OLCC - best area to request?

[lamb]

I'm sending family members to OLCC in May. What section is best to request? They would most enjoy proximity to pools. They are not golfers. One couple in their late 20's/early 30's without children. Newer rooms are preferred. I appreciate any advice.

 

[timetraveler]

I'm sending family members to OLCC in May. What section is best to request? They would most enjoy proximity to pools. They are not golfers. One couple in their late 20's/early 30's without children. Newer rooms are preferred. I appreciate any advice.

Which section best to request totally depends on the interests of the vacationer.

If you want alot of activities very close to your unit....then you would like staying in the West Village close to the clubhouse. It is a absolute bee hive of activity. Olympic pool complex, lake activities, movie theater, arcade, etc.

If you want festive but lower key with a really nice pool complex and outdoor lite fare restaurant.....then you would like staying in the North Village.

If you want peaceful and quiet......then the East Village which is nestled in one of our golf courses, combined with a very nice clubhouse and restaurant.....and a smaller more quiet pool would be a good spot.

The interior of OL's units are never older than 6 years. We refurbish the soft goods and paint inside our units on a very aggressive schedule.

As far as requests go.....they are handled in this order:

1. owner
2. exchanger
3. referral/rental


The exception is the brand new River Island units. Those can only be requested by the owners of those units.

 

[JLB]

What size unit?

Requests typically are not honored for exchangers, although there have been varying reports on that. Some say requests are honored at check-in and some say they aren't.

There have been many threads discussing OL's policy in this regard, and it is still unclear what it is. I contacted them myself and the head mucky-muck was going to get back to me, to clear this up, and he never did.

Even if you request an area, say because of pools, you could still be a long way from a pool, more than a casual walk. The East Village only has one pool and one hot tub and it is a long way, approximately 4-6 blocks, from the other end of the East Village to it. Similar in the North Village and the West Village.

There has been no method posted to assure that you get a recently updated unit. Some like what they get and some are really upset.

In our case I have made requests by phone or email prior to arriving and have never been given what we requested. The last time when I requested in advance they told me to make that request at check-in. At check-in, which was very hectic with quite a few folks that had been overbooked into OL because of hurricane cancellations elsewhere, I was told once a unit is assigned that is the end of it.

All that said, we have never gotten a bad unit at OL. We just have never figured out a way to get located where we want.

 

[gjw007]

The suggestions of Timetraveler and JLB should be helpful. Given the age of your group and no children, I think the West Village might be preferred due to the Olympic-size pool and the activities at the lake. The West area is the oldest area of the three sections but the Tennis Villas (in the West Village) are about 7 or 8 years old (I think they were built in 1997/1998) and are close to the pool. As a comparison, the North Village is about 6 years old (I think these were built 1999/2000) and the oldest units in the East Village around 4 years old (built around 2001/2002). These should be roughly correct within a year. JLB has posted some interesting information on this site with more accurate date information. Like JLB, I've stayed in all units (including the studios in the clubhouse) and I have yet to have a bad unit.

 

[timetraveler]

you have the dates correct Gary. You get a sticker today!

 

[JLB]

Another relatively newer area in the oldest West Village is Southern Magnolia Court. We've never stayed there, because there are no 3-bedroom units there, but I like the looks of it.

First, it is newer. Then, it is convenient, the first street in the main entrance. It is fairly close to the West Clubhouse, beach, Olympic pool, etc. But most importantly, it has it's own pool and hot tub, and relatively few people go to use that pool plex.

 

[lawgs]

timetraveler

with respect to river island, you say only owners of those units can get that area....

question

will week(s) they own in other sections and which they have used to exchange into OLCC get them preference for the river island section ( knowing of course this would all depend upon availability ) ?

this would be sorta like "grandfathering" the weeks you already own with a purchase in the new phase?

 

[timetraveler]

timetraveler

with respect to river island, you say only owners of those units can get that area....

question

will week(s) they own in other sections and which they have used to exchange into OLCC get them preference for the river island section ( knowing of course this would all depend upon availability ) ?

this would be sorta like "grandfathering" the weeks you already own with a purchase in the new phase?

With regards to being an existing owner and adding a new purchase of a River Island week....you would be able to exchange your deeded River Island week for a different week back into River Island. As far as your existing weeks in other sections, my understanding is that you will NOT be able to use those weeks to get into River Island.

Now....with any responsible corp/company....I know this policy will be reviewed with time...and possibly change to allow owners that own both River Island units and other village units to use those weeks to exchange into River Island too. But until TPTB can have some time to see how River Island occupancy goes....I expect current policy to stay as it is.

