Windsor Hills - The Magic Palace

[twob4him]

ok, can't resist the urge to check back in on the boards even though i should be getting my office work done so i can blow out of here early and get packing!!!!

serioulsy, jazz0007 - we can't be the only people who rent with our eyes can we?!? those pics and the decorating of the places is key. hope some owners see this thread and take up on the tip.

twob4him - so where'd ya stay?!?! villa names if you remember? websites? i have a feeling i am going to be hooked on renting villas for my vacations after this experience. the picking out of the clothes is the worst part....and i have not even started that yet. i have a general idea, but i have to get in there and do that. i have you say you are better than i though....iron...what is this of which you speak?!?!

we are park commandos - we will do each WDW park at least once and MK and EPCOT (yes i still refer to it in all caps - they way it was intended) several times thru our trip. (AP holders so hopping is a way of life) family motto "we can sleep when we are dead - or at least not on a WDW vacation." we prob won't hit any other Orlando parks this trip but would like to (if the water level is high enough) take the Dora Canal tour. we will also be spending one day with some close friends who live in clermont.

i will take plenty of pics and report back in upon my return. (i will pay particualr attention to the decals on the walls and comment if they are cheezy and/or dangerous looking.)

Hi Lori,,,,,I don't remember the name of the exact villas we stayed at but my school "rented" them thru Floridasunvacationhomes.com. You crack me up about the commando comment...I am part commando/part planner and I hate to waste money. So we too hit the parks at least half a day. If I didnt have little ones, I would go longer or stay up late when its cooler. Someday! So I guess you are away still or locked away forever in the condo Well, at least its not with white walls (which my hubby insists on at home ) Talk to you soon!

 

[twob4him]

Lori... you do have that rope tied on tight right????







Man I am sooo impatient!

 

[loriandmatt]

rope worked. i made it out alive and was able to post a trip report (lame and short, but i was having trouble focusing....still in vacation mode.)

you can catch it here

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=25978173#post25978173

post any questions and i will try to answer.

 

[saraT]

Hello all!
Sorry it took me so long to post my review...I was waiting for a refund before I wrote my review. So here it.....
What is so great about this place? Your children's faces as they run thru the house checking out all the rooms! That was my favorite part of the whole vacation was watching my kids run room to room. They were decorated so nice. There was some wear and tear (understandably!) that I let the management company know of-so hopefully it will be fixed soon. The Princess room is bubbling and peeling...I told them that they need to put a coat of glue over it. Modge Podge! LOL! You couldn't really tell unless you got up close to it though...so I am SURE your little Princess will NOT care. She will be way too EXCITED to be in such a gorgeous room. They have lots of toys for kids to play with...which is a huge plus! So no need to bring toys...unless they are loveys of course. I love that each room had their own toys for that style of room. So clever and smart. Spend the extra money peeps and buy toys and decorate...because I will NEVER stay at another place unless they have those. It is ALL about the kids. If they are happy...we are happy. The Winnie the Pooh room was my favorite...so cute! The master bedrooms are VERY nice...no hint of Disney in them...which is so nice for the adults.

OK...some helpful hints:
One...the downstairs AC is HIDDEN behind the massive entertainment center...we did not discover that until the last day when we were packing up. I only say this because you turn down the air upstairs and the upstairs rooms freeze and the downstairs room are saunas. We felt so bad for the people upstairs when we made them suck it up and put 5 comforters on them. LOL! But hey...us adults were HOT downstairs.

Two-do not get the pool heat unless you plan on only using it during the day. It was on a timer-8 to 8. Which is USELESS if you were at a park all day. We wanted it to rest our muscles in the spa after the park, but that didn't work out. I was waiting to write my review to see if they would refund our money...and they did. So, I am fine with that.

Three..there is a karaoke machine, but no cds. So if you are a karaoke fan-bring your own. Otherwise it makes an ok radio.

Four-there are no floaties/rafts for kids for the pool. Bring your own.

Five-the site says that the clubhouse ammenities are free for guests. Not true...we had to pay to use the pool. The park is free though...and awesome. EXCEPT the sandbox...keep kids away...very nice but full of red ants. Ouch. Which is typical for Florida, but there are treatments they can use.

Six-the mattresses on the beds are not that great (also understandably), so don't epect that.

Ok, I believe that is all the helpful hints I have. All in all, we enjoyed our stay very much. The kids had a BLAST. Is it worth the price??? YES!

