Has anyone stayed here or know anything about them? All 4 of their condos look great on their website and seem to be booked pretty solid. Yet no word from any DISers - or at least nothing has come up in my search. Considering booking, but I'd like to see some kind of review. Can anyone help? TIA
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Story Time Condo in Windsor Hills
- Thread starter mousebit
- Start date
2xDisneyDad
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2007
I have definately seen discussions on their homes in this forum. Search storytime in the "hotels and attractions" board and a bunch pops up.
Good luck,
Steve
Good luck,
Steve
Thx, Steve!
Soccerpooh
When they move Margaritaville to WDW, then it real
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2006
You are staying there right before us!!!! We are in Storytime 3 6/8 to 6/16.
I am nervous too, but only because of Villa Direct. Someone posted on another thread that the Storytime owners were looking for a new management company, hopefully that it is true- the owners themselves have been great to work with. PLEASE post a review- hopefully I can read it before we go! Anyway, I am glad a fellow DISer is staying there just before us! Here's hoping our stays will be problem free!
loubelou & Soccerpooh -
We are in the same situation. SonIL just booked for a family trip this fall. Sweet guy - but no clue about these things. When I read the reviews here and learned about the MC problems I felt a little sick. I had told him about WH and he picked ST because the kids loved the Mickey theme throughout. You have to admit, it looks really cute on the website - perfect for the 6 of us (2 grandparents, 2 parents, 2 kids).
Now, we're not sure what to do. I've read too that the owners were considering changing their MC, but VD is still listed on their website. Don't let that worry you too much tho. IMHO, if the owners are concerned (and they should be) then I would think we'd be okay. I plan to just communicate a lot with them and express my concerns about their MC and see how they're dealing with it. Hopefully, they will keep a close eye on things (if it were my place I would) and handle situations that may come up.
You may even want to let them know you read reviews here on these boards and that others are waiting to hear your review after your stay. We will be anxiously waiting to hear from you. If we hear too much bad and not so much good, we will cancel our ressie and forfeit our deposit. Not something we want to do unless absolutely necessary - obviously.
I'm hoping both of you will have wonderful vacations. I know you can count on WH to be fantastic. And I don't know about you, but it would take a lot to ruin any trip to WDW for me!
I'm off to email the owner right now and express my concerns. Please feel free to PM me if you have further suggestions, concerns, info, etc...TIA!
We are in the same situation. SonIL just booked for a family trip this fall. Sweet guy - but no clue about these things. When I read the reviews here and learned about the MC problems I felt a little sick. I had told him about WH and he picked ST because the kids loved the Mickey theme throughout. You have to admit, it looks really cute on the website - perfect for the 6 of us (2 grandparents, 2 parents, 2 kids).
Now, we're not sure what to do. I've read too that the owners were considering changing their MC, but VD is still listed on their website. Don't let that worry you too much tho. IMHO, if the owners are concerned (and they should be) then I would think we'd be okay. I plan to just communicate a lot with them and express my concerns about their MC and see how they're dealing with it. Hopefully, they will keep a close eye on things (if it were my place I would) and handle situations that may come up.
You may even want to let them know you read reviews here on these boards and that others are waiting to hear your review after your stay. We will be anxiously waiting to hear from you. If we hear too much bad and not so much good, we will cancel our ressie and forfeit our deposit. Not something we want to do unless absolutely necessary - obviously.
I'm hoping both of you will have wonderful vacations. I know you can count on WH to be fantastic. And I don't know about you, but it would take a lot to ruin any trip to WDW for me!
I'm off to email the owner right now and express my concerns. Please feel free to PM me if you have further suggestions, concerns, info, etc...TIA!
luvmy3jewels
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
We are just back from our Disney trip and stayed at Story Time 3. I, too, had read some negative comments regarding Villa Direct and issues with cleanliness and ants so I didn't know what to expect when we arrived.
We ended up being very pleased with this townhouse! It was clean (not spotless, but as clean as any hotel room or vacation home I have seen) and the only ants we saw were a few around the pool. The only problem we had with Villa Direct during our stay was the pool heat had not been turned on. I made one phone call and the pool guy showed up about 15 minutes later to turn it on.
