# Orange Lake, Buy or not Buy?



## tombo (Feb 17, 2009)

I found a week 22 in the east village for $506 including closing costs. No MF's are due this year and useage will start in 2010. I promised my wife that I wouldn't buy any more weeks but this sounds like a steal. If I stay strong and resist buying I have a friend that wants me to let him buy it. 

I think I could sell it for a profit but in this economy who knows. It would give me access to Orange Lake other than the 1 in 4 rule. I have never bought in Orlando because it is so easy to trade for and this would be breaking one of my rules to not own in Orlando. Does an OLCC week 22 have good trading power?. Would it be hard to rent this week for a profit or even for enough to cover MF's? I do like this resort and owning would give me access to River Island and the other pools, putt putt, golf, etc even if I wasn't staying there. Holiday Inn is renting units there now and that scares me. Lots of pros and cons. It is a hard decision.

For those familiar with Orange Lake what do you think? Get it, let my friend get it, or forget it?


----------



## lprstn (Feb 17, 2009)

Don't purchase it if you don't want to go there often.  There are so many nice places to stay at in Orlando that if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't purchase there.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 17, 2009)

*To Thine Own Self Be True.*

I don't know from Orange Lake -- it's on our _Maybe Some Day_ list of potential future Orlando timeshare exchange possibilities.  Plus, we took the timeshare tour there 1 time (mainly for the freebies).  Other than that, all we know about Orange Lake is that it's _w-a-a-a-a-y_ out there on Rt. 192 most of the way to Rt. 27 -- & that it is tantalizingly close to the nearby sewage & wastewater treatment facility of Reedy Creek Improvement District. 

As to whether to buy or whether to take a pass, you can ask yourself how you'll feel if you spring on the 1 hand or if you let it go on the other. 

If you skip it, will you say to yourself later, "Dang ! -- I should have bought Orange Lake when I had the chance." *?* 

Or if you go ahead & buy, will you be telling yourself afterward, "Shux, I needed another timeshare week like a rooster needs knee sox & now I've stuck myself with 1 in Orlando of all places.  What was I thinking?" *?* 

I have recently completed the transition from _Vibrant Middle Age_ to _Kindly Older Gentleman_*.*  Now that I'm older, I catch myself feeling buyer regret oftener than I feel any pangs of disappointment over not buying something -- horns, timeshares, & I don't know what-all.  

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## tombo (Feb 17, 2009)

LPRSTN is making me think hard about not buying. Alan gave me reasons to buy and not to buy (I already have that angst). Thanks Alan, I think your strongest message was to not buy although you were waffling a lot. Keep the comments coming because I have to decide in the morning.


----------



## RIMike (Feb 17, 2009)

*Be Careful*



tombo said:


> LPRSTN is making me think hard about not buying. Alan gave me reasons to buy and not to buy (I already have that angst). Thanks Alan, I but I think your strongest message was to not buy although you were waffling a lot. Keep the comments coming because I have to decide in the morning.



Orlando has many excellent Timeshares...so I would be very careful and make sure I purchased one of the top ones.  I do not think that is Orange Lake.


----------



## bnoble (Feb 17, 2009)

I'd buy it only if I planned to use it myself---and I'd only do that if I was a serious golfer.  My uncle owns there, is a serious golfer, and loves it.  

Otherwise, there are lots of fish in the sea, and resorts in Orlando.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 17, 2009)

*O. K., Ask Yourself This . . .*




tombo said:


> Keep the comments coming because I have to decide in the morning.


Are you _Vibrant Middle Age_ ? 

Or a _Kindly Older Gentleman_ ? 

That is, you know the timeshare scene & you know all about Orange Lake resort & you know full well the state of your own timeshare portfolio.  So consider the possibility that your decision will hinge on how you feel subjectively more than on weighing all the tangible factors objectively. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## tombo (Feb 17, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> Are you _Vibrant Middle Age_ ?
> 
> Or a _Kindly Older Gentleman_ ?
> 
> ...



