OKW ????s ... car, location, etc...

[Lisabell]

Happy Day!

We're staying at OKW for Halloween week. We never rent a car when we go to the World, but after seeing the sprawling layout of the resort, we're starting to have second thoughts. We live near Chicago and vacation, for us, also means a vacation from driving. Getting stuck in Chicago traffic on a regular basis does this to a person. LOL!

Can we get by without renting a car? If the worst case scenario happens and we end up in a building far away from the common area, how long of a walk is it and, if it's too long to walk, are the buses pretty reliable?

Also, there seem to be soooo many buildings at OKW. Does anyone know how many units are in each building so that I can get a feel for how much space they occupy?

Thanks for any info!!

Lisabell

 

[jml145]

First of all, I'm with you on the traffic thing, I live in New York Area. and I have to deal with Manhattan, Long Island, and the like. I know what you mean. I wanna get there, when I wanna be there. This is why i ALWAYS get a car in Disney. I've never had traffic in the last 15 trips to OKW, in or around WDW. Yes, the busses are relaible, but you still have to wait, and they stop at every stop. (EI, a bus trip to Magic Kingdom might take @ 20 minutes, you could do it in 10 on your own) The advantages of having your own car add up, for instance, if you decide you wanna eat at The Wilderness Lodge, or Boadwalk, or Animal Kingdom Lodge....
You could definitely get away without a car, the buildings at OKW all have very convienient bus stops, and the busses come pretty regularly...
But don't base your decision on whether or not you'll have to deal with ROAD RAGE, it won't happen in WDW
Good Luck

One more thing, the great part about having a car at OKW, is that you can park literally at your front door, you really can't do that at any other DVC property.

 

[MikeScott8]

well this is sometimes a touchy issue here

Some people feel you can do it, some feel the other way. We spent four days at OKW back in Jan and we only used the car once (to go to Orlando Ale House off site). we walked past it (the car) every day on the way to the bus stop. And it was nice after driving two days down, and then from Tampa the morning of checkin to not have to drive the few days, before having to do it all again to get back home.

I agree getting to the Hospitality House (I think it's called that) would be a walk. we never did it the one time we went up there we took the bus and then looked around and then caught the ferry to DTD. Coming back from here was the only time we had a long wait for the bus. So I understand how long the waits can be if you have bad luck and just miss a bus alot. (we must have been lucky or too relaxed to care)

Here is Doc's great OKW config post GO! That should help you determine the property layout more.

Mike

 

[dianeschlicht]

We ALWAYS use the buses to go to the parks from OKW and we ALWAYS rent a car at the airport. Why? Because it is much less time consuming to take the buses to the parks and be able to walk on and off them without searching through the parking lot for your car etc. Especially to the Magic Kingdom. The bus drops you off right at the entrance. With a car you have to go through the TTC. We use the car for transport to and from the airport and to have dinner at the other resorts on occasion. For those things, the car is much faster than going back home to OKW through DTD. The buses from DTD to OKW are horendous and you can wait 45 minutes or more for them. Kind of an odd thing when you can walk from DTD to OKW in about 15 minutes! We don't use the car for going to Hospitality House either. We usually request South Point area which is the farthest from HH. It can be walked in about 5-7 minutes or you can take a bus from the bus stop to HH too. With all the walking one does at WDW, a few minutes to HH doesn't seem like much. Besides, there is very little reason to go there more than once a trip!

 

[jml145]

fyi
you can park it at the contemporary and walk an extra
200 yards, it's faster to drive on your own
....to each his own

 

[dianeschlicht]

Parking for the Contemporary is not allowed for MK admission. You are now given a time limit for parking to enjoy dinner etc. at the Contemporary, but it is uaually limited to 2-3 hours.

 

[jml145]

i've never had a problem doing this ( parking at the contemp )
but i didn't know it wasn't "allowed"
like i said.....to each his own.... take the bus if you prefer

 

[dianeschlicht]

How long ago did you try the parking thing? We just got notice in the mail that this was going to be checked quite carefully from now on. When we were down in January, they were only allowing cars from other resorts to time limit park at any of the other resorts. The parking lots at the resorts were designed for the residents of that resort, not for park goers. They are having trouble with not having enough space for their guests, so they have had to crack down on the violators. We used to do something similar to that years ago when we would drive to Y&Bclub to park and go to dinner. Then we would enter Epcot through the International gate and watch Illuminations before heading back to OKW. We have not done that for a couple years though. I think the parking restrictions have always been there, but they have only been enforcing it in the last year.

 

[jml145]

i was there this past week, pulled in, said i was going to breakfast, they waived me in, no problem.....
also, you could park at the GF and take the monorial, that would be quicker also ( i love the monorial )

 

[BillM]

WE always have a car at OKW. WE use it to go to the BW for dinner at the FF, To the Contemporary for dinner at the CG and have driven tio AKL for diinner at Boma. Also its nice to visit WL and also to go with the grandkids to pool hop at some of the resort hotels. As to the theme parks, as said above you would be better to take the bus to MK. We always drive to all the theme parks since we must use HC parking.
Hope you enjoy OKW as much as we do.

