OKW Advice

[Lexilulu]

We have stayed at all of the deluxe hotels at WDW before beoming DVC members. Now that we are DVC members we are both scared & excited to stay at OKW. Any advice on what buildings to request with two small kids? This resort seems alot different than the others and I'm totally confused about all the bus stops within the resort. Do you have to stop at each bus stop before going to the park? Doesn't it take forever then to get to the park?
Can you walk the whole resort? - we do not have a car. Thanks for any info.

 

[iluveeyore]

First of all, don't be scared, just be excited! We have stayed at many of the DVC resorts, and our family and friends always beg us to stay at OKW - so we're heading back in 3 short months! It is so beautiful and relaxing, and we never find the buses a problem. If you don't want to ride around all the stops, request Hospitality House on your reservation so you stay near the front of the resort - then you can walk over to the Hospitality House and get on the bus there to the parks, as it's the last stop before the buses head out. Then when you come back, you get off at Peninsular Road the first stop and go to your room from there. You can google OKW resort map and see what I'm talking about. You'll love it there! We loved building 26 for the golf and water views, and many DIS'ers have suggested building 14 as well. We are in building 33 hopefully as Turtle Pond area is our favourite for the quiet pool and views there.
Enjoy your stay - you'll love it!

 

[chalee94]

If you don't want to ride around all the stops, request Hospitality House on your reservation so you stay near the front of the resort - then you can walk over to the Hospitality House and get on the bus there to the parks, as it's the last stop before the buses head out.

note that since the hospitality house area is the last stop before the buses leave OKW for the parks, if you are not staying in the HH area you can still hop the first bus that comes and get off at that last stop if you wanted to get to the HH area (lobby, main pool, boat dock, gift shop, olivia's) without walking...

 

[dianeschlicht]

If you are not booked in the HH category, you can always request buildings near the second to the last bus stop (Miller's Road), and then you will not have to wait through the bus stops when you leave for the parks.

We prefer the South Point area. It's the second bus stop on the way into the resort, and that means we get home quickly when returning from the parks. I never worry too much about the bus stops when we are going to the parks. We usually go early, and that means lots of extra buses, and little to no waiting. The stops take very little time unless you happen to have handicapped people getting on or off.

Walking is never really an issue at OKW either. I MUCH prefer walking there along their nice sidewalks and vegetation than I do those long hallways at BWV and AKV. We actually feel we do less walking at OKW than at those resorts. PLUS...Every bus stops at HH area last, so it's easy to get there without walking if you choose not to walk. The full round trip of all the bus stops should be around 10 minutes.

FYI, bus stop order coming IN to the resort is:
Peninsular Road
South Point
Old Turtle Pond Road
Miller's Road
Hospitality House

Here is the map:

 

[BEASLYBOO]

We have stayed at all of the deluxe hotels at WDW before beoming DVC members. Now that we are DVC members we are both scared & excited to stay at OKW. Any advice on what buildings to request with two small kids? This resort seems alot different than the others and I'm totally confused about all the bus stops within the resort. Do you have to stop at each bus stop before going to the park? Doesn't it take forever then to get to the park?
Can you walk the whole resort? - we do not have a car. Thanks for any info.

1st, Take a deep breath, the worse part is over, You're now DVC members (Congrats!) and there's nothing to be scared of!

If you want to be by the main pool, then you should request HH section, it's closest and would be the easiest walk to and from the pool with 2 little kids. Otherwise, really any/every section has buses to get you to and from HH and the parks.

My favorite OKW locations, Bldng# 15, 45, 46, 42, 55. We love the Turtle pond area and the quiet pools!

Complaints about the bus system, I don't have any, with regards to OKW and any other resort for that matter. Some are longer than others but realistically, parking your car for several days and letting someone else do the driving, suits me fine. It's not like you spend hours on the bus, in fact Epcot, TL, DHS and DTD are just around the corner, the longest bus ride is to MK and it's not bad at all!

One of the things we love to do is to take the boat at OKW and head to DTD for ice cream at Girardeli's, it's lovely during the day but even lovelier at night!

OKW might look daunting at the beginning but you're on vacation, and once you get around a bit (take a few short walks around the resort) and get the low down on OKW and all it has to offer, you'll be fine!

Hopefully, you'll love it as much as I do!

 

[lovindisney4ever]

First of all, I have to say that OKW is my absolute favorite DVC resort. The rooms are so much bigger than the rest of the DVC resorts and the atmosphere is just magical! Everyone is so very helpful and Olivia's restaurant has really good food. There is also a great little snack bar near the main pool where you can get counter service food and drinks plus a bar nearby. They offer all kinds of activities for the kids and the pools are amazing. I prefer to be by the HH because it is closest to everything but there is not a bad spot in OKW. You can walk the whole resort but it is kind of big but they also have bikes you can rent or you can hop on the busses just to get up to the HH if you are in the back. One of the other great things I love about OKW is that you can hop on the boat by the HH from there over to DD. It does make a quick stop at SS but it is enjoyable and relaxing. We do it every time we stay there. You also don't have to wait on a bus if you wanted to go to DD. So I think it is faster. I think that once you stay at OKW you will be hooked! Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[belkisima]

We own at SSR but we hate staying there. OKW Rocks! They just renovated the rooms so they are awesome. They are by far the largest of the DVC rooms in all categories because it was the original DVC resort. They built all the others significantly smaller than the rooms at OKW. We are extremely comfortable there and it definitely feels like a "home away from home" there. The main pool is nice as well as the quiet pools. Olivia's cafe is awesome the service is great and the food is good and not expensive. You can also take the boats down to DTD and you can also rent boats there to cruise in the canals. It is always my first choice for DVC stay, followed by AKL.

