# Orange Lake Points Question



## wptamo (Apr 30, 2009)

Hiya, I am considering purchasing a resale 2 bedroom at Orange lake. It is deeded for week XX. If I look up the resort, bedroom size, and week on the current RCI chart, is this the number of points I can expect Orange lake to deposit into my RCI points account when I choose to deposit and not to use the week?
Also does anyone know if there any hidden fees Orange lake charges to roll you week into points? 
And finally, is there also a hidden fee to convert a new purchase to an existing points account?

I actually called the RCI points guy and he said Orange lake is different and could not tell me how many points I would get for the week.. odd??

thanks,

Paul


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## sfwilshire (May 1, 2009)

You will likely be ask to pay a hefty conversion fee if the unit is not already on points (and maybe even if it is).

Sheila


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## wptamo (May 1, 2009)

thanks Sheila..
I have had to pass on this one...


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## Mel (May 1, 2009)

You cannot directly convert an Orange Lake week to points, unless you were the original purchaser, and even then there is a major upgrade fee.  Instead, you would be offered the option to purchase a new week through Holiday Inn Vacation Club, and grandfather in any other weeks you own.  The smallest package they are currently selling is an EOY week in the East Village for $14,500.  So much for your bargain!

If you were to do this, then yes, your points would be equal to the value on the RCI points chart.  Holiday Inn points convert 2 for 1 (I think it's 2 RCI points per HIVC point, but it might be the opposite).

If you already have a points account, because OLCC is a points resort, you cannot use a fixed OLCC week for points for deposit, so the only way to get points would be to convert.  I have not seen any OLCC points weeks available resale yet, and I don't know if they retain their points on resale, or if they would convert back to fixed weeks.  Time will tell - unless someone who has converted one of their weeks would care to comment, based on their own contract.


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## lawgs (May 1, 2009)

Mel said:


> You cannot directly convert an Orange Lake week to points, unless you were the original purchaser, and even then there is a major upgrade fee.  Instead, you would be offered the option to purchase a new week through Holiday Inn Vacation Club, and grandfather in any other weeks you own.  The smallest package they are currently selling is an EOY week in the East Village for $14,500.  So much for your bargain!
> 
> If you were to do this, then yes, your points would be equal to the value on the RCI points chart.  Holiday Inn points convert 2 for 1 (I think it's 2 RCI points per HIVC point, but it might be the opposite).
> 
> If you already have a points account, because OLCC is a points resort, you cannot use a fixed OLCC week for points for deposit, so the only way to get points would be to convert.  I have not seen any OLCC points weeks available resale yet, and I don't know if they retain their points on resale, or if they would convert back to fixed weeks.  Time will tell - unless someone who has converted one of their weeks would care to comment, based on their own contract.



2 orange lake global access points = 1 rci point

and supposedly so we were told the points conversion does not transfer with a resale, only if inherited by survivors


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## Jerrobbin (Jul 3, 2012)

I just returned from OL resort in Orlando and wnet through the whole conversion process (5 1/2 hours with a rep).  We purchased our fixed week from a friend two years ago and wanted to convert to points, since you can only use a fixed week for other fixed week exchanges through RCI, and not at a points resort,  I told the rep we wanted the flexibility of points and after a few high priced offers, she came up with the offer of selling us an additional 48,000 points a year (actually 96,000 every other year in West Village) for around $8,400. This allowed us to convert our two bedroom in the West Village, fourth week in June, into points. With the points, we can now have full access to RCI and the Priority One Club.  While it did make the paperwork take longer since we had a repurchased week, they did not want to lose our business in purchasing points, so they will allow you to convert your repurchased fixed week into points when you purchase additional points. The rep told me that we were "lucky" since they had a package with a smaller number of points in inventory to resell at a "good" price.  She iimplied that these were points that were sold back to the resort from an previous owner.


