OKW in June... I have questions...

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We're okay with it only at OKW. Though BLT and AKL are okay. We did it at BCV and never again there or the ones like it. Otherwise it's 2 bedrooms or 2 connecting studios at PVB

I don't want a kitchen...and the one king just means the same amount of bedding at double the points...more or less.

And places that feel small...like bay lake and wilderness...make it feel worse to me.

 

[correcaminos]

I don't want a kitchen...and the one king just means the same amount of bedding at double the points...more or less.

And places that feel small...like bay lake and wilderness...make it feel worse to me.

I like the kitchen now though we don't fully cook. I like doing laundry to come home with clean clothes though.

We're just not single studio people. Even if we travel with 3 or 4. We bought more points for comfort so I'm good with spending more for it.

 

[nickys]

I don't want a kitchen...and the one king just means the same amount of bedding at double the points...more or less.

And places that feel small...like bay lake and wilderness...make it feel worse to me.

Privacy, privacy, privacy!
And the kitchen and laundry.

But mainly privacy lol! I mean we're on vacation ...

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I like the kitchen now though we don't fully cook. I like doing laundry to come home with clean clothes though.

We're just not single studio people. Even if we travel with 3 or 4. We bought more points for comfort so I'm good with spending more for it.

The laundry is nice...we used to stay exclusively in ones with small
Kids...not really needed anymore.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Privacy, privacy, privacy!
And the kitchen and laundry.

But mainly privacy lol! I mean we're on vacation ...

I'm not following...there really isn't "privacy"...

You on shore leave, sailor?

 

[nickys]

I'm not following...there really isn't "privacy"...

You on shore leave, sailor?

There is, in a 1 bed. That's why we do them over a studio.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

There is, in a 1 bed. That's why we do them over a studio.

Too each their own..."mind over acoustics", ehh?

 

[correcaminos]

There is, in a 1 bed. That's why we do them over a studio.

That's true. Even more so with a 2 bedroom. That's what we like

The laundry is nice...we used to stay exclusively in ones with small
Kids...not really needed anymore.

I think the first time I did laundry before going home was after I spilled something on my clothes. That really helped. I just like coming home with clean clothes instead of having to do laundry after vacation.

 

[Sammy5150]

Thanks for the heads up @nickys

Right now only buildings 30-33 have been refurbished. They are currently working in South Point from what I gather (along with the pool there though I see no real confirmation on Disney). Supposedly buildings 53-56. My guess is that with Turtle Pond closing for refurb in April through early July they will be back in Turtle Pond and doing that area through part of the summer.

1 bedrooms are located throughout the whole property. So you can pick where you like.

With the refurbishment you can try for Turtle Pond to see if you get a newly done room there but the pool will be closed unfortunately. That includes the QS location there too (Turtle Shack Snackbar) and the game room

With South Point in question too, I would suggest Peninsular for a location. It's the first stop always going to/from the parks. It's also very close to the hospitality house where the other QS, TS, Community Hall, main Pool, shopping, etc all are. The nice thing is you can opt to get on a bus there or walk to the HH to be the last one on. We noticed if the buses get full part way through they do bring in a bus for the last few stops. First stop off too so at the end of the day you are right there.

We are huge OKW lovers. We're DVC who bought in there as our first home resorts. The 1 bedrooms are massive! There is only one entrance to the bathroom in the newer buildings (up to building 29) but honestly with the layout it isn't an issue. When I stayed in South Point with my dad, he never got the second entrance anyway and we were not disturbed.

Let me know if you have any more questions

Helenabear,

Good Evening.

We have upgraded to a 2 bedroom for 6/13-6/20. Any new information on upgraded rooms? We want to request an updated 2 BR. Is it still just buildings 30-33?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Giants14]

We are staying at OKW in July - could anyone give me some info on the transportation.

There seems to be 4 or 5 stops - does anyone know what stop is first? are the later stops generally packed? How long from 1st stop to the parks etc? We have requested a room close to the main building but not sure if we will get this - so any info would be helpful

 

[correcaminos]

Helenabear,

Good Evening.

We have upgraded to a 2 bedroom for 6/13-6/20. Any new information on upgraded rooms? We want to request an updated 2 BR. Is it still just buildings 30-33?

Thanks in advance!

It's honestly getting harder to follow as reports aren't as good as they were at first. From what I understand 30-35 are finished. South Point was worked on next. So I do not have confirmation but some buildings in the 50s were done. Turtle Pond is getting more work done as well and there was a confirmation that 8 buildings were taken out of service by CMs. I'm not staying at OKW but if I get a chance to go while there in a few weeks I'll see if I can find out more.

 

[correcaminos]

We are staying at OKW in July - could anyone give me some info on the transportation.

