What does everyone love about OKW, because I can't find anything to love...

[DVC92]

At large resorts, like SSR or OKW, where there could easily be 100 units turnover a day (substantially more on Fridays and Sundays) and each unit takes even only 5 minutes to inspect, that is 500 minutes, or 8 1/3 hours of nothing but inspecting. And probably longer for larger units. That would be a minimum of 2 full time supervisory positions, probably 3 to 4, to be added to payroll and dues.

Just do it and keep the rooms "well" maintained. That is simply the way it should be. No ifs, ands, or buts. Based on the total number of points at OKW, the cost would be totally insignificant.

 

[Muushka]

Just returned yesterday from a stay at SSR. When we opened the door to our room on the first day at 4PM the place literally looked like a bomb went off in it. From what I could tell the mousekeeper who had been working on the room had stripped and remade the bed and emptied the garbage but that is as far as she had gotten. Trash cans were literally thrown all over the room as were sheets, pillows, sofa cushions, etc... Well, you get the idea. This room was released for occupancy like this. We grabbed a mousekeeper who was in the hall who grabbed another and they took about 20 minutes finishing the room while we waited in the hallway.

If a supervising mousekeeper had to go through each room before it is released, this problem and the ones that the OP experienced probably would not happen. I am at a loss why this is not standard operating procedure with DVC. Just make it SOMEBODY'S job.

We recently had a similar experience at VWL (but not nearly as bad as yours). I wrote to member services about what I found when I walked in the door and suggested that the person responsible for the room needs to leave it and return to it. All of our problems that we saw (except for the half loaded dishwasher) would have been caught had they just walked back into the room and took a quick peek.

I got a call from them and they said that my suggestion was a good one and hopefully this would be SOP.

I can understand mistakes, we all make them. But in our room there were 4 very visible and one not so.
This room should never have been released either.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well, I knew some people would certainly have their opinions about my thoughts...but WOW - 4 pages?? LOL. There was no intent of "bashing" OKW. My question of what people love about the place was an actual question and not a sarcastic way of saying - y'all are crazy.

That's OK, the people who love OKW do seem to have a reputation I remember one time I stopped by a DVC Sales booth and got chatting with the salesperson. When I told her that we own at OKW and DH doesn't want to stay anywhere else when he's at WDW, I can still remember her exact words-"Oh, yes, those OKW owners! They're sort of .......[looking for the correct word] fanatical!"

 

[La2kw]

Well, I knew some people would certainly have their opinions about my thoughts...but WOW - 4 pages?? LOL. There was no intent of "bashing" OKW. My question of what people love about the place was an actual question and not a sarcastic way of saying - y'all are crazy.

Funny, but these lines sound like bashing to me.

"So, I have heard from a lot of people that they love OKW and I am trying to figure out WHY??"

"I feel like I downgraded to a glorified motel room."

"Close to a pool and a bus stop, which is nice - but there is nothing I can say positive about this resort."

"I will choose to stay at home rather than check in here again if another resort is not available next time we wish to travel."

These lines are probably the ones that got some of us OKW lovers so riled up!

 

[jade1]

OKW is a very good resort IMO. We just like the others even better.

 

[patsal]

The one bedroom is as large as my living room, dining room, kitchen and half my family room put together.

The full sized laundry room leave room to do laundry, full loads, and a place for kids to change so no one is left waiting to get ready.

The full sized kitchen table without the dorky bench is awesome and much more like home for eating.

Parking in front of a condo unit is so much easier than a large far away parking lot or valet parking IMHO.

Full sized laundry rooms at all pool locations makes staying in a studio easier for laundry purposes than BCV and VWL (not sure about others as I have never tried it)

Personally I hate wandering through beautiful lobbies in my bathing suit, at OKW I never have to do that!

The best thing about DVC one size doesn't have to fit all, so if you don't like a resort you have many other choices!

 

[VLee]

Quote:

Oh, and I got a little pizza flyer shoved through the side of our door and it actually made it all the way inside of our room. I thought it was private property and couldn't imagine Disney allowed this sort of thing! I did call guest services about that too.


I just can't imagine...If this had happened to me, I don't think I could have slept all night, probably would have worried about that flyer so much that I don't know if I would have made it to the parks the next day...heck, I might would have just canceled the whole trip...maybe even sell my DVC!

 

[dvc at last !]

