OKW lovers thread !!!

[BEASLYBOO]

In my excitement, I want to ask a ton of questions, but don't know where to begin (and don't want to overwhelm you! lol). So, would you mind sharing little tid-bits about OKW, the HH area, must dos, etc.?TIA!

Oh my, where do I begin? OKW is my favorite resort, here are a few of my (our) favorite things to do:

Take the boat to DTD, I really love this at night because it's so pretty on the water with all of the lights. We rent boats and go down the channel, you can see the Treehouses and SSR, the kids love this. If you like to exercise and have fun, rent one of those surreys, 4 or 5 people can ride in them and this is a perfect way to visit the resort. The main pool with it's castle slide is a must for your kids, they will love it, even our 2 1/2 year old nephew loved it (you can get vests for the little ones where you get towels). You will love the 1 and 2br's, the size and the layout is perfect. I personally like bldgs. 15 (close enough to HH, great golf/fountain view), 45 & 46 (best water view of all) and 55 (near a quiet pool and the BBQ's).

I love the lush landscaping and the tropical feel of this resort, its a vacation within a Disney vacation!

Oops: Don't forget Olivia's Turkey Sandwich and breakfast potatoes!

Make sure to report back and tell us how your stay was!

 

[RLRDA]

Oh my, where do I begin? OKW is my favorite resort, here are a few of my (our) favorite things to do:

Take the boat to DTD, I really love this at night because it's so pretty on the water with all of the lights. We rent boats and go down the channel, you can see the Treehouses and SSR, the kids love this. If you like to exercise and have fun, rent one of those surreys, 4 or 5 people can ride in them and this is a perfect way to visit the resort. The main pool with it's castle slide is a must for your kids, they will love it, even our 2 1/2 year old nephew loved it (you can get vests for the little ones where you get towels). You will love the 1 and 2br's, the size and the layout is perfect. I personally like bldgs. 15 (close enough to HH, great golf/fountain view), 45 & 46 (best water view of all) and 55 (near a quiet pool and the BBQ's).

I love the lush landscaping and the tropical feel of this resort, its a vacation within a Disney vacation!

Oops: Don't forget Olivia's Turkey Sandwich and breakfast potatoes!

Make sure to report back and tell us how your stay was!

Thanks for asking the question, QTMichele...I like to hear tidbits from the OKW veterans, too. We are looking forward to our trip in August .

Is OKW mostly flat? I only ask because renting the surrey bike on the Boardwalk seemed like a good idea but ended up being a disaster going over the bridges. I don't think I could talk DH into renting another one unless I could convince him it would be a piece of cake. BEASLYBOO, do you know which group of buildings is classified as "near HH"? I was wondering if we should request a certain building(s) within that category.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Thanks for asking the question, QTMichele...I like to hear tidbits from the OKW veterans, too. We are looking forward to our trip in August .

Is OKW mostly flat? I only ask because renting the surrey bike on the Boardwalk seemed like a good idea but ended up being a disaster going over the bridges. I don't think I could talk DH into renting another one unless I could convince him it would be a piece of cake. BEASLYBOO, do you know which group of buildings is classified as "near HH"? I was wondering if we should request a certain building(s) within that category.

Yes, it's mostly flat and I too remember getting out and having to push to get over the bridge between BWV, Epcot etc. Thank goodness no one was video taping or we would have ended up on America's Funniest Video's . There is a HH category (11 - 14 & 23-26, I think) all of it's own that you can request and then what I consider to be near (building 15) HH but not within the category. Some of the smarter folks on this boards (ie: Diane or Chuck) can post a map for you of OKW, I have yet to figure out how to do it.

 

[QTMichele]

Oh my, where do I begin? OKW is my favorite resort, here are a few of my (our) favorite things to do:

Take the boat to DTD, I really love this at night because it's so pretty on the water with all of the lights. We rent boats and go down the channel, you can see the Treehouses and SSR, the kids love this. If you like to exercise and have fun, rent one of those surreys, 4 or 5 people can ride in them and this is a perfect way to visit the resort. The main pool with it's castle slide is a must for your kids, they will love it, even our 2 1/2 year old nephew loved it (you can get vests for the little ones where you get towels). You will love the 1 and 2br's, the size and the layout is perfect. I personally like bldgs. 15 (close enough to HH, great golf/fountain view), 45 & 46 (best water view of all) and 55 (near a quiet pool and the BBQ's).

