LOVE FOR OKW

[hunan6]

Just returned from nine days at OKW. We stayed in a two bdrm villa with a party of nine. We absolutely loved it, and I thought I would detail some highlights..

• Pools- feature "sandcastle" pool is fantastic. The slide easily belongs among the best on-property slides at WDW. Due to proximity, we used our quiet pool more frequently. It was never crowded.
• Olivia's- we booked this as a throwaway meal for our first day, and were pleasantly surprised. Some of our party found it to be the best meal of our trip. We went back for a farewell breakfast on departure day even though we were out of ts credits. We especially liked the banana bread French toast, and the pumpkin cream French toast. I would go out of my way to eat here in the future even if staying elsewhere.
• The room- huge, comfortable, clean. If you are trying to fit a large party into a Disney villa, this is the place. As documented elsewhere, the villas are huge. Our party of two families fit easily , and found it ideal for being together, but maintaining some privacy as well. The foldout chair was a great addition to the foldout couch. I think this is the only place on property to offer this, but I may be wrong. Also, you can't beat the full kitchen and laundry machines for a long disney trip. We stayed in building 21 with a gorgeous golf course view. It was a bit of a walk to the community hall area, but manageable. Others had advised staying away from millers road area due to noise from main road, but I cannot see why. We heard no outside noise despite being able to see (what I think was) Bonnet Creek Pkwy from the front door.
• Transportation- never a problem with buses. Quick waits, great return locations at parks, buses themselves not crowded. A bit of a pain waiting for it to cycle through all of the stops before getting to ours (Millers road), but not too bad really. One thing, an internal shuttle is lacking here, and would be a huge plus if you were staying at a more remote location. You could utilize the Disney buses for this if you figure out the system though.
• Things to do- although this is probably true at most resorts, it would be well-worth spending a day here. There is plenty to do. We loved the overall atmosphere in the area of conch flats community hall, it was a vibrant scene between the pool, bar, and restaurants. Plenty of activities both day and night. Also, it was hopping in the evenings, but was also very kid-friendly. We rented movies, played shuffleboard, did crafts, sat by the pool, played video games, and people watched with a drink. Great place to be, day and night.

And now a few suggestions. As mentioned before, the place could use an internal shuttle. One can stay far away from the community hall, and you might as well be at a different resort. Quick service dining, while tasty, is lacking in options here. It also could get quite busy. Finally, and this is more of a Disney than OKW thing, they need to put refillable mug stations near outlying community pools. If we hadn't received mugs as part of our free dining, it would have been pointless. This is a system in need of overhaul. Now that they have the chip-based system in the mugs, there is no risk of people stealing. As is, the mugs are only worth it if you are within an easy walk or are planning to eat QS at your resort frequently.

As is apparent, I highly recommend OKW. I expect it will become my resort of choice. Cheers.

 

[Wood Nymph]

ust returned from nine days at OKW. We stayed in a two bdrm villa with a party of nine. We absolutely loved it,

We stayed in a 2BR villa last February with seven people and it was one of the best trips ever. We loved the huge villa. There was plenty of space for everyone. We made breakfast every morning, which was a real time saver. And we made good use of the washer and dryer when we had some very rainy weather. We even got a last minute ADR for Olivia's.

As mentioned before, the place could use an internal shuttle. One can stay far away from the community hall, and you might as well be at a different resort.

There is an internal shuttle but it doesn't come very often. DH and I had to stop in the lobby to clear up a credit card problem and we had to wait almost 1/2 hour for the shuttle back to the villa. We would have walked to the first bus stop to catch a park bus, but it was pouring rain so we had to wait for the shuttle.

 

[hunan6]

There is an internal shuttle but it doesn't come very often. DH and I had to stop in the lobby to clear up a credit card problem and we had to wait almost 1/2 hour for the shuttle back to the villa. We would have walked to the first bus stop to catch a park bus, but it was pouring rain so we had to wait for the shuttle.

That is surprising. I didn't see it, and a cast member in the rental area told me there is none. How did I miss it? Oh well. It was a short walk for us anyways. Thanks for the info.

 

[BobNed]

That is surprising. I didn't see it, and a cast member in the rental area told me there is none. How did I miss it? Oh well. It was a short walk for us anyways. Thanks for the info.

The Disney Springs bus is the internal shuttle. It stops at Hospitality House twice - on the way in and on the way out.