Tell me about OKW!

[gigi1313]

we've stayed at pop, pofq, cbr, akl and we're considering okw... tell me why i'd like it or what i would not like about it...

tell me about the pool

how 'bout the food court

transportation?

tell me all!

 

[utahkennedys]

We love, love, love OKW! We own there as DVC members. It is a great resort, a nice, quiet gem in our opinion in WDW. We love returning to OKW after a hectic day at the parks. It is very relaxing, tropical and beautiful. The new pool slide is great and the entire main pool area is very fun. The rooms at OKW can't be beat in terms of size and views. We are already looking forward to our stay in a 1BR villa in February 2007! There is no food court, but there is Olivias which is a full service restaurant where we especially like b'fast, and also a snack bar at the main pool. We don't miss food courts since we have a kitchen in our room at OKW, unless you are in a studio then you have a kitchenette. We love how this saves us time and $ and we feel like we eat better. If you want more OKW info, I would post over on the DVC boards. I like to look at the photos of OKW on allearsnet.com or ***********

You would love it!

 

[katyjeka]

Hi! I know I'll probably make a few enemies, but here goes. We stayed here 2 years ago, in a beautiful 1 bedroom. We had plenty of space for myself, DH and 2 DD's. We loved having a washer/dryer, and the kids loved the whirlpool. We did find that our balcony was to dirty to enjoy, the chairs and tables were actually black, I know because we cleaned them off. The floor left out socks black also. The grounds were beautiful and we enjoyed renting boats. We rented points and got a very good price, however we will never stay there again. The reason for this is the long bus rides, it took a very long time to go anywhere. Riding through the whole resort was an added 10 to 15 minutes! Maybe we timed everything wrong but every bus we got on rode around the entire resort before leaving. (This can be a very long process!) We had a wonderful time, but was very surprised by the very long commutes! I would suggest taking or renting a car and using it to go anywhere!! Once again, it is a beautiful resort with a very welcoming staff, we just felt disconnected from the rest of the world. Okay guys, let me have it!! Happy planning, Janice

 

[las3888]

I thought we were going to feel more like the PP - we always thought OKW was just too remote and not really a part of Disney. We ended up staying there on a last minute trip and really enjoyed it. We didn't have any cleanliness problems - I guess you can have good and bad experiences with that anywhere you go. We did have a car, and I do agree it's best to go there with a car, but the busses were probably not anymore bad than most of the other hotels. The busses for example at the EPCOT resort area stop often at the BC, then YC, then BW, then Dolphin, then Swan. I don't know the exact schedule or order so don't pan me for getting that wrong, I'm just saying those bus trips could be just as draining.

There isn't a food court but we did buy a few groceries and eat most breakfast in the room. We really did enjoy the restaurant there and ate outside when it was pleasant.

If you have a car, you can park right in front of your building and that is SOOOO nice. There seemed to be a pool in walking distance from all rooms.

We enjoyed the ferry to DTD in the evening. All in all, we would definitely go back. It really exceeded our expectations.

 

[DebbieB]

I've stayed there many times in a 1 bedroom and loved it. Good for a more relaxing vacation. I always rented a car, I would not stay there without one.

 

[gigi1313]

well, i guess OKW is not for us... we have no intention of renting a car...

thanks all for you input... back to the drawing board! LOL!

 

[pistonfan32]

I was at OKW in January 2006 and I disagree that you need a car. For what? You get to the parks quickly. You get to Downtown Disney on a bus or boat. If you want to outside of Disney, then you will need a car--but that is the same no matter where you stay in Disney.

 

[katlynh]

I guesss we expected to be at the parks in less than 40 minutes!! A car would be much quicker! Janice

 

[LoveMickey]

We'll be going to OKW in a month.

I have a three quesitons for you veterans.

Is there a lounge where one could get a nightcap after a long day at the parks?

Also, I assume the answer to this question is yes, but.... Are there hairdryers in the Studios?

Oh and one more - If we happened to get building 16, is that convenient to both the main pool and the quiet pool near 18?

Thanks and cannot wait for our first visit home.

We are not concerned about busses, other Disney resorts share busses and come have multiple stops within their place, CB and POR, POFQ. Even WL now shares busses with Fort Wilderness.

 

[Disney Doll]

We own 2 contracts at OKW, so we love it!!!!!!!

The main area is called the Hospitality House (HH). It includes the check-in area, the gift shop/grocery store, the sit down restaurant Olivia's, the snack bar, a small lounge, the sports courts (volleyball, basketball, tennis, shuffleboard), the main pool with hot tub and slide, the kiddie play area, the boat dock(where you can get a boat to Downtown Disney also known as DTD), the bike rental thing. There is no food court, like you would find in a moderate.

There are 4 sections... #1-the area around HH, #2-Millers Road, #3-Turtle Pond and #4-Southpoint. Each of the sections, other than the HH section, has a quiet pool which includes a hot tub & a laundry area. The Turtle Pond quiet pool also has a snack bar which is open seasonally. Southpoint is close to the path which you can take to walk to DTD, which winds through a golf course, passing SSR on the way. The path is not lit at night, so they recommend you don't walk it at night. The main pool is the pool closest to the HH section. We prefer Turtle Pond or Southpoint. Millers Road is closer to a main road (with a wooded area in between), so it's a bit noisier.

