OKW Lovers Thread. Part 2

[Sinderelly]

Has anyone been able to request and receive real silverware, a couple plates and bowls when staying in a studio?
I just hate it when food soaks through paper plates.

 

[Minniekins]

Rented points from someone and staying in a studio at OKW Nov 12-20, and we're super excited!

Can anyone share when the last studio refurbs were done? We stayed at OKW for one night to finish up our BC trip back in Dec 2013. Curious now that someone mentioned they'd been refurbed, but wondering how long ago that was. TIA!

 

[CrazyDuck]

What refurbs were done and can you try to find out what buildings were refurbished? Going August so Intel really appreciated. Any photos of refurbs? Many thanks.

I don't know what they already did, but I know that my unit is pristine and has just been painted. There is a fresh coat of paint everywhere inside and out. There are currently construction walls that block building 51 and 52, so I'm guessing they are getting their paint right now. Also the south point bus station just got some new paint a couple days ago. I noticed because I leaned up against a post and ended up with white paint all over my black shirt .

 

[MarBee]

Hello!
Just found out we will be staying with friends in January in a 2 bedroom at OKW. We have 5 adults and 3 small children.
We are hoping to be a close walk to the main pool but also would like to be near the main bus stop, so as to minimize waiting with the little ones. One adult will be using a wheelchair or scooter for the trip, so something accessible will be ideal.
Does anyone have any building request recommendations for us? Any other tips are welcome as well! I'm reading through all of the thread now.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Chuck S]

Hello!
Just found out we will be staying with friends in January in a 2 bedroom at OKW. We have 5 adults and 3 small children.
We are hoping to be a close walk to the main pool but also would like to be near the main bus stop, so as to minimize waiting with the little ones. One adult will be using a wheelchair or scooter for the trip, so something accessible will be ideal.
Does anyone have any building request recommendations for us? Any other tips are welcome as well! I'm reading through all of the thread now.
Thanks in advance!

Obviously there will be people sleeping in the living room area so I would recommend a unit in bldg 30 or higher so that there is a second entrance to the master bathroom. Will the person in the scooter or wheelchair be able to walk around and so forth in the unit, or will they need an accessible/modified bathroom? If a regular bathroom will do, then be sure to request to be on the first floor or have an elevator building for medical reasons, as only bldg 62, 63 and 64 have elevators.

62. 63 and 64 will also be fairly near the first bus stop (Peninsular Road) I traveled with my mom being in a regular w/c for many years, she did not require a handicap modified restroom, and we preferred bldgs 30 to 33 to be near the Turtle Pond bus stop. It is the 3rd bus stop in the route, and we rarely (though occasionally) had problems with bus access Most busses now hold 3 w/c or scooters, some hold 4, and much older busses only hold two, we occasionally had to wait for a second bus. We also occasionally drove to the parks, but I'd recommend ALWAYS taking a bus to Magic Kingdom, if you have a car, that would also be a good option.

 

[MarBee]

Has anyone ever been to the "Unbirthday Party" for kids at OKW?
The most recent information I could find was from 2008 and it was not promising. I'm just hoping something has changed...

 

[FirstTimeCruiser]

I have a quick question about online check-in. For the first time, I have booked the category "Near Hospitality House". If I want to try and get buildings 23-26 do I select "Peninsular Road Area" in the room request section? That request won't cancel out my "Near HH" booking category? We are looking forward to a short walk to the main pool this trip

 

[Deb & Bill]

Has anyone ever been to the "Unbirthday Party" for kids at OKW?
The most recent information I could find was from 2008 and it was not promising. I'm just hoping something has changed...

That was discontinued years ago.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I have a quick question about online check-in. For the first time, I have booked the category "Near Hospitality House". If I want to try and get buildings 23-26 do I select "Peninsular Road Area" in the room request section? That request won't cancel out my "Near HH" booking category? We are looking forward to a short walk to the main pool this trip

Near HH is a booking category. Making a selection when you do on line check in should not cancel that out. If you made any requests with your original booking, those can be lost with online check in. Peninsular Road area should be a good request if you want 23-26.

 

[jmcdonnell04]

Just back from a week stay in a Grand Villa in OKW in building 43 Old Turtle Pond section. We loved this location because it is close to a bus stop and to a quiet pool. We are 20 year members and the OKW is still looking great inside and out. We enjoyed the DVC Typhoon Lagoon party on Thursday night.

 

[ascardino]

Silly question but does the freezer in a 1 bedroom make ice?

When we arrived it was full of ice which looked like it was made be the ice machine in the freezer but now no more ice has been made.

I called housekeeping and the woman that I spoke with had no idea and put me on hold and came back and said they do not make ice. I sent my daughter who had to go to the pool and came back with ice that was a totally different shape than what was originally there...

 

[OKW Lover]

Silly question but does the freezer in a 1 bedroom make ice?

Yes. Typically this is turned off and the ice emptied between guests so you should check this when you first enter and turn it on if need be.

 

[OKW Lover]

Just reading your post closer, is there an actual ice machine in the freezer. Its pretty obvious if it is. Check that the over run switch is in the down position. IIRC, its what looks like a horizontal wire just above the bin. When the bin is full the ice trips that to the up position which turns off the water. You just need to flip it back down to restart the ice making.

