Tell Me About OKW

[DarthGoofy]

I got my points rented. This is going to be a DVC scouting trip.

We are staying at OKW.

I would love to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly on this resort.

One of my main questions is this...Is it hard to get around the resort without a car?

 

[Chuck S]

OKW is the first DVC resort built. IT has larger rooms than any other on-site DVC resort, but does not have room service or valet parking. It was built to appeal to those that enjoy a true feeling of "home" while on vacation, with the belief that many members would prepare meals rather than "order in".

As far as having a car, we have done OKW both with and without our own car. If you will not have a vehicle, I'd suggest requesting to be near the Hospitality House...this is the main check-in area and is adjacent to the restaurant, boat launch, general store and main pool (which will close for construction in September or October to re-open near the end of the year).

Peninsular Road bus stop is also a good area for those without a car, it is an easy walk to the Hospitality House area.

Most (if not all) of the rooms have gone through a recent rehab, upgrading to DVD players from VHS, and new more comnfortable sofa sleepers in the 1 bedroom and larger units.

It is also the only resort to have 2 "real" queen size beds in all studios. Some like the two beds, others prefer the bed and sofa sleeper other DVC resorts offer. Personally, the 2 queen beds work for great for us.

Many cast members have been at the resort since it opened, and they take pride in their jobs and their conytributions to the overall enjoyment of guests and members.

Most "new" members and those renting points find it odd that DVC resorts do not include daily housekeeping/maid service, but do offer it for an additional fee. However, once you don;t have to "woory" about getting out of the rooms so the housekeepers can come in and clean...the vast majority of members now prefer not having daily service, and find it somewhat inconvenient to stay in a "regular" hotel room for an extended stay.

 

[NancyDVC]

We love OKW. I never find it hard to get around the resort. Yes it is a bit of a distance from the South Point area to HH but if you enjoy walking it's not problem.
If you don't want to walk simply take any bus from your bus stop to HH. On the return the DTD bus becomes an 'Internal" bus when it enters the resort dropping you at any bus stop. If you don't want to wait for the 'Internal' bus then simply walk to the Peninsular Raod stop and get on there and ride to your stop.
We prefer the Old Turtle Pond area. Close to a pool, lovely views, quiet and not too far from HH.
We do rent a car for trips outside the resort to other WDW resorts or to shop/eat off property. If you don't have a car and want to visit another resort just ask at Bell Services at HH and they can call you a cab.
The size of the rooms is wonderful. I always feel cramped at home compared to OKW!
I love Olivia's for eating. Try the Conch Chowder-a slightly spicy, red seafood chowder, ummmm, and the Brownie sundae-luscious. You can get anything from Olivia's menu for take out at Good's Food to Go near the main pool.
Take the Trumbo ferry to DTD, lovely ride.
Ugly? I haven't found anything 'ugly'. Beware of errant golfers. We found a golf ball on our balcony this past March.

The atmosphere of the resort is quiet, laid back and peaceful. I have always found the CMs to be the friendliest of any resort. While waiting for the bus we always wave to the CMs and they wave back, give a cheery hello etc. Great folks.
Enjoy !

 

[SlyHubby]

we bought at OKW sight unseen and have never once regretted it. the rooms are larger than other resorts, it is spread out nicely and never feels crowded. the landscaping is magnificent and being outside all the hustle of some of the other resorts has its advantages as well.

the one drawback in my mind is that the buses do tend to be a little infrequent. when we're not in the mood for sitting around and waiting, we just take the first bus that comes along and then go someplace else finally getting on the bus or ferry to get us to our real destination.

you will enjoy it enormously - we've never had anything less than a wonderful stay at OKW.

 

[colleen costello]

We were there in March and the buses ran regularly. We seemed to step out of our door (we were in #35, right near a a bus stop) and and immediately catch the bus, every time. Perhaps simple luck is all that "makes or breaks" your view of Disney transportation!

We love OKW, and if I had to pick my favorite DVC, this would be it. The grounds are lovely. The atmosphere is laid-back and something about the nature of the place makes me feel peaceful and relaxed when I am there. The rooms are spacious and well laid-out. We enjoy the various pools (and are looking forward the the addition of the pool slide for 2005) and always have lots of meals at Olivia's. Whenever we stay here we try to set aside time to enjoy the resort itself.

I hope you enjoy this great resort!

 

[Drcell01]

I second most of what has been said about OKW. We have been members since the beginning (1991) and have never been disapointed. We try to stay near one of the pools (building 13 to 15 up near Hospitality House) or at the back of the property (near building 41). I like building 41 area as you can walk out of your door, go 25 feet, and jump into the jacuzzi!

If you don't have a car make sure that you allow extra time to get from OKW to anywhere. The bus system works well but you must endure the $0.05 tour as the bus makes stops at all of the stops on the OKW property. Last stop is usually the Hospitality House.

We also like the Trumbo Ferry which takes guests via water taxi from OKW to DTD (Downtown Disney). Great way to see the new Saratoga Springs Resort.

 

[BWVDee]

Originally posted by DarthGoofy
I got my points rented. This is going to be a DVC scouting trip.

We are staying at OKW.

I would love to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly on this resort.

One of my main questions is this...Is it hard to get around the resort without a car?

Well, since you asked for the good, the bad and the ugly; I will give our slightly different opinion of OKW.
We find OKW to be a very pretty resort, very relaxing and very, very laid back. It has the largest and most spacious 1 br by far, from any of the other WDW DVC resorts. The main difference in the space is in the lr/dr/kitchen area and the laundry room. The kitchen is very large and one could very easily cook a huge feast in there, if you are inclined to do so, while on vacation. The large dining table and sideboard cabinet is very nice and the extra space in the lr is great for groups. I love the large table on the balcony and the ceiling fan is also a nice feature. The separate laundry room is nice if you have things to hang while drying etc. It also has a full size w/d; we do not do enough laundry while on vacation for this to matter to us, but for a family with a couple kids--this could be quite handy. Without a doubt, OKW's 1 br and larger villas are among WDW's very top accommondations for space and villa appointments.
Olivia's is a restaurant we eat at on a fairly regular basis. We find the food to be very good and very reasonably priced. We also enjoy having a drink at the Gurgling Suitcase and sitting out at the tables by the water, especially at dusk. Very pretty and relaxing area, very Floridian. We find this to be one of the prettiest areas at OKW.
The ferry to DTD is very pretty and relaxing and a very nice feature at OKW. I am glad to see they are extending the hours somewhat. I personally think the ferry should run to at least midnight but 11 PM is better than 9:45 PM.
The pools at OKW are very lame and also do not have life guards. However OKW is currently scheduled to go through a major main pool renovation, which is going to greatly enhance the main pool. I am very anxious to see this. I think this rehab will greatly add to the already nice HH/main pool/marina area.
Now to what we don't like about OKW......is the location, location, location. And the lack of full deluxe resort amenities and guest services. We are very spoiled by the WDW deluxe resorts and we like the superior locations to parks, dining options, nighttime parks shows etc that the deluxe WDW resorts, including all the other DVC resorts, give us. Although we find OKW to be a pretty resort with very nice 1 brs, we find the location of the resort and the resort amenities to be no greater (and in some instances less) than what is offered at a moderate resort. Certainly not on par with WDW deluxe resorts. Other than the rooms(obviously), we find OKW to be very similar to CBR in the feel, look, atmosphere, etc of the resort.
OKW is too far away from everything for us. We love just being able to stroll into WS or hop a boat to MK, or to watch Illuminations from our balcony or MK fireworks from the beach.
To us, dining at the numerous great WDW restaurants is a big part of vacation and the ease of access to great resort and park restaurants that the other DVC resorts and WDW deluxe resorts has, can not be beat.
For us, the trade off of the superior locations is not worth the larger lr/kitchen/dr, laundry room at OKW.
OKW, though very close to DTD/PI, has nothing to do at the resort itself, at night. This is also a big drawback for us. We love being able to watch the boardwalk activity and entertainment or hop a monorail and visit the monorail resorts, etc. OKW is way too quiet and laid back for us. We also find the resort to be very spread out. We have done OKW both with and without a car and much prefer it with a car. If you do not have a car, I would definitely recommend requesting a building close to HH.
We are also a family that wants and uses full deluxe resort amenities and guest services and elevators. We love having room service, valet parking, bell hops to deliver luggage and packages to rooms, etc. This is also something that we can't get at OKW and they are things that we want and expect from a higher priced resort.
That is our take on OKW. It is a nice resort but definitely not one of our favorites at WDW. We have stayed at OKW several times and have visited numerous times in the past; and most likely will stay there again in the future, if we have a large group, or it is the only DVC resort available. But it is never among our first choices of WDW resorts to stay at, and most likely will never be. However who knows, maybe once we are old and retired, the quiet and retirement home atmosphere, will be just what we are looking for! LOL! But for now, give us an Epcot or MK deluxe or DVC resort, anyday!

 

[Pa@okw95]

OkW is the only DVC resort that had rooms large enough for me to consider it a home away from home. I have seen the others they are very small. I have never been to OKW without a car but I must tell you I use my car to go everywhere. It is like I live at home, the only difference is at OKW they have sidewalks while my home and neighborhood does not. I found the buses not to be for me for a whole host of reasons. I would not stay at any other DCVC resort because the construction is not like OKW. most are very hotel like, perhaps the new SSR will not be. If you are a park nut then OKW is not for you and I can say that either will SSR be. But if you like to relax in the warm weather while others are freezing in your home state, there is nothing better the Florida in the winter and OKW to lay back and relax. Olivas is the only restaurant on site and I would give in a grade D for breakfast, C for lunch and D for dinner. It is a family restaurant and I try to avoid those type of restaurants for the most part. The salads at Olivias are very good, I would recommend them for lunch. The boat ride to DD is probably the best attraction at WDW but they have changed the boat is I don't know about that anymore-have not tried it yet. Over-all like I said at the start OKW is the best spot for me of all the DVC resorts. DVC resorts are not deluxe resorts but when it comes to accomodations they are mush better than any delux resort at WDW-I used to stay at the Disney Inn which was a deluxe resort at the time, they had the largest rooms at WDW but the rooms there do not compare to OKW. OKW is a place for someone that has run the course with the parks and just wants to relax on vacation.

 

[pmcpmc]

points there to join all the rest in this wonderful retirement home where you have enough space to ensure you don't know your grouchy,nasty or noisey neighbours.
I am also looking foreward to meeting all those nice disboard ladies that live there.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Some people who are in their fifties who like to pretend they are in their 20's, I would say that OKW is not for them.

 

[pmcpmc]

you feel.

 

[Chuck S]

Pa@OKW, Olivia's a grade "D" for breakfast??!!! I love their breakfasts, except for the seasoned potatoes...but I get them either unseasoned or grits (I like their grits ) Lunches are good, too. Their dinners are too big, we usually have our large meal at noon, so if we wind up at Olivia's for dinner I have soup & salad. I don't care for their signature soup (Conch Chowder), but I don't care for any "red" chowder. Their other soups are usually very good, though.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I give Olivias a low grade for breakfast because the scrambled eggs are pre-cooked and spooned out, their fruit dish is about the worse excuse for a fruit dish I have ever seen, it once was ok, their cinnamom bun, once was great, has fallen on hard times. Oddly I like their breafast potatos. As you can see I continue to try to eat there but keep asking my self why, lunch is ok, I won't get into things like their pre-made club sandwich that was served to me in about 3 seconds one day, proving beyond any doubt I had that it was made earlier. As for dinner if you get in there when it first opens and you are careful what you order then it is ok, but I have been in there when I thought I was in elementary school cafe with the noise. It is not a good restaurant for noise.

 

[Chuck S]

I agree on the noise, inlaid tile floor and no draperies, nothing to absorb the sound. Carpet would be extremely difficult to keep clean, though. Usually the noise is tolerable, unless you get a "screamer".

 

[BWVDee]

Olivia's a C/D, I am really surprised. We have had quite a few lunches at this restaurant and a few breakfasts and we always got good food. I espcially love their lunches. We have gotten very good salads and sandwiches and we love the conch chowder. They used to have conch fritters that were pretty good but they did not have them during our last visit. We have also gotten the club sandwich several times and it has never looked or tasted like it was not freshly made.

 

[jekjones1558]

We own at BWV but I think that OKW is still our favorite because:
• Room sizes are huge. (Ask to see a grand villa. WOW!)
• Parking is right at your door.
• Laid back atmosphere is a contrast to the parks.
• Decor is light.
• It feels like home.
• It is the easiest DVC resort to book a room.
• It takes fewer points to stay there.

The new slide will be a plus for kids and the quiet pools are still there for those wanting peace. Contrary to a previous posters comment, we LOVE the parks but want a more relaxed atmosphere during the time we are not at parks.

Hope you love your stay. Check out other DVC resorts as well, if you can. The beauty of DVC is that there are choices to fit just about anyone's style!

 

[PamOKW]

Here's a link to a teen-ager's view of OKW

You Don't Have To Be Old to Love Old Key Wet

It's funny how the word "old" in the name gives people such a faulty impression. LOL!! At 16, my niece also preferred staying at OKW to BWV even though she was wowed by both of them.