We were not very satisfied with our visit to Orange Lake. Our main purpose for a trip to Orlando was to go to Universal, SeaWorld, and Disney for the first time. When I called to make the reservation, the first suggestion from the RCI guide was Orange Lake. I figured it was a Gold Crown, so it must be nice--ha, how wrong I was!
The resort is HUGE! It was about a 3-mile drive at 23mph to our room, with several stop signs for the golf carts. Our room was not the greatest; I think we could have gotten a better deal at the Holiday Inn. Here’s the list:
1) the room smelled awful
2) I was never asked for a smoking preference and we ended up with a smoking room
3) there were insect or animal droppings in the cabinets
4) the cabinets were cheap, white laminate and all installed crooked
4) the couch was very small and uncomfortable to sit in
5) room decor was very poor, not at all like pictures
6) the pots and pans were horrible--everything stuck to them, despite coating them in butter repeatedly
7) it had a commercial toilet in a room that’s supposed to feel like home
8) the towels were dirty and dingy
9) back-porch furniture was cheap plastic
10) oven did not work properly
11) there was barely enough hot water for about 12 minutes of showers and a 4-minute bath
12) the shower head was gross--it had pink fungus growing on it
13) we never saw any cleaning people
14) the knife drawer was at a perfect place for young children to get one--and it had no locks on it
15) there were no guides about the resort (like a map or activities list) or about the local area
16) there was a SNAKE on the back porch! It was a black one about a foot long, and my husband had to chase it away! I got to find this special surprise when I went out to check the weather!
We were in the North Village right beside the pool, too. It was advertised as being only 4 miles away from Disney. It was 4 miles from the Disney exit but was about a half hour drive away. Fortunately for us there wasn’t much traffic. We have a 3-year-old and returned to the resort in the afternoon for a nap and break from all the walking. About 1 or 2pm, the lines for rides and shows were getting long, so it was nice to leave for a few hours and go back to the parks in the evening. It was also a little toasty (near 90 degrees) in the afternoons but very nice in the mornings and evenings. The drive back and forth was inconvenient, and next time we will definitely stay closer to these parks.
The few good things were:
1) the bed was very comfortable
2) we were right behind the pool with the slide and... yup, that’s it.
We bought our timeshare to enjoy 1 week every year in a place that was as nice as, if not nicer than, our own home. This resort was nowhere close to meeting those expectations. It does not deserve a Gold Crown rating and I urge anyone who wants to exchange their points for this resort no to do so.