What about OKW?

[zdesiree]

I'm going to WDW on Nov. 29 - Dec. 08 (10 days / 9 nights) and we are going to stay on OKW (2 bdrm). I'm going with my husband, my 3 kids (DS6, DS4, DD3), my mother, grandmother and mother in law. I was wondering how is the OKW, this is my first time staying on site. What are the pros and cons of the OKW.

Thanks!!

Zelma

 

[MAC3]

zdesiree,

Hi I just wanted to say you may have better luck posting this over on the vacation club discussion? There are more vacationeer's over there that have experienced this resort.

But we love the laid back feeling that OKW has to offer and it's extra large space.

Can't beat it and I can;t wait to try out that new slide (althought in Nov can't say how much you would use it),

Great luck with your choice,

 

[Disney Doll]

There are some who will disagree with me, but I don't think OKW has any cons.

Pros
~Big rooms
~Bubble tub
~Full kitchen
~Washer/dryer in room
~Nice main pool
~Nice quiet pools
~Nice view from pretty much every room
~Nice to walk around
~Cute little boat to DTD
~New slide at main pool
~Parking in front of your unit
~Lovely pastel-y, tropical-ish decor
~The little Mickey heads in the railings
~Nice CMs
~Always get a "welcome home"

 

[zdesiree]

bump!

 

[jaysue]

I agree with pros posted by Disney Doll - however there are cons:

Cons - real and potential of OKW: (we have stayed there)

Location - a touch remote for some compared to the MK or Epcot resort clusters where there is easy access to 1 or more of the parks

Bus Service - not as frequent during off peak hours as the other resorts - once in the complex makes multiple stops and if you are the last stop, adds 10 minutes to your return trip

Condo Feeling - some people like to stay in a resort that feels like a hotel - OKW feels and is more like a condo - individual buildings with 2-3 floors

Dining Options - no food court (this may be a pro for some!) - there is a food service counter outside with some seating - Dining restaurant has limited selection in some people's opinion (Olivia's)

One pro I would add is that you can rent boats at OKW as it has direct water access to Downtown Disney and POR/POFQ

I think you will love the trip and find that OKW is a very nice place to stay - with our kids of 2 and 5 years old, we prefer to stay at BCV to enjoy the SAB pool complex and quick walking access to Epcot and MGM so we can nip in and out of the parks. Having said that we have stayed at OKW and do enjoy it as our #2 choice behind BCV

Let me know if you have any questions

cheers
jaysue

 

[webray]

We love OKW. Because it is an older DVC, the rooms are much larger than the newer ones, like BWV's. The rooms are great, the resort is great.

The only thing we weren't overly impressed with is the restaurant for dinner. It was good at breakfast, but not for dinner.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Also, I was staying as a guest of a DVC member which I did not like. Over 5 nights, we never got clean towels or any housekeeping.

This was definitely an oversight and had you called housekeeping they would have brought towels right over and refreshed your soaps and all. Anyone who stays longer than 4 nights gets "towel and trash" service on the 4th day. Also, if the OP is staying on cash (not DVC points), she will get daily regular housekeeping. Only DVC resorts (OKW, BWV, BCV, VWL, SSR) with point reservations don't get daily maid service. Most timeshares are like this. But if she's paying cash for her stay she had no worries about getting daily service.
We just stayed there in November and the busses ran great. We never waited more than 10-15 min and that included in the am and at night after park close.
We love Olivia's as well. Find the service to be on par with other Disney resort restaurants. Here's the menu for the OP if she's interested :
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_okb.htm
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_okl.htm
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_okw.htm
We've only eaten breakfast and lunch there so far in all our trips, but the dinner menu looks good to me. Someone else mentioned that while they don't have a food court, they do have a mini boardwalk and you can find a snack bar there (Goods To Go) and also a small pub (Gurgling Suitcase). There's another snack bar called Turtle Shack over in the middle of the resort. Also, if you want to order take out (OKW does not have room service) we use : http://www.giordanos.com/ They have pizza, sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes and they'll deliver right to your door.

and OKW I felt like I was at home, with having to do laundry and such.

OKW def has a cozy "home" feel and that's what we love about it. Very relaxing after long days at the parks. While you'll have a full size washer and dryer in your villa, you most certainly don't have to do laundry unless it makes you happy to do so I, personally, love going back to my "regular" home having suitcases all packed with clean clothes. Makes the "return home blues" a little better when you don't have tons of wash to do.
Also, OKW just recently opened a new sandcastle pool slide that your kids should love at the main pool. They have a kiddie pool with a sandy area for the little ones to play in also.

