Orange Lake ResortRental Guest Reviews

Birthday Vacation

We were excited to treat our grandchildren to Disney for their birthdays. I discovered Orange Lake Resort online through Holiday Inns. I read the reviews and most of the comments were positive. We used the villa we reserved for four nights but spent most of our time at the parks. When we arrived the check in was speedy and the staff was pleasant. Once we said we were not interested in a 90 minute tour of the grounds, we were not bothered again about the tour. Our villa was clean and all the appliances were in good working condition. We were missing a coffee maker, but my husband called the desk and a coffee maker was delivered in a timely manner. We stayed on the water park and the grandchildren loved the pool and giant hippo slide. We definitely would like to visit again and enjoy the villa without the theme parks...just my husband and myself next time!!

Had a great time!

Checking in does consume 3-4 minutes asking about a tour for tickets. Just say no, unless you have extra time because the parks are expensive! The pool is included but the lazy river tubes are extra. at least you get a bracelet and can go back later same day. My family had a blast there! Its worth the expense, at least one day! Hubby & son played golf. Said the course was great. If you golf- make sure u pack a polo type shirt. Kid liked the arcade! Loved our view. Spacious clean room- looked like the pictures! Rooms could use a few extra towels and we did wash some there too! At least u don't need to take them to the pool! Yep made that mistake once! A creaky bedroom door,slightly unmatched silverware, cups, but how picky can one really be?! Like sweets, go to the marketplace there and get a box of fudge! Shuttle service was nice when our family did different activities but we mostly drove. Takes awhile to get use to where everything is- a few extra road signs would be helpful since GPS isn't useful in the resort. Staff- everyone was polite, and helpful! Lots to do here if you have time to enjoy it all! As we left my picky son asked, "when are we coming back?"

Wouldn't stay anywhere else

My family of four stayed here for our Disney World vacation in June of 2013. We stayed in a 2-bedroom in the River Island complex. The room was very nice and clean. The staff was very helpful. It was also very convenient to have a Starbucks about 100ft from our room! Paying with our room key was very convenient also (cashless resort is a great idea). We stayed for 7 nights and had a blast. One final positive is how close this resort is to Disney. Our drive was about 10 to 15 minutes each morning and there are plenty of restaurants and grocery stores close by. I have since recommended this hotel to everyone I know that is heading to Florida!

Good place to crash when visiting Disney, not the greatest atmosphere

We stayed here on points for 4 nights before checking in to our Disney resort. Pros: We had a 2 bedroom unit, which was basically a townhouse and very spacious. It was great to have a separate bed & bath for our 3 young kids. We also enjoyed the pool that was a short 5-minute walk from our unit. Not crowded at all. I would suggest you request a unit close to a pool, because some units are so far you would have to drive (not cool with 3 wet kids). Also it was nice that you park directly in front of your unit. Cons: No housekeeping. No clean towels provided, you have to wash your own (did I mention my 3 kids?). The biggest disappointment was the overall atmosphere. Because we were in a townhouse unit, there was no central lobby or location. So we felt like we were out of the action and isolated. Also, there were no sidewalks to walk to the main buildings or pools. I didn't want to push my stroller down the busy road to get there. In addition, when you check in they start pushing you to buy waterpark passes and attend their timeshare sales pitch. So mixed feelings - the actual unit was perfect for us, the resort was not. If you are a park warrior with older kids, this is probably a great place for you.

great place to visit and vacation

I would recommend this place to anyone to visit to enjoy a great vacation within the orange lake resort facility. Is it’s a great opportunity to spend time with your family without leaving the facility for golfing, swimming ,laying around just doing nothing or just hanging out with the family.

Large spacious living quarters

We were not told how the resort worked when the room was booked. We thought it was like a hotel with extra amenities to compete with the Disney facilities. We had no idea the tubing was extra or there wasn't daily maid service. . It wasn't until we went back to the registration office and inquired about how everything worked that we found out additional details of the resort.

Love Staying Here!

