and do and my dh and kids would welcome some changes on our vacations.

 

[edk35]

The main themed pool at OKW has a sandcastle slide, the other three neighborhood pools are nice, but are pretty basic. They all have a sandy childrens play area.

OKW rooms are much larger than any other DVC resort. Studios have 2 queen beds, no sofa sleeper, so they could "feel" small for 4 people.

The one bedroom and larger units are very spacious, and have a full sized washer dryer.

Olivia's has a nice selection and is tasty for table service. The Counter Service selections at Good's to Go is pretty limited, and the Turtle Shack near the Turtle Pond pool has all pre-packaged salads and sandwiches.

Olivia's Menus They also usually have a lunch special.

YUMMY menu...looks good to me. It has a much better menu that Turf club for families and breakfast too.

 

[Chuck S]

No, the washers and dryers at OKW are standard home-sized side by side units, in a fairly large laundry room.

One thing...there was a design change at OKW, if you are looking for a 1 bedroom unit. In buildings 29 and under, there is one entrance to the bathroom...through the master bedroom only. In bldgs 30 and above, there is a second bathroom entrance through the laundry room, allowing privacy to people in the master bedroom. Depending upon who you are traveling with, it may or may not make a difference to you.

 

[edk35]

No, the washers and dryers at OKW are standard home-sized side by side units, in a fairly large laundry room.

One thing...there was a design change at OKW, if you are looking for a 1 bedroom unit. In buildings 29 and under, there is one entrance to the bathroom...through the master bedroom only. In bldgs 30 and above, there is a second bathroom entrance through the laundry room, allowing privacy to people in the master bedroom. Depending upon who you are traveling with, it may or may not make a difference to you.

We would need a 2 bedroom...there are 5 of us.

 

[Chuck S]

We would need a 2 bedroom...there are 5 of us.

I think the design change affects 2 bedroom dedicated units, too. We've always gotten lock-offs when we needed two bedrooms. Of course, the second bedroom or studio will have its own bathroom.

 

[edk35]

I think the design change affects 2 bedroom dedicated units, too. We've always gotten lock-offs when we needed two bedrooms. Of course, the second bedroom or studio will have its own bathroom.

Okay So I need to do my research on what to request then.....I know NADA about OKW. I have no idea what prime locations there are, room design nothing. Which makes PLANNING THAT MUCH MORE FUN.

 

[Chuck S]

Also, if you didn't know, there are no elevators at OKW, except for bldgs 62, 63,and 64. Those building were added after the sales center was relocated, and the ADA laws changed after the rest of OKW was built.

But the stairs at OKW have a gentle rise, then a landing, and another gentle rise. Though at the age of your kids, it looks like they'll be toting their own luggage, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

If you have someone in your party that can't do stairs, or requires a wheelchair, be sure to request a first floor accomodation.

 

[OlderMan]

We were just at OKW for a couple of days after Thanksgiving.

After staying in one in July, I requested an "elevator building"--DW has a bad ankle and doesn't do stairs well.

I was suprised when we got the elevator-accessable building, but we were on the first floor! Just our luck.

 

[vandy]

We've stayed at both OKW and SSR and equally love both, even though there are differences. First, I love the open, spread out feeling of both resorts. I like the decorating/design of SSR a little more since it is suppossed to be more upscale in design (Upstate NY instead of the Florida Keys). There is no doubt about it, we LOVE the size of rooms at OKW. With six of us, there was plenty of room in the living area. SSR has a rectangle table, bench and two chairs. OKW on the other hand, has a round table with 4 chairs, and plenty of room to bring in the ones off the deck if needed. OKW also has another set of cabinets by the dining area, great for extra storage. SSR's landscaping is more neat and trimmed than OKW. Rooms are newer at SSR, seems like less wear & tear issues. The full size washer/dryer at OKW was a plus as well. The pools at SSR are probably better. The transportation by bus within the park is better at OKW. You can easily get from the last stop to the first, so it's easy to get around. SSR does not have that and it is one thing I wished it did. Even with all the differences, we love them both the same!

As far as planning, our family of six puts emphasis on the bathroom access from the living room. That means buildings 30 and above. We also prefer the second floor, even though I hate stairs. SSR has the elevators in every building, OKW only in buildings 62, 63 and 64. I don't like the first floor simply due to bugs, frogs, etc. OKW has more "nature" than SSR. I wouldn't get too bogged down on a specific building. Just make your general request and I am sure you will like whichever one you end up in.

