Davenport Rentals

[Beccabunny]

I've been thinking about renting a villa in the Davenport area for an upcoming trip. I've been looking at rentals on VRBO and the rates are certainly lower than what we paid at Windsor Hills. Is this a safe area? Are some developments better than others? Is it less congested than Kissimmee? How long does it REALLY take to get to the parks? I would also have to drive over to the East Coast (Melbourne) one day. Would the drive be much further, compared to driving there from Windsor Hills? TIA!

 

[watersbland]

Hi,
I'm certainly not an expert but seeing as no one else has responded yet I thought I'd give you my two cents. We stayed in the Davenport area in 2007 and again in 2009 both times in the same neighborhood. I guess driving times would sort of depend on the part of Davenport you're in so I will speak for the Champion's Gate area. We stayed in the Hamlet at Westhaven in 2007 and then the Abbey at Westhaven last year. These are two seperate gated mini developements inside the Westhaven Community. As for Westhaven, we felt very safe with the gated access and both sections were quiet for the weeks we were there. I too have noticed that there seems to be a big difference in the price between Windsor Hills and the community in which we stayed. I can't speak for WH but both houses we rented had pools and were decorated lavishly with 4 bedrooms and were far less expensive. There was a grocery store, chili's, gas station, pizza place, chinese restaurant in the Champion's Gate area and if you head towards hwy 27 there were plenty of other restaurants and shopping between there and HWY 192. We had the convenience of either hoping on I-4 to get to the parks or hitting hwy 27 then taking a right on 192 to get to the parks. I think I-4 is the quickest, most efficient route but 27 to 192 is nice if you need to stop at the walmart or want to grab dinner on the way home. 27 to 192 took us around 15 minutes from doorstep to parking and I-4 route took about 10 minutes. I have heard some people say the Davenport area is too far out for their tastes but we never felt too far removed and it was actually nice to have the quiet after a long day at the parks. So, yes it is reasonably cheaper than WH but also about 10 minutes further away. For us, it was great and we would be hard pressed to beat the price and still have those kind of amenities. In the end, it's a personal decision of whether you want to spend more and be across the street or spend a little less for the same amenities if not better and be just a short drive away. Hope this helps and feel free to pm me with any questions about the Westhaven neighborhoods. Happy planning!

 

[JANNYANS]

The area of Davenport that has the majortiy of rental communitites in it is most certainly as safe as any other area.The actual town of Davenport itself is not part of the rental communities.You will have lots of different cmmunitites to choose from either on HWY27 or just off it and dependent on where abouts you choose you will have a choice of routes to get to the parks area.CG and the lower part of 27 then as the previous poster says CG 1-4 is good.South of I4 thne obviously I4 is best and the upper part of 27 then Westside Blvd and 192 is probably your best bet
There are 2 walmarts one on 192 at Cagans Crossings and the other at Haines City .I know the upper part of 27 and there you have a Publix and Applebees as well as a great take out stores in Berry Town Centre-also on that part is Cracker Barrell ,Beef O'Brady's as well as fast food outlets.Just north on 27 near Cagan Crossings there is Chilis ,Santa Fe ,Long John Silver ,Mc Donalds , KFC and also a Sweetbay Supemarket.
Getting to Melbourne won't be too much different than going from WH -you are not that far away.
Getting to the parks is about 15-20 mins depending on time of year and traffic.

 

[dougsmom98]

We have stayed in Davenport for the past five years or so. We have stayed off of 27 and in the Champions Gate area. We have always felt safe in the communities that we stayed in. In all cases, for us, it seemed to take 10 minutes longer from a villa in Davenport to get to the parks than it did when we stayed one year in Windsor Palms. You just have to ask yourself if 10 minutes additional travel time worth the savings. For us, it is worth the savings. I don't think you can go wrong with either area (27 or Champions Gate). We like staying off of 27 because it is easy to get to Wal Mart and 192. We like staying at the Champions Gate area because it is so quick to jump on I-4 (Exit 58) and get to the Disney Area (exit 62-64). You can also take Lake Wilson Road to get to 192 and you will end up right near Windsor Hills when you get to 192, so you can even go that way and use the Sherbeth Road shortcut to get to the parks.
I am not sure if you have a villa location map, so in case you don't, here is one. You will see Lake Wilson Road on that map if you go to Champions Gate.
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa-map.php
You will also see Ronald Regan Parkway if you zoom into Windwood Bay community. You can follow that road to 27. If you take a left on 27 you will get to a Target and some eateries. If you take a right and go beyond the 192 junction, you will get to a Super Wal Mart.
The furthest down 27 that we stayed was in the Solana Resort. I personally wouldn't stay much further down on that road than that. In the Champions Gate area, we have stayed in Windwood Bay and Grand Reserve. Another poster said that they stayed in the Hamlet and the Abbey at Westhaven and we drive by those all the time when we are down there and they look really nice.

