So, I recently had to cancel my DVC rental for the Poly studio Nov 29th - Dec 5th. This trip is to celebrate DGS’s first trip and 2nd Bday. The party is DH, DD, DD’sBF, DGS and myself. We just got back from Pop, DH and I, and he said he doesn’t want to share a studio with 2 other adults. I had my heart set on Pop but this little space issue had always been tucked away in the back of my mind. I luckily booked a cancelable DVC stay and have a $1000 credit to use by Dec 2025.
Originally I was going to save the credit for a future trip and book AoA suite but the mini fridge is becoming a deal breaker. We want a freezer (the list just grows from here). So I started looking at 1 BRs. Why have 2 bathrooms if you don’t have 2 toilets?! I would much prefer 2 toilet/ sink spaces and only 1 shower/ bath area. The only 1BRs that seem to be worth the sacrifice were AKL SV for the animals and BLT for the monorail and walking distance to MK. AKL is sooo far away from MK and with a 2 yr old there will be more traveling back and forth to the resort this go around. So saving AKL for later. BLT is just boring to me and no playground for toddlers. OKW and SS have 1 BRs
but I do also have the budget for 2 BRs there (as of now, DVC rental store has a sale on the points so I have to act soon). 2BR’s would definitely check all the boxes. We wouldn’t be able to stay Hospitality or Preferred location, standard all the way. So which one do I choose? Any advice from seasoned DVC goer’s?
OKW: better theming for us, multiple playgrounds, a little bit closer travel time to parks, bigger accommodations- BUT looks to be a larger resort and have a higher chance of having to rely on internal bus system, QS dining is more limited, could be put in a noisier section next to loud highways
SS: have more options to get rooms walkable to main hall and main bus station (smaller overall resort? maybe), have better QS opportunities (IMO), quieter overall location- BUT only 1 playground that may not be convenient at all to use, a tad bit more travel time to the park, overall theming doesn’t do anything for us
All the info I have is from looking at Disney website and TPs resort pages. Give me all of your thoughts!
We just got back from our OKW studio stay. I was quite pleasantly surprised by how much we liked it! I did rent a car, expecting to be far away from everything, but we also used busses sometimes, too.
The public areas were excellent. Pool, hammocks, playground.
Even though there isn’t a huge QS location, it was REALLY easy to mobile order Olivias for takeout. And OMG. Their fried chicken was SO good.
We’d originally been put in a room that was the farthest away from the hospitality house, backed up to a highway. I stopped by the check-in desk to see if there was something closer, and was put into building 30. Kind of middle-of-the-resort area. It was perfect. Quiet, walkable, close to the middle bus stop.
I can’t compare to SS, but I thought (when I was looking) their main pool was closed?
Unless you want to do this for all of your stays going forward I would proceed with extreme caution.
OKW is awesome in that the units are enormous and you park literally right outside of your unit; each building has it’s own little parking area. Super convenient. SSR is similar but not quite as exact. I find OKW feels like a HOME, where you could live forever (if only). The vibe of the resort is wicked laid back and it’s soooooo peaceful.
But, it lacks a very good QS, so if that is important consider that. SSR has a better QS (but not a lot) but it may be a hike away from where you are. Both of these resorts are huge and having a car is ideal.
I love using the ferry from both of these resorts. SSR was more recently refurbd though OKW was only done in 2018 so not wicked long ago. Definitely avoid OKW buildings that are near to BV Blvd and similar as road noise is not magical IMO
I also love the convenience of SSR for a DS-centric trip.
I did not find the bus system at either resort to be terrible.
It will be too cold for us southern folks to enjoy the pool. Last week DH said it was too cool to take a dip at Pop in the evenings. The high for the day was 91 and the night didn’t feel that much cooler, lol.
I don’t tend to travel with other adults often. And if I do, they are normally helping with the bill so I can justify the upgrade This trip is the outlier. In the future I will pay for DGS. DD and DDsBF will have to contribute.
Flying in, not renting a car unless we can get a good deal. DD is concerned with renting a carseat though. She feels Disney transport is safer. We will have to bus from MCO to WDW too.
Which I’m not sure is super important or not. We are planning to eat breakfast in the room, we aren’t big breakfast people and most meals in the park. I’m having groceries delivers so I could always just add some things we like there.
We used the internal bus system in the campgrounds. They weren’t terrible. From what I understand those take much longer than SS and OKW’s internal bus systems.
While not DS centric, our last day will be at DS. OKW has the boat there too, right? Or did I get this mixed up somehow?
Yep. It was running about every 20 minutes. There’s a sitting area near the pool and hammocks where we could watch it coming and going. We just waited there, in the shade, for it to arrive, walked over and right on to the pontoon. I don’t know that I ever saw it full.
I wouldn’t completely write this one off if it’s available. The 1-bedroom is pretty big and has 2 full bathrooms. I know that it lacks a playground but there is the Mickey climbing structure and a bunch of outdoor toys.
[I edited to say TWO FULL BATHROOMS!] It’s bigger than my first apartment. You could also put a pack n play in the laundry room!
I love both of these resorts, though I have only stayed at OKW. I like the refurbed SSR rooms — when DW and I watched videos of all the 2BRs across WDW, SSR was our 2nd favorite after CC.
Transportation is the only downer. I would just pack your patience for the bus system. I’m kind of waiting until my kids are old enough to not need car seats before we stay at either of those resorts. I hate the stress of waiting for a bus, or having to walk a long way to get to the bus stop.
The feel of the resorts is laid back, so it’s best to have a laid back attitude while there.
We never found we had to wait long for buses at SSR when we were there. I was nervous in mornings at Rope drop time because Congress Park is the third stop (or fourth?)…but it was never an issue.
We loved the rooms. Beds super comfortable.
Haven’t stayed at OKW, but we did go there for Olivia’s. The vibe feels much more like vacation homes from the outside…but found SSR to be just as relaxed feeling overall.
Probably can’t go wrong either way…but having walking access to DS was nice at SSR. (Although, you can boat from either to DS as well, so )
I can’t comment on SS, but my last trip was at OKW (renting points from a friend). I’m a hard core AKL guy, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked OKW. But I think a lot will ride on where you are within location to a bus stop. I was just a few minutes walk to the bus stop and about 10 min to the Hospitality House. As I rode around the resort every day, I noticed that some of the units are quit far from the bus stop. But the bus you get on will take you all the way to the parks, without having to get off and then get on a different bus. I drove, so I had my truck available, but I didn’t move it even once during my 10 days there. The QS is very small. I only bought a couple of drinks there, but if depending on the resort QS for many meals, this might noy be the choice for you. I only ate at Olivia’s once (breakfast on departure day), but is very nice and could easily eat several of my meals there. I can answer more specific questions if you have any.
Ours was the mirror of this and I do think that there is some variation in the laundry room size due to the curvature of the building. But ours 100% could have fit a pack n play.
These things really don’t bother us too much. We are used to taking the buses at WDW. DGS will be in a stroller for walking and the rest of us adults do not need accommodations for walking. What’s a few more steps in the scheme of things
And the OKW rooms appeal to me more. I haven’t gotten the fams opinion though. And not really sure I will!
Whenever the OKW vs. SSR argument comes up I am of the opinion they both have their own appeal and pick which theme appeals to you more. I’m in the SSR camp (thus we own there) but I recognize that there is equal reason for the OKW camp.
OK here is a well known thing that those of us who frequent OKW know that might irritate the piss out of someone new: the blinds. or really shades, but you have to use a pully thing to pull them up and down. They are noisy and don’t block light particularly well
This trip is the outlier. In the future I will pay for DGS. DD and DDsBF will have to contribute.
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