Condo/house rental tips?

[prinsessa]

HI,
I just started researching for our trip in Nov 2005 (week after Thanksgiving). Our daughters will be 5 and 2. We would love to find a place to stay close to WDW. We want a separate bedroom for our daughters (they have never been able to sleep well in the same room). I've looked into some of the suite hotels such as Holiday Inn Family Suites = Nick Hotel. Is having a rental car a nuisance in WDW? Renting a condo sounds very appealing to us too. We would love the privacy. Are there any watch-outs? I've gone to www.vacationrentals.com and looked at some of them. Staying a few minutes away would not bother us. Is parking a car at WDW really bad? Keep in mind the time of the year we are going. Any tips would be greatly appreaciated!

 

[4Iowans]

We had a rental house this past week, between Christmas and New Years. We drove to the parks every day. Parking was fine, traffic on I4 was sometimes bad, but nothing terrible.

 

[isla bonita]

I can not imagine going any other way. Parking is fine. You get to come and go as you please. The house is great. Everything you can think of is in them. If not you just ask and most times they can provide what you asked for.

 

[briannesmom]

We rented a home from Premier Vacation Homes the week between Christmas and New Years. We had a 3 bedroom home with a heated pool and loved it. The house was off 192 and the traffic was a little heavy at times. I would say on average it took us less than 15 minutes to get to the parks.
We always rent a car even if we are staying onsite I wouldn't have it any other way. I like to be able to go where I want when I want, not wait for a bus or shuttle. Never had any parking problems even over Christmas week.
If you have any other questions I can help with let me know.

Amy

 

[Grand Canyon]

We rent a house for a month every June and love it.
This year it cost $85/day. The house is off 192 by Walmart.
It takes us 15-20 min to get to any of the WDW parks and 25mins to US/IOA. Parking is not a problem at MGM, AK, or Epcot but I think it is a pain at MK. Some times we will park at Epcot and take the monorail to MK. Epcot is by far the easiest to get out of at closing time. There is no charge for parking at the water parks :jumping4: :jumping4:
We love being able to go home around 2pm to rest, eat a late lunch, swim then return to one of the parks for the evening shows. We order pizza delivery!!!! My DSs think that is the greatest thing as we don't have pizza delivery or any other delivery at Grand Canyon. We love calling for pizza as we leave Epcot at night and haveing it get to the house with in 20 mins of us getting home.

 

[Ahrizel]

You'll be fine. The week after Thanksgiving will be dead. Some of the lowest crowds of the year plus the Christmas stuff is up and running. We've gone the first week in December twice, it's great. Driving isn't bad, parking not an issue that time of year at the parks. We love having a car, the freedom is great. The only park that takes longer to get out of is Magic Kingdom because of the ttc, you can't just walk to the parking lot, you must take a ferry or monorail to the parking lot. I would try a condo or house, you can probably get it the same or less then the suite properties with much more room. It's also very nice to have a full kitchen and laundry facilities. The highest crowds you may hit would be the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving, after that people are off vacation and out of the parks. Have a good trip!

 

[Mainebound]

HI,
I just started researching for our trip in Nov 2005 (week after Thanksgiving). Our daughters will be 5 and 2. We would love to find a place to stay close to WDW. We want a separate bedroom for our daughters (they have never been able to sleep well in the same room). I've looked into some of the suite hotels such as Holiday Inn Family Suites = Nick Hotel. Is having a rental car a nuisance in WDW? Renting a condo sounds very appealing to us too. We would love the privacy. Are there any watch-outs? I've gone to www.vacationrentals.com and looked at some of them. Staying a few minutes away would not bother us. Is parking a car at WDW really bad? Keep in mind the time of the year we are going. Any tips would be greatly appreaciated!

We are renting a pool home in Emerald Island in late Feb with our DS 3 and 5 and my mother. First time for us! Found it at orlandovillas.com which has forums where all issues related to villa rentals may be discussed. Also check over on the Orlando Board at the DIS.

I promise to post a detailed trip report when I retun in mid March!

 

[matdamom]

We returned from our trip to WDW last night. We stayed in a condo at Cypress Pointe, and it was very close to a DW entrance. Rented a car at the airport and didn't find it inconvenient at all. It does take longer to get to and leave Magic Kingdom, but once you realize that, it's easy to plan for. My kids loved riding the monorail and it was a nice end to the evening. Also, having a washer and dryer allowed me to pack light, which meant less luggage. We had a 2 BR, one with a king bed and the other with twin beds. Since my girls share a room at home, it wasn't much of a transition. I have seen on some of the boards that the same condo we had often rents for as little as $65-$85/night in the off season. Another plus - having a kitchen saves money because we bought a few groceries and usually had breakfast and snacks at the condo. Next time, I think we will eat more lunches in the condo as well. Happy Planning! I'm already planning for our next trip. ;-)