Looking for OKW Feedback

[Uncle Servo]

Hello all ye DVCing DISers!

My wife and I are still relatively new to the whole DVC thing, having purchased a package late last year and have only stayed at Saratoga Springs (twice, in a studio both times).

We're going to be down there this coming weekend and we decided to go with Old Key West as the point values were cheap and it wasn't SS yet again -- and I was wondering if anybody had any 'horror stories' or general information about this resort they'd be willing to pass along. We've never stayed there (even pre-DVC) so this will definitely be some 'new ground' for us.

Thanks in advance!

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

I am staying at OKW for the 1st time in August. If you like studios keep in mind that OKW is like a hotel room. There are 2 queen beds. No queen bed and a living room area with sleeper couch. Keep in mind that they do have table and chairs and mini fridge an microwave. Many people love OKW. I am looking foward to seeing it and renting a bout.

 

[kathrna]

I LOVE OKW!! I like that everyone has their own door/condo style. Buses are great! I feel that the sofa beds leave much to be desired and the beds are a bit hard for my liking. But these things I cast aside. It's cozy (and when I say cozy, I DON'T MEAN SMALL! OKW has the biggest rooms of the resorts) and quaint. The view of the canal is nice. Having a balcony off the studio gives you your "sitting room". I keep finding myself going back. I've yet to go "home" to SSR.
Have a WONDERFUL trip!!

 

[AKV707]

Love Okw! DW and I had our first DVC stay there in a studio last year. WE weren't sure that we would like it. We loved it!

Yes, there are 2 beds in the studio. Really not a problem. It is a large studio. The whole resort has a great, relaxed feel to it. The boat to DTD is great, we love Olivia's and the Gurgling Suitcase.

Plenty of walking paths, nice views, and an incredibly welcoming cast.

Enjoy your stay at OKW!

 

[gmboy95]

OKW is fantastic!!!!!!......The rooms are the best in DVC, and the atmosphere of the resort is so relaxed. I love hanging out on the balsony, and taking walks with the kids at the resort. Having your car right out front is a great benefit...i love to have a beer on the balcony and watch some golf!!!!!

 

[eporter66]

We just got back from a week at OKW last friday 2/29. It was our first trip and we loved it! We had a 1 Bedroom, with a golf course view, nice balcony. The room was in good shape, beds and furniture were comfy, and we had a very quiet room.

If you have any specific questions feel free to pm me.

The one thing about the resort was that it really does have that laid back atmosphere. But, I found it lacked a "wow" factor that the other resorts have given us. This is probably because of the theme, the other resorts all have a more upscale feel, OKW didnt have that for us. That being said, this was a very minor thing overall, I enjoyed our stay, and based on the point value you get at OKW, I would stay there again.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I disagree that there is no "wow" factor at OKW. The first time we opened the door to our first 2 bedroom OKW stay 11 years ago, everyone in our party said "wow"! THen a year later we had our first GV stay at OKW, and all 8 of our guests also said "WOW"!

I am currently staying in a 1 bedroom concierge level room at AKV, and while the decor here is a BIG WOW!, there are plenty of things that are not as nice as OKW. Yes, even here in conceirge, housekeeping is a little bit lacking, and we have been here 3 days and have yet to get our turn down service. The kitchen is a real puzzle. The sink is on one end, but all the glasses are in the cupboard on the other end of the kitchen, so when you want a drink of water, the glasses aren't right there as you would expect. Now on the other hand, the coffee maker is on the end under the cupboard with the glasses. Guess where the cups are? Over by the sink!

 

[TenThousandVolts]

OKW was a big WOW for us. We loved everything about it.

 

[Uncle Servo]

This is great to hear. We've stayed at/visited almost all of the various WDW resorts over the years, but OKW is one of the few we've never experienced. Thanks to everyone to responded so far!

I don't mind that there isn't going to be a sofa in the studios -- we usually keep it folded out into a bed for our DS5 anyway, so if anything that saves us a little extra setup effort.

As for the WOW factor... the way I see it, you're pretty much guaranteed a WOW factor at any WDW resort; it's all a matter of the flavor of the WOW factor. From there it's all up to personal taste.

kathrna (and anyone else who can answer this) -- you mentioned that the buses are "great." How many bus stops do they have there, and how often do they run? The bus situation is probably one of our least favorite parts of staying at Saratoga Springs; it could just be that I'm used to the All-Stars getting buses quite frequently (although in the grand scheme of things it's a relatively minor complaint).

 

[Pootle]

I disagree that there is no "wow" factor at OKW. The first time we opened the door to our first 2 bedroom OKW stay 11 years ago, everyone in our party said "wow"!

I do so agree with this

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I disagree that there is no "wow" factor at OKW. The first time we opened the door to our first 2 bedroom OKW stay 11 years ago, everyone in our party said "wow"! THen a year later we had our first GV stay at OKW, and all 8 of our guests also said "WOW"!

I agree 100%. OMG, at our 1st family reunion, entering that GV my people were speechless (not a usual occurance). I don't argue with the fact that the experience is totally different then let's say BWV but to be quite honest after battling the crowds, the sun and the rides, I welcome the relaxed sultry Key West Vibe. Different strokes!

But OKW has the "WOW"

 

[Saratoga Souris]

The WOW??

Open the door and see the space = WOW

A real balcony (we eat out there) = WOW

Sliding down the slide (it is fast)= WOW

The lush vegetation = WOW

Feels like HOME = WOW, WOW, WOW

 

[mommacat56]

We've owned at OKW (then called just DVC) since Dec. '91. Haven't purchased at any other resort (yet ). We love the room layouts and the size of the units. The bathrooms are bigger than mine here . The beds are quite comfortable. The kitchen is more than adequate (who likes to cook on vacation...go to Olivia's for conch chowder ). The views off the balconies are wonderful. You can watch the golfers play all day while sipping on your favorite beverage.

We've mostly done a 2 BR, but we stayed in a GV back when our kids were small and had all the in-laws come. Their jaws dropped to the floor! If that's not WOW, I don't know what is .

And for me...when I walk through the door at OKW, I just take in a big breath of that laid-back atmosphere (and the beautiful flowers) and I'm HOME! Every time we go, I think WOW am I glad we did this. We have had many, many years of great vacation memories...and, I hope, many more to come

 

[GGOOFY1]

We have stayed at BWV & BCV and have alway come "home" to OKW. This year will be our first year in GV since we purchased in '93, so I am so excited. You will not be disappointed and welcome to our home.

 

[kathrna]

Uncle Servo-- you asked about the buses being great... they run often, the bus stops are not crowded (like I've heard SSR's can be). Our only bad bus mojo was MK's bus. It always seemed that it passed us just as we were getting out the door. But a shaded spot, and short wait later, another one came along. I think that there are four or five bus stops in total. I don't think any one place is terribly far from a stop. The only time it's a drag is when you have sleeping child in your arms. That's never any fun no matter where you stay.

 

[eporter66]

Didnt mean to offend anyone, but I think my statement was very positive about OKW. I also mentioned that it was probably the theme that lends itself to this for my taste. Honestly - the other DVC resorts all have an elegance that OKW (to me) does not have, but again, that is probably due to the theming of the resort.

We enjoyed our stay, and would definitely stay again.

 

[Uncle Servo]

Didnt mean to offend anyone, but I think my statement was very positive about OKW. I also mentioned that it was probably the theme that lends itself to this for my taste. Honestly - the other DVC resorts all have an elegance that OKW (to me) does not have, but again, that is probably due to the theming of the resort.

We enjoyed our stay, and would definitely stay again.

Well, I for one certainly wasn't offended. I do think that every WDW resort has a WOW factor to it, but the "flavor" is different for each... so there's absolutely nothing wrong with preferring the flavor of one resort's WOW factor over another. I myself am not the world's biggest fan of Coronado Springs, for instance, but I know there are those who absolutely love it.

Are there any buildings that I should request when checking in that are better than others? Buildings that are closest to the bus stop, have the best views, or where you can smell the conch chowder from your balcony, that sort of thing.

You will not be disappointed and welcome to our home.

Thanks. We'll try not to completely trash the place before you get back.

