The crowds were the worst I have ever seen BUT- we took the kids to MK on Friday not knowing until the middle of the day that Seminole County had a vacation day. You literally could not move in the Magic Kingdom. We went to EPCOT on Monday and literally got shut out of the fastpass at Soarin and we were there early. I think the combination of the Columbus Day Holiday at the beginning of the week for other states and the Seminole County Holiday (Teacher's Professional Day, I think) at the end of the week just slammed the parks with attendance, but I do think the crowds should go down next week.
We got building #16, and it was my third choice- I faxed a letter of requests to OKW the Monday before we checked in with the GV building numbers in order of preferance- there were 17 of us altogether. We had a GV and 3 studios and I requested that they all be near each other. The GV was in #16 and the studios were in #18 so it worked out great. Bldg #16 is a great location, kind of out of the way of the main traffic, but very close to the Main Pool and Lobby area. We had a few tense family moments, but all in all we had a great time!
A group of girlfriends and I are staying at OKW in a Grand Villa in early November. Have stayed at OKW several times (DVC members) but never in a Grand Villa. How GRAND was it ???
A group of girlfriends and I are staying at OKW in a Grand Villa in early November. Have stayed at OKW several times (DVC members) but never in a Grand Villa. How GRAND was it ???
It really was grand! We had the master suite (hey they're MY DVC points! ) And while we weren't staying upstairs those who were said that they couldn't hear the people who stayed up talking and laughing in the living/dining areas. We used the jacuzzi about 3 times, although make sure you've got plenty of time to enjoy it, cuz filling it can take a while. And we watched fireworks from Illuminations from our balcony- an obstructed view, but we had fireworks nonetheless. It was also great to have the full kitchen. We were able to make a quick breakfast almost every day and the roomy fridge was nice (dh and I usually stay in studios so the fridge can get cramped) You're going to LOVE it!
We have stayed in the OKW GVs several times, and the only negetive thing I find about them is the placement of the sink in the kitchen. It is too near the corner, so it makes food prep difficult if there is more than one person working at a time. We love the large laundry room, and always joke that it would make a good bedroom! We threatened to put one of our guests in it because they didn't like the beds upstairs and complained about them loudy. They even tried taking the sofa cushions and sleeping on the floor. The rest of us finally quit listening to it and started joking that we were going to put them up in the laundry room!