OKW, Opinions

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I am thinking of styaing at OKW but several people have told me that, compared to the GF or Boardwalk Villas, OKW is a cesspool. Any opinions?

 

[Dean]

That's BS. True, the GF and BW are slightly, and I mean slightly, more upscale; OKW is a Deluxe resort in it's own right. Some like one resort over another but there are many, including myself, that far prefer OKW. The rooms are larger, it's laid back and you can park at your front door. I'd not do OKW without a car though. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get more feedback. OK Rich, go get him.

 

[ceejay13]

We took our last trip the end of February. The first night we splurged and paid cash for a one night stay at the GF, as it was our anniversary and had never stayed there before. Then we moved to a 1 bdr at OKW for the other 5 nights. I posted this same thing when we returned, but our room at OKW was MUCH nicer. Of course the GF resort is gorgeous and the room was very nice, but the 1 and 2 bdrs at OKW cannot even compare. We have not experienced the studios or GV. I don't even think we are biased as our home resort is the BWV. The OKW rooms really are like being "home". The full kitchen, huge jacuzzi, laundry facilities, and lets not forget the wonderful balconies off both the living room and bedroom, all make for a wonderfully relaxing vacation. I don't think you will be dissapointed in any way.

 

[ncligs]

I think you are going to open up a "can of worms" with this topic .. All of the resorts are "1st class", Each has its positives and negatives. We have stayed at all of them except VWL. We prefer OKW......but have no problem staying at any of them...
Let the debate .......I mean discussion begin..........

 

[rbuzzotta]

I LOVE my little "cesspool"!!! LOL!!

 

[Cosmic_Charlie]

didnt mean to offend anyone that likes OKW, I have never been there and it sounded cool but when I told him he laughed at me and gave me his opinion of OKW. Obviously the dude was wrong.

 

[sgtdisney]

I wouldn't call OKW a cess pool. It is as much a deluxe resort as the other two that you mention. They all have a different character and a different feel. It depends on what you are looking for. GF is very elegant and formal. Bear in mind there that you are getting a hotel room basically, in a luxury resort. BWV and OKW are similar in many ways and different in many others. OKW has larger rooms, but does not have the location of the BW. It is really up to you as to what you want, but remember that they are all top notch resorts. You shouldn't be disapointed in any of them.

 

[Richyams]

OKW is the finest resort on property. It has the largest rooms and you can even park in front of your unit.

BWV has a lot to be said for it in the name of convinience. You can walk in the door, hang up your coat, put your groceries down in the kitchen, put a snack out on the dining room table for the kids and even turn on the TV without taking a second step. You can actually even get by with just two dishes and a party of eight in the two bedroom. Since only two people can site at the dining room table at one time, you just rotate the plates and wash between eaters. I really like the fact that you can clean the whole kitchen and dining area with one paper towel.

You do pay a price though. The dues are 25% higher, the rooms are 25% smaller, and the points per night are 25-100% higher, this translates into paying 75% higher dues per sq ft per night.

 

[ncligs]

Rich,

That has to be one of your BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I hope you are not a Yankee fan, since you are from NY....

 

[Richyams]

I was always a Met fan. Back when the teams were relatively the same year after year and you could really get to know the players and their quirks, baseball was a great game to watch. Now that we have such a wild turnover in the rosters every year, its hard for me to really be interested in a team.

I was at opening day for the new Yankee stadium.

 

[lyndon1]

Wow. Someone calling OKW a cesspool would be like calling UPS a branch of the US Postal Service.

My family and I just returned from our first Disney vacation as DVC members and we happened to stay at Old Key West. We also invited our best friends to join us on vacation. Put them up in their own 1 bedroom in building 38 near the Turtle Pond bus stop and they had a blast. It was their first time to Disney and they commented that they now have a new annual vacation home.

All of us were made to feel at home during the entire 8 nights. Everything was just about perfect and we cannot imagine wanting to stay anywhere else for a extended vacation. Cannot wait for the 7 night western cruise in August just to get my Disney fix again.

