OLCC Internet

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

What is the latest on internet at Orange Lake? We are going the middle of October. The last time we were these, a couple of years ago, it was dial up and a phone charge for local calls.

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

Well, boys and girls, it's the Cape Crusader!

I'd help you with your request, but I am not an owner, and, thus, totally unqualified.

So, how 'bout this be your assignment for today, to find that out.

Here's your link:

http://www.orangelake.com/contact_us...ownership.html

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Done, will let everyone know the response.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Auto Response :

Orange Lake Resort & Country Club
Ownership Information & Questions


We received your inquiry, and one of our team members will e-mail or call you
shortly. As a valued owner at Orange Lake, your satisfaction is very important
to us. It's our pleasure to assist you with all of your vacation ownership
needs. Have a great day!

[lawgs Member Find all posts View Profile Close lawgs]

lawgs here ( owner at OLCC since 1991 )


a phone call might get a better response.....just contact your "member service personal rep" ( we all have one you know ....tongue in cheek )


on the real side, that email reply is a boiler plate reply.....their promise of "shortly" may or may not happen ( in the beginning of my quest to find out more about global access, they still had not answered my email after two weeks, i finally had to call through a myriad of rpresentatives, finally was able to talk to someone who was knowledgeable in Owner Support Services, and who now has become sorta of a "crystal ball" about matters concerning "Global Access" )

if they update their internet access as fast as the west village, we may see it in the future since they are "busy" making sure no one is "disappointed" in their exchange to OLCC and the west village...of course no one has stated in "public forums" how many units like the one they have seen, have actually been completed at Orange Lake and how many units are in the MIX for updatng ( it is a nice catch phrase though, saying there is "major updating" going on at OL )

just may call tomorrow ( on another matter ) and see what they can tell about the "major upgrading" in the West Village...

til then


lawgs lurks off into the nether land of non registrant

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

There was a toll-free number listed on the page the link takes you to.

Let me mention again, I am not an owner, so my experience does not matter and may be atypical. Your mileage may vary.

But, I have been familiar with OL for nearly 20 years. I have contacted them several times about a variety of matters (they know me by my email address and my pseudonym, Jose' Jiminez ). Guest Services has always been prompt and courteous.

I believe the Cape Crusader will have our answer soon enough.

[gjw007 Member Find all posts View Profile Close gjw007]

In regards to Internet access, there are a few options depending where you are located.

First, I have used dialup Internet access as local phone calls are free. It is slow but it works. One key to using local access telephone nubmers is that OLCC's phone line is in the Orlando, not Kissimee call area. Calls to the Kissimee area, even the Walgreens across the street, result in a phone charge to the room. A call to places within Orlando does not have a charge. It does get confusing since OLCC is in Kissimmee not Orlando but if you call a local number within the calling zone (Orlando) that the resort is in, it is free but for telephone calls outside the calling zone (Kissimmee), there is a charge. I believe there is a charge for 800-number calls.

Second, there is high-speed Internet access available in the River Island units for a charge. I don't believe the other villages have this in the rooms. You can use a wireless connection at RI (still a charge).

Third, there are Internet cafes in the basement of the West Village clubhouse and while not open in late May when I was there, there should be another Internet cafe opened in the River Island complex.

[gjw007 Member Find all posts View Profile Close gjw007]

lawgs here ( owner at OLCC since 1991 )


if they update their internet access as fast as the west village, we may see it in the future since they are "busy" making sure no one is "disappointed" in their exchange to OLCC and the west village...of course no one has stated in "public forums" how many units like the one they have seen, have actually been completed at Orange Lake and how many units are in the MIX for updatng ( it is a nice catch phrase though, saying there is "major updating" going on at OL )


lawgs lurks off into the nether land of non registrant

lawgs;

In one of the earlier newsletter (Times, Spring 2006, p. 2) sent out by OLCC, they stated that there were 200 units being renovated with 112 having the major renovation done this year; that is gutted to the wall studs, floor tiles replaced, cabinets replaced, new furnature and fixtures. When I was there May, I was told of the plans for which units were going to be done for the next three years but I forgot which ones they are. Most of the recent comments have been from the Magnolia area but I remember that area was not on the map that they showed me.

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

Gary:

In case you didn't see it, what do you think of my idea regarding the West Village? Instead of throwing good money away (remodeling buildings reminiscent of The Cleavers), why not set a schedule to rebuild them in a more contemporary style? More like the East Village and River Island.

The next project, after RI, could be the West Village, which would become the newest village all over again.

And, by combining the 1-story buildings into multi-unit, multi-story buildings, say 6 or 8-plexes like the North Village, that would create land to build more 6 or 8-plexes, of course at $25000 per week per unit. I think I hear Kemmons applauding from the grave.

