OKW Lovers Thread. Part 2

[OKW Lover]

Thoughts on renting a car vs. relying on Disney buses to get to the parks? Some of the comments make me think that the loop within the resort could add a bit to the time to get to the parks, and since we could park right outside our door I'm thinking the car might be worth it.

You'll find both "pro" and "anti" bus folks here. Some like the flexibility of having a car, others prefer to avoid driving. You'll need to decide which category you are in. However, your observation that the car is right outside your door is pretty accurate. For that reason we normally take our car to all the parks/resorts and Disney Springs with the sole exception of the MK. Because of where the MK's parking lot is, the tram to monorail/ferry to the MK makes this a longer trip than taking the bus which drops you off right outside the MK.

 

[Joben]

• Thoughts on renting a car vs. relying on Disney buses to get to the parks? Some of the comments make me think that the loop within the resort could add a bit to the time to get to the parks, and since we could park right outside our door I'm thinking the car might be worth it. I did find a good deal on a car rental for our week also.

• If you were surprised with a stay at an OKW 1 BR for your birthday over a moderate, would that be a good surprise? Maybe with a cake too?

We are in the camp that we prefer having a car:
we find it easier getting to the parks on our own schedule and not wasting time waiting for buses, But we still take boats and monorails for fun.
Having a car allows us to go to Publix and get groceries. One of the greatest advantages of the 1-bdrm at OKW is the full kitchen.
OKW is pretty sprawling and I have personally, had to drive up to the HH several times in one day, though we tend to stay far back on south point road.

I agree with previous poster OKW 1-bdrm over a moderate any day, clearly I am biased. Although I can almost guarantee that if you pull off the surprise, your husband will be saying wow a lot when he walks in. It is not a hotel room, it is like home.

 

[Joben]

Also...any must try drinks at the bar? How about must have meals at Olivias? Ive heard such wonderful things about the food. Would love to know ya'lls favorite!!

The Turtle Krawl is a very popular drink at the Gurgling Suitcase. It is on the must do list for my wife and pretty much ASAP after arrival. If you like rum you should enjoy that one. Olivia's has very good food, but I have mostly enjoyed their breakfast.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

The Turtle Krawl is a very popular drink at the Gurgling Suitcase. It is on the must do list for my wife and pretty much ASAP after arrival. If you like rum you should enjoy that one. Olivia's has very good food, but I have mostly enjoyed their breakfast.

Awesome!! My husband loves him some rum so that's great!! We have a dinner planned at Olivias, but maybe a breakfast would be in order for one of our rest days. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Nanajo1]

You'll find both "pro" and "anti" bus folks here. Some like the flexibility of having a car, others prefer to avoid driving. You'll need to decide which category you are in. However, your observation that the car is right outside your door is pretty accurate. For that reason we normally take our car to all the parks/resorts and Disney Springs with the sole exception of the MK. Because of where the MK's parking lot is, the tram to monorail/ferry to the MK makes this a longer trip than taking the bus which drops you off right outside the MK.

I am in the let Disney do the driving crowd. I can't imagine getting into a hot car at the end of a long park day, dealing with traffic,looking for parking spaces.

 

[KateSpade79]

I hope it is ok to post this here...I'm looking for expert opinions of OKW I'm stressing about room location and need some suggestions.
Here is a little backstory-
Last Sept. we took our first trip to Disney it was planned by my in-laws so we kinda tagged along. It was me and my 3 kids (now 13 year old DD, 10DS, & 6DS), my mother in-law & father in-law, and sil & bil and 2 niece. My DH couldn't join us due to work so we all stayed in a 2 bedroom at OKW. When we first checked in the room that was ready for us was farther than we expected from the HH so I asked what else they had available. The CM was very helpful and told me there would be a room available in building 64 soon. My FIL actually snapped at her and said why would anyone want that room with no parking out front.... I'm still embarrassed by it :/ We got the room it was on the 3rd floor and view was great and we never heard anyone around us. It was an easy walk to refill our mugs or the pool. We loved that we could walk to the HH to catch the bus and then get off on the first stop. It is funny that none of the rides made me sick but riding the bus for too long almost did it. Now I'm realizing how lucky we were to get that room because with 10 people we needed dual entry to the bathroom and we LOVED being able to walk to everything.

