New OKW Studios

[Allisonjane]

Originally Posted by SlumanBee

Hi Allison i'm there in September - how close to your arrival do you find ouit the block you've been allocated?

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You only find out when you actually arrive.
On both previous occaisions we weren't happy with our allocation and they were really helpful and offered us alternatives a bit closer to where we wanted to be, but obviously they can only do this if they aren't full.

[SlumanBee]

Great thanks for that! Fingers crossed we get what we wanted. What did you ask for, and why?

[Stitch & Smudge]

We went with Peninsular road as it’s away from the main roads passing OKW so quieter apparently.

edited to add we were in block 45, we had a view or the canal behind us and no noise at all.

[Allisonjane]

Both times previously we asked for near hospitality house, the first time really because we didn't know the resort and thought we wanted to be close to everything, we were given block 21 on millers road and weren't happy so they managed to move us to block 27, right by a bus stop and close enough to HH. We loved this location but our 2nd visit there was more of us and we wanted the dual enterance bathroom, we asked for 62,63 or 64, but again didn't get this, we were in block 32, again right by a bus stop and close to turtle pond pool, we ended up loving this location too and much preferred the quiet pool. This time I'm hope for block 55, as its by the pool and has a lovely view but I'll be happy with 53-56. My DD likes to swim everyday so the pool is the most important thing for us, and these blocks are close to a pool and a bus stop. Fingers crossed we are lucky this time, but I'd also be happy with turtle pond area again.

[YorkshireT]

I like Turtle Pond Road, but wouldn't want to be near a bus stop or roundabout as they are so noisy those buses, and constant.
This is the one problem with OKW which I otherwise love.
So I attach some birds eye Google earth images- this is great to use as if you click on the building it actually tells you which one it is. Sorry the images show up a little small on Dibb, I'd suggest viewing on a big monitor as there doesn't seem to be an ability to click on them and see full size images.

First image are buildings 23- 26. Great location, but this is I think a Near Hospitality House location, so you stand not much chance of getting one as a cash guest. However, one corner of building 26 is near the bus stop ( those rooms marked with a blue X, bus stop blue square ) and I personally would not want to be right on that end if avoidable, even if it has some trees in between.
There are some more 'near hospitality house ' category rooms closer to the HH, these are often reported as noisy, but I have never observed them properly myself. Some of these can be seen top right of the following image.

So back to 23-26 , this is the picture of 23-26 so if staying on points, in HH category, this is an unbeatable location as it has a very low chance of a bad room, and even the worst room is not that bad (blue).

Now (excuse the crappy doodling, I am in my lunch break) This is Turtle Pond. This has some fantastic rooms on, but some poor ones.
If you get buildings 33, 35, 37, 42 or 43 you are laughing- you have a great room. If you get the ends in 32 or 34, it is near the road, but there are worse. The ends of 44 and 36 as well as the end of 41 is near the roundabout and can be very noisy. 40 overlooks the roundabout for quite a bit of its length but the side nearer the pool is OK. 41 in the middle is good- it looks out over the pool, but the ones in 41 near Bonnet Creek Parkway are very dark, with overgrown trees, and road noise. I went to look at one and I would not want to be there (left side of 41).
38 and 39 can have some good balconies, but many of these back onto Bonnet Creek and a stagnant swamp, so on the balcony there is road noise (not really from inside) and zero view to speak of. I was once in the left corner of 39 and it wasn't great. The overriding advice for Turtle Pond is to watch out for any room around that roundabout- many are close and it is very noisy. Try to avoid rooms adjacent to Bonnet Creek, but that is probably preferable to being adjacent to the roundabout.

Turning to the top end of Peninsular Road, ignore the red line I slipped, 45 and 46 have really nice views out back, but the left hand side of 45 is near the give way for Turtle Pond and can be noisy with bus noise. The right hand side of 46 is near a bus stop on Peninsular, and may also have some noise. You are good in buildings 47, 48 (albeit edges of those two quite near the road), 52 and 57. 53, 54 and 56 are great locations if you do not mind the distance to HH. The pool is there, as is the really lovely walking path to Saratoga and DS, which a lot of people do not even know about (highly recommended,. runs down a canal).
Avoid buildings 49 and 50 at all costs - probably the worst buildings on resort. The roundabout is right outside (all buses coming in resort will spin on this) and the left of these two buildings has East Buena Vista Drive 3 lane highway just next to them. These rooms are the pits.