My kids loved their Mickey Mouse bedroom and it was really nice to have the small pool right out the back doors!
Windsor Hills is gorgeous and very convenient to Disney World.
There are only a couple of minor complaints that I had regarding our stay. One was that there were not enough towels and very few washclothes. We had 5 adults and 3 kids staying there so I guess that it wasn't really well stocked for the maximum potential guests. In addition, the pillows and bed were pretty uncomfortable (both very hard). My dh and I did not sleep well our first night and ended up buying new pillows at Wal Mart to use. The new pillows helped a lot and we slept better the rest of the trip. In addition, the dryer took forever to dry clothes (dh seemed to think there might be a venting problem with it).
When I was first considering renting Story Time 3, the owners were very responsive to my e-mails and questions. I will say that once I paid for the rental, they were a lot less responsive. I e-mailed them a couple of questions about towels and directions and they never responded. A few days later I sent another e-mail inquiring about adding pool heat and they immediately responded to that one.
Overall, I think we made a good choice and we enjoyed our stay at Story Time 3. It was a great vacation for all of us! We stayed so busy, that we didn't even get to see the big Windsor Hills pool, or the playground. Next time we go, I would definitely stay there again....but we would probably rent a bigger house!
We ended up being very pleased with this townhouse! It was clean (not spotless, but as clean as any hotel room or vacation home I have seen) and the only ants we saw were a few around the pool. The only problem we had with Villa Direct during our stay was the pool heat had not been turned on. I made one phone call and the pool guy showed up about 15 minutes later to turn it on.
My kids loved their Mickey Mouse bedroom and it was really nice to have the small pool right out the back doors!
Windsor Hills is gorgeous and very convenient to Disney World.
There are only a couple of minor complaints that I had regarding our stay. One was that there were not enough towels and very few washclothes. We had 5 adults and 3 kids staying there so I guess that it wasn't really well stocked for the maximum potential guests. In addition, the pillows and bed were pretty uncomfortable (both very hard). My dh and I did not sleep well our first night and ended up buying new pillows at Wal Mart to use. The new pillows helped a lot and we slept better the rest of the trip. In addition, the dryer took forever to dry clothes (dh seemed to think there might be a venting problem with it).
When I was first considering renting Story Time 3, the owners were very responsive to my e-mails and questions. I will say that once I paid for the rental, they were a lot less responsive. I e-mailed them a couple of questions about towels and directions and they never responded. A few days later I sent another e-mail inquiring about adding pool heat and they immediately responded to that one.
Overall, I think we made a good choice and we enjoyed our stay at Story Time 3. It was a great vacation for all of us! We stayed so busy, that we didn't even get to see the big Windsor Hills pool, or the playground. Next time we go, I would definitely stay there again....but we would probably rent a bigger house!
luvmy3jewels -
Thanx so much for your review! I"m glad you had a wonderful vacation in spite of the few minor problems with the condo. Clean with no bugs is definitely making me feel better!
The bedding and linens is still a small concern for me tho. When we drive, I can bring my own pillow and extra towels, etc. But I don't want to have to mess with that since we're flying. Hmmmmm...
A few questions if you can answer:
How was check in with VD?
Do you think the mattresses were just less expensive/lesser quality?
Was the rest of the condo nicely furnished? As in the web photos?
Thanx again - you've been a great help!
Thanx so much for your review! I"m glad you had a wonderful vacation in spite of the few minor problems with the condo. Clean with no bugs is definitely making me feel better!
The bedding and linens is still a small concern for me tho. When we drive, I can bring my own pillow and extra towels, etc. But I don't want to have to mess with that since we're flying. Hmmmmm...
A few questions if you can answer:
How was check in with VD?
Do you think the mattresses were just less expensive/lesser quality?
Was the rest of the condo nicely furnished? As in the web photos?
