Just back from BWV and OKW

[Mic]

We returned late last night from a 6-night trip, 3 nights spent in a 2-bedroom standard view at BWV, and 3 nights at OKW in a 2-bedroom. We had 4 teenage girls celebrating DD's 14th birthday, and our 8-year-old. Our room at BWV (3109 and 3111) seemed very small to me, particularly in the kitchen area. I had requested further down the hall, towards the tennis courts, but having requests honored at BWV is like winning the lottery. Although I did not take stock of every utensil, our room was missing a can opener, which I called housekeeping for. The one brought to me was rusty and did not work. I tried using the dishwasher twice, and both times the dishes came out dirty, so I washed them in the sink afterward. The apartment-sized washer and dryer was very loud, and the bi-folding door was broken, as was a cabinet door above the stove. When I made the res. in Dec., I was only able to get OKW for the entire 6 nights, and went on a waitlist for our home resort, BWV. Since March, I was able to get the first 3 nights by calling back periodically. MS called me once in late April to say our last night(Fri.) was available at BWV, but I chose to decline it(BWV, OKW, back to BWV in 6 nights was too much moving for me!) We were very disappointed to have to move at all, but I felt that the staff at BWV did very little to make it less convenient. The original plan to send the girls to Typhoon Lagoon on moving day was changed to MGM because that was the only day both Beauty and the Beast and Hunchback of Notre Dame were showing. I left the girls sleeping (recovering from e-night the night before) while I went to the park at 8:50 am., and there was a housekeeping cart parked outside my door. I chased down a housekeeper and explained that I had girls sleeping in my room, and did not wish to have them disturbed before I returned at 10:30 am. I hung the privacy sign on both doors, and called the front desk as well. The girls were up when I returned(someone had knocked on the door!), so we called bell services to get our bags. 45 minutes later, 2 carts(1 castmember) arrived. I had called OKW, but our room was not ready, so I packed our cold food in 2 coolers. We sent the girls on to MGM, and loaded the van and drove over ourselves, barely making our Brown Derby res. At 3:15, I called OKW to find out our room number so I could have the girls meet us there, but OKW did not have the room ready and could not give me the number. At this point I was really hating the whole moving thing, but we left the park at 3:45 anyway, and told the girls to go to the front desk at OKW where we would leave their room keys. Believe it or not, our room was not ready at 3:55, but after the check-in process was done, it miraculously appeared in the computer(at 4:03 exactly!) Anyway, the only request not honored was a dedicated 2-bedroom. We liked the location and loved the elevator in building 62. When the girls arrived, one of them asked why they got just a room, and we got the whole house! I hate to admit it, but OKW does seem a lot bigger than BWV, even though I know it is merely a few feet. I was worried that the location would not be as appealing as BWV to the girls, but they really seemed to enjoy it just as much. I liked the kitchen at OKW a lot more, and the full-size washer and dryer was nice. The girls used the busses at oKW, and the 1 to MGM seemed especially slow, and there was an older gentleman rider that tried to get the girls to "go with him", but those were the only issues. We used our van to go to Typhoon Lagoon on Friday, and when a storm rolled in and we left, we noticed that OKW had 1 of the first busses there to pick up guests(not sure if this happens often, but I was impressed). I apologize for this being long...feel free to ask questions.

 

[BillM]

Thanks for your report. Sorry you had the housekeeping problems at BWV. I have found that housekeeping responds very quickly if you call. As to OKW vs BWV in the 2BR. OKW is not just a few feet larger it is over 300 sq ft larger. The majority of the added space is in the living, dining and kitchen.

It is kind of funny how those villas suddenly are ready right at 4 PM. One time at OKW we found out our room number but they said it wasn't ready. We drove to the building and the door was open and the CM was sitting on the sofa watching TV. I asked her if the room was ready and she said Yes and got up and left.

 

[JudithM]

As DVC members we have to remember the units are supposed to be ready by 4 p.m. There is no guarantee a unit will be ready before that time. We have been fortunate many times to have a unit ready when we check in prior to 4 p.m. Unfortunately for us on our stay at OKW last month, it took three different units before we could settle in.

I sure hope you let housekeeping or engineering know of the concerns you had. We have always found them to be prompt & attentive. We had very helpful & sympathetic housekeeping & engineering CMs on our last trip. It took awhile before we got a room to call "home," but not for their lack of trying!

 

[DeeP]

Thanks for posting your report. I am sorry to hear about the problems you had at BWV. Did you let the front desk know? We have always found Disney to be very good with fixing whatever is wrong ASAP in their resorts. We just returned from BWV 2 weeks ago and our villa was in tip top shape except that our toilet was leaking, we immediately called the engineering/maintenance dept and within an hour the toilet was fixed. If you would have informed the front desk or the BWV mgr they would have fixed everything or moved you to another villa. I hope you still had a wonderful vacation. It must have been a very lively trip with 4 teenage girls! LOL! Also did you tell a CM about the man on the bus approaching the girls to go with him? That is not a good thing and something I am sure Disney would want to know about.

 

[WDWguruDH]

I must agree with most you experienced. We are fairly new to DVC, our home resort is BWV, but our recent trip home was in OKW(short notice trip), 2 bedroom. Before going I was disturbed at "having" to stay at OKW, we bought BWV for the location. Once we got there, the surroundings and room size were impressive. We too were in building 62 with a water view, this made for beautiful mornings on the balcony. For us BWV and BCV would probably still remain as first choice because of the location, but I no longer fear having to "settle" for OKW, the room size and amenities make up for it.

