Frank Talk About Orange Lake

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Frankly, I'd like to speak frankly about Orange Lake, Frank.

Elsewhere the ice on Orange Lake is a bit thin, so this must be the place to speak frankly.

Granted, all the chips haven't fallen into place on the Go Global launch, but the things that are being said about it are very disturbing when you actually stop and think about it.

Many of us have seen the complaints about how OL treats exchangers differently than owners, to the point of offering the lesser accomodations to non-owners and placing owners in the better units. We have seen how that has ruffled feathers and how a few owners have flaunted that policy, m/l rubbing the faces of non-owners in it.

Now, could it be true that the new team brought in to separate the owners from more of their money has actually proposed that the owners themselves be stratified, classified, and categorized in order to determine how much of their money they get to turn over to their resort master?

Is that for real?

Is an owner not an owner? Will they be branded, or get forehead caste marks?

Let's see how this helps espirit de corps!

If it's true that this is what's going on, why aren't the owners in open rebellion? Why would anyone go on the Internet and promote and brag about such foolishness?

Another point: In stratefying the owners, making it four villages and giving different values to each village, are they not admitting what folks have been complaining about in Reviews, such as on Tripadvisor, that there are levels of quality of accomodations at the resort, the worst being the oldest, the West Village?

And why would someone go on the Internet and pretend that that is not the case, when it clearly is? Why would someone brag up the West Village units, how they have been gutted and how nice they are, and then out of the other side of her face say that all non-owners will have to stay there.

They are either as nice and equal to the other villages, or they aren't. It can't be both ways.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

These are good questions to ponder.

Here's my view on the situation. The new management team is definitely trying to bring OLCC out of the stone age of timesharing. Selling only fixed weeks and requiring RCI to exchange was the model for timesharing in the 1960's. OLCC missed 40 years of innovation.

That management team has decided that it needs to stratify OLCC and create its own points program and internal trading capability to create more value for owners and its shareholders. I think these are all the right concepts.

I am an owner at OLCC and I don't care about the stratification. In fact, I like it. The more programs and rules they put in place, the more opportunities I have to arbitrage its weaknesses. It's fun. It's a game. They are trying to see how much they can profit. I am trying to see how many loopholes I can exploit.

THERE IS ALWAYS A LOOPHOLE and a way to beat the system. That's why they keep changing the rules. It's up to us to tell everyone about them. It makes for great info to discuss on a BBS.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

There's really too much confusion to pinpint specifics, but

1. My crystal ball says they just signed a long-term agreement with RCI.

2. In this rush to get away from RCI, if that is the case, and bring themselves up to snuff, it is interesting that they modeled their program after a program called Global Points. I have not taken the time to compare, because I have only so many brain cells left and I wish to reserve them for meaningful things, but the crystal ball said it's the same as RCI Points.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

There's really too much confusion to pinpint specifics, but

1. My crystal ball says they just signed a long-term agreement with RCI.

2. In this rush to get away from RCI, if that is the case, and bring themselves up to snuff, it is interesting that they modeled their program after a program called Global Points. I have not taken the time to compare, because I have only so many brain cells left and I wish to reserve them for meaningful things, but the crystal ball said it's the same as RCI Points.

It would be a HUGE mistake to model it after RCI Points. They would be better off modelling it after almost any other point system.

I thought the new executives came from HGVC (I need to check my sources). If that's the case, why would they model it after RCI Points?

I love your new Crystal Ball. I think it is better than many other secret sources regarding OLCC.

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

Jim,
Please don't take this wrong, I am not baiting you or looking for an argument but just trying to understand.
You seem to have a fixation on OLCC. From what I can tell you are not an owner there but have exchanged in to the property, but apparently are not happy with them. Yet, you seem to spend a large portion of your available time writing post to tell how bad you feel OLCC is. Many owners of OLCC seem to be happy campers, for what ever reason and this seems to bother you also.
While I agree that there are some places on the net where such descention is not looked at favorably that is true of many subjects and from my point of view if it bothers me I stay away, but that is just me.
Anyway, my qAuestion is why? I don't understand what you get out of these games. Again I don't mean this to criticise you, it just seems that you get yourself all worked up over OLCC and don't really change any mindes.
All the things you say about OLCC may well be true but it seems to be one of those places that you either love or hate. For myself I don't know much about the place yet but have several friends that are owners there and will probably try it myself some day for better or for worse.
Anyway, again no offense meant just a note to say you might be happier if you just let go of it, but, then maybe not.

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

Man, talking about TS fever

If I am owner there, you are forcing me to pick a side, and both sides will have enough reasons to support. If you don't force, we will know how the OLCC owner feels by looking at how many actually buy into that program. And it will show by when they finally push out the product. If you force, IMHO, most owner will try to protect the current property value he/she owns no matter how depress is is now.

Jya-Ning

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

You know I like OLCC. In fact it is the only resort I recommend to friends or family. Not one person has complained yet.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

As to Mr. Bum's first reply, it occurs to me that he is saying that he supports the program because he enjoys playing games.