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## garyferg (Jul 3, 2012)

Jerrobbin said:


> I just returned from OL resort in Orlando and wnet through the whole conversion process (5 1/2 hours with a rep).  We purchased our fixed week from a friend two years ago and wanted to convert to points, since you can only use a fixed week for other fixed week exchanges through RCI, and not at a points resort,  I told the rep we wanted the flexibility of points and after a few high priced offers, she came up with the offer of selling us an additional 48,000 points a year (actually 96,000 every other year in West Village) for around $8,400. This allowed us to convert our two bedroom in the West Village, fourth week in June, into points. With the points, we can now have full access to RCI and the Priority One Club.  While it did make the paperwork take longer since we had a repurchased week, they did not want to lose our business in purchasing points, so they will allow you to convert your repurchased fixed week into points when you purchase additional points. The rep told me that we were "lucky" since they had a package with a smaller number of points in inventory to resell at a "good" price.  She iimplied that these were points that were sold back to the resort from an previous owner.



I am not familiar with the above process. HICV Orange Lake is an RCI Points resort, Points are obtained by converting HIVC points to RCI at a 2:1 ratio. But be advised to use the you have to book through HIVC not RCI. So this can complicate things and limit your choices.


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## aliikai2 (Jul 3, 2012)

*If HIVC points are your goal*

Buy either South Beach, or Lake Geneva WI . These are points and transfer as such as they were never fixed weeks. Much better than paying OLHIVC a ton to convert. We bought 850,000 HIVC points for under $500 closing included. Greg


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## Mel (Jul 4, 2012)

garyferg said:


> I am not familiar with the above process. HICV Orange Lake is an RCI Points resort, Points are obtained by converting HIVC points to RCI at a 2:1 ratio. But be advised to use the you have to book through HIVC not RCI. So this can complicate things and limit your choices.



Orange Lake was not originally xold as points, so any resale of a week in any aprt of the resort other than River Iasland will be sold as a week, without HIVC POINT  membership.  They haveto be converted.

Yes,reservations must be made through HIVC, but that is the same as with any other mini system.  

I wouldn't consider $8,000 luck, that is simply the price they offered.  They have plenty of those packages, because they get owners to turn theirolder weeks in and upgrade to River Island.  Last time we were there they offered to creditour original purchase price of our WestVillage unit if we upgraded.  Amounted to 6,000 off the starting price.  Haggle a bitand you can get that withoutturning inyour old week.  Never allow yourself to sound too interested!


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## Mel (Jul 4, 2012)

If you can still back out, itwould be far cheaper to purchase a wek at a resort where HIVC is taking over management.  They are offering $104 conversion, and will roll in existing Orange Lake weeks. Timing has to be right though.


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## PL Florida (Jul 8, 2012)

*Points from South Beach*



aliikai2 said:


> Buy either South Beach, or Lake Geneva WI . These are points and transfer as such as they were never fixed weeks. Much better than paying OLHIVC a ton to convert. We bought 850,000 HIVC points for under $500 closing included. Greg



How did you find or purchase this amount of points for under $500?  Please tell me procedure.  Thank you.


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## PL Florida (Jul 8, 2012)

Mel said:


> If you can still back out, itwould be far cheaper to purchase a wek at a resort where HIVC is taking over management.  They are offering $104 conversion, and will roll in existing Orange Lake weeks. Timing has to be right though.



Are you talking about the new resort in Panama City Beach, FL?  So you buy a week there, then you can convert to points for $104 and they roll your Orange Lake into it as well?

Thank you all, I am in Orange Lake now getting the pressure to convert to points.


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## Mel (Jul 9, 2012)

Yes, Tropical Breeze, though I think there was a date by which you have to be the owner of record, and I don't know if that has passed yet.  I do know they won't be offering the conversions to us until later in the fall - I called and asked.

When I called, they said the fee would be $100 (I just checked, the $104 s the annual club membership fee), and would include everything we own that is eligible - meaning our 2BR in West Village as well as our 2 weeks at Tropical Breeze.  We might not do it, because our Tropical Breeze weeks are more valuable as weeks traders (or at least appear to be).  Our Spring Break 1BR in Panama City Beach gets us the same TPU as our week 40 at Orange Lake, but will be fewer points as a comparison (101,000/50,500 RCI points vs 127,000/63.500 in West Village) - I don't know if the Panama City Beach is undervalued, or Orlando is overvalued (I know there are many who would argue the latter).

More information about the conversion process is available here

If you want to look into a week at Tropical Breeze, I can access listings on our HOA website, and forward the information to you (some ask for reasonable offer, those with asking price range from $1,500 up).

I like the idea of South Beach or Lake Geneva even better, though I don't know if they would roll an existing Orange Lake week in, or if that would have to remain in weeks.


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