Man, this time tomorrow we'll be down there... I can't wait...

Uncle Servo-- you asked about the buses being great... they run often, the bus stops are not crowded (like I've heard SSR's can be). Our only bad bus mojo was MK's bus. It always seemed that it passed us just as we were getting out the door. But a shaded spot, and short wait later, another one came along. I think that there are four or five bus stops in total. I don't think any one place is terribly far from a stop. The only time it's a drag is when you have sleeping child in your arms. That's never any fun no matter where you stay.

You are SOOOOO right about that... My DS5 is built more like a DS7, so carrying him is like a sack of bricks.

We've owned at OKW (then called just DVC) since Dec. '91. Haven't purchased at any other resort (yet). We love the room layouts and the size of the units. The bathrooms are bigger than mine here . The beds are quite comfortable. The kitchen is more than adequate (who likes to cook on vacation...go to Olivia's for conch chowder). The views off the balconies are wonderful. You can watch the golfers play all day while sipping on your favorite beverage.

We've mostly done a 2 BR, but we stayed in a GV back when our kids were small and had all the in-laws come. Their jaws dropped to the floor! If that's not WOW, I don't know what is.

And for me...when I walk through the door at OKW, I just take in a big breath of that laid-back atmosphere (and the beautiful flowers) and I'm HOME! Every time we go, I think WOW am I glad we did this. We have had many, many years of great vacation memories...and, I hope, many more to come

This is all great to know. I've never stayed in anything bigger than a studio/regular resort room (not exactly the most exciting place to be during a hurricane either, let me tell you), but I've looked through one of the SSR GVs... and I'd really like to be able to do a whole family trip to one someday.

Thanks a lot y'all. This has been really helpful and has made me even more excited about going -- I may not get a wink of sleep as we're driving down tonight!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Hey there, Uncle Servo, you have shared so many graphics over on the design boards, that I wanted to repay you with some info.

You will love OKW for the two beds. When our son was younger and travelled with us, we preferred the two beds in the OKW studio versus the other resorts. If it is just DH and I, we prefer the other resort studios for the sofa and extra floor space.

Since you are used to SSR, you will not find OKW too spread out.

Will you have your own transportation? If so, request the Southpoint area. Close to the bus, close to one of the quiet pools and laundry and ice machines.

Ride the boat to DTD if you get the chance. It is a very peaceful and relaxing ride.

Close the bathroom door at night. There is an oval window (up high) in the studio and the light comes in there not only in the morning,
but also at night because of the light fixtures out in the hallways.


ETA, I do see you will have your own transportation. We always drive to the AK. The bus that goes there makes a stop at Blizzard Beach and by driving you can get there in half the time as the bus. However, we drive almost everywhere we go at WDW, we just prefer it that way. Don't forget you get free valet parking at the DVC resorts that have valet parking, WLV and BWV. If you go there for a meal, it is so nice to drive up, drop off the car and you are right at the front door--no charge, just be sure to tip.


Put a piece of masking tape over the peep hole in the door for the same reason.

We own at OKW, SSR and BCV and I have to say that OKW is our favorite resort of the three we own.

 

[Uncle Servo]

Just a quick update... I fell off the face of the DIS for a while after that last trip, but I do want to thank everyone again for the great info they provided.

We had an absolute BLAST when we were down there! The buses were good, the room was exactly what we needed/wanted (and close to the bus stop at that), and there was even Jimmy Buffett music playing in the background (or was that just my MP3 player... ).

The ONLY thing I did not like about it was that while our building was right up against the pool/ice machine, there was no direct path to it... meaning I had to lug the ol' cooler around 3 buildings and a blind curve in which to get to it. Throw in the fact that I had to do it in one of central Florida's infamous "quickie downpours..." well... let's just say I remarked to a couple of teenage girls swimming in the pool that it was a tossup as to which one of us was the wettest.

We have two more trips scheduled -- the weekend before Thanksgiving and this coming weekend -- and both times we are staying at OKW. We have found our new home.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

Uncle Servo- do also go by "Ol’ Chum Bucket"? If so, WOW! We have a real celebrity in our midst!