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…Read More

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.

Even though my wife is somewhat afraid of heights, she agreed to go on a hot air balloon ride during our trip. I arranged a flight with a company called Blue Water Balloons via the Internet. The flight cost $175/person (research shows that this is…Read More

Even though my wife is somewhat afraid of heights, she agreed to go on a hot air balloon ride during our trip. I arranged a flight with a company called Blue Water Balloons via the Internet. The flight cost $175/person (research shows that this is the average cost for a balloon ride). This price was discounted $20 each person if you purchased tickets in advance on the Internet. With the possibility of a cancelled flight, we kept options open for a flight on a different day.

We contacted the company when we arrived in Kissimmee and found that the flight was cancelled due to high winds, and was rescheduled for the next day. We met the van at the arranged location (near Old Town) at 5:45am. We were taken to the take-off site. We found that there were a total of 14 people flying in five balloons that morning. We helped to get the balloon rigged and inflated with air. Once the pilot had us in the air, the scenery seemed to move in slow motion around us. There was no feeling of movement at all. My wife and I agreed that it was one of the most enjoyable experiences we have had on a vacation. The balloon traveled 5 miles about 40 minutes and rose to a height of 1,400 feet at times.

At the end, after landing, a champagne picnic was set up, and we were given souvenir glasses, a photo of our ride, and a certificate indicating the date and time of our flight and driven back to car. We would do it again in a minute.

The Pools: Orange Lake Country Club has expanded significantly since I first bought there in 1991 The Pools: Orange Lake Country Club has expanded significantly since I first bought there in 1991. At that time, West Village was the only section constructed.…Read More

The Pools: Orange Lake Country Club has expanded significantly since I first bought there in 1991

The Pools:

Activities: There is something going on at the main pool almost continually. During the days they have scheduled activities for the younger kids, and beginning in the mid-afternoon they have Bingo and other activities. Music is available every evening. One evening is Oldies Night, another is Country Night (including a barbeque at additional cost), and a Jimmy Buffet-style Night. All these include live music.

There is also a smaller kidney-shaped pool visited mostly by families with smaller children. This pool is separated from the main pool by only one pavillon area and houses a hot tub. Any activities ongoing at the main pool is also open to those at this pool. There are plenty of lounge chairs for everyone. Towels are also provided. At the gift shop, also poolside, even provides an outdoor air hose especially equipped for inflating water rafts, etc.

At first my family and I were apprehensive about going to the Orlando area in July, especally 4 of July week. I read on the web at different sites how the crowds at Disney were really heavy, and the heat and humidity would be oppressive.…Read More

At first my family and I were apprehensive about going to the Orlando area in July, especally 4 of July week. I read on the web at different sites how the crowds at Disney were really heavy, and the heat and humidity would be oppressive. We got very lucky we left Virginia, Hampton Roads area, on June 28 at 3 am and drove straight through to Orlando. Florida has been getting a lot of rain, and some unusally cool tempatures this year. The area of VA we live in had temps in the mid to upper 90's the whole time we were enjoying temps in the lower to mid 80's in Orlando. It rained for a hour or so every day we were here but heck it's Florida so we just put on our ponchos and continued through the parks. I have to give credit to the Disney park designers, I am not one who likes to be around crowds, thats why I don't go to theme parks often, however Disney parks are so well laid out the crowds weren't bad until July 4th when every body crowded in to see the fireworks, and that was only for 20 to 25 minutes. Parking wasn't a problem either the cast members handle that well. We went down for a Soccer Tournament so we got special tickets to the Disney parks (3 Day Park Hopper passes good for only 14 days from start of event they were $116.00 each). We did all 4 theme parks and bought tickets to Disney's water park Blizzard Beach(tickets were $31.75/Adult $25.44/Child 3-9 including tax) We all enjoyed the water park, my kids stayed on Mount Gushmore most of the time riding the Slush Gusher and the Summit Plummit (a 120 foot drop at speeds of 60 mph). We also went over to Universal Citywalk and toured the stores and had dinner a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and my wife an I had a Cheeseburger in Paradise $7.95, my 16 year old son had a Bacon Cheeseburger in Paradise $8.50, and my 8 year old son had a child's Cheeseburger in Paradise $5.95, they are served with lettuce and tomato, french fries, and a kosher pickle, Heinz 57 is on the table and you can order a side of mayo if you like. We walked around Citywalk taking in the sites and enjoying the music and atmosphere, we visited a few shops and bought a couple of shirts.

