Just back from a week at OKW and BWV

[igrsod]

We had a fun and adventurous week at WDW. Just got back home last night.
Just wanted to give a little bit of info from our trip.
1. Don't go out on your balcony at OKW without making sure the button isn't pushed in on the door knob.. as well don't put the lock across and the bolt on the front door unless sleeping. We got locked out on our balcony the first morning. It took a long time to get rescued because of all the locks they had to break through. What a great start to the vacation. Shout out to the staff at OKW... they were amazing. They set us up with Genie + for the day which more than made up for the time lost stuck on the balcony/ late start getting to the parks. This was a very long story with many twists in turns... made complicated by the fact that you can't actually call the front desk. We even were able to get a passerby to catch our magic band that we threw down to him to try and open our front door... this is when we learned that your magic band is useless when you have locks engaged lol. I hope they change this button lock. The manager said this happens all the time.
2. I couldn't believe how beautiful the OKW resort is, and how much fun the staff are. Really had a great time spending down time at the resort. It was our first time renting a car, and at this resort it was a great addition, as you can park right outside your room.
3. First stay at BWV, and there was a noticeable difference in the friendliness and helpfulness of the cast members here. Not nearly on the same level as OKW. Not sure why... just an observation. We had multiple issues with room charges, not enforcing mask policy in the common areas etc. While I wanted to really love this resort, it wasn't what I expected it to be. We did love the proximity to Epcot and HS, but we had to park a mile away from the hotel, which made the car inconvenient at times.
4. We loved mobile ordering and eating outdoors at OKW... you could choose from Olivia's to go or Goods Foods To Go.
5. BWV still had the individual bottles of toiletries, didn't expect that.
Our goal is to stay at every DVC resort on property... to date here is where we are ranked in order of how much we enjoyed the resort.

1. OKW
2. AKL
3. BC
4. BW
5. SSR
6. BLT

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Interesting how we agree with many of your observations here. Thanks for sharing. OKW/AKL/BC are also our top 3, and experiences at BW have left us not in a big hurry to get back - not a terrible experience, just that we've had better experiences elsewhere and prefer to stay elsewhere. We have actually managed to stay at every WDW DVC location except for Riviera at this point, and our top 3 stands!

 

[igrsod]

Interesting how we agree with many of your observations here. Thanks for sharing. OKW/AKL/BC are also our top 3, and experiences at BW have left us not in a big hurry to get back - not a terrible experience, just that we've had better experiences elsewhere and prefer to stay elsewhere. We have actually managed to stay at every WDW DVC location except for Riviera at this point, and our top 3 stands!

That's good to know. I suspect that we will still feel the same once we stay at all of the resorts. We went over to Riviera and had dinner at the QS there. While the resort was new and clean looking, it didn't really seem to appeal to our tastes. Very cold and sterile feeling. We like fun and festive when at Disney lol. We will stay there at some point just to say we did, but I suspect OKW will still be the fav.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

OKW just feels like 'home' to us. But I do hope you try the other resorts at some point, though, if you can. Each one is a new and different experience, and we have enjoyed the opportunities! It took us many years to accomplish it, so don't rush it!

 

[Lva5]

Thanks for the report. We haven't stayed at OKW yet (we have little ones so proximity to the parks is a big consideration for us) but this is good to know for when we eventually do.

That's a shame your experience at BWV wasn't that great. We stayed there on our last trip and we're very pleasantly surprised. The resort never really stood out to us but we found the finishes nicer than most other DVC resorts and had a very good experience with the CMs.

Why is BLT last on your list? We've been looking to stay there but haven't yet.

 

[Nabas]

Why is BLT last on your list? We've been looking to stay there but haven't yet.

Every DVC has its plusses and minuses, and we've stayed at all DVC multiple times.

IMO, BLT's pluses is its proximity to the Magic Kingdom, easy access to the Monorail, and Top of the World Lounge. Plus, if you are renting a one-bedroom, the second bathroom and fold-out chair are nice.

BLT's minuses are its sterile theming (I've stayed in non-Disney hotels that feel like BLT), lack of a pull-down bed in the Studio, and a pool that's much too small for the size of the resort.

 

[kes601]

I completely agree with you about masks and the BWV lobby / hallways. In fact I just chatted with the front desk about it (filled out the form on the welcome email). He seemed shocked I was complaining and said cast members are encouraged to say something to guests when they see a mask off.

Just got done walking through the lobby w/a family of 3 not wearing masks. 10 or 12 cast members behind the check-in counter with 3 or 4 of them helping customers. The rest were oblivious to anything going on.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Every DVC has its plusses and minuses, and we've stayed at all DVC multiple times.

BLT's minuses are its sterile theming (I've stayed in non-Disney hotels that feel like BLT), lack of a pull-down bed in the Studio, and a pool that's much too small for the size of the resort.

Agree with BLT assessment. I have friends who love it there, but it's really nothing special and nothing that really requires us to return, especially since our kids are older now and we don't flock to MK all the time. The pool was a big disappointment, especially compared to most of the other DVC resorts.

