My take on OKW.

[MarkRG]

Hi, I said I would post something on this, being my first time staying here, being not my home resort.

I will give a summary upfront in just saying it does live up to the hype the OKW owners give it.

But I will make the point right here that anything else said is MY opinion, may not necesarily be yours. One thing I always point out to anyone interested in buying in that you really have to weigh each resort as to what you want out of it, as each location has its strengths and weaknesses.

And OKW has both.

• Space. The 1br unit is HUGE in comparison to the other wdw-dvc resorts. I would almost say for just the two of us it's almost too big. I like some of the layout better than the others and some I don't. For all the space the kitchen/living room area has, there is very little storage space. We made 1 grocery run and really had to work to get stuff put away.
  
• Access to the units. We're in an upper floor, that is a LOT of stairs, and the steps are honestly uncomfortable with the high safety treads. Not knowing they offered luggage assist(after 14 hours of driving we were a little beat, so didn't think to ask), we brought up our own.
  
• Remoteness. There is a palpable remoteness to the resort. As I said at the beginning this is my opinion. We bought at BWV as we wanted to be up close to the parks. Remoteness doesn't appeal to us, but if that's your thing, this is the place.
  

As far as anything else, such as the pools and other services, it is no better or no worse than any other DVC resort. Some depends on the people actually occupiying the units, as we have seen garbage outside the dors from people too lazy to walk it to where it belongs. Some depends on the CM's as we have already had 1 delivery messed up. Olivia's is nice, quality food, albeit a bit loud for my tastes as I already have hearing problems and a noisy room doesn't help.

But all in all, an exceptional DVC resort.

 

[Zurg]

Thanks Mark.

....but a honest weighing of the pros & cons takes most of the fun out of the typical resort boosterism around here. I don't know if the normal practice allows this....

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks Mark.....enjoyed your report. Glad to here you liked your stay at OKW---sorry you didn't realize about Bell Service for your bags. What building did u stay in----your view ?

We love OKW for the quiet, relaxing atmoshere. As for Olivia's, personally I have never found it to be loud (or at least any louder than most other restaurants onsite). In fact, one time we had lunch in there and I believe there were only 4 other tables filled. This also was the case for a breakfast we had there in July '02.

Having an offsite timeshare, I can say personally that OKW doesn't feel remote at all. For us, wanting to feel like we're actually staying inside WDW is why we bought OKW, so the word remote seems funny to me. Now we feel our Vistana timeshare is remote and that's only a 10 min drive from WDW. LOL I totally respect the way you feel about this though.....not laughing at your opinion on OKW but rather how we specifically look forward to staying there because we enjoy feeling like we're in the middle of the disney magic (vs offsite) & someone else says it feels remote. It's just an interesting perspective.

OTOH, I can understand your statement that OKW, (depending on the individual), has it's strengths and weaknesses......as does each DVC resort. I feel everyone demands/expects a certain something from their resort experience. It's nice that each DVC resort offers it's own chemistry and ambience to suit every taste and need. Thanks again for the report

 

[PamOKW]

Thanks for sharing your impressions.

Sorry you had trouble storing all the groceries. Did you realize you could also use the buffet cabinet area? Since they've eliminated the placemats, I think this area should be completely empty.

Picture of the Cabinet

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by Zurg


....but a honest weighing of the pros & cons takes most of the fun out of the typical resort boosterism around here. I don't know if the normal practice allows this....

LOL, Zurg!

Mark...thanks for the report and your impressions. We look forward to staying at OKW some day.

 

[BWVDee]

Thanks for your trip report. We feel excatly the same way about many of the pts you made regarding OKW.
We never had a storage problem, but then we do not cook in our villa--ever, so we have minimal groceries to store.
We are also people that like and use room service and valet parking, so for us the guest services are lacking at OKW.
We also find the OKW pools to be very lacking, however with the new pool rehab and slide addition, this will soon change greatly.
Glad to hear you had a good trip.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We are also people that like and use room service and valet parking, so for us the guest services are lacking at OKW.

