Buy SSR or OKW and why?

[kdh123]

Please help me decide... plan to stay primarily at OKW or SSR. I love the theme/feeling and pool at OKW, but also like SSR for walking to DTD and separate bathroom sink. Since both are larger resorts and I'm assuming both are not too difficult to get reservations, I'm thinking 11 month window will not make a huge difference. Price is also not our main consideration. Expiration date is not a big factor either because we are already in our 40's. Please give me your thoughts - which do you prefer and why? Thank you!

 

[DizBub]

It's a toss up between OKW and SSR for us too. We love both of them.

Pros for SSR over OKW are a longer contract life unless you get an extended OKW. Dues are slightly cheaper at SSR and resale price seems to be lower. We really enjoy staying in Congress Park with a DTD view and being able to walk to DTD. The walkway is currently closed but they are building a bridge to DTD in the near future.

We love OKW because we drive and can park at the door. Rooms are larger. The vibe is really laid back and relaxing. Love Olivia's!! Point requirements are quite low at OKW compared to most other resorts. If you want a Grand Villa you almost need to own there because they are such a good deal compared to all other resorts.

Bus service is surprisingly good at both resorts.

Bottom line, you can't go wrong with either OKW or SSR.

 

[deb010305]

We love SSR. And although you can't park right at the door, for the times we've stayed you can park pretty close - unlike BWV where we stayed April 2013.

 

[lawgator]

Please help me decide... plan to stay primarily at OKW or SSR. I love the theme/feeling and pool at OKW, but also like SSR for walking to DTD and separate bathroom sink. Since both are larger resorts and I'm assuming both are not too difficult to get reservations, I'm thinking 11 month window will not make a huge difference. Price is also not our main consideration. Expiration date is not a big factor either because we are already in our 40's. Please give me your thoughts - which do you prefer and why? Thank you!

I know the dues are a wee bit cheaper at SSR, but I really love the laid back feeling of OKW. One advantage of OKW is that the villas are spacious and it uses fewer points to book than most other resorts. It's a nice boat ride to DTD, too, from OKW. You probably would love either place. Why don't you read through some of the threads on these boards to help you decide?

 

[DVC Dude]

SSR has the Treehouse Villas
SSR has lower annual dues
SSR has longer RTU

OKW has awesome Grand Villas
OKW has lower priced rooms in terms of points per night
OKW has 2 beds in studios

I would go with SSR over OKW, but can't fault anyone that would chose the opposite choice.

 

[holula]

OKW has lower priced rooms in terms of points per night

I would go with SSR over OKW, but can't fault anyone that would chose the opposite choice.

We found an extended OKW contract and had the choice between that and SSR. We picked OKW because we prefer the resort themeing, and the lower points per night. SSR has better food options though for QS.

 

[bookwormde]

From a booking point of view the only difference is if you want an OKW grand villa, since that is the only reservation you might need the 11 month preference for.

Tree house used to be a reason to have SSR points, but since they raised the point requirements they are very available at 7 months.

Dues are lower at SSR and you have a longer contract life compared to buying a non extended OKW contact resale.

 

[Andrew015]

I must say that I was really impressed with SSR upon my first stay there in September. The grounds are beautiful, transportation was very good, and proximity to DTD is a plus if you spend any time at the shopping village (this would be the same advantage for OKW). Ive never stayed at OKW, so I will refrain from providing my opinions, as anything I have to add would be speculative at best. One factual thing that I can add about OKW is with regard to room size. OKW has the largest Studios of all DVC resorts, so if your trips are primarily going to be designed around studio accommodations, this might sway you towards OKW.

One other thing that I will mention, some of the best advice around these boards is to Buy where you intend to stay. In other words, if you really enjoy a particular resort and you have to stay there, your best bet is to buy there at make that your home resort, as you are "essentially" guaranteed a room there at the 11 month window. If you do not own at that resort, you are just rolling the dice to get in at the 7 month booking window and may be disappointed at the result. Some people really dont care where they stay, and simply choose to buy where points and/or maintenance fees are lower.

I will say that generally speaking, SSR is the easiest resort to book inside of 7 months due to being the largest DVC resort on property. From what I have seen, it almost always has availability in the 3-5 month window, unless you are talking about peak seasons For this reason, I might steer you towards OKW, as chances are, you can probably book SSR at the 7 month window whenever you want. The only exceptions to this, naturally, would be at peak travel times (i.e. Christmas, Spring Break, etc.).

 

[dwelty]

I would go with SSR for 3 reasons:

1 the dues are a bit lower

2 you can almost always get accomodations at OKW (with decent notice)

3 even though expiration date does not matter to you, if you ever decide to sell (Due to health or financial reasons) you are likely to get a better price with SSR since it has a much later expiration date.

