# Orange Lake impressions



## veenstra56 (Jan 5, 2008)

Several months ago I purchased a week (resale) at Orange Lake, sight unseen, based on recommendations from friends and neighbors.  I just returned yesterday from a week at Silver Lake Resort, and took the family to see OLCC for the first time while in the area.

We were extremely impressed with OL.  I expected the resort to be nice, but was really taken with the beauty of this place.  The landscaping was well designed and kept, as were the golf courses.  The staff I spoke with were friendly.  The pools were a big hit with my kids. Most importantly to my wife and me, the West Village units (where we own) were undergoing major renovations and were very nice based on the model we saw.  

I am by no means unaware of the negative comments about OL on sites like Trip Advisor.  People seem to either love OL or hate it.  I obviously need to spend a week there before making a qualified review, but based on my limited experience, I am very happy with OL.

My thanks to TUGers like Vickie and Gary for their help answering my endless OL questions.


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## riverdees05 (Jan 5, 2008)

We own week 22 in the East Village and have had good luck with using our unit and exchanging back into Orange Lake.  It is such a large resort that I am sure that not all the visitors are happy all the time.


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## borntotravel (Jan 5, 2008)

We own a two bedroom for a week in September.  We love this resort - it is so family friendly.  We have never stayed in our own unit, we usually exchange into a three bedroom for another week in September.  All of our units we have had were extremely nice and very clean.


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## timetraveler (Jan 5, 2008)

veenstra56 said:


> I am by no means unaware of the negative comments about OL on sites like Trip Advisor.  People seem to either love OL or hate it.  I obviously need to spend a week there before making a qualified review, but based on my limited experience, I am very happy with OL.
> 
> My thanks to TUGers like Vickie and Gary for their help answering my endless OL questions.



You are so welcome!!  And welcome to the family.


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## slabeaume (Jan 9, 2008)

We're headed there in a couple weeks.  Traded last year in for a 3 bedroom unit this year the week before our 2 bedroom week.  We love the resort.  Looking forward to seeing the West village renovations.  Hope our unit is done!


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## ValHam (Jan 9, 2008)

Just returned from Orange lake.  Traded into a 3 bedroom in the east village.  The unit was just o.k.  The windows were filty and the deck had the cheapest furniture I've ever encounterd in any trade - Definited not up to par - The previous week I stayed at the Fountains - Much nicer unit - nicely furnished.
I would not want to return to Orange Lake - I was not happy with the trade.


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## JLB (Jan 9, 2008)

This one of those statements which sounds like it surely must be true . . . but one I find is not necessarily true.   

In my case I have been labeled a HOL.  In fact, that came up in the SW FL get-together.

The truth is that I have followed OLCC for about 20 years.  It was our first tour the week we bought our first timeshare.  How could one not be impressed?!

The thread that got me my label, entitled _Where Never Is Heard a Discouraging Word,_ about this time of year a few years back, was actually just a sharing of problems others were having, not us.

The truth is that it is not black and white, either/or, one or the other.

One can love the landscaping, but be shocked by how filthy some of the natural areas have been allowed to become.  Or some of the public areas for that matter.  The point of that is that employees go by those filthy areas a jillion times a day and they just seem to take it for granted, that litter is the way it should be.

One can be impressed by how many amenities are available, but turned off by the mass of humanity that has to be dealt with.

One can be dissapointed in the impersonal treatment from some employees and impressed with the friendly service from others, understanding that is just the way it is at Orlando mega-resorts.  The impersonal, superior attitude is not as bad as at other Orlando mega resorts.

How one feels about OL cannot be assumed from one post, but from the total of observations made over the years, which, in my case has favored the positive. 

If anything, you might say that we have gotten past the Orlando phase, and have moved on.  There's plenty of lines in every-day life.  We don't care for them when on vacation.  



veenstra56 said:


> People seem to either love OL or hate it.


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## DaveNV (Jan 9, 2008)

Did you get to see OL River Island?  How was that, compared to the other villages?  We're heading there next year.

Dave


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## Jimster (Jan 9, 2008)

*River Island*

I also just returned from a 3 bedroom in the East Village.  It was (as always) a very nice unit-but then I am an owner.  We had the top floor overlooking the Legends golf course and RI.  The view was spectacular and we saw fireworks from several Disney parks a couple times a night.  This is the first time I had been to RI and I found it very nice.  RI is a bit smaller than I thought but nice.  The lazy river actually links the two free form pools.  There is new shopping, internet cafe and food.  Meanwhile, the west village is temporarily suffering since the Olympic Pool is now gone- to be replaced with another 0 entry pool.  I found check in irritating but consistent (you don't get in until 4 PM unless your unit was vacant the night or week before).  My only real complaint is that when I finally got to my unit the fire alarm was going off (and continued to go off even after I called) for about 20 minutes.  Even worse was that the housekeeping staff blocked the elevator on the 6th floor.  Thus, someone  had to walk up to the top to make the elevator work.  I was not pleased!  I certainly let people there know about this, but the truth is that it could have happened at any resort.  For those people (basically a few), who don't like OLCC I would appreciate it if you'd stop complaining and just stay somewhere else so I will have more availability.   I have stayed at over 35 resorts (many of them in Europe) and toured another 10 and I  have found very few that compare favorably to OLCC, but if you are looking for something bad to occur it will be a self-fullfilling prophecy.