We like valet (at hotel-type resorts)also, but you really don't need it at OKW because of the way it's set up. As for room service, you can order from Sassagoula pizza http://allearsnet.com/menu/men_sasp.htm and many offsite restaurants/pizza places do deliver to OKW. One that comes to mind that I'd like to add is Giordanos (very good pizza, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes) and they deliver to OKW !) : http://www.giordanos.com/
Just thought I'd mention this for those who might not be aware that you can indeed have room service dining. We've compiled menus from a good amount of eateries in the area so we have delivery whenever we want it

 

[PKS44]

Originally posted by MarkRG
As far as anything else, such as the pools and other services, it is no better or no worse than any other DVC resort.

Could you expand on this, please? One restaurant, no room service, fitness work out room that many have found lacking, no pool slide...just curious how that is no better or worse than the others...?

Paul

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for the very good and honest trip report! It seems like, in general, you liked OKW.

I was a bit surprised at thinking it lacked storage, since we usually think it has so much. I doubt we have ever utilized that huge storage area under the counter by the dinning table. The times we have had the GV, we thought we could have used more though.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Renting a unit at OKW was suppose to be like renting a house somewhere or a condo unit. Parking is out front like a condo, no valet service(how could there be), no room service like a condo unit or private home, and being away from it all(unlike a hotel-style situation), all that is the way it is suppose to be, but the slide is a slight change from most condo rentals(the slide is a negative for me). OKW pretty much is what it is suppose to be, a home away from home, not a hotel complex with valet and room service. All the units have full kitchens so a more than one restaurant would not be practical. There is no reason for any outsider to walk by into Olivias because there are only OKW guests in the area. SO OKW is what it was designed to be, a long term place to stay. Thanks for the report

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by Pa@okw95
Renting a unit at OKW was suppose to be like renting a house somewhere or a condo unit. Parking is out front like a condo, no valet service(how could there be), no room service like a condo unit or private home, and being away from it all(unlike a hotel-style situation), all that is the way it is suppose to be, but the slide is a slight change from most condo rentals(the slide is a negative for me). OKW pretty much is what it is suppose to be, a home away from home, not a hotel complex with valet and room service. All the units have full kitchens so a more than one restaurant would not be practical. There is no reason for any outsider to walk by into Olivias because there are only OKW guests in the area. SO OKW is what it was designed to be, a long term place to stay. Thanks for the report

So true. I think that definitely points up the changes Disney did after they realized that, while Disney Vacation Club (OKW) was designed like a regular timeshare, that folks going to WDW didn't necessarily travel the same way as to other timeshare destinations. That is when they started treating DVC more like a hotel than a vacation home. Those of us who bought into the "vacation home" idea, still love OKW, because that is what we were looking for.

 

[Poorman]

Originally posted by MiaSRN62
We like valet (at hotel-type resorts)also, but you really don't need it at OKW because of the way it's set up. As for room service, you can order from Sassagoula pizza http://allearsnet.com/menu/men_sasp.htm and many offsite restaurants/pizza places do deliver to OKW. One that comes to mind that I'd like to add is Giordanos (very good pizza, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes) and they deliver to OKW !) : http://www.giordanos.com/
Just thought I'd mention this for those who might not be aware that you can indeed have room service dining. We've compiled menus from a good amount of eateries in the area so we have delivery whenever we want it

MiaSRN62,
Could you share some of the local eateries that deliver to OKW?

Do they have web sites? And which Giordino's do you call?

Thanks ,

Rich

 

[chainkid]

Your experience at OKW was exactly like mine. I love the spaciousness of the villa but with just the two of us it was a bit of overkill. We hated lugging our luggage up to the top floor ...again didn't know about luggage assist but probably hubby would have been to proud to ask for it anyway. I always get a kick out of people saying that it is more convenient parking right outside your door......valet works better for this lazy bones. we call down and within 10 min tops car is waiting. I've never had to wait especially after walking those two mile corridors at the BWV...they can get gas and pull the car up before I've descended in the elevator.