I am vibrant middle age (at least I think I am). 

Objectivelly I think I can rent this week for at least the cost of MF's (or more) when I don't want to stay there, and I feel that I can sell it for more than I paid for it if I want to sell. Subjectivelly I like the activities, golf courses, putt putt, pools etc. at this resort, and the rooms are large and nice.

Objectivelly it might not rent at all after listing it and paying MF's, and it might not sell for any price if I need to sell it (although I think I could sell it for $1000 or more if I wasn't in a hurry).In addition I need another timeshare week like I need a hole in the head. My wife might kill me in my sleep if she finds out I bought another week. I am actually selling weeks because I have too many.


----------



## Steve (Feb 17, 2009)

*Just say no.*



tombo said:


> I am vibrant middle age (at least I think I am).
> 
> Objectivelly I think I can rent this week for at least the cost of MF's (or more) when I don't want to stay there, and I feel that I can sell it for more than I paid for it if I want to sell. Subjectivelly I like the activities, golf courses, putt putt, pools etc. at this resort, and the rooms are large and nice.
> 
> Objectivelly it might not rent at all after listing it and paying MF's, and it might not sell for any price if I need to sell it (although I think I could sell it for $1000 or more if I wasn't in a hurry).In addition I need another timeshare week like I need a hole in the head. My wife might kill me in my sleep if she finds out I bought another week. I am actually selling weeks because I have too many.



After reading this post of yours, my advice is DO NOT BUY this week.

Just a few points to consider:

You do realize that many school districts are still in session during week 22, don't you?  And that there are a ton of cheap rentals and bonus weeks available in Orlando?  And that we are in a major recession?  And that timeshare rental rates have plummeted?  And that, for all of its fans, Orange Lake also has a huge number of detractors who just plain don't like the place despite all of its amenities?  And that getting along with your wife could, perhaps, be more important than an obsessive need for more timeshares?  

Steve


----------



## tombo (Feb 17, 2009)

Steve said:


> After reading this post of yours, my advice is DO NOT BUY this week.
> 
> Just a few points to consider:
> 
> ...



All schools in Alabama and Mississippi (where my family lives) are out by week 22, but I realize that weeks 24 to 29 are better since almost all schools are out then. I do realize that rental rates are down since I have many weeks for rent. The prices are so cheap now that it is soo tempting to buy sooo many weeks. I realize that I don't need to buy any more weeks for any reason.

I need you to be my timeshare addiction sponsor in my 12 step program.


----------



## Steve (Feb 17, 2009)

tombo said:


> I need you to be my timeshare addiction sponsor in my 12 step program.



LOL...I'll be happy to help however I can.   

Now forget about that Orange Lake week!  

Steve


----------



## bnoble (Feb 18, 2009)

Based on what you're saying, my advice is also to pass.


----------



## timeos2 (Feb 18, 2009)

*Too big, too far out and far too many available.*

Pass. Like all mega-resorts it is far too easy to get OLCC through trade to make ownership worth the cost.


----------



## tombo (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks everyone. For the first time in several months I got weak. This was an East village week 22 which will be Memorial Day week the next 2 years, with Saturday check-in, and it is the closest building to the club house. The week 23 in the North Village the same seller had for sale sold for $810 Monday. I bid a max of $55 on e-bay knowing I would never get it, and I won it for $51. The total with closing costs and resort transfer fees was $506 plus 2009 MF's. After the auction I got the name and account number of the owner and called OLCC to make sure that there were no back dues owed and to verify 2009 MF's had been paid (I was reimbursing the seller). They said they were paid but the 2009 week had been banked and the first useage was 2010. I e-mailed the seller and they said buy it for the $506 total if you want it or you are welcome to cancel the sale since it wasn't as advertised. That gave me last night and this morning to let TUGGERs talk me down from my E-bay high.  

