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

[MELSMICE]

We still had Fiesta Ware in our renovated unit! So your's was white????

We still had Fiesta wear, but we did not have 8 of everything. While I like the Fiesta wear, it is definitely big, bulky & heavy!

 

[Melynny]

I am eating ice cream out of a bowl right now.. it's white, semi heavy, but not even the same shape as the Fiestaware. It has BII on the bottom.. any idea who makes that? We have a full set for 8, and I think the same ol flat ware. Also it appears that they are working on bldg 29 refurbs.. And I posted that bldg 35 was complete, well they have the parking area blocked off and it looks like they are replacing some of the siding? there. Bldg 56 is still occupied in non refurb state, as is bldg 18.

I tried to talk to our guide about the refurbishment.. The first thing he said, was " I hear they are pretty nice, I have not seen them yet, even though I own there.. They have hard wood floors right?".. I said no.. they are vinylwood and just smiled.. Then I tried to talk about the new changes to non developer owned points.. and how he thinks it wil affect the product. All I really got was typical salesman speak. We did end up adding on at Saratoga.

 

[DVCDebb]

Just stayed in 6430 that is 2 bedroom Had stayed here before and the improvements seem nice. Has lost the old key west touch. internet connections behind living room table a pain to use liked it better by the dining table The new life guard lamp cute but really prefer the old lamps. Floor was great and surprised at the dark color As for the appliances they were not replaced same old sad diswasher and the cabinets could use some help still. New dishes work well for us but did like the old fiesta ware. As for the blinds on the doors they will not last poor design wooden ones should have stayed. The bathroom looked bad I must say as the master bath shower really showed wear and needed repair. Again repairs seem cheap looking and hope they will hold up. Stayed at BLT last Dec and was disappointed then in how bad the place had been treated by some guests the furniture and carpet are not going to last. And please get rid of the ugly table in living room at OKW such an ugly color green something that looks like kids spilled paint all over. Does not even blend with dark stain on old dining table. wish the updates blended better and appliances replaced but this room has had some improvements just not sure money for udates was well spent. OKW still home but lost a lot of charm.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Just stayed in 6430 that is 2 bedroom Had stayed here before and the improvements seem nice. Has lost the old key west touch. internet connections behind living room table a pain to use liked it better by the dining table The new life guard lamp cute but really prefer the old lamps. Floor was great and surprised at the dark color As for the appliances they were not replaced same old sad diswasher and the cabinets could use some help still. New dishes work well for us but did like the old fiesta ware. As for the blinds on the doors they will not last poor design wooden ones should have stayed. The bathroom looked bad I must say as the master bath shower really showed wear and needed repair. Again repairs seem cheap looking and hope they will hold up. Stayed at BLT last Dec and was disappointed then in how bad the place had been treated by some guests the furniture and carpet are not going to last. And please get rid of the ugly table in living room at OKW such an ugly color green something that looks like kids spilled paint all over. Does not even blend with dark stain on old dining table. wish the updates blended better and appliances replaced but this room has had some improvements just not sure money for udates was well spent. OKW still home but lost a lot of charm.

Sounds like your assessment was similar to ours. We did not have the new dishes in our refurbed unit in December. Fiesta Ware just says beach theme to me, and I always liked that they didn't match. I wonder if some of those "soft goods" are being changed out after rehabs are done?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Okay, so I gave my views on the 1-2 bedroom renovations after our December trip, so here is my review of the Grand Villa renos after our trip last week.

First of all, let me say I was very happy they kept the REAL hardwood floors here! They had been refinished to match the color that they used for the vinyl flooring in the 1&2 bedroom units, but it was still the real wood, and very nicely refinished. In fact, it looked much like the refinish they did at the HH lobby floor.

I thought the colors in the GV were a bit bland. The pale pale yellow looked a bit stark and uninteresting with white crown molding etc. They did paint one accent wall in the dining room, making it match the fabric on the dining chairs. The master bedroom was just as bland as the living room too. There was a little darker gold color on the wall behind the bed, but it just looked very sterile and uninteresting to me.

LOVED the rug in the living room! I liked that it was larger and didn't just look like a postage stamp under the coffee table like the 1&2 bedroom units did. It really was a perfect match for the fabric on the sofas.

I also liked the new fabrics on the cushions of the wicker chairs, and was happy to see they kept those!

Now for the "what the heck were they thinking" parts of the GV renovations.

We stayed in this exact same unit 5 years ago. That was the last time we stayed in a GV, and the issues we had then were still there....only worse. We had terrible issues on that trip with cupboard doors not fitting correctly and a broken dishwasher rack that kept falling apart. That same broken dishwasher was still there, and the rollers were still falling off of the bottom rack. On top of that, you couldn't put the door all the way down, so the rack could not be pulled out all the way for loading and unloading. They did manage to replace the broken latch handle or at least repair it by painting some of that rubbery stuff they use to coat tool handles. All in all, that dishwasher needed replacing last time we were there 5 years ago, and it has definitely outlived its usefulness now! On top of all that, the cupboard doors were falling off their hinges, and the drawers on either side of the stove stuck and couldn't easily be opened and closed because they had jammed the stove into a spot that was too small for it. The drawers stuck on the sides because of the improper size of the opening for the stove. The fridge was not only old, but was a "left handed" opening fridge in a right hand facing kitchen....VERY inconvenient to say the least.