 

[gjw007]

With regards to being an existing owner and adding a new purchase of a River Island week....you would be able to exchange your deeded River Island week for a different week back into River Island. As far as your existing weeks in other sections, my understanding is that you will NOT be able to use those weeks to get into River Island.

Now....with any responsible corp/company....I know this policy will be reviewed with time...and possibly change to allow owners that own both River Island units and other village units to use those weeks to exchange into River Island too. But until TPTB can have some time to see how River Island occupancy goes....I expect current policy to stay as it is.

Vickie;

That is not my understanding. True, only River Island owners can request units in River Island and OLCC will not allow the upgrading an owner's unit from one section to the River Island but they will let River Island owners who own in other sections to exchange those units into River Island. I specifically asked this question when given the presentation on River Island. I think they did this to encourage owners to purchase into River Island as an additional week and it provides some addition incentive to do so as their other weeks could be exchanged into River Island.

 

[Carl D]

With regards to being an existing owner and adding a new purchase of a River Island week....you would be able to exchange your deeded River Island week for a different week back into River Island. As far as your existing weeks in other sections, my understanding is that you will NOT be able to use those weeks to get into River Island.

Now....with any responsible corp/company....I know this policy will be reviewed with time...and possibly change to allow owners that own both River Island units and other village units to use those weeks to exchange into River Island too. But until TPTB can have some time to see how River Island occupancy goes....I expect current policy to stay as it is.

Even if only one River Island owner deposited their River Island week, wouldn't that cause things to be out of balance?
If nobody could take that unit, and all others were full... Well that would mean the deposited week is useless.

With that said, I know very little about the exchange game, but that just seems to be the law of mathematics.

 

[timetraveler]

Vickie;

That is not my understanding. True, only River Island owners can request units in River Island and OLCC will not allow the upgrading an owner's unit from one section to the River Island but they will let River Island owners who own in other sections to exchange those units into River Island. I specifically asked this question when given the presentation on River Island. I think they did this to encourage owners to purchase into River Island as an additional week and it provides some addition incentive to do so as their other weeks could be exchanged into River Island.

Your info came from the ahem....sales dept, am I right, Gary?
That's not the info that came in November.

I see a huge problem with the scenario you were told by the sales dept. Especially in the early going of these units. Many of we OL owners hold multiple weeks. If I were to purchase a River Island unit (which we don't intend to), and then am given the opportunity to use our multiple weeks in the other phases......I myself could lock up several weeks worth of River Island units. What about all the River Islands owner's that ONLY own one OL week and it's in River Island? We multiple unit owners could "shut them out".

As I said earlier....I do think this issue will be revisited once TPTB see how supply/demand of these units goes.

The sales dept has no authority regarding policy at OL. Me thinks you had a mis-formed/sales person! In the world of timeshare presentations? Surely not!

 

[timetraveler]

I know very few OL owner's that actually consistently use the week they purchased. So, in your scenario, I don't see a problem. Most and probably another R.I. owner would exchange into the deposited unit.

Also...the maintenance fees for R.I. are considerably higher than other phases. This is because of a more upscale type of customer service. Sort of like the "club" floor at 5 star hotels. I guess if I owned ONLY in R.I., and paid the higher fees, I'd be alittle torked at the fact that owner's of other phases with lower maintenance fees were given my perks free. So I have no problem with the fact that the new R.I. owners get something I don't.

 

[timetraveler]

Another relatively newer area in the oldest West Village is Southern Magnolia Court. We've never stayed there, because there are no 3-bedroom units there, but I like the looks of it.

First, it is newer. Then, it is convenient, the first street in the main entrance. It is fairly close to the West Clubhouse, beach, Olympic pool, etc. But most importantly, it has it's own pool and hot tub, and relatively few people go to use that pool plex.

The area you call Souther Magnolia Court is called "The Highrises". OL broke ground on the highrises in the summer of 1994. They started occupancy in early 1995.

 

[gjw007]

Your info came from the ahem....sales dept, am I right, Gary?
That's not the info that came in November.

I see a huge problem with the scenario you were told by the sales dept. Especially in the early going of these units. Many of we OL owners hold multiple weeks. If I were to purchase a River Island unit (which we don't intend to), and then am given the opportunity to use our multiple weeks in the other phases......I myself could lock up several weeks worth of River Island units. What about all the River Islands owner's that ONLY own one OL week and it's in River Island? We multiple unit owners could "shut them out".

As I said earlier....I do think this issue will be revisited once TPTB see how supply/demand of these units goes.