With planning it could be done with little interruption in the normal routine. A couple or three golf villas could be bulldozed to make room to build a new 6 or 8-plex, with other units on that block going into that building. Then they could bulldoze those other units and start another 6 or 8-plex on that land, with the next 6 or 8 units down the road going there. Etc. until what is left is a bunch of vacant land to build new buildings on.

Or, to take it to the extreme, since highrises seem to be the thing, just think how much land would be created by rebuilding the West Village Golf Villas into East Village style highrises! I have no idea exactly hbow many units are in the different East Village buildings, and it would make a difference what size units they are, but from the number of lanais in the pictures, it appears that some East Village buildings have 30 units and there could be as many as 48 in some.

Can you imagine how much land would be freed up in the West Village if you moved 30 to 48 single-story units into one 6-story highrise?

I believe that if they aren't too greedy, they could charge Golf Villa owners a reasonable fee to upgrade into an East Village style villa. I believe they could make money doing it, or break even, and then create the land to make more real money.

Then when the highrises go out of style, and become reminiscent of the Projects in Chicago, they can do something else.

[gjw007 Member Find all posts View Profile Close gjw007]

JLB:

I like the West Village as it is. One of the reason I like the West Village is because they are single story units that aren't like many buildings without a personality where there are as many units crammed into the building as possible. I like being able to park my car in front of the unit and walk into the unit without having to find a parking place in the parking lot, find a common entrance, walk down a hallway (after taking a elevator if necessary), and then going into a unit. Even the 2-story units in the North Village aren't too bad in this regard. While I also like RI units better, the ambience in the units are different than the golf villas. I find the golf villas charming and a reminder of simplier times.

I was told the cost of renovating the units. It is much, much less expensive than building a new building but building a new multistory building may be a financial windfall for OLCC and assuming that the existing owners would be given a unit in the building, neutral for the owners at best. Many owners like the units as they are so a change may be less desirable. Given the way this industry works, I would expect that existing owners would be charged an upgrade fee for new units in the building. Given that this would be done in the interest of OLC making more money and not because of any problems with the building, if this were done, in my opinion, the existing owners shouldn't be charged anything. I expect to spend more for remodeling my kitchen than what OLCC is spending on renovating the entire unit. I'm not sure if the cost they gave me was just the cost of materials though because it seemed really low.

I'm not convinced that OLCC should tear down the buildings and build new ones to satisfy exchangers either. I know this isn't what you have stated. OLCC should be responsible to the owners not exchangers. I think its arguable how much influence owners have but the resort should operate in the best interests of the owners and not exchangers. In many instances, they are the same but in some, they may be different. This is true when you consider that what some exchangers want will have the owners paying for it. Somehow this doesn't seem right. Also, people would still complain about being put in the oldest section.

I would have expanded the master bathroom a little to put in an oversized whirlpool tub. I would also eliminate the privacy door as it takes up too much room and creates the impression of being a a small bathroom. Just lock the door entering the bathroom should be enough. In a funny twist, a few years ago I read some reports where people didn't think that the North/East Villages units should be consider Gold Crown because only the master bathroom has a tub whereas the second bathroom only had a shower whereas the golf villas have a full bathrub in both bathrooms but some people are unhappy because there isn't an oversized whirlpool bathtub in the master bedroom.

One area that I think would make people happier would be to have more pools and activities around the units. While I don't think it is a major problem to go the various aras, sometimes a little park area near the units would be good. There can be a small pool, tennis courts, picnic tables, etc. that could distribute some of the usage. I tend to go to OLCC during non-peak times and I've never felt crowded but I've read enough reports to believe that with the resort full, the pools could be extremely busy. Since the resort has the room, I would also look at other, non-traditional ways of enhancing the recreation options. One that I can think of is R/C cars. OLCC wouldn't even need to spend the money on these as I'm sure a local hobby shop would love to rent them out with the only thing OLCC needing to do is provide the land. I like model rockets. I have liked them since the 60s with the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Kids love flying rockets and again OLCC has the room. The hobby shop again could operate and run this, even if it is only one day a week as is done with the Gatorland alligator demonstration.

Some of the discussion reminded me of comments about DVC and its newest resort, Saratoga Springs (SSR). It is the largest of the DVC resorts with 840 units, the next largest is Old Key West with 761 units (around that number), Broadwalk with 582 units (around that number), and the other resorts smaller. Several owners of the smaller DVC resorts have suggested that SSR shouldn't have been built and even torn down. DVC has two important booking windows. The first window is from 11 months to 7 months where the onwer of the resort only can book at their resort. The other DVC resort owners cannot book at a resort where they don't own until the 7-month booking period where ever resort owner has a equal opportunity to book at the resort. With more resorts built, such as SSR, there would be more competition and there will be more owners who may like to make a reservation at the their resort making it more difficult for owners who wait before making reservations. There had also been suggestions to restrict the ownership rights of SSR owners so that they would not be allowed to book at any of the other DVC resorts again so that the owners of these other resorts had less competition for booking the rooms. The amazing thing was that the people making the suggestion recognized that the owners of SSR liked their resort(SSR) but they didn't care because they didn't like SSR and felt that these items should be done to enhance their own ownership regardless of how SSR owners felt about their resort.