I think you will find Davenport to be a lot quieter than the WH area. We kind of like that. Many of the communities have full time residents living in them. There are not a ton of dining options around the communities, but it is a 10 minute drive or less to get to a restaurant.

In the Champions Gate area, we like that there is a 24 hour McDonalds right off the I-4 exit. We often eat breakfast at home, eat a late counter service lunch at the parks and a snack while we watch the fire works at night. If we are still hungry, we stop at McDonalds for a dollar menu sandwich or ice cream. We think the Publix there is pretty nice too and there is a Walgreens pharmacy.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[Mickeylover65]

I have rented houses many times while at Disney. My last few trips have been a rental home in the Sandy Ridge subdivision in the Davenport area. It was very safe and very quiet. New Publix just down the road. Never more than 15 minutes from home to WDW.

 

[At World's End]

We stayed at Legacy Park last January. It is just south the 192 off of the 27. The development was very quiet. We paid $100/nt for a beautiful 5 br/4 1/2 ba home with a big pool. There's no way we could come close to that at Windsor Hills.

There was no traffic at the time we were there. We timed the drive several times, and it took 25 minutes to get from the driveway to the parking spot at MK. That was the longest. Shortest was AK, using the Sherberth shortcut. There were a couple of times that we missed the 192 exit coming home and ended up going down the 4 and then north on 27. It only added about 5 minutes to the drive.

We only returned to the house midday one time. We left MK, drove thru McDonald's to grab dinner, headed to the house to pick up warmer clothes for the evening, and went straight back to MK. It took a little over and hour round trip. If you plan to go home for a break midday, it might not be the best place. But if you are willing to cut that time out of the day, or just want a bigger house for the buck, I think it's well worth it.

Just about every store and restaurant you could want is along 192, so it's an easy stop on the way home from the parks.

Just FYI, I found that the 192 gets much more congested when you head east of World Drive. But heading west was not congested at all.

There is also a shortcut to Legacy Park using Funie Steed. We tried it but got lost when we hit a dirt road that we weren't aware was part of the shortcut.

 

[Beccabunny]

Thanks for all the replies! The info is really helpful. Dougsmom, that map is wonderful! It's great to have an idea of where the resorts are in relation to the parks and the highways. Anyone ever stay at Four Corners in the Davenport area? It looks a little further out than I wanted to stay, but prices are good.

 

[KNJWDW]

I am so glad you posted this! I just came across the Davenport area yesterday. If I can talk my husband into going back to WDW next year, we will be staying offsite. It is amazing what a great price some of these pool homes are. So far I have looked on VRBO and Homeaway. Are there any other sites that list vacation homes in the Davenport area? Or can anyone recommend a specific home they rented?

Thanks so much!

Amy

 

[At World's End]

This is the house we rented. It was great, the owner was great, the property mgt co. was great.

http://www.orlando-legacypark.com/the-property/index.html

They are also on homeaway.com (#57904) and fabvillas.com. The owners live in England, as do a lot of rental property owners. We would rent there again if we ever needed that large of a house again.

 

[KNJWDW]

This is the house we rented. It was great, the owner was great, the property mgt co. was great.

http://www.orlando-legacypark.com/the-property/index.html

They are also on homeaway.com (#57904) and fabvillas.com. The owners live in England, as do a lot of rental property owners. We would rent there again if we ever needed that large of a house again.

Thanks for sharing this. There are so many homes to choose from, it will take me forever to make a decision!

Amy

 

[Foladar]

There's a Target on 192 now too if you stay in the Davenport area. We live in Westridge and the Target on 192 (it's about 7 mins down 192) is way better, it's also a Super. Of course, if you need to get your shop on, there's always the one in Posner Park with all the clothing stores & Best Buy. Most of the homes in the area, you really can't go wrong with, I can't comment as much up near the Walmart though but it seems safe enough.