Warning don't stay at Orange Lake!

[Cdn Gal]

My godfather who owns a timeshare at BC but has 1 week at RCI just got back from Orange Lake. (last Sunday) It was a horrible experience! When they pulled back the bedsheets they found a very used condom by the pillow. When they went and complained and asked for a room change the girl at the front desk made it sound like it wasn't a big thing and that they were just being picky. OK he was travelling with his grandchild and they were just lucky that the two year old didn't climb into bed first. After 1 hour they had their room changed, got in and again had to change b/c of the smell. (smoke)Finally they changed again, but were put into the older part of the hotel. My godfather is writing a letter of complaint b/c of how they were treated by the front desk. They did like the pool though!

 

[Paxtrist]

I'm so sorry to hear that your Godfather had a bad experience there. We were there in October and had no problems at all. We stayed in a 2 bedroom and everything was really clean and everyone was very friendly.

 

[Faldred]

I stayed at Orange Lake in 2002 and enjoyed it very much. It's always possible to have a bad experience anywhere (even the WDW resorts!), don't let a single anecdote tarnish the reputation of an entire operation.

One tip, though, any time you stay at a timeshare resort, especially one that is actively selling units, make sure to unplug the room phone(s) ASAP to avoid getting calls all week.

 

[jeff968]

We had trouble with Orange Lake as well when we stayed there a few years ago. We won't be going back.

 

[TnTWalter]

EEK...YUCK..

What a shame.

My friend just got back and had a good time. Such a bummer. The front desk lady should have handled it better and it would have made all the difference.

Makes you wonder...did the maid not make the bed or was the 'deposit' made after the rooms were cleaned?? Either way.....

 

[cglaura]

I'm sorry that happened, that had to have been gross. But have to agree things can happen anywhere. I've stayed at Orange Lake many times when my (ex) in-laws owned there. No problems ever, great stay.

My only problem at a place was actually OKW when I used to own DVC, I swiped my hand under the couch looking for dd's crayon and cut myself on a huge shard of glass, needing stitches & a shot just in case. For Disney sake though they handled it well and got me the help I needed quickly. And I got a free mug for my trouble

So anyhoo, stuff happens. Anywhere, anytime. Humans make mistakes. Though the rude front desk lady, no excuse for that.

 

[BarbieGal457]

I stayed at Orange Lake in 2002 and enjoyed it very much. It's always possible to have a bad experience anywhere (even the WDW resorts!), don't let a single anecdote tarnish the reputation of an entire operation.

I agree. I stayed there in January of 2008 with no problems. It can happen anywhere!

 

[MiaSRN62]

It's always possible to have a bad experience anywhere (even the WDW resorts!), don't let a single anecdote tarnish the reputation of an entire operation.

I agree it can happen anywhere....even disney. Friends of mine had a problem at POP. They found a used feminie hygeine product in their bed. Difference was, though, disney front desk handled it very well. They didn't downplay as the OP said Orange Lake front desk did. They got free night stay and a dinner voucher I believe.
Also, in reference to the smoke smell. Has OL not gone smoke free yet ? My Vistana timeshare is smoke free inside the villas now. You can smoke out on your balcony. But they warn now about fees and surcharges if your villa requires extra deodorizing after your departure due to smoke. Just curious what OL's policy is now ?

 

[PhotobearSam]

That is horrible...We have stayed there 3 times (one in old section and twice in the new sections) and loved ours stays 100%. We have always compared every other timeshare to Orange Lake...since for us it was the best.

So sorry to hear that the front Desk dropped the ball.

If it would have been my front desk, I would have sent housekeeping to check the new unit to make sure everything was perfect...and I would have given that night free as well as something else. No excuses...Thank goodness that my staff is so good...I have yet to have a major complaint in 7 years. Knock on wood...

 

[steelebug]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. We stayed there 3 times this year and had nothing short of a wonderful time. We too have stayed in the West Village and River Island sections and everything has been clean and the staff friendly.

 

[Head_in_the_clouds]

I have to say that what your godfather experienced doesn't surprise me. We stayed there in 2005 and at first thought the rooms (brand new) were beautiful and thought we had struck gold. However as things went on we became more and more uncomfortable with staying at Orange Lake, the staff were intimidating and unhelpful and some of the clientele at the resort seemed to be undesirables - I think alot of people were getting a weeks free stay if they attended a timeshare presentation and so it was attracting people that were a bit rough. There is too much to go into. We were glad to get out of there. The second week we were moved into the older building (the staff were very unhelpful and said we HAD to move to a smaller unit the 2nd week as we were a party of 3) and on the last night of our stay there my Mom was using the communal laundry facilities at about 10pm when a man came in and started telling her how good she smelled and making her feel uncomfortable until she felt very threatened - there was no one around to call for help and she ended up running out - she really thought she was going to be assaulted. She got my Dad to take her to collect the load out of the machine and the man was still hanging around. Im sure you can have issues at any place but we really didn't feel safe at Orange Lake for a number of reasons, we also felt like the staff didn't care and so we would never stay there again. And also just DON'T be lured into a timeshare presentation - they will not let you out of there and will be aggressive when you try to leave - I felt like we were being investigated by the CIA!

 

[swilshire]

We also found the staff to be pretty disappointing when we stayed there a few years ago. It wouldn't be my first choice for another visit.

We did tour there in October with no problem. We had time to kill and they offered $100 Universal bucks, which we wanted to buy tickets for our two college kids.

Sheila

 

[hegsag]

That's disgusting. We actually just got back from Orange Lake Resort a few weeks ago and had a completely different experience there. We had a fabulous time and are looking forward to next winter's vacation.

My parents stayed at River Island section last year and their room was gorgeous! We stayed in two seperate villas this year (a 2 bedroom for 3 nights and a 3 bedroom for 7 nights). Both were in the East Village but varied in upkeep tremendously. The people that worked at the resort were extremely friendly and helful to us. The last villa had that we stayed in had a problem with the AC. I called down to the front desk at 8 pm & they had someone at my villa within 10 minutes. I had just put my 2 year old son to bed and they made sure not to make too much noise - no ringing the door bell and knocking softly.

I have to agree with some other posters that this can happen anywhere. I have numerous Marriott points and was going to stay at one of their resorts last year that came highly recommended from someone on the board. Well, the villa they had reserved for us was digusting & the whole section we were to stay in was uncleanly that I never ended up staying there. The person that recommended the resort said that he always had a different experience than I when he stays there.