Couple more questions about renting villas in general ....

[U2_rocks!]

1. Is 5 miles from the Disney gate really that much further than 3 miles, or 2, in travel time? It wouldn't seem so, unless you have to travel down a heavily trafficked and traffic-lighted area. Houses a little further away tend to be cheaper than the closer ones, and I was just wondering if it really made a big difference. If I found a home that was a few more miles away, but very close to I-4 or one of the main roads that heads to Disney, I'd only be adding maybe 5 - 10 minutes to each trip, right?

2. How far before value season (say, late August/early September) would "last minute rates" kick in, but selection still be decent? We are not that picky, and as long as there are enough beds and basic things, we don't care about decor etc. So given that, can we afford to wait until "last minute" discounts start being given, or will we run out of decent choices? I ask because our budget is going to be low on the next trip, but we want to stay a decent length of time (10 - 14 days), so we really need to find a deal. There are 5 of us, so any 3 bedroom or higher works just fine, within about 5 miles of a Disney gate.

I know, I'm full of questions lately. I just got back from what was going to be a "once in a lifetime" trip, but already I'm trying to figure out how we can get back there in the next 2 - 3 years! Funds are tight, but I can't sleep with my kids, so we need space, but cheap!

 

[5mins2disney]

I would check in Davenport...but I don't think it's realistic to think it's going to be just 5-10 mins more.

As far as selection...well..the longer you wait..the nicer places go first, generally speaking. (You asked a general question after all!)

In general, you would get last minute deals (if people offer them) closer...say July possibly.

It's hard to answer general questions with general answers though! If you can come in Sept...early Sept, that will be your best bet for many reasons, rates are the lowest, occupancy is wide open...tons to choose from.

Also, the parks are virtually empty!

 

[sympatico]

Many people stay out on 27 and have no problems with the drive to Disney. It would be 10 -20min tops. If you're there in early Sept. the traffic shouldn't be bad. We stayed in Davenport and was about 15 min from Disney which was no big deal. There's many developements near Exit 58 Champions Gate which are about 10 min from Disney. There's loads of homes to rent and I don't think you'll have a problem waiting for the last minute for Sept. We booked 2 weeks before our trip last March and had lots of places to choose from. I would think that a month or less before would be last minute.
You may be able to get a good deal with the homes in the Lindfields area also. Lindfields is about 10 years old but still good and it's less than 10 min from Disney.

 

[isla bonita]

I think you can always find a home. You do not sound very picky so I think you will have a great chance of finding a place for your next vacation. You are choosing to stay longer so make sure you ask about last min. specials and longer stay rates. I always give a better rate for longer stays except at peak time. It is great to have a sure thing.

 

[Dreaming WDW]

I'm staying in Davenport at the same home for two years now. Seriously? how much money is it worth to save 10 minutes to world drive versus 20 minutes.

Still, there are four possible exits off of I 4 depending on what park you want to go to. Again that could be from 5 to 10 minutes to park depending on the route you choose and the park you want to visit.

Now consider this. Would you wait in line if the attraction was 15 minutes, or alternatively 25 minutes?

Moot point for me, which brings rental homes into perspective. Where can I get a 3300 sqft 5 bdrm home vs a 1400 sqft 3 bdrm home for little difference in price?

You will have to do your homework like I did. We all want the best price, but you must also look at the big picture and weigh value into the total package. Only then will it make sense to you.

Your best question "How far before value season (say, late August/early September) would "last minute rates" kick in. That is the Golden Question. From Individual Owner to Management Company this differs. So much so that that would be your prime consideration if you are looking to save money.

Low, Mid, High and Holiday season rates so differently, that that is my first consideration in chosing a home. I can get 3300 sqft, at the time I visit compared to a Condo with another agency. THE biggest factor by far. The seasons from the owner, or rental company will pretty much narrow your search no matter the time frame you are going. After that it then comes down to location and amenities of the property itself. Time is money, and it pays to search.

Let me know if I can help.

 

[JANNYANS]

The driving time from any community to the parks is always going to be part of the equation when looking for a rental home but I believe I read a post on one thread recently that said the travel time from the parks to a Disney hotel was 15-20 mins so is travelling the same time to a home that bad I wonder.
Seasons will depend on the owner you may find that US and UK owners view the seasons differently and therefore have different times .Last minute is also a personal thing some owners wil some won't - so research is the answer but if you find a home you like at aprice which is good then book it.

 

[deejay-55]

1. Is 5 miles from the Disney gate really that much further than 3 miles, or 2, in travel time? Houses a little further away tend to be cheaper than the closer ones... we need space, but cheap!

