2017 Packages

[DDEH699]

Has anyone heard anything about a release date for the 2017 packages? We are looking to travel the end of January and are trying to patiently wait..... debating on OKW 1 bed or a poly studio... there are 4 adults and 2 children -3 yr old and a 1 yr old. The only thing we are concerned with at OKW is the stroller with the busses along with the distance to the main pool....thoughts on either dates or hotels?

[horizons1]

I've never stayed at OKW but you are right, the resort is sprawling. Comparing that to the convenience of the Poly, I'd need to know more about your priorities. Will you have a car or will you rely on Disney transport? Do you want the ability to prepare meals in your room? etc.

[Wizzard419]

Does the resort only have one bus stop? I can't tell from the photos if there is no more than one but that could be quite a walk. Also may want to check the bus route for that hotel, to see where it is on the chain. Since you are going to be using a stroller, being further down the chain may make getting to the parks a little harder during the busy times (morning rush and all).

[DDEH699]

We are going to have the myw dining package but because alot of the dining will be character themed (2 ts) i think that we would tend to make breakfast or buy "on the go" breakfast items to keep in the room to eliminate using the dining plan for that meal period. my only concern about the poly is that if its a cooler January in Florida that the room may not be big enough for all of us to be comfortable for those "hang out times or days" I just feel like we would get up and go in the morning, go back to the hotel mid day to afternoon and then go back to the parks in the evenings so that's why i wish we could do okw room with all the poly amenities.

[Amy]

Is a villa at the Poly an option?

[horizons1]

Amy, OKW has four bus stops around the units and a fifth at Hospitality House, according to this: http://allears.net/acc/bus.htm

DDE, since you won't really need a kitchen it sounds like room size is your key requirement. You are right, January can be cold, although you said you are going at the end of the month and it's been my experience that is one of the best times to go. I'd look for a big room closer to the action. If you plan to take daily breaks back at the resort the transit time to/from OKW may wear thin. Plus the distance to the Hospitality House for breakfast might be extra annoying.

I like Amy's suggestion of a villa at Poly, but I don't know anything about them. You may also like a Boardwalk Villa or Beach Club Villa with the awesome pool complex. Both are an easy walk to Epcot and a 15-20 minute walk to the Studios. Lots of room choices at both resorts too, and I am pretty sure they are all less expensive than the Poly rooms.

[theBIGyowski]

I've stayed at OKW a few times and there are plenty of bus stops...so you shouldn't have to walk more than a few minutes to get to one closest to your room. I can tell you that if you are wanting a villa/studio closest to the first bus stop along the route in order to get the most empty bus, you'll want one near the Peninsular Rd bus stop. The last bus stop is the one in front of the Hospitality House. Those two bus stops are the closest to the main pool as well, so getting a room close to those puts you near the main pool.

We're going to be there this December, so we're hoping we can get a room next to the Peninsular Rd bus stop. If we want to get on when the bus is empty, we have that option, or we could walk to the Hospitality House bus stop to avoid all of the extra stops within the resort and know we are on our way to the parks after getting on the bus. Having a room near the first bus stop is nice when you are coming back to the resort because you are the first to get off...something nice at the end of a long day.

[DDEH699]

Amy.. I wish there was an option like other DVC resorts. I know they have the studios and then they have the bungalows but there is no in between which is unfortunate. The cost of the bungalows is outrageous and there is no way we could afford them

I have been looking at other options like in the concierge rooms, princess 1 bed for example but ive been trying to figure out pricing for the room and it doesn't seem to say specifically anywhere.

Does anyone know about these other rooms at the poly and any pricing?

[Wizzard419]

Depending on what you were booking and planning, and the hotel obviously, the Bungalows may not be too out of the extreme for some people. I took a quick look and it looks like it could hold roughly two guest rooms worth of people, and has a full kitchen and laundry. The price seems to come to roughly a little more than if you were to book two normal rooms. If you were going with a group and wanted to also cut back on meals by having dinners (or more) in the room, it could be a better choice. That being said, it is a vacation, so anything short of having someone with severe dietary restrictions, there probably should be no one having to do home duties.

[Amy]

Amy.. I wish there was an option like other DVC resorts. I know they have the studios and then they have the bungalows but there is no in between which is unfortunate. The cost of the bungalows is outrageous and there is no way we could afford them

I have been looking at other options like in the concierge rooms, princess 1 bed for example but ive been trying to figure out pricing for the room and it doesn't seem to say specifically anywhere.

Does anyone know about these other rooms at the poly and any pricing?