Let me think more on this. I don't see a reason to do so but it does have some possibilities if done right and I'm afraid there may be more loss than gain in doing so. Sometimes the loss is not seen until its gone.

Gary:

In case you didn't see it, what do you think of my idea regarding the West Village? Instead of throwing good money away (remodeling buildings reminiscent of The Cleavers), why not set a schedule to rebuild them in a more contemporary style? More like the East Village and River Island.

The next project, after RI, could be the West Village, which would become the newest village all over again.

And, by combining the 1-story buildings into multi-unit, multi-story buildings, say 6 or 8-plexes like the North Village, that would create land to build more 6 or 8-plexes, of course at $25000 per week per unit. I think I hear Kemmons applauding from the grave.

With planning it could be done with little interruption in the normal routine. A couple or three golf villas could be bulldozed to make room to build a new 6 or 8-plex, with other units on that block going into that building. Then they could bulldoze those other units and start another 6 or 8-plex on that land, with the next 6 or 8 units down the road going there. Etc. until what is left is a bunch of vacant land to build new buildings on.

Or, to take it to the extreme, since highrises seem to be the thing, just think how much land would be created by rebuilding the West Village Golf Villas into East Village style highrises! I have no idea exactly hbow many units are in the different East Village buildings, and it would make a difference what size units they are, but from the number of lanais in the pictures, it appears that some East Village buildings have 30 units and there could be as many as 48 in some.

Can you imagine how much land would be freed up in the West Village if you moved 30 to 48 single-story units into one 6-story highrise?

I believe that if they aren't too greedy, they could charge Golf Villa owners a reasonable fee to upgrade into an East Village style villa. I believe they could make money doing it, or break even, and then create the land to make more real money.

Then when the highrises go out of style, and become reminiscent of the Projects in Chicago, they can do something else.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

OLCC Reply

Dear Eric:

Our Internet café, Connections, is a relaxed, comfortable gathering place where you can check your e-mail, surf the web, use instant messaging and play Internet games, all while enjoying a hot cup of coffee. We still offer dial-up access to the Internet from all the units at the resort, but for those who don't have a laptop with them or who prefer a higher speed connection, the Internet café is the place to be. We're pleased to offer wireless high-speed internet access across the entire River Island pool deck. You can purchase an access code at Connections Business Center & Internet Café, or with a credit card on your computer. Connections is located in the lower level of the West Village Clubhouse Atrium.
You can purchase Internet usage a variety of ways, either using your laptop with wireless connections, or using one of the PCs available in the café. Computer usage for business stations is $3.50/15 minutes. Internet usage for a 30-minute block $5.00, and your own laptop hookup is $6.00 per hour.
We look forward to being your host. Please pick up a copy of our in-house publication, Orange Lake Today, upon checking into the resort. This publication contains a wealth of information about the resort amenities, activities, and services available. If you have any questions during your stay, please feel free to call Member Services on extension 6100. Our representatives will be happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Debbie Gagnon / Adminstrative Assistant II
Guest Relations
-------------------------------------------
Orange Lake Country Club
8505 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy
Kissimmee, Fl 34747
407-239-0000, ext. 6100

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

Thanks. I told you they are fast and courteous.

I have never taken a computer on vacation. I can see me sitting in a nice 3-bedroom unit at OL, sitting on the computer trying to tell folks something that I am sitting there looking at, and some of the replies to my post will be, "No you aren't!"

And then we know where it goes from there.

Friends of ours started vacationing with us in Florida in January last year. She has a computer that works anywhere, just like a cell phone. If she knew enough to tell me how it works. I would tell you.

So there I was sitting on the lanai looking out at Estero Bay, posting on TS forums.

Oh Well.

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

PAHIO resorts all have high speed internet for free. I loved using it because I do go to Hawaii to relax and surfing the net is fun, plus I kept contact with my friends and family.

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

PAHIO resorts all have high speed internet for free. I loved using it because I do go to Hawaii to relax and surfing the net is fun, plus I kept contact with my friends and family.

That's it. You need to be banned. You are not allowed to hijack an Orange Lake thread by making it look bad when compared to others. You know that there isn't a resort on earth that does anything better than Orange Lake. Right? LOL. I know. Spence Wilson told me, so.

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

That's it. You need to be banned. You are not allowed to hijack an Orange Lake thread by making it look bad when compared to others. You know that there isn't a resort on earth that does anything better than Orange Lake. Right? LOL. I know. Spence Wilson told me, so.