Thanx again - you've been a great help!
luvmy3jewels
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
Barb-
We had a late flight, so I had to use the after hours check in with Villa Direct. I'm embarrassed to admit that I forgot the owner had included the access door code under his e-mail signature, so I ended up calling Villa Direct's phone number at 10:30 p.m. for help. The guy I spoke with provided the number and told me what I needed to do once I got in. The check-in package included directions to the townhouse that were wrong, but we were able to quickly locate it by using the street address. We also had to sign a statement that said everything appeared to be in good condition and submit it to Villa Direct's office within 24 hours. Their office isn't that far from the townhouse, but it was still a pain to have to worry about it.
To be honest, I am very spoiled when it comes to bedding. At home, we have a high-end pillow top mattress with luxury sheets. I found the king sized bed in the townhouse to be very firm, which I think some people prefer. However, the pillows were the biggest problem. They were thin and hard. I would definitely recommend bringing your own!!
The home was very nicely furnished and decorated. I think the pictures accurately depict what you will find when you arrive. Other than the issues with towels and the pillows, we were very pleased with our stay at Story Time 3!
We had a late flight, so I had to use the after hours check in with Villa Direct. I'm embarrassed to admit that I forgot the owner had included the access door code under his e-mail signature, so I ended up calling Villa Direct's phone number at 10:30 p.m. for help. The guy I spoke with provided the number and told me what I needed to do once I got in. The check-in package included directions to the townhouse that were wrong, but we were able to quickly locate it by using the street address. We also had to sign a statement that said everything appeared to be in good condition and submit it to Villa Direct's office within 24 hours. Their office isn't that far from the townhouse, but it was still a pain to have to worry about it.
To be honest, I am very spoiled when it comes to bedding. At home, we have a high-end pillow top mattress with luxury sheets. I found the king sized bed in the townhouse to be very firm, which I think some people prefer. However, the pillows were the biggest problem. They were thin and hard. I would definitely recommend bringing your own!!
The home was very nicely furnished and decorated. I think the pictures accurately depict what you will find when you arrive. Other than the issues with towels and the pillows, we were very pleased with our stay at Story Time 3!
Soccerpooh
When they move Margaritaville to WDW, then it real
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2006
luvmy3jewels- Thanks for your review! I am so glad to hear that your stay was relatively problem free. Did you find that the kitchen was well stocked with pots, pans, etc? Besides towels and pillows, is there anything else you would recommend bringing from home or purchasing? (Thanks for the heads up about the pillows- I am a big baby about needing a fluffy pillow- no flat ones for me!
)
mousebit- If the owners respond to your email about your concerns, do you mind sharing any info with us (PM or post)? We are planning on doing the same thing in the next week, just to let let them know that VD has been getting really bad reviews here and that we are concerned about that. I know that we will still have fun- we are going to try REALLY hard to go slow and enjoy Windsor Hills and not do the parks commando style.
If the townhome is as great as the pictures, I think that won't be hard to do!
) mousebit- If the owners respond to your email about your concerns, do you mind sharing any info with us (PM or post)? We are planning on doing the same thing in the next week, just to let let them know that VD has been getting really bad reviews here and that we are concerned about that. I know that we will still have fun- we are going to try REALLY hard to go slow and enjoy Windsor Hills and not do the parks commando style.
If the townhome is as great as the pictures, I think that won't be hard to do!luvmy3jewels - Thanx once again for the info. I'm feeling much better about things now. Just planning on bringing our own pillows - somehow - as you suggest. We're a little spoiled when it comes to bedding too. But we love Pop Century and manage to be comfortable on their double beds - and I don't think they could come much harder than those! That check-in procedure sounds really inconvenient, but I can live with it and now that you've let me know how it works, I'll just have to plan for it.
Soccerpooh - I'll absolutely be happy to share any info I get from the owner.
Will you share too? I'm sure the owners want happy tenants and positive reviews here on the DIS. I'm also thinking they might be somewhat overwhelmed right now with 4 condos, a home being redecorated and a not so great MC - seems like a lot to me and according to their calendars they are pretty booked. So we may have to do a little extra double-checking on things. But all in all, I think we can look forward to a great trip!
