OKW - First-timers

[JFR962]

We are family of 4 (from UK – Mum/Dad, kids aged 11/7) re-visiting WDW in Feb 2011.
We decided on OKW [charmed by its location, spacious/refurbished apartments and subdued Disneyfication], but are alarmed at the number of poor and disappointing reviews posted on various forums (it takes a particular pasting on TripAdvisor).
Disney accommodation is not cheap and we have saved 3 years for this vacation.
Looking for some re-assurance from fair-minded Disney veterans that OKW will live up to our expectations and that cost-cutting, sub-standard refurbishments and sloppy housekeeping will not spoil the Disney experience.

 

[dopeygirl76]

We have stayed at OKW two times, most recently April 2010....we LOVE this resort. During our last stay there were 14 of us in 5 rooms, we had one maintanance issue...leaky toilet...it was fixed immediately with no problem. My family who had never been to WDW were VERY impressed and thought the resort was beautiful.

IMO- there will always be problem areas that because of the circumstances (exhaustion from travel, expectations, or in rare occasions rude staff) that COULD be negative...we have FEW of those compared to positive/ wonderful stories.

 

[Candy Orlando]

I stayed at OKW last week in a renovated one bedroom villa. It was beautiful and perfectly clean. It has always been my favorite resort and still is. All of the CM's are very helpful. Enjoy!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have stayed at OKW over 30 times, and we LOVE it. Not so in love with the new decor, but you can't beat the space and the total feel of the resort. It truly is a "Florida" experience.

 

[Lost boy]

We'll be there on 1/14 til 1/23, we are new OKW owners, we also own at SSR. On our last trip to SSR my wife and I took a boat ride over to OKW and hung around for a while and were really impressed with this resort. Although we did'nt get into any of the rooms we've seen enough pics on the Dis boards, old and renovated where we're not worried about it. I'm willing to bet your going to be impressed, as we were. Have fun!

 

[Granny]

Looking for some re-assurance from fair-minded Disney veterans that OKW will live up to our expectations and that cost-cutting, sub-standard refurbishments and sloppy housekeeping will not spoil the Disney experience.

Here is a link to a thread that has a lot of positive information about this resort. If you read through this OKW Lovers thread you should get very excited about your upcoming trip. Enjoy!

 

[Raptorfan]

You won't be disappointed by Old Key West. I have stayed at most of the resorts and Old Key West is by far my favourite and my wife's (also from Scotland). You might want to request a room close to the Hospitality house to afford easier access to the themed pool for the young ones.

 

[Havana]

I had the same concerns before our first stay at OKW last year.
We enjoyed our stay and would stay here again.
We especially liked the large size of the room

 

[iluveeyore]

We stayed last week in a renovated 2 bedroom and loved it! My sister also had a renovated 2 bedroom, and she had never stayed there before so had no complaints about the renovation. We have stayed many times, and I love the new look of the rooms, especially the granite countertops and my son loved the new pullout chair, so big and comfy. We have so much space there, it was a perfect place to stay for Christmas. And my Dad just loves wandering and exploring around the resort itself. No worries, you'll enjoy it!

 

[Norm1]

I have been a DVC member since 1995 when it was the only DVC resort. I love OKW now as I loved it then, my most recent stay was Sept/10. I have since, stayed at every DVC resort with the exception of BLT. Each resort has a different feel and has it's advantages and disadvantages but IMO OKW has a unique feel. The rooms are much larger, the property is much more private and when you leave the busy parks it's like stepping out of Disney into a warm comfortable home. We always have found the cast members at OKW to be extra friendly and helpful. You can do as much or as little as you want at OKW. Relax at the several pools, rent a boat or bike, take part in the activities at community hall, sit on your balcony and watch the golfers, etc, and much more. Enjoy and don't worry about the "nay sayers." it's a great resort.

 

[JFR962]

Thanks for all the encouraging feedback.
Suitably re-assured!
[All we need worry about now is the UK weather disrupting travel arrangements!]

 

[Br'erBriere]

Nothing to worry about that. We stayed in a studio in August and loved it. It was right at the first bus stop, was not renovated yet, but was in very good condition.

The bus service is the best around.

