Holiday Inn Club Vacations - Orlando - Orange Lake Resort

[Ocean Girl 7]

Thinking of staying at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations - Orlando Orange Lakes Resort. If anyone has stayed there and can let me know about it, I would appreciate it!! Thanks!

 

[pragmaticCTcpl]

Where to begin..?

We've stayed in all four areas of OLCC (West Village, East Village, North Village, and River Island), and we're owners at River Island.

Having previously traded-in and stayed at (or visited) 13 of the time-share resorts in and around Orlando, we did not hesitate to buy at OLCC's River Island, and we're very happy to go there every year.

The units are true Gold Crown quality (even the West Village, now that all renovations are complete), as are all of the amenities and activities throughout the resort.

The resorts' property is bordered by Disney's, so traveling time to WDW is minimal, and depending on which village you're staying in, you may have the added benefit of being able to view the nightly fireworks shows at Epcot and/or Magic Kingdom from your unit's balcony.

Depending on your way of doing things, there are several restaurants at the resort, many more close by on Route 192, or, if you so choose, there is a Publix grocery store just outside the property for as much, or as little, as you may care to get to "dine-in."

Probably the best way of seeing what is there at the resort is to go to Orange Lake Resort's web site http://orangelake.com/home.html:// and look it over. RCI's site https://www.rci.com/RCI/ also has pictures, amenities, and reviews of all four of the areas at the resort. Just bear in mind that some of the reviews are prior to completion of renovations, several years ago.

If there is anything specific that you'd care to know about the resort, just ask...I'm sure those questions can be answered.

 

[threeblessings]

My BFF has stayed there twice and absolutely loves it. She stayed using Reward points for a free stay and said everything was perfect. I researched it thoroughly and found almost all good reviews (We also have points to use) We are going to stay at the DTD Holiday Inn because it is only 4 days and then we are going to a vacation home, so we can spread out there.

Sorry I don't have any specifics, but she was really pleased and highly recommended us staying there.

 

[kathy884]

Glad to here the positive comments. We'll be staying in a two bedroom in March (haven't stayed here before), but have seen good reviews on TUG2.net and are really looking forward to our stay.

 

[siobhan1997]

Glad to here the positive comments. We'll be staying in a two bedroom in March (haven't stayed here before), but have seen good reviews on TUG2.net and are really looking forward to our stay.

We will be there in March as well in a 3 bedroom in the River Island section. See you around the lazy river

 

[Ocean Girl 7]

I read some reviews elsewhere and they said you have to pay $20 before you can get your room key and that you also have to pay to use the pool? Both of those things sounded odd to me, so thought I'd check and see if anyone can clear that up. We are staying free with our Holiday Inn Priority Club points. What section would you recommend staying in at Orange Lake? Any other tips you have about the resort would be great too!! Thanks again!!

 

[LadyBeBop]

I read some reviews elsewhere and they said you have to pay $20 before you can get your room key and that you also have to pay to use the pool? Both of those things sounded odd to me, so thought I'd check and see if anyone can clear that up. We are staying free with our Holiday Inn Priority Club points.

Hmmm. Never heard of that. We've traded into Orange Lake through RCI, and we've never had to pay to get the key or to use the pool. We've had to put a refundable deposit on our credit card, but that's standard.

I think you'll enjoy it. OL is huge though, so you'll need a car. It's not real close to the parks though...not Bonnet Creek close. And I wouldn't think you'd be able to see the fireworks close from any point of the resort. I think it's adjacent to the furthest point of AK. But you'd still be travelling about 10 to 15 minutes to get to AK...or any of the parks.

Still like OL, and we'll probably stay there next time we go to Disney...probably 2013.

 

[AvaandJoshmom]

Love Orange Lake. We have stayed there four times.

I disagree with PP about the location. It is very close. I think from OL to AK took us 8 minutes. And 10-12 minutes to the other parks parking lots.

 

[webprinter]

We just left Orange Lakes West Village 2-3 weeks ago and loved it. Our unit was very nice. It was a one story unit that walked out onto the golf course. The pools were nice. They had a lot to do but we were there to golf and go to the parks. We were not charged for the pools and even went to the new one in River Island. We were not charged for the room key either. Everyone we encountered was very nice.

 

[aiken4mickey]

I am considering RCI exchange here...I too am wondering about charges that I will have...

Cost of floats & Cost to use a slide?

We will probably not be doing the parks and spending alot of time enjoying the property...so, I'd like to be prepared for the costs...I have 11 year old twins...and I'd like to be a "YES Mom" on vacation...so, any info is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[luckyj191]

Love, love, LOVE orange lake!! We will be down in 2 weeks staying *gasp* somewhere else (Westgate Lakes) because it was a last minute decision and couldn't trade into OL.

