OKW experts..advice please..my brain hurts :(

[supersuperwendy]

Our 7 month window is about to open and I think I'm going to call and see if we can get into OKW. We are currently booked 2 nights at SSR and 3 nights in a value 2 bedroom at Jambo. I think we will feel so cramped in the value two bedroom since we have 3 extra guests with us.

Question is...what section of OKW would you suggest for a first time visitor to the resort? Which bus stop is picked up first? Will I still feel the christmas spirit at OKW? Do they decorate pretty nicely for xmas?

 

[snackyx]

The sections are really a matter of personal preference. Personally, I like the Turtle Pond area. There are bus stops centrally located, so I would not worry too much about that. OKW at Christmas? One of our favorite tricks is to bring or buy about three 100 string lights and wrap them around the balcony, plug them in at night, and--PRESTO! It's Christmas! Yes, the resort is decorated for the holidays, but its fun to see the lights that are lit up on the balconies after dark, particularly if you have a condo that is overlooking the golf course and you get a panoramic view of the condos.

 

[riatees]

I love OKW at Christmas, well at any time really. It is decorated in a Carribean Christmas theme and a lot of people decorate thier balconies with lights. I prefer to be close to the hospitality house just because we always have a lot of kids with us and they like to be close to the main pool and community center. Basically, anywhere in the OKW complex beats being home. Have a great trip.

 

[Chuck S]

They had many beautiful poinsettias added to the landscaping near the Hospitality area last December, unfortunatley, they froze badly, and were replaced quickly with pansies.

The OKW christmas decorations are pretty conservative compared to many other Disney resorts, but they are very pretty and colorful.

AS far as location, we actually prefer being away from the main area. We like Turtle Pond or South Point areas.

Will anyone be sleeping in the living room area at OKW? If so, you'd probably prefer a building number of 30 or higher. There was a design change during construction. In bldgs 29 and lower, there is one entrance to the master bathroom---through the master bedroom. In building 30 and higher, the master bath can also be accessed throguh the laundry room, giving the master bedroom a little more privacy.

 

[supersuperwendy]

That's really great to know..thanks Chuck. Yes, we will have people sleeping in the living room. I'll take a look at the resort map and try to nail down a good area to request.

 

[supersuperwendy]

Now with the 7 month window looming in 2 days now I can't make a decision which is so typical, but now it's worse then ever. Since doing our add-on we have the ability to stay at all of the resorts even if their points are kind of high for a 2 bedroom. I've watched tons of videos today of the dvc resorts to help decide where to try for when I call. We've never stayed at OKW, VWL, or BCV. Our hearts have been at BWV since we stayed there for our honeymoon. I love SSR but we were just there in January. I love BLT, but my husband hates it. AKV is our home resort and with our value 2 bedroom that we have booked we might get lucky with a savannah view. UGH! I don't know what to do! And now I have a pounding headache from flipping through point charts, watching videos and using the calculator It must have been so much easier when there was only 1 dvc resort!

 

[mjc2003]

You love BWV, SSR, BLT (not so much for the husband) and AKV. This leads me to believe that you will also love the rest. How about call when the window opens up and leave it to fate? OKW will most likely be available of the 3, so ask about availability at VWL and BCV. Whichever one is available, book it. If they are not available, try OKW.

 

[supersuperwendy]

That's a pretty good idea....sometimes that's how we pick which park to go to on our arrival day! We go to the bus stop and get on whichever bus pulls up first. My guess is VWL will be pretty hard to come by for December, but ya never know. My kids want BWV, hubby says doesn't matter to him, maybe I should go with fate.

 

[jimmytammy]

We have been diehard VWL owners since 2001, no where else to stay IMO!! But after several stays there,one stay at OKW in the mix, back to VWL for more stays, one between at BCV, back to more at VWL, then once at BWV, 1 more at VWL, then in March at 1 bed OKW. Point is, OKW impressed us so much that we were willing to give up a 2 week 1 bed stay at VWL in Oct for another OKW 1 bed. Room size amazing, 2 bed huge from what Ive heard. We like Turtle Pond for quiet tranquility. Cant speak for Christmas decs. as we have never seen them, but honestly wouldnt let that prohibit from a stay there.

I say go for it!!

