Orange Lake Resort West Village?

[PoppyGirl]

A friend of mine just offered me a week at her timeshare Orange Lake Resort West for free. (we only pay the guest fee which I think is $80)

I have reservations at POFQ for DD and I. We are going with my BFF and her DD for a girls only trip. BFF is planning to stay at another resort but we could all stay together at the timeshare. It's a 2BR/2BA.

Here are my questions:

Cost of room only at POFQ is about $500 with no cost for rental car or parking as we would use Disney transportation.
Cost of the timeshare is about $80, plus parking at WDW ($14/day), plus rental car (at least $150), plus tolls, plus the headache of driving. But we would also have access to a full kitchen.

OR use only the shuttles from the airport and the resort to and from the parks....$13 round trip to the parks plus I think $17 per person to and from MCO.

Our plan was to go Feb. 12-16. Check-in for the timeshare is Feb. 11. Can we leave early?

Is it worth it???? How is the resort? Has anyone used the shuttles there? It looks to me like it costs $13 per person round trip for the shuttles to the parks.

If BFF doesn't stay with us at the timeshare, I will pay for all those extras. If she does stay with us, it seems much more worth it to me as we could share the cost of the car/parking etc.

I've only ever stayed on Disney property so I don't know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I would stay onsite with just two people. The added expense of parking and rental cars as well as loosing emh privileges makes this a no brainer. When we go as a family of 5, with 3 teenagers, we often stay offsite as we need two bedrooms and bathrooms and the ability to cook a couple of meals saves a lot with 3 men eating. I have even stayed at Orange Lake and would definitely stay there again. Avoid any offsite shuttles as you are stuck to their schedule and not yours. Taking a cab is a better options and not much more expensive if you do decide to stay there and not rent a car. For you and your dd I think onsite is the best answer unless you reallly want to say with your friends. Have a great trip!

 

[Purseval]

I would stay onsite with just two people. The added expense of parking and rental cars as well as loosing emh privileges makes this a no brainer.

Speaking of no brainers, you've already saved $172 before you start figuring the money you save on food, and that's assuming your friend doesn't chip in. You save a lot more if she does. Add in that you go from a cramped room to 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and probably a deck/sunroom, don't have to rely on Disney transportation and don't have to worry about waking DD while you enjoy some girl time with BFF. Is EMH worth that much to you?

 

[PoppyGirl]

I don't really care that much about EMH but I don't plan to cook (other than eating breakfast in the room) as I like to eat at the parks and resorts while at Disney.

The part that's feeling stressful to me is driving and parking at all the parks. I actually enjoy the disney transportation system. The one time I rented a car it was really stressful for me driving around--and DH won't be there.

No one has answered my question about the shuttles at the timeshare so I don't really know what to expect there.

And as I researched more today about that resort, the reviews are all over the map--some people had great experiences and others had nightmare experiences. It's hard to know what to expect.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Yes, I did answer your shuttle question. You are stuck on their schedule, not yours. If you don't want to drive a rental car I would consider taking a cab. With only two people the extra room is not a huge deal. She said she is not planning on cooking. I would stay onsite unless her friend is definitely spltting the cost with her and money is an issue.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Yes, I did answer your shuttle question. You are stuck on their schedule, not yours. If you don't want to drive a rental car I would consider taking a cab. With only two people the extra room is not a huge deal. She said she is not planning on cooking. I would stay onsite unless her friend is definitely spltting the cost with her and money is an issue.

Oh sorry! I guess you did say that. The cabs can't take you that close to the park entrances......not as close as the Disney bus.

I guess I sort of sound like I'm convincing myself, eh?

Thanks!

 

[swilshire]

This is not my favorite Orlando area resort, but I would definitely do it for the extra space. I also really like having my own kitchen. Even if you never cook, you can keep sodas and sandwich stuff. We always eat breakfast at the resort before heading out. Yogurt and a muffin "at home" is much quicker than standing in line and definitely cheaper. I also like being able to freeze my "blue ice" every night for the cooler we carry into the park with sodas and snacks.

I really dislike being in a room only, because it limits your activities. I wake up early but feel obligated to leave the lights off until everybody else wakes up. Can't tell you how many times I've sat on the bathroom floor reading until the troops wake up. My husband, on the other hand, likes to stay up late watching tv. Much simpler to have a timeshare unit than a motel room. Plus, you'd have three televisions in a 2br timeshare. No fights over what show to watch during the little time you're in the room.

On the other hand, it sounds like you really dislike the driving, so why even consider doing it if you won't be comfortable. It IS vacation. Personally, I find Orlando one of the easier cities to drive around in, but it's not my vacation.

The only tolls would be to and from the airport and you can avoid all but one of them if you want to take a little longer and drive down Sand Lake Rd.

Sheila