 

[Brian Noble]

Yes, there is an ice maker in the OKW villas. It's one of the things I like about OKW!

 

[ascardino]

I thought that it was there and worked and told the woman who I spoke with. The bar was down but no new ice was made even after the bin was emptied by us after a few days.

Flipped it up which would seem to turn it off not on so I don't know. Now it is filled with the ice from the ice machine.

 

[Nanajo1]

If you are having trouble with appliances,heating etc. I would call maintainance not housekeeping. I have found them vey helpful.

 

[florep1]

On our way back to OKW last night, our bus was stuck on VacationClub way for a good period of time. The other lane kept moving. Our driver said he didn't know what was going on but once he did, he'd let us know. We then ended up taking the Cast Member entrance at OKW and stopped at Millers Road first. I'm guessing it was a bus that got stranded as we saw an empty one by the first parking lot on Peninsular Road and a service truck parked next to it.

 

[happy2012]

Hi OKWesters! This will be our 1rst stay @ OKW. We booked a deluxe studio. I wanted a deluxe resort near Disney Springs but we have already done SSR so we really wanted to try somewhere new! +The main pool looks beautiful & fun! Love that Mickey water slide. Also we've had breakfast @ Olivias, which was out of this world-banana bread French toast!!

Do you have a favorite dish @ Olivia's?

Does anyone have a building recommendation for us?

Is there an internal resort bus to get to the boat & if not, can we park near the boat or is everything more walkable then it looks on the map?

Best quiet pool on the resort?

Where does the boat drop you @ DS?

Does OKW still offer complimentary laundry?

Where can we get a yummy QS Disney burger @ OKW? (Yes, nessasary Q )

Are the OKW bus stops near the front of the parks bus stations? (Or should we rent a car)

How is the bus service @ OKW in your opinion. (we waited forever after our Olivias breakfast,is that the norm?) Our favorite restaurants tend to be @ the resorts,so thinking we might need a rental car.

I'm really excited to stay @ OKW but I know the least about it. Thanks for helping me out with all my random questions!!

 

[florep1]

Hi OKWesters! This will be our 1rst stay @ OKW. We booked a deluxe studio. I wanted a deluxe resort near Disney Springs but we have already done SSR so we really wanted to try somewhere new! +The main pool looks beautiful & fun! Love that Mickey water slide. Also we've had breakfast @ Olivias, which was out of this world-banana bread French toast!!

Do you have a favorite dish @ Olivia's? Not really. They're all good.

Does anyone have a building recommendation for us? I love the Hospitality House area. That's a separate booking category though. We've stayed at Building 13 and loved accessibility to the main pool.

Is there an internal resort bus to get to the boat & if not, can we park near the boat or is everything more walkable then it looks on the map? My husband swears there is but I have yet to see it in 4 stays. I can't remember the order of stops though. I'm sure someone will chime in.

Best quiet pool on the resort? Definitely turtle pond. It also has a snack shack. If you get the mug, you can get your refills here in the summer months.

Where does the boat drop you @ DS? Last year it dropped us off at West side. This week, it's beside Paradiso by the Landing.

Does OKW still offer complimentary laundry? Yes, by the pools.

Where can we get a yummy QS Disney burger @ OKW? (Yes, nessasary Q ). The burgers at Olivia's are ok. Disney Springs has a new restaurant though, Dluxe Burgers, it's better.

Are the OKW bus stops near the front of the parks bus stations? (Or should we rent a car). Can't complain. They're close to the entrances at DS and AK. Can't remember where they are at EPCOT or HS though since we stayed at BWV for that leg.

How is the bus service @ OKW in your opinion. (we waited forever after our Olivias breakfast,is that the norm?) Our favorite restaurants tend to be @ the resorts,so thinking we might need a rental car. Not bad, we never waited longer than 15 minutes. Maybe we were just lucky.

I'm really excited to stay @ OKW but I know the least about it. Thanks for helping me out with all my random questions!! OKW is my husband and son's favorite resort. Mind is Saratoga Springs. I get outvoted every time lol.

See responses above.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Hi Everyone!! It's been 5 years but we are finally going back to Disneyworld January 2017! Last time I was there I was getting engaged to my now husband. Now we are happily married and bringing our own little Munchkin(he'll be 2 on our trip). We were lucky enough to secure a one bedroom villa through RCI points and while Old Key West is not a resort I would have chosen at first, I am super thrilled to be staying there. It seems to be a hidden gem that would help my husband "get away" from 24 hour Disney emersion haha! I haven't been able to read through all 97 pages, but I wanted to ask a few questions. I have seen a lot about how spread out the resort is. We actually love to walk, and I was wondering how long it takes to get to Hospitality House from the farthest building if we were to walk it? I have never booked through RCI before so I don't know if we will be able to make requests. Do you find that the transportation within the resort is pretty reliable. We will be there a week and scheduling a lot of down time for our little guy, so if you have any tips or fun things to do while at the resort I would love to hear about it. Also have any of you done pre-park ADR? Is it fairly easy to get to with Disney transportation (we won't have a car) Or do we cab it to the contemporary and walk over? Only 210 days!! Jumping for Joy right now!!