-Sara

 

[twob4him]

Hello all!
Sorry it took me so long to post my review...I was waiting for a refund before I wrote my review. So here it.....
What is so great about this place? Your children's faces as they run thru the house checking out all the rooms! That was my favorite part of the whole vacation was watching my kids run room to room. They were decorated so nice. There was some wear and tear (understandably!) that I let the management company know of-so hopefully it will be fixed soon. The Princess room is bubbling and peeling...I told them that they need to put a coat of glue over it. Modge Podge! LOL! You couldn't really tell unless you got up close to it though...so I am SURE your little Princess will NOT care. She will be way too EXCITED to be in such a gorgeous room. They have lots of toys for kids to play with...which is a huge plus! So no need to bring toys...unless they are loveys of course. I love that each room had their own toys for that style of room. So clever and smart. Spend the extra money peeps and buy toys and decorate...because I will NEVER stay at another place unless they have those. It is ALL about the kids. If they are happy...we are happy. The Winnie the Pooh room was my favorite...so cute! The master bedrooms are VERY nice...no hint of Disney in them...which is so nice for the adults.

OK...some helpful hints:
One...the downstairs AC is HIDDEN behind the massive entertainment center...we did not discover that until the last day when we were packing up. I only say this because you turn down the air upstairs and the upstairs rooms freeze and the downstairs room are saunas. We felt so bad for the people upstairs when we made them suck it up and put 5 comforters on them. LOL! But hey...us adults were HOT downstairs.

Two-do not get the pool heat unless you plan on only using it during the day. It was on a timer-8 to 8. Which is USELESS if you were at a park all day. We wanted it to rest our muscles in the spa after the park, but that didn't work out. I was waiting to write my review to see if they would refund our money...and they did. So, I am fine with that.

Three..there is a karaoke machine, but no cds. So if you are a karaoke fan-bring your own. Otherwise it makes an ok radio.

Four-there are no floaties/rafts for kids for the pool. Bring your own.

Five-the site says that the clubhouse ammenities are free for guests. Not true...we had to pay to use the pool. The park is free though...and awesome. EXCEPT the sandbox...keep kids away...very nice but full of red ants. Ouch. Which is typical for Florida, but there are treatments they can use.

Six-the mattresses on the beds are not that great (also understandably), so don't epect that.

Ok, I believe that is all the helpful hints I have. All in all, we enjoyed our stay very much. The kids had a BLAST. Is it worth the price??? YES!

-Sara

Sara what a great report.....thank you soooo much!!!!! You stayed at the Palace (5 bdrm house) right? I have lots of questions!!!!
About the pool heat.....was the spa cold then if the heat wasn't on??? What about the rest of the pool???? I really want to be able to use the bubbly spa expecially if I am paying extra money for the heat!!!! and I want the pool itself to be warm sortof.... not bathtub warm but warm enough to want to go in in Nov. So is that not the case???
Also, could you reach the AC behind the entertainment center?? Do you know if it worked?? Hmmmm strange.
How was your commute to Disney? And you don't have to answer this, but do you think your vacation cost more or less staying off-property? Did you get to eat any meals at the Parks?

Thats great about the rooms and the toys! I am so glad the kids had a blast!!

 

[allysmom1218]

We are staying at the Magic Villa #5 on Aug 30 to Sept 6 2008. We were staying at AS Movies during free dining and changed our minds after having 2 more people come along for the trip. The Magic #5 is one of the newer ones with the Princess Bedroom. I sure hope this place is as nice as the pics. I have stayed off site 2 other times at a Villa in Davenport and it was a Great experience. The house was exactly as pictured and very clean, SO I hope this townhouse is the same.

 

[saraT]

Quote-Sara what a great report.....thank you soooo much!!!!! You stayed at the Palace (5 bdrm house) right? I have lots of questions!!!!
About the pool heat.....was the spa cold then if the heat wasn't on??? What about the rest of the pool???? I really want to be able to use the bubbly spa expecially if I am paying extra money for the heat!!!! and I want the pool itself to be warm sortof.... not bathtub warm but warm enough to want to go in in Nov. So is that not the case???
Also, could you reach the AC behind the entertainment center?? Do you know if it worked?? Hmmmm strange.
How was your commute to Disney? And you don't have to answer this, but do you think your vacation cost more or less staying off-property? Did you get to eat any meals at the Parks?[QUOTE][/QUOTE] (I hit the quote, I have no idea why it didn't work). Sorry it looks bad. LOL!