The Miller Road area is in my opinion the road with the fewest 'bad rooms'. I would avoid 20 and the left side of 21 (see below) but generally it is decent because many of the rooms either back onto a pool or golf course, and are not bang next to highways or bus roundabouts. The bus stop (a major source of noise) is also on the opposite side of the road to the buildings.

However, the runt of the Miller Road litter is building 20, and the left side of 21. This is because the bus turns outside. Remember, this is not once every half an hour, it is constant.

So in summary, it is a crap shoot. The biggest downside as I say is getting one of the very many 'bad' rooms that exists at OKW, particularly if you are sensitive to noise from buses. If you are not, the rooms are all great. If you get a good room here, it is wonderful. I would rather have one with a bad view, than bus noises personally, but others who are not bothered by bus noises may have a different idea.

Remember also because this is DVC, there may be little or no opportunity to change rooms (at least for a few days) if you are staying due to constant near 100% occupancy.

Hope this helps.

[Sweetie Babes]

Very informative, thanks for that.

We got the short straw on our first trip as they put us in 44. They were able to move us on day 3, but we had to put up with 2 nights of 'beep beep beep' going on into the early hours. Thank goodness I took my earplugs!

Last year we were given building 18 first, but apart from it being in a noisy area, it was on the 2nd floor so was no good for me at all. They were able to move us to building 28. Okay, the view was just woodland (which meant it was rather dirty from bits blowing down out of the trees and there were insects and small creatures around), but it was fairly quiet. The saddest part of it was the number of fallen trees behind us.

But it was almost perfect - building 28 is the last one in that particular run so there wasn't a lot of passing traffic (which you don't hear anyway as only the front door opens onto the road), but it was a quick run to the bus stop - and only a few minutes run down, across the road and into HH. Of course the bus stop outside building 26 is the first on the circuit, so I was always able to get my scooter on there. And if we'd just missed a bus, we could go over to HH and pick it up there being the last stop.

[BevS97]

I’ve only stayed at oKW once. We were in building 38. If you look at the photos it’s U shaped whereas most of the other buildings are straight.

The result of this is we had a studio in the corner with no Window. Just a glass patio door. If I had realised this wasn’t typical I would have rejected it as it was very very dark. We didn’t realise until we’d been there a few days.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by Sweetie Babes

Very informative, thanks for that.

We got the short straw on our first trip as they put us in 44. They were able to move us on day 3, but we had to put up with 2 nights of 'beep beep beep' going on into the early hours. Thank goodness I took my earplugs!

They were able to move us to building 28. Okay, the view was just woodland (which meant it was rather dirty from bits blowing down out of the trees and there were insects and small creatures around), but it was fairly quiet. The saddest part of it was the number of fallen trees behind us.
.

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Yes 44 is either pretty good (if you are to the right hand side opposite Turtle P pool) or pretty bad if you are on the left immediately adjacent to the roundabout. I observed that left hand side as the buses constantly went around the roundabout, and actually thought- ' glad I'm not in there'.
As you say, 28 is at least quiet, even if it doesn't have a good view.
I do find staying at OKW causes me anxiety before I see the room I'm in, because of so many noisy rooms with those constant very loud buses passing close with the engine, noisy Aircon and beeping. I do wish Disney had put a bit more distance between the roads and particularly roundabouts and the rooms.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by BevS97

I’ve only stayed at oKW once. We were in building 38. If you look at the photos it’s U shaped whereas most of the other buildings are straight.

The result of this is we had a studio in the corner with no Window. Just a glass patio door. If I had realised this wasn’t typical I would have rejected it as it was very very dark. We didn’t realise until we’d been there a few days.

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That's interesting Bev, I hadn't noticed that. At least that one would be pretty quiet I hope! However if you are not Dracula, possibly another to avoid, also on the left of that block the rooms back onto swampland and are close to the main road.
I do think cash guests often get given poorer rooms. When paying cash I was given the 49 at the very top which are terrible once, but thankfully got moved immediately to Turtle Pond.
If I'm on points, and after booking near hospitality house, I'd always ask for 23 to 26. Even the worst room there isn't that bad.

[BarryandCaron]

We’ve stayed 12, 24, 30, 36 and 62. Favourite buildings were the two HH ones followed by 62. Worst was 36, as previously said...too noisy from the buses.