OKW Lovers Thread. Part 2

[Deb & Bill]

Silly question, are bathrobes supplied in the rooms? How many (if any) for a 2BR?

None are provided at OKW.

 

[88golf88]

Just returned from our first stay at OKW...I have to say that I went in with a few concerns especially the bus stops and the overall size of the resort. I am happy to say that these confers were completely baseless as the busses were fantastic (and we have gotten used to driving to most parks and downtown Disney, but chose to bus this trip). The overall layout of the resort was fantastic, completely different feel from any other property that we have stayed on, either DVC or non DVC.

The one thing I was confident in going in, was the quality of the room. This is where the disappointment came. The room wasn't the "call mouse keeping as soon as you walk in disgusting", but we just kept finding things around the room as we got settled and in the following days. Crushed up Reece's Cups under the kitchen table, used hand soap under the shelf in the bathroom, used shampoo bottles on the shelf, clothes tags and a sock in the drawers, things like that.

This was our 7th DVC stay as I am pretty sure that this is the first complaint I have gone to the front desk with. And it was just a casual ask if they could possibly clean our room a day earlier that they were supposed to and the front desk said that they absolutely would make sure mouse keeping got the message. (In retrospect, I wish I would have called mouse keeping myself), but needless to say they didn't come to the room to take care it it. By now we had picked up most of the garbage ourselves, but it was just the principle of the idea at that point.

Anyways, we loved the resort and will definitely be back. My parents stayed 2 buildings down from us and their room was spotless and gorgeous. I do say that we loved the Miller Road area and will request the same location on our next trip!! Can't wait to return, hopefully just to a cleaner room!!

 

[georgiasmom]

Is there an 'official' thread for this resort? I am staying in a grand villa after a 7 day Fantasy cruise in January. It's my first time here. We generally stay at either Beach Club or Bay Lake Tower. I am looking for info re: photos, esp grand villa and pools, walking/boat times to Downtown Disney and other activities at the resort.

Thanks!

A

 

[Chuck S]

This is the "official" thread.

Walking distance to DtD Westside from Bldg 55 (where the path begins) is just under 1 mile.

The 3 quiet pools are all about 4 1/2 feet deep at their deepest point. All have a small play area for kids and a hot tub. The Turtle Pond quiet pool also has the Turtle Shack, a small counter service stand (pre-made items) and beverage refill station.

The main pool near the check-in area has the better counter service, with burgers and so forth, hot tub, small sauna (built into the light house) and the sand castle pool slide. There are also movie shown outdoor at night, weather permitting.

 

[cbtengwife]

Have couple questions on towel service. Does the 4 days include check in day? If we check in on Saturday will we have towel service on Tuesday or will it be Wednesday? If we decide to get extra towel packet, when do we order this?

 

[Chuck S]

Have couple questions on towel service. Does the 4 days include check in day? If we check in on Saturday will we have towel service on Tuesday or will it be Wednesday? If we decide to get extra towel packet, when do we order this?

You will receive fresh towels on Tuesday for a Saturday check-in. You may order towel packs at any time by calling Housekeeping from your room phone.

 

[cbtengwife]

You will receive fresh towels on Tuesday for a Saturday check-in. You may order towel packs at any time by calling Housekeeping from your room phone.

Thank You!!!

 

[2012wdw]

We are closing in on 60 days before our start-of-August "take your siblings to Disney" OKW stay, and for the first time in many visits, the room request part of the planning is more important than usual for us (and a bit complicated). I need expert advice!

1) First, two members of our party are going to have some (minor) problems with walking and stairs (I'll spare you the details), and we were unable to get a "HH building" reservation. Therefore, by far, the best buildings for us would be 62, 63, or 64 (elevators plus proximity to HH), with 62 being the dream assignment. However, the OKW online check-in options make it confusing as to exactly what to ask for (although it's easy to see what NOT to ask for!). What would you suggest?

2) Second, this is our first experience with "linked" reservations (2 studios as close as possible). Even if we put the exact same online requests for both reservations, is it possible that simply doing online check-in will make our highest priority (very close studios) less likely? Can I do anything online to assure the reservations stay linked?