Transportation is pretty good. It's usually about every 20 minutes, like in the other resorts. Every bus stops at the HH last, so if you are far away from the HH area, you can hop on any bus to get there.

The rooms are spacious...the largest of all the DVC resorts. They are decorated shades of lilac, peach and green mostly. The feel is very laid back and tropical.

I can't imagine you'll be disappointed.

 

[LoveMickey]

Thanks for the info.

 

[smjj]

Having stayed at Carribbean Beach and POR, I don't think the bus trips are not any longer than those at all. We love OKW but thats us. The last time we went we did not rent a car and did not miss it at all. The two previous stays we did rent a car(Magial Express was not running yet) and we did not use it that much. This May we will be back with our son and his family and will be using Magical Express and see no problems at all not having a car. The layout of OKW is just to our liking. It is spread out but no more so than many other large resorts in WDW. We like the laid back atmosphere and Olivia's is get great. Its not for everyone but it is for us...smjj

 

[clydenora]

We checked out Friday...our first stay there. It was very pretty, quiet, mostly well-kept, and looked just like Key West. Pools were close by. Bus stop was very close for us, also. (We were in building 32.)

Our bus stop was third out of the five stops in OKW. We had some bad luck timing-wise catching the buses, but as far as taking longer than other resorts we've stayed at, I can't say that is true. I timed it once, and it took us about 22 minutes after getting on the bus to get to MK. We always had two other stops before getting out of OKW. The order of the stops was Peninsular Rd., South Pointe Rd., Old Turtle Pond Rd. (our stop), Miller Rd., and Hospitality House. (A couple times, on our way back from the parks, the bus stopped at HH first.) Once the bus leaves OKW, it goes directly to its destination. I suppose if you got on at Peninsular Rd., the first stop, and had to wait thru all the other stops, it would obviously be a longer ride.

That being said, we do not plan to stay at OKW again. I cannot really say why...can't put my finger on why I just didn't like it as well as other places we've stayed. It really is nice. But just not our cup of tea, I guess.

 

[Caskbill]

That being said, we do not plan to stay at OKW again. I cannot really say why...can't put my finger on why I just didn't like it as well as other places we've stayed. It really is nice. But just not our cup of tea, I guess.

I'm guessing you stayed in a Studio. I don't like the OKW studios with the double bed arrangement near as well as the other resorts' studio layouts. Doesn't quite have the same appeal as the others.

But an OKW 1-B/R? That's another story.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Indeed it is!! Actually larger and nicer than the apartment we lived in the first two years of our marriage!!
I like OKW due to it's layout--quiet and relaxing. And though we always have a car, I seem to notice plenty of Disney busses coming and going. PLus boat service to DD.

 

[MiaSRN62]

well, i guess OKW is not for us... we have no intention of renting a car...

Gigi,
You most definitely do not need a car. We always have one but only use it for offsite shopping/or going to Uni/Sea World---in that respect it is a major plus to have it so conveniently parked outside your door. But when we do the disney parks, our car remains parked and we use the wdw busses soley. Some buildings are mere steps to a bus stop, while other buildings may require a 3-5 min walk at most. No different than any other resort. Never waited more than 10-15 min for a bus over the past several years worth of stays. I found the transportation times no different than from other resorts (and we've been to AS's, POP, POR, Contemp, WL, BWV). We've stayed at OKW 4X in the last 5 years.

and it took us about 22 minutes after getting on the bus to get to MK

This sounds pretty average to me traveling from alot of resorts if your're counting the time from when you first board the bus. I can tell you it was def that amount of time from POR, BWV and POP to the MK.

Is there a lounge where one could get a nightcap after a long day at the parks?

Yes, LoveMickey.....it's called Gurlging Suitcase. It's a very small lounge right off the pier area near the watercraft rental area. I believe it's open until midnight.

Oh and one more - If we happened to get building 16, is that convenient to both the main pool and the quiet pool near 18?

Love Mickey,
Yes, 16 is pretty convenient to both. Have a great time ! The new sandcastle slide at the main pool is great---my kids love it.

 

[byoung]

OKW you get a very relaxing feeling.

 

[clydenora]

I guess the studio may have been part of the problem. We chose OKW over VWL and SSR because the room was larger and had two queen beds...our family, being older now (DS15 and DS12) needs bigger, even not being in the rooms a lot. (VWL has a pull-out couch for the second bed.) The set up, though, did not really give one a lot more open square footage. Queen beds were great to have.

I have heard the 1 BRs and larger are something else! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see one.

Like I said, it is a very pretty resort, and relaxing. I couldn't really give anyone a reason not to stay there. And I wouldn't tell others not to stay there. But we all decided it was not our favorite.

 

[patsal]

I like OKW, the transportation has always been effecient for us--we've never spent 40 minutes on a bus from OKW.(My worse transportation scenario was at WL where I waited and waited for busses that were too full to get onto because the bus had done the rounds at the campground first). As far as space, an OKW 1BR is larger than DH and my first apartment! It is quiet, relaxed and enjoyable--I like a place where I can just unwind--at OKW I can do that.

 

[clydenora]

I agree that the time spent on the buses was average. And, to be clear, MK is one of the farther parks from OKW. MGM and EPCOT are closer, so take less time. AK is about the same as MK. This has to do with the location of OKW in relation to the parks, not the number of stops the bus makes.