The good the bad the ugly of OKW renovations (update pg 13)

[Chuck S]

We are currently in a studio in Building 14. It's a third floor unit with a nice few and convenient to HH. I must concur with many of the previous comments regarding the renovations. Regarding the "dark" wood I can't make up my mind if they are attempting to replicate mahogany, a tropical wood, with a faux aged varnish effect or the dark oak stain so popular in the early to mid-70s. If I think mahogany I can live with it. The paint does reflect the hues in the pictures on the walls however the mat board still has the original colors so it does clash. If the curtains included the tropical pink/peach as opposed to the beige it might have worked. The loss of storage under the beds has been a tremendous inconvenience. The roman shades -- my daughter cut herself opening them. The blinds were more user friendly and allowed more control over the sunlight entering the room. With the blinds you still had a sense of privacy while affording a view. With the shades it seems to be all or nothing. If open, no privacy. The carpeting looks okay but feels as if there is no carpet pad underneath. The acoustic dynamics has changed. In the past we seldom if ever heard the guests in the neighboring units. Now we hear more than we would like. Our neighbors are not rowdy. We hear the footsteps, the washing machine, the doors, everything. I shall assume we can also be heard as we just do routine mundance activities.

I think the accoustics changed mostly because of the faux wood floor. It really is pretty noisy now, we noticed it in June when we were in a studio, we could hear everything from the one bedroom next door. And in the one bedroom we had a couple of weeks ago, it echos like being in a cavern. And it always looks a little dirty. I don't like it at all.

 

[MELSMICE]

We are currently in a studio in Building 14. It's a third floor unit with a nice few and convenient to HH. I must concur with many of the previous comments regarding the renovations. Regarding the "dark" wood I can't make up my mind if they are attempting to replicate mahogany, a tropical wood, with a faux aged varnish effect or the dark oak stain so popular in the early to mid-70s. If I think mahogany I can live with it. The paint does reflect the hues in the pictures on the walls however the mat board still has the original colors so it does clash. If the curtains included the tropical pink/peach as opposed to the beige it might have worked. The loss of storage under the beds has been a tremendous inconvenience. The roman shades -- my daughter cut herself opening them. The blinds were more user friendly and allowed more control over the sunlight entering the room. With the blinds you still had a sense of privacy while affording a view. With the shades it seems to be all or nothing. If open, no privacy. The carpeting looks okay but feels as if there is no carpet pad underneath. The acoustic dynamics has changed. In the past we seldom if ever heard the guests in the neighboring units. Now we hear more than we would like. Our neighbors are not rowdy. We hear the footsteps, the washing machine, the doors, everything. I shall assume we can also be heard as we just do routine mundance activities.

We are in a 2BR in building 13 - 2nd floor.

My brother & myself have also cut ourselves on the blinds. I agree that losing the under bed storage is very inconvenient. We like to unpack our suitcases & put them under the bed.

We haven't had a problem with hearing other people around us, but being in the 2BR we might not.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think the accoustics changed mostly because of the faux wood floor. It really is pretty noisy now, we noticed it in June when we were in a studio, we could hear everything from the one bedroom next door. And in the one bedroom we had a couple of weeks ago, it echos like being in a cavern. And it always looks a little dirty. I don't like it at all.

You know, we DID hear more from the studio locked off from our 1 bedroom than we usually do. We had three different groups there during our stay. The first one must have had a bunch of little ones, because they were VERY noisy and had a lot of crying. The next group came in for just one night, and we never heard them at all. The third group checked in two days before we checked out, and while we heard them a bit, it never really bothered us. Well, except for when they tried to open the door between the units. LOL! We were sitting in the living room both on our computers when that happened. I went over to make sure our side was locked, and then I knocked on the door. This elicited a "sorry" from the other side. It made me laugh.

 

[eva]

So are the Roman shades on all the windows? I was looking at some pictures of the renovations and it seems that the Roman shades are only on the doors, not the windows. Is that correct? The windows seemed to have regular blinds.

 

[dianeschlicht]

So are the Roman shades on all the windows? I was looking at some pictures of the renovations and it seems that the Roman shades are only on the doors, not the windows. Is that correct? The windows seemed to have regular blinds.

That's correct. The shades are on the French doors both in the living room and bedroom, and the rest of the windows have new blinds. The living room ones also have a valance above the windows.

 

[Chuck S]

So are the Roman shades on all the windows? I was looking at some pictures of the renovations and it seems that the Roman shades are only on the doors, not the windows. Is that correct? The windows seemed to have regular blinds.

That is correct, the Roman shades are on the doors only.

 

[MELSMICE]

That is correct, the Roman shades are on the doors only.

And thank goodness for that! They are a real pain in the neck to get up & down. Nice shades, crummy mechanics to raise & lower!

 

[dmoore22]

And thank goodness for that! They are a real pain in the neck to get up & down. Nice shades, crummy mechanics to raise & lower!

They look okay but are not practical. I have to pull them
away from the window to use the mechanism without chewing up my hands. It takes two hands to raise and lower painlessly. Even the new blinds seem to be of a lower quality than the originals. Thinner slates, no blind tape and pull strings that are easily tangled. These are not for a high traffic use environment.

 

[MELSMICE]

They look okay but are not practical. I have to pull them
away from the window to use the mechanism without chewing up my hands. It takes two hands to raise and lower painlessly. Even the new blinds seem to be of a lower quality than the originals. Thinner slates, no blind tape and pull strings that are easily tangled. These are not for a high traffic use environment.

That's exactly what we have to do. We keep saying we are going to time ourselves opening or closing them because it takes so long. We've given up putting up the one in the master - not worth the effort!

 

[MELSMICE]

So, who would a letter go out to voicing our opinion about the renovations?

While we are pleased with the aesthetics of everything, I think a lot of the things were done "on the cheap", specifically the blinds & the "alligator" table as dianeschlicht named it.

Of course, nothing will change, but I still believe it's good to get feedback from members.

I also believe they will be replacing these blinds sooner than anticipated & end up spending twice the amount of money they would have had they invested in better quality ones.

 

[Simba's Mom]

So, who would a letter go out to voicing our opinion about the renovations?

Is anyone besides me a little grumpy about the fact that they made such major changes without asking for members' opinions? I admit that it might just complicate matters to ask everyone, but how about a small sample, or at least show pictures and solicit opinions. I know, it's probably a no-win situatin, but I kind of wish they'd at least talked to some members.

 

[Tinkmom]

From reading this thread I was seriously considering asking for a room that hadn't yet been rehabbed. So glad I didn't!

We LOVE this resort, and sure, would have been happy if someone had waved a wand and made it fresh and new and identical to the way it was first built. However, I "get" that some people would actually prefer a change while still keeping the same general vibe.

Whether it is more West Indies than Key West I have no idea, but am certainly familiar with the use of dark wood in tropical decor. The bedrooms do look different but that's not a bad thing! And we liked the crocodile-finish table. It's different and the color coordinates well. I'm sorry, but the complaints about the blinds we laughed about -- it takes what, 20 seconds to open and close them? Come on. And I liked the new chairs for the dining area, but don't know how well they will wear.

I am one of those people who thinks carpet is kind of gross, when you think about all the dirt and germs you are sharing with everyone who's been walking on it since it was cleaned. I worried that the unit would be noisy but didn't find that to be the case at all.

At any rate, while some might want the decor to be simply peach and seafoam forever, that's just not the reality. But we enjoyed our three days in a rehabbed unit in building 45, especially with the wonderful view of the canal.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...At any rate, while some might want the decor to be simply peach and seafoam forever, that's just not the reality. ...

I wonder if BCV owners would be upset if BCV was rehabbed and they got repainted furniture and dark colored bedding/furniture covers like VWL? That's what they did to OKW - turned it into BCV.

 

[rsschneck]

We stayed 6 nights @ OKW near the hospitality house in room 1112 which is a 2 bedroom dedicated villa. We have not stayed @ OKW for a few years even though it is one of our home resorts. I thought the updates were okay. Nothing bothered me too much except for the OLD appliances they kept. Our refrigerator had rust on the side, the dishwasher top rack kept falling apart, the drier sounded like it was taking off. If you looked around there was major dust on lamp shades, ceiling fans, behind sink fixtures, etc.
Why do a MAJOR renovation if you are going to keep a lot of the old items that need replacing.
We took out the extra bedding to make out the new convertible chair in the living room and the plastic bag that the items were placed in on top of the shelf in the master bedroom stuck to the newly painted shelf and took off most of the paint.
We had a great stay and I do still love OKW but it seems like they only completed a partial renovation and could have done more to really jazz up the place.
I really liked being able to check in my bags with Magical Express for our flights home using Southwest Airlines.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

[MELSMICE]

To make out the new convertible chair in the living room and the plastic bag that the items were placed in on top of the shelf in the master bedroom stuck to the newly painted shelf and took off most of the paint.:eek!!!

Same with us!!!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

So, who would a letter go out to voicing our opinion about the renovations?

While we are pleased with the aesthetics of everything, I think a lot of the things were done "on the cheap", specifically the blinds & the "alligator" table as dianeschlicht named it.

Of course, nothing will change, but I still believe it's good to get feedback from members.

I also believe they will be replacing these blinds sooner than anticipated & end up spending twice the amount of money they would have had they invested in better quality ones.

I've been wondering the same thing, and I think maybe Member Satisfaction is the right place, but then I'm not sure. I haven't written to anyone yet because I haven't figured out where it should go.

The "on the cheap" part is what bothered me too, and I can't figure out why they didn't replace the broken and worn out electrical outlets etc.

As for the blinds, the original wood blinds were very nice, and a few years ago when they were replaced with the cheaper plastic ones I was disappointed, but I thought these third ones were actually a bit better than the second version.

 

[MELSMICE]

I've been wondering the same thing, and I think maybe Member Satisfaction is the right place, but then I'm not sure. I haven't written to anyone yet because I haven't figured out where it should go.

The "on the cheap" part is what bothered me too, and I can't figure out why they didn't replace the broken and worn out electrical outlets etc.

As for the blinds, the original wood blinds were very nice, and a few years ago when they were replaced with the cheaper plastic ones I was disappointed, but I thought these third ones were actually a bit better than the second version.

I look the look of the roman blinds. I actually prefer them to the wooden ones, but that's just a personal preference. The thing I think is horrible is the opening/closing mechanism.

The smaller "wood look" blinds on the smaller windows look like a thick plastic, so they look OK but I think the other ones were better quality. I do like how they look on the windows.

I definitely would like to draft a letter just stating my opinions. I'm not looking to bash everything, but it's good to get feedback. I actually look forward to receiving my "satisfaction survey" that usually comes after a stay at WDW resort of any kind.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I look the look of the roman blinds. I actually prefer them to the wooden ones, but that's just a personal preference. The thing I think is horrible is the opening/closing mechanism.

The smaller "wood look" blinds on the smaller windows look like a thick plastic, so they look OK but I think the other ones were better quality. I do like how they look on the windows.

I definitely would like to draft a letter just stating my opinions. I'm not looking to bash everything, but it's good to get feedback. I actually look forward to receiving my "satisfaction survey" that usually comes after a stay at WDW resort of any kind.

When you decide where it should go, let me know, because I want to express some opinions too. I'm not bashing either....Just wish I knew why certain decisions were made. I LOVE the roman shades too, but I'm glad they didn't put those on the living room windows where the blinds are. The blinds are much easier to use. I never once opened our shade on the master bedroom door to the deck this trip, because it was too much trouble to deal with that mechanism twice a day. It's the first OKW trip where I never once used that door.

 

[Chuck S]

I would send an email to Member Satisfaction. That's what I did in June after staying in a refurbished Studio. I received a call, likely just to placate me, but I think it does at least create a path for input, and if they see a lot of comments, they may do better next time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I would send an email to Member Satisfaction. That's what I did in June after staying in a refurbished Studio. I received a call, likely just to placate me, but I think it does at least create a path for input, and if they see a lot of comments, they may do better next time.

You know, it worked at BLT for the awful studio bathrooms. Maybe it will work at OKW. They really need to redo some of the mess they made.