No problem!
Yes, it was the 5 bedroom Magic Palace. If you are going in November...it might get a little chilly but nothing horrible. The heat only works from 8 am to 8 pm...which means it will be warm-if you keep it on all day (hot really) but will start to cool down and there will be no bubblies....so in my opinion, not worth it. November does not get that cold here. 70s-80s probably. We don't start to cool down here until January. We went to Disney in late December a year ago and it was in the high 70s, low 80s (we were in shorts and t-shirts). But that is completely up to you-if you are going to spend most of your days in the park and not at home during the day, don't bother. Use that extra hundred dollars on food in the park-you will NEED it!

Yes, you can reach the AC behind the center. It definitely works, because we could hear it kick on all the time (it REALLY works, like a blast of cold air when it turns on). We are from Florida (St. Pete/Clearwater area), so we like it COLD. I don't think they meant to hide it-it just is a big center and they probably didn't realize it would hide it until after the fact. We knew there were 2 ac units, but just didn't think to look behind there-we just thought it was a mystery of the hidden controls. LOL!

I am from Florida, so we go to Disney many times. You will spend way LESS by staying off site in a home. Yes, you will have to go grocery shopping the minute you get there (there is a Publix right up the street), but that is also great because you know what your kids like to snack on and eat for breakfast. Definitely have the kids eat before they go to the park for breakfast (unless you are doing a character breakfast). Food is EXPENSIVE at Disney. Just keep that in mind and don't think about it while you are ordering it. You can't bring food in the park (they check every bag/purse you bring in), so eat outside when you can. We only ate at the small/quick places. I would love to do a sit down place, but with kids at Disney-just not possible. It is all go, go, go. So you think-I just spent $65 on what to eat? Chicken nuggets??? LOL! So, just expect to spend up to $150 on food a day. That includes drinks and snacks and ice cream though. Because if you are going to do Disney-go all out. It is worth it.
Is this your family's first visit?? How much fun! There is nothing like seeing Disney thru your child's eyes. I mean NOTHING! The pure joy and amazement is worth every penny and every stress you have to go thru.
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. I have been to Disney many times, so I have a pretty good knowledge on what to do. Here is a fun fact to keep in mind-when you go into the park, go straight to the back of the park and don't stop. Every disney fan/worker will tell you that this is the BEST way to limit your wait on rides. You will still see everything, but have to wait less to do it.

 

[estherhead]

You have to pay for the clubhouse? We were planning on using the hot tub there & my dh was going to use the work-out room. How much does it cost?

 

[saraT]

You have to pay for the clubhouse? We were planning on using the hot tub there & my dh was going to use the work-out room. How much does it cost?

They told us $12!! Even though we said we were renting a house there. But we didn't have our wallets on us, so they let us in but told us we had to bring it next time. So we never went back. Main point-always forget to bring your wallet.

 

[estherhead]

They told us $12!! Even though we said we were renting a house there. But we didn't have our wallets on us, so they let us in but told us we had to bring it next time. So we never went back. Main point-always forget to bring your wallet.

$12 a person? Are they crazy? Is that for the whole week?

 

[Jen50]

A guest card is required to access the clubhouse facilities at Windsor Hills. A $6.00 refundable deposit will be requested for each card. When you return the card to the office you get your money back.

 

[mombare]

We were just at Windsor Hills in February, and I noted a few misconceptions...
1. The clubhouse/pool/fitness center - it was a $6 refundable card key you had to purchase to enter those areas. It was not a big deal - but I had read on one forum of a person who forgot theirs at the pool one day and had to pay another $6 to get a new one (no refund for the lost one). They really don't track them, so hold tight to the one you get!
2. Snacks in the park - we brought snacks and sandwiches to the park every day. In fact, our two families shared two coolers each day! We had strollers to hold them, of course (kind of silly to carry them around). It was great for our little ones who were hungry throughout the day. We only ended up getting snacks a few times (throughout our week there).
Our stay at WH was wonderful -easy to get to the parks, and most of all we were able to make our own meals. Most of the rentals have crock pots and other appliances to make life simple! We never did come back in the middle of the day for naps, but we were not there at park opening. It really was a great vacation!! We are looking at staying onsite in December 09 - for the "magic", but I question if that is a good idea when we can stay offsite for so cheap! AND, with great decorations like the Magical Palace, how could you go wrong??
Just a note - we stayed with a different owner who had white wall...yuck. AND, I was constantly living in fear that our children would get something dirty! We did have a little episode with a kitchen chair covered with white fabric and a blueberry...let's just say NOT GOOD!! Thank God for Walmart, stain sticks and some good ol' fashion chemical cleaners!!!

 

[estherhead]

We did have a little episode with a kitchen chair covered with white fabric and a blueberry...let's just say NOT GOOD!!

Got it, no blueberries in breakfast nook! Will remember.