I love the lush landscaping and the tropical feel of this resort, its a vacation within a Disney vacation!

Oops: Don't forget Olivia's Turkey Sandwich and breakfast potatoes!

Make sure to report back and tell us how your stay was!

Thanks so much for this response! We'll have to remember to take the boat to DTD. My DH hasn't ever been to DTD and the kids were much younger when they went on their first WDW trip (6 months and 4 years old). It sounds like this will be a great way to see a little bit of SSR.

My biggest concern is how to fit it all in! LOL I know, I know... just go with the flow - that's really what we always do. We find that keeping our expectations to a minimum allows for a more enjoyable experience and few disappointments. BUT... I still want to fit in as much as we are able to.

Keep the tid bits coming!

 

[dmoore22]

Oh my, where do I begin? OKW is my favorite resort, here are a few of my (our) favorite things to do:

Take the boat to DTD, I really love this at night because it's so pretty on the water with all of the lights. We rent boats and go down the channel, you can see the Treehouses and SSR, the kids love this. If you like to exercise and have fun, rent one of those surreys, 4 or 5 people can ride in them and this is a perfect way to visit the resort. The main pool with it's castle slide is a must for your kids, they will love it, even our 2 1/2 year old nephew loved it (you can get vests for the little ones where you get towels). You will love the 1 and 2br's, the size and the layout is perfect. I personally like bldgs. 15 (close enough to HH, great golf/fountain view), 45 & 46 (best water view of all) and 55 (near a quiet pool and the BBQ's).

I love the lush landscaping and the tropical feel of this resort, its a vacation within a Disney vacation!

Oops: Don't forget Olivia's Turkey Sandwich and breakfast potatoes!

Make sure to report back and tell us how your stay was!

Plus the generous size balconies at OKW.

And, most importantly, don't forget the "Gurgling Suitcase."

 

[chepic]

The generous balconies, the gurgling suitcase, the tennis courts, sand volleyball, boat rentals, bike riding, morning walks before the golfers are out, the steam coming off the water as the sun rises, the giant rooms and 2 person jacuzzi tub all to myself!!!!

These are a few of my favorite things.....

che

 

[corinnak]

We love the sauna in the lighthouse! Does any other Disney resort even HAVE a sauna on the pool deck?

 

[dmoore22]

We love the sauna in the lighthouse! Does any other Disney resort even HAVE a sauna on the pool deck?

Shhhh! Yes, we do want to brag about OKW but aren't there a few secrets we should keep to ourselves?

 

[corinnak]

Ooooh - sorry! I didn't realize it was a secret!

 

[joandegennaro]

Just in the process of buying in at OKW. Our first stay a few weeks ago did it for DH....been working on him for years and all it took was a 5 day stay in a studio

I have a quick question for all you vets of OKW. I saw the Bbq's but there were no coals to use. Would we be allowed to bring our small portable Bbq and use it? It runs off a small propane tank and is about the same size as the ones by the pool. Is this allowed? Or is it strickly forbidden...I don't want to break any rules for lack of knowledge.

TIA

 

[dianeschlicht]

Just in the process of buying in at OKW. Our first stay a few weeks ago did it for DH....been working on him for years and all it took was a 5 day stay in a studio

I have a quick question for all you vets of OKW. I saw the Bbq's but there were no coals to use. Would we be allowed to bring our small portable Bbq and use it? It runs off a small propane tank and is about the same size as the ones by the pool. Is this allowed? Or is it strickly forbidden...I don't want to break any rules for lack of knowledge.

TIA

If he liked the studio, wait until he gets a load of the 1,2, and 3 bedrooms!

