OKW or Saratoga?

[The Jackal]

Reading through the responses here, I saw a couple of mentions that recent refurbishments at SSR are a plus over OKW.
Wasn't OKW recently refurbished as well? I thought it was even more recent than SSR. Can someone who has stayed at both properties recently please clarify this?

OKW was refurbished a year or two before SSR. The SSR refurbishment took a little long due to an issue with the contractor then the pandemic. I want to say OKW refurb finished in 2018 and OKW started in 2019.

 

[Crescent_Lake]

OKW was refurbished a year or two before SSR. The SSR refurbishment took a little long due to an issue with the contractor then the pandemic. I want to say OKW refurb finished in 2018 and OKW started in 2019.

Thank you! (I'm assuming you meant to type SSR started in 2019 )

 

[eticketplease]

SSR refurb was the first one to bring the Murphy beds in to existing rooms like how the newly built Riviera.

OKW I believe was a soft goods as opposed to the full refurbishment that SSR had.

It seems like all of the soft goods refurbs are installing the Murphy beds but I don’t believe OKW will get them because of the window configuration in the 1/2 bedrooms and the studios feature two queen beds which a lot of owners prefer.

 

[aerxo17]

Assuming you won’t want to share a bedroom I would do SSR with the Murphy bed vs couch.
If you can share a bedroom the OKW would have 2 real beds plus the king in the master.

Now if it’s only 5 I still may favor OKW as the sleeper chair is not bad at all.

BTW I totally agree with you about saving your feet and enjoying the boat ride back and forth from Disney Springs

We're okay with two adults sharing the king bed, but would like to avoid two of us sharing a bed otherwise, although it wouldn't be the worst to have 3 in the 2 Queen bed room -- just definitely not 4. We all vary in height and size so someone could definitely fit on the chair bed and one on the sofa bed. Hmmm...

I think I still favor OKW as well. We love the Jimmy Buffet music everywhere, too, lol. And we love the big patio/balcony!

 

[Zach197]

I'm having the same dilemma. Looking at a Standard 2BR at either, for 5-6 adults.

We are big on pools and loved the Turtle Pond area at OKW. Quiet, relaxing music and no games or recreation CMs yelling trivia questions on megaphones. We're going to cook breakfast and lunch a few days so the big kitchen at OKW is drawing me. We've never stayed at SSR but the pools and pool bars look very nice -- anyone have any experience with these?

The murphy bed in the living room is also drawing us to SSR, I've shared a Kidani sofa bed with another adult before and those things are not comfortable in the least.

We don't mind buses, as long as we are close to a bus stop and a short walk to the pool. And I'd rather save my feet and take a relaxing boat ride to Disney Springs, so proximity walking-wise doesn't matter.

WWYD? Right now, these are the only two available options for our dates for Two Bedroom villas. SSR is about $60 cheaper, overall, so very similar in price. TIA!

My family and I just had this discussion the other day while planning a trip in September. 2 bedroom SSR Preferred vs 2 bedroom OKW Near Hospitality House.

We ended up choosing SSR because the rooms are beautiful and has murphy beds over sofa beds. We also like the close proximity to disney springs. We have stayed at SSR multiple times and enjoy the paddock pool/springs pool. They are somewhat close and connected by a long bridge over the water. Kinda cool.

We have only stayed at OKW once or twice. Both times we stayed 1-2 nights extending an exisiting trip. We really weren’t impressed but we weren’t near hospitality house. The pool was fine but the resort lacks dining options (Olivias is fantastic.) We found OKW to be boring and isolated.

 

[Flossbolna]

We love the Grandstand area at SSR. Very short walk to the main building, nice pool with pool bar and refillable mug station. It’s the first bus stop when you come home and if you are impatient, you can easily walk to the main building and catch the bus to the parks from there going to the parks to avoid spending time going around all the bus stops.

 

[hertamaniac]

We've been to both in 2BR villas configuration.

For SSR, we stayed at Congress Park so you couldn't be any closer to DS. And we took full advantage of walking there each day. We also enjoyed The Turf Club for dinner.

For OKW, we've stayed in villas on the canal. The boats pass by frequently (with horn) so if that is a concern, I would just opt for a lake/golf course view. The 2BR villas at OKW are large (especially compared to SSR). And the quieter pool at OKW with hot tub is a real treat.

We cook quite a few meals at each, but OKW feels more like a condo. And we get the first floor since only a few buildings at OKW have elevators. There were no luggage carts at SSR and we were on the 2nd floor. That was a little bit of a hassle on check-in and check-out days.

OKW is my favorite resort on property due to theming, the boat transportation, the layout and the boardwalk area.

 

[Brian Noble]

As a 40 year old which resort?

Both are great.

OKW feels a little more peaceful, and tends to whisper "island time" everywhere you look; the theme is carried off very well. SSR feels a little more "active" to me (probably because the units are a little denser) and I would describe it as "quietly sophisticated," with a more subtle sense of time and place. SSR's pool situation is better. I also like the walking paths at SSR more, because the buildings are generally between the paths and the internal roads, where at OKW it is the opposite. The golf course is intertwined with OKW, but sort of off to the side at SSR (and I like the former's vibe more). The verandas in the above-mentioned canal villas at OKW are specacular places to sit with a cup of coffee in the morning.

OKW units are larger. OKW studios have two "real" queen beds. SSR studios have a queen and a murphy. The murphy is quite comfortable. If the two of you are sharing a bed, SSR wins for having a couch. If the two of you are not sharing a bed, it is less clear, but OKW might have a slight edge. I still like SSR because of the flexibility of the room layout daytime vs. night.

OKW's counter service leaves a LOT to be desired. SSR's is significantly better. OKW's table service loction (Olivia's) is open for all three meals, SSR's (Turf Club) only dinner. I happen to love Olivia's. Some of that is nostalgia, but it's also one of the very few places in WDW that I sometimes see on-duty management-type CMs eating lunch together. In both resorts, you could end up a fair walk away from the restaurants.

SSR is walkable to Disney Springs, which for me is a plus--I am not an open-close park guy, and appreciate having options for a good meal within walking distance. However, OKW is an easy boat ride away, so this is not that big of a deal.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I like OKW in general much more than SS, but if you’re comparing deluxe studios SS is better. It’s nice to be able to fold up Murphy bed for more room (and it’s just as comfortable as a real bed imo) and OKWs tv is super small and the studio doesn’t feel as Disney to me as the SS studio. I love OKW, but if staying in a studio I’d pick SS.