As to my crystal ball, yeah it is nice to have one. It is what says the program is modeled after RCI Points, not me. I'm not smart enough to figure out stuff like that. But, like I said, I don't feel comfortable going any further than that, other than to say I feel more confident about my source than anyone else seems to feel about their sources.

For free to email me for more content from the crystal ball.

- - - - - -

OL fixation? What fixation?

OL was our first tour back when there was no discussion about which village was the nicest. OL is where we cut our timeshare baby teeth, and bought an EOY week in Orlando before the end of the week we toured OL. OL is why I am here today, fixated on OL.

Why talk about OL? Because it is the largest single campus timeshare in the world. As OL goes, so does much (some?) of timesharing.

Why else? Because on another web-site I, and others have had the crap beaten out of us for objective comments about the resort. I have posted a zillion times that we have never had a bad unit at OL, but we have overheard and seen a lot of stuff to support the complaints that people register.

When you get the crap beaten out of you repeatedly, you tend to remember the topic and the offender and gravitate back there. I am not a bulldog, but I am one of those yippety little mutts that grabs you by the pants cuff and you can't shake off. When those who feel they have to offend anyone who speaks objectively about their resort quit being so impolite, snobbish and offensive, it is likely that those of us who dwell on their resort will quit doing so.

In that respect, those of us who have stuck to our guns have made a little headway, I believe.

Why else? To give balance to those who paint too rosy a picture of the place.

But, you're right, no really good reasons.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

As to Mr. Bum's first reply, it occurs to me that he is saying that he supports the program because he enjoys playing games.

I guess my post made it sound like that. Let me back up and rethink this for a moment.

I don't know if I support the program or not because I don't what what "IT" is. Once I find out what "IT" really is, I can render a better assessment.

I think what I was really trying to say is that I really like OLCC and it doesn't really bother me if they implement new programs or not. Because if they do, I'll find a way to make it work for me. I think that better states what I really think about the "Go Global" program.

[LynnW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LynnW]

Well speaking of OL I received and e-mail from them this morning thanking me for choosing OL. They stated that they value the opinions of both owners and exchangers and asked if I would complete a survey. Our stay was Apr 12 2003!

I do want to say that we were treated well at OL. Arrived early and requested the Tennis Villas as we had 11 and 13 year old boys with us and wanted to be close to everything so they could walk. We were checked in and unpacked in time to pick up the rest of the family at the airport at 3.00pm. Also we were able to stay in the same unit for 2 weeks. I would probably not choose to stay there again but only because we prefer smaller resorts and if we did I would want the East Village. My only complaint was the large pool was too cold to swim in and the pool area was so crowded it was hard to find a chair and the pool with the water slide was too warm. We still had a great 2 weeks.

Lynn

[lawgs Member Find all posts View Profile Close lawgs]

lynn

those were the good ole days.....try making what you experienced happen NOW with respect to check in and extended stays

the "times" they are a changin'


seems word of mouth through various channels has led to or is going to lead to a tightening up of the OLCC experience for exchangers for sure and probably for owners who stay on the WEEKs side,

The "village" will no longer be a Global Village there, it has been divided according to HOLDINGS into four separate resorts and you should not expect to be placed in any village except that which you are "entitled" to

control is being "wrestled" back

the "times" they are a changin'


( with kudos to bob dylan )

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I have some crystal ball snippets that are appropriate for some of the observations here. I will share them privately, with an oath of secrecy under penalty of death, followed by dismemberment, for those who will take the time to email me.

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

Jim,
Thanks for answering back. Again I wasn't trying to be critical, it just seems that you let yourself get upset about OLCC and the folks who don't agree with your view of it. Maybe it's just the way I view it and it's not really my call anyway. Anyway, did not want this to sound like an attack so why did i post, darned if I know.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Jim,
Thanks for answering back. Again I wasn't trying to be critical, it just seems that you let yourself get upset about OLCC and the folks who don't agree with your view of it. Maybe it's just the way I view it and it's not really my call anyway. Anyway, did not want this to sound like an attack so why did i post, darned if I know.

Why do we, any of us post on this topic? Because we all get sucked into it for various reasons I guess. Besides the place is so HUGE it is hard not to have an opinion of sorts about the place. If I had to take a SWAG I'd say 10% of RCI members have stayed there at one time or another.

IMHO Jim does not get upset about any of the posts but tries to leverage a realistic side to the on-going rally of the LOLs. Just my view. And Jim had better go rethicken that alligator skin of his if your post was taken as an attack.

Jim I DO have a question for you though. The place does not have BBQ grills or enough hot tubs, I notice Sandpiper does and congrats on that exchange BTW, so why DO you go back again and again? I know it can't be $700/week cabanas.

Now does nosey little ol me e-mail Jim or not?

[Lanalee Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lanalee]

Besides the place is so HUGE it is hard not to have an opinion of sorts about the place.

Just how "HUGE" is this place anyway? I've never been there, but I did look at their website and I can't get an idea of how big it is. Is it huge in terms of number of units?

When I did a search for Orange Lake on Yahoo, I typed "OLCC" and got "Oregon Liquor Control Commission" and "Our Lady of Corpus Christie Church". I guess not everybody is thinking "timeshare"!