This was a last minute trip we decided to make when we added on with a loaded re-sale that had expiring points.
Arrived in Orlando on 1/14, went straight to DTD to buy AP's and eat lunch at the Earl. Then we headed to WDW. Gotta love those AP's---it really does change your outlook on being able to go for half a day or whatever.
We stayed off-site at Radisson the first two nights. Orlando's biggest convention EVER was being held those days and I couldn't figure out why it was so hard to get a room. Found this one on Expedia, $60 per night, clean, close and very do-able.
Checked into OKW early Sunday morning before heading to church. Very nice girl at check-in told me she had a room that met our requests but it wasn't ready yet, gave us our keys and the card for calling back later. My requests were minimal--asked for NS and 3rd floor; we were reserved for a 1 BR. I knew that OKW was packed for this night due to MLK the next day, and I had to waitlist for Sunday night when I made the ressies a month earlier. By the time we were done with church we had our room number, so off we went!
We ended up in building 18 and LOVED our room and the location. From the balcony we could see the quiet pool to the right, and pond to the left, and FIREWORKS through the trees at night (Epcot???)! The space was great and we enjoyed walking to HH. The bathtub is HUGE---you don't realize how huge until you go to fill it up and it takes forever. How come the DISboards didn't prepare me for that amazing, louder-that-a-jet-airplane flushing toilet?
Room condition was great, bed firm but comfy, kids loved sleeping in the other room and watching the bedtime stories. As my dd pointed out, there are like 25 Disney stations but not one Nickolodeon, lol. We also checked out DVD's from Hanks, swam in the pool on Thursday when it finally warmed up enough (the slide was a big hit), made plans to play to tennis but never got around to it, never had time to eat at Olivia's or walk to DTD either. The morning we were checking out, our older two children took the bus to MK for EMH (bus stop across the street, very convenient) and we met up with them an hour later after the car was loaded up. We stayed one more night at POFQ (gotta love that AP rate) and after spending Sat. morning at AK, we drove home (the other reality home).
Final thoughts: I tried to keep my expectations minimal, kept my room requests minimal, and just wanted to see what happened and enjoy it all. I know the newer buildings have a separate entrance to the bathroom, but it was never a problem for us---we were usually up before the kids. The huge split bathroom and double sinks made everything convenient. It was a haul 3 flights up with luggage, but the trade-off: how quiet everything was, totally made up for it. Even though we were busy and active the whole trip, it was also relaxing staying at OKW, felt like home with the coffee pot and washer/dryer. I'm so glad we did the DVC splurge, truly we made wonderful family memories, and of course, we are counting down until our next trip in May at BCV.
Arrived in Orlando on 1/14, went straight to DTD to buy AP's and eat lunch at the Earl. Then we headed to WDW. Gotta love those AP's---it really does change your outlook on being able to go for half a day or whatever.
We stayed off-site at Radisson the first two nights. Orlando's biggest convention EVER was being held those days and I couldn't figure out why it was so hard to get a room. Found this one on Expedia, $60 per night, clean, close and very do-able.
Checked into OKW early Sunday morning before heading to church. Very nice girl at check-in told me she had a room that met our requests but it wasn't ready yet, gave us our keys and the card for calling back later. My requests were minimal--asked for NS and 3rd floor; we were reserved for a 1 BR. I knew that OKW was packed for this night due to MLK the next day, and I had to waitlist for Sunday night when I made the ressies a month earlier. By the time we were done with church we had our room number, so off we went!
We ended up in building 18 and LOVED our room and the location. From the balcony we could see the quiet pool to the right, and pond to the left, and FIREWORKS through the trees at night (Epcot???)! The space was great and we enjoyed walking to HH. The bathtub is HUGE---you don't realize how huge until you go to fill it up and it takes forever. How come the DISboards didn't prepare me for that amazing, louder-that-a-jet-airplane flushing toilet?
Room condition was great, bed firm but comfy, kids loved sleeping in the other room and watching the bedtime stories. As my dd pointed out, there are like 25 Disney stations but not one Nickolodeon, lol. We also checked out DVD's from Hanks, swam in the pool on Thursday when it finally warmed up enough (the slide was a big hit), made plans to play to tennis but never got around to it, never had time to eat at Olivia's or walk to DTD either. The morning we were checking out, our older two children took the bus to MK for EMH (bus stop across the street, very convenient) and we met up with them an hour later after the car was loaded up. We stayed one more night at POFQ (gotta love that AP rate) and after spending Sat. morning at AK, we drove home (the other reality home).
Final thoughts: I tried to keep my expectations minimal, kept my room requests minimal, and just wanted to see what happened and enjoy it all. I know the newer buildings have a separate entrance to the bathroom, but it was never a problem for us---we were usually up before the kids. The huge split bathroom and double sinks made everything convenient. It was a haul 3 flights up with luggage, but the trade-off: how quiet everything was, totally made up for it. Even though we were busy and active the whole trip, it was also relaxing staying at OKW, felt like home with the coffee pot and washer/dryer. I'm so glad we did the DVC splurge, truly we made wonderful family memories, and of course, we are counting down until our next trip in May at BCV.
I also freaked the first time I used the facilities! Ajet engine is an apt description 