While in Kissimmee we bought our grocerys at the Super WalMart on 192 they have the lowest prices and don't seem to take advantage of being in a tourist area by raising prices. We cooked in the Condo most of the time, We did have breakfast in the Raddison on Parkway Blvd. one morning the breakfast buffet was great, you can get omletts made to order on the buffet also.

We stayed in Vacation Village at Parkway, a RCI affiliated Timeshare, and fully enjoyed it. The resort is fairly new and the amenities are not all in yet, but you can use all aminities at Vacation Villa at Parkway, which is their sister resort just 2 blocks away. The pool was open from 8 AM - 11 PM and my 8 year old spent most all time we were at the resort in there.

All people we delt with, from the resort, theme parks, resturant, stores, tourist, and residants in and around Orlando were as nice as could be. Would we go back again? YOU BET, as a matter of fact we are planning on going back in 2004, and we hope to be able to get Vacation Village at Parkway again. There is so much to do around Kissimmee that a week is just not enough time. If you are planning a trip to WDW Orlando and are going to stay offsite I recommend Vacation Village at parkway, It only took us 15 minutes to get to any Disney park from our condo. Take plenty of sunscreen and plenty of water go to the theme parks and enjoy being with your family, and get plenty of picures of your kids having fun.

On this exchange, we had a one-bedroom unit on the second floor with a partial sunny exposure on the deck. The living room is large and has a sleep sofa, two large chairs, armoire with 27" TV, and VCR. The decor was in good condition…Read More

On this exchange, we had a one-bedroom unit on the second floor with a partial sunny exposure on the deck.

The living room is large and has a sleep sofa, two large chairs, armoire with 27" TV, and VCR. The decor was in good condition and very tasteful. The unit could use some deep cleaning; we had small ants that seemed to get everywhere. I feel that the ants were around due to the floor being dirty. If you walked around in the unit in bare feet, the bottom of your feet would be black.

The bathroom is very small, and the only place for storage is in the sink cabinet. The tub is extremely high and difficult to get in and out of. The kitchen, however, is laid out nicely, with adequate counter space. The counter has a overhang that would have been useful if stools were supplied. Appliances were a full-size stove, microwave, and fridge.

A dining area with a table for four is located in the living room next to the kitchen area. The bedroom is very small and has a king-size bed with 27" TV armoire with two drawers and one end table with two drawers. Only one light was in the room, on the end table, and this is not good if your partner likes to read in bed. Storage is very limited.

The resort supplies three rolls of toilet paper, dish-cleaning detergent, towels for four, one roll of paper towels, one package of coffee, and no coffee filters. The resort does not replenish supplies; any additional supplies can be obtained at the nearby Publix market

The resort does not change towels or have a mid-week towel exchange or cleanup. It was a good thing the room has a washer and dryer (detergent is supplied for one load).

The inventory in the unit was missing a few items, so I called and let them know, and they advised me that they have a one-hour max to respond and assured me that the items would be brought over before the hour was up. Nothing happened, so I called again, and they told me about the one hour thing again. No one ever showed up all week with the missing items.

I received a call on the first day and was asked if I would like extra towels at no charge--I said okay, and then the conversation switched over to the timeshare sales pitch. I told them that I was not interested in a free breakfast and other perks that they offered. The towels never showed up; they must have been linked in with the sales pitch.

The landscaping and buildings are well-maintained.