So now we are booked at OKW 11/26-12/1 in a 1 bedroom. This will be our first trip with DH and he isn't too excited about Disney :/ so I'm trying to make it as enjoyable as possible so hopefully he will want to come again. My DH loves the beach and quiet atmosphere and wanted a spacious room so I thought OKW would be a great fit. I feel we were spoiled with our room location last trip and don't know the odds of getting a 1 bd within walking distance to HH and dual entry. So what would be other locations that might be a good fit? We will have our car and we would probably like a quiet pool but the kids loved the slide at the main pool. What should I request? Also, I booked through Disney if that makes a difference and we did last trip too. Thanks!!

 

[Nanajo1]

The acutual HH designation is available to DVC only. You could request villa 64. The dual entry is only available in villas 30 and above.
There are neighborhood pools throughout the resort. You can get any bus to get to HH, featured pool and restaurants. Turtle pond area has a snack bar(open seasonally). I don't know how much parking is available if you want to drive to the HH area. Good luck.

 

[RachelTori]

I hope it is ok to post this here...I'm looking for expert opinions of OKW I'm stressing about room location and need some suggestions.
Here is a little backstory-
Last Sept. we took our first trip to Disney it was planned by my in-laws so we kinda tagged along. It was me and my 3 kids (now 13 year old DD, 10DS, & 6DS), my mother in-law & father in-law, and sil & bil and 2 niece. My DH couldn't join us due to work so we all stayed in a 2 bedroom at OKW. When we first checked in the room that was ready for us was farther than we expected from the HH so I asked what else they had available. The CM was very helpful and told me there would be a room available in building 64 soon. My FIL actually snapped at her and said why would anyone want that room with no parking out front.... I'm still embarrassed by it :/ We got the room it was on the 3rd floor and view was great and we never heard anyone around us. It was an easy walk to refill our mugs or the pool. We loved that we could walk to the HH to catch the bus and then get off on the first stop. It is funny that none of the rides made me sick but riding the bus for too long almost did it. Now I'm realizing how lucky we were to get that room because with 10 people we needed dual entry to the bathroom and we LOVED being able to walk to everything.

So now we are booked at OKW 11/26-12/1 in a 1 bedroom. This will be our first trip with DH and he isn't too excited about Disney :/ so I'm trying to make it as enjoyable as possible so hopefully he will want to come again. My DH loves the beach and quiet atmosphere and wanted a spacious room so I thought OKW would be a great fit. I feel we were spoiled with our room location last trip and don't know the odds of getting a 1 bd within walking distance to HH and dual entry. So what would be other locations that might be a good fit? We will have our car and we would probably like a quiet pool but the kids loved the slide at the main pool. What should I request? Also, I booked through Disney if that makes a difference and we did last trip too. Thanks!!

Turtle Pond has a very nice pool and the location is close enough to walk to HH in about 5-10 minutes. Buildings 30 to 35 would be my preference.

 

[diz8297]

We love Peninsular Road. Two minute walk to HH and first bus stop. If you miss the bus-walk to HH and catch before it leaves the resort! Our second choice is the HH buildings ie #14.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Hi! I was hoping for some advice on online check in/Villa location.

I am NOT a DVC owner and booked directly through Disney for a 1 bedroom villa in early January 2017. I will be running races 4 days in a row during Marathon weekend (Dopey Challenge!)
As of right now, I will most likely be alone and will probably NOT do parks (too much walking--want to save my legs!)

I will most likely NOT rent a car and will get groceries delivered via Garden Grocer or a similar service to cook in the kitchen.