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## gjw007 (Jan 9, 2008)

I had to chuckle about the furniture on the deck being the cheapest possible.  I spent a week at Boardwalk Villas (Disney DVC) where the deck furniture was the cheap white plastic furniture that is on sale at K-Mart or Walmart.  When broke, it is easy to replace cheaply and handles being in the weather well.  Of course, nary is a bad word said about Disney resorts or other resorts that are liked (human nature that if you like something, you tend to be willing to overlook the flaws - all resorts have flaws in my opinion - but if you don't like something, everything is magnified).  The real cheap resorts are those that don't even put furniture on their decks.  I've always found the furniture to be adequate at Orange Lake.  True not the most expensive, but better than many other places (I've also seen some that I liked better) that I've been.  Like most things, this is a personal choice whether you like it or not.  Neither perspective is necessarily wrong.

Some interesting URLs:
http://www.fivestaralliance.com/best_hotels/2007/worlds_best_honeymoon_resorts
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/12/19/homeless_live_above_high-price_hotel/8887/
http://www.fivestaralliance.com/best_hotels/2007/worlds_best_business_hotels


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## jbuzzy11 (Jan 9, 2008)

I have been going to OLCC for 20 yrs now, my 1st visit was when I was 19 and now im 39.. no better place in Florida! I have 6 family members that own weeks there and I would always go with them or go on an RCI last min deal but I got a 2 bdr resale in the East village 6 months back for about $1300 out the door! what a great deal..   ill be there Jan 12


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## JLB (Jan 9, 2008)

This sorta reflects what I was trying to say above.  That what's is good for one at OL is sometimes bad for another.  Someone today likely bought the same thing for around $25000 and someone paid around that originally for this one.  How can that be a good thing?    



jbuzzy11 said:


> but I got a 2 bdr resale in the East village 6 months back for about $1300 out the door! what a great deal..   ill be there Jan 12


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## veenstra56 (Jan 9, 2008)

JLB said:


> This one of those statements which sounds like it surely must be true . . . but one I find is not necessarily true.
> 
> In my case I have been labeled a HOL.  In fact, that came up in the SW FL get-together.
> 
> ...



Um...okay.


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## simplyjas (Jan 22, 2008)

I own week 21 at West Village.   The last I was there was in 2003, and loved it.   I am going back this year for Memorial Day; let's see how the renovations look like.   Will inform back once I get back in May.

Hey since I own the memorial day weekend week, you think it would be easier for me to rent it for a good amount for 2009?


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## JLB (Jan 22, 2008)

Google _Orange Lake Country Club For Rent_.  Look at the many sites offering OL rentals and see what is being asked.  Some sites indicate what has already rented.



simplyjas said:


> Hey since I own the memorial day weekend week, you think it would be easier for me to rent it for a good amount for 2009?


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## JLB (Jan 22, 2008)

In another thread I commented on a signature someone is using:

_*I've learned that the way you do anything is the way you do everything. -Andrew Cherng, founder of Panda Express*_

Then I saw this thread revived.

It occurs to me that this quote and the complaints about the mega resorts are related.

In a smaller resort there are very few employees.  In our recent two weeks in Florida, one resort had one office person and one maintenance person.  The other resort had two office people and one maintenance person.

In resorts of that nature, the kind of job each employee does is very evident, very visible, and they have an opportunity to take pride in their work.

However, at the mega resorts there are also mega employees.  They don't get much recognition and it's pretty easy for those who want to sluff off to do so, because there are a lot of other people doing (or not doing) the same job.  No one specifically gets blamed if something doesn't get done. No one personally feels responsible when someone doesn't get helped, something doesn't get repaired, or something doesn't get cleaned up.

We have been at OL when the public areas around our spiffy buildings have been filthy.  I have seen employees walk by piles of yuck all week long, and act like it's not even there.  All that trash in the nature areas is there because employees have gone by it hundreds of times and just left it there.

Because it was not their responsibility, personally, to pick it up, and the system at the mega resorts does not encourage them to do so.  I have been in situations like that, where it was not cool for a worker to do what they should do, because the other workers would not take kindly to the worker who does.

I probably didn't say this exactly the way I am trying to, but when I say _things fall through the cracks_ at OL, this is why they do, because _"the way you do anything is the way you do everything."_

The mega resorts need to find a way to make all their employees feel valuable, to let them know that every job is important, and every worker should take pride in every task given them.

PS:  If someone wants to forward this to OL, that's fine with me.  Just tell them it's from Jose' Jiminez' and they will know who it's from.


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