Things to keep in mind about OKW. If you have a car, parking right in front of your villa will be very convenient. Also, OKW consists of 3 stories and there are no elevators except for bldgs 62, 63 & 64. If you require a ground floor or elevator make sure you make that request known to OKW by calling them now. OKW does have a Bell Service and they can take your luggage up the steps if you get a 2nd or 3rd floor villa, but I thinking you might have a stroller for the 3 yo and it might be a little bit of a hassle going up and down the steps every day with that. Last but not least, you will absolutely love all the space you will have in a 2 bedroom especially since you have a big extended family going ! OKW has the largest 2 bedroom villas of all the onsite DVC resorts. Have fun planning your trip !

 

[bubba's mom]

Which poses a question for me.........We're staying at OKW in June. From what I've seen on the map, this joint is pretty "laid out". We are flying in, using a car service, so we will not have our own car. Do we have to lug all our luggage to our room ourselves? We will be checking in early (appx. 10:30am). I know if our room isn't ready, we are able to leave our luggage and "go do our thing". So, what happens if our room IS ready?? Do we have to carry all our luggage to our room, or do they have carts or bell service?? Thanks in advance!

 

[Scoootch]

I do admit to being just slightly biased as OKW is our home resort and we absolutely love it but....a few comments to jovidan (and others who may be interested in renting points for a DVC stay at OKW or ANY of the DVC's)....

See, we had a studio (no washer or dryer) and didn't havea rental car. So, when we needed to do laundry, we had to get it all together and walk about 15 minutes to the nearest laundry location.

I know OKW fans will never see the cons to it, but if you're simply staying there as a vacationer, make sure you don't rent DVC points. When we called to ask about the towels, they told us nothing about the "4 night rule". All they said was, we could purchase more towels for $16. yeah, i really don't think so.

People complain about the walking distance at Pop ar All Stars. I've stayed at the far end of both and would take the walk there ANY DAY over the walk from our room to the central building at OKW.
Today 08:32 AM

The member you rented points from should have explained to you ahead of time about the limited housekeeping...NO doubt about that. Sorry they didn't as I'm sure that must have really deterred from your enjoyment. That said though, yes, as mentioned, you should have had T-n-T day of day 4 of your stay so it must have been an oversight. For those who may be interested in the future though...you can use the washers and dryers that are located by each of the 4 pools at OKW - FREE OF CHARGE! The only thing you need is to bring detergent or purchase some at the gift shop. It's convenient to just throw the towels in while taking a swim at the pool (laundry is free to all studio guests at all of the DVC resorts ). Also, you can purchase extra towel paks if you wish for $6 per pack. Yes, the $16 may sound excessive but if you look at it like this: a drink at the pool bar is $7 to $8 dollars for 1 drink. And in the grand scheme of things people are willing to pay for at WDW $16 isn't really that much when you consider that if you paid for that same room booking directly through Disney CRO it would have cost you twice as much ~ if not more ~ so is it really all that much if you want the extra towels even for an entire weeks worth? The extra $$ doesn't even add up to what it would cost to make up the difference for 1 night to have booked via CRO Also, if you REALLY want the daily housekeeping, you can have it ....it just costs extra per day. These are the things that even though you have as "limited" ~ make it worth paying half as much for the same vacation you'd have paid for through CRO but gotten the housekeeping for. For those who stay in a 1bdrm villa or larger (at any DVC) you get the washer and dryer right in the room btw...but even for studio stays...the w/d's are free...so these are just some things to consider and keep in mind.

FWIW, staying on points isn't everyone's cup of tea...I really do think though, that had you been informed jovidan of the limited housekeeping you wouldn't have been so dissappointed.

JMO

 

[MiaSRN62]

I felt like I was at home, with having to do laundry and such.

It was this comment that made me think you had a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom villa. If you were in a studio, how would this make you feel any differently from staying in a regular WDW hotel room then as far as laundry goes ?

we had to get it all together and walk about 15 minutes to the nearest laundry location.

Also, alot of the disney resorts you will have a walk to the laundry area ? How is this much different from other resorts ? At least it's free at OKW.
I guess I'm just confused about why you made the laundry comment.
As for the towel issue----it's a shame the person you rented from didn't fill you in on this. All the DVC resorts (when staying on points) operate on this principal : If the stay is 4 nights or more, you get Trash & Towel service on day 4. During T&T, housekeeping will empty the trash, bring clean towels and replenish consumables in the room (paper, laundry detergent, soap). If the stay is 8 nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day 4 and the T&T service on day 8.
The fact you didn't get this had to be an oversight.....it's all I can think of. We have never had a problem with this and we've been owners at OKW for 5 years. Sorry they messed up in your individual case.

I know OKW fans will never see the cons to it

It's not that I'll never see the cons of OKW, but rather we just have a difference of opinions. We actually enjoy staying there. The one con I see and that I mentioned to the OP was the fact of not having elevators. For us, it's not a particular problem but it used to be when my mil was alive. She passed away 6 months ago but we used to always take her on vacation with us and had to request either an elevator or ground floor villa due to her battle with cancer. She was going through chemo and radiation for 2 years and sometimes too weak to make the walk up the stairs.
As for the walk, the nice thing about that and POP is that you can hop on any one of the busses at OKW that circles the resort and take it to the main bldg/Hospitality House. They will drop you off there as they exit the resort. Can't do this at POP and I know about the long walks there because I just stayed there Feb 9-13. We were near the lake and had a hike to the food court. I've also stayed at the BWV and had quite a hike to the main pool. I had one of the furthest rooms from the elevators and my dh and I joked that we needed to leave a trail of bread crumbs to find our way back. It took us a good 20 min walk from our room to Epcot and people rave how convenient this resort is. While we enjoyed our stay at BWV, in 90 degree heat, I didn't consider this the most pleasent of walks to the parks.

But, the way I look at it is, alot of Disney resorts are like this and I just accept it. Stayed in bldg 25 at PO Riverside one year and that was a hike to the food court as well. That is a very spread out resort, as is Carribbean Beach. So I think some of us just have preferences for which resort we prefer. Jovidan, you just simply don't prefer OKW and see more cons than pros. I, OTOH, see many more pros. I think if you had stayed in a 1 or 2 bedroom villa you would have gotten a different perspective on the resort (also if housekeeping hadn't messed up and missed your trash and towel service). The luxury of space you have in those larger villas (full kitchen, whirlpool tub, washer/dryer, large balcony) makes a world of difference, particularily for longer stays as with the OP.

 

[Scoootch]

Oh, also about the spread out thing at OKW and walking...you can hop any bus at any bus stop in OKW and it will almost definetly stop at the HH last before heading out of the resort (just double check with the driver before hopping on) and there's also an internal bus that comes through every so often. OKW is a bit more do-able if you'll have a car but not impossible...done it many times when we had lived up north and came down (many times in a studio too ) For anyone making a ressie...you can always put in a request for "near a pool or near a bus stop" too. And to bubba's mom...yes, they have bell services just like at all WDW resorts and will get your luggage (and you too ) to your room if you do not have a car

 

[Deesknee]

I've stayed OKW 2 bdrm (3times). All times I've booked through Disney. I received all benefits I have recieved at any other Disney resort, including housekeeping daily. DH & I liked it enough to buy in. We will be vacationing there this June and again in Nov. on our DVC points. I believe I will be paying for the daily mousekeeping, as to me that is important to enjoy a vacation with 4 kids. We always rent a car so I can not comment on the bus service. I have always enjoyed the walk to & from the main house & main pool. The atmosphere IMO is so wonderful the walk was never a problem, or maybe we just always lucked out in our room location. We have never eaten at Olivias, but have gotten quick eats at the Gurgling (sp?) suitcase, which was tasty. At the time of our stays we had 3 kids, DH, self, & mother. We were never crowded, and the kids had lots of room to do their homework (we also went in Nov. or Oct each stay). We did use the pool on all trips, though I'm not sure if the weather is always that nice that time of year. (or maybe it just seemed it since we came from MA ).

As far as the condo vs hotel atmosphere. It probably is more condoish. Personally I find that "homey" and enjoy that, although I do enjoy a hotel feel also. To me the extra space of this resort makes up for the hotel/pampered feel you might get at a different resort.

Good luck.

 

[bubba's mom]

They will bring your luggage to your room for you. You'll just have to wait until they are ready to do so.

Thanks...that's what I thought, but nice to be reassured!

I simply am more of a hustle and bustle type of person (at least when it comes to Disney.)

me too....love to hustle and bustle at Disney....being laid back is for work at home

You won't have to walk far to find a bus stop. They seem to be at most locales. You just may find yourself driving around the complex for a while.

As long as it's not far to/from the bus. Not me I worry about, but DS...he's beat by the end of the day!! Don't mind riding around the resort.....get to take it all in!!
Thanks!!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Do we have to lug all our luggage to our room ourselves? We will be checking in early (appx. 10:30am). I know if our room isn't ready, we are able to leave our luggage and "go do our thing". So, what happens if our room IS ready?? Do we have to carry all our luggage to our room

Hi Bubba's Mom.....
Bell Service is right at the curb as you pull up to the lobby check-in. They have a stand right there at the curb. Yes, they will store the luggage for you if your room is not ready or take it to your villa if the room is ready. At 10:30 am, I doubt the room would be ready though. So, most likely you'll have to store it, then when you return and get to your villa just call for your luggage. Have a great trip !

 

[MiaSRN62]

What I meant by laundry was washing towels. That part, I didn't like. No doubt, OKW makes it easy as far as price goes - It's free. However, I did find that the laundry room at Pop was much closer to my room.

Oh, ok....I get it now. Thanks. It's a shame, because you could have just gotten towels from any of the pools and not gone through having to wash the ones from your room. As for having a room close to the laundry at POP, well you got lucky. Not all rooms there are close to the laundry. It all depends on luck of the draw where you get your room assignment.