This was our 5th stay in a 2 bedroom villa. We loved how peaceful, clean, and spacious it was. We especially enjoyed watching the Sandhill Cranes that live there and the kids could not get enough of the lazy river. We ate at several places on the resort property. We were served quickly and the food was great- make sure you try their all you can eat ribs.

More options

I've been coming down to Orange Lake for 25+ years. I grew up at the resort and have watched the business grow from a single clubhouse of condos to several different villages with lots of options for family entertainment right there on the property. However, as OLCC becomes more and more corporate, especially with the latest partnership with IHG, there is more red-tape and less attention to detail than ever before. Landscaping and resort cleanliness have lacked, and I have seen a decrease in the addition of amenities over the past few years. The fact that each condo or room is sold a minimum of 52 times suggests that the resort should be in pristine condition, all the time. You are selling your customers on the idea that you will provide a 5 star experience at an affordable cost. This is not reality. I think OLCC needs to focus more on customer satisfaction and providing value to it's timeshare owners. This is a lifelong investment for most buyers, and therefor they should continue to see returns on that investment. OLCC used to have that "Disney appeal" where every detail was thought out and attended to. No stone un-turned when it comes to cleanliness, upkeep, and appearance. Outside of this, I have two major suggestions that continue to frustrate me year after year - - Provide more transportation options for guest within the resort - Keep one of the pools open longer! Please! Of all of the pools on the resort, only 1 is open past 10pm. This causes for an overcrowded, non-adult friendly environment at the one pool that offers relief to those guests that might want to enjoy a late night beverage and the hot tub or pool. There are no lifeguards on duty, and liability should be covered by the posted signage. I get upset when I think about the amount of money my family has paid over the past 25 years, and we can't get in the pool after 10-11pm. You say it, we bought into it - I am an OLCC owner. I should be able to use the pool at my leisure. I am a mature adult, if I don't act like one than you have every right to remove me from the premises. All that to say - I love OLCC. I think it's a great place for families and is convenient to many Orlando attractions. I just think you could do much better by way of providing some increased value to your loyal customers and more flexibility with amenities.

Spacious room

Disappointed began upon check in when we arrived after a 4 hour drive to be told our room was not ready although we were supposed to have checked in 3.5 hours prior. We were told the room was dirty and housekeeping was en route to check the status. The man at check in who by the way was not very courteous told me there were no other rooms and that he was waiting for a call from his manager. His way of asking for my ID and credit card was by sticking out his hand until I asked why he was standing there like that. We eventually were placed in a room. Room was great, very spacious and great. Unfortunately our tub did not work in the master bath which was another disappointment. I would recommend just because the room was great and pool areas were well kept. Service was not the greatest. Be warned, right after checking in u will be told to claim your "welcome gift" which is not really a gift at all but a person at another desk trying to get u to take a timeshare tour in exchange for a discounted price for a theme park ticket.

A BIG FAMILY HIT - River Island accomadations can't be beat!

We booked a River Island package that included the 4 FUN ZONE passes and got every pennies worth of them...LOTS to keep kids and teens busy....and the absolute LOWEST price "ISLAND " drinks that I've ever seen! $9 with a $6 refill can be used at all bars AND restaurants!. 2 Bedroom Villa included everything we needed for 8 people's stay. As for the timeshare pitch, we had no trouble at check in once we said we weren't interested, but I did unplug the phones as suggested by another reviewer just in case. Be sure to visit the other "Villages" pools....we did 1 each day.....great fun on the lakes jet-skis, best food at BREEZES in the West Village - YUM! Food only OK at the River Island restaurants. Scuba lessons for the 6 and 8 year old $15 and $25 at River Island Lazy River were unbelievable....instructor was fantastic! Only 2 minor cases of unfriendly staff at the lazy river, but not enough to matter. There was so much to try I wish we had stayed more than 5 days - never really left except to hit Publix 3 minutes away. All in all, 5 adults and 3 kids agree this was the best family vacation EVER!