Reviews - OKW, VWL, Poly lagoon concierge & AKL concierge Very Long

[TwingleMum]

Just got back from almost 2 weeks at WDW. What an awesome vacation. We tried 4 different resorts (I know not very time efficient but lots of fun) I'll take each resort separately. Let me start by saying that I'd go back to anyone in a heartbeat. I'll do the best I can but I'm a little nervous because I enjoyed all the reviews I read
before my trip - both resort & restaurant and found them to be overall pretty helpful but keep in mind this is JMHO and we went to the world ready for a great time with my 3 boys( a 3yr old and 1 yr old twins) and DH. We're also pretty easy going.

OKW - 2 nights. Very relaxed laid back resort. I would say this had the least "hotel" feel. More a community type feeling. The one bedroom villa was bigger than some apartments I've lived in. I saw a number somewhere that it was @ 1100 sq ft. You got a feeling of incredible roominess. The bathroom was great. I love taking hot baths with a cold beverage and a trashy novel to unwind and this bathtub was a small swimming pool with nice jets to massage away those theme park aches. Kinda hard to go back to my ordinary tub now. Shower stall was separate and large my DH is almost 6'8 and he loved it. Plus I could bathe and he could shower at same time. The tub was in a separate room from the toilet and shower. There was a fullsize washer/dryer that spoiled us for the rest of the trip. The kitchen was very handy for the odd meal and snacks. The resort is isolated but that could be a pro or a con depending on what you're looking for. We had rental car so I can't comment on Disney transportation. Resort is painted in pretty subtle pastel colors and buildings a condo like. Would have loved to see a grand villa (3 bedroom it must be incredible) Pool was nothing out of ordinary and sauna was broken. Rating B

VWL - 2 nights. What a gorgous resort. You feel like your in a plush resort at yosemite or some other national park. The lobby is breathe taking and the only way to describe it is grandure. While the one bedroom villa is not as large as OKW it is beautiful and ours overlooked the pool. It also had a large jacuzzi tub in its own room, a very large shower stall in its own room and toilet in its on room. The washer and dryer were the kind stacked on top of each other. They were bigger than I thought they'd be and with 2 babies a godsend. The kitchen was very nice and very useful. The bedroom was large and was great because we were able to put the babies to bed in the bedroom and watch tv and make snacks with older son without worrying about waking the twins. Also the convienance of being able to make a cup of tea anytime was very nice. These villas truly are homes away from home. The pool is beautiful and reminds you of a natural spring or lake. There are a couple of hot tubs - always a plus. There are several dining options - Whispering canyon, Artist Point and Roaring Forks. We only went to MK and it was very easy even with a double stroller. a nice boat trip to Mk. Rating A

We just bought DVC in June (BCV) and these stays were just to check out DVC. We are very happy we bought DVC the villas are awesome.

I'll review Poly & AKL in separate post. This is turning into war & peace. I'm running out of room in this post.Sorry.

 

[MinnieGi]

Wow, what a whirlwind adventure and with 3 little ones! I'm fretting over our one move we are making for our Feb. trip and we just have one 3yo. Did you let Disney handle your luggage each time you moved? I'm looking forward to a change of scenery for the resort switch, but I also like setting up my "home" and I'm not sure if I'll like having to reset it. Any tips for resort switching? Thanks

Glad you enjoyed OKW - we loved our first stay there too last year. Haven't stayed at VWL, but have at WL and loved the atmosphere also. Looking forward to trying VWL sometime.

 

[TwingleMum]

Minnie- we had a rental car so we took our own luggage. I'd go over early (while 3 yr old slept and DH fed the twins) and do all the checking in and then we'd all go over later. It worked out fine. Next time I'd only move 1x because you can lose a day if your room isn't ready. Not a big deal if your child isn't napping but this young I think I'd do at least 4 nites per resort.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Twinglemom,
Thanks for the great reviews. I'm going LVC at Poly in Jan with DH, adult friend, DD (4 1/2), DS(turns 3 there), and DD (turns 1 ten days after we get home). I've booked 1 room with Winter Dream Maker but hoping for 2 rooms with AP. I stayed LVC last year with DD while DH stayed home with DS. We loved the Poly.

How would you compare Poly to VWL? My DH is reluctant to go on this trip and wants the convenience of concierge. I also liked the convenience of walking to the TTC from the Poly but I was thinking in the future perhaps a villa is the way to go. I have switch resorts in the past (without DH) and found it quite easy but there is no way my DH would do that so splitting stays is unlikely for us. If he isn't converted to a Disney nut after this trip maybe it will be in my future when I go without him.

 

[TwingleMum]

I loved both villas. The wilderness lodge villas are beautiful. And very convienant to MK. A nice boat ride and your there. The great thing about villas is that #1 there generally more than 2x the size of a deluxe hotel room. #2 washer/dryers right in the villa (and we know how much laundry little guys generate - it also allows to to pack less)#3 a separate bedroom helps - the younger ones can be put to sleep and the older ones can watch tv or have a snack and not worry about waking the younger guys. #4 the bathrooms are separated into different rooms so someone can shower while someone else is bathing or whatever.#5 the full kitchens with dishwashers,stove/ovens,micros, full size frigs and stocked with plates,cups,utensils etc even if you don't plan on making meals to be able to give them breakfast while others are dressing, snacks or the odd meal is not only a time saver but also a cost saver. I think the villas make a lot of sense for families and we're very pleased with our purchase. Any other ? feel free to ask or pm.

 

[sters]

What about housekeeping? Towels? Just wondering what kind of service you got. We've never stayed at the condos, just the cabins at Fort Wildrness, which came with daily housekeeping.

 

[IMISSDISNEY]

Thanks for the great reviews.

 

[TwingleMum]

Housekeepong at the villas works like this on day 4 of your stay they give you new towels & take out the trash and on day 8 they do a full housekeeping - change linens & towels,restock everything ,etc. This is plenty for me b/c you have a washer/dryer for towels so its no big deal and I like my privacy.But you can always opt to get housekeeping everyday for an extra charge($10 a day I think). If thats wrong maybe someone else could correct me