Non-Vacation Club Members stay - OKW

[Deb & Bill]

OKW is really a very nice resort. Enjoy your stay.

 

[nunzia]

I'm sure it will work out fine. Remember to bring extra coffee, laundry soap, shampoo, etc. You will have a full kitchen and lots of room to keep wine cooled. There are several grocery delivery places..WeGoShop comes to mind. As far as the OKW staff is concerned, you will be treated like any DVC member. The only thing you won't be able to get are perks associated with showing the DVC card. It doesn't sound like the broker is earning their cut..working directly with a DVC member may have given you more info up front. I have never done the dining plan or ME so don't know how those work. You're getting all your questions over with now..when you get there you can just relax and have fun.

 

[calker]

After discussions with the other members of this group, we've decided we will not give out the name of the broker.

Yes we were led to believe that our reservation was just like a reservation for a hotel room made directly through Disney. Two separate conversations were made on a speaker phone with three of us listening on the first conversation and four on the second. But we have all decided that we should have done more research on the broker and the entire process and not relied on the information given to us verbally. Nothing in the written contract confirms anything that was said verbally. We have learned our lesson.

I am positive we will have a great time, we always do when we travel together.

We again want to thank everyone for all of your suggestions and comments, you have been a great source of information.

 

[Joan S.]

Hi, One thing that I do not believe has been mentioned is that a 2 bedroom at OKW is HUGH!! You will have a full kitchen ,2 full baths, a large tv watching area, a full size dining table and a large porch with table and chairs. For 5 adults it is so much more comfortable than a hotel room. There is also a general store that can pretty much supply you with what you may need. There is a GREAT bar at OKW (near the main pool),a FULL service restaurant,Olivia's (food is very good) and a quick service are that also serves breakfast. (we take breakfast from here back to our room to enjoy on the porch) Even if you were not fully informed on booking at OKW, I am sure you will LOVE it there!! ( We have owned and stayed at OKW since 1993. ) Enjoy!! Joan

 

[RweTHEREyet]

After discussions with the other members of this group, we've decided we will not give out the name of the broker.

Yes we were led to believe that our reservation was just like a reservation for a hotel room made directly through Disney. Two separate conversations were made on a speaker phone with three of us listening on the first conversation and four on the second. But we have all decided that we should have done more research on the broker and the entire process and not relied on the information given to us verbally. Nothing in the written contract confirms anything that was said verbally. We have learned our lesson.

I am positive we will have a great time, we always do when we travel together.

We again want to thank everyone for all of your suggestions and comments, you have been a great source of information.

I don't blame you for not giving out the brokers name, especially before your trip is completed.

You will find that you do not miss housekeeping at all, most people prefer not to have someone coming into their room while they are not there anyway.

I am not a coffee drinker, but I understand that what is left in the room is not that great, so bring your own if coffee is important to you.

I know we all have different preferences, but after being a DVC owner and staying in DVC villas for the past ten years, I have a hard time staying in a regular hotel room these days. I hope you have a wonderful stay and a great trip.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think you are going to have a GREAT time.

I once stayed with 10 women in two non-disney timeshare places, and it was physically impossible for most of us to *not* tidy up a bit as we went. Maybe I was the one for whom it was possible, LOL, but most other women don't tend to be as slobby as I am, and they just kept cleaning things up as they went. So even if you don't buy the extra cleaning services I bet you'll be fine.

OKW 2 bedrooms are HUGE. They are a wonderful space and I bet you'll love it.

The Transportation forum here has, somewhere, the direct number for Magical Express, and you can call them directly. One doesn't *have to* go through Member Services to book ME for a DVC stay, and, in fact, when I arranged ME for one of our stays, the MS cast member gave me the direct number anyway.

You also don't have to arrange for pre-checkin...any listed, adult, member of your party can check in at any time. You might not get into the room yet if it's before official checkin time (though we have gotten our room early some of the time IF it's ready that early), but the process is still done. No pre-arranging needed!


Maybe your broker simply doesn't know, and this will be the experience s/he needs to learn, and not accidentally mis-lead people in the future. Be SURE to give them your feedback!

 

[davedmaine]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned dining, but you can make all of your own dining reservations (you don't even need to have a reservation) at disneyworld.com. With that many people, I'd get a Tables in Wonderland card, rather than using the dining plan. You'll save money and it's a better fit..

