Folks,
I write this shortly before we check out and move on to the Portifino at Universal for 2 nights/3 days having spent an absolutely fantastic time here at OKW for 13 nights! This is our fourth visit to WDW after a 13 or 14 year hiatus and we feel the best, in terms of accommodation and location. Previously, when our children were very young or young, we had stayed at The Polynesian, The Boardwalk Villas and The Yacht Club.
On this occasion, we stayed in a dedicated two-bed villa. We came with two of our best friends (who stayed off resort) and their adult daughter who shared the smaller bedroom with our 21 year old daughter. I did a lot of research on OKW including posting a topic on this very forum and here are my conclusions & tips:
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Ideally we wanted to be away from the road noise of Bonnet Creek Parkway & Buena Vista Drive in a quiet spot with a nice view on an upper floor with a south or west facing balcony. We got most of that! Interestingly, we were able to select our accommodation when we checked in subject to what was available of course. We wanted an upper floor because there is less noise from fellow guests and because the view would be enhanced. We took 5632.
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5632 scores well for multiple reasons; a) because we could walk to Downtown Disney which is a 20 minute stroll along the trail by the river, b) there is a small pool immediately next to the block, c) it was close to a bus stop but not in an area where the buses turn and d) on bus return, it is the second stop. The view is not as good as many other properties because the rear is north-facing and a “garden” view. However, we did get some sun first thing and from between 4 and 5pm. Quite frankly, however, after days of touring theme parks in very hot weather or sitting around the pool, we didn’t miss the lack of sun on the balcony! If having a beer in the sun on the deck is your bag, you need blocks 16, 17, 18, 26, 27, 28, 29.
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It can take 12 -15 minutes from our bus stop (South Point) to leave the resort so if you find yourself in 45-48 or 52-55, it is quicker to walk to the Hospitality House when departing the resort as the buses stop next at Old Turtle Pond Road and Millers Road before the HH and you may have a greater choice of buses and the wonderful boat option to Downtown Disney.
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Downtown Disney. Although it is going through a refurbishment (Disney Quest is now due to close down too), we loved the proximity to DD and the walk, boat and bus options. I have to mention that our favourite restaurant anywhere in WDW is the new Boathouse in DD. Lovely staff, great food, great vibe at the dock bar and relatively good value for Disney.
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Golf. We played twice (on and off resort) and the LBV course that is integrated with Saratoga Springs, Port Orleans Frebch Quarter & OKW is a beautiful course and good value.
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Overall Vibe. A beautiful, quiet and cool resort with a really nice feel at the HH area. We didn’t use the main pool but it is great for kids plus there’s 2 tennis courts and a volleyball court. And finally, the amount of accommodation that we got was outstanding - there really is a lot of space. I cannot recommend this resort enough!