 

[disneybride96]

There are lots of ways to look at it. Since you have done SSR twice, I would try OKW.

That being said, we have done OKW the last two times and I am wanting to go back to SSR. My nephews loved the SSR pool the day we pool hopped. Much nicer than OKW IMHO. We also went to SSR to change the food from Goods to Go. GTG is fine, but mostly burgers and chicken fingers. We like the flatbreads at Artists Pallet. SSR it closer to Downtown Disney. I know a lot of people love the OKW atmosphere, but I prefer SSR.

Okay....now that I haven't helped....good luck in your decision!

 

[edk35]

WOW lots to think about......I am sure we would like it. We thought BWV was going to be the best ever and after staying there we preferred SSR to that. SO that is what is nice about DVC ...try them all....we always have our SSR.

 

[aubeone]

We have stayed in a Studio and a 2 BDR at OKW. The 2 BDR was awesome. Much bigger than SSR. We are not fans of the food at OKW but love the rest of the resort. Sorry Olivia lovers...but it just doesn't do it for me. The main pool is good and the quiet pools are nice. What really makes OKW special is the extra space in the villas. We stayed in building 55 near a bus stop, quiet pool and a walking path to SSR and downtown disney. We were on the second floor with a great view of the canal.

My 12 year old daughter loved the main pool at SSR and the new grand stand pool. We stayed in the Grand Stand Area with a view of the golf course and the tree houses. Very nice. Not a bad walk to the main pool. We stayed in a 1 BDR and really enjoyed our time. The king size bed was very comfortable.

We loved both places...not sure which one I would rank higher. Both are spread out and provide a nice break from the hectic pace of the parks.

Next up for us... 1 week in a 2 BDR at BWV in April 08. We were lucky enough to get a standard room so the point cost is very reasonable!


DVC is great....watch out of add-on-itis!

 

[edk35]

I think for us ....going back in Aug. OKW just fits the bill. I want to stay there and kind of kick back some.....maybe only do a couple of the parks and go to Typhoon on a Sat. night when they have the EMH night. WE did that in Aug. and we all loved it. We want to focus some on NON COMMANDO PARK GOING. I think that OKW just seems JIMMY BUFFET LAID BACK. LOL

 

[jdvm]

I like both resorts but I prefer Old Key West. Both are car friendly which is a big deal to us. Saratoga Springs certainly has the advantage of being close to Downtown Disney. But it just looks a bit sterile to me. The landscaping is sparse and young while Old Key West just looks lush.
John

 

[dianeschlicht]

Well, everyone knows I prefer OKW over most others. We stayed at SSR when it first opened, and thought it was fine except for the room layout. Of course, we have that same complaint about everything that isn't OKW! Being near DTD isn't so much a perk for us, since OKW is nearly as close. We like the more private feeling of OKW. SSR seemed like a big apartment complex to us instead of a vacation home like OKW does.

Our favorite features of OKW are the room size, great views no matter which building you have (with the possible exception of #29), vacation home feel of the place, the privacy and the "down home" feeling. We love the neighborhood pools even more than the main pool. The big balcony/porches are the best!!! We never request a specific building or area, but we do have some that we like best. Our favorites are 46, 45, 55, 56, 20, 18, 15, & 14. Building 64 was okay too, but we didn't like that it didn't have its own parking area.

 

[Ksp]

First, I have to say that we like both resorts quite a bit.
OKW definitely has more room for you inside the rooms - it is so much bigger than any of the other DVC resorts.
OKW also has full size tables on the balconies of the 2 BRs (at least the ones we've stayed in, anyway), whereas SSR only has 2 chairs and a low table/footstool.
As for the food, I think we like SSR's menu choices better, but both resorts have Downtown Disney just a short boat ride (or bus if you like that better) away. SSR has the better main pool, in our opinion, too.
Given the choice, I would just have to look at alternating back and forth between the resorts for different visits That is a win-win situation, for sure!

 

[sue]

I dont know how firm you like your beds, but we found that OKW's beds are rock hard to say the least. We have stayed at SSR also and they have wonderful beds. I have heard though that OKW is in the process of replacing the beds. Both resorts are beautiful. Both have their own charm.