Advice/Suggestions about vacation homes

[SnowWhite33]

I clicked on a link for Allstar vacation homes on Deb Wills site and was amazed at the rates and size of the homes! I could hardly believe they were so inexpensive in comparison to the resorts at Disney.

Has anyone ever stayed at a vacation home? I know that one disadvantage is transportation, but with a week long rental they give you a free rental car. I feel like we would be saving even more by being able to wash clothes and cook meals and have a private pool to boot!

What advantages/disadvantages am I missing and what are your experiences?

 

[BonnieA]

I've stayed at vacation homes or condo's offsite four times. Personally I don't find any disadvantages. I do not consider having to drive as a disadvantage, it gives you an opportunity to see much more than WDW and eat at less expensive restaurants. In the house you've got the space, privacy, convenience. You can sleep better and make some meals if you wish. Unless I am alone, I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

 

[crazywig]

we stayed at a home in january and i LOVED it!!!! we were in the
'rolling hills' development and were only 10 minutes from the main gate of the magic kingdom.

we paid $900 + pool heat for a 6br 4ba house. we split that cost 4 ways between families (we had 11 people)! you can't get much cheaper than that.

having a laundry was fantastic, we had our then 9m old with us and he got sick a few times. it was great to be able to just chuck his stuff in the washer. plus, we packed less knowing we could wash a few things if needed.

also it's great to have all that space, esp. with kids, you can still be up watching tv, or even swimming! while they are in bed.

i have been preaching the advantages of pool homes to everyone LOL.

we found our house through www.vrbo.com and had a great experience.

 

[dutton]

Which property was this? Do you have to rent for a week or can you choose 5 or 6 nights? When you say 10 min drive --was that an easy drive, or did you run into traffic? I went to this website to look at houses, and they have tons in Kissimmee, it is hard for me to know what is near Disney. If you can give me any more info I would appreciate it! Thank you very much!

 

[Lisa AF]

This site can give you an idea of where most developments are http://www.orlandovillas.com/map.asp

 

[disneysteve]

To SnowWhite33 - one word of caution. Once you rent a pool home, you may never want to stay in a hotel again!

We've rented in the Lindfields development on 192 West several times and have loved it everytime! For about the same price as a Disney moderate, you get tons more space, your own pool, a full kitchen, multiple bedrooms, bathrooms and TV's, a washer and dryer and more.

Driving is absolutely not an issue. There are plenty of offsite locations from which it takes less time to get to the Disney parks than it does from the Disney hotels.

Two sites to check out are:
http://www.vrbo.com/vrbo/flcentral.htm

http://www.windsor-palms-resort.com/

Steve

 

[sportfan4]

any developments close to Universal?

 

[JANNYANS]

Dutton,someowners have a set check in check out day others, like myself, are more than willing to fall into the guests plans.Most will also accept bookings of less than a week,but will charge you for the cleaning a the end otherwise it makes it difficult to cover the costs on a short stay .try looking on

http://www.orlandovillas.com

http://vacation-rentals-orlando.com


http://www.orlandovillas.co.uk

http://orlandohomerent.com

these are all site where you book direct with the owner and you will get a great choice especially if you are looking ahead.

 

[FLeisure]

And if your looking for over 40 of the most professional management companies to rent from then

www.floridacentralvacations.com is another good site.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Dh and I are considering going this route in June. I can't believe that for less than price of the All Stars we stay in a 2 bedroom condo!

I would also appreciate hearing any opinions/reports/suggestions on this!

 

[FLeisure]

Dallas Lady,
It's been a well known secret that staying in a home is one of the best ways of visiting the area. If you pick your location well, depending on what you want to do, then you can't go far wrong.

Let's look at the economics...a 3 bed house sleeping 6 to 8 people at $ 79 + tax per night (low season) equates to $ 9.88 per person. Add into the equation the fact that you get a fully equipped home with full kitchen, laundry, your own bedroom away from everyone else , garage to keep the car cool(ish), and best of all your own private pool and you start to understand why a vacation home is the only choice to make when compared to a hotel.

Most people who stay in a home never go back to a hotel when visiting this part of the world and for very good reason. Who wants the crowds, the lack of personal space and the heavy cost?

Not many.

Now let's look at the larger homes. 5,6 and 7 bedroom homes are out there and priced at the same level. If you have a family reunion, a sporting occassion or just fancy some extra space with your loved one, what better? These homes can take 10- 16 people and each of you all have your own space.....your own pool and your own memories.

I challenge even the best hotel to give you that, either as an individual or as a family.

Now let's look at the food and drink side. Some folks want to be waited on when on vacation. By staying in a home you have more choice....you can cook for yourself, you can visit any number of restaurants and you simply have more choice. Couple that with the advantages of the full size kitchen and you see that you can save money hand over fist.

The only other objection I come across is ease of getting around. It's true that when staying on Disney property you get to use their transport but who really wants to wait for an unreliable service and then to share space with someone else ? Not me, that's for sure.

I much prefer having my own vehicle. Picking my own schedule and doing as I please. If I go to a park I know I can be back home within 5-10 minutes , have a dip in the pool and then go back feeling refreshed later. Yes, you can do that on Disney property but you need to really know the bus schedule to be back at your hotel within 10 minutes and have a fair amount of luck to boot. You can then share a pool with a load of strangers and then finally you can go back to the parks providing you've worked out the bus schedule.

I worked out 10 years ago that a home was the only way for me. I totally understand why folks stay on Disney property for the Disney treatment but after a while you do start to look around to find something different, something better and something that can save you money. There really is no better way.....enjoy your stay.

