Not pre or post cruise, but I've found places on VRBO many times. Most of the ones I decided on had their own website as well. We've done stays in California (Bodega Bay and Catalina Island), Volcano Village on the Big Island, Victoria (Vancouver Island, Canada), Tortola, and Kyoto (Japan).
I usually start looking at hotels first, if I don't find anything I like at a price that seems "worth it", then I start scouring VRBO AirBNB, HomeAway, and TripAdvisor vacation rentals (FlipKey). I only consider the places that have a lot of positive reviews and I literally read every single review across all the sites the property is listed on (yeah, a little obsessive, I know). So far all my experiences have been very positive! I love that we get more space and sometimes a great view, for a much lower price than what a somewhat comparable hotel would be.
But of course there are cons as well:
- Some risk, though if you pay through one of the vacation rental sites that is mitigated (they do charge a service fee though).
- Less flexible cancellation - often 60 days in advance.
- Minimum stay requirements (2 or 3 nights is common, some places do 7 nights in prime season).
- Cleaning fee, charged per stay, so it's harder to make a 1 night stay come out worth it (if the property even allows it).
- Some charge extra person fee beyond 2 people.
- No housekeeping services during your stay.
