Have you stayed at Orange Lake?

[ochrehand]

Has anyone stayed at Orange Lake Resort lately? I might get a chance to visit in August. Last time I've been there was in '99, and while I remember it being a pleasant resort, I'm interested in the new changes they've made, particularly any new pools & lazy river construction. Also, how is the transportation from Orange Lake to Disney World? In '99 I was lucky to be in a group that chose to drove, but this time I might be on my own and interested in public transportation. Thanks.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Hey =)

I stay at orange lake twice a year, my family has a time share. We've been going for 6 years now. It has definetely changed a lot and grown a lot since we started staying there.

They have a new area called Splash Lagoon. It has a gigantic lazy river, private cabanas that are $99 for the day - worth it for the privacy & for all the things that come with it, a really nice tropical pool, an outdoor bar & grille....so much. They also have new 3 bedroom condo's in the new area that are really nice. The whole area is pretty much brand new, and it feels like you're in the Carribbean when you're there.

They still have all watersports & night time events by the other 2 pools that you probably were at last time you were there. That's fun to do at night, it is usually themed. They have pool bingo at 2 or 3 everyday and in the summer you can win up to $300, it's worth doing if you're by the pool at that time.

As for transportation, we got a shuttle once from the resort to the parks because we didn't have a car. I really don't recommend it unless you have a lot of extra time. The shuttle made about 6 other stops at least before it headed for the park. The stops were all to other time shares, some that weren't close to us at all. It took well over an hour to get to the park. I'd definetely recommend just calling a cab from there and having it take you directly.

It's not a far drive, maybe 10 minutes from the parks. You just follow the signs right from the resort. If there's no traffic you can get there even quicker than that. But if you don't have a car like you said, my recommendation is to avoid the shuttle & get a cab. The shuttle is just a pain I thought, unless you have more patience than I do.

PM me if you think of any Orange Lake questions that I can help you with. I will also be there in August so I'm hoping it's nice out!!

Jamie

 

[davidpw97]

I just spent a week at Orange Lake in March and was there in March of 06 as well. I am also willing to answer any questions you might have, but I was only a visitor and not an owner and probably not as knowledgeable as the previous poster because I don't go every year.
I will say that the new 3-bedroom units are AWESOME. I was in a 2-bedroom when I went in March of 2006, but this year I rented a 3-bedroom and it is 10 times better. There were only 3 of us and we each had our own room and the unit is huge. The River Island area of the resort is pretty amazing but they nickel and dime you for everything. The lazy river is great but you aren't allowed to bring your own innertubes and they charge you to use theirs. Also if its really crowded it might be tough to find a group of chairs together. The other complaint I have about the pools at Orange Lake is that they don't stay open late enough, now I don't know if maybe its different in the summer but in March the pools were all closed at 10pm and it sure would be nice to come back after a long day at the park and be able to soak in the pool for a little while but you can't. The restaurants looked good but are also expensive.
I can't speak about the public transportation because I had a car on both trips. I will say that with the new toll road they opened in the last year, it is a quick and easy drive to the parks each day and I can't see how any bus service could be any faster than using your own transportation. But if you don't have your own transportation then it seems like a taxi would be the next best option before using the resort bus.
I would recommend checking out www.tripadvisor.com for other recent Orange Lake reviews. I posted on there about my trip in March.
Feel free to email me with any other questions.