When I was at OKW, I felt that I was "away from the show".

Alot of people say this about OKW & I respectfully never got it. It's actually very close to Downtown Disney (a boat ride away) and actually quite close to Epcot geographically (just can't walk there because of the roads). We could actually watch & hear Illuminations from our balcony this past Nov. We felt quite immersed in the magic, just in a more laid-back way It's one of the reasons we enjoy the WL also. Very peaceful there as well, yet one still knows they are in the World.

I'm glad you enjoy the value resorts jovidan. That's what's nice about WDW----something for everyone

 

[DisneyMim]

We've been members there since it opened in 1991 and we love it!! I always laugh when people say it's like a condo, that's exaxtly why we like it!! For us it's our Florida vacation home!!! It's the reason why we can spend about 4 weeks of vacation each year, about 2 weeks at a DVC resort, 1 week at another Disney resort and at least 1 week somewhere else, cruise, etc. We just came back from a vacation at the WL, not the DVC villas, but the resort. We needed a vacation in a resort and picked that resort. OKW is not for everyone, and I can say that for all the Disney resorts. No, it doesn't have that "resort vacation feel", like say the Poly, which is one of our favs also, we spend time there every year too. It you are only going one time per year or every other year, etc. you may not like OKW. It will not give you the feel of being at a hotel with full room service, etc. The resort is best with a car. We never go to WDW without a car no matter what resort we stay at. Can't stand waiting for buses. OKW is really not remote if you have a car and know your way around. People who don't know WDW don't really understand that nothing is a long way with a car especially if you know your way around (and no not how Disney sends you!!). OKW is especially good for longer stays. There is nothing like a 2 bedroom villa with a washer and dryer, 2 bathrooms, tons of closet space, etc. This may not be for everyone. There is not much going on at night there. We have a car so we drive wherever we want at night for action and then come back to our peaceful "home". If you do not plan on having a car and have to rely on Disney transportation I would rethink OKW. Some people like to go back to their resort after the parks and just stay put there. If you are like that you should stay in a resort that has some nightlife. The Epcot area would give you that as would a resort on the monorail. Resort hopping between monorail resort is fun and the "food court" type of places (not really food courts, but kinda like them) are opened 24/7. Disney World is a huge place with tons of different resorts. Not every resort is right for everyone. It's hard to find the right resort the first time. All you can do it read as much as you can and then take everyone's comments with a grain of salt. It's a personal decision.

Good Luck and have a Wonderful Vacation!!!

 

[MiaSRN62]

DisneyMim says : If you do not plan on having a car and hsave to rely on Disney transportation I would rethink OKW.

I agreed with everything you said except this DisneyMim We actually stayed one time without a car and found OKW busses to be very reliable. There are bus stops scattered all throughout the resort (similar to POR/CB i.e. and you don't need a car there either). I didn't find it any different from staying at any other disney resort without a car (except for maybe when we stayed at the Contemp and could use the monorail).

 

[MiaSRN62]

Actually, we did that on our last night there (shhh...don't tell anyone.)

You're secret is safe with me Jovidan ! I think they owed you that much at least for forgetting your T&T day

However, I feel more like I'm actually at Disney when staying at the All Stars.

I can totally understand this Jovidan, as we have stayed at every All Star resort and POP. These resorts are very colorful and lively with all the larger-than-life statues and all. I can only handle the small rooms though for short 2-3 day trips. But this is just me.....I realize others love the values for their themeing.
I own both DVC and also an offsite timeshare. I def feel like I'm in WDW when I'm at OKW as opposed to my Vistana timeshare. I love the "welcome home" we get everywhere and I just enjoy the Key West themeing there. I feel like OKW is a little disney village out in the Keys. But I know others may not see it this way and that's fine.
My dh and I both have very stressful jobs and a little peace and quiet after a day of running around the parks is just what the doctor ordered for us, so to say. We like to take time and listen to the crickets and bullfrogs singing throughout the resort at night and my kids love to feed the ducks that walk up to our porch first thing in the morning.

 

[spiceycat]

every swimming pool has a laundry mat. So walking 15 minutes doesn't make sense sorry. Nothing is that far away.

did you not understand that and walking to the HH to do your laundry?

which building were you in?

you reservation confirmation (which the DVC member should have send you) - should have listed a date for the trash/towel.

Sorry you didn't like your stay.

hope someday you give OKW another try - it is a nice resort - very friendly people. However if you like party central I would say go with BWV. Now that place has only one laundry mat.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

You have received great advice. We have stayed at OKW countless times and it really is one of our favorites!

We have found the location, laid back atmosphere (but still has that "Disney" feel for us) and transportation to be exceptional. And simply put...the space and amenities of the 2 BR are wonderful!