The main pool/slide is alot of fun, the over theme makes you feel like relaxed. Can't say enough great things about it.

 

[Mama Steph]

We stayed at OKW for 10 nights in August. It was our first time staying onsite as we usually rent a house offsite. Last year we had a very large, beautiful 5 bedroom home with a private pool. I was very concerned about making the switch after having such great accommodations. There were 8 of us in the 2 bedroom villa and we loved it. Dh and I had the master bedroom, my sister shared the other bedroom with my 3 girls and my 2 boys shared the living room. We never felt cramped and absolutely loved the patio. We spent mornings out there with coffee and evenings with a glass of wine. Loved having a full kitchen. We really liked the feel of the resort. My dh was concerned about staying onsite for this trip since he didn't want, as he put it, a mouse in his pocket the whole time. We felt like we were at a beach resort though. We had lunch at Olivia's our first day, spent a few afternoons at the pool which my kids loved and dh and I spent a few hours at the Gurgling Suitcase one evening. We also liked being able to take the boat to DTD. We loved OKW so much that we went on a DVC tour and decided to purchase. We bought at BLT but had some family issues that caused us to cancel. We now see iat as a blessing and are planning to purchase OKW resale since we love it there. With a family of 7, we like to have the extra space the resort offers.

 

[mvc1997]

I have been a DVC member since 1995 when it was the only DVC resort. I love OKW now as I loved it then, my most recent stay was Sept/10. I have since, stayed at every DVC resort with the exception of BLT. Each resort has a different feel and has it's advantages and disadvantages but IMO OKW has a unique feel. The rooms are much larger, the property is much more private and when you leave the busy parks it's like stepping out of Disney into a warm comfortable home. We always have found the cast members at OKW to be extra friendly and helpful. You can do as much or as little as you want at OKW. Relax at the several pools, rent a boat or bike, take part in the activities at community hall, sit on your balcony and watch the golfers, etc, and much more. Enjoy and don't worry about the "nay sayers." it's a great resort.

I'll ditto this!
We love our OKW, we've stayed at almost all but BLT and OKW is our favorite.
Some changes we like, some not so much, we've been members for 13 years and sometimes we are set in our ways.
Don't worry you will love it! My grandchildren love it!
While your relaxing at the pool, do check out the fun crafts at the Community Hall. Our Kids & adults alike really enjoyed making tye-dye T shirts!
ENJOY!!!!

 

[staceymay00]

We spent last week in refurbished 2BR at OKW. It was great! I think the new design looks nice, and we enjoyed the casual vibe at the resort. Our villa was very clean when we arrived. There were a couple of minor things I noticed over the week that could have been improved when they refurbished the room, but nothing significant. The cast members we encountered at OKW were all very friendly. We stayed on points so only had trash and towel service one day, but it was on time and as expected.

I do think Disney resorts in general sometimes get poor reviews because people expect more for the price. Disney resort rooms are not going to be as nice as what you can get off site for the same price. You are paying extra for the perks of being on site.

We are new DVC owners at OKW and last week was our first stay there. I just booked our next trip and I'm torn because I would like to try a new resort, but I also can't wait to stay at OKW again.

 

[smitette]

This is the only resort that we stay at! We love the layout and it is really relaxing and laid back! You will love it!

 

[Cee]

For reasons I cannot explain, I resisted staying at OKW. In Jan. 2007, my DH and I took an impromptu trip and OKW was the only availability. So we "bit the bullet" and got a studio. Well, suffice it to say it is now one of our favorite resorts. It's big, it's beautiful, it's close to DTD, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this resort IMHO. Go and have the time of your life.

 

[Ms.Mouse]

We own at BWV but did decide to "brave out" a stay at OKW after hearing and seeing so many negative reports about it.

We found OKW to be a very nice, spacy, quiet resort with wonderful staff.

Don't forget to eat a Breakfast or Dinner at OKW restaurant, Olivia's. We ate there and then cancelled a breakfast and another dinner to go back. The food was good and the service great!

Like everything else on these boards (here and others) you are going to find lots of opinions. Just remember that that's all they are....opinions. You will have to make your own judgement, BUT... MY opinion is that you won't be disappointed at OKW.