Thanks to everyone who told me to not buy. I called and cancelled the sale this morning and I dodged a bullet.  I really need to quit looking at e-bay because getting weak and making a ridiculously low bid can make you the owner of another week you don't need.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 18, 2009)

*You Got That Right.*




tombo said:


> I really need to quit looking at e-bay because getting weak and making a ridiculously low bid can make you the owner of another week you don't need.


No question about that. 

I make significantly fewer "accidental" horn & timeshare purchases now that I have severely cut back my face time with eBay. 

I have not been able to swear off cold turkey, however. 

I'm watching a nice eBay timeshare right now that's got my whiskers twitching -- even though I'm already set for life on timeshares. 

Once an addict, always an addict. 

So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## tombo (Feb 18, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> No question about that.
> 
> I make significantly fewer "accidental" horn & timeshare purchases now that I have severely cut back my face time with eBay.
> 
> ...



What week are you watching? Oh for goodness sakes don't tell me cause I might bid on it. :annoyed:


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 18, 2009)

*Great Idea For Getting Me Off The Hook.*




tombo said:


> What week are you watching? Oh for goodness sakes don't tell me cause I might bid on it.


Click here to view the eBay timeshare I'm watching that I need like a fish needs a bicycle. 

And thanks for asking -- because if you outbid me (assuming I even put in a minimal bid myself) then I can avoid acquiring yet another timeshare while still getting the satisfaction of knowing that at least it went to a TUG-BBS colleague. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## tombo (Feb 18, 2009)

The starting bid is $1000, so don't worry about me outbidding you. The starting bid has already outbid me. :rofl:


----------



## bzzybee13 (Feb 21, 2009)

*Good call!*

Tombo I think you made a good decision.  I recently exchanged into Sheraton Vistana Resort and before doing so OBSESSIVELY looked at reviews of the different Orlando resorts.  Once done OLCC was #11 on my list (last) of available non-Disney resorts.  I wish I could remember better why, but I know it started out as one of my top choices and inched its way to the bottom as I read the reviews...


----------



## tombo (Feb 21, 2009)

bzzybee13 said:


> Tombo I think you made a good decision.  I recently exchanged into Sheraton Vistana Resort and before doing so OBSESSIVELY looked at reviews of the different Orlando resorts.  Once done OLCC was #11 on my list (last) of available non-Disney resorts.  I wish I could remember better why, but I know it started out as one of my top choices and inched its way to the bottom as I read the reviews...



I do like Orange Lake a lot because you can spend a whole week there and never get bored. Lots of pools, lots of golf, and lots of activities. The rooms are large and the one I stayed in was furnished nicely and it was in great shape. I don't like how big and spread out it is, but if it wasn't so big it wouldn't have so much to do. I am a year from being able to stay there again because of the 1 in 3 rule. I would gladly stay there again when I go to Orlando.

That being said, the best reasons that I am glad that I didn't buy it are:

1. I don't need any more weeks anywhere cause I already own way too many.

2. I don't go to Orlando every year.

3. The MF's are $731 and you can rent through Holiday Inn for about $1000 a week including taxes. No assesments or MF increases to worry about, and I can go any year I want for any week I would like to go if I rent from Holiday Inn rather than buy OLCC.

4. I don't like the fact that Holiday Inn took over because if you want to rent out your week they are too big of a competitor with their web site and name recognition. 

5.The Holiday Inn brand gives the perception of standard accomodations since that is what Holiday Inn usually is. The name Orange Lake Country Club resort would have a higher dollar rental appeal than Holiday Inn OLCC IMO.

6. There are so many great resorts in Orlando I have yet to try. Of course I want to try a Disney resort because everyone loves them and I would like to stay in one at least one time. Besides Disney there are the HGVC's, Vistana, Bonnett Creek, Summer Bay, and on and on that I should trade for to see different places and do different things.