Thank god Disney realized that people like different things in a vacation and created top of the line resorts to cater to each of us.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Thanks for the report, Mark!

 

[laceemouse]

Thanks for the report! We own at BCV, and love the location, but we really want to try OKW summer 05. We are a family of six and feel we would love the space. We also plan to do SW and DC, as well as some other offsite trips next time so I think having the car right in front should be great. We look forward to the new slide, although a water park day will also be included in this trip. Thanks again for the info!

 

[BWVDee]

Originally posted by MiaSRN62
We like valet (at hotel-type resorts)also, but you really don't need it at OKW because of the way it's set up. As for room service, you can order from Sassagoula pizza http://allearsnet.com/menu/men_sasp.htm and many offsite restaurants/pizza places do deliver to OKW. One that comes to mind that I'd like to add is Giordanos (very good pizza, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes) and they deliver to OKW !) : http://www.giordanos.com/
Just thought I'd mention this for those who might not be aware that you can indeed have room service dining. We've compiled menus from a good amount of eateries in the area so we have delivery whenever we want it

These places are not much good when you want room service breakfast, which is our favorite room service meal. We love just sleeping in late and then lounging around the villa and having our breakfast brought to us by room service, have the table set for us, etc. Our idea of vacation pampering and relaxation! DS also uses room service a lot for late night snacks - after midnight, so again the pizza/sub delivery places would not be of any use to us.
One of the nicest features of room service at BWV is not only do they have a large room service menu with all types of foods for every meal and snack but you can also order anything from any of the boardwalk restaurants' menus through room service. It is really a very, very nice guest amenity.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I totally understand about the room service after midnight and at breakfast, but I just wanted people to know it's not like OKW has nothing to offer in the way of room service. There's no way you can make every guest happy with any of the resorts. There's always going to be a downside to any resort and this what Mark stated in the OP when he mentioned strengths and weaknesses. At least it's partial room service and as stated before, this is the way OKW was designed to be. It never pretended to be something it wasn't....a "home away from home". I know some people get a kick out of some of us actually finding the ability to park our car outside the door an asset, but that's why DVC offers something for everyone. To us, this perk is very important. We waited 40 minutes on our checkout day at BWV last year and would have actually preferred to have had our car right outside. We just sat in the room with all our luggage, twiddling our fingers. The Bell Service CM's did apologize twice for the delay. It was no big deal (I've never mentioned it before), but definitely held us up a bit.
Rich, at the moment, I'd have to search around for my list of menus. I actually got most of the names from my offsite timeshare (Vistana). At the present time I have a sick relative living with us so I'll see what I can do---my time is limited. If you go to the Giordanos web site I sent and click on "locations", it's the one in Lake Buena Vista that we've used. I'll try and root around for some of the other menus for you.

 

[BillPA]

Try this link. Enter DISNEY and select the type food you desire. Most have WEB sites that will let you know if they deliver, menu etc...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/dining/

 

[mrsdon]

I just skimmed the replies, so this may have been answered, but
about putting the groceries away.. What about the sideboard in the dining area. That area underneath is HUGE and has lots of space.
Just a thought.

 

[ParkFreak]

I always get a kick out of people saying that it is more convenient parking right outside your door......valet works better for this lazy bones. we call down and within 10 min tops car is waiting. I've never had to wait especially after walking those two mile corridors at the BWV...they can get gas and pull the car up before I've descended in the elevator.

See, I think just the opposite, I'd rather park my own car and have a short walk to our unit, rather than walk the "two mile corridors" at BWV! Even WVL is a hike to the main entrance. As far as stairs, we live on the 3rd floor here in Chicago, so it's no big deal to us! There truly is something for everyone!

One thing that was wierd to us the first time we stayed at OKW was parking to check in. There's the portico, but that's where the busses go. We weren't sure where the heck we were supposed to be! lol

8 more days!