I'm not sure about bringing your own BBQ grill, but I can't believe it would be an issue as long as you used it down near where the other BBQ grills are. Do NOT use it on a balcony or closer to the buildings though. I would think as long as you used it in the provided place, that should be okay.

 

[joandegennaro]

If he liked the studio, wait until he gets a load of the 1,2, and 3 bedrooms!

I'm not sure about bringing your own BBQ grill, but I can't believe it would be an issue as long as you used it down near where the other BBQ grills are. Do NOT use it on a balcony or closer to the buildings though. I would think as long as you used it in the provided place, that should be okay.

Thinking we won't use the bigger rooms as we find that the studio is just perfect and the points difference is just to much. A studio has everything we need on vacation with the fridge, micro, coffee maker and toaster. If we could use our own Bbq (yes I would only use it where the provided ones are located) then we would be all set. Having to walk to the pool area to do our laundry is no big deal for us. Staying in a Studio means staying longer

 

[dmoore22]

Ooooh - sorry! I didn't realize it was a secret!

Unfortunately I'm not very good at practicing what I preach.

Thinking we won't use the bigger rooms as we find that the studio is just perfect and the points difference is just to much. A studio has everything we need on vacation with the fridge, micro, coffee maker and toaster. If we could use our own Bbq (yes I would only use it where the provided ones are located) then we would be all set. Having to walk to the pool area to do our laundry is no big deal for us. Staying in a Studio means staying longer

We can totally empathize. We use to use the 2 BR villas when all the kids were home. Now that they've left the nest we also get by with a studio and now do multiple trips each year. If any of the kids want to come along we still have the option of a 1 or 2 BR villa.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Unfortunately I'm not very good at practicing what I preach.




We can totally empathize. We use to use the 2 BR villas when all the kids were home. Now that they've left the nest we also get by with a studio and now do multiple trips each year. If any of the kids want to come along we still have the option of a 1 or 2 BR villa.

We find it to be mostly unnecessary to use studios much, since we have enough points for the two of us to use 1 bedroom accommodations. Occationally we will stay in a studio at another resort on either end of our trip to extend.

 

[zorro77]

We also find the 1 bedroom so comfortable that i don't think we could do a studio anymore. We stayed one night last spring and with the small deck it was strange. We will be back for 2 weeks in Just 31 days.. Warm sun, nice morning and night walks can not wait.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Frankly, for the two of us, I find the studios at the other resorts to be a bit better than at OKW. I like having a sofa to sit on, but if I wanted two beds, OKW would be better. So far my favorite studio stay has been at AKV. I like the bathroom arrangement at Kidani studios.

 

[joandegennaro]

It's because of the two beds available at OKW that we decided to buy there. We still have the 2 adult sized kids with us for the next year or so and then we will still have the one DD with us for about the next 8 years. She is just shy of my height and I consider her adult size even at 11 years old. Once we are traveling as a couple only we will explore the different studios at other resorts but for now we need the 2 beds. Love the relaxed feel of OKW...not really into condo style living, having to use the elevators ect. Love the fact that we can walk out our door and have less than a 2 min walk to our car.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Love the relaxed feel of OKW...not really into condo style living, having to use the elevators ect. Love the fact that we can walk out our door and have less than a 2 min walk to our car.

Exactly! That's exactly why OKW is our favorite!

 

[dmoore22]

Love the fact that we can walk out our door and have less than a 2 min walk to our car.

Or a nice quiet walk to HH, a quiet pool, DTD, or just around the resort enjoying the mature palms and landscaping on our way to the Gurgling Suitcase.

Exactly! That's exactly why OKW is our favorite!

It provides the perfect therapy after, what feels like, the never ending winter.

 

[honeymo78]

We fell in love with OKW on our Dec trip. We had a 2 bedroom and it was so huge. We had our doubts about the resort because we didn't particularly enjoy staying at SSR. We didn't feel like it was spread out too much at all and we got this great relaxed vibe. We're hoping to stay there again this Dec. DH wants a studio to conserve points but I'll hoping I can convince him to go for a 1 bedroom since we really don't need to save that much. Either way I'll be happy to stay here again and play some darts at the community center.