Thanks in advance...it's fun to post again after a long hiatus!

How did this end up working out for you in regards to proximity of you double studio booking? We're in same situation, just curious?? Thank You!

 

[whitestavern]

Based on a lot of reading I have narrowed down which building we would like to stay in. We'll be in a 2br end of Feb. myself, husband, 2 children and mother. Which bldg would you pick and why? We are looking for something quiet with a nice view near a quiet pool (mother will be spending most days at pool; kids will want the big pool but won't be there much). Will either need elevator bldg or first floor due to mother's mobility issues--bad knees. Do any first floor rooms have decent views?

Bldg 62 or 63
Bldg 30 or 31
Bldg 35 or 43
Bldg 48
Bldg 55

We ill have a car but aren't sure if we will use that or bus system. I'm leaning towards driving most places so near a bus stop is probably not important.

Also, is it best to request a specific building or just the qualities that are important to us, ie view, area, etc.

Thanks for any help. This is our 4th visit, but last, and our first onsite. So we want to make it great!

 

[Chuck S]

Based on a lot of reading I have narrowed down which building we would like to stay in. We'll be in a 2br end of Feb. myself, husband, 2 children and mother. Which bldg would you pick and why? We are looking for something quiet with a nice view near a quiet pool (mother will be spending most days at pool; kids will want the big pool but won't be there much). Will either need elevator bldg or first floor due to mother's mobility issues--bad knees. Do any first floor rooms have decent views?

Bldg 62 or 63
Bldg 30 or 31
Bldg 35 or 43
Bldg 48
Bldg 55

We ill have a car but aren't sure if we will use that or bus system. I'm leaning towards driving most places so near a bus stop is probably not important.

Also, is it best to request a specific building or just the qualities that are important to us, ie view, area, etc.

Thanks for any help. This is our 4th visit, but last, and our first onsite. So we want to make it great!

Building 35 has some nice water views, it isn't too noisy, as it isn't right at a pool. It is near enough to a bus stop so you can easily take a bus if you chose to do so. I don't know if you have a handicap parking hangtag, but if you do, I would absolutely recommend taking a bus to MK rather than driving. The other parks are OK with handicap parking, but for MK there is a long walk down a walkway under a road, and then back up before you get to boats or monorails.

 

[LPnerd]

why is OKW picked on? Because of all the resorts at WDW it is the one they train at. after okw and boardwalk and then the next few, OKW was the oldest, the cheapest, hence the one they picked for new employees to train at.
The busses used to be horrendous, after 3 yrs of complaints they fixed it , the waterslide thing was a huge issue and I believe they are chronically the one with the most unclean room complaints of. Having said that a two bedroom with 6 people staying in it is actually big enough whereas the two beds at Kidani and bay lake tower ... not so much IMHO. so its a trade off. with Saratoga, they seem to have gone back to a bit bigger living area, but they had to do something ( I am a Saratoga hater, sorry)
I am leaving sat for a 8 day stay at OKW for the first time in years because of the space and we're only doing Disney twice, rest of the time downtown Disney and Universal, its cheaper. MUCH cheaper and in some ways better.
the cost of tickets is so high now, we only stay in Oct. or early Dec and go to a party... we are going to epcot too as our granddaughter is singing in the candlelight this dec 7th. exciting. then, on the 10th we have MVMCP tickets, we got buy two third day free parkhoppers for universal for MUCH cheaper!!!!! the other 2 days we will lay around at pool, go to Dtwn dis, and activities in community hall. we love Disney but enough is enough... anyway, that's why people pick on OKW... its a little off as people are learning, but for the extra space and disneyesq atmosphere, how bad can it be? If you have a problem and call, it will be fixed asap. If not follow through and they will make you happy.

 

[Chuck S]

They train at ALL resorts, DVC and cash resorts. There are far too many trainees via the college program to relegate them to only a couple of resorts.

 

[dianeschlicht]

LPnerd, there is almost nothing about your post I would say is true of OKW. LOVE OKW!

 

[Deb & Bill]

... The busses used to be horrendous, after 3 yrs of complaints they fixed it , the waterslide thing was a huge issue and I believe they are chronically the one with the most unclean room complaints of. ....