ITA with this thinking. We are from the frozen tundra and VWL doesn't really turn us on, even at Christmas. Even the dark wood at AKV kind of bothers us. We like a lighter decor when at WDW. Isn't it great that we have so many DVC choices so we can ALL have what we like!

I agree... I also think SSR is too dark ... and it reminds me of home...
I love, love and love OKW !

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

I just can't imagine...If this had happened to me, I don't think I could have slept all night, probably would have worried about that flyer so much that I don't know if I would have made it to the parks the next day...heck, I might would have just canceled the whole trip...maybe even sell my DVC!

 

[melimel2100]

I checked into a 2 BR at OKW on Sunday 1/11 and it was FILTHY...my first time staying there after numerous times at SSR and BW..I have to say I was extremely disappointed! I felt it was old and musty! Not up to DVC standards at all! I do not plan on staying there ever again. I liked the size of the rooms but felt that they were not well cared for. I know they are older but that does not mean that they have to stop washing the curtains, etc. I was SO disappointed. The walls are superthin and we even had beer pong tournaments being played above us. I will give Guest Services credit, they took care of that matter VERY quickly! We were in Bldg 37...way in the back...GROSS! Oh yeah, I got 2 pizza flyers stuck under my door...

 

[MiaSRN62]

There was only one place to eat and that was so-so.

Well, there are actually two places (and sometimes 3) : Olivia's , Goods to Go and sometimes the Turtle Shack is open.

But I wonder if the pizza fliers are from so many people ordering out ? I think once they get into the resort to deliver food to a villa, they feel they can just drum up some more business with those fliers. Disney is, in part, responsible for this. They don't offer enough food options at OKW. Honestly, since Olivia's discontinued take out (several years back) and Goods To Go closes at 10 pm (should be open until midnight---particularily during busy seasons when the parks are open late).....I know we've been forced to order offsite for food delivery. Maybe the nearby pizza places are catching on that OKW guests are desperate for food

But overall, we really like OKW....the HUGE balconies on the 1 bedrooms and up are simply awesome ! We can literally fit our family of 5 out there all at the same time. We enjoy playing board games or whatever. Love the laid back "neighborhood" feel of the resort with the white picket fences. My kids rank the slide as probably the best on property. We stayed at BC in 2005 and the kids felt, that while the slide was long, it was slow !
And as a side note....my kids prefer OKW when we book studios. The girls don't mind sharing an actual queen sized bed vs a double size sleeper sofa. OKW studios have saved us alot of whining on part of dd's Even when extra adults come, noone ever wants to sleep on the sofa. It's always "flip a coin" time. So it's nice that at least one DVC offers 2 "real" beds as an option.

We love the water views from our balcony most of all :

BLDG 34 :

BLDG 62 :

BLDG 45 :

 

[np4gp]

As far a the comment about there only being one place to eat - I guess I should have mentioned that we were on QSDP and so, I should have said instead that the one counter service restaurant they have had VERY limited offerings and was not open long enough. I suppose I was spoiled by the CS restaurant at SSR.

As far as the pizza flyers go - I have two issues with that...

1) It is tacky and I was surprised that Disney had allowed it to happen. I can admit though, that I didn't think about the delivery drivers being in there to make deliveries and taking the opportunity to do a little advertising. Even still, I am fully immersed in Disney when I am there and I guess I am just a snob who doesn't like my vacation home to look like my car windshield when I go to leave a shopping center...

2) They came right through the door and into my room - I was in the room, alone with my two year old in hours past dark. My husband had to run out to school for the evening and I, by nature, do not like to be home alone with my son at night. I would love to think that all Disney property is super safe, but I am sure it is not immune to security risks. Which left me concerned that something could be slipped through my door so easily - something like a credit card by someone who knows how to pop open a door lock...Now don't misread this - I am not saying I was scared that the big bad pizza delivery company was sending out murderers and rapists to OKW.

PS. forgive me for having not looked up the crime statistics on Disney before leaving on my vacation so I could feel more at ease - but I do live in Central Florida and I know that our area as a whole has had a serious increase in violent crimes over the past several years. Knowing that, no matter where I go, I am entitled to a concern for my family's safety and the intention of always being aware of my surroundings

 

[HGLightlyj]

So, I have heard from a lot of people that they love OKW and I am trying to figure out WHY??