Houses further away are cheaper for a reason! If your priority is cheap, then the further away the less you'll pay.

 

[Mainebound]

Houses further away are cheaper for a reason! If your priority is cheap, then the further away the less you'll pay.

Yes they sure are! A 6 bedroom hoome in WH will cost us (asking price) $1900-2500 for 7 days in March 08 (EI is slightly less, maybe $100-200 a week), while a similar home in Davenport is 40-60% LESS than that (I did a general inquiry on Fabvillas this week).

Our family has young kids, and we go pretty much every single day to a theme park, often returning home for lunch. That extra 10 minutes each way would get to be too much for us after 10 days. But if you are just going to Florida for fun and sun, and don't hit the theme parks that hard, I think Davenport woudl be a GREAT idea.

 

[U2_rocks!]

We stayed at Cypress Pointe a few weeks ago, and although it's only 2 traffic lights away from the DTD gate, it still took anywhere from 15 - 25 minutes to reach each park. If we took the DTD route and followed the signs to the parks, we had all the traffic lights to contend with - a couple of times we hit several red lights and it really added to our travel time. If we got onto I-4, we still had 3 lights to get through before we could even get on, and then once we got off I found there was a lot of ramp area (especially on the return trip, coming out of Disney to I-4) to cover before you got to the Disney gate. So even though that resort is only a mile to a mile and a half from the DTD gate, it wasn't a quick trip!

I would settle for further down I-4, even if it was a few miles more from Disney, because it's not I-4 that takes the time (unless it's the middle of rush hour) - it's the roads to get on and off of it, and the roads within the Disney resort itself, that take up the most travel time we found. From exit 68 to exit 64 took no time at all, so exit 58 or 60 to 64 wouldn't be too much different. The advantage of I-4 too is that it's easy access to Seaworld and Universal. I was actually quite happy with I-4 - I know some people hate it, but I liked it. Of course, we avoided rush hour, and we were lucky there were no accidents.

MK had the longest travel time for us (25 mins), and we still came back for midday breaks. But I'd say that's probably our limit.

 

[4eyedbuzzard]

Homes in the Davenport area are roughly 7 to 10 miles from the WDW property entrance(not the parks themselves). Lights on 27 and 192 can be long and traffic can be heavy, although in lower seasons it is not as bad. Sometimes hitting I-4 from 27 is better, sometimes not. Also depends whether you're closer to I-4 or 192. I think 10 minutes is an unrealistic expectation(some of the traffic lights take two minutes or more to change), 15 would be good, and 20 is more the norm from that area unless there is bad traffic, in which case, well...

That said, we've stayed at Regal Palms(off 27) and haven't had any serious problems although I think it's too far out to make midday breaks realistic, especially during high season. All-in-all it just makes your touring plan different - we still had very nice vacations. If Busch Gardens is on your itinerary staying out in Davenport is a plus - you just take 27 to I-4 and you miss all the WDW traffic. Makes the commute to the Tampa area much easier.

 

[mungo]

We have stayed at Champions Gate before and its great, but we have found Highgate Park, and we think we will stay there whenever we visit from now on. This is on the 27.

We like it because

its quiet
The houses are beautiful
They have all the amenities you could want
They are reasonably priced
They are close enough to Disney for us (15 minutes most of the time)
which is fine for us, we don't like staying around the 192, or being in Disney 24/7. After saying that, we wouldn't nip home for lunch, if we went to Mk say, we would stay in the parks, or go to DTD
We like the fact that we can reach almost anywhere using the I4, its handy for Tampa, Universal, Mall at Millenia etc

So in answer to your question, for us, a 15 minute drive is no problem at all.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Another thing to consider...
are you doing only WDW? we stayed in Davenport once and it was so far from US/IOA-almost 45 min. drive w/traffic. Just wasn't worth it.

 

[mungo]

Where you there at a very busy time? We stay on H27 a lot, and usually only takes us 20-25 mins to get to Universal, jumping on the I4 at Champions gate.

The only time we have found it longer is at Christmas, when its way too busy everywhere.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It was Jersey week. semi crowded but nothing like holidays but much more crowded than the rest of Nov. (except TG) Traffic was pretty heavy but not so bad it was crawling. We took 27 to 192 to I4.
We stayed onsite there last Sept and now we're hooked. We love having the room key for FOTL priviliges.
Also only a 2 min. relaxing boat ride or 5 min. walk to the parks.