The Girvins

 

[dougmatt]

I loved OKW.... Until I stayed there. Back in 99 we stayed there for 5 nights, and by the 3rd day I could barely walk. The beds were EXTREMELY hard (I sleep on a waterbed normally). I have never had trouble in any hotel (travel quite a bit), but we all (DW, DD, and DS) had back issues that trip. Each morning we woke up hardly refreshed and every night dreaded going back to the bed.

Has anyone else experienced this or was it just us? BTW VWL is my personal on-property FAV. Love the relaxation! Like camping, but with a 5 star resort nearby . Very nice. Wish I owned points there....

 

[Niagara2]

Fancy hotels are great and GF is one of the best but OKW is home!!! I go on vacation to relax and OKW is best for this IMHO! I get to stay in fancy hotels all the time for work and I rather be at OKW everytime.

 

[KNWVIKING]

..DW and I have had a waterbed for last 15 yrs. DW has the same problem you talked about but it never bothered me. But to be fair to OKW,the beds at BWV and VWL feel exactly the same to us. I imagine WDW gets all their mattress' from the same hardware store.

 

[SalandJeff]

We stayed at OKW before joining DVC. It's beautiful, just a different atmosphere than BWV or GF. More laid back and out of the way. We joined at BWV because that's the resort that was being sold at the time we joined, and we love it, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay at OKW again. I also like the fact that the two bedroom villas are really 2 bedrooms and not just a one bedroom & studio that are next to each other.

 

[DeeP]

Cosmic Charlie,
I can certainly understand why your friend spoke so highly of BWV. It is one of the best resorts on WDW property. It is in an excellent location, it is a deluxe resort with fantastic amenities that throughly spoil you and give you a thorough top notch vacation experience. You will have someone to park your car, carry your luggage and bring your meals to your room(if you so desire), while you sit on your balcony and enjoy the most beautiful scenery at WDW, Illumination fireworks and even parts of Fantasmic fireworks! BWV is located within walking distance to 2 parks and numerous wonderful restaurants and shops, it has a wonderfully themed pool with a water slide that most children love.
True, OKW does not have any of the deluxe resort amenitities that BWV & GF offer but they do have large rooms and you can park your own car outside of your unit, this is especially convenient for when you have to unload your luggage & groceries or are coming back to your unit with tired children. OKW is located in a remote location compared to the superior locations of BWV and GF but it is certainly NOT a cesspool!

 

[wdw4us2]

I personally hope more people read the first post and follow it -- then it will be easier for us to book OKW! Seriously, resorts are always a matter of opinion. Our opinion is definitely the same as Richyams when it comes to the OKW/BWV comparison. Once at BWV was enough for us! I can't comment about the Grand Floridian, it's the only resort we haven't stayed in yet. I have been there a few times, though, and I can't say the cesspool comparison is accurate.

Lisa

 

[nezy]

WOW!! I think calling OKW was a ploy to keep others from booking up OKW!!

Let's not try to convince everyone to stay at Old Key --it will only make it more difficult for those of us who love OKW and always stay ther even though their home resort is not OKW!
I have yet to stay at my HOME resort of BWV. We prefer OKW and even my children ages 7, 6, and 4 ask to stay at OKW.

I would not waste the extra points neede to stay at the GF and at the same time have to give up the conveniences and comforts of being HOME. Besides isn't being able to enjoy the amenities of the resorts a benefit of beign a DVC member? We always visit the GF, especially at night for the view of the Magic Kingdom and the Watr parade for example. We love it--but we are always happy to go back HOME to OKW.

Nezy

P.S. Yankees are to baseball what Mickey is to Walt Disney World!

Youngstown Ohio--would that be a Cleveland Indians territory? We'll see you in the playoffs!

 

[baileybrad]

anyone who would refer to the OKW resort as a "cesspool" even in a comparison with the GF is full of "cess". I would not be able to take this person's opinion seriously. I would take a 2 bedroom condo at any DVC resort over a couple of rooms at the GF any day.

 

[madcoco]

Agree with you 100%The guy probably didn't even stay there.We have paid close to 1G/nite for 2 rooms at the GF and not putting down the GF.It is beautiful. We will take a 1 or 2BDR at OKW any day as well.