OKW Planning Questions

[mimmiepnp]

We are doing a 11 day vacation end of May at our home resort at SSR (which I absolutely adore!!!) but my son would like to do a split stay with half at SSR and the other at OKW. I plan on calling on Sunday since that will be my 7 month window for OKW.

Is there any particular area that I should request? I would also appreciate any other information that may be helpful in my planning at OKW.

As always, thanks so much for any info

Mammiepnp

PS: 31 days until we leave for WL for Thanksgiving

 

[dianeschlicht]

There are no really bad areas at OKW, but we all have our preferences. I prefer either South Point or Miller's Road. If you have someone sleeping in the living room of a 1 or 2 bedroom, you'll want to request anything building 30 or higher so you will have the door to the bathroom from the laundry room. Those units below 30 will not have the extra door, and anyone staying in the living room must pass through the master to get to the bathroom.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Here's the map.

 

[CraftyMouse]

It really depends on what you are looking for. Personally, I prefer to request a particular type of view, rather than an area. I find all of the sections of OKW to be equal.

There are two booking categories (same points per night) at OKW...Hospitality House and Regular. The Hospitality House section is closer to the main area (restaurant, shop, main pool, etc.) so if you'd like to be near that then request HH. We don't prefer that area as it is busier than the rest of the resort and we like the peace and quiet of the other sections, but your mileage may vary.

OKW is our favorite DVC property. It is much like SSR, but a bit smaller and with a Florida Keys theme. We find that staying there makes us feel a million miles from all of the rushing around of the parks, yet we're just a bus ride away.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

Like SSR, OKW is a large condo style resort so it is spread out. The majority of the resort activities are around the HH. If you want to be near the main pool/slide, general store, boat docks, etc. then I'd suggest you request a HH location - Bldgs 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 26, 62, 63 - although I dont think 62 or 63 are considered "HH booking category". Someone will correct me if I am wrong... If you prefer a secluded, quiet location with golf or pond views then I would suggest Turtle Pond or Millers Road areas. The Turtle Pond area in addition to being a quiet area also has a small recreation area (pool, snack shack, arcade, playground, shuffle board).

Check out the resort map... http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/okwmap.htm

other information that may be helpful in my planning at OKW

The fact you have a car will come in very handy in getting around the resort and to/from the parks. I would not stay at OKW without a car but many do. There is only 1 restaurant, Olivia's, which is a nice family restaurant with no thrills. The staff are great and very friendly and the food quality is in line with the prices; average. The counter service (Grab & Go & Snack Shack) menu is limited and is decent at best, imo. Conch Flats, the general store, is large in comparison to most DVC stores and has a nice variety of food, beverages, dvc & okw gear and wdw goods.

 

[mimmiepnp]

We never have a car when we go to WDW and our first time at SSR in August was without a car and the buses were okay to get around most of the time. So, I believe we should be okay without a car at OKW. I am really looking forward to staying at OKW!!

Thank you for the map and all the info as it was vey helpful.

Mimmiepnp

 

[5forDiz]

If you enjoy walking there is path to Downtown Disney ( a bit of a walk but very nice to do ) - it is closest to South Point area.

We've walked from South Point area up to HH and didn't find this to be a long walk ( definitely less than 10 minutes but depends upon how fast you are walking ).

As mentioned by pps each area has a bus stop ( last stop is always HH ); in our experiences we've found that we have never waited more than 15-20 minutes for a bus at one of the 'outer' areas.

I think you & your family will find much at OKW similar to SSR. Only other suggestion I'd have would be your son's age - - if he is older (pre-teen/teen) he may not find OKW offers enough. As much as our kids love OKW as they've gotten older they now seem to prefer BWV because that area has much more to discover/do within easy walking distance.

Best Wishes on your planning! Enjoy

 

[MickeyT]

If you enjoy walking there is path to Downtown Disney ( a bit of a walk but very nice to do ) - it is closest to South Point area.

How far is the walk to Downtown Disney?

We are staying in a 2-BR in January (doing th 1/2 Marathon) and can't really tell from looking at the map. Thinking the Southpoint area would be nice for us, 6 adults.

 

[NancyDVC]

OKW is our home and favorite resort. We prefer the Old Turtle Pond Road area. The one and two bedrooms all have the 'extra' door throught the laundry room to the master bathroom. The bus stop is nearby. Nice pool with a snack bar (open seasonally). Not to far to walk to any part of the resort from there. Good views of the golf course and the 'wildlife'. It seems like a resort within a resort at Turtle Pond.

I always enjoy sitting on my balcony having breakfast and watching the golfers. (Especially from bldgs 30-36.)
But wherever you stay at OKW it is lovely, especially the large spacious rooms!

 

[dianeschlicht]

How far is the walk to Downtown Disney?

We are staying in a 2-BR in January (doing th 1/2 Marathon) and can't really tell from looking at the map. Thinking the Southpoint area would be nice for us, 6 adults.

I believe it is probably around a mile or less. When we have left from building 55, it has taken us about 15 minutes to get to CDS at DTD.