have you ever rented a house...and how did it compare to dvc?

[MIALIAS]

Would love to hear your experiences...

 

[mama03]

I live in florida and am a DVC owner. Just the driving daily aspect of house renting would deter me from doing so. Traffic on I-4 can be horrendous! Which area were you thinking of renting? Orlando is very large city. Just my two cents.

 

[bbluvsdis]

We rented a house last year for a week before our DVC stay. It was great to have our own pool to relax in but we were not used to driving to the parks. I wouldn't do it instead of staying at Disney but it was a great add on. We took a day to visit Celebration and do some shopping. We rented a home in Davenport which is to the SW of Disney. It was an easy drive into the park. I would stay on this side rather than in Orlando.

 

[amym2]

We rented a house in Windsor Hills twice before joining DVC and we had a great experience. Yes, you do have to drive, but it wasn't much farther than driving from many of the DVC resorts. If you are used to Disney transportation and staying at BLT, then I suppose driving might seem like a pain. We stayed at OKW and THV last trip and had our own car anyway.

Having the private pool at the house was great when the kids were little so the grandparents could watch them without it being too stressful trying to keep track of the kids.

We love DVC for trips for just the 4 of us, but for larger family trips, I still think renting a house is the way to go... Unless you have enough points for a GV.

 

[Missyrose]

We rented a three-bedroom townhouse in Windsor Hills for an extended family trip in March of 2012 and we loved it. Everyone had their own space to retreat to. The kitchen and dining table were really useful. And it took us about four minutes to get to the Disney parks (okay, it took us 10 minutes to get to MK). Traffice was never once an issue for us. The best part was the price, $660 for the week!

 

[DonnaL]

We also rented a large 7 bdrm house in Acadia Estates several years ago when we had a family reunion of sorts....cousins from the East coast and the West coast.... and simply had too many people for our DVC points to accommodate! Location was great......easy drive to parks via the "back way" Sherberth Road to Osceola Pkwy...you enter Disney property out near AKL. Very little traffic other than crossing over Route 192 ....very short distance. It was a different experience for us since it had been years since we stayed offsite, but, we really didn't mind it. It was January, but, the weather was very good the week we were there. We also had more cousins from the Tampa/St. Pete area visit us one day and just lounged around the house catching up, swimming, cooking dinner, etc. I think with a very large group of people we would do it again sometime.....the area around Windsor Hills, Acadia Estates, etc. is very good for easy, quick access to Disney property.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

We have rented vacation houses from allstarvacationhomes.com twice before purchasing our DVC. Both our stays we really loved. The private pool was awesome and it was nice that my son had his own room and we could all hang out in the living room while he napped. It was staying in the vacation homes that made us want to buy into DVC. We loved the extra space, but missed the proximity to Disney and the easy ability to split up like we can when on property.

On property, it's easy to split up as someone can always take the buses back to the hotel. Off property, the entire family must follow the same schedule if there is only a single rental car.

We never ran into traffic problems, but we are rope drop people, so maybe there is just less traffic in the early mornings.

I wouldn't hesitate to rent a vacation home again if we were planning a large family gathering, but we like our DVC better when there are just a few of us.

 

[cwdefouw]

We rent a large house every couple of years or so with my Wife's family. While it is not the same immersive experience as staying at a DVC resort or any other on-site resort. It is still a great vacation. Acadia Estates or in the near vicinity is where we usually end up. Not far from W192. Fairly easy access to the Disney Parks by the "back way" as mentioned by a PP. We have also done Universal, although that means having to deal with the whole I4 mess. Probably the nicest thing is having our own pool, hot tub, game room, home theater right at the house. There have been some years when we don't even go to the parks, and the kids are perfectly fine with it. We use All Star Vacation Homes. I definitely recommend their service, we have never had any problems with getting their maintenance team to the house the few times there have been minor issues.

 

[dgaston]

We have rented pool homes in Windsor Palms and Windsor Hills over Christmas to New Years several times when having family from New England and California meet up at WDW. Our 250 DVC points are just too dear that week for DVC accommodations and the Windsor Hills pool homes work out beautifully. I have even brought my crockpot, ordered turkey dinners from Publix, and supplemented with our own favorite side dishes. Loved having the pool for the (then) teens to splash in, and made use of the movie theater in the complex. We use Sherbeth Rd and do not find the traffic bad. We have enough AP holders that the parking is not burdensome.

Now that DH has retired from HS teaching, we are no longer locked into Christmas week -- , but I'd rent a pool home/ townhouse again in a heart beat. Great memories.

