Comparing Orange Creek with WBC

[cheribear]

I need 7 days in August for a family of 6 - I can get 7 days at Orange Lake for about $900, and just got a quote back on WBC for $1500. Is it possible to get WBC closer to $800, and what advantages are there at WBC?

Kids are 6,9,13 and 14 - this is our first and probably only Disney trip. We are planning to start at Art of Animation for my Cars-crazy son, then move off property for the extra space, full bedrooms, laundry, kitchen etc. 10 days total, Aug 15-26 or Aug. 19-29

 

[cheribear]

Sorry About the title, I know I is orange lake and bonnet creek... On my phone so I don't know how to fix it!

 

[Brian Noble]

Bonnet creek is much closer to the parks than orange lake. Orange lake is more spread out with more low/mid-rise buildings, while Bonnet is mostly mid/high-rise. You can get that seven night stay for $1260 from Vacation Upgrades if you check into Bonnet on or after the 21st of August. Others might do even better.

 

[cheribear]

We check in the 19th at the latest, we have to get back home for school! Are amenities, rooms and the resort comparable ?

 

[ibob52]

Are your Quotes for a 2 Bedroom or 3 Bedroom?

$1500.00 is very High for a ... WBC 2 Bedroom/7 nights

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Booking about 55 days out, we got a 2 bedroom at WBC on eBay last year for $559 for August 23-30th.

 

[cheribear]

Also we will have a vehicle so parking etc. is a concern as well as proximity to grocery stores, restaurants, etc. We will be driving to Disney and back so an extra few minutes in the car is not a big deal, as long as it is not too far out of the way or crazy traffic

 

[cheribear]

Oh the quote is for a 3br, thanks for pointing that out. Will a 2br sleep 6?

 

[ibob52]

Will a 2br sleep 6?

The number of beds in a 2 bedroom would be ... 1 King ... 2 Doubles

Things you might consider are the ... age/size/sleeping style/etc ... of your family or group.

 

[Brian Noble]

We check in the 19th at the latest

But you are starting at AoA for several nights, right?

A 2BR *might* sleep six, depending on what you need. As the PP points out, the 2BR has a king in the master, two double beds in the second bedroom, and a double sleeper sofa in the LR. Technically it sleeps eight, but I only have four and the 2BR works okay for us.

 

[cheribear]

If we take the later trip then we would be checking in to WBC on the 23rd through the 29th, so that would work great for the lower rate there.

I am hoping to fly to Florida on the 15th, stay at AofA until the 19th and then move to WBC until the 26th. It just gives us an extra day or so of vacation but it all depends on the flights.

We would absolutely be fine with two doubles and a sleeper sofa! Especially after AofA it will feel spacious!

 

[ibob52]

Especially after AofA it will feel spacious

Yep ... I always think it is best when a move is made ... the move is to the upgrade accommodation.

*in this case the upgrade could be the extra space etc*

 

[greenclan67]

We love OL. On the plane now heading there. Its not that far from Disney via the sherbeth road shortcut.

 

[cheribear]

Thanks, when you are finished enjoying your trip, would you be able to tell me a little about your experience and why you choose OL? There are endless threads about WBC on this forum but a search for OL comes up with only a few threads and the reviews seem to be mixed - either super positive or negative.

I understand that OL is pretty spread out, which might be a concern for my two oldest who may like to do a little bit of exploring on their own as long as they aren't too far from the room.

 

[southbound]

We stayed at Orange Lake years ago and thought it was pretty nice. It is definitely more spread out than WBC and most of the buildings are two stories from what I can remember. The pools were fun and we had a great dinner there on our last night in their restaurant (sorry can't remember the name of it) and would definitely recommend it based on our stay. We stayed two weeks and unfortunately we had to move after the first week, so that was inconvenient. I like to stay put in one place, so it wasn't great for us. Our first week was in an older unit and it was okay, nothing special, but still clean and spacious. We hardly spent any time in the unit the first week except to sleep. Our second week, we were in a newer building and it was very nice in comparison to the older unit. The place was great and our balcony faced the golf course, so it was very private. We spent a little more time there the second week and enjoyed the pool area near the main entrance and it was a very fun atmosphere.

We also spent time at WBC a couple years ago and loved it so much, we are headed back to WBC in just over a month from now. I absolutely loved the location and how close we were to the Disney parks and Downtown Disney. There were tons of restaurants within a 5 minute drive and the resort was beautiful. My preference would definitely be for WBC, though there was nothing wrong with OL and in some instances, it was a bit better. There is a Publix right there and I think it was a Walgreens across the street from the main entrance. It was a long time ago, so maybe that's changed a bit. I liked WBC more for the location, I think and the pools were all close enough to walk to, which can't be said for OL.

Either way, I don't think you'll be disappointed, but there are a lot more people talking about WBC on here than OL. I posted pics of our two bedroom deluxe unit from building 4 on the WBC photo thread and I've heard that they've updated most of the units since we stayed and I thought the place was pretty nice before, so I can imagine it's only gotten better now.

 

[Brian Noble]

would you be able to tell me a little about your experience and why you choose OL?

Orange Lake is a self-contained resort: several lovely pool complexes, golf, tennis, etc. etc. If you are going to spend more than a few "resort days" OL's on-site amenities are probably more varied than Bonnet's.

 

[greenclan67]

We have been at OL for 2 full days and haven't left property. You don't have too. We love the all.inclusiveness of it. We also let our teen girls 15 & 13 take the shuttle from river island to west village. They text us every little while to let us know where they are. We love west village and the single story villas park right in front of your door. Very clean fun atmosphere.

 

[kathy884]

I also think your experience of Orange Lake could be different based on where you are staying. The last time we stayed there they put us somewhere out on a golf course not near any amenities we were interested in. We didn't like the location and went back to the office and asked if they could move us somewhere else (by a pool or tennis courts, something like that), and they put us by one of their smaller, but very nice pools. That worked well for us and we were happy enough with that. Also, it was kind of fun, as we saw some of the same people at the pool and hot tub everyday, so made some new friends. The River Island water park area (not near our condo on our last stay) was really quite impressive. They have a Lake with lots of activity in another section of the resort, and tennis courts too (closer, but still kind of far away from our condo last time). None of these areas were walking distance for us. There is a bus that can take you from place to place, but we found that really if you wanted to hit something father away, it was really better to just drive over. I liked the resort a lot, but think I prefer some of the other great timeshare properties in Orlando that I've stayed at due to more consistency in all the condo units (you know what you are getting - there is a big variety in what you could get at Orange Lake) and most major amenities within walking vs. driving distance of your condo. Still I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Orange Lake again. It wouldn't necessarily be my first choice in the area. But for the right price with the right group, why not. // Although I've stayed at five other timeshare properties in the area on top of Orange Lake, I have yet to hit Bonnet Creek, so although I can give you a little feedback on Orange Lake, I can't compare the two properties.