A swimming pool is provided in the common area of each building cluster, there are plenty of lounges, and small towels are supplied at the activity center. I suggest bringing your own towels. A hot tub is also in the same fenced-in area with the heated pool, which is shallow, with a gradual walk-in area at one end leading to the children’s area, which has a water umbrella. Restrooms are at the pool area.

The main pool is located at the activity center next to the lake. A tiki bar with bar stools and tables with umbrellas is located at the pool area. The bar has happy hour everyday from 4 until 8pm. The only snacks available are potato chips, so bring your own.

At times, they have live entertainment at this pool area, and the music is entertaining. The resort is very good for families with children. A small, well-equipped fitness center is also on site. The resort has a small store that has snacks and gifts. This shop also has limited hot food, but it's not too good--similar to the quality you would get in a vending machine.

The resort tends to lead you into thinking that they have a restaurant on-site. The restaurant is a Denny’s, which is near the entrance to the site. The Publix store is next door and is great. Papa Johns Pizza is next to the Publix.

The lake on-site is a great place to view a sunset.

Lake Toho was amazing. If you have the opportunity to fish this lake, I would have to recommend doing so. Big Toho Marina is excellent place to launch your boat and grab lunch. Make sure you buy the map of the lake. Fishing was awesome.…Read More

Lake Toho was amazing. If you have the opportunity to fish this lake, I would have to recommend doing so. Big Toho Marina is excellent place to launch your boat and grab lunch. Make sure you buy the map of the lake. Fishing was awesome. We were there for the bassmasters classic, met several of the pros, enjoyed the shows, weigh ins, etc. Definitely worth the trip. Close

We first went to Busch Gardens in Tampa. The drive took about an hour from Kissimmee. It had animals to see and some of the best roller coasters in North America. This was free with our Discovery Cove purchase. Discovery Cove is very expensive. The…Read More

We first went to Busch Gardens in Tampa. The drive took about an hour from Kissimmee. It had animals to see and some of the best roller coasters in North America. This was free with our Discovery Cove purchase. Discovery Cove is very expensive. The only way to get the same experience is out in the ocean. For those of you that are geographically challenged, Kissimmee is no where near the ocean. So if you want to see marine life by a reef, as well as a Dolphin encounter (extra) and have a few hundred dollars to spend, then Discovery Cove is for you. Old Town is also highly recommended, great for kids. Think of it as a carnival with lots of stores.Close

Traveling to Orlando or Kissimmee does not necessarily mean you have to go to Disney World, or anything related to Disney. My goal was to find what other things there were to do in that area. My wife and I stayed in a resort called…Read More

Traveling to Orlando or Kissimmee does not necessarily mean you have to go to Disney World, or anything related to Disney. My goal was to find what other things there were to do in that area. My wife and I stayed in a resort called "Silver Lake", just off route 192, which I found out was the main road for finding anything to do with food of any kind, or tourist souvenirs. I think it had more neon lights on it then there are in Las Vegas.

Our final destination was to visit Plant City, Florida, where the annual “Florida Strawberry Festival” is held. It lasts for about 10 days and is quite a big affair for the area. This is the prime growing season for strawberries. You may end up paying…Read More

Our final destination was to visit Plant City, Florida, where the annual “Florida Strawberry Festival” is held. It lasts for about 10 days and is quite a big affair for the area. This is the prime growing season for strawberries. You may end up paying to park in someone’s yard, just to get a spot. You then pay an entrance fee to get into the festival area, about $7.00-$8.00/person. It reminded me of a large carnival with lots of food and crafts. The strawberries were the best quality and the largest I have ever seen. Straight from the growers at $7.00-$10.00 a flat.Close

A planned adventure was a combination nature ride and gator airboat ride. It was $75.00 for the ½ hour nature ride and ½ hour boat ride. We took our nature ride first, a little bumpy but enjoyable. The boat ride was a little cold (in…Read More

A planned adventure was a combination nature ride and gator airboat ride. It was $75.00 for the ½ hour nature ride and ½ hour boat ride. We took our nature ride first, a little bumpy but enjoyable. The boat ride was a little cold (in March, they offered blankets), but worthwhile. Close