OKW what do you think of it

[scrunchie3]

Hi
I haven't seen many posts on OKW. Can anyone tell me what they think of it? would you stay there again? good pool? food? activities? if you stayed in a studio would you recommend one area over another to ask for your room in?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kim

 

[Niki Andiokno]

OKW is Dh favorite resort. It is really quiet. The golf course views are nice. Every room is a preferred view. The studio is larger than a regular hotel room, but it seems more cramped than other DVC studios because it has two beds, not just a sleeper sofa. The quiet pools are nice. I have never been in the main pool, although it has been rehabbed recently. If you are driving, the really nice thing is that you park right in front of your room. The transportation system is OK, but not nearly as good as MK resorts or Epcot resorts.

DH loves the peaceful atmoshpere. Give it a try.

 

[Crazy4Disney43611]

While the room and resort is beautiful...I didn't care for how spread out everything was. Everything that "happens" happens at the "main house" (forgot the name of it), yuou know the place where you check in, the restaurant is, the pool is, the store is etc. If you're not close to it, which we weren't. You will find yourself troubled by the distance you will have to walk each way. There is an internal shuttle that takes you up to the front...but it never seemed to be nearby when I needed it so I would walk. I suppose its the price you pay for the "quiet" atmosphere. Would I stay there again - yes, but it wouldn't be my 1st choice. We much prefer the BWV and BCV.

 

[mla2177]

I just stayed at OKW in September and LOVED it! We did stay in the 2 bedroom suite with another couple, but it was nice after a long day at the parks to just relax out on the deck and chat. We also enjoyed the jacuzzi every night before bed.

The boat to DTD was a very nice change from the busses and also very relaxing.

I highly recommend this resort if you want to relax and enjoy a beautiful scenery.

 

[OKW Lover]

As you can probably guess from my screen name, this is our favorite resort. Some of its good points as we see it:
Its a nice, quiet home away from home.
We love that its fairly spread out so we feel like we aren't part of the herd.
The units are much larger than the newer DVC units.
Its nice to have the car just outside your door.
There is a full size kitchen and washer/dryer in the 1BR and larger units.

 

[Anal Annie]

If you asked this question over on the DVC planning boards you would get a lot of positive feedback. A lot of DVC'ers love their OKW. That said, we stayed there in a studio this past August and we were a little disappointed. It is true that the grounds are beautiful - the foliage is mature and well kept. But it is the oldest of the DVC resorts and from what I hear some of the rooms are ready for a rehab while some have already been refurbished. We had one that I would say was ready for a makeover. It is a very large resort - lots of walking. The "main area" the other poster mentioned is called Hospitality House. That is where the main pool, store & restaurant is (only one "real" restaurant + 1 lighter fare place that is basically outside only for the pool). The main pool is large and quite nice and has an awesome slide that is in a giant sand castle (very fast)! There are smaller "quiet pools" located throughout each area of the resort. Near these pools is also where you will find the ice machines and laundry facilities - so request a room near one of these pools. (Plus I think the bus stops are also near the quiet pools.) It took us about 10 min. to walk to the main pool from our building - we were not pleased with that schlep after all of the walking at the parks. We also felt like the buses were slow. There are a lot of older patrons at OKW and often they are in wheelchairs so I think it's difficult for the buses to remain on schedule. There were plenty of kids too - but I think in general, the average age at OKW is older than the other resorts. I think they are among the first DVC owners and they really like the grounds and "look" of the resort.

It's OK but we will probably not be staying there very often - it uses the least of our DVC points so it's good if you're trying to spread out your points like we were last year. But so I guess I would say it's a "budget" DVC from that perspective. I would not pay cash to stay there. We actually have a cash ressie for a studio at VWL for next weekend and when the AP rates came out in Nov. we could've booked at OKW again & saved about $400 but we opted to stick with our VWL ressie.

 

[Harambe]

Hi
I haven't seen many posts on OKW. Can anyone tell me what they think of it? would you stay there again? good pool? food? activities? if you stayed in a studio would you recommend one area over another to ask for your room in?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kim

Kim,

We are staying here for the first time in Aug. Some of the reasons I picked it are:

This is not our first trip, and since we've done and seen a lot of WDW we don't tour as heavily as we once did, meaning we're looking for a more relaxed vacation.

I love the idea of the washer/dryer in the suite, since hot and humid weather leads to sweaty clothes!

Our kids are older and we don't need the convenience of a monorail resort (which is great if you have little ones).

The boat ride to DTD sounds fun, and our teens will like the shopping/sandwich places here.

So there you have it! We've stayed at lots of different places at WDW, and each one was right for us at that time.

 

[scrunchie3]

Thanks for all the input, its greatly appreciated.
Kim

 

[Disbound]

Another two cents worth! It is our favorite resort but it all depends on what type of vacation you are looking for. Here's my thoughts...
1. We rent a car so the bus transportation isn't an issue for us. We can park the car right in front of the unit and it's very convenient.
2. Request (don't always get it but they try to be accomodating) a unit near the Hospitality House if you want to cut down on your walking.
3. The main pool has a water slide that isn't overly challenging for the little ones, but keeps the older ones happy as well.
4. Great area for the little ones to play in the sand.
5. Turtle pool (not sure of the name, way down back) is a nice quiet pool. We chose to swim there at the end of the day / early evening and had the place pretty much to ourselves. (May)
6. I like to walk in the morning, great resort for that.
7. We've only done the 1br so I can't comment on the studio. The 1br's are the largest by far.
8. Boat to Downtown Disney a great option.

We found that some of the other resorts that people raved about were just too overcrowded for us. If you like to be more in the thick of things so to speak, this resort may not be for you. It's all in what you are looking for in a vacation! Hope you have a great time where ever you choose to stay!

 

[n2mm]

Kim,

We are staying here for the first time in Aug. Some of the reasons I picked it are:

This is not our first trip, and since we've done and seen a lot of WDW we don't tour as heavily as we once did, meaning we're looking for a more relaxed vacation.

I love the idea of the washer/dryer in the suite, since hot and humid weather leads to sweaty clothes!

Our kids are older and we don't need the convenience of a monorail resort (which is great if you have little ones).

The boat ride to DTD sounds fun, and our teens will like the shopping/sandwich places here.

So there you have it! We've stayed at lots of different places at WDW, and each one was right for us at that time.

Just wanted to mention in regard to your teens. We stayed here in August (a 2 bedroom) and I was a little nervous. However, it worked out great. We really liked this resort (the rooms are HUGE). Our 13 year old grandson was with us and he said it was his favorite resort. This means alot for him, since he's stayed at EVERY resort (most several times). He loved having the basketball court, the game room, the sauna (steam room), and hot tub. I was really shocked only because I would think BC would be top of his list. His second favorite is the BW.

 

[spiceycat]

Hi
I haven't seen many posts on OKW. Can anyone tell me what they think of it? would you stay there again? good pool? food? activities? if you stayed in a studio would you recommend one area over another to ask for your room in?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kim

stayed there a bunch. It is my home resort. So many times stayed there several times a year.

it is not close to any theme park. You can take a boat, bus or walk to DTD.

everything else is bus transportation.

I feels more like a community than a resort - some people hate this, others of us love it.

the only restuarant is Olivia - okay, not great by any means - but definitely okay.

OKW was designed with kitchennett (studios) and full kitchens (1-bedroom and up). so there are not a lot of places to eat - despite its size.

there are 2 snack bars - one is at the main pool - close to Olivia's.

the other one is over at Turtle Pond Shack - very limited hours. most of the time this snack bar is open when you are at the parks. lots of the time it is closed.

here is a map
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/okwmap.htm

as to what you will like. - well do you like golf, water or woods (the views)

would you like to near the HH or any pool or bus stop?

 

[chalee94]

from the DVC boards: the official OKW lovers thread.

overall, i loved it when i was there the 2nd week of dec 2007 - i was way back in the back of the resort in bldg 49. very quiet. it was 2 minutes from the 2nd bus stop when returning from the parks, so it was very convenient after a long day. (OTOH, after i got there, i noticed my building was one that the unofficial guide suggested trying to avoid...so YMMV.)

i didn't go to the main pool with the slide and lighthouse and all, but the quiet pool was nice. olivia's isn't a dining destination but i enjoyed my lunch there and would go back. (i have to admit i prefer taking the boat to DTD for lunch at the earl, though.) and if you want to go to the main pool, all the buses stop there before heading out to the parks, so it's easy to get there.

i drove down to wdw but left my car parked in front of my building the whole time. i found the buses to be very convenient (but again, YMMV. based on limited experience, i would even suspect the bus service at OKW is better than the bus service at the epcot resorts, although nothing beats walking to a park...)

the furnishings are pretty casual - i have to admit i thought SSR was more classy/deluxe, but i did like the setup with 2 queen beds. if quiet/relaxed/casual sounds good, then OKW is probably for you.