yet another pot stirring for OLCC

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

If the OLCC defenders read the latest post OY regarding that resort & RCI they are going to go insane.

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

John, I just cannot believe it. This is the exchanger who was worried about her exchange and was thinking of cancelling. Now she is upset with everything about the place. I wonder if she is too picky or if the problems are as bad as she is saying. Maybe she is hoping to get a reaction.

I can't believe RCI would talk about OLCC that way. It is baffling to me, knowing how OLCC defenders are. The RCI guide is going to get a rippin'.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

John, I just cannot believe it. This is the exchanger who was worried about her exchange and was thinking of cancelling. Now she is upset with everything about the place. I wonder if she is too picky or if the problems are as bad as she is saying. Maybe she is hoping to get a reaction.

I can't believe RCI would talk about OLCC that way. It is baffling to me, knowing how OLCC defenders are. The RCI guide is going to get a rippin'.

Yeah, I wondered if she was going in expecting issues. If thats the attitude they can almost always be found. A few things like no River Country use without a tour sound both all too typical from sales and also unlikely to be true. The rest seem to fit with some past reports but thats an awful lot of problems for one unit to be totally ignored by the staff. Could happen I suppose but if so they are really being lax.

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

The constant raving about OLCC is such a turnoff for some of us that it would be easy to find something wrong with the place, just so you can post it and get someone to react.

John, when are they going to shut down the defensiveness about OLCC? I keep hoping it will happen, it just never does.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

That would be nice for a change, then we could start dis-ing Westgate.

...John, when are they going to shut down the defensiveness about OLCC? I keep hoping it will happen, it just never does.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

That would be nice for a change, then we could start dis-ing Westgate.

Oh oh ! Can I be first to dis Westgate? I own there but I promise I won't defend it! There is no defense I can think of.

I'm staying out of the OLCC defense issues. I don't get it either but I don't want to step in as being an Orlando owner as well as a Board member it might seem I'm trying to influence other resorts. I hope it is brought under control soon as it really is bad lately.

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

You have some say in that, don't you John? No one has come forward yet to defend OL. We will soon see what will come of this new development. Me, I am just watching and

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

I just checked out that thread. wow, it is a bash fest. I would drive up there and buy the exchangers a dinner if they just let me check their unit out. I'd like to see for myself an HOL experience.

It will be even more interesting to see the response from SWSRN. The best response would be to go in there and admit that there are issues.

I do think that the OLCC checkin area is very impersonal. And, there are specific policies that are annoying like only allowing a maximum of 4 room keys.

I just checked bonus time at The Fountains and it is available. I think I'll offer trading their unit for a rest of the week stay there. I'd love to take pictures of the unit to let HOL and LOL see what is really going on there.

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

Boca, what is HOL? Is it Haters of OL? I am not a hater of OL, I just do not like some people who own there and defend it, to the death! I like Tony Smith's and Gary's honesty, so it is not them I am talking about.

You know, I recently went back through all of the reviews of Orange Lake and noticed a definte difference between exchangers' experiences compared to owners' experiences. One owner put herself as an exchanger in the reviews and her review has her TUG name. Overwhelmingly, exchangers are unhappy with OLCC, now we have an RCI guide ADMITTING that fact. It is a funny situation indeed.

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

This is why Marti should not exchange into OLCC. She is sure to be unhappy.

I still think Jeni might be looking for problems, but we will see what happens. They ought to put her into a River Island unit.

[NativeCracker Member Find all posts View Profile Close NativeCracker]

I don't think folks really look for reasons to be unhappy. I believe the real problem is that the LOL's make OLCC out to be such a Utopia that people inevitably are disappointed by the reality of the place. No resort could live up to the perfection ascribed Orange Lake by some of its overzealous owners. In this particular case, the concerns could have been only minor irritants had customer service been more responsive and apologetic. Orange Lake's customer service is unacceptably cold, impersonal and uncaring. And the River Island lie is just ridiculously smarmy.

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

Boca, what is HOL? Is it Haters of OL? I am not a hater of OL, I just do not like some people who own there and defend it, to the death! I like Tony Smith's and Gary's honesty, so it is not them I am talking about.

You know, I recently went back through all of the reviews of Orange Lake and noticed a definte difference between exchangers' experiences compared to owners' experiences. One owner put herself as an exchanger in the reviews and her review has her TUG name. Overwhelmingly, exchangers are unhappy with OLCC, now we have an RCI guide ADMITTING that fact. It is a funny situation indeed.

lol. Yes, an HOL is a hater of Orange Lake. I never meant to suggest that you were an HOL. It never crossed my mind. The OP in that thread is a newly minted HOL. There are definitely HOLs and LOLs amongst us. I am an LOL. I love Orange Lake. But, I will acknowledge faults with the resort and I don't believe it is for everyone. But then again, I don't believe it's as bad as the HOLs make it out to be either. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

What I find most amazing is that the sides tend to be so polarized on this topic that there is a pavlovian response to any post regarding it. It's unfortunate because it really makes it difficult for people to decide whether or not they should go.