There seems to be 4 or 5 stops - does anyone know what stop is first? are the later stops generally packed? How long from 1st stop to the parks etc? We have requested a room close to the main building but not sure if we will get this - so any info would be helpful

Right now there is construction going on at South Point and Turtle Pond with a number of the buildings taken out of service. The order is usually Peninsular, South Point, Turtle Pond (South Point & Turtle Pond will often flip) Miller's Road, and then Hospitality House. We often stay at a HH room requesting at Peninsular and get on at the last stop. We haven't really had much issue with getting on there. Only once did we have to wait, but they called a bus in quickly. We like being near HH so we can get on at the last stop and then get off at the first on the way back. I think the first stop to last stop adds maybe 10 minutes? Not sure as we always walk to the HH now.

If you have not booked a hospitality house location you can request Peninsular which is close. Buildings 62-64 and 16 are pretty close too the HH.

 

[Giants14]

Right now there is construction going on at South Point and Turtle Pond with a number of the buildings taken out of service. The order is usually Peninsular, South Point, Turtle Pond (South Point & Turtle Pond will often flip) Miller's Road, and then Hospitality House. We often stay at a HH room requesting at Peninsular and get on at the last stop. We haven't really had much issue with getting on there. Only once did we have to wait, but they called a bus in quickly. We like being near HH so we can get on at the last stop and then get off at the first on the way back. I think the first stop to last stop adds maybe 10 minutes? Not sure as we always walk to the HH now.

If you have not booked a hospitality house location you can request Peninsular which is close. Buildings 62-64 and 16 are pretty close too the HH.

Thanks for the info - much appreciated.

There is 11 of us including 3 kids that will require buggies (strollers) - if we are located at the HH or close to it - our main concern was getting room on the bus. We have stayed at the All Star Music before and know how manic the buses can become.

How many houses/rooms do each building hold?

 

[correcaminos]

Thanks for the info - much appreciated.

There is 11 of us including 3 kids that will require buggies (strollers) - if we are located at the HH or close to it - our main concern was getting room on the bus. We have stayed at the All Star Music before and know how manic the buses can become.

How many houses/rooms do each building hold?

Each building varies too much in layout to answer that. Honestly strollers haven't been much of an issue for us. I find OKW to be less crazy in terms of buses. But if you are concerned request Peninsular. It's the first stop and very close to the HH.

 

[pax_65]

We just returned from OKW. The resort is in great shape. We had a really good time.

They are working on buildings around South Point and Turtle Pond, but I didn't pay close attention to which buildings are closed. I didn't worry about getting a refurbed room since my understanding is that there aren't a ton of them yet... plus I was more concerned with location vs refurbed (looking forward to getting a refurbed room in the future though!)

We stayed in a 2BR in building 13 which is near the hospitality house. We got on the buses at the HH. We never had a problem getting on, but we did have to stand a few times (such as going to MK around opening). On the way back we got off at Peninsular since it's the first stop and just walked back to our room (faster than riding the bus all the way around).

Have a great time!

 

[oufpat]

We'll be staying here for first time in August. When I do online checkin I will request a room with 2 "lavatory" entrances, but what is the location that the rooms 32-36 are in, called?

 

[MadMax11]

I'll be checking out of OKW 2 days before you get there. We'll leave the light on for you.

 

[nickys]

We'll be staying here for first time in August. When I do online checkin I will request a room with 2 "lavatory" entrances, but what is the location that the rooms 32-36 are in, called?

I doubt that that is an option for online check-in, and there isn't anywhere you can enter free form requests.

How did you book OKW?
- If you are a DVC member then phone Member Services and ask them to add it to your reservation.
- If you rented points then you need to ask the owner (through the broker if applicable) to add your request.
- And if you booked direct with Disney, then phone CRO (the usual reservations number).

And in all cases, then leave everything blank when doing on-line check in. This is because the DVC reservation system is different from (and pretty much incompatible with) the Disney one, and you cannot see what is entered in that section even if you are a member. The online request area will over-write whatever is already entered.

Oh, also it isn't rooms 32-36, those are the building numbers. They're close to HH but I don't think they are the actual booking category of near HH. @helenabear can confirm this bit though, she is the foremost OKW expert anywhere!

 

[Tiggerish]

I would suggest Peninsular for a location. It's the first stop always going to/from the parks. It's also very close to the hospitality house where the other QS, TS, Community Hall, main Pool, shopping, etc all are. The nice thing is you can opt to get on a bus there or walk to the HH to be the last one on. We noticed if the buses get full part way through they do bring in a bus for the last few stops. First stop off too so at the end of the day you are right there.

Peninsular is the place to be for all those reasons! I used to like Miller's Road for the same reason, until they changed the bus route.

OKW was my first DVC stay and our first DVC home so I do have a soft spot for it.

Same here. Owned OKW since 1998. We could have bought into BWV at the time, but I just loved OKW. Only time I get a little sorry we didn't choose BWV is when trying to book an Epcot resort for F&W.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I wouldn't stay at Old Key West without a car. It has the best parking situation on property and the internal bus can be a hassle no matter where your room is. With a car, I thing buildings 45 and 46 are the best. They're among the quietest rooms in all of Walt Disney World, and the river views are fantastic.