I think that the $20 that someone referred to on another board might have been if you agree to do the timeshare presentation, they collect a refundable $20 (their way of keeping you honest and not cancelling). If you agree to go, you will get the $20 in cash back after the presentation, along with whatever other 'perks' you get in exchange for going. It's certainly not mandatory to go to the presentation, so handing over the $20 obviously isn't mandatory either! I can't imagine what else the $20 'fee' to get the room key would be...

Have fun! You'll love Orange Lake!!

 

[luckyj191]

Also, from what I remember - the last time we stayed there, there was no charge to use the regular water slides or any of the pools, lazy rivers, etc.

There is a fee to use their tubes (and I think they are pretty strict in enforcing the rules of no outside tubes allowed, I have seen lifeguards tell families they can't use them before). I'm pretty sure that you pay a daily fee (or you can get something like a week pass) and get a wristband that allows use of the tube and this huge inflatable waterslide. We never purchased this, so I'm not sure of the prices, etc.

Sometimes we did find tubes that weren't in use at the time (since people would get a wristband, they wouldn't be careful to hold on to their tube once they had it - they could just flash the wristband to the lifeguard and get a new one when they were ready) and would use them for a lap around the lazy river, but I wouldn't say this was frequent enough to be counted on.


With the addition of River Island a few years ago, this is really one of the best pool areas in the Orlando area, in my opinion!!

 

[LadyBeBop]

I think that the $20 that someone referred to on another board might have been if you agree to do the timeshare presentation, they collect a refundable $20 (their way of keeping you honest and not cancelling). If you agree to go, you will get the $20 in cash back after the presentation, along with whatever other 'perks' you get in exchange for going. It's certainly not mandatory to go to the presentation, so handing over the $20 obviously isn't mandatory either! I can't imagine what else the $20 'fee' to get the room key would be...

Come to think of it, you're right. We did go to the timeshare presentation on Monday morning, and had to put down the $20 deposit. We weren't going to buy, but we were interested in how much the timeshares were going for. Plus we were able to buy discounted tickets at the end. We got Medieval Times for about half price. The $20 deposit went toward the MT tickets, so we only ended up paying about another $30.

Have fun! You'll love Orange Lake!!

 

[erinmomof2]

We were there a couple of months ago and I really didn't like it. I'm not sure why, we usually stay at similar places and this was by far my least favorite. It looks old, although they are in the process of updating. We had lizards in our unit, which I know can happen anywhere (although it never has for us), and I really didn't like that. The floats were I think $7 and the huge inflatable water slide was $3 per ride (you could buy a pass but I was pretty sure my DD would be terrified of it... and she was...so we decided to just buy the single ride).

The pool areas were nice, but I didn't like having to get in my car and drive to the pool. We may have just had a bad location, but the nearest pool was a 5 minute car ride. This doesn't sound bad, but I hated getting all 4 of us into the car all wet after swimming.

 

[TotoToo]

Hmmm. Never heard of that. We've traded into Orange Lake through RCI, and we've never had to pay to get the key or to use the pool. We've had to put a refundable deposit on our credit card, but that's standard.

I think you'll enjoy it. OL is huge though, so you'll need a car. It's not real close to the parks though...not Bonnet Creek close. And I wouldn't think you'd be able to see the fireworks close from any point of the resort. I think it's adjacent to the furthest point of AK. But you'd still be travelling about 10 to 15 minutes to get to AK...or any of the parks.

Still like OL, and we'll probably stay there next time we go to Disney...probably 2013.

It is a monster resort - so big you need to drive to its various on site amenities. Also it is WAY too far out -it borders another County! We have found this type of mega-resort isn't our favorite type f stay and we own one. Over the years we discovered that smaller, resorts that allow easy walks to services, amenities and sit in more central vs far out locales are more attractive to us. The units tend to be too variable (tough to keep thousands of units up to snuff) and things too spread out to really enjoy. There are a ton of features if that appeals to you. But even those fall short as we prefer a REAL waterpark such as Wet N Wild over the small, lmited waterpark type features of OLCC. All a matter of preference & taste I suppose. We aren't mega resort or OLCC fans.

 

[bucsfan1029]

Just got back from a 3 night stay at Orange Lake Resort. We are from Tampa so go to Orlando often...we regularly stay at Lake Eve, Floridays, Lake Buena Vista Resort and Spa, and World Quest. This was our first visit to the Orange Lake Resort. Overall, we were very impressed and will return again. We were able to use the pool and slides at River Island at no additional cost. As others have said, there are things that you have to pay extra for, such as pool floats, mini golf, and the big inflatable slide. The pool and lazy river at River Island were amazing!

