WDW Trip - Renting a House Vs. Staying at Hotel

[twin_momma]

Hello Fellow Canadians! :wave2:

I'm off to WDW at the end of January (for 6 days) and have yet to decide whether to rent a house or stay at a hotel.

I wondered what your experiences were and if you had any advice for me!

Thanks In Advance!

[webworm]

Hello Fellow Canadians! :wave2:

I'm off to WDW at the end of January (for 6 days) and have yet to decide whether to rent a house or stay at a hotel.

I wondered what your experiences were and if you had any advice for me!

Thanks In Advance!

There is not much to think about when you have 3 kids so I rent a vaction home with your own pool for less than a cramped motel room.

[jseuss]

would never rent a room again. Have 2 kids and always rent a house. Much more FREEDOM

[Winue]

we were looking at 3 bedroom townhouses through Windsor Hills, and that was going to be our first choice, until the outlaws decided to take the family, all expenses paid! now we are staying at CBR. but the townhouse with its own little pool would be our first choice for next time!

[Sillyminny40]

We have done both.

First on site (cramped with 3 small children in one room, Port Orleans)
Second Vistana villages: 2 brm huge
Third Visit: small Marriot room (cramped)
Fourth: 5 Br vacation room at Orange Tree 35 mins drive
Fifth: Maybe 2 br at Wilderness Villas Disney (our kids are now 3 huge teen boys)

Bottom line: Love convenience of on site but wow, so nice to have our own pool, kitchen, car
On site wonderful to take bus no worries, no cooking, but more cramped, for sure. And you are at the mercy of the Disney stores etc for stuff UNLESS you order room delivery of grociers (gardengrocer.com)

No right or wrong answer, depends on your family.

[twin_momma]

Thank you all for your opinions and experiences.

I think we're definitely leaning towards renting a house. We have two little ones (4 yrs) and i think it would be too cramped in a regular motel/hotel room, especially the sleeping situation.

We'll have to rent a car as we're flying in to West Palm Beach so driving to the parks don't bother us.

Anyone stayed somewhere they would recommend?

[Sillyminny40]

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/florida/central-disney-orlando

You can try vacation rentals by owner. You will also get folks who will private message you about their own places to rent. Lots of threads about this on the disboards! So many wonderful places.

[LSmith]

We've stayed on site 4 times and off site 5 times. We much prefer renting a house as it gives us lots of room plus our own pool. I find it a much more relaxing vacation this way.

Yes, we have to rent a car but we don't like being tied only to Disney property so this works out well. Florida has a lot to offer.

Although we say we are going to cook we usually end up eating in a restaurant at least once a day. The good thing is that the restaurants that are off Disney property are a much better value for your money.

Last March the house we rented had 4 bedrooms, 2 and a half bathrooms in Davenport for $1600 for 16 days. It also had a washer, dryer (standard), hot tub, billiard table, air hockey etc.

We also always go to Cocoa Beach. Last March we saw two dolphins swimming together for a long time.

We always have rented from the vrbo.com site.

[BellyBaby]

I researched homes to death last year, :surfweb: after researching on-site resorts, then changing my mind and went with a house. ;) Ended up with Indian Creek, b/c the price was very good, and I didn't think we'd ever use all the extra amenities at the other resorts, so why pay for them. ie. movie theatre, fitness equipment (walking the parks is a challenge in itself) - we'd sooner sit around our private pool and talk about our day and what we wanted to do the next.

Also liked having bkfst in our home every day, one less line to wait in, one less big bill to pay. I found mine on VBRO as well.

[mtmbyck]

If you rent a home in Windsor Hills, Indian Creek, Formosa Gardens or Emerald Isle, you will actually get to the parks faster than if you were at a resort like CBR or POF! THe drive is about 15 miutes to the furthest park (MK) and 5 minutes to AK (using a back road that goes straight across 192 and into the Animal Kingdom).

The wait for a bus can be 10-15 minutes, then the stops, etc.....

The homes are amazing. We have rented many times - loved each one - everything from 4 bedroom to 7 bedroom. Get the pool heated. If your children are old enough, get one with a games room in the garage - this kills time in the evenings.

On VRBO you can negotiate with owners directly. If you are going the end of this month...you shoulkd be able to get a steal of a deal if they have space!

[Sillyminny40]

If you rent a home in Windsor Hills, Indian Creek, Formosa Gardens or Emerald Isle, you will actually get to the parks faster than if you were at a resort like CBR or POF! THe drive is about 15 miutes to the furthest park (MK) and 5 minutes to AK (using a back road that goes straight across 192 and into the Animal Kingdom).

The wait for a bus can be 10-15 minutes, then the stops, etc.....

The homes are amazing. We have rented many times - loved each one - everything from 4 bedroom to 7 bedroom. Get the pool heated. If your children are old enough, get one with a games room in the garage - this kills time in the evenings.

On VRBO you can negotiate with owners directly. If you are going the end of this month...you shoulkd be able to get a steal of a deal if they have space!

Good info. Is there an owner or two that you could recommend to people? Thanks.

[mtmbyck]

to be honest, the owners change hands often....I think owning a vacation rental home is tough busines right now (there are also so many of them now!). Your best bet is to log on to VRBO and request the community you want and then the size of home (by bedroom and bathroom). Then just start sending them emails and they will respond very quickly. It is cheaper to rent from the owner than to use one of the property Management companies.

[Sillyminny40]

to be honest, the owners change hands often....I think owning a vacation rental home is tough busines right now (there are also so many of them now!). Your best bet is to log on to VRBO and request the community you want and then the size of home (by bedroom and bathroom). Then just start sending them emails and they will respond very quickly. It is cheaper to rent from the owner than to use one of the property Management companies.

Thanks MTM!

[FrenchSnowWhite]

I agree with everyone, we've been to Disney many times, always at the Port Orleans and being all stuck together in a small room with my 3 kids. We just got back from Laura's Townhouse at Windsor Hills, and it was paradise with the kids!:goodvibes

Private pool, huge private room for the parents, separate rooms for the kids. All the amenities you can think you'll need!

Getting the sleeping kids from the car to do 3 step in to the home was awsome;)

Next time we go to Disney or Orlando area, we'll rent a home again:cloud9: