OKW Best Buildings

[kra623]

Hi All,

We are planning our first family Disney Vacation and are going to be staying at the OKW resort, but it is HUGE! We will be in a two bedroom. Is there any certain buildings to request and why???? I would be greatful for any info.

Thanks

 

[Deb & Bill]

We always go for water view and/or Turtle Pond area. That gives us a lot of possibilities.

 

[dianeschlicht]

This will show you the building locations in relationship to the grounds etc. We used ti request "non smoking" and "near South Point", but lately we have just been requesting "non-smoking", and we have never gotten a bad view or area. There will be 2 bedroom villas in nearly all buildings.

 

[PKK/MJK]

A lot depends on the preferences of your family. We really enjoy buildings 45 and 46 because they overlook Trumbo Canal. You look across the canal into woods and can watch the boats go back and forth from Downtown Disney. Very lovely view! A lot of people prefer buildings closer to the Hospitality House and the Main Pool so they don't have to walk very far. Looking at the map above and considering your family needs will help you make a decision. Remember that requests are NOT guaranteed. Are you staying in a 'dedicated' two bedroom or a 'lock-off' two bedroom? Buildings numbers 30 and above have a second entrance into the Master bathroom through the utility room. We've always liked this option so people don't tromp through the Master bedroom at night but others don't find it necessary.

 

[BobH]

Where did you get the map? I have one question if you have the time -
I was under the impression from a previous post that bldg 25 is a smoking building. Do you know if OKW changes whether buildings are non-smoking?
Thanks. BobH

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Due to the demand for non smoking some of the previous smoking buildings have been converted. Building 25 is one of them, it is now a non smoking building. 12,19 and 41 are the only remaining smoking buildings on the property.

 

[BobH]

I have stayed in building 27 in a second floor studio and it was not a handicapped unit. I have stayed in building 20 in a 1 bed room also not a handicapped unit. I would also think that it cannot be assumed that all units in these buildings are handicapped, but rather that handicapped units are available in these buildings. The map is great but it can't answer all questions.
Maybe the HA on the map stands for "handicapped available" rather than "handicapped accessible" ?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Remember that in most of those buildings, because of the lack of elevators, any unit above the first floor can't be handicapped accessible. Only in the few buildings with elevators can an upper floor unit be handicapped-accessible.

 

[BobH]

Thanks

 

[Pa@okw95]

Remember that in most of those buildings, because of the lack of elevators, any unit above the first floor can't be handicapped accessible. Only in the few buildings with elevators can an upper floor unit be handicapped-accessible.

HA Units at OKW are on the first floor only and not in the elevator buildings because according to MS the elevators can not be used during a fire.

 

[Simba's Mom]

HA Units at OKW are on the first floor only and not in the elevator buildings because according to MS the elevators can not be used during a fire.

That makes sense. I know that other resorts have handicapped-accessible rooms on upper floors (I've stayed in 2-ASMu and POR). I wonder if these rooms are such a great idea thinking of the fire situation.

 

[bags6490]

We are currently staying in building 12. They called it a "smoking optional" room when we checked in. DH is a smoker but I make him smoke outside. The room does smell a little like smoke, but we keep the doors open most of the time and it isn't very noticeable. Being close to the shops and resturants was important to us, so we took what they had in buildings 11-14. When our kids get older we will probably choose a room with more of a view (although it is beautiful right on the golf course) and insist on a non-smoking room.

 

[BobH]

I am not familiar with Florida's Fire Codes and Building Codes so it may be possible to have handicapped units above the first floor. I am a member of the fire service in Ma and would encourage anyone to simply inquire if there are sprinklers in the resorts they stay at. There have been virtually no fatatlities in the last 100 years in any building that has an automatic sprinkler system. That being said I would always use common sense and recommend a handicapped individual stay on the first floor whenever possible.

 

[shari2shop]

I was just looking at the great map!

On our upcoming trip (studio) I have requested:
Non-smoking
Close to HH.

We have never been to OKW. I was just looking at the map and buildings 23 -29. If we get one of those rooms, is there a creek/river/lake between the building and the pool area? Would we drive a car to the pool or could we just walk?

Thanks!
Shari

 

[Cruise04]

The pool is across the street in the Hospitality House area. You can walk very easily. That is the area that we have stayed in every time we have been at OKW and I LOVE that area. It's close to the bus stop, close to the laundry if you have to do any, close to the Hospitality House if you want to hang out there, close to the main pool. It's just a really nice area. Probably not as quiet as other areas but I don't really like being back that far, I don't know why (this is in reference to the 23-29 building area).

 

[beccasmom]

We just returned (yesterday) from an OKW vacation. For the second time, we stayed in building 46 – a one bedroom for four nights, over to a studio for two nights (drat those double points on weekends! ) and back to a one bedroom for two nights. We were in room 4625 (one bedroom), moved over to the lock-off studio (4626) and then back to room 4625, which made things much easier. It is a great building and I highly recommend it for the views. Two years back, we stayed in 4622 (a two bedroom villa)….great view! We might have to start requesting accommodations closer to the Hospitality House because I am facing joint replacement surgery in the next year or two. Turtle Pond is also a great spot.

 

[jjnv]

We just got back from 2 nights stay at OKW last week. We also requested non-smoking and close to the pool. We ended up at building 13. The location is good for pool access. But I would not stay there next time. We were on a 1st floor studio unit. I can hear the bus coming and going late at night and early in the morning. Also we had a HA unit and the show was quite odd. It does not have any barrier (I guess for wheelchair access). So the floor got quite wet and slipery. My six year old slipped after he stepped out of the show.

I would recommend family with young children to request non HA unit. Since we were only there for 2 nights, and we love the resort so much, we did not complain or ask to switch. But I will know better next time. Our overall experience with DVC was great. We came back and immediately got a contract for OKW.

 

[wanna-b-Tink]

For some reason we've been in building 47 three times (without requesting it) and now it is our building of choice. I like the parking area, it is close to the bus stop, and you overlook the golf course.
Thanks for the map - I've been hunting for something like it all day!

 

[WDWMom]

I'm sorry, our requests are top secret. If we told everyone our room requests and why we liked them, then everyone else would know and we would never get them ourselves.