The sales dept has no authority regarding policy at OL. Me thinks you had a mis-formed/sales person! In the world of timeshare presentations? Surely not!

If the sales department is making is this claim and doesn't hold it up, then there are some legal problems for OLCC. I was told this in August and again confirmed in December. The key is availability and I would think that the RI owners that wanted to exchange a RI unit into RI would be given first choice and other RI owners second choice. I'm wondering how well thought out the policies really are. I do agree that the issue will be revisited in the future. The more interesting part is the inconsistent information that seems to be given out.

 

[timetraveler]

Inconsistent information regarding sales dept people has never surprised me. Unfortunately in the timeshare world it is the norm. That's why the annual meetings are very important. The information given at the annual owner's meetings is totally on target.

I too will be very interested to see how the new policy regarding R.I. units plays out.

 

[gjw007]

Inconsistent information regarding sales dept people has never surprised me. Unfortunately in the timeshare world it is the norm. That's why the annual meetings are very important. The information given at the annual owner's meetings is totally on target.

I too will be very interested to see how the new policy regarding R.I. units plays out.

So true! And they don't publish the information from the owners' meeting either. All you get is an invitation to attend and of course, the proxy vote cards if you can't make it. The proxy vote cards really mean nothing if you aren't given any information on which to make a decision.

 

[JLB]

Highrises, huh?

A rose is still a rose by any other name.

That must be a term used to describe Southern Magnolia Court by just a small group of elite, insider owners. Orange Lake itself does not see fit to label that area that way on their map. First time I've heard that, and you know I've been hanging around the place close to 20 years.

I can see how it might be confusing, there being so many other highrises in other areas.

If it was a commonly-used term, surely that would show up on Google. But when I googled highrises, Orange Lake resort, all I found was reference to the generic usage of the word, such as this review:

"We went to Orange Lake on an RCI exchange. We had a First Class, Gold Crown exchange, but Orange Lake treated us as if we had a steerage exchange. Orange Lake has three tiers of accommodations: Villa, high rises and "Guest". We were assigned to "Guest" accommodations because we were not Orange Lake owners. RCI has a policy that you get equivalent accommodations when you go through their exchange program, so we didn't worry. The "Guest" accommodations we were assigned to were worn and musty, definitely not at our level of exchange. I have seen better two star accommodations. . . I have done a lot of traveling around the world. I know the difference between a resort and a motel with a pool. This place is a moderate motel with several pools. We stayed once, but not again.
"

the rest of which can be found here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...esort_and_Country_Club-Kissimmee_Florida.html

 

[timetraveler]

Highrises, huh?

A rose is still a rose by any other name.

That must be a term used to describe Southern Magnolia Court by just a small group of elite, insider owners. Orange Lake itself does not see fit to label that area that way on their map. First time I've heard that, and you know I've been hanging around the place close to 20 years.



No, not by a small group of elite, inside owners. OL does see fit to call them that.

We started staying in the highrises in 1995 shortly after they started occupancy. At that time, they were the only highrises in OL. Hence the name during planning, construction and thereafter.

Once the multiple story units were constructed next to the clubhouse, OL named them the Tennis Villas. So we now have the highrises and the Tennis Villas. Next came the multiple story units in the East Village. Those units are just called the East Village units. And finally the brand new River Island multiple story units named River Island.

I'm not surprised it's the first time you have heard it. Hanging around is bound to cause confusion. That's the down side of looking thru the glass instead of being inside. And that's what Tug is for....owners of their own resorts making sure other tuggers have the most up to date and correct info, so they can make an informed decision.

 

[JLB]

I'm thankful to find out why I am confused~~~the hanging around thing.

Perhaps that's why opossums act so goofy, get run over and stuff.

 

[JLB]

Lamb:

If you are still checking back, you might want to go check this out:


http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...esort_and_Country_Club-Kissimmee_Florida.html


It's interesting in how close that site is to comments posted here. Most are pleased with their stays at Orange Lake, but those who are not, really are not. Their complaints are the same as those voiced here: Unit location, age and cleanliness of unit, bugs, service, being lied to, size of resort . . .

So you seem to be warranted in expressing your concerns before going.

 

[Mel]

If the sales department is making is this claim and doesn't hold it up, then there are some legal problems for OLCC. I was told this in August and again confirmed in December. The key is availability and I would think that the RI owners that wanted to exchange a RI unit into RI would be given first choice and other RI owners second choice. I'm wondering how well thought out the policies really are. I do agree that the issue will be revisited in the future. The more interesting part is the inconsistent information that seems to be given out.

