OKW Vacation: The good, the bad, and the ugly

[Mambo Junkie]

The Good:
Loved the location
Front desk very helpful and polite
Quiet!
Lovely view of the pond and the golf course, loved sitting on the balcony with a cup of coffee; very relaxing

The Bad:
CMs inside the store could use some customer service training. I have only found one I thought was polite.
Buses are hit and miss: While waiting for MK 4 AK buses came and 3 Epcots. 2 DTDs.
Very long bus ride through resort, especially if you're the last stop
Could definitely use some updating; signs of wear on all the furniture

The Ugly:
No service: We had to call twice for toilet paper, had to wash all of our towels and dry them every night to reuse them, have taken the trash out twice, and I finally set it outside the door today since I really don't know where to dispose of it and have to cram it into a normal trash can. Having gone to other resorts and seen the type of service you get there I would be very upset if I was an owner. As I said, the Customer Service has been great and the Concierge has been also. I would only stay here again if there was no other choice.

As I said I do love the ambience, but we're not in the room enough to fully appreciate it, which magnifies the negatives. Sorry, I really did want to love it.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Oh, yes, most important. This unit has not been properly cleaned in a very long time. I do not have high standards.

 

[DizBub]

Sorry your stay was less than magical.

I SO agree with the CMs at the store, they are rude and generally unknowledgeable at best. I think they built the resort around them so I expect they will be there for the duration, lol. Honestly, I can't think of another reason they haven't lost their jobs. I won't let them keep me from staying there though.

 

[DizBub]

Oh, yes, most important. This unit has not been properly cleaned in a very long time. I do not have high standards.

I agree that the bathrooms could use a thorough steam cleaning on the tiles and grout. Would love to see the shower stalls redone too.

 

[disneynutz]

The Good:
Loved the location
Front desk very helpful and polite
Quiet!
Lovely view of the pond and the golf course, loved sitting on the balcony with a cup of coffee; very relaxing

The Bad:
CMs inside the store could use some customer service training. I have only found one I thought was polite.
Buses are hit and miss: While waiting for MK 4 AK buses came and 3 Epcots. 2 DTDs.
Very long bus ride through resort, especially if you're the last stop
Could definitely use some updating; signs of wear on all the furniture

The Ugly:
No service: We had to call twice for toilet paper, had to wash all of our towels and dry them every night to reuse them, have taken the trash out twice, and I finally set it outside the door today since I really don't know where to dispose of it and have to cram it into a normal trash can. Having gone to other resorts and seen the type of service you get there I would be very upset if I was an owner. As I said, the Customer Service has been great and the Concierge has been also. I would only stay here again if there was no other choice.

As I said I do love the ambience, but we're not in the room enough to fully appreciate it, which magnifies the negatives. Sorry, I really did want to love it.

You do know that DVC reservations do not get daily room cleaning, they take out the trash and give you fresh towels on day 4 of your 7 night stay.

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The Ugly:
No service: We had to call twice for toilet paper, had to wash all of our towels and dry them every night to reuse them, have taken the trash out twice, and I finally set it outside the door today since I really don't know where to dispose of it and have to cram it into a normal trash can. Having gone to other resorts and seen the type of service you get there I would be very upset if I was an owner. As I said, the Customer Service has been great and the Concierge has been also. I would only stay here again if there was no other choice.

As I said I do love the ambience, but we're not in the room enough to fully appreciate it, which magnifies the negatives. Sorry, I really did want to love it.

I'm confused. If you are staying on points none of the DVC resorts have daily service unless you request and pay cash for it so OKW is not worse than any others for that. I'm not certain on the trash "room" are but should be on the maps. I'd suspect each building has one somewhere on the lower level or else it might be near the laundries at each of the pools.

 

[bumbershoot]

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/resorts/old-key-west/faqs-42970

Where are the Trash/Recycling rooms?

The Trash/Recycling rooms are under the stairway at most buildings.

That matches our experience. Walk outside, run into the stairway area, and there's a door to the trash/recycle room.


I cannot imagine washing and drying towels every night. I don't do it (or even change towels every day) at home (much to my son's chagrin) and I don't do it on vacation.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

You do know that DVC reservations do not get daily room cleaning, they take out the trash and give you fresh towels on day 4 of your 7 night stay.

