Shadeaux
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
- Messages
- 612
Just some random thoughts from our recent trip. It was just my husband and myself this trip. First vacation with just the two of us in 21 years!
We arrived at OKW on Nov. 4 about 3pm. There was no one else checking in - I've never seen the check-in area that empty since joining in '94! I had originally requested a 2nd floor room, but was having back problems so I asked what was available on the 1st floor. We had our choice of several locations...chose 1811 which was supposed to be a water view. I say supposed to because it was overlooking the edge of the pond; vegetation was overgrown on both sides of the balcony (actually growing over the railing onto the balcony on both sides) and there were several dead bushes around the pond. LOL, my husband said next time he's bringing his pruner! I considered asking to change rooms because we usually spend a lot of time on the balcony, but the unit itself (1 BR) was clean with everything in working order so I decided we'd stay put. I'm glad we did; it was a nice peaceful place to relax and enjoy the quiet.
http://images54.fotki.com/v555/photos/8/180398/8163451/P1020313copy-vi.jpg
http://images53.fotki.com/v420/photos/8/180398/8163451/P1020315copy1-vi.jpg
I brought an inexpensive Belkin router so we could both use the internet but for some reason my husband couldn't get his work laptop to connect wirelessly. I was able to connect my netbook & iphone with no problems. Somebody had mentioned not getting a 3G signal at OKW with their Iphone; I had no problems unless I was in the bedroom.
Free valet parking for members was still listed in the member perks booklet we received. We never valet park, so it wasn't a big concern that they're now charging, but I thought it odd that it was still listed as free.
We were there for the last few days of the Food & Wine Festival...a first for us. It was fun, but not something we'd go out of our way to do again; just a personal preference. World Showcase was crowded with people eating & drinking, but we didn't wait in line for any of the attractions for more than 5 minutes.
Monday, Nov. 9 we went to the Studios....not crowded at all. We normally eat counter service when at the parks; haven't made an ADR in years. Since it wasn't very crowded we decided to see if we could get in SciFi Diner for lunch. We walked up about noon, were told there'd be about a 15-20 minute wait, so we said sure. Less than 5 minutes later we were seated and had our order taken already!
Tuesday Nov. 10 went to MK. We haven't seen it so empty in years (we've been going to WDW since 1976 when MK was all there was). We walked into most everything with no waits, including Splash Mountain. About 2:40pm, we decided to ride the train around the park before we left. When the train pulled into the Main St. station, they announced there were technical difficulties so the train wouldn't be running. We walked out on the platform, found a spot at the railing and waited for the parade. There weren't many people waiting for the parade, even at 2:45pm.
http://images54.fotki.com/v564/photos/8/180398/8163451/P1020461copy-vi.jpg
Our whole trip was wonderful. The weather was fantastic, not too hot, not too cold. OKW is still our favorite resort. We haven't stayed anywhere else when at WDW since purchasing in '94. When we passed BLT my husband commented that it might be fun staying there sometime, so we're considering trying it next year.
I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I usually do; I was too busy enjoying time with my husband.
The pictures I did put online are here...just click on the thumbnails to view larger versions:
http://public.fotki.com/shadeaux/disneyworld/november2009/
We arrived at OKW on Nov. 4 about 3pm. There was no one else checking in - I've never seen the check-in area that empty since joining in '94! I had originally requested a 2nd floor room, but was having back problems so I asked what was available on the 1st floor. We had our choice of several locations...chose 1811 which was supposed to be a water view. I say supposed to because it was overlooking the edge of the pond; vegetation was overgrown on both sides of the balcony (actually growing over the railing onto the balcony on both sides) and there were several dead bushes around the pond. LOL, my husband said next time he's bringing his pruner! I considered asking to change rooms because we usually spend a lot of time on the balcony, but the unit itself (1 BR) was clean with everything in working order so I decided we'd stay put. I'm glad we did; it was a nice peaceful place to relax and enjoy the quiet.
http://images54.fotki.com/v555/photos/8/180398/8163451/P1020313copy-vi.jpg
http://images53.fotki.com/v420/photos/8/180398/8163451/P1020315copy1-vi.jpg
I brought an inexpensive Belkin router so we could both use the internet but for some reason my husband couldn't get his work laptop to connect wirelessly. I was able to connect my netbook & iphone with no problems. Somebody had mentioned not getting a 3G signal at OKW with their Iphone; I had no problems unless I was in the bedroom.
Free valet parking for members was still listed in the member perks booklet we received. We never valet park, so it wasn't a big concern that they're now charging, but I thought it odd that it was still listed as free.
We were there for the last few days of the Food & Wine Festival...a first for us. It was fun, but not something we'd go out of our way to do again; just a personal preference. World Showcase was crowded with people eating & drinking, but we didn't wait in line for any of the attractions for more than 5 minutes.
Monday, Nov. 9 we went to the Studios....not crowded at all. We normally eat counter service when at the parks; haven't made an ADR in years. Since it wasn't very crowded we decided to see if we could get in SciFi Diner for lunch. We walked up about noon, were told there'd be about a 15-20 minute wait, so we said sure. Less than 5 minutes later we were seated and had our order taken already!
Tuesday Nov. 10 went to MK. We haven't seen it so empty in years (we've been going to WDW since 1976 when MK was all there was). We walked into most everything with no waits, including Splash Mountain. About 2:40pm, we decided to ride the train around the park before we left. When the train pulled into the Main St. station, they announced there were technical difficulties so the train wouldn't be running. We walked out on the platform, found a spot at the railing and waited for the parade. There weren't many people waiting for the parade, even at 2:45pm.
http://images54.fotki.com/v564/photos/8/180398/8163451/P1020461copy-vi.jpg
Our whole trip was wonderful. The weather was fantastic, not too hot, not too cold. OKW is still our favorite resort. We haven't stayed anywhere else when at WDW since purchasing in '94. When we passed BLT my husband commented that it might be fun staying there sometime, so we're considering trying it next year.
I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I usually do; I was too busy enjoying time with my husband.
The pictures I did put online are here...just click on the thumbnails to view larger versions:http://public.fotki.com/shadeaux/disneyworld/november2009/
Thanks for the TR
our OKW home too; we've been hopping past couple of trips to other 