Since I am the only one going, the bathroom location (needing to go through the master bedroom) is not a problem. I also am ok with my villa being far from amenities such as the main pool, restaurant, etc.---even though I likely will be using them--since I won't be spending time in the parks I will have energy to walk/time to sit on the bus.

I think the MAIN thing I want in room location is a beautiful view. I've read many reviews of OKW and have heard there are no "bad views"--but since I'm not doing parks I think I would like to spend a lot of time on the balcony, sitting and enjoying the view with my meal/morning coffee, etc. and just relaxing.

Could you please advise me on what YOU think would be the most beautiful view, and what to request on online check in for the best chance of getting that?

I am really excited to visit OKW!

Thank you!

 

[florep1]

Our last couple of stays, our views weren't that great due to overgrown trees. Behind the trees, I could hear golfers Avery now and then. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with providing privacy but also to prevent broken windows.

 

[SugarRush]

Hey we have booked a 2 bed paying cash through Disney. I'm looking at my touring plans room request and I can't decide what to do. My mum has rheumatoid arthritis and we both have fibro. We never fell comfortable staying ground floor (law enforcement workers in the family, paranoid.com) how many stairs are there roughly to navigate to the 2nd & 3rd floors? On the second floor are there noise issues from being sandwiched between properties or is it just as you would expect in say bay lake tower?

 

[OKW Lover]

how many stairs are there roughly to navigate to the 2nd & 3rd floors?

14 steps in each flight

 

[SugarRush]

14 steps in each flight

Thank you

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi! I was hoping for some advice on online check in/Villa location.

I am NOT a DVC owner and booked directly through Disney for a 1 bedroom villa in early January 2017. I will be running races 4 days in a row during Marathon weekend (Dopey Challenge!)
As of right now, I will most likely be alone and will probably NOT do parks (too much walking--want to save my legs!)

I will most likely NOT rent a car and will get groceries delivered via Garden Grocer or a similar service to cook in the kitchen.

Since I am the only one going, the bathroom location (needing to go through the master bedroom) is not a problem. I also am ok with my villa being far from amenities such as the main pool, restaurant, etc.---even though I likely will be using them--since I won't be spending time in the parks I will have energy to walk/time to sit on the bus.

I think the MAIN thing I want in room location is a beautiful view. I've read many reviews of OKW and have heard there are no "bad views"--but since I'm not doing parks I think I would like to spend a lot of time on the balcony, sitting and enjoying the view with my meal/morning coffee, etc. and just relaxing.

Could you please advise me on what YOU think would be the most beautiful view, and what to request on online check in for the best chance of getting that?

I am really excited to visit OKW!

Thank you!

Be aware that if you are relying upon Disney transportation to the race start, you will need to walk to the Hospitality House to catch that bus. There won't be any buses running through the resort before the first buses for the theme parks.

 

[mom-mom2three]

I will be arriving at OKW resort on 7/29. This is my first stay at this resort. I am booked in a deluxe studio. It is myself, two daughters and a son. Is it possible to request a cot for the room?

 

[Deb & Bill]

I will be arriving at OKW resort on 7/29. This is my first stay at this resort. I am booked in a deluxe studio. It is myself, two daughters and a son. Is it possible to request a cot for the room?

DVC resorts will not provide cots or rollaways. You'll need to bring your own if your son won't sleep with you.

 

[Karabear15]

Random question, in my group of 6, 3 of us will be arriving via magical express, then 2 in one car and the last in another car. Do the 3 driving need to have any forms on them to get into the property, verifying they are staying there? Or do they just need to show an ID? Can't remember how getting into the resorts work as we always travel by bus.

Thanks!

 

[OKW Lover]

Do the 3 driving need to have any forms on them to get into the property, verifying they are staying there? Or do they just need to show an ID?

At the entrance to their resort, they will be asked for an ID. That's it.

 

[Karabear15]

At the entrance to their resort, they will be asked for an ID. That's it.

Well that's easy enough!