What I am really trying to figure out is how to help other people decide apriori whether or not they will love or hate the resort. Then, we can provide information that is useful to potential exchangers.

My last two visits to Orlando were to the Marriott Grande Vista and Orange Lake. I've been to both many times. But this time I was there in back-to-back weeks, so I had plenty of first hand comparison input. I was in a golf villa at OLCC and I was in one of the older units at the Marriott. Any objective person would have rated the OLCC unit far superior to the Marriott. But guess what? I like them both.

The service at the Marriott was definitely better. But, the amenities at OLCC were far better. The Marriott has nothing like River Island. And, I think the Marriott Grande Vista new units are over the top and overfurnished. The furniture is too big for the units. No decorating balance. And, I don't like the 3 hotel room timeshare unit that Marriott is so fond of. It actually feels like 3 hotel rooms rather than a condominium.

Also, I love when people complain about ants in Florida. Hello. This is Florida. EVERY RESORT has ant problems. They can get anywhere, even in 10 story high rises.

Orange Lake is a mega resort. It's service is definitely, for the most part, very impersonal. The smaller resorts seem to do a better job at making you feel welcome. But, the amenities are so rich, that for many, that far surpasses its shortcomings in service.

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

I don't think folks really look for reasons to be unhappy. I believe the real problem is that the LOL's make OLCC out to be such a Utopia that people inevitably are disappointed by the reality of the place. No resort could live up to the perfection ascribed Orange Lake by some of its overzealous owners. In this particular case, the concerns could have been only minor irritants had customer service been more responsive and apologetic. Orange Lake's customer service is unacceptably cold, impersonal and uncaring. And the River Island lie is just ridiculously smarmy.

Actually, I do think that folks look for reasons to be unhappy. That is my overwhelming impression.

I think that people can argue that I tend to find too many reasons to be happy. So, I could overstate the positives of a place. Just as long as you know that, you can adjust down any glowing remarks I make about a place.
We just need consistency.

What is more important to me than anything else is simply capturing the full experience of a new location or resort so that anyone going there in the future will have an accurate expectation of the place. And, I like to compare and contrast experiences because all resorts excel and fail in different areas.

Going to Four Seasons Troon in 2 weeks. Boy, do I have high expecations in terms of service. I can't wait. I hope I am not disappointed or spoiled.

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

.

Going to Four Seasons Troon in 2 weeks. Boy, do I have high expectations in terms of service. I can't wait. I hope I am not disappointed or spoiled.

jim,

the best way to be disappointed is to set your expectations too high. try not to do that....if you do, you will surely find fault.........

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

To say it once again, I am not a HOL, although that has been implied previously.

It is possible that I may be a HOLOL.

The OL fiasco Over Yonder started in January, 2004, when I posted things that we experienced while we were there. The thread was entitled (tongue in cheek, somewhat) Where Never is Heard a Discouraging. That is because in 15 years of being very familiar with OL I had never heard any negative about it. I had always looked forward to our visits there, whether to tour an see what was new or to spend a week

I shared what we had seen, which was the unhappiness of others. I saw people with confirmed RCI Exchanges being turned away at checkin. In the infinite wisdom of using a system of assigning units rather than exchanging for specific units in the Spacebank, RCI had overbooked them. I saw a lengthy problem line. There was much confusion and bitterness in that area in the West Clubhouse.

Then we heard it during the week.

Then I heard it again in the Express Checkout line, from an owner.

For most of history the messenger of bad news has been a target. The LOLs could not lash out at the unhappy people we saw at the resort, but they had me.

I got roasted by a couple of LOLs, and before too long I was sitting on the sideline for trying to re-explain myself one too many times.

2 1/2 years later the problem is even worse than it was then.

It's not hard to figure it out.

I have not been Over Yonder lately, but what is being described sounds a lot like Bassangler, who was very disappointed once he got there, probably not because of the resort itself, but because of the Pollyannish blue sky that he had been emersed in prior to his vacation.

I would think most owners would be ashamed of how one person can bring so much angst upon their resort. Perhaps SWSRN is a graduate of the Don Rickles School of Diplomacy. I think she and my neighbors would get along just fine.

Oh yeah, there I go again. Not being an owner, I am not supposed to have an opinion on these things.