Emerald Island or Indian Creek?

[GMULL]

I'm looking at renting a 4 bedroom home from Nov 10 - Nov 17 for a family vacation and have narrowed down my choices to these two resorts. Does anyone have any comments about either one, good or bad? The prices at Indian Creek seem better but Emerald Island looks nicer in the pictures. Also, most 4 bedrooms at EI seem to be around $1,000 -$1,200 for the week including taxes and pool heat but I found an owner who quoted me $840 for the week including everything. Should I be concerned or do the prices vary that much?

Thanks

Gerard

 

[MYDISNEYHOUSES]

Emerald Island is newer than Indian Creek.

Of course I am biased.

 

[isla bonita]

I think you would enjoy either they are right near each other very close to the parks.

That being said we own in EI so we are biased.

 

[5mins2disney]

Prices do vary significantly from home-home and from resort-resort, the thing to be aware of ..is...you do often times get what you pay for! If a home is significantly less expensive (there are those in my resort too that charge less than we do)... it's often not as nice inside, doesn't have as many amenities, etc, or as we like to point out, so as not to be negative, those are "standard" accomodations, ours are "platinum" level! hehe =p (It's true though!) It kills me when I get someone trying to get us to drop our price / rates because they can get $xxx from so and so in some other resort, we know they're not comparing apples - apples. You can also tell by someone's online calendar how popular their places are, and how long they've been "listed". If they've been doing this for years and their calendar is completely empty, not a very good sign, is it?

Just last week I had a discussion on the phone with a DISboard member who arrived in her home and was disappointed with what she got... looked like a great rate, but the reality of the place was a disappointment to her. Now.. some would show up and probably be perfectly happy with this particular home (not in Windsor Hills by the way in case you're wondering)... everyone is different though.

I would suggest you make sure you see LOTs of pictures of the place, and that they're relative current ones too. If, for instance, you see an ad or website and it's all pictures of the resort clubhouse, the resort pool, and little-none of the house you will be in...or the interior, I'd be wary. Hopefully they already have this on their website, and they have a website, not just a vrbo ad with only 3 pictures on it.

In the boating world a common tactic is to take a picture of what they call the "sistership" of the same boat..but it's usually the picture from the factory brochure or something...it's a warning sign you might see the real thing in person and it might not look anything like the brochure photo! hehe

 

[Maria395712]

yes that's right you get what you pay for

thanks george and isla bonita (deb) for your help. both of you are so nice and loaded with info .I am going to windsor hills for my big 50 and it better be better than this trip march 8-15
1st day of trip I went to the vet in orlando my dog's kneecap is slipping out needs surgery ,looking into the university of penn's vet school in philly for that since he is , how can I say priceless, my DD22 cell phone is in the water in front of that castle : bill for new cell and her friend dropped and broke her 300$$ camera needless to say I hated the place we were at. so I saw the place I will say in at windsor hills and we loved it ,also back to the vet when I got home on sat oh and last night my heater broke and we froze all night so looking to march
maria

 

[MYDISNEYHOUSES]

I agree totally with George and Maria.

You do get what you pay for. Some people put the bare necessities and cheap furnishings in there homes and of course can charge a lower price.
Sometimes, it does not pay to go with the cheapest deal.

Hey George, We use the same managment company as your do!!

 

[Freyja]

I'm looking at renting a 4 bedroom home from Nov 10 - Nov 17 for a family vacation and have narrowed down my choices to these two resorts. Does anyone have any comments about either one, good or bad? The prices at Indian Creek seem better but Emerald Island looks nicer in the pictures. Also, most 4 bedrooms at EI seem to be around $1,000 -$1,200 for the week including taxes and pool heat but I found an owner who quoted me $840 for the week including everything. Should I be concerned or do the prices vary that much?

Thanks

Gerard

I´ve been looking into the same resorts for our upcoming June vacation. Where did you find the most/best listings for these resorts?

Good luck in finding the perfect place.

 

[GMULL]

For Indian Creek I used indiancreekflorida.com and made a general inquiry about 4 bedroom homes. I received back at least 30 replies from homeowners. I've narrowed down my choice to about 5 or so. If you are looking for a 4 bedroom I'd be happy to send you a note with those ones to maybe save you some time. The listings seem endless.