Why did they not replace these worn out cabinets and appliances????? It just made the renovation look like it had never been done.

The other disappointing thing was that they didn't refinish the banister. They did paint the spindles on it, but the banister was still a very worn "pickled" wood finish like the cabinets. Again....it gave it a "needs to still be renovated" look. Our guests (who also own at OKW) couldn't see anything that had been renovated other than the counter tops. They said that there other timeshares have always done complete renovations every 10 years, and they were very disappointed in the look of the "new" OKW.

On the plus side, the Jacuzzi tub had been resurfaced, and it was very well done with a new non-slip surface. In fact, I laughed that I had to lift my butt up off the bottom to move because it wouldn't let me slide!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Oh, and we DID still have Fiesta Ware, but they had put all one color of each item in the unit. The bowls were all teal, the plates were all orange, and the bread and butter plates red. The cups were 3 different shades of teal. I liked that part at least. I wouldn't want the white ones.

 

[Sammie]

Why did they not replace these worn out cabinets and appliances????? It just made the renovation look like it had never been done.

I hope you ask this of Member Satisfaction, would love to know their reply.

Honestly I am concerned that with sales being down, they are cutting corners on keeping the existing resorts up to the standard they were when they were new and not using our fees wisely.

 

[Bunless]

We just returned from ten days in a renovated studio.

We loved it. Loved the blues and neutrals.
Thought both the blinds and roman shades were great, didn't really have an issue with the amount of time it took to pull them up and down.
The mugs were fiesta ware.
The appliances were fine, didn't see a need to replace them.

One of the reasons that we never stayed at OKW in the past were the colors. Neither DH nor myself thought we could spend more than a night in the pink walls that they showed in the literature.

Our complaint would have to be that they didn't switch to a sleeper bed for the second bed.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We just returned from ten days in a renovated studio.

We loved it. Loved the blues and neutrals.
Thought both the blinds and roman shades were great, didn't really have an issue with the amount of time it took to pull them up and down.
The mugs were fiesta ware.
The appliances were fine, didn't see a need to replace them.

One of the reasons that we never stayed at OKW in the past were the colors. Neither DH nor myself thought we could spend more than a night in the pink walls that they showed in the literature.

Our complaint would have to be that they didn't switch to a sleeper bed for the second bed.

You were in a studio. I'm quite sure the microwave and fridge would be fine there. It's the dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator in the 1,2, and 3 bedroom units that we were speaking of. You also didn't have the large balcony that the 1,2,&3 bedroom units have, so probably not as much need to move the roman shades all the time. The blinds in the units are fine...Just the roman shades that have the difficult mechanism.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Our complaint would have to be that they didn't switch to a sleeper bed for the second bed.

I'm glad they didn't. If I have to stay in a studio, it's going to be an OKW studio so we can get real beds.

 

[edk35]

We just returned from ten days in a renovated studio.

We loved it. Loved the blues and neutrals.
Thought both the blinds and roman shades were great, didn't really have an issue with the amount of time it took to pull them up and down.
The mugs were fiesta ware.
The appliances were fine, didn't see a need to replace them.

One of the reasons that we never stayed at OKW in the past were the colors. Neither DH nor myself thought we could spend more than a night in the pink walls that they showed in the literature.

Our complaint would have to be that they didn't switch to a sleeper bed for the second bed.

Did they take a bed out and put in a sofa????

 

[dianeschlicht]

Did they take a bed out and put in a sofa????

No, and I doubt they could or would do that. OKW is the only DVC resort at WDW that has 2 queen "real" beds in the studio. A complete change of the bedding profiles would probably anger a lot of us who purchased there. No way do I want the number of real beds in a 2 bedroom lock off to be reduced by one bed.

 

[edk35]

No, and I doubt they could or would do that. OKW is the only DVC resort at WDW that has 2 queen "real" beds in the studio. A complete change of the bedding profiles would probably anger a lot of us who purchased there. No way do I want the number of real beds in a 2 bedroom lock off to be reduced by one bed.

Oh good.... because that is one thing we like about OKW is the two beds.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to contact Member Satisfaction about the issues with the cabinets in the renovated GV we had last week. I can't imagine there is anything they can do about it, but I do think they need to know how we feel. I guess I'm not sure where a complaint of this nature is best made.

 

[MtlFire]

I was there in 2010. Anyone notice that when they painted the outside of the buildings they painted all the vents closed?

This was quickly noticed when we showered. We could steam up the whole studio. Which was odd as you could hear the fan running. One day I tried a piece of tissue paper and noticed that although running it wouldn't suck it up. The next day as we were going out to the parks I realized that the outside of the building had fresh paint, I checked the vents and sure enough painted shut. Opened up mine and presto, no more problem. I looked around and all the vents in my building were painted shut -- including the next door 1 bedroom's dryer vent (which was running!).

I don't have enough posts to include images -- which is likely good for you guys. When standing on the chair to check the fan I was able to see what was growing on top of the windows, the mirror etc. There was fungus everywhere. And not just the black mildew you get on the caulking in your shower. We're talking the fuzzy, lumpy friends you get if the power goes out in your fridge for a few weeks in the summer (plus the black mildew).

I walked down to the front desk and mentioned it. I wasn't taken very seriously. When I checked out the vents were all still painted shut and stuff was still growing in the bathroom. I mentioned it again at check out and emailed member services when I got home with pictures.

I highly doubt that the high humidity and stuff growing in the bathroom was limited to just my studio.

 

[alldiz]

I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to contact Member Satisfaction about the issues with the cabinets in the renovated GV we had last week. I can't imagine there is anything they can do about it, but I do think they need to know how we feel. I guess I'm not sure where a complaint of this nature is best made.

I definately would. I've never stayed in a grand villa....but isn't the point to be "Grand" Seriously.....I would be very upset to see a recently refurbed room....falling apart....Very scary.

I was there in 2010. Anyone notice that when they painted the outside of the buildings they painted all the vents closed?This was quickly noticed when we showered. We could steam up the whole studio. Which was odd as you could hear the fan running. One day I tried a piece of tissue paper and noticed that although running it wouldn't suck it up. The next day as we were going out to the parks I realized that the outside of the building had fresh paint, I checked the vents and sure enough painted shut. Opened up mine and presto, no more problem. I looked around and all the vents in my building were painted shut -- including the next door 1 bedroom's dryer vent (which was running!).

I don't have enough posts to include images -- which is likely good for you guys. When standing on the chair to check the fan I was able to see what was growing on top of the windows, the mirror etc. There was fungus everywhere. And not just the black mildew you get on the caulking in your shower. We're talking the fuzzy, lumpy friends you get if the power goes out in your fridge for a few weeks in the summer (plus the black mildew).I walked down to the front desk and mentioned it. I wasn't taken very seriously. When I checked out the vents were all still painted shut and stuff was still growing in the bathroom. I mentioned it again at check out and emailed member services when I got home with pictures.

I highly doubt that the high humidity and stuff growing in the bathroom was limited to just my studio.

OMG......how disgusting....please post when MS contacts you about your letter with pictures. This post makes having hanging cabinet doors in the kitchen a home run room winner.

OMG.....I am not one of those people that check into a room a do a critical run down. Of course you would have never discovered this if some idiot didn't paint the vent shut
I can tell you I will be looking with my 4 eyes next trip.
Kerri

 

[dcamdad]

I was there in 2010. Anyone notice that when they painted the outside of the buildings they painted all the vents closed?

This was quickly noticed when we showered. We could steam up the whole studio. Which was odd as you could hear the fan running. One day I tried a piece of tissue paper and noticed that although running it wouldn't suck it up. The next day as we were going out to the parks I realized that the outside of the building had fresh paint, I checked the vents and sure enough painted shut. Opened up mine and presto, no more problem. I looked around and all the vents in my building were painted shut -- including the next door 1 bedroom's dryer vent (which was running!).

Yep, after our first load of laundry wouldn't dry this past December I went outside and found the vents painted shut. Upon opening the vent and restarting the dryer the entire upper walkway was covered with dryer lint. I immediately found a maintenance person and showed him the mess. He radioed for a crew to come clean the mess and inspect the rest of the vents. We were in bldg 45 so those should be open now I'm not sure about the other buildings.

 

[MtlFire]

dcamdad: Gee thats great to know. I was there in JUNE. And in December they still hadn't looked into it?! Other than not drying, thats a terrible fire hazard.

Member services was quick to write back. Thanks for letting us know, thats terrible, we'll let building services know... yadda yadda yadda... have a magical day!

Apparently attachments get deleted, so they never saw the photos, or otherwise the CSR's don't see them. The painted vents was one thing, my "friends" growing in the bathroom were kinda a turn off to OKW. I was actually quite surprised at how nonchalant it was taken, and disappointed to hear from people there 6 months later with the similar issues.

 

[dcamdad]

I tried to cut a deal with the staff but apparently they thought I was joking.

Being in the HVAC business I have duct cleaning equipment and two crews who only do duct/vent cleaning. I remarked that I could have my equipment shipped down and clean all the vents and associated ducting for all the buildings in OKW and all it would cost them is a 2-BR villa and park passes for a month.(Why rush) The maintenance supervisor kinda chuckeled and said he'd let me know before the end of our trip. Oh well I tried.

 

[Sammie]

I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to contact Member Satisfaction about the issues with the cabinets in the renovated GV we had last week. I can't imagine there is anything they can do about it, but I do think they need to know how we feel. I guess I'm not sure where a complaint of this nature is best made.

I would simply because it reveals an attitude of not doing things first class in the rehab.