 

[supersuperwendy]

The size of OKW is what's really drawing me to there. There will be the 6 of us (#6 being a toddler), plus my mother in law, brother in law (16 yrs old) and possibly our babysitter too! That's 8 + a baby! Most likely she won't come so I'm betting 7 + a baby. We want some WOW factor though. My mother in law has only been to WDW once and stayed at All Star Music in 1997. I don't think OKW has the wow factor that I'm looking at for her. Same with SSR...we LOVE it..but I want her to be WOWed. My 13 year old and I just came up with a plan. We will drop Friday Dec. 2. Try to get VWL for Dec. 3 & 4, and hopefully BWV for Dec. 5-8. If all that fails then OKW it is! I can give up WOW for the blessing of size! We will try the value 2 bedroom at Jambo sometime in the future when we don't have extra guests.

 

[Bribrittmom]

I would try for a two bedroom standard view at Kidani.Plenty of space and the animals can be seen at the public viewing areas.The decorations particularly at Jambo are beautiful.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Good luck. Anything at 7 months out in early Dec is hard to get.

 

[supersuperwendy]

I would try for a two bedroom standard view at Kidani.Plenty of space and the animals can be seen at the public viewing areas.The decorations particularly at Jambo are beautiful.

They are very big that's for sure and the third bathroom is awesome. We stayed in a standard view 2 bedroom last May and I have to be honest...I hated our parking lot view. We are most likely staying there again July 2012 with my parents so I'm skipping Kidani this year. Thanks though!

 

[supersuperwendy]

Good luck. Anything at 7 months out in early Dec is hard to get.

Thanks...I know I'm up against the odds! If all else fails we can keep what he currently have booked.

 

[bumbershoot]

The sheer size of the OKW 2 bedroom gave the WOW factor to my extended family. And it's really a lovely place. It felt like *vacation* in every way.

 

[dianeschlicht]

The sheer size of the OKW 2 bedroom gave the WOW factor to my extended family. And it's really a lovely place. It felt like *vacation* in every way.

That has been exactly the reaction of all of our guests over the years at OKW as well. In fact we have had several guests go on to buy DVC, and they all bought OKW over the current "new" offering because they were so wowed by the space etc.

 

[supersuperwendy]

I guess since we've yet to stay there I shouldn't comment on it's WOWness, sorry guys! I called this morning about VWL and BWV starting with a Dec. 1 check in. Nope..not available for the nights of Dec. 1, 2, 3. I thought it was worth the try. I may just leave my reservations alone Ugh I don't know. We have Dec. 2 & 3 at SSR. We love it there so much. Then over to a value 2 bedroom for 3 nights. It would be so awesome to get a savannah view. I also think Jambo will be decorated so nice for Christmas. My head could seriously explode with all the thinking and rethinking. Plus, we are planning a trip with my parents for July 2012 which is the same use year so I need to keep playing with points for both trips to see what will work. UGH! The whole point of the value 2 bedroom was to conserve points. My husband said to just leave it since we spend such little time in our room anyway. MY BRAIN!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I guess since we've yet to stay there I shouldn't comment on it's WOWness, sorry guys! I called this morning about VWL and BWV starting with a Dec. 1 check in. Nope..not available for the nights of Dec. 1, 2, 3. I thought it was worth the try. I may just leave my reservations alone Ugh I don't know. We have Dec. 2 & 3 at SSR. We love it there so much. Then over to a value 2 bedroom for 3 nights. It would be so awesome to get a savannah view. I also think Jambo will be decorated so nice for Christmas. My head could seriously explode with all the thinking and rethinking. Plus, we are planning a trip with my parents for July 2012 which is the same use year so I need to keep playing with points for both trips to see what will work. UGH! The whole point of the value 2 bedroom was to conserve points. My husband said to just leave it since we spend such little time in our room anyway. MY BRAIN!!!

Frankly, we have had guests who have stayed in a 2 bedroom with us at both Jambo and OKW. They loved the savanna view of Jambo, but the thought OKW was a much better unit. I have to agree with them. We stay at AKV and own there, but we always miss OKW.

If your intent was to save points, then you should go with the stay that is the cheapest for your point total.

 

[dmoore22]

Whenever we make reservations we have a 1st choice, 2cd choice, and 3rd choice just in case our preferences aren't available at the time we make our reservations. We then use the waitlist for our preferred accommodations. So far the waitlist has never failed us though we have had our moments of anxiety. As others have mentioned previously the best locations at OKW are a matter of personal preference. We have never been disappointed in any of the locations. If transportation is a concern we have found the HH section near Peninsular to be almost ideal. It is the first stop but also within walking distance of the HH which is usually the last stop. The best of both worlds. We have spent our last 3 Christmases at OKW. Its wonderful.