OKW 1 BR review

[AKLFan3]

We're back from our first stay at OKW, and first stay at Disney as DVC members. We were in room 3516, which is a 1 bedroom on the first floor. I was very excited to stay at OKW since it looks very beautiful from the outside. But I was rather disappointed with the inside. I would grade our room as a "C" for the following reasons:

1. Our villa was somewhat clean and quite worn. I noticed immediately that the front door could use a fresh coat of paint. But that did not bother me very much.
2. The coffee table in the living room was discolored...it looked like someone had placed a glass on the table and the liquid bleached the color. There were also visible water ring stains on the kitchen table.
3. The couch looked very old, and the sofa bed was incredibly thin and uncomfortable. I was able to fall asleep, but I had a backache the entire trip. The living room area was not the worse part though. It was just disappointing to see.
4. The bathroom area was what made me decide that our room was just average. There were chipped bathroom tiles, the mirror frame was chipped, soap residue caked on the soap dish in the shower, and at least 2 months worth of dust collected on the top of the wall tiles. I was looking forward to using the whirlpool tub, but after seeing dust caked on the caulking, I changed my mind.
5. I also could not tell whether the floor was just dirty or worn...there were a lot of little spots on the floor.
6. REALLY loud air-conditioning. I have never heard central air sound this loud at other deluxe resorts. I wore my earplugs to fall asleep, but the room became so cold, we ended up just turning the air conditioning off before bedtime.

We debated whether to call housekeeping to have them come clean the bathroom. But we were not sure whether they would have cleaned the walls from top to bottom, which is really what it needed. The shower and sink were somewhat clean, and the toilet was clean. And since our trip was just 3 nights, we could handle it. As I said before, it was just disappointing to see and we were relieved that our trip was a short one.

We usually stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge and have never seen a room that looked worn/slightly damaged. AKLV is always an A- to A grade room, in my opinion. OKW really did not feel like the high quality standard we are used to receiving from Disney. We are already booked at OKW in April for another short trip (4 nights), and we are going to try to switch to another resort. But we may just end up staying at OKW again because we aren't sure if we want to borrow points from next year to switch to another resort (assuming another resort is even available). We are guaranteed to have a building close to Hospitality House in April, and I hope if we stay at OKW again, those buildings will be much nicer.

There were a few positives to this resort:
1. Our bus stop was Turtle Pond and we rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus to any of the parks.
2. Minimal noise from other guests. The first morning we were there, we slept in until 9:30 am, and we were woken up by kids running back and forth. But it only happened once, so no harm done.
3. DVC discount at Olivia's was nice.
4. Lots of wildlife and excellent water view. We saw ducks swimming in the pond near our patio, and a very cute baby squirrel ran across the patio.
5. This was a bit odd...we saw Herbie in the parking lot! Someone had a VW Bug with the number 53 on it. I don't know very much about Herbie, other than what he looks like. I wish I had the chance to get a picture, but I kept forgetting. Once we were on the bus and saw someone driving Herbie out of the resort. I don't know if it was a cast member or someone who is just REALLY into Herbie and wanted an exact replica.
6. Very friendly cast members.

A few other things that we knew before staying and tolerated:
1. We really do not like how large this resort is. For us, it is a pain not to be able to take a 5 minute walk to the lobby and grab something to eat. I thought we would eat at Olivia's more than once, or spend more time at Hospitality House. But we found that we did not feel like taking the time to get off the bus at HH and then back on to return to our room or go to the park. So we did not spend very much time at the resort and ate all of our meals at other hotels or the parks (except for the first day).
2. We also like being able to enter our room via a hotel hallway instead of entering from outside. We made the mistake of leaving our hallway light on the first night, so when we came back from Illuminations, a bunch of bugs flew right in when we opened the door. Bugs were always hanging around the wall light at night, naturally.

If it were our choice, we definitely would not stay at OKW again. If we still have to keep the April reservation at OKW, then it will be our last time staying there.

