Some more questions about OKW?

[floridafam]

How long is the boat ride to Downtown Disney?

How is the bus service, housekeeping, etc.?

Is it a good resort for a family with young children?

We picked OKW because it looks beautiful, we need a quiet room for one night for my DH and OKW looks like a good place to stay for this and we like the fact that there are 2 beds in the 2nd bedroom of the 2br villa. We are staying for more than one night. DH needs to be in a room by himself to prepare for a race. Do you think it will be easy to come and go without disturbing him?

This may sound stupid but will my kids feel like they are at WDW? Or will they feel like they are in a condominium? Do you know what I mean?

Any info is appreciated. Thank you

 

[SimbaNoodle]

I personally think OKW is great. The rooms are the largest of any of the DVC properties. With kids, you can't beat being able to pull right up to the building, much better than valet. The boat ride to downtown disney is about 20 minutes and nice. Your kids will definetly feel they are at WDW. Mickey is everywhere.

Have a great trip.

 

[spiceycat]

yes you can come and go without distributing your husband - I am assuming he is in the master bedroom - of course of quiet I might recommend him using the second bedroom - do you have a dedicated or a lock out ? If it does not say it is dedicated. In a lock out you can treat the rooms separate - like a 1 bedroom and a studio - if he really needs his privacy - that might work - of course you can also get him a studio at OKW (assuming you are saving points by staying at OKW).

just don't let him decide that he needs the livingroom to relax and prepare for the run - then trying to do anything would be impossible.

about your kids feeling that they are at WDW - well you do go in the Disney entrance no matter what resort you stay at - besides sometimes not having the parks so close can be a blessing - they won't be constantly asking to go to the parks - but they are a quick bus ride away.

if you arrive when the boat is leaving then it is 20 minutes - sometimes if you just missed it you might be waiting for 20 more minutes for it to show up (this depends upon how many boats they are using - it is generally one)

OKW (like all WDW resorts) have activities - face painting, etc - for kids to do - when you check in - look on the back of the map - the activities list should be there - if it is not - then ask for one at the front desk.

 

[Connears]

Its my home resort and its great for all of the above reasons. They also have kid friendly activities at the Community Hall(near the main pool). The sand play area is great! Having your car right at the door is also a plus. We have taken the boat many times to DD and its a nice short, relaxing trip. Better than trying to find a parking place. You might want to ask for a 2bdroom lock-off where both the areas have outdoor access(its really a studio and a 1bd room). Hve fun.
Connears

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by spiceycat
if you arrive when the boat is leaving then it is 20 minutes - sometimes if you just missed it you might be waiting for 20 more minutes for it to show up (this depends upon how many boats they are using - it is generally one)

Of all the times we satyed at OKW the last 5 years, they have always had 2 boats to DTD, so as spiceycat has mentioned it is about a 20 minute wait for the next boat......when they have 2 boats running.

 

[Pa@okw95]

The regular 2 bedroom with the master bedroom should be a great place to rest before the race. You should probably keep everyone off the porch while he is resting, the master bedroom has a door to the porch. You can shut off the master bedroom pretty good, the main door is far away from the door to the master bedroom, the second bedroom has a bathroom so there will be no need to use the master bath while he is resting.If this is for the marathon, you should have no problem getting a 2 bedroom for cash at OKW in January, about 4 percent of the facitilites are left for cash customers, otherwise you can get it at the 5 month mark.

 

[DeeP]

For having space to spread out and for DH to have a quiet, alone space to rest you could not ask for better accomendations than a 2 BR at OKW. You will love the layout and spaciousness of the villa. They are beautiful.
As for the feeling of being in Disney, yes and no. Of course you know you are at Disney because you come and go to parks, have the Disney theme park channels on tv, etc and are a stones throw away from DTD, but once you get back to the resort it is not the same atmosphere as one of the resorts where you can see the park icons in the distance like the MK or Epcot resorts nor does it scream out amazing Disney theming and imagineering to the hilt like AKL, CSR, etc because the theming is a beautiful FL condo development, so the FL atmosphere, palm trees etc are already all around you. OKW has some very nice understated Disney touches like the front porch railings with the Mickey head icons, the Mickey head icon shape of the bridge underpass but it does not have as much Disney everywhere like other resorts do. It reminds me very much of staying at the old Disney Village.

