# Orange Lake River Island unit location help please?



## Alisha&Jay (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi,
We are booked for Presidents Week this year at Orange Lake River Island in a 2 bedroom, thru RCI exchange.  I just called to confirm my reservation and the unit assigned is 81529A, does anyone know where this room is located, view, floor?.  I did put in a request for an even numbered room overlooking the pool, on a higher floor.  My understanding is that even numbered rooms overlook pool or pond? and that odd numbered rooms overlook parking lot or woods? Does anybody have any recommendations for me as to what to ask for? And, can they re-assign my room now if I ask, or do I have to wait until check-in?  Thanks for the help!
Alisha


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## pragmaticCTcpl (Feb 7, 2011)

81529A is the 2 bedroom unit (opposed to 81529B, the 1 bedroom lock-out) at the far end of the wing (furthest from the elevators), on the 5th floor of building 81, overlooking the parking lot.

You're right in assuming that the odd number units overlook the parking lot and the even numbered ones overlook the lazy river and pools.

From experience, wait until you check-in, then ask for a unit overlooking the pools and lazy river.  Availability and readiness of other units are the two factors that will decide if it can be done.

IMHO, any of the units on the 3rd to 7th floor, with unit numbers ending in 22 to 30 (with the exception of unit 81622, which has a solid structural wall halfway up the balcony wall, instead of a floor-to-ceiling screen) would give you the best view overlooking the lazy river and pools.  

In building 82, the same floors ending in unit numbers 02 to 20 would afford equally good views.
The 8th floor would give you a great view also, but they are the new "premium" units that require higher points for trades.


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## Alisha&Jay (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks, that info is very helpful! I will wait until check-in and ask.  Do you happen to know what the security deposit Amt is at check-in? I know they don't charge you, but they put an authorization hold on the card, so I want to factor it into our budget.


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## pragmaticCTcpl (Feb 8, 2011)

I wish there was an exact amount that I could give you, but from what we've experienced and heard, it varies with everyone.

Orange Lake has gone to a "cashless" way of doing business.  I know for certain that they will run an imprint of your credit card upon check-in, should you be purchasing anything on site.  Your room card-key, and signature, are required when buying drinks, food, snacks, tube-rentals, etc. on site.

The amounts that they put on the card (on-hold) at check-in vary, if you are: an owner, trading-in through RCI, and/or, signing up for their sales tour (and choosing what free-bies you'll get for sitting through their advertised 1 hour (actually, closer to 3 or 4 hour) sales pitch/tour.

The amount of the sales tour/pitch that they put on hold, on your credit card, is to guarantee them that you will show up for it.

We opted to take the owner's update (sales pitch) so we could get two free cards for a week's use of lazy river rental tubes, miniature golf, and their giant water slide.  Each of those cards is $50. for 7 days (it beats the $9. per day charge for tubes, $9. per person charge for a round of mini-golf, and $9. each time you go on the giant slide).  They put $130. on our card, on hold, at check-in ($100. for the two cards and $30. to guarantee we'd show up for the tour), and took that amount off of our account after we took the tour and got our cards.

Our total expenditures at the resort for the week ended up to be $269.00, that they presented to us, in an itemized bill, at check-out.  They included an additional tube/mini-golf/slide card, drinks from the pool-side bars, dinner at one of the restaurants (for 3), the breakfast buffet (again, for 3) at Lazy River Grilling Company, a few souvenir items (hats, t-shirts, etc.), and several days worth of video arcade play (by our son).  

We found that by bringing our own soda/juice/snacks, that we had bought at Publix, down to the pool/lazy river, while we were there, helped to keep expenditures down.


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## schiff1997 (Feb 8, 2011)

pragmaticCTcpl said:


> I wish there was an exact amount that I could give you, but from what we've experienced and heard, it varies with everyone.
> 
> Orange Lake has gone to a "cashless" way of doing business.  I know for certain that they will run an imprint of your credit card upon check-in, should you be purchasing anything on site.  Your room card-key, and signature, are required when buying drinks, food, snacks, tube-rentals, etc. on site.
> 
> ...



I read that you cannot bring alcholic beverages into River island pools/lazy river areas etc. Do you know if this is true??


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## pragmaticCTcpl (Feb 8, 2011)

They may have a rule written somewhere that I'm not aware of, but seeing as there are three bars in and around the River Island complex, I would tend to doubt it.  We've never seen or heard of any of the staff checking what people were drinking.

When we haven't purchased an adult beverage from one of the bars there (that come in plastic containers), we've filled plastic drink cups, with tops and plastic straws (the ones that we've gotten at the parks), with our own.  The walk back to our unit isn't far for refills and ice. 

As we've floated around the lazy river, we have observed that some people that have rented the cabanas (that have refrigerators in them) were drinking their own beer from cans, in the cabanas, but with the exception of out of plastic cups w/straws, I've never seen anyone drinking while floating around.

Glass containers of any kind are definitely prohibited.


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## Alisha&Jay (Feb 8, 2011)

Thanks for all the info, its appreciated!


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