 

[Chuck S]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned dining, but you can make all of your own dining reservations (you don't even need to have a reservation) at disneyworld.com. With that many people, I'd get a Tables in Wonderland card, rather than using the dining plan. You'll save money and it's a better fit..

Remmeber that Tables in Wonderland card are available only if

1) You are a Florida resident -or-
2) You are a DVC Member -or-
3) You have an Annual Pass

Thay are not available to the regular out of state guest without meeting one of the requirements.

 

[calker]

Thanks again for all of the additional information. You have all been extremely helpful and encouraging.

I have the extra laundry products packed. The coffee drinkers are bringing their favorite coffees. We've rearranged arrival times and meeting places so we'll all arrive together, so early checkin is no longer necessary.

We weren't able to purchase any of the dining packages for several reasons, no one is a Florida resident, DVC member, no annual pass holders, all five of us would have to purchase the other dining plan options for our entire length of stay, but we are spending 2 days visiting other parks. We do have dinner reservations.

We're bringing along decorations and will put them up ourselves to help celebrate one members birthday. As suggested we'll pick up her birthday button at City Hall in Magic Kingdom. Those of us who've celebrated before, want her to experience the recognition she'll get.

We have the addresses of a few grocery stores between the airport and resort, so we'll pick up a few of the other things we'll need for quick breakfasts and late night snacks.

Are we allowed to ask for a specific building/location upon check-in? We do have one member who has a slight mobility issue. We would like to be close to the main building and on the ground level if possible. Any suggestions for building numbers.

I've read that there is parking near the individual buildings - is this true? Is it assigned parking?

Is there WiFi service available in the resort? How reliable/fast is it? One member has to be able to check in with their office at least once a day.

I read that there are four sets of towels in each bathroom - for a total of 8 for our two bathrooms. Can we request two additional towels at check-in? Each of us uses one towel for our hair and one for our bodies.

Are there towels at the pools or do we use the room towels?

Okay this is now way toooo long. I'll post again if I think of anything else.

 

[kristenrice]

We're bringing along decorations and will put them up ourselves to help celebrate one members birthday. As suggested we'll pick up her birthday button at City Hall in Magic Kingdom. Those of us who've celebrated before, want her to experience the recognition she'll get.

You can get a "Happy Birthday" button from the front desk when you check in.



Are we allowed to ask for a specific building/location upon check-in? We do have one member who has a slight mobility issue. We would like to be close to the main building and on the ground level if possible. Any suggestions for building numbers.

The area near the Hospitality House is a booking category so if that is not what you have reserved, you will not get it. You can take any bus from any bus stop and it will take you to the HH since all buses stop there just before they leave the resort. My suggestion would just be to request a ground-level room near a bus stop.

I've read that there is parking near the individual buildings - is this true? Is it assigned parking?

It is not assigned parking, but the spaces are right out in front of the buildings.

Is there WiFi service available in the resort? How reliable/fast is it? One member has to be able to check in with their office at least once a day.

Yes, there is wi-fi. Most have reported that it is spotty and terrible, but I did not have any problems with it in June. I will say that I did not use my laptop, but I streamed Netflix through my iPod every night.

I read that there are four sets of towels in each bathroom - for a total of 8 for our two bathrooms. Can we request two additional towels at check-in? Each of us uses one towel for our hair and one for our bodies.

You would need to "purchase" 2 towel packs...1 bath towel, 1 hand towel and 1 washcloth in each. I believe they are $6-$8. As someone mentioned before, all of the resort amenities, including the towels and laundry, are paid for by the owners so there is not a lot of complimentary items for owners like there are for cash guests.

Are there towels at the pools or do we use the room towels?

Yes, there are pool towels. There are linen carts at the pool where you can pick up and return your pool towels. You are not supposed to bring them back to your room.

Okay this is now way toooo long. I'll post again if I think of anything else.

Ask all the questions you like. OKW is a great resort and you will love it. Watch out...it has been known to create new DVC Members

 

[Dean]

A towel pack is:

Towel Package, $6.00 - 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 4 washcloths, 1 bath mat

But they are usually not replaced on the T & T day. We'l often make sure we wash towels on T & T day so they're in the W/D when they come and they'll leave more.