The only exception would be if you are able to find an extended OKW contract.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I much prefer SSR. I like looking at DTD.and I enjoy the pools there much better than the ones at OKW.
Only 3 OKW buildings have elevators.

 

[OKW Lover]

OKW for us (see board name!)

Love the size of the units and the ability to park right outside our door. Also the units are more spread out so there's less noise from people coming and going.

 

[tbay]

We like SSR because it is within walking distance to downtown disney.
It has beautiful walking paths close to the golf course and you can
Usually get a reservation on the days you request because of the size of the resort.

 

[ain0004]

We prefer SSR. I feel the rooms are more dated even with recent upgrade/ renovation at OKW . We had a bad experience with OKW, I think it turned us sour on it. However the rooms are larger and we did like that. I think it comes down to personal preference.

 

[LSchrow]

imho, the resorts are similar in so many ways, that you would really need to stay at each to decide
that said, we loved the size of OKW villas, and olivia's is very good....but we found the parking too close (not fans of constantly seeing, smelling, or hearing vehicles), the views okay.

SSR has smaller villas, but makes up for them with some fantastic views (love the DTD view in CP), turf club (fantastic!), a "country manor" feel that bridges the gap between sedate and chaotic, with a quiet elegance that consistently WOWs us (seeing a bald eagle perched in a tree above us was amazing!)

both are beautiful and (with few exceptions) easy to book at 7 months

 

[bighoo93]

Please help me decide... plan to stay primarily at OKW or SSR. I love the theme/feeling and pool at OKW, but also like SSR for walking to DTD and separate bathroom sink. Since both are larger resorts and I'm assuming both are not too difficult to get reservations, I'm thinking 11 month window will not make a huge difference. Price is also not our main consideration. Expiration date is not a big factor either because we are already in our 40's. Please give me your thoughts - which do you prefer and why? Thank you!

Just wanted to note that you are in a really great position here. Your two favored resorts are among the least expensive on resale and most easily available around the year at 7 months. Which ever one you pick, you are extremely likely to be able to reserve your choice of room at the other one at the 7 month mark, and of course since you like them both, if you don't get it then you are just "stuck" at your home resort which isn't a bad thing at all. We picked SSR because at the time it was the most economical. In your position, I would make my decision based on that as well (and I don't know which one that is right now).

But the bottom line is, you are positioned really well to get what you want at a better price than most. Most are trying to figure out how to balance the desire to stay at various more popular resorts with the higher point or MF cost. You have no such issues to worry about. You really almost can't go wrong here.

 

[sonofasailor]

As has already been stated...you really can't go wrong. My home resort in OKW but stayed at SSR this past Christmas. We had GV reserved at OKW at Thanksgiving but due to sons deployment change had to delay. We were able to get a 2 bedroom and studio at SSR for Christmas at about the 6 month point. We stayed in Congress Park section and enjoyed the location...easy walk to DTD. The pool was close by and we enjoyed the pool in December. Now having said all that...I prefer OKW. Rooms are larger and parking is better. It's a small point..but I didn't care for the halls at SSR...very small point I know. But...you really can't go wrong with either one....pick one...have fun...enjoy!

 

[eporter66]

I think all the relevant points have been made. We just got back from a week at SSR, and the more I go, the more I enjoy that resort. Grounds are beautiful, walking to DTD is a huge plus, the theme/look of the resort are more to my liking as well. I would go with SSR

 

[Marine Mom]

It's a toss up between OKW and SSR for us too. We love both of them.

Pros for SSR over OKW are a longer contract life unless you get an extended OKW. Dues are slightly cheaper at SSR and resale price seems to be lower. We really enjoy staying in Congress Park with a DTD view and being able to walk to DTD. The walkway is currently closed but they are building a bridge to DTD in the near future.

We love OKW because we drive and can park at the door. Rooms are larger. The vibe is really laid back and relaxing. Love Olivia's!! Point requirements are quite low at OKW compared to most other resorts. If you want a Grand Villa you almost need to own there because they are such a good deal compared to all other resorts.

Bus service is surprisingly good at both resorts.

Bottom line, you can't go wrong with either OKW or SSR.

I agree!!! Love them both. I own BWV but if I had to do it again, I would own at SSR.

 

[kdh123]

I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who provided input! We ended up buying at SSR! It was a tough decision, but in the end, we figured we'd be happy no matter where we own, so we're happy with our choice and are looking forward to our first trip!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who provided input! We ended up buying at SSR! It was a tough decision, but in the end, we figured we'd be happy no matter where we own, so we're happy with our choice and are looking forward to our first trip!

It's a really nice resort and I'm sure you'll enjoy staying there.