Other random Disney thoughts:
1. We went over to our home resort, AKV, and Kidani Village is really coming along! I took some pictures and will try to post them here later on today or tomorrow. We could see where the lobby will be, and I think it will just be a great resort. I can't wait to stay at AKV in December! After eating a wonderful dinner at Jiko and looking at the animals on the savanna, I felt a bit homesick going back over to OKW. I know we made the right choice purchasing at AKV.
2. We walked to the Boardwalk and came across a model BWV room that was open. The CMs there gave us a warm "Welcome Home!" and said to feel free to look around. They had a model studio and 1 BR, which was pretty neat to see.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask!

 

[RLRDA]

Thanks for the trip report! After our upcoming stay at BCV in May, OKW will be the only WDW DVC resort we have left to try and I don't know much about the layout of the resort. How far from the Hospitality House were you? Is that OKW's "lobby" so to speak (check-in, restaurants, etc)?

 

[colleen costello]

Sorry you lost the "room lottery." Sounds like you got a room well overdue for rehab. In fact I have been reading that the whole Turtle Pond area (which we love) is in the middle of rehab. Perhaps Building #35 is next! I have stayed in that building more than once over the years, and we enjoyed it. Being right across from the bus stop is great and we love the lush foliage out front and the water our back. One spring there were tons of baby ducks back there.

We have had mostly great rooms at OKW and one or two kind of shabby. If you DO wind up staying there in April, I hope you get a great room and see how lovely this resort really can be.

Mickey, are you listening? When you let the rehab go too long, it gives people a bad impression, and that is a shame.

 

[Connears]

I think you chose well. If you had so many negatives about OKW. I have been a member at OKW since 1994 and have only had great experiences. Never had a unit that was not cleaned or in order(did have to aske for a remote once and it was there in 20 minutes). Love the size of the units and having my car in front of my unit. I enjoy walking and have never had an issue with the resort size(you can take any bus if you want to get to HH), bus transportation has been fine(although we have our car and drive quite often, like the boat to DTD, we usually eat at parks or resorts for sit down, or have breakfast in our unit so we don't mind the limited take-out choices. On our recent xmas trip, we had a great unit on Turtle Pond and no issues at all. If I encounter issues in the future, I would certainly ask immediately to get it resolved, especially if you feel the unit needed cleaning....I guess that buying where you want to stay is key in your case. I have stayed at BCV and BWV, but always return to OKW...I hope to try AKV but if not, I'm very content with my home resort.

Connears

 

[sajetto]

Thanks for the review and it sounds like you would be happier at your home resort, but that's a GOOD thing! We've always loved OKW and have had comfortable stays. Hopefully, your room was one of the view in the condition you described.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Sorry to hear of you disapointing stay. I have stayed at all of the resorts and liked them all but always return to and prefer OKW. In the last ten stays at OKW I've bever had a problem and always look forward to the next stay.

I stayed at a studio in BCV and that was really the only resort that didn't impress me much, I rather think that perhaps the room I was given colored my view of the whole resort and I've never returned. Since you have a bad taste in your mouth about OKW I would encourage you to swap if you can and if you can't I hope your acco. are better.

 

[AKLFan3]

Thanks for the trip report! After our upcoming stay at BCV in May, OKW will be the only WDW DVC resort we have left to try and I don't know much about the layout of the resort. How far from the Hospitality House were you? Is that OKW's "lobby" so to speak (check-in, restaurants, etc)?

Yes, Hospitality House is OKW's lobby. The general store is there, the main restaurant, Olivia's, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a bar, and a counter service booth. We were about an 8 minute bus ride away from Hospitality House, I think. I never actually timed it. The bus always stopped at Peninsular Road, South Point, then our stop, Turtle Pond. When we checked in, we had to wait about 15 minutes for the internal bus to pick us up. The cast member recommended that we take the bus instead of walking. It normally did not take that long, but for some reason, the (empty) internal bus pulled up to the HH stop, then as we were about to get on, another bus pulled up behind him, and the bus driver motioned that we should get on the other bus (even though that bus was going to Downtown Disney) and then he drove away! So we had to wait for another internal bus to come by. We don't know why he did that, but that was the only time we had to wait a long time for the bus. When we checked out this morning at 6:15 am, the bell services guy picked us up in a van, loaded our luggage and drove to HH within 5 minutes.