 

[mjc2003]

We rented a house a few years ago at Reunion, it was really nice, exactly 9 minutes by car to TTC. Reunion has a beautiful property, its own waterpark, and our house had a pool. If I recall, I think it was $600 a night for a five bedroom house but this was during a relatively busy time of year.

Obviously being off property is a different type of vacation. When you make the trip to a park, you tend to commit to being there for longer. In general I felt less like it was a Disney vacation, but it was still fun nonetheless. The accommodations were fantastic, the house was really nice and the kitchen was beautiful. We had a private pool with an outdoor kitchen, bar and Grill. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to do it again if the situation called for it.

 

[robinb]

I rented a house last December over Christmas and then we checked into AKV for a couple of days. I got a really good deal and we had a ginormous 4-bedroom house with a private pool for about the same price as I would have paid in dues for a studio at Boardwalk Villas for the same week. My DH and I had the master bedroom and bath and my DD had her own bedroom and bath. Two bedrooms with twin beds were left empty. We had a full kitchen, full laundry, a family room and a living room. The door had a keypad and we set the code so we didn't have to fiddle with keys.

I was afraid that I would miss EMH. I didn't. I was afraid that I would miss Disney's pools. I did, but it turned out our private pool was warmer than the pool at AKV. I didn't miss the Disney buses and I didn't miss the Disney 24/7 magic. The house was near Windsor Hills and was only 10 minute drive to the parks. We have APs so parking was free.

I would rent a house again in a heartbeat.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

When we're running low on points and we need something larger than a 2bd we've rented private homes multiple times! We've enjoyed each stay, all had pools and 4 bedrooms, and each home was clean, and well appointed. It's also quite affordable!

People fret about Orlando traffic, but truthfully it's no worse than any other large city! And if you're apt to always get loss, bring your Garmin, GPS etc. and you won't have a problem!

I did miss the buses but only for the kids! As teenagers they love to roam WDW w/out us parents tagging along and the bus service allows them to do it since they don't drive. Plus, the buses give me a certain amount of comfort level knowing that they can come and go in relative safety from park to park and park to resort!

 

[twinklebug]

I've used my parent's home in the area twice. It's only a 25 minute drive from their driveway to parking at the MK.

Their house is beautiful and relaxing, very resort like. There are very nice amenities to the community such as pool, golf course and gym (used dad's golf cart to go to/from the store), and it was a very easy drive to the parks where we stayed until very late. However, over both trips we felt a disconnect from Disney, and it did not feel like vacation. I made sure to book a few nights at the end of the trip at SSR just to get some of that Disney feeling in before heading home.

My favorite elements and arguments for staying on site, DVC or not, include boat transportation (VWL) and music piped throughout the grounds. Even if just strolling over for a drink from the counter service location you'll get the disney experience. Add in a few bunnies, the sounds of kids splashing in the pools or excited families making their way over to the parks and...

I definitely prefer DVC over any house, rented or otherwise.
(by the way - those million dollar Golden Oaks homes Disney's building and selling ... I wouldn't go for them either, give me VWL or Kidani!)

 

[MIALIAS]

Is reunion the nicest place to rent a home?

 

[LSchrow]

My favorite elements and arguments for staying on site, DVC or not, include boat transportation (VWL) and music piped throughout the grounds. Even if just strolling over for a drink from the counter service location you'll get the disney experience. Add in a few bunnies, the sounds of kids splashing in the pools or excited families making their way over to the parks and...

that made me smile
any place onsite envelops all the senses.....the architectural details, bakery/lobby/toasted marshmallow (nightly movie) scents, the (low) music, giggling children & adults, silence of early morning (bunnies included)...
even if you don't add in a grey goose slushie , the other senses affirm we are somewhere relaxing & simply, happy

 

[ParrotBill]

We own DVC but the points don't always go far enough for our visits. 2 years ago we had a bonus trip for a dance competition being held at the DTD area Hilton. We rented a house and drove in and back each day for the competition and any other time we could spend at the parks.

When you can't have your DVC, a house is great. Loved the space, private pool, nice bedrooms and bathrooms. But being offsite and driving was a hassle, made for long days, and definitely lacks for Disney Magic. There are many such homes for rent on the vacation home rental sites and most located west and southwest of WDW. That makes the drive not too bad. If you get on I-4 it's just for a short while and you get off well before the worst traffic.

Another option other than a house rental: A condo resort. We also stayed recently for a night at Worldquest, located across from the Marriott World Center. Wonderful spacious multiroom condos, with screened porches. Very much like the DVCs but bigger! They seem to be very cost effective too, no more than regular hotel rooms most of the time.