Checked in to OKW studio on Monday morning after 3 separate stays at SSR. I feel like I downgraded to a glorified motel room...the walls and ceilings are SO thin. The people above us right now sound like they are marching instead of walking! We seem to hear everything that moves, every word that's said. The grout on our bathroom floor and the bathroom tile is severly neglected (sticky and an old band aid behind the door when we first got to our room) and the air conditioner vent was COVERED in dust and cobweb looking collections of "ick". We called guest services about both cleanliness issues and it was remedied the next morning.
When we pulled in, the buildings looked beautiful but the inside did not match at all. The carpet has big stains and I was "lucky" enough to find a little black hair in one of the bedsheets (which was immediately stripped and we used the other bed - which creaks with every toss or turn, but at least the sheets were clean). Room 4410 for anyone interested. Close to a pool and a bus stop, which is nice - but there is nothing I can say positive about this resort...Flame me if you wish - but I will choose to stay at home rather than check in here again if another resort is not available next time we wish to travel.
Oh, and I got a little pizza flyer shoved through the side of our door and it actually made it all the way inside of our room. I thought it was private property and couldn't imagine Disney allowed this sort of thing! I did call guest services about that too.
Anyway, I felt like I had to vent and I would also be interested in hearing what it is that others love so much about this place.

Not trying to discredit your post about OKW. I stayed in a SSR studio that was absolutely in awful condition -carpet worn and torn - and haven't stayed there since so I guess it can happen at any of the resorts. I will give SSR another try sometime. I love OKW and don't remember having a bad room. Maybe I have been lucky. I usually request top floor.

 

[MiaSRN62]

1) It is tacky and I was surprised that Disney had allowed it to happen. I can admit though, that I didn't think about the delivery drivers being in there to make deliveries and taking the opportunity to do a little advertising. Even still, I am fully immersed in Disney when I am there and I guess I am just a snob who doesn't like my vacation home to look like my car windshield when I go to leave a shopping center...

2) They came right through the door and into my room - I was in the room, alone with my two year old in hours past dark. My husband had to run out to school for the evening and I, by nature, do not like to be home alone with my son at night. I would love to think that all Disney property is super safe, but I am sure it is not immune to security risks. Which left me concerned that something could be slipped through my door so easily

I agree too np4gp......
I think it's tacky and soliciting shouldn't be allowed as well. I hate having to call an offsite place to deliver food because we're not left with any choice. I wish disney would offer more but instead they encourage the calling of local area takeouts and I'd bet they're not aware of the fliers. I have an offsite timeshare set up exactly like OKW. It's a larger (bigger than OKW even), spread out resort with 2-3 story buildings with no elevators. I've owned there since 1994 and always had ALOT more food options on that property available and room service to boot. So not only did Olivia's discontinue the take out.....but with Goods closing at 10 pm and Turtle Shack never seems to be open when I'm there......this is probably something I can say about OKW I don't particularily like. But the good things at OKW pretty much outshines negative things like food options for us.

 

[bsusanmb]

When DH and I toured the open house in the grand villa at SSR, there were some OKW owners there. Their comments to us were that they love OKW...it is home to them, and it is the Keyes...as intended to be. We bought at SSR and VWL. We prefer SSR as it has always been quiet...can't hear anyone next door or above. We stayed at OKW in a one bedroom and were impressed by the size of the villa. Well laid out. Of course, the carpet and furniture were not as new as SSR and kind of worn, but like someone else pointed out, SSR will be this way when it gets older. Personally, we aren't thrilled about the food choices at SSR or OKW.

We stayed in a studio at BCV and the mattress was so badly worn that the springs were sticking me in the back. We called and a new mattress was delivered immediately. If management doesn't know about a problem, they can't fix it. I am amazed that some maintenance issues aren't reported by the housekeeping staff, but oh well.

We have had housekeeping issues at VWL and SSR, but once reported they were taken care of promptly.

 

[OneMoreTry]

DVC is not 5 star and they don't claim to be. If someone wants perfect -- absolutely perfect -- they need to stay at a ritz carlton or similar property.

Isn't it the ritz that is starting a time share, or is it another similar chain? I have received flyers from yet another program that advertises very high end vacation resort properties on a point system, but the prices are beyond what I am willing to pay.

 

[DVC96]

As to the pizza fliers - we've stayed at OKW at least once a year since "96. We always receive the pizza fliers, but I believe they are for delivery of pizza from the Food Court at Port Orleans.

 

[melimel2100]

I don't want perfection, I want a clean room. I expect a clean room when I check in. I own a stake in DVC and I wouldn't have guests in my house in the condition in which I found my room.