 

[mungo]

It was Jersey week. semi crowded but nothing like holidays but much more crowded than the rest of Nov. (except TG) Traffic was pretty heavy but not so bad it was crawling. We took 27 to 192 to I4.
We stayed onsite there last Sept and now we're hooked. We love having the room key for FOTL priviliges.
Also only a 2 min. relaxing boat ride or 5 min. walk to the parks.

Can I ask why you went via the 192 to get on the I4?

You can access the I4 from Champions gate which is just off Ronald Reagan Parkway or travel a bit further down towards Haines City and you come to J55

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Can I ask why you went via the 192 to get on the I4?

You can access the I4 from Champions gate which is just off Ronald Reagan Parkway or travel a bit further down towards Haines City and you come to J55

Our house was about 1 mile south of where 192 runs into 27. We were new to that area and had requested a home closer to the Formosa Gardens Blvd. area. We were disappointed to be stuck way out there as it added about 5 miles rt to our commute.

Are you suggesting we should have gone south on 27 to pick up I4? That would be waaaay out of our way, would add another 20 miles. If you look it up on mapquest.com, we were just south of the large lake near the corner of 192 and 27 in the Hillcrest section.

This was back in 2003 and since then I know there's been a lot of construction along 27 so there are probably a lot of homes further south on 27.

 

[mungo]

Our house was about 1 mile south of where 192 runs into 27. We were new to that area and had requested a home closer to the Formosa Gardens Blvd. area. We were disappointed to be stuck way out there as it added about 5 miles rt to our commute.

Are you suggesting we should have gone south on 27 to pick up I4? That would be waaaay out of our way, would add another 20 miles. If you look it up on mapquest.com, we were just south of the large lake near the corner of 192 and 27 in the Hillcrest section.

This was back in 2003 and since then I know there's been a lot of construction along 27 so there are probably a lot of homes further south on 27.

I hear what you saying, but we stay at Highgate Park which is roughly 1 mile south of the 192, its part of Legacy. We come out of legacy, turn right, I couldn't tell you the miles, but it takes about 5 minutes, onto I4 at J58 Champions Gate and straight down the I4 for Disney, Seaworld, Universal or Mall at Millenia. We hardly ever use 192 at all. We only use it when we want to go to Houlihans

I know its a bit further away than you were to the 192, but those extra miles saved me 20 minutes on your time

and for going to disney you can go straight across from Legacy, go past bass lakes and you will come to formosa area and pick up the sherberth rd shortcut.

 

[horseshowmom]

Many people stay out on 27 and have no problems with the drive to Disney. It would be 10 -20min tops. If you're there in early Sept. the traffic shouldn't be bad. We stayed in Davenport and was about 15 min from Disney which was no big deal. There's many developements near Exit 58 Champions Gate which are about 10 min from Disney. There's loads of homes to rent and I don't think you'll have a problem waiting for the last minute for Sept. We booked 2 weeks before our trip last March and had lots of places to choose from. I would think that a month or less before would be last minute.
You may be able to get a good deal with the homes in the Lindfields area also. Lindfields is about 10 years old but still good and it's less than 10 min from Disney.

Same here. We rented a house two summers ago (2nd week in June) on Hwy. 27 (Manors at Westridge, I think). We cut through to Champions Gate and took I-4. We didn't do Disney that trip, but did do US/IOA. The drive wasn't bad at all.

The house was in a gated community, had a screened pool, and was 4BR/3BA. I paid $480 total for the week.

I waited until about a month out to start looking. I had lots of offers (including a 3BR/3BA townhouse with a splash pool in Windsor Hills for less than $500). I just told them that I was looking for last minute specials and gave them my minimum requirements (a pool and 3BR/2BA).

Like you, I wasn't terribly interested in themes and fancy decorations. I just wanted a clean, comfortable place in a reasonable location and the best deal I could get for my money. The extra money that I saved came in very handy on vacation!

 

[U2_rocks!]

Same here. We rented a house two summers ago (2nd week in June) on Hwy. 27 (Manors at Westridge, I think). We cut through to Champions Gate and took I-4. We didn't do Disney that trip, but did do US/IOA. The drive wasn't bad at all.

The house was in a gated community, had a screened pool, and was 4BR/3BA. I paid $480 total for the week.

I waited until about a month out to start looking. I had lots of offers (including a 3BR/3BA townhouse with a splash pool in Windsor Hills for less than $500). I just told them that I was looking for last minute specials and gave them my minimum requirements (a pool and 3BR/2BA).

Like you, I wasn't terribly interested in themes and fancy decorations. I just wanted a clean, comfortable place in a reasonable location and the best deal I could get for my money. The extra money that I saved came in very handy on vacation!

How did you get all the offers - did you just visit all the rental sites and fill out request reservation forms?