There are numerous restaurants around the resort. Also, there are tons of restaurants just outside the property, so there are plenty of dining options. As for location, we actually preferred it over the other places we've stayed. We've been staying at resorts on or near International Drive for years now and the traffic only seems to get worse every time we go. Even though this hotel may have been a few miles further away, we found it to be very simple getting in and out and got to the parks very quickly. There was traffic, but nothing like the traffic you will experience in the DTD / Vineland area (especially on a Sat night!).

We had a great view of AK's Mt. Everest from our balcony, so that will tell you just how close the properties are. In fact, you can easily see the AK Lodge from the road just down the street form the hotel. We also were able to see the Epcot fireworks in the distance. Our room was in East Village, so as others mentioned, we had to make the long drive in and out of the resort. There are 2 entrances to the resort though, so that will save you some time once you figure out which is closer to you.

Overall, it was a nice stay and we would recommend it!

 

[jennyf2]

I'm so glad I found this thread...My son (16) is leaving on Friday for a week vacation with his best friends family & they are staying here. If I remember right they are in a 3 bedroom villa in the East section of the resort. He will have a GREAT time!!!!

 

[DisNikki]

We are staying in the North Village from 3/26-4/3 (actually two 2 bedroom units for 9 of us, one Sat-Sat and the other Sun-Sun). I'm excited to read the reviews I do have a couple questions for anyone who's been there recently...

1. A few people have said it's 10-15 minutes away from the parks. I'm wondering if you took a break from the parks in the afternoon and returned to the resort for a swim or nap? I'm hoping to do this (our 4 year old is still a napper) but wondering how feasible it will be.

2. How much are the play passes? I think that's what they're called...the 3 day or 7 day passes that let you play mini golf and/or get tubes?

3. Are towels provided at the pool or do you have to use your room towels? Sort of related to that, has anyone paid for the daily towel service and what was your experience?

4. Is the starter pack enough to get 5 people through one day? Basically I'm wondering if we should pack a few rolls of toilet paper haha We won't be able to grocery shop until our 2nd day.

5. I've read conflicting things about this - is there a "shortcut" connection between the resort and the west side of Disney via Hartzog road? Or is the only way to go down to 192 and over to World Drive?

6. How reliable is the wifi? My DH is considering paying a little extra to have his phone be able to be a wireless hotspot so we wouldn't have to rely on their wifi, but if it's good then we won't worry about it.

I'm sure I have more questions I'll post our experience when we return in early April!!!

 

[bucsfan1029]

We are staying in the North Village from 3/26-4/3 (actually two 2 bedroom units for 9 of us, one Sat-Sat and the other Sun-Sun). I'm excited to read the reviews I do have a couple questions for anyone who's been there recently...

1. A few people have said it's 10-15 minutes away from the parks. I'm wondering if you took a break from the parks in the afternoon and returned to the resort for a swim or nap? I'm hoping to do this (our 4 year old is still a napper) but wondering how feasible it will be.

2. How much are the play passes? I think that's what they're called...the 3 day or 7 day passes that let you play mini golf and/or get tubes?

3. Are towels provided at the pool or do you have to use your room towels? Sort of related to that, has anyone paid for the daily towel service and what was your experience?

4. Is the starter pack enough to get 5 people through one day? Basically I'm wondering if we should pack a few rolls of toilet paper haha We won't be able to grocery shop until our 2nd day.

5. I've read conflicting things about this - is there a "shortcut" connection between the resort and the west side of Disney via Hartzog road? Or is the only way to go down to 192 and over to World Drive?

6. How reliable is the wifi? My DH is considering paying a little extra to have his phone be able to be a wireless hotspot so we wouldn't have to rely on their wifi, but if it's good then we won't worry about it.

I'm sure I have more questions I'll post our experience when we return in early April!!!

Depending on the time of day that you are driving, 10-15 minutes sounds about right to get to and from the parks. I think it would be very feasible to leave the park and return later in the day. The only time it took us longer than that was on the way back to the resort on Sat night. Traffic was pretty heavy, but it's pretty much like that everywhere in the Orlando area on a Sat night.

Depending on where you are staying in the N Village, it may be faster to use the entrance and exit by River Island (you'll end up right by the Publix). We were in East Village and this saved us a ton of time.

As for the shortcut, I am not sure about Hartzog Rd, but we were able to use Sherberth Rd. You can take a left out of the resort and Shrberth will be about a mile up the road. You can easily see the top of AK Lodge from 192 on the left hand side, so you will know when you are getting close. Depending on where you are going within Disney, this way may be faster (especially is you are going to AK, as it drops you off right by the entrance).

We had no issues with WIFI at all. The sginal was strong. We had 2 laptops in our 2 bedroom suite with no issue. The starter pack should be plenty for one night. We stayed 3 nights in a 2 bedroom 2 bath (4 adults, 2 kids) and never ran out of toilet paper or paper towels.