OKW doubts. Alternative?

[jclaydon]

Hi

Was just about to pull the trigger on booking a 1 bed villa at OKW for next May but now having doubts about it. It'll be our first visit to WDW, have 2 young kids (will be 8 and 6), want to stay on-site. Prefer the option of the villas to be able to have breakfast in the room; and for abit more chill-out space (daughter is Autistic so will give us more room if she needs some quiet time). Does OKW give us enough options to eat? Is it easy enough to drive back to the parks / other resorts for evening meals? Additionally my wife has MS which means she has trouble walking long distances.

Our first choice was initially the Beach Club Villas, but the cost is coming up £2000 more; but would this be a worthwhile investment? Any other resorts recommended? (as its our 1st visit not keen on trying to rent DVC points).

Sorry for all the questions, just so many options to consider!

 

[joolz1910]

What is putting you off OKW? We stayed there for our first visit and I fell in love with it. We had a 1 bed villa for 5 of us. The resort felt tranquil after the hectic days in the parks. It was so pretty! The food options are quite limited but a bus/boat/car ride takes you to DTD very quickly! The villas are incredibly spacious and we loved having a balcony to sit out on in the evening.

An alternative for a similar price would be SSR, but I would not personally pay £2000 more for the Beach Club unless money wasn't an issue. OKW provided the perfect 'chill-out' and we often went back to the villa for a swim and then headed out for an evening meal. Bliss.

 

[jclaydon]

Not sure really! Is it easy enough to drive / bus / boat to DTD or the parks in the evening for meals?

 

[Elise79]

You might be better off at SSR as it is the same price but had better eating options on site.

Your wife might be best off renting a scooter as the resort walking is nothing compared to the parks. SSR also has lifts in all buildings making the use of a scooter easier.

BCV doesn't really have that many quick eating options nearby.

Getting to the parks from OKW/ SSR is quick as they are quite central and certainly no problem heading back for an afternoon break.

 

[scoobydooby]

You are not getting anything additional from BCV apart from proximity to Epcot and DHS (which does vastly expand your easily accessible eating choices) and a much better pool. I believe the rooms at OKW are actually bigger and all have been recently refurbished. That's a big resort so you really need a car there buy no where is far away with a car.

 

[orangetiggs]

We stayed in one bed two years ago with out then 23 month old twins, we now dont want to stay anywhere else, went for a two bed last year and back to a one bed this year at okw

Driving back to parks is easy imo and the space and washer and dryer is fab

 

[DISWolves]

Will be on our 4th stay at OKW in August (and our 5th in Aug 2014) and I cannot recommend it enough. All of the parks can be reached in a short time and the Disney transport is very good if you choose to use it. We request Millers Road location, and this has a quiet swimming pool, laundry facilities and a nearby bus stop. As mentioned earlier, the eating facilities could be improved, but a pleasant boat ride will get you to DTD in 15 minutes. We tend to use Port Orleans Riverside for eating around the resort area. once inside the resort, it feels that you are a million miles from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks..

 

[MrRomance]

Either OKW or SSR are great options because of their price and their close proximity to DTD. BCV is obviously close to 2 of the 4 parks and the Boardwalk, but the price doesn't justify the change.

You will not have any problems accessing the parks or restaurants by car, bus or boat. SSR has a walkway to DTD, but with your DW's mobility issues getting the boat over or driving will probably be easier.

Don't overthink it, nothing at WDW is a million miles away and even though the restaurants at OKW and SSR are not the greatest, you won't have a problem getting to parks and restaurants.

 

[ohana7]

Okw is a good choice, we have two boys with autism, so with regards do this, okw gives your daughter the chance to decompress in a larger space, as the parks can over stimulate.

If she like swimming or being in water as our do, there are four quite pools dotted around, we like the quite pools, as our boys can start making noises if over stimulated, as often there is no one else at the pools, this means less "stares" from other children and I'm sorry to say adults, and we don't feel the need to constantly explain why our children are acting that way.

You will also have a sleeper chair as well as the sofa bed at okw. Again sensory issues may mean that your daughter will be happier sleeping in her own bed.

The bathrooms are larger including the whirlpool bath, again in case you need more space when washing, which is always difficult for our boys. The whirlpool tub is also great from sensory issues and often calms ours.

You also have a larger balcony which you can access from both the bedroom or the lounge, so you can have a place to escape once they children are sleeping.

You probably have free dining but we find the large kitchen easier as we can control food more, for example no touching food, or only certain textures, although the restaurants are great there are times when you may not want to go anywhere and just need to eat a meal in.

Hope this gives you some thought but if you need further help or questions just ask

Enjoy you holiday

 

[Ffiharri]

Hi

It'll be our first visit to WDW, have 2 young kids (will be 8 and 6), want to stay on-site. Prefer the option of the villas to be able to have breakfast in the room; and for abit more chill-out space (daughter is Autistic so will give us more room if she needs some quiet time). Does OKW give us enough options to eat? Is it easy enough to drive back to the parks / other resorts for evening meals? Additionally my wife has MS which means she has trouble walking long distances.