 

[WOW]

We are from NJ and as others have mentioned---we hate to drive here---too much traffic. Soooooo we don't like to drive on vacation. We have been members since 1995 and have stayed at OKW about 20 times and have NEVER rented a car. The Disney transportation has almost always been great. Sure, there are times when the wait is longer than usual, but that is a rare occurance. If you want to go to Sea World, Universal or whatever you can get there quite inexpensively with Mears Transportation. They have busses, vans, town cars, etc. Whoops, we did rent a car for one day to go to Vero Beach!!!!!!!!!

Have a great trip!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ncligs]

We do a combination of both. We always rent a car at the airport.We mainly use it for shopping,restraunts,DowntownDisney,etc.We use the OKW busses if we go to the parks.We usually request a room near the HH.

 

[Richyams]

We live in Fl and drive to WDW now, but we have only been here a few years. We were New Yorkers when we bought in '92. I have never been on an OKW bus. I wouldn't dream of constricting myself without a car. I couldn't even imagine dealing with WDW transportation. I am glad the busses are there, teens and old folks could put them to good use. Personally, I would NEVER be at WDW in any resort without a car.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Don't concern yourself with walking around OKW. South Point is the farthest point from the main buildings but it only takes a few minutes to walk. There is a bus stop at each section of OKW where you can hop on a bus to go to the main buildings. The last stop on the bus trip is the main building area. You will be fine without a car if you wish to do so. The only thing is the bus service is not the best so be patient. I usually use a car to get around but that is me. To many people here will tell you that the bus service is fine and we also have people that think dinner at Olivia's is also great, I don't agree but that is me. There also is 4 pools for use. Each section has a bus stop and a pool, very convient.

 

[Lisabell]

Happy Day!

I think we'll stick to our routine of relying on the good ole' bus transportation. We rationalized that if we absolutely HAD to get somewhere in a hurry, the cost of a few taxis here and there will still be less that renting a car for 9 days.

Also, I was concerned that the resort was very large, but it's sounding like you can walk from end to end in not too much time. I walk a 1+ miles to my train every day, so I ought to be able to handle the grounds of OKW (and it will be much more pleasant that downtown Chicago during the mad dash to the train stations!)

Thanks for all of your input!
Lisabell

 

[Goofy Fan]

How are you getting to and from the airport? Cost of that round trip for everyone in your group?

You may be surprised, but deduct what your paying for airport transportation, and a rental may not be as expensive as you think. Planning on visiting any resorts while there? Getting from OKW to resort hotels may be a challenge. How about a grocery stop? US / IOA? Sea World? Orbitz is currently showing good rates for 9 days. Hotwire has a $200 9 day rate for a mid size including all taxes and fees. I've used Priceline a few times and have always received better rates than that.

I always have a car at WDW. I live and work in the Philadelphia area, and believe me, driving in WDW is nothing like driving at home. I actually think it adds to the enjoyment experience as you can leisurely roam WDW, even with a smile on your face.

 

[timC]

We used the car to get to our dinner reservation on time, and to HH. It's always easier to take the bus to the major parks, except TL. I don't mind the parking there at all.

Honestly, we really didn't like walking around OKW. There were no sidewalks near our building, so we mostly walked on the road, dodging cars, smelly buses, etc. At halls of BWV are far more pleasant IMO.

 

[jml145]

if you consider the financial aspect, 9 out o 10 times
it's cheaper to just rent a car, then you can go wherever you want , or take the buses if you prefer to the parks. For instance, two people RT on mears would cost @ 60.00 bucks plus tips for them, tips at the resort, etc....both ways.... which would be almost $80.00 by the time you're done. You could grab a full week rental for about $120.00, so for an extra 40 bucks, you're free to go wherever you want. I always get the car so I can go to the Premier Character outlet store/ ( for my disney gear ). I always feel like I made out better that way. For instance, last time I bought a jacket, three sweatshirts, some baby clothes, two hats, and a golf polo for under $100.00 at the outlet store. That stuff was originally tagged at over $300.00. So, by having the car, and being able to go wherever, whenever, I'll always get the rental car.

 

[NancyDVC]

We always rent a car. First to get from the airport to OKW, then to pick up groceries (which may be quite often when my sister and her kids come with us), to eat off site, to visit Celebration (and eat), to visit the 4 Disney outlets at least once each trip, to visit other resorts (to eat) and to go DD (to shop and eat) when we don't feel like the bus or the Trumbo ferry. (Notice there are a lot a lot of food related trips by car.)
We prefer to be along Old Turtle Pond Road. It is quiet, has the second door to the master bath, is close to a pool and has great views.
We use the buses to go to the parks, water parks and DD. And when we want to stop by HH or eat at Olivia's we often take the bus. To get back from HH we walk to the Peninsula Road stop to catch the next bus.
Although OKW is spread out the parking is more convenient than VWL, BWV or BCV.
Have a ball!

 

[Sharper]

I have had so many friends who rented cars, then complained that they simply sat during their trip. I was going to rent a car once, and it ended up that it was such a hassle that during the process I told them to forget it -- didn't want to spend half my day getting a car I wouldn't use! Either do Mears (and all things are negotiable, pricewise) or grab a Town car, maybe even getting the driver to run by a grocery store on the way. Less expense and hassle!