 

[k3chantal]

We thought we had done our research - we were told by the broker that it worked exactly like a hotel reservation. We would receive all the same benefits as if we had reserved directly through Disney and once the reservation number was associated with my account we could make arrangements for Dining, Magical Express, Pre-checkin for one member who will arrive in WDW about 10:00 am and the rest of us at 2:00pm.

If we had known it was in some ways like renting a condo unit we wouldn't be as confused now. It wasn't until after we made the final payment, received a reservation number, and tried to register the number on the Disney site that the issues began. After the number was input, a small banner appeared saying something like "contact the original booker for any changes". From then on trying to get answers from the owner through the broker has been very stressful and very time-consuming. As I previously posted, We received more help and info from one post here than we have in weeks of e-mails and phone calls between us and the owner.

So now we have a few more questions - what kind of coffee machine is in the unit? Does the washer use liquid or powder detergent? Does the refrigerator have an ice machine?

Is there a page, site, or thread that would be helpful to us while trying to plan our trip?

Thanks for the help it is sincerely appreciated.

It sounds silly but one of the things that make me happy about being a DVC member is the laundry in the villas. We pack so much less now that we know we can wash our clothes while there.
With five grown women going, I highly recommend going to Target or Walmart and purchasing travel size packets of laundry detergent. Yes, you can request more from house keeping but since the packets do not weigh much its a good way to make sure you have enough and you don't have to spend the time requesting more.

I would equate your experience to renting a condo. You can be quite self sufficient inside your villa. You can even order groceries through Garden Grocers, Mouse Concierge, or WeGo and the companies will delivery to the hotel (keeping your cold stuff cold in the hotel fridge until you can unpack) and then you just have to have the bell service bring it up to your room.

Have fun! I wish that you were starting out with a better experience because it really is a wonderful way to experience Disney.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...We're bringing along decorations and will put them up ourselves to help celebrate one members birthday. ...

Are we allowed to ask for a specific building/location upon check-in? We do have one member who has a slight mobility issue. We would like to be close to the main building and on the ground level if possible. Any suggestions for building numbers....

Are there towels at the pools or do we use the room towels?

Okay this is now way toooo long. I'll post again if I think of anything else.

Remember, no decorations outside the villa (like on the door) and no tape inside the villa to put up your decorations.

There are three buildings that have elevators. Most do not. If you did not book the Hospitality House area, you won't be in any of the villas close to the HHA. However, you can catch any bus in the resort to get to the HHA. And to get back, catch the Internal bus since that stops at the HHA first.

Pool towels are available at all the pools. We actually prefer the leisure (quiet) pools over the themed pool.

 

[dianeschlicht]

You will love OKW! For 5 of you there will be a king bed, 2 queen beds and a queen pull out sofa as well as a twin pull out chair. You could each have your own bed if you wanted to do that!

You will be amazed at the size of the unit, and you will find your location wont mean so much to you no matter where you are. There are 5 bus stops, and you are only as far from the main area as you are from a bus stop, since all buses stop there before heading out of the resort.

If your mobility challenged person needs a first floor unit, be sure you mention that at check in.

 

[Dean]

After discussions with the other members of this group, we've decided we will not give out the name of the broker.

Yes we were led to believe that our reservation was just like a reservation for a hotel room made directly through Disney. Two separate conversations were made on a speaker phone with three of us listening on the first conversation and four on the second. But we have all decided that we should have done more research on the broker and the entire process and not relied on the information given to us verbally. Nothing in the written contract confirms anything that was said verbally. We have learned our lesson.

I am positive we will have a great time, we always do when we travel together.

We again want to thank everyone for all of your suggestions and comments, you have been a great source of information.

I understand. I suggested it for 2 reasons. One is that others might need to know IF this were really happening in an intentionally misleading way. The other that 2 of the main rental/broker options are sponsors here and thus DIS needs to know. I'd suggest you still send the info privately to a moderator or webmaster. I'm still thinking it was more likely you made the assumption than you were purposefully misled but non of us were there so we'll have to rely on your judgement of the situation. One of the issues in renting is that most people who approach the possibility of renting have an idea of what to expect and thus most who rent, generally assume people have some idea of what to expect as well. I also remember getting a contact about a possible rental and responding very simplistically in a way I might if someone didn't know anything about DVC or timeshares (the original contact suggested that was the correct approach) and the other party felt patronized and talked down to because they were more knowledgeable than the initial info suggested. So you really can't win.