I've been staying at OKW since we bought there in 1997. Have never had a problem with the buses. As for the waterslide, we had no problem not having one for the earlier years. I'm just glad I didn't have to pay for it. And we've never had a dirty or damaged room at OKW. They have all been clean. If we found a problem, we notified either Maintenance or Housekeeping and they took care of it right away.

 

[OKW Lover]

I've been staying at OKW since we bought there in 1997. Have never had a problem with the buses. As for the waterslide, we had no problem not having one for the earlier years. I'm just glad I didn't have to pay for it. And we've never had a dirty or damaged room at OKW. They have all been clean. If we found a problem, we notified either Maintenance or Housekeeping and they took care of it right away.

I'll second this. We've been members since 1995 and have always found OKW to be maintained up to standards.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'll second this. We've been members since 1995 and have always found OKW to be maintained up to standards.

 

[SuzyQue]

First time staying at OKW. Are there any pool views for the studios? I did read the the studios are usually located on the ends of each building. Would love a 2nd floor pool view if that's even possible. Also I've seen pics of a lake/pond with a fountain in it, is the fountain lit at night? Most of my time spent on the balcony will be after dark and just want to make sure I'll still have a "view" to enjoy. This will be a cash reservation, we are not DVC members. TIA.

 

[caralyn817]

Good morning,
We will be staying at OKW in March for a week. We have stayed there several times, but many in the Miller Road section and once in South Point BLdg. 52. I was going to put in requests for buildings and was wondering what the benefits are for stay in the Old Turtle area near the pool. All of the times we have stayed at this resort we have used the Main Pool area and the mug refill there. Does this pool have a mug refill station? I know that it will be March and I don't know how the weather will be (cool, cold, hot, etc.) so we may use the pool. Also, do they do any activities at this pool like the main pool? Thanks.

 

[momof2minnies]

We have stayed at OKW several times-our favorite!!!!! The Old Turtle Pond area does have its own pool and the turtle shack for take out type food. The person behind the counter would fill our mugs- with that said we were in that area a couple years ago


The weather in March for us has been great-we are from Ma. so it may feel different for you.The kids were always in the pool-pools are heated.Have never seen any activities,more on the low key side.

Have fun,
Linda

 

[Chuck S]

First time staying at OKW. Are there any pool views for the studios? I did read the the studios are usually located on the ends of each building. Would love a 2nd floor pool view if that's even possible. Also I've seen pics of a lake/pond with a fountain in it, is the fountain lit at night? Most of my time spent on the balcony will be after dark and just want to make sure I'll still have a "view" to enjoy. This will be a cash reservation, we are not DVC members. TIA.

It depends upon the fountain, most are not lit at night. I think the fountain near the Peninsular Road bridge may be lit. The main purpose of the fountains is aeration of the water, just done in an attractive way. There may be a couple pool view studios located around the Miller's Road pool. Some studios in bldgs 18, 19 and 20 may have a pool view as well. It all depends which studio in these buildings you get. AS a cash guest, please be aware that OKW does not have elevators except in buildings 62, 63 and 64 because of changes to the ADA Laws during construction of the resort.

Good morning,
We will be staying at OKW in March for a week. We have stayed there several times, but many in the Miller Road section and once in South Point BLdg. 52. I was going to put in requests for buildings and was wondering what the benefits are for stay in the Old Turtle area near the pool. All of the times we have stayed at this resort we have used the Main Pool area and the mug refill there. Does this pool have a mug refill station? I know that it will be March and I don't know how the weather will be (cool, cold, hot, etc.) so we may use the pool. Also, do they do any activities at this pool like the main pool? Thanks.

The main advantages to Buildings 30 and higher (Turtle Pond and South Point) is for those with 1 bedroom or larger units. A minor design change during construction added a second entrance to the bathroom through the laundry room. Bldgs 29 and lower only have access to the bathroom through the master bedroom. The Turtle Pond pool area is the largest of the quiet pools, and as momof2minnies said, there is a refill station (not self serve) and a place to buy pre-made snacks, salads and sandwiches and so forth.