 

[kid-at-heart]

When you check in you will be asked if you have a car. If you do not, they will tell you to stop by bell services and someone will take you to your room. I do not know if you are supposed to tip but since we had a couple of carry-on bags I did tip. When you are ready to leave, call bell services and they will pick up you and your bags. We left around 9:00ish a.m. and bell services was at the door within five minutes of my call.

Our building was #55 (5524) in South Point. The walk was enjoyable. Our room was directly above the "quiet" pool. The quiet pool was very, very noisy, esp after 10 p.m. I called security twice after midnight and asked them to quiet the people in the quiet pool. Each time they responded quickly. For our next visit, I will request a room far, far away from the quiet pools.

If you have small children and do not mind being on the bottom floor, it will probably be more enjoyable for the young ones and you will not have to worry about their running about the villa and disturbing the neighbors below.

 

[Breyean]

If you have small children and do not mind being on the bottom floor, it will probably be more enjoyable for the young ones and you will not have to worry about their running about the villa and disturbing the neighbors below.

Thank you for this very thoughtful comment. I wonder if after the refurb the noise is even worse since didn't they replace a lot of the carpets with wood laminate?

I was once in a studio by myself - having gone for the marathon at a time when my family couldn't join me. Terrible decision - nothing worse than being at WDW by yourself.

Anyway, the people in the room next door were so loud I knew all their names from all the screaming within just a few hours. I knew their plans for each day; where they were eating.

But the absolute worst was when one of the young ones decided to use the adjoining door between our rooms to throw a ball against to play catch by himself. That was when I dragged myself next door, knocked on the door, and nicely asked if they could please stop him from doing that.

The parents basically called me a liar and said they had been quiet the whole stay, forget about throwing a ball against the door - NO WAY!!

That was then I called them all by name, told them about their stay, which I heard all about, and even some personal issue they had been yelling about about one of their parents.

After that, when they got their jaws off the floor, they said they'd hold it down and it was quiet from then on, but I left the next day anyway.

I wish more people had your common sense and respect for others. Yes, people are on vacation and kids are kids, but EVERYONE there is on vacation, too, and we all need to be aware of how our actions are affecting others around us.

These are hotel rooms, after all, not islands.

 

[iluveeyore]

Thank you for this very thoughtful comment. I wonder if after the refurb the noise is even worse since didn't they replace a lot of the carpets with wood laminate?

I was once in a studio by myself - having gone for the marathon at a time when my family couldn't join me. Terrible decision - nothing worse than being at WDW by yourself.

Anyway, the people in the room next door were so loud I knew all their names from all the screaming within just a few hours. I knew their plans for each day; where they were eating.

But the absolute worst was when one of the young ones decided to use the adjoining door between our rooms to throw a ball against to play catch by himself. That was when I dragged myself next door, knocked on the door, and nicely asked if they could please stop him from doing that.

The parents basically called me a liar and said they had been quiet the whole stay, forget about throwing a ball against the door - NO WAY!!

That was then I called them all by name, told them about their stay, which I heard all about, and even some personal issue they had been yelling about about one of their parents.

After that, when they got their jaws off the floor, they said they'd hold it down and it was quiet from then on, but I left the next day anyway.

I wish more people had your common sense and respect for others. Yes, people are on vacation and kids are kids, but EVERYONE there is on vacation, too, and we all need to be aware of how our actions are affecting others around us.

These are hotel rooms, after all, not islands.

I seriously think this should be posted on the doors in all hotel rooms at WDW!

We have started requesting top floor rooms for this reason, as well as the higher up you are, the better your view in my opinion. I don't get excited hauling two weeks' worth of groceries up the stairs, but I get help from my men and we never hear anyone above our heads! (which we have many times in the past, even before the renovations). Kids will be kids though, so we put up with any noise we hear as long as it's not pre-dawn or after 11 pm for a long stretch of time. At least at OKW you don't have kids running up and down the hallways at 7am, or running and screaming by your windows like at the All-Star Resorts.

 

[dmoore22]

I seriously think this should be posted on the doors in all hotel rooms at WDW!

We have started requesting top floor rooms for this reason, as well as the higher up you are, the better your view in my opinion. I don't get excited hauling two weeks' worth of groceries up the stairs, but I get help from my men and we never hear anyone above our heads! (which we have many times in the past, even before the renovations). Kids will be kids though, so we put up with any noise we hear as long as it's not pre-dawn or after 11 pm for a long stretch of time. At least at OKW you don't have kids running up and down the hallways at 7am, or running and screaming by your windows like at the All-Star Resorts.

Since the renov with the laminate we've also noticed the acoustics allow us to hear more about our neighbors than they would desire us to hear without us even trying. I'm not sure why but we haven't noticed it as bad when staying in a third floor unit.