Bill

We have not seen a housekeeper since day number 2, when they knocked on the door and handed us a trash bag of towels.
We are not DVC members.
Guest services told us to put the trash outside the door and someone would pick it up. We figured it out after the trash was there for 2 days.
I love the view, though. We ate on the balcony tonight.
As for the room cleanliness, it looks good, but nothing has been cleaned under or around for quite some time. The edges of the cabinets and washing machines have dirt just beyond eyesight. The tiles and grout need serious cleaning.
One of my favorite places to stay is quiet, on the ocean, and needs new furniture and décor, but it is clean. I'm not that picky.
If they would do a serious cleaning, replace some of the worn furnishings and offer a few more services this would be a lovely place. We stayed at the Beach Club last time and I guess I got spoiled with the service and attention.

 

[disneynutz]

We have not seen a housekeeper since day number 2, when they knocked on the door and handed us a trash bag of towels.
We are not DVC members.
Guest services told us to put the trash outside the door and someone would pick it up. We figured it out after the trash was there for 2 days.
I love the view, though. We ate on the balcony tonight.
As for the room cleanliness, it looks good, but nothing has been cleaned under or around for quite some time. The edges of the cabinets and washing machines have dirt just beyond eyesight. The tiles and grout need serious cleaning.
One of my favorite places to stay is quiet, on the ocean, and needs new furniture and décor, but it is clean. I'm not that picky.
If they would do a serious cleaning, replace some of the worn furnishings and offer a few more services this would be a lovely place. We stayed at the Beach Club last time and I guess I got spoiled with the service and attention.

How did you make the reservation, through Disney or through a DVC owner or rental agency?

Bill

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you booked directly through Disney and not through DVC or a DVC member, you should get a full cleaning every day. If the housekeepers don't show up, press the Housekeeping button on the phone and let them know you require daily full cleaning since you have paid for that. If you are still there, call them as soon as you can.

If you booked through a DVC member or directly with DVC, you get your towels replaced and trash removed on day four when you stay seven nights or less. If you are eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day four and trash/towel service on day eight. Check in day is day one.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We traded our time share through RCI. If that means I have to use the same program as a DVC member then so be it but that was not the case when we stayed at the Beach Club Villas. Plus, if the customer service staff doesn't know where the trash goes how am I to figure it out? I think the most aggravating part was the towel situation. We do not necessarily wash towels daily but we do have to dry them because we don't care to use damp or wet towels. We were short one towel so we made do with a hand towel. Do they not supply toilet paper? If not then I will be sure to carry extra. The (lack of) cleanliness was also an issue. I am sure people are buying into these memberships, they pay yearly fees, and those of us who trade in or renthave to pay as well they could employ people who know how to clean. You can see where it had been mopped, but the corners and not major traffic areas needed attention. ( like behind the toilet, under the cabinet overhangs, around the dryer and washer. That sort of thing.

 

[disneynutz]

We traded our time share through RCI. If that means I have to use the same program as a DVC member then so be it but that was not the case when we stayed at the Beach Club Villas. Plus, if the customer service staff doesn't know where the trash goes how am I to figure it out? I think the most aggravating part was the towel situation. We do not necessarily wash towels daily but we do have to dry them because we don't care to use damp or wet towels. We were short one towel so we made do with a hand towel. Do they not supply toilet paper? If not then I will be sure to carry extra. The (lack of) cleanliness was also an issue. I am sure people are buying into these memberships, they pay yearly fees, and those of us who trade in or renthave to pay as well they could employ people who know how to clean. You can see where it had been mopped, but the corners and not major traffic areas needed attention. ( like behind the toilet, under the cabinet overhangs, around the dryer and washer. That sort of thing.

Disney isn't perfect, contrary to what we have been taught growing up.

DVC housekeeping leaves much to be desired as you have found out, you should have started out fully stocked and replenished on the 4th day. Extra items can often be obtained by asking housekeeping when you see them in the halls. You can also purchase extra towels for a few bucks.

Bill

 

[Chuck S]

We traded our time share through RCI. If that means I have to use the same program as a DVC member then so be it but that was not the case when we stayed at the Beach Club Villas. Plus, if the customer service staff doesn't know where the trash goes how am I to figure it out? I think the most aggravating part was the towel situation. We do not necessarily wash towels daily but we do have to dry them because we don't care to use damp or wet towels. We were short one towel so we made do with a hand towel. Do they not supply toilet paper? If not then I will be sure to carry extra. The (lack of) cleanliness was also an issue. I am sure people are buying into these memberships, they pay yearly fees, and those of us who trade in or renthave to pay as well they could employ people who know how to clean. You can see where it had been mopped, but the corners and not major traffic areas needed attention. ( like behind the toilet, under the cabinet overhangs, around the dryer and washer. That sort of thing.