Thanks for all the well wishes, everyone! I know that the type of room you receive on your first stay at a hotel can basically make or break your opinion. I never understood how some people could complain that AKV was dark and they would never stay there again. I LOVE that resort, but clearly there is something for everyone. I'm glad those of you who own at OKW or stay there frequently have had great success with your rooms. I am also wondering whether the sofa beds at all of the DVC resorts are as thin as the mattress I slept on. When we toured the model of AKV at SSR (and of course the model will be the best and brightest they have to offer), the sofa bed mattress looked much thicker than the one at OKW. I am interested in finding out whether the DVC rooms at Jambo House live up to what the cast members showed us in the model room.

 

[marvali]

Thanks for the trip report. Sometimes these can sound vindictive or overdone, but you seemed to just give the good and the bad without the emotion.

We have ressies at OKW in July for a 2-bedroom. Have seen a lot of reports on here about the rehabs currently in progress all over the resort. Hopefully those will all be complete by the time we arrive. Sounds like you lost the "not rehabbed yet" lottery and ended up in a room where it is much needed.

I wish for you that you get a newly rehabbed room when you return in April so you can give us another report minus all the things that need repair!

 

[nunzia]

What struck me was not so much the cleanliness issue, but the wear and tear issue. I would hope that DVC owners would take as much care in their home away from home as they do in their other home and not do things such as chip tiles and be careless with finishes on wood. Our dues pay for repairs so we should all be a little careful.
That said, things wear out, but as long as they are clean I can handle that.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Last year when we stayed at OKW we had a room that was referbished and it had the new sleeper sofa's that are more comfortable. Also, last year in the quarterly thing we get in the mail (can't remember what it's called) it said they were referbeshing the GV's with new tv/dvd and new wood floors etc.

OKW is the oldest and biggest resort, there is always some sort of maintenance and referbishent going on. Obviously the newest resorts won't show that wear and tear for quite some time but I imagine over time it's bound to happen anywhere.

Up to now I've never cared what bldg nor what road we stayed at but for future I'll pay more attention.

 

[castleri]

Sorry you did not have a good OKW experience and think you should definitely try to change your April reservation - that will make you happier and also someone who may be on a waitlist for OKW will get lucky.
Stayed at AKL before DVC units there and was not impressed by the room size or the darkness although my then teenaged son loved it. It is his favorite resort so will try it when he comes with us the next time if we can get reservations there. Hope it will be when Kidani opens as I think that is what the model units represent and they seem very nice.
Again as in other posts the diversity of DVC is what makes it such a good timeshare for so many people.
Hope your future trips meet your expectations.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I know it doesn't make your stay any better, but it might help to know that building 35 is one of the buildings that is in the area to be rehabed. Looks like you had the misfortune of getting it at the end of it's "life".

 

[Telcogirl]

Does anyone know the buildings that have already been rehabbed?

 

[Alexander]

A bad room at OKW is still better than a brand-new room at the All Stars!

 

[AKV707]

Thanks for the report. I am sorry that you had a disappointing experience at OKW. DW and I are AKV owners as well. Our first DVC stay was at OKW last fall. We were in 2424, a studio, and we were very happy.

I think that unfortunately you had a room that badly needed renovation. I know that refurbishment is underway at OKW now, so I hope that your April stay is a far better one.

We loved our OKW stay and will definitely stay there again.

 

[Saratoga Souris]

We just returned from OKW and Loved it!! We were also in Turtle Pond. The walk from builing 41 was 6.5 minutes (with a 5 year old in tow). I am prone to timing everything!!
We went to the HH many times per day walking and never found it to be a problem......

 

[rsinj]

.

 

[dianeschlicht]

For those of you who think you MUST walk to the HH, you can take ANY bus and get dropped off at HH, since that is the last stop for all buses before they leave the resort.

Last week, we had the misfortune to also get a "soon to be rehabbed" building (38), and I was surprised to see the old style sofa bed in the 1 bedroom. Our dining room table and coffee table also was in need of rehab, but everything else was fine. I'll just say that we have never been terribly happy with the Turtle Pond area though. Our preference is South Point or Miller's.

 

[ariel & eric]

We also like being able to enter our room via a hotel hallway instead of entering from outside.

This is one of the things we like best about OKW. Love the "your not in a hotel" feel.

 

[Cee]

This is probably why there is never a problem getting a villa at OKW. And since
I am one of this resort's biggest fans, I'm glad!