You might need to call to get pricing for concierge rooms. I'm not sure about WDW, but we were lucky enough to stay in concierge level out in DL once or twice before it became too outrageously expensive, and we ate breakfast in the club lounge. They also had bottled water and cans of pop there so we rarely had to buy a beverage in the park. They had snacks in the afternoon and night as well, and while we rarely were back at the hotel to take advantage of those, if you are planning on heading back in the afternoons for pool/nap time, you could take advantage of those as well, which would save some more money.
Wizzard has a good point about the bungalows. If they truly are not too much more than simply booking two rooms, it might be fun to try them once. Availability might be difficult though as I imagine they are still quite popular and they don't have a lot of them.
Have you called Disney directly and explained what you are looking for and your price range? Or perhaps one of the WDW travel agents? They might have some more suggestions and something you might not have thought of yet

[theBIGyowski]

Have you called Disney directly and explained what you are looking for and your price range? Or perhaps one of the WDW travel agents? They might have some more suggestions and something you might not have thought of yet

I would find a WDW travel agent like Amy said. They will know how to get you exactly what you are looking for. If you are flexible on the resort, they'll be able to find you something. There are a few members here on SSR that are Disney TAs if you don't know one already.

[DDEH699]

So we have narrowed it down to OKW, Animal Kingdom or Boardwalk…. 2Bedroom villas but now i just need to know what the pros and cons are of each resort….. keeping in mind 5 adults and 2 children (3yrs and 1 yr)

[horizons1]

Boardwalk is the only one of the three where you can get to 3 out of 4 parks without buses. Walk to Studios, walk to Epcot, even walk through Epcot to monorail for the MK (not that you're likely to do that much.) Also, Boardwalk + the four other Crescent Lake resorts gives you a multitude of dining choices. I'm partial but those are pros worth considering.

[cy1229]

So we have narrowed it down to OKW, Animal Kingdom or Boardwalk…. 2Bedroom villas but now i just need to know what the pros and cons are of each resort….. keeping in mind 5 adults and 2 children (3yrs and 1 yr)

Pros and Cons:

OKW Pros - biggest condos of all the DVC properties. HUGE. Quiet, nice theming, feels like you can truly get away from the craziness in the parks.
OKW Cons - long bus rides to parks, and the resort is pretty spread out.

AK Pros - ANIMALS!!! Theming is extraordinary. Really good restaurants on site.
AK Cons - long bus rides to parks. And, I know they're not the smallest, but I think they're the second-smallest condos on site.

Boardwalk Pros - location, location, location! You can literally skip to Epcot and all its extraordinary dining opportunities. Very fun resort. (I've never stayed, but wow would I like to)
Boardwalk Cons - I"ve heard this resort is rather busy, so if you're like me and need quiet down time without all the hustle and bustle around you, maybe this isn't the place for you. Also, the standard view of the standard view condos isn't that fabulous.

Allears.net has good photos and reviews of all the resorts. And Touringplans.com has photos of all the room views (as in, what you see if you look out the window).

[theBIGyowski]

So we have narrowed it down to OKW, Animal Kingdom or Boardwalk…. 2Bedroom villas but now i just need to know what the pros and cons are of each resort….. keeping in mind 5 adults and 2 children (3yrs and 1 yr)

Pros and Cons:

OKW Pros - biggest condos of all the DVC properties. HUGE. Quiet, nice theming, feels like you can truly get away from the craziness in the parks.
OKW Cons - long bus rides to parks, and the resort is pretty spread out.

AK Pros - ANIMALS!!! Theming is extraordinary. Really good restaurants on site.
AK Cons - long bus rides to parks. And, I know they're not the smallest, but I think they're the second-smallest condos on site.

Boardwalk Pros - location, location, location! You can literally skip to Epcot and all its extraordinary dining opportunities. Very fun resort. (I've never stayed, but wow would I like to)
Boardwalk Cons - I"ve heard this resort is rather busy, so if you're like me and need quiet down time without all the hustle and bustle around you, maybe this isn't the place for you. Also, the standard view of the standard view condos isn't that fabulous.

Allears.net has good photos and reviews of all the resorts. And Touringplans.com has photos of all the room views (as in, what you see if you look out the window).

I second everything here.

We're a bit partial to OKW because of cost, quietness, and the feeling that you can leave the hustle and bustle. You actually feel like you are on vacation in the Keys when you are at OKW...and the only reminder you are at WDW are the buses. We'll be staying there in December in a studio (2 adults and 2 kids...ages 4 and 2)...so the rooms being so much bigger is a huge plus for us. Once the kids get older we'll probably need to move to a 1BR Suite, but for now the studio should work.