For us the staff problems were at OKW. To start with the check-in took 45 minutes; certain room keys with charging privileges and others not seemed to create a problem. Some with LOS passes and others not seemed to create a problem. Then to top it all off, when we got to the park the next day, the LOS passes had the wrong dates and the room keys did not have charging privileges. After 20 more minutes at the check-in counter we finally had it resolved - no explanation, no apology for leaving us in the park and having to mooch off our friends for food. Housekeeping requests took a long time and no matter what we did, we received the infamous knock in the morning.

We have made dozens of trips to WDW, primarily stayed in deluxe resorts and never received this kind of poor/incompetent service. I don't know if it was the recent layoffs in response to park attendance post 9/11 that has hurt morale or what, but part of the magic was missing. I am hoping this was an anomaly or that things will pick up.

We have done the moving in the past and that is why we were at OKW, could have had part in BWV and part in VWL, but the only place that could do the whole thing was at OKW. We hate the hassle of moving no matter how well the CMs help. None of this will hamper future visits, we still loved the over all trip as always.

 

[PamOKW]

Thanks for the nice report....and for the additional comments it inspired.

Just curious whether you were checking in to OKW on a Sunday? That seems to be an extremely busy day and we almost always end up with a 4:00 p.m. check-in. I also think that maybe the 4:00 p.m. check-ins are becoming more common at all the resorts. They even have a "reminder" notice posted on the official site about 11:00 a.m. check-out and 4:00 p.m. check-in.

 

[Chuck S]

I returned Wednesday from OKW, flew down on May 28. We checked in about noon. The first thing I asked was whether or not our room happened to be ready. The CM checked the computer and said it was not ready, but we went ahead and did all the paperwork. We figured we could wonder around DtD for awhile then call over to get our room number. It took us about 15 minutes to do the paperwork, and the computer showed that housekeeping had just finished the room. Our studio was beautifully clean, with the towels done in fan shapes and the beds neat and tidy. The room obviously had had some rough treatment (why do folks abuse a room?), the 'fridge had the door over the cold compartment removed, and the 'fridge light had been unscrewed. The kitchenette foucet seemed loose, but functioning. The bathroom sink faucet would turn all the way around, not stopping at fully off or fully on. I screwed the light in and replaced the cold compartment door. After a few days, the kitchenette faucet would not turn off, so I called maintenance. They promptly fixed the problems with both sinks (had I known it would only take a few minutes, I'd have called earlier).

It really is a shame that someone would mess up a room like that on purpose or just for fun I can't complain about the service we received from the OKW staff, and each time we had towels or full housekeeping (we had both during our trip), the housekeepers did really nice presentations with the towels.

 

[PiazzaM]

Hi! I will be staying at OKW Nov 16 - 23rd. This is my 1st time to Disney since a child and then my parents were campers. So needless to say this is my 1st time using my timeshare, I exchanged in from a Vegas resort. I will be staying in a 2 bedroom. What advice can all you tell us? How is the restaurants on site? Do I have to buy dish/ dishwasher detergent and how about laundry detergent. Is there a liquor store onsite or nearby, or when I go to the grocery store on the way in can I buy liquor or beer in the store? I am from NY, and you can buy beer in the grocery stores. Thank you for any advice you might have for me! I am really looking forward to going.. One more question... how about the park passes that you can buy when you check in, or is it not worth it? I was going to buy the 5day hopper plus 4 option that they are offering on so many websites for discounted tickets.. by the way it's just my husband and myself. Thanks again!

 

[Chuck S]

Hi PiazzaM,

I hope you enjoy your stay at my home resort. You were lucky to be able to trade into an on-site DVC resort. Dishwasher detergent is provided. A small box of tide for a load or two of clothes is provided, additional is available at the OKW general store, but is cheaper off-site. Small airline bottles of liquor, along with individual cans and 6 packs of beer are also available at the general store...again, much cheaper off-site. Am I assuming correctly that you will not have a rental car, but will be using a limo-type service for airport transfers? If so, try to purchase what you think you'll need during your grocery stop. Many folks do not like the taste of the tap water, so you may also want to stock up on some bottled water. Actually, our tap water here in Texas is worse than that at OKW, but I buy some 8oz bottles for convenience in the parks.

You will have a full kitchen (if you want to cook on vacation). Olivia's restaurant at OKW was excellent when we were down there earlier this month. Although the menu doesn't state it, be aware that their breakfast potatoes and french fries are seasoned, if you like yours unseasoned, be sure to ask...they will be happy to accomodate you. Also, if you have breakfast there, many Northerners don't like grits...I want to urge you to try them at least once during your stay...they have about the best in the world at Olivia's, light, creamy and flavorful...not the gritty, chewy mess you usually see in restaurants. Oh, and the toast, like in many Southern restaurants, comes out pre-buttered..if you want it dry, you'll need to ask. All food on WDW property is on the pricey side (although I don't know about compared to NY), and is usually of very good quality. If you have any food allergies, advise your server, the chef can usually find a good substitute for the offending item. Have a wonderful trip.

 

[spiceycat]

you don't have to worry about the dish detergent - DVC supplies it if you run out call housekeeping for more. they also provide 1 box of tide (1 load only) - so if you can use Tide great - if you can't bring your own. there is no housekeeping (like most timeshares) but on the fourth day they do a trash removal and they also replace the towels.

I like a water view near a bus stop and a quiet pool - but everyone has different taste. Even the furthest villa is only about a 10 minute walk from the HH (the main building). OKW is beautiful and I hope you enjoy your stay.

there was a warning about getting passes at discount places - except AAA - because of the way that the new passes are done - you have to take someone word for it that what you buy is what you will receive. You need to take your receipt with you even if you buy at the Disney Store or AAA because of problems.

 

[PamOKW]

FL grocery stores sell beer and wine.

 

[ncligs]

PiazzaM,

The website below will show you everyyting you would want to know about OKW (pictures)


http://www.wdwig.com/g_okw.htm