OKW with young children

[WDWorld]

Hi,

I'm trying to find a way to spend a few days during my next trip next july at OKW and my questions is : will my young children (5-8-10 yo) enjoy it or should I keep my All-Star Movies reservation ?

Thanks in advance from a guy who works very hard to become your neighbour

 

[LisaR]

I guess it all depends on your children and what they are used to. Some people complain that their children hate OKW because there isn't a slide at the pool. My kids are 4 and 7. They LOVE OKW. However, we do not have a huge, inground pool at home! If we did, they may be bored at OKW because it would be the same thing we had at home. My kids are just thrilled to be able to swim in nice weather. We just returned from VB and BWV and while my kids loved the water slides, they are both thrilled that we are heading back to OKW in Dec. and Jan. OKW also has bikes to rent. They have activities for the kids. My kids have never been to OKW where they haven't made friends. They have never been bored staying there. We all really enjoy it.

Lisa

 

[Donald Duck 57]

Hi,
I would say keep your all-star resevation. We stayed at OKW last August with our DD and niece's and nephew ages 5/9/11/12. they had a good time but when we took them on a tour of ASM the flipped out. DW and I stayed there last May no kids for a quick getaway. We think ASM has so much more for the kids. The food court and the pools can get a bit busy,but on the up side they will meet a lot of kids there own age there. One last thing you may need two rooms at ASM as they are very small. hope this helps.

 

[Patricia]

My kids have been to OKW since they were 8 and 4 and my youngest his whole life. They love it very much . The kiddie pool area is very nice and not usually too crowded. The bucket and shovel are very much a favorite and my son, now 6 loves to climb around there. The tire swing is also a highlight for him. It is a great resort and they love it so much, they asked to go there instead of BW for this summer's trip...

 

[Deb & Bill]

Our 8 yr old loves OKW. He likes to ride the boat over to Downtown Disney. Also the arcade and hospitality house. He and his dad spend lots of time in the main pool. Next time we hope to stay in another area of OKW and use one of the quiet pools. We rented a surrey bike last time. They also have fishing trips for the kids and other activities. He even thought about bringing his skates along since there are so many sidewalks at OKW.

 

[DeeP]

OKW has some very nice activities for young children scheduled daily at the Community Hall near the main pool. There are art projects, unbirthday parties, etc. You will get a schedule of the daily activities when you check in. There are also free video games, free videos, etc.

 

[FrozenPiglet]

My DD (6) loves OKW. We have stayed at All Star Music before and she really didn't like it. We enjoy having extra space in the room, which All Stars definitely do NOT have. Remember they do not have refrigerators or microwaves in the rooms (honestly there isn't much room for a frig, even though you can rent one I think). I also don't know if the construction is different, but we could hear everything the people in the rooms around us at All Stars said and did. It wasn't much fun. The crowds at the pool were quite rowdy and the largest pool (the one with Donald and a fountain at All Star Music) had to be closed a number of times because of young children having "accidents" in the pool. Remember, if you want a slide, All Stars do not have pool slides. I don't think the pools at All Stars are anything special, although they do have some theming. The food court at the All Stars is pretty nice, with the refillable drink mugs. I guess it all depends on what you want. OKW does have more amenities and activities, i.e., sand volleyball, boat rides, etc. I thought the bus service wasn't the best at the All Stars. You had to share with all 3 of the All Star resorts. You would wait quite a while, having the bus you wanted go by, but it was too full to let anyone on. Having said all that, they are an economical alternative, especially if you want to save your points. Just remember you aren't going to have much space. If I didn't want to use points I would probably go off-site (I know, what a terrible thought) to Caribe Royal (see mousesavers.com for a special rate) and have much more space (we like a "home away from home" atmosphere), pool with water slide, etc. Good luck with your planning and whatever you decide I am sure it will be great!

 

[trishy]

My girls had a great time at OKW last Dec/Jan. They are 6, 9 (was 8) & 12 - we had a blast. They love the sandy play area and the pools. There was enough room to breath - no cramped spaces to make for cranky kids. They all loved it there and look forward to going back.

 

[sgtdisney]

My son has been going every year, sometimes twice a year, to OKW since he was 16 months old. He is 5 now. He loves going to 'His Disney House.' We are taking my now 4 month old daughter with us next month......

As another poster mentioned, OKW has a lot of activities scheduled for kids. He also likes that he can sit in the 2nd bedroom and watch cartoons while we relax in the Living Room. We have even brought videos with us so he could watch them on the TV in the L.R. There is a lot of room to spread out in the DVC resorts.

 

[Sneaky3]

Well my 5 year old liked OKW, well anything on Disney property. He calls it his second home.......sigh........wish I was there..



mIchele

 

[Uncleromulus]

Well--the pools at OKW are pathetic--nothing more than large bathtubs. Don't know about the pools at ASM, but if they have lifeguards and any sort of a slide, that's where you should head.
As an aside--if the pool dosen't matter a whole lot to you, then OKW has it head and shoulders over ASM.

 

[rbuzzotta]

My DD's (10, 6,4) love OKW. There are plenty of activities to do at Community Hall. You can rent boats and the pool is nice. Yes, there is no slide but we enjoy it anyways. We will go to BB this next trip for water excitement!!

I'd take OKW over ASM anytime!