Yes, RCI trades follow the same rules as DVC Member reservations, as they are essentially DVC Member Reservations. A DVC Member traded out, making the room available to you, just as you trading in made your home resort available to someone else. As far as ttoilet paper, there are usually extra rolls under the bathroom sink. If not, call housekeeping. Paper towels, toilet paper, kleenex are provided. Soap, shampoo, and so forth are only those small bottles and should be replenished on days 4, 8 and so forth.

Unless you are staying 8 nights or more, the only house keeping you should have received is trash removal and fresh towels on day 4. All they do that day is take out the trash, give fresh towels, replenish coffee and soaps on trash and towel day. If you're staying 8 nights or more, you get full housekeeping on day 4 and trash and towel on day 8. Almost all the buildings at OKW will have a trash and recycle room on the ground floor, under one of the stairs. I have only seen one building that did not have a trash room.

 

[bumbershoot]

e traded our time share through RCI. If that means I have to use the same program as a DVC member then so be it but that was not the case when we stayed at the Beach Club Villas. Plus, if the customer service staff doesn't know where the trash goes how am I to figure it out?

If you got daily service with an RCI trade staying at Beach Club, you got serious pixie dust. And when I say that, I mean that housekeeping messed up repeatedly, it's just that you got a benefit from it. This time you got what you were supposed to get.

So you contacted someone about where the trash areas were? I didn't see mention of that in the first post. If you did, who did you contact? If you pressed the button on the phone for Front Desk...alas, that button gets you to a call center manned by people who do not work at the resort, who might not be in Florida, and who don't know how things are run at the resorts. It's one of the most ridiculous things that disney resorts do. And it's worth knowing forevermore. Until they change it, which I doubt they ever will.

 

[SusieBea]

We are at OKW now (leave in the morning after 8 days on property). This is the cleanest I've seen the property in a long time. Even the ceiling fans are clean. We've been members a long time, and I'm used to washing my own towels and don't mind. I do agree the CMs at the shop could use some customer service training!

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Yes I did specify that the unit I was in could use some serious cleaning Unit 1624. I cannot vouch for the other units. I did not see bugs or anything like that just signs that the minimum was being done and it was time for a good deep cleaning job. I also said it was mopped and dusted but when I dropped a sock on the floor of the laundry room right at the side of the machine when I bent down to get it there was dirt there. I then began to notice the corners and cabinet overhangs. We did not see anyone on day 4. The only time we saw housekeeping was day 2 when they gave us the bag of towels. We had 5 of us in the unit and we had 2 rolls of to; did see housekeeping when we called for more. On the 3rd day we were going to get drinks and we took the trash. We were looking around for a recepticle it couldn't find one. Three employees were coming out of the customer service area so we asked them. They said they didn't know and to stuff it in one of the regular trash cans. Tha grounds were well kept, the view and overall ambience was lovely but I was just disappointed in the overall lack of service. With the exception of the gift shop staff everyone was pleasant and helpful so no complaints there.

 

[RobDoc]

Trash receptacles at OKW are located near the stairs at ground level of each building. The door is appropriately marked.

If you did not receiving Housekeeping on day 4 (arrival day is Day 1), I would call Housekeeping and if there is still no activity, go to the front desk to let them know that you have not received fresh towels, supplies and trash removal as scheduled. You should not be expecting daily housekeeping unless you wish to pay extra for that service.

 

[Minniesgal]

Yes it's true you only get fresh towels every 4th day and you are expelted to take your own trash out. This is consistent with all other Condo type resorts in the area. DVC villas are not hotel rooms and are not serviced as such. I agree the OKW rooms need some serious cleaning in fact the bathrooms need a major overhaul. This is why we prefer SSR next door

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you traded in through RCI, the timeshare you own to make the trade should have similar rules for towels, cleaning, etc. The other timeshares I have stayed at had us bring the towels to a specific area on the midpoint of our stay (Sat to Sat, so Wed). We were told the trash room areas (and they should have been listed on the information in your packet for OKW).

I agree that you were magically dusted with pixie dust on your BCV stay.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Yes, I agree it is a lovely resort and if they would use a little more elbow grease it would be a wonderful vacation spot. I did love the peace and quiet and value that higher than the flashy palace appearances at other hotels. To be honest, there were 6 of us (infant) and with all the confusion I did not see the packet until the last day when we were packing up. We got in at 10 am on check in day and were unable to get into the room until later, when we had MK ADRs, so it was after 11 pm when we actually got into the room.