We had a great time and a wonderful experience at this resort.

The good:
Check in was very easy. The staff at the reception desk was quick and friendly, as was everyone we encountered at the resort. The units were nice, spacious and well maintained. There was plenty of room and they had enough pots/pans etc to actually be able to cook and not be missing anything. The grounds were beautiful and the pool (we only went to one, the small one in the back of East Village) was great, not crowded and the kids had a blast. We had an issue with some neighbors in the middle of the night, ramming into doors and ringing doorbells at 1am (by the way, if you are out there and read this - you are scum - waking little kids up and scaring them in the middle of the night - would like to be there to see it when karma hits you in the face) but security came rather quickly, addressed the issue and moved said riffraff the next morning. They also provided details and stopped to provide some assurances when we followed up the next day, which made us feel better.

The only ever so slightly not good:

They did try to rope you into the whole timeshare thing right at the front desk, but at this point that is something I am used to. They initially didn't want to take no for an answer, but once they knew I wasn't going to bite, they were fine. I was annoyed when we were woken up at 8:30am in the morning with another call regarding this. I am sure I was rather terse on the phone as I, nor my kids need to be waken up on the 2nd day of our vacation by a sales call, but at that point, I had obviously made my point, as there were no more approaches.

As others have pointed out, it is a huge resort, which has its positives and negatives. Distance is a negative, but all the amenities and on site activities are a positive. Just depends on what you are looking for. I would recommend this resort and would stay there again.

This is a very nice resort with excellent customer service and an even better location. The resort itself is big, resulting in everything being spread out. The up side to that is there is plenty to do. Very family friendly. I would definitely return.

This is the third time we have stayed at this property. It has undergone some improvements since HI took over. The property is amazing. Numerous pools, activities, lazy river, golf, restaurants, bars, shops, etc. We spent 5 days at the pool and mini-golf, kids loved it. As is the case with most time share presentations, beware! We were offered a $300 pool activity package for $80 if we attended. We did, and the "new, low pressure" presentation we were promised was NOT low pressure, and it lasted 2 1/2 hours instead of the 1 hour presented to us. In the long run, it was still worth $220, just be prepared to say NO about a thousand times, then be treated with near disdain when they finally realize you are not buying. We stayed in the East Village bungalow area. Unit was very comfortable, but somewhat outdated (no flat panel TV's). With a maintenance fee for owners (which we are not, we were on an RCI exchange) of $690 per year, which equates to $35,880 for full occupancy, I would think new TV's would be possible. Overall, Orange Lake is a fantastic family destinantion, we will also consider buying when our situation warrants it. If you are considering buying, wait until the VERY end of the presentation for the best possible deal!

The room appears to be nice, as well as the grounds. This is about the only good thing I can say. Key card has left us locked out 4 times now. After many hours at a theme park this is NOT what my 75-year-old mother needed! When we finally got in the sales pitch message was on the phone. The first sales call of the day was at 8:30 this morning. If mother won't attend the sales presentation she will be charged $30. The other morning there have been at least 2 sales calls. Aggressive doesn't begin to describe the sales pressure. When attending the resort services area to try to get the room key issues resolved again, it seemed as though there were a large amount of other guests there, that were just as dissatisfied (and nearing irate) as I. If you like to swim, this might be an okay place - if you don't, just be prepared to pay, pay, pay! Mother has traveled all over the world and never seen/experienced a place like this. I am disappointed that I worked for months to save for this scam. BEWARE!!!