Happy Day!
We've been members since 2000, but this was our first trip to OKW. (VWL is our home resort and we've also stayed at BWV twice).
We were very happy at OKW!! I was reluctant to stay there because I'd heard about bus service being slow but we didn't have a problem AT ALL.
The Room:
We stayed in the Turtle Pond area, room 3720 (studio). It was positively PRISTINE! The walls looked freshly painted, the bedspreads looked brand new. The fridge was a bit "well loved" but the toaster and coffeemaker looked brand new as well. I'm so glad that someone warned me about the peep hole because on that first night I was sure I was staring into the Viking's Eye in Maelstrom. One super-sized band-aid and I was out of the spotlight for the rest of the trip.
Also we noticed on more than one day they appeared to be swapping out beds and couches in the buildings across from us. One morning a CM came by to install new wooden blinds in our room. (Of course they waited for us to leave for the day)
My only complaint about the room was the really teeny counter space and the small cabinet that we could barely reach (Neither of us are taller than 5'4"). We don't do any "real" cooking in the room, but we do enjoy having our coffee/cereal/English Muffins in the morning and the teeny counter had us bumping into each other at morningtime.
The Location:
We made no requests when we made our ressies so I was pleasantly surprised when, at check-in, the CM pulled out a map and asked if there was any area in particular that we wented to stay (and this at about 3pm on a Saturday). We requested some kind of water view close to a bus stop. She said it was a fairway view (but when we arrived we found it was near a water hazard that the ducks liked to hang out in so we were very happy) but it was only 2 buildings away from the bus stop and our room was on the second floor. Our view was obstructed a bit by trees, but we could still enjoy what view we had and there was a fountain in the water hazard which gave us the soothing sound of running water.
The Buses:
As mentioned above -- No Complaints Whatsoever!! The longest we waited was 15 minutes and we only had a really crowded bus once (and this was after Illuminations).
Olivia's:
We at dinner there twice and were very pleased both times. The service was good on our first visit and Exceptional on our second visit. The food was great on both visits. The Buttermilk Chicken is To Die For, imho. Also, one night I ordered the special which was roasted salmon with a mushroom sauce wrapped in flaky pastry dough sitting on a cream sauce with julienned veggies. It was quite possibly my favorite meal in all of Disney (and I'm including the Cruise here, too).
General Comments:
We weren't very conveniently located to visit the Hospitality House easily. It was either a long walk or we would wait for a bus. This is when we wished we had rented a car but otherwise we were fine. The Hospitality House has a bit less "going on" in it than many other resorts, though, so we didn't feel a strong pull to stop there EVERY day. The shop is pretty small and Goods To Go, while very good, didn't have a huge selection. We did find out, though sadly it was our last day, that you could order from Olivia's menu and Carry-Out from Goods.
This resort is lush and quiet and beautiful and friendly and we absolutely loved it. We will definitely be staying again but NEXT time we will definitely splurge on the 1BR for the extra kitchen amenities and we'll rent a car.
So, there you have it! I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Happy Day!
Lisabell
We've been members since 2000, but this was our first trip to OKW. (VWL is our home resort and we've also stayed at BWV twice).
We were very happy at OKW!! I was reluctant to stay there because I'd heard about bus service being slow but we didn't have a problem AT ALL.
The Room:
We stayed in the Turtle Pond area, room 3720 (studio). It was positively PRISTINE! The walls looked freshly painted, the bedspreads looked brand new. The fridge was a bit "well loved" but the toaster and coffeemaker looked brand new as well. I'm so glad that someone warned me about the peep hole because on that first night I was sure I was staring into the Viking's Eye in Maelstrom. One super-sized band-aid and I was out of the spotlight for the rest of the trip.
Also we noticed on more than one day they appeared to be swapping out beds and couches in the buildings across from us. One morning a CM came by to install new wooden blinds in our room. (Of course they waited for us to leave for the day)
My only complaint about the room was the really teeny counter space and the small cabinet that we could barely reach (Neither of us are taller than 5'4"). We don't do any "real" cooking in the room, but we do enjoy having our coffee/cereal/English Muffins in the morning and the teeny counter had us bumping into each other at morningtime.
The Location:
We made no requests when we made our ressies so I was pleasantly surprised when, at check-in, the CM pulled out a map and asked if there was any area in particular that we wented to stay (and this at about 3pm on a Saturday). We requested some kind of water view close to a bus stop. She said it was a fairway view (but when we arrived we found it was near a water hazard that the ducks liked to hang out in so we were very happy) but it was only 2 buildings away from the bus stop and our room was on the second floor. Our view was obstructed a bit by trees, but we could still enjoy what view we had and there was a fountain in the water hazard which gave us the soothing sound of running water.
The Buses:
As mentioned above -- No Complaints Whatsoever!! The longest we waited was 15 minutes and we only had a really crowded bus once (and this was after Illuminations).
Olivia's:
We at dinner there twice and were very pleased both times. The service was good on our first visit and Exceptional on our second visit. The food was great on both visits. The Buttermilk Chicken is To Die For, imho. Also, one night I ordered the special which was roasted salmon with a mushroom sauce wrapped in flaky pastry dough sitting on a cream sauce with julienned veggies. It was quite possibly my favorite meal in all of Disney (and I'm including the Cruise here, too).
General Comments:
We weren't very conveniently located to visit the Hospitality House easily. It was either a long walk or we would wait for a bus. This is when we wished we had rented a car but otherwise we were fine. The Hospitality House has a bit less "going on" in it than many other resorts, though, so we didn't feel a strong pull to stop there EVERY day. The shop is pretty small and Goods To Go, while very good, didn't have a huge selection. We did find out, though sadly it was our last day, that you could order from Olivia's menu and Carry-Out from Goods.
This resort is lush and quiet and beautiful and friendly and we absolutely loved it. We will definitely be staying again but NEXT time we will definitely splurge on the 1BR for the extra kitchen amenities and we'll rent a car.
So, there you have it! I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Happy Day!
Lisabell