 

[twob4him]

We are staying at the Magic Villa #5 on Aug 30 to Sept 6 2008. We were staying at AS Movies during free dining and changed our minds after having 2 more people come along for the trip. The Magic #5 is one of the newer ones with the Princess Bedroom. I sure hope this place is as nice as the pics. I have stayed off site 2 other times at a Villa in Davenport and it was a Great experience. The house was exactly as pictured and very clean, SO I hope this townhouse is the same.

Hi Allysmom!
Sounds like you have a terrific vacation planned. Quite a difference going from a tiny All Stars room to a beautiful 3 bdrm townhome. I am sure you all will really enjoy it! Come back and tell us all about it!!!

A guest card is required to access the clubhouse facilities at Windsor Hills. A $6.00 refundable deposit will be requested for each card. When you return the card to the office you get your money back.

Jen thank you so much for clearing that up! I have no problem with a refundable deposit! I am assuming you have stayed at WH? Did you like it?

We were just at Windsor Hills in February, and I noted a few misconceptions...
1. The clubhouse/pool/fitness center - it was a $6 refundable card key you had to purchase to enter those areas. It was not a big deal - but I had read on one forum of a person who forgot theirs at the pool one day and had to pay another $6 to get a new one (no refund for the lost one). They really don't track them, so hold tight to the one you get!

Oh very good point...make self note!

2. Snacks in the park - we brought snacks and sandwiches to the park every day. In fact, our two families shared two coolers each day! We had strollers to hold them, of course (kind of silly to carry them around). It was great for our little ones who were hungry throughout the day. We only ended up getting snacks a few times (throughout our week there).

I am glad you were able to bring in coolers (probably not huge ones but coolers none-the-less). My kids are better off eating pb&j and some nice fruit and snacks then eating counter-service at the parks. Then they end up getting mac and cheese and junk. So I really wanted to be able to bring my own food. Now, I still want to be able to get snacks at the park (Yummo Dole Whip!!!!!) or an ice cream but surely its MUCH cheaper to bring your own!

Our stay at WH was wonderful -easy to get to the parks, and most of all we were able to make our own meals. Most of the rentals have crock pots and other appliances to make life simple! We never did come back in the middle of the day for naps, but we were not there at park opening. It really was a great vacation!! We are looking at staying onsite in December 09 - for the "magic", but I question if that is a good idea when we can stay offsite for so cheap! AND, with great decorations like the Magical Palace, how could you go wrong??

I couldnt agree with you more....apparently once you stay off-site, you aren't as willing to go back to a small room. Glad the "commute" was short. With small children we will be coming back around 1 or 2 pm or else I would stay most of the day!

Just a note - we stayed with a different owner who had white wall...yuck. AND, I was constantly living in fear that our children would get something dirty! We did have a little episode with a kitchen chair covered with white fabric and a blueberry...let's just say NOT GOOD!! Thank God for Walmart, stain sticks and some good ol' fashion chemical cleaners!!!

Glad you were able to clear up that little episode!

One question I had is did you have any issues with the pool or the pool heater. Apparently they are on timers so after 8 pm they are cold again??

 

[twob4him]

You have to pay for the clubhouse? We were planning on using the hot tub there & my dh was going to use the work-out room. How much does it cost?

Hi! Now I am going to check out your pre-trippie!!!

 

[KEVD]

Hi all. Just back from a wonderful stay at the Sheraton Vistana. Some friends of ours let us stay at their time share and we got a great rate. We probably won't be so lucky next time. One (of the many) reasons we loved the Vistana was due to it's proximity to the theme parks.

Anyway, Windsor Hills was one of the places I was interested in for a future stay. I was wondering how long the drive is from Windsor Hills to the theme parks?

 

[sympatico]

Hi all. Just back from a wonderful stay at the Sheraton Vistana. Some friends of ours let us stay at their time share and we got a great rate. We probably won't be so lucky next time. One (of the many) reasons we loved the Vistana was due to it's proximity to the theme parks.

Anyway, Windsor Hills was one of the places I was interested in for a future stay. I was wondering how long the drive is from Windsor Hills to the theme parks?

It only takes about 5 minutes to get to Animal Kingdom from WH if you take Sherberth Rd. It would be another 10 minutes to MK parking lot, less than that to DHS and Epcot. Sherberth is closer to AK but you can also access the other parks easily that way too. It's good when there's a lot of traffic on 192.

 

[KEVD]

Perfect thanks. Sounds like the same proximity to the parks as the Vistana(with AK even closer!). Alreaday thinking about our plans for our next trip even though it's not until 2010. So I'lll probably be asking plenty more questions next year! Thanks again.