 

[AnnaS]

Thanks for the summary. Sorry to hear you were locked out - interesting if one does not have a phone and no one is near - yikes!!

Are the Boardwalk entertainers back?

 

[kes601]

Thanks for the summary. Sorry to hear you were locked out - interesting if one does not have a phone and no one is near - yikes!!

Are the Boardwalk entertainers back?

There were entertainers out last night.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

That's good to know. I suspect that we will still feel the same once we stay at all of the resorts. We went over to Riviera and had dinner at the QS there. While the resort was new and clean looking, it didn't really seem to appeal to our tastes. Very cold and sterile feeling. We like fun and festive when at Disney lol. We will stay there at some point just to say we did, but I suspect OKW will still be the fav.

That’s EXACTLY how we felt about Riviera, too. It was pretty, new and clean. But it was missing that fun vibe. We love BCV and decided to make that our home resort because it just has “it”. Our #2 was Poly because of the same reason. But to is nothing beats BCV. To each their own, though.

 

[igrsod]

Thanks for the report. We haven't stayed at OKW yet (we have little ones so proximity to the parks is a big consideration for us) but this is good to know for when we eventually do.

That's a shame your experience at BWV wasn't that great. We stayed there on our last trip and we're very pleasantly surprised. The resort never really stood out to us but we found the finishes nicer than most other DVC resorts and had a very good experience with the CMs.

Why is BLT last on your list? We've been looking to stay there but haven't yet.

BLT for proximity is amazing. I loved walking to MK and being on the monorail.
The issue we had was the lack of Disney feel in the theming and how small a studio felt.
It truly isn't a bad stay at all... just like the others better.

 

[igrsod]

I completely agree with you about masks and the BWV lobby / hallways. In fact I just chatted with the front desk about it (filled out the form on the welcome email). He seemed shocked I was complaining and said cast members are encouraged to say something to guests when they see a mask off.

Just got done walking through the lobby w/a family of 3 not wearing masks. 10 or 12 cast members behind the check-in counter with 3 or 4 of them helping customers. The rest were oblivious to anything going on.

We mentioned it to the front desk manager as well. He seemed shocked too... lol. It was a big deal to us, as we had to test negative to fly home to Canada.
I told him that for some guests it is essential that masking indoors is enforced.

 

[igrsod]

Thanks for the summary. Sorry to hear you were locked out - interesting if one does not have a phone and no one is near - yikes!!

Are the Boardwalk entertainers back?

We had a phone, but no way to get the front desk directly. Thankfully there was a lovely gentleman in the next building over
that stopped to help get people alerted to our problem.

For boardwalk, only one night we saw a skipping rope trio doing a show. Very entertaining.
I think if the boardwalk was up and running full out, we would like staying there more.

 

[AnnaS]

We had a phone, but no way to get the front desk directly. Thankfully there was a lovely gentleman in the next building over
that stopped to help get people alerted to our problem.

For boardwalk, only one night we saw a skipping rope trio doing a show. Very entertaining.
I think if the boardwalk was up and running full out, we would like staying there more.

For our last two BCV stays, we really missed the entertainers - glad to hear they are slowly coming back.

Glad you saw someone near to help you out!!!!

 

[kes601]

We mentioned it to the front desk manager as well. He seemed shocked too... lol. It was a big deal to us, as we had to test negative to fly home to Canada.
I told him that for some guests it is essential that masking indoors is enforced.

We are at Poly now and it’s the same here too. It was also awful at MK last night. Cast members just don’t seem to care. We were on Big Thunder last night and a cast member checked the lap bar on the car in front of us, one of the riders did not have a mask on. My wife asked the cast member if masks were required on the ride and the answer was yes. We just pointed to the car. And the group behind us let it be known theirs would be coming off during the ride.

On Buzz this morning somebody told the cast member outside that their mask broke so he just sent her through maskless. Two other cast members made her leave the queue to get a mask. I completely get that telling people to put on their masks / wear them properly is not fun (I’m an educator and constantly have to tell students to do the same), but it is part of their job right now. And if their are no consequences for constantly breaking the rule then it will never get followed.

This is in no way supposed to be a pro-mask post. But the fact of the matter is that masks are supposedly required indoors and if that is the case it needs to be followed just like any other rule at WDW.

 

[dvc at last !]

Was the Fitness Center open at OKW?

 

[igrsod]

Was the Fitness Center open at OKW?

I'm ashamed to say this... I don't know... I try not to exercise on vacation. I'll show myself out now.

 

[bakerworld]

If we get to the point of driving to Florida, OKW will be the destination as it is so convenient to park right by the Villa. OKW is really like a home. We also had the same reaction to BW. We prefer to stay at BC even though it's more points.

 

[dvc at last !]

I'm ashamed to say this... I don't know... I try not to exercise on vacation. I'll show myself out now.

Love your response.