I LOVE OKW - so much we did it twice. I didn't rate the resort table service option - Olivia's (although many do). It was simply ok - glad to have done it but nothing to make me rebook it. OKW must have the worst CS on site - it's a window with outdoor benches only. None of this would stop me going back. The resort is truly stunning. It's peaceful and the boat to DTD is a bonus. We use a car. We don't eat anywhere more than once per stay and are happy to travel to eat. It suits us but if you're looking for easy eating options on resort others may suit you better. If you're looking for lots of space in beautiful surroundings then you can't go wrong with OKW

 

[Cyrano]

What is putting you off OKW? We stayed there for our first visit and I fell in love with it. We had a 1 bed villa for 5 of us. The resort felt tranquil after the hectic days in the parks. It was so pretty! The food options are quite limited but a bus/boat/car ride takes you to DTD very quickly! The villas are incredibly spacious and we loved having a balcony to sit out on in the evening.

An alternative for a similar price would be SSR, but I would not personally pay £2000 more for the Beach Club unless money wasn't an issue. OKW provided the perfect 'chill-out' and we often went back to the villa for a swim and then headed out for an evening meal. Bliss.

Agee whole heartily . Last summer was our first on-site visit, which was at OKW.
Heading back again as a family of 5 (2 adults, 15, 13 and 11 year olds) in 2 months time

 

[spm23]

Save your money, transport is regular, quick and as staying on site you could be anywhere eating within 30 mins in any park or other hotel resort, it's easy to get around. You would be better off looking for free dining plan or putting the money towards the plan if not on offer.

Personally, SSR is 5 min walk or boat to DTD where you have choices or its 15 mins to many places to eat around shopping malls or I-drive.

 

[WiganTony]

Having stayed at OKW twice, this is definitely our favourite place. We have had a studio near to the Turtle Shack Pool which meant that we could chill out there at lunchtime whilst grabbing some food/snacks from the snack bar at the pool.

The downside is the lack of restaurants, but as mentioned above, it is a short ride on the bus or by boat to Downtown Disney for a far greater choice. If you do decide to use the boat, all the park and internal resort buses call at Hospitality House where you can alight and then it's a very short walk for the boat, which drops you near to Pleasure Island. Alternatively, you can catch a bus directly to Downtown Disney which drops you at the opposite side at the Marketplace.

 

[Samaya]

If size is a major factor then an OKW 1-bed (924 sq-ft) is 30% larger than an SSR 1-bed (714 sq-ft) and although we've stayed at OKW on many occasions we've rarely eaten either at Good's To Go quick service dinning or Olivia's Cafe table service, its good but not one of our favorite's.

If you're renting a car and also on the dinning plan then we would suggest you try a different table service restaurant each day from the plan, especially those at the other Deluxe Resorts such as Animal Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Grand Floridian and so on, that way you can get to visit those resorts and thus compare for future years.

We would therefore recommend OKW for a first time stay with SSR a close second.

 

[jclaydon]

Thanks for all the replies. You've convinced me, and have now booked OKW for next May! Now to start the serious planning, any recommendations (particularly on restaurants) for first timers greatly received!

 

[WiganTony]

Not sure if you would be planning to eat at T-Rex at Downtown Disney, but if so and you find that there are not many time slots available through the Disney ADT site, contact the restaurant direct through their website - they will e-mail you back and confirm a time for you.

 

[marcgiu]

We also have a son with Autism and always stay at OKW – he loves it and it’s a very relaxed resort

We have stayed there 7 times (I think!) and love it – it’s a little removed from the hustle and bustle but (apart from MK) is pretty close to everything.
One tip though - Ask for a room near the hospitality house – it’s a big resort so it’s nice to be close to the main building.

Any other questions please feel free to PM me

 

[DisneyBB]

We belong to DVC and OKW is our home resort. We have stayed at all the rest and OKW is by far the most laid back and tranquil resort. The beach club is nice but it is a long walk to your car. In OKW the car is parked out side your unit.

 

[joolz1910]

We stayed at OKW with three daughters, 12, 8 and 4. The list of ADR's are in my trip report (link in signature). Our favourites were: Chef Mickey and 'Ohana. I wouldn't bother with Olivia's again and I wasn't that impressed by the Rainforest Cafe. For girly girls Akershus is great for meeting the princesses. We also enjoyed character breakfasts. The best quick service was probably Wolfgang Puck - amazing value.

Happy planning!

 

[1andrea]

We loved Old Key West, the distance to the parks were fine for us, they took about 10 mins to get to each, maybe a couple of minutes longer to Magic Kingdom. Downtown Disney is really close for lots of dining and shopping options and Crossroads is nearby too for offsite dining. The foodcourt at OKW is basic without any indoor seating but there is also Olivias for reasonably priced table service, which never seemed too busy.

I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again!