If anyone else has stayed at Story Time Condos or knows the owners, we'd appreciate hearing from you! TIA
Soccerpooh - I'll absolutely be happy to share any info I get from the owner.
Will you share too? I'm sure the owners want happy tenants and positive reviews here on the DIS. I'm also thinking they might be somewhat overwhelmed right now with 4 condos, a home being redecorated and a not so great MC - seems like a lot to me and according to their calendars they are pretty booked. So we may have to do a little extra double-checking on things. But all in all, I think we can look forward to a great trip!If anyone else has stayed at Story Time Condos or knows the owners, we'd appreciate hearing from you! TIA
luvmy3jewels
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
I'm sorry, but I can't vouch for the pots and pans in Story Time 3. I was lazy our whole trip, and didn't do any cooking except for brewing coffee and toasting some pop tarts
Starter rolls of toilet paper and small bars of soap were provided (I brought a few trash bags and dishwasher cubes with us). We did stop at a nearby grocery store and picked up additional tp, paper towels, and coffee filters. I left extras of all the non-food items we bought, but I don't know if the cleaning people left them there.
Hope you have a wonderful trip!!
Starter rolls of toilet paper and small bars of soap were provided (I brought a few trash bags and dishwasher cubes with us). We did stop at a nearby grocery store and picked up additional tp, paper towels, and coffee filters. I left extras of all the non-food items we bought, but I don't know if the cleaning people left them there.
Hope you have a wonderful trip!!
PlutoPup
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2007
My DH and I decided to take a chance and stayed in Storytime1 in Nov 2006 - and we had an AMAZING time! We found the owners were very nice to deal with. We had no issues with ants and found the home very clean.
We did have an issue with the pool heat and the owners reimbursed us for the inconvience. The kitchen was stocked with pots, pans, table service for 6, toaster and coffee maker. In the utility closet they had a umbrella stroller, high chair and bed rails for the kiddie beds.
In our experience the only beds that were slighty uncomfortable were the ones in the kids bedroom. After 1 night my kids adjusted. I would agree with the above poster to bring 2 large towels for the pool/showers b/c the ones they provide are quite small. We actually had to pick up 2 at walmart.
We decided before we got there to eat breakfast in the house each day, so we headed to the local publix... and let me tell you - they are OVERPRICED! Try to go to the walmart . Its a little farther out, but worth it.
As for Villa Direct, we had no problems with the directions they emailed us. We also p/u our keys after hours and it took all of 5 mins to do.
All in all, we loved it there. Loved the fact we can all spread out and had time to unwind after a long day in the park. Loved it so much we are going back this Nov @ storytime 4.
We did have an issue with the pool heat and the owners reimbursed us for the inconvience. The kitchen was stocked with pots, pans, table service for 6, toaster and coffee maker. In the utility closet they had a umbrella stroller, high chair and bed rails for the kiddie beds.
In our experience the only beds that were slighty uncomfortable were the ones in the kids bedroom. After 1 night my kids adjusted. I would agree with the above poster to bring 2 large towels for the pool/showers b/c the ones they provide are quite small. We actually had to pick up 2 at walmart.
We decided before we got there to eat breakfast in the house each day, so we headed to the local publix... and let me tell you - they are OVERPRICED! Try to go to the walmart . Its a little farther out, but worth it.
As for Villa Direct, we had no problems with the directions they emailed us. We also p/u our keys after hours and it took all of 5 mins to do.
All in all, we loved it there. Loved the fact we can all spread out and had time to unwind after a long day in the park. Loved it so much we are going back this Nov @ storytime 4.
YAY! More good news! Thanx, Rena! We will definitely make a WalMart shopping trip.
5mins2disney
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2006
They won't. They are instructed to remove EVERYTHING from the homes, unless you take a big black permanent marker and write "LEAVE BEHIND" on an item, it gets thrown out! I suspect they take the garbage bags, detergent, etc, and use them for the other homes so they don't have to buy them, but we have a bunch of supplies in our home with bit notes on them like that, and when we arrived in Sept a bunch of it was still there.
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