House rental What to Bring

[nurse1990]

Hi. We are renting a house for the first time and are wondering what we need. Do we need paper towels, etc.
Thanks

 

[5mins2disney]

We tell our guests the following, each home is slightly different, your mileage may vary! hehe Vacation homes are defined as "self catering" meaning you will not have daily maid service and some of the basic supplies you will need to provide or bring yourself.

Is there anything that is not provided?

There are a few things you'll want to either pack or pick up locally upon your arrival. We provide only a "starter" quantity of hand soap and toilet tissue. Personal items like toothpaste, bath soaps, shampoo, etc. are not provided, for hygiene reasons. Also, smaller consumable items like dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, paper towels, trash bags, etc. are also not provided. We also do not provide items like coffee, tea, or any type of consumables or food, as people's taste vary from person-person, you should expect to find the refrigerator empty and clean upon arrival. The cleaning company removes any such items left behind as each guest leaves the units (this is the common practice in Florida). When we first booked a townhome we wondered why certain items such as these were not left behind, then we learned that this is the common practice, so want our guests to know what to expect to provide themselves in advance.

What is provided in the home?

Our home is fully furnished and equipped for your vacation enjoyment. There are two sets of sheets for each bedroom and two sets of towels for each bath. Pillows, blankets and other necessities are provided. Both master suites are also equipped with a hairdryer and alarm clock/radios. We do also provide 8 pool towels, these need to be returned to the unit if you take them to the clubhouse pool. All kitchen utensils are provided including plates, cups, bowls, glasses, silverware, toaster, blender, teapot, coffee maker, and pots and pans. There is a dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave and a stove/oven. For your laundry/cleaning needs a washer and dryer are provided along with an ironing board and iron. The house is equipped with small hotel soaps and 1 roll of toilet tissue in each bath. If you are staying more than a couple of days, you will want to purchase additional supplies.

Where can I pick up any extra sundry items I need?
Our home is located just minutes from US 192 where numerous supermarkets and superstores are found. There is a Publix supermarket located 2 miles West of Old Lake Wilson Road on highway 192 and a Winn-Dixie at Formosa Gardens Plaza, just West of Old Lake Wilson Road on highway 192. There are also 3 Wal-Marts and a Super Target within a short driving distance, well as numerous convenience stores located on US 192. Also nearby are stores such as Walgreen's (drug store), and many others, so obtaining nearly anything you should need while vacationing should be quite easy, and a whole lot less expensive than staying on the Disney properties and eating out all the time with no kitchen!

Here is a map of US-192 and all the stores on it:
http://www.kissimmee-us192.com/map/ushwy192mapindex.htm

Windsor Hills is on section 2, the "shortcut" road to WDW is on this map also, Sherberth.

Here's another great idea...don't feel like spending time at the grocery store when you arrive? Pre-order it all and have it delivered right to your vacation home from http://www.gardengrocer.com/ !! This company is like what we call "Peapod" here in Chicago. You can pre-order all of your groceries online and have them delivered anywhere in the Disney Resort area whenever you would like!! The groceries cost the same as going to the store yourself, and are of high quality, and they charge you only $10 for delivery... if you spend over $200 then delivery is free! It'd be cool to do all your "shopping" online before you ever even leave so you're not wasting time at the store when you arrive!

 

[FLParadisevilla]

I can say the garden grocer is very nice. When we were in the home in December the guests that were following us needed to order from there (they had 5 kids) and were arriving too late at night to go to the store... so they ordered the groceries and we were there for thier delivery. They were great you opened the door and they brought the food in and unpacked it and put the things in the fridge and freezer. What a great idea!

That made it so when our guests arrived they had food and drinks already in the home waiting for them. I wish I could do that for all our guests, but they really just lucked out that we were there to do this for them.

You should have at least 1 roll of paper towels, and toilet paper in all the bathrooms, 1 set of trash bags. You will need to pick up the extra's but you don't have to stop on your way if you are arriving late.

Also check with the owner of the home, some offer welcome packs for a small price which may include :
1 gallon of milk
1 gallon of water
Half gallon of Fresh orange
1 Loaf of Bread
Butter
Selection of cereal
Large bag of chips
12 donuts or cake