7. Orlando is probably the easiest location to trade for. I can see Gold Crown resorts in the summer with weak traders that won't pull a beach week anywhere for any summer week. No reason to own where I can trade so easily.


OLCC is a great resort and I almost owned a great week for a great price, but thanks to TUGGER's help I don't own it. I am very thankful to all for slapping me back to reality. 

Can I e-mail ya'll before I go to eat a buffet because I am currently on a diet, or do ya'll only do timeshare interventions?


----------



## Steve (Feb 21, 2009)

tombo said:


> Can I e-mail ya'll before I go to eat a buffet because I am currently on a diet, or do ya'll only do timeshare interventions?



LOL.  I can't speak for the others, but I only do timeshare interventions.  While someone else is helping you avoid the calories....I may just stroll down to the local buffet myself before all the good stuff is gone!!!  (Everyone has their weaknesses.)

Steve


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 21, 2009)

*It Only Looks Like A Starting Bid of $1,000*




tombo said:


> The starting bid is $1000, so don't worry about me outbidding you. The starting bid has already outbid me.


Sure, the nominal opening bid amount = $1*,*000.  But that's semi-deceptive. 

That's because approximately $800 worth of paid-for 2009 usage goes to the new owner as part of the deal -- it's not the bid amount _plus_ $800 in annual fees, it's the bid amount _including_ that $800 or so that the seller already paid. 

So strip out the approximately $800 worth of 2009 annual use fees the buyer gets that are already paid by the seller & the actual opening bid price is more like $200. 

In other words, you pay only $200 more than the 2009 annual fee amount & you get this year's week-long vacation time at the resort _plus_ the deed (assuming the timeshare sells for no more than the opening no-reserve bid amount -- not a sure thing, but not a wild stretch either).

Shux, I've rented out what those eBay folks are selling for just about the same as their opening bid amount.  Not only that, I've rented out Phase Two (right across the street) for substantially more than this (so far unmet) opening bid amount for Phase One. 

So even though I absolutely don't need any more timeshares, is it any wonder this particular eBay offering set my whiskers a-twitching ? 

The main drawback is that by the time the dust settles on this auction & the follow-up ownership transfer, we'll be so far into 2009 that none of the good floating weeks will be left to reserve & many of the so-so weeks will already be spoken for as well. 

Something similar happened to us when we bought back in at Phase One (EEY) in 2006.  By the time we were the owners of record, nothing was left to reserve but a nice pre-Halloween October week.  So we grabbed that before it was gone, advertised the unit for rent, got no takers, & enjoyed a nice Phase One surprise vacation ourselves. 

Could history be about to repeat ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## gjw007 (Feb 21, 2009)

tombo said:


> 3. The MF's are $731 and you can rent through Holiday Inn for about $1000 a week including taxes. No assesments or MF increases to worry about, and I can go any year I want for any week I would like to go if I rent from Holiday Inn rather than buy OLCC.
> 
> 5.The Holiday Inn brand gives the perception of standard accomodations since that is what Holiday Inn usually is. The name Orange Lake Country Club resort would have a higher dollar rental appeal than Holiday Inn OLCC IMO.


The Holiday Inn Brand is both a positive and a negative as it is well known but unfortunately is not top tier; as you said, a perception of standard quality.  It has I believe prompted getting Internet access free on the resort.  Of course, it isn't Holiday Inn that will pay for this but the owners.


----------



## tombo (Feb 22, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> Sure, the nominal opening bid amount = $1*,*000.  But that's semi-deceptive.
> 
> That's because approximately $800 worth of paid-for 2009 usage goes to the new owner as part of the deal -- it's not the bid amount _plus_ $800 in annual fees, it's the bid amount _including_ that $800 or so that the seller already paid.
> 
> ...



You are not good for timeshare addicts. At $1000 I didn't even look at the auction. Now that it is really $200.............

I will not look. I am going to just keep repeating "I will not buy any more, I will not buy any more, I will not buy any more".....    Oops, I looked.


----------