 

[colleen costello]

My kids love OKW. It is a place that somehow encourages you to relax. We enjoy just "hanging out" here. We do the DD boat ride and at night we buy ice cream at the little General Store and eat it by the water. We rent the bicycles for 4. We love the quiet pools (they really are pretty quiet!) and the playgrounds near the pools. We order Pizza Hut to the room for dinner, and eat breakfast sat Olivia's. I enjoy the landscaping and all the water. In March our room was right on the water and we fed bread to the ducks and fish all week.

This is a wonderful place. Shhhh -- don't tell everyone or it will get too busy! I think you will have a wonderful time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Are you running the Disney marathon or half marathon? My husband is running the half marathon (son and I are doing the 5K the day before) and we'll be at OKW for a few days before and after the race. Before that, we'll be at VWL because we planned to stay there at Thanksgiving before we changed to Jan for the marathon. We just have three of us, so we are getting a one bedroom.

 

[kfields1]

We just returned and had the BEST time ever! We have stayed at many of the resorts and OKW beat them all! My sons are 4 and 6. The one br had plenty of space. There is a lot to do at the resort itself. I highly recommend it! I agree with SHH. Keep it under your hat! We don't want too many people finding out about this!

 

[floridafam]

Deb & Bill,

Actually my DH is doing the Great Floridian Triathlon in October and that is when we will be there. It's Ironman distance and DH doesn't want to be disturbed that night.

I really have had a hard time deciding where to stay. We stayed at WL last year and it was very noisy and just didn't work out very well. I then thought about AKL but the size of the 2br at OKW is just amazing so I guess we are going there. I just want to be able to put him in the master bedroom and still feel like we can enjoy ourselves for a while in the rest of the unit. I know a quiet room isn't a sure thing anywhere but OKW looks pretty laid back.

Some year he is going to run the marathon because it sounds like a lot of fun.

Thanks for the info.

 

[SueM in MN]

i don't have anything else to add about the resort - it is great and a very relaxing place to be.
I don't think anyone answered your questions about Housekeeping and buses. For Housekeeping, if you are staying on points (a member or renting from a member), you get limited Housekeeping. I don't remember the exact timing, but it's something like new towels and remove trash with general tidy on day 4 and a full cleaning with linen change at one week (you can see Housekeeping is not that important to me). The nice part is that you don't have to worry about when Housekeeping is coming or whether they will be bothering you. If you are making your reservation thru Disney, then you get regular Housekeeping like any WDW deluxe resort.
The bus service is not bad. They are seldom full and are not shared with any other resort. You are a short bus ride away from Epcot or MGM, since they are very close. MK is a little farther away, so it takes longer.
Good luck to your DH in the Ironman.

 

[antnee]

I loved OKW last time I went in 2000 and hope to get there again real soon. i remember it being real quiet their in Early May

 

[floridafam]

We are paying cash for this stay. We will have housekeeping every day, correct?

All I requested was non-smoking, close to HH. Do you think my chances of getting a 2br with the stated requests are good?

How many parking spaces are you "allowed" for your villa or do the not issue any kind of parking permit?

By the way, does anyone know if you have to have admission to Pleasure Island to eat at Fulton's Crab House?

Thanks in advace and if you think of any more info on OKW, I'd love to hear it.

 

[spiceycat]

yes you will get a parking permit at front desk - if you need more just ask - I have gotten 3 before - so that is not a problem.

if you are paying cash through CRO (not ms) then yes you will get housekeeping every day.

you use to be able to eat the restuarants without paying the PI fee - but since they now close it off during the day - I don't know.