 

[debden]

Sportfan4,I was also looking for a home near Universal Studios.
I went to a few websites for Vacation Homes and they seem to be in the same areas.Most of them are in the general area of Disney World or beyond. It would be nice to find a home close to Universal so we don't have to rent a car.....Please let me know if you find anything! Thanks,Deb

 

[FLeisure]

Deb,
You are not going to find a vacation home near Universal. Homes are at least 15 mins away and Indian Wells on SR 535 is about the nearest. However I Wells is an older sub-division and most folks prefer to stay in newer homes.

The next best alternative is Indian Point, Eagle Pointe, Cumbrian Lakes or Lake Berkley. All these subdivisions are within 5 mins drive of Indian Wells which is 15-20 minutes from Universal via I4.

 

[JesseBlue]

Oh yeah! Another vote for vacation homes!!

We had already been spoiled staying at timeshare resorts but renting a home was even better! We could make as much noise as we wanted without bothering anyone and there was no one above, below, or beside to bother us.

The neighborhood was so quiet you could hear a pin drop and after the hustle and bustle of WDW it was a welcome relief. The pool was a perfect size for the kids. I didn't make the beds the whole week. DH took over the rest of the chores which were minimal. Several times we snacked in Disney World and ordered take out for dinner once we were home for the night. This saved so much $$$!

We put the kids to bed early and stayed up playing cards with the other couple we went with. It was a wonderful and relaxing vacation for us all. I was showing our friends WDW for their first time. I think if they had stayed on site they would have been overwhelmed. The parks alone threw them for a loop. I don't think they realized the magnitude of all that is Disney World.

A surreal moment was seeing the school bus pick up and drop kids off for school. These are neighborhoods where people live year round. It made my kids feel very smug.

The best thing was coming home with suitcases full of CLEAN clothes. I don't like the thought of working while on vacation, but dislike doing vacation laundry once I'm home even more.

 

[Mr D]

My family and I rented a vacation home on our first trip ever to Orlando in dec. 2001, when we started hearing about all the cutbacks in hours and closures going on right after 9/11 we cancelled and asked for a $3900 refund from Disney for a 10 day stay inside the park, we rented a home for two weeks, bought AP's for all the family, had extra money for airfare for another family member and it was still much less than the original cost of staying in the park, we actually came home with money extra!

Upcoming next jan we are renting from orlandovillas.com a house for 4 weeks and this trip we are seeing all the other places than just Disney. People can comment on being "immersed in Disney" and the cons of driving to and fro from a rented home and such, if they want to be inundated with Disney constantly I suggest a Disney ship cruise, there you have absolutely no choice but buy what they have, do what they say and basically be herded and bled dry.

yeah I have a bad opinion of Disney cruise ships....

 

[FLeisure]

Mr.D,

Interested to hear your views on Disney cruise ships. I love cruising and have only done one with Disney and have to say I wasn't too impressed either. What happened on your trip?

 

[ptcruisermom]

We first stayed in a vacation home Dec. of 1997. Rented a 3 bedroom brand new home in Sunset Lakes from Florida Leisure. We absolutely loved it. MyDh even went swimming in the private hated pool. Rented again in April of 2000 a three bedroom in Indian Creek again thru Florida Leisure. Started planing last Feb for our Dec 2003 trip and did a little more investigating. wanted to stay in Indian Creek again as it is a very nice area and closer to WDW then Sunset Lakes, this time we are renting dirrectly from the owners, they are listed at www.indian-creek-florida.com/villas or do as I did and typed villa rentals at indian creek orlando florida in my search engine. We are staying from 12-20-03 thru 1-10-03. Paying 120.00 per night for five of us for a four bedroom three bath villa. Tv's and vcrs in all bedrooms, Playstation 2, DVD, CD player, private fenced pool water toys, jacuzzi. We have one day left on our passes from 2000 plus DH parents gave us their park hopper with 3 days on them, may go one day or two bu there is plenty of other things do do in orlando. Payng extra to have pool heated to 84 degrees so we can swim. Looking forward to a nice relaxing vacation, DH is a trucker and is gone all week long so it will be nice to spend some family time together, have DS 16, DS 12 almost 13 when we go, and DD 9.

 

[maps]

we stayed in a 4br home in indian creek this past march and i've booked it again for this coming mar. it was the best trip we've ever had. we weren't locked in one room with our kids, we "skinny dipped" in the pool at nigt when they were asleep and we were able to come back from the parks to nap and not feel like we had to be trapped in a room being quiet. it was great. i went through www.frontlineflorida.com. they've been really nice to work with and very accessible.
i'm definitely hooked.

fyi--i had originally booked a land/sea trip for this coming mar but after an overnight stay in a hotel with the kids, i realized we'd never survive a week being stuck in a little room. i cancelled and booked the home for an extra 4 days (11 days vs 7) and still saved money.

 

[debden]

Hi Fleisure, I was looking at a 3 Bedroom/2 Bath Villa in Eagle Point. It's the first one at www.uniquefloridaorlando.com.
I inquired about rates for the first week of December and it was $90 per night plus tax.Seems kinda high for off-season.Should I wait a couple of months and see if that price goes down? Please take a look at the house for me and see what you think?!! This is my first time renting a vacation home and could use some help/advice. Thanks,Debbie

 

[JANNYANS]

debden you need to remember that homes accommodate more people.A 3 bed could sleep 8 so do the maths even for less people its good value . Remember also the homeowner has all the bills to pay utilities,cleaning ,plus taxes so they won't be making big bucks .If that was my home I would be more than a little upset if the rates went down.If you like the home and its position grab it whilst its free.