Gary, I was told almost the same thing as you but not exactly.

We were told that River Island internal exchanges would get River Island (obviously, if more RI owners exchange back in than weeks are available they will have to be put somewhere else). Priority after that goes to owners of RI units who are exchanging back with other weeks. Nobody else will be allowed into River Island. Of course, that begs the question of what happens if more RI owners exchange out than in, but I don't see that happening the first couple of years. And even if it does, the number of units is relatively small, and they may in fact let them be the units that sit empty, or they may put referrals in there hoping they will buy. I know our salesman was very careful in his word selection, and did not state categorically that RI owners would always be able to exchange back into RI.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Our stay on So. Magnolia Ct. was not stellar.

I was surprised to hear how "young" these units are because we stayed there in January of 2003 and were extremely disappointed in our unit, which was unit # 2624.

This unit had ugly, turquoise tiles throughout with white grout that was turning dark gray, plus many of the tiles were loose, especially in the hallway. We had bugs in our bathroom and kitchen, a broken oven handle, stained furniture, plus the unit smelled of cigarette smoke.

There were other issues, but I don't think most people have the same experiences we did. I think there was shoddy workmanship involved in some of the buildings. We may have stayed at OLCC just before a "soft goods replacement" that I understand is done every six years. The interior of the unit did need updating.

Cheap rental prices and consequent constant use between rentals and exchanges is obviously hard on the upholstery and carpet. I do not understand why a renter or owner would allow their kids to jump on the furniture or spill whatever liquid on the cushions and not at least make an attempt to clean it. They wouldn't just let spills go at home, so why treat someone else's vacation home that way?

We are going to stay at OLCC again, possibly next January or the year after, but I will insist on a nicer unit, perhaps we will just grab a three-bedroom week from RCI, in order to get something newer. We really enjoy a whirlpool tub for two, which is an amenity that is very important to us (we have a regular whirlpool tub and a whirlpool for two at home), but unit #2624 had only a small porcelain tub (much smaller than our regular-sized fiberglass tub) with a few jets. The jets were not maintained, which is all I will say about that.

I also had to request a hair dryer because they did not provide one. They did bring me one and picked it up from our unit before we checked out.

Perhaps we won't bother again at OLCC because there are so many choices in Orlando, with more being added all the time, although the RCI points for OLCC are very low compared to most other Orlando resorts, which will influence our decisions somewhat.

The one-in-three and one-in-four RCI rules will keep us from Summer Bay for a while. What a shame! Now that was a lovely resort! We are also II members and stay in Marriotts as often as we have weeks available for those trades.

 

[JLB]

Of course, that begs the question of what happens if more RI owners exchange out than in, but I don't see that happening the first couple of years.

Granted, one would expect new RI owners to be enthralled with their purchase and use it themselves, but given OL's sales practice of offering, pushing, just the current product, now RI, and not even wanting to talk about anything else, even if you beg them, some of the RI owners will deposit their weeks immediately. Not everyone will buy because they want to use it every year.

Some will buy because it is such a sound financial investment. The sales people will tell them how much prices are going up. Then a couple years from now there will be RI units on the Internet for less than half what they are selling for new now.

It will be just like the East Village has been since it was first opened. It has been the only product being pushed for several years now, prior to RI taking over that role, but plenty of East Village weeks go to RCI and there are EV units for sale on the Internet for bargain basement prices, relative to prices at the resort.

 

[JLB]

We are going to stay at OLCC again, possibly next January or the year after . . . Perhaps we won't bother again at OLCC because there are so many choices in Orlando, with more being added all the time, although the RCI points for OLCC are very low compared to most other Orlando resorts, which will influence our decisions somewhat.

Because of a recent question concerning Orlando 3-bedroom units, I've been checking on them. OL has the most availability, and most often. You can even get one for the highly-coveted Christmas week if you know what you're doing. Yesterday I found two resorts with 3-bedroom units available for Christmas, 2007. For a peak summer Week in 2007, I saw five, all good, quality resorts, stuff like Houses at Summer Bay.

So, as is said here often, even with the phony trading restrictions there's no shortage of good stuff for Orlando, most of the time. It's not like they have the supply/demand equation in their favor.

I noticed that about the Points, too. In my recent foray into Weeks v. Points, I noticed other resorts' 3-bedroom units at more than twice what OL's are.

 

[timetraveler]

Come on down, Cindy.....we love having you. I love meeting exchangers, domestic and international.

As the friendly voice response say's when you call the toll free number......"It's a beautiful day at OLCC"!!