For Emerald Island I looked at vrbo.com. I haven't had as much luck with that resort in finding ones in my price range. EI is newer and the resort itself looks nicer than Indian Creek but I'm not sure it's worth the added money for me personally. The fact that EI has a nice community pool or more facilities than Indian Creek doesn't matter since past experience at Disney tells me we'll have little time to take advantage of them. Having the pool at the house will be more than enough.

If I can help you further just let me know.

Gerard

 

[Freyja]

Thanks for the info!

I´m looking for a 3-4 bedroom (we´re 6). I agree that EI seems more expensive and I´m also not sure it´s worth it for us. As you said, we tend to spend our time in the parks, shopping or at the pool.

If you don´t mind, I´d be really greatful if you´d send me some info on the 4 bedroom home.

Thanks again.

 

[allyn]

i did a lot of research last spring and chose emerald island as the place for us. we like staying at nice, new, upscale places. i was very happy with our choice.

we stayed at emerald footprints, you can read my review on the review board. i recommend it highly, though it is on the pricey side for a 4-BR.

 

[isla bonita]

If you want a peak at some EI homes here is a wrbsite I have put together with just EI homes.

I think you are correct in the prices may be a little more then others.

http://emeraldislandresortvacationhomes.com

 

[djpositivek]

A lower price doesn't always mean lower quality of furnishings etc...

If you are going during a low season and are willing to wait until a month or 2 before going to book, you will probably get some owners that would rather have their villa booked then have it empty. Do the inquiry on some of those sites and you never know what replies you'll get. I did that on the fabvillas.com website and was pleasantly surprised. State in your inquiry the max price you are willing to pay and all the amenities you need (ie: pool heat, bbq, whatever...)

You may not be as close as Emerald Island or Windsor Hills but if that's not a must for you, there are great deals to be had.

 

[Maria395712]

Hi Isla bonita
have you seen any of these in person all the pics look so good but you know I am leery now
maria

 

[isla bonita]

Maria do you mean the homes on the EI website?

No not personally. I try to make an effort to get together with as many EI owners that are in EI when we are down. I have been in only 2 so far.

Our man/co has and would tell me if there was anything amiss.

If there is any one you are looking at in particular let me know and I will try to get as much info as possible.

I am very involved in EI but do not have faces with names because we are always down off season. Many of the owners are UK resisdent and spend a lot of summers time in EI. This will be the first summer I will be heading down I do believe. I am trying for Aug. but if the house gets booked I will take when ever its open to check on things.

 

[Mainebound]

A lower price doesn't always mean lower quality of furnishings etc...

If you are going during a low season and are willing to wait until a month or 2 before going to book, you will probably get some owners that would rather have their villa booked then have it empty. Do the inquiry on some of those sites and you never know what replies you'll get. I did that on the fabvillas.com website and was pleasantly surprised. State in your inquiry the max price you are willing to pay and all the amenities you need (ie: pool heat, bbq, whatever...)

You may not be as close as Emerald Island or Windsor Hills but if that's not a must for you, there are great deals to be had.

I agree. You may get an owner just starting out willing to give a great deal to get bookings, or someone with a hole in her calendar for your exact dates. We just found a home using fabvillas as Windsor Hills for a great rate. You just have to spend the time going through the listings and looking carefully, like with anything.

I also think Emerald Island is nicer than Indian Creek, FWIW.

 

[Maria395712]

I meant the ones on this list you have .right now I am going into a 3 bedroom at windsor hills in march looking into the future for this year
maria

 

[FLParadisevilla]

www.indiancreekflorida.com is a great place to find a lot of homes in Indian Creek!
You will be dealing with the owners directly.
Have a great time picking a home!

We of course are bias to Indian Creek but I know you will enjoy any home that you choose!

 

[Logans_Dad]

No disrespect to any of the owners, but potential villa renters in Indian Creek should be wary of the new(er) Western Beltway running through the middle of Indian Creek, and whether the rental home back onto it.

There are a number of nice subdivisions reasonably close to WDW, in addition to EI and IC:

Windsor Hills
Windsor Palms
Formosa Gardens
Oak Island Cove
Lindfields
Sunset Lakes

Each has its own pros and cons, and ultimately your final choice is a personal decision.

This subdivision map shows them all and the relative locations:

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm