How do you decide between rental homes, hotels, or timeshare type places?

[proud_canadian]

We are trying to decide between:

1) A rental home/condo like Windsor hills
2) A timeshare type place like Liki Tiki
3) A standard hotel

I can think of pros and cons for each but am having trouble deciding which was to go. I have concerns about each.

With a rental home, what if we gets screwed and the place is dirty or things broken, or what if they say we took or broke something.

With a place like Liki Tiki, we aren't really interested in buying timeshare and I'm worried we'll be hassled non-stop.

With a standard hotel, we wouldn't get nearly the space or value we would at the other places and I don't think we'd enjoy it as much.

How do you decide???? Help point me in the right direction!

 

[crusoe2]

For me, a lot depends on how much time I have to research before the trip. If I have plenty of time to research my options, I'll consider the ones like rental homes that might be a little riskier and require trip insurance. If I'm short on time, I stick with what I know is a relatively safe option like a hotel suite or a condo rental from a reputable owner.

After many trips onsite, we've come to the conclusion that we're just not going to be very comfy in a hotel room for a week. We love the Disney resorts and the onsite perks, but not the premium prices. Especially the prices for anything that would give us enough space. And we found that we can usually get a condo or townhome for about the same price as a hotel suite. I just had to do a little more research to be sure we were renting from someone reputable. Even so, our first time renting a condo offsite was scary but we got lucky and found an excellent company to rent from - vacationcentralflorida.com. They have really nice condos and townhomes at Windsor Hills. I read up on the company and the resort before we stayed there and all the wonderful things we heard about them were true. As a matter of fact, I just booked a WH townhome this morning. Going thru vacationcentralflorida.com again. This will be our third time booking with them and staying at WH.

We haven't done a pool home yet but hope to on a future trip. So far the ones I've liked the looks of have either been booked for our dates or a little out of our price range. If you want to go that route, there is currently a thread on here about how renters can protect themselves from getting scammed. It has some good information about checking tax records and such. Definitely read that. Also read up on getting trip insurance on your own. I don't think I would do a rental home without the trip insurance unless the owner has a very liberal payment and cancellation policy.

As for trying the timeshares and their presentations, we've never done that and don't plan to. We know we're not in the market to buy right now, for one thing. But mainly we don't want to use any of our vacation time dealing with the phone calls or attending the presentation. We only get to go to Orlando for a week - DH can't take any longer than that from work. We barely get around to all we want to do in that length of time so no timeshare stuff.

 

[dyna]

NO way we would take time out of our vacation for a time share presentation that we are not interested in buying.


dH an I love each other dearly but love each other more when we both have some space meaning hotel rooms are out for more than 1 night stays.

For what disney charges even for value resort we can get a very nice 2 or 3 bedroom 2 bath condo or townhouse in fact within 20 mins of disney I found a 3 bedroom house with private pool 2 car garage etc that is for early May we going to do other things besides the parks this time so think we got pretty good location..

 

[Purseval]

How do you decide???? Help point me in the right direction!

It depends on how big your party is, how much you want to save and how much convenience you want. Every option has worked millions of times before for other people so you can either spend your time figuring out why things won't work or do something more constructive like actually planning what you need in a scenario that isn't the worst case.

 

[Brian Noble]

We don't consider a single hotel room a vacation for the four of us, so that's never even been a consideration.

Between rental homes and timeshare condos: the former tend to have a bit more privacy and peace-and-quiet. The latter tend to have a little more in terms of common amenities, activities, and services. These are generalizations, naturally, and exceptions exist.

As to your concerns: the vast majority of rental homes are relatively well-kept, though as they are an owner's private homes, many have the sorts of quirks that a "corporate" place (hotel, timeshare, etc.) would not have. I happen to like those, but they are not to everyone's tastes. These transactions nearly always go well, without fraud or false claims of damage.

As to timeshares: when you check in, you'll be asked to sign up for a tour. Just say no. Some properties will then try to call you---just unplug the phone. In my experience, these are at worst minor annoyances, and in most cases easy to avoid.

 

[jodls01]

the first time we rented a vacation house, I researched the ownership, BBB, and the address of the owner of the house I was interested in renting. I did this in 2006 and 09. Because our extended family included small children I did not consider houses that had alot of Disney interior like cute lamps, pictures, etc. I did consider gated communities first. I also Googled the address of the house to make sure it was convenient as stated on website. I also emailed the owner questions about anything I did not fully understand such as statement that said that we could leave exactly as a hotel room. In 06 they wanted the used towels in the washer. Last year, the owner wanted the used towels left in the bathroom.

 

[kathy884]

You won't go wrong with whatever you do. My personal favorite if I'm staying seven nights is to rent a condo from a timeshare owner.

We have NEVER attended a timeshare prensentation, but have rented timeshare rental condos from owners for Orlando visits eight different times. When we check in, we just ask not to be called to attend a presentation and ask if they can accomodate this or should I disconnect my phone. We also don't pick up the welcome packages, as what this is, is an opportunity to be invited to attend a timeshare prensentation. They always acommodate us. Timeshare owner rentals are typically for a seven day period (Friday to Friday, Saturday to Saturday, or Sunday to Sunday). I love the space, ammenities, and resort feel that these timeshare resorts have. I belong to a timeshare users group (even though I'm not a timeshare owner -- TUG2.net) that gives me very detailed reviews and member ratings for all of the timeshare resorts in the area. I consider any of the resorts rated 7.5 or higher on this site very reasonable ones for me to look at (And there are tons of great ones). We go to Orlando a lot too, and I find it quite fun to try different places. For quality of lodging and value, the Orlando area can't be beat. There are two websites I typically find my rentals from. I rent from owners I find on Redweek.com ($15 annual fee to rent from here and you only have to join if you find a rental you want. You can sign in as a guest to see options) or TUG2.net (Classified ads section -- no fee to access this.) On TUG2.net there is an annual fee of $15 I believe to join to see all the detailed ratings and reviews of all the timeshare resorts Disney area and elsewhere.

Cypress Pointe, Cypress Pointe Grand Villlas, and the Sheraton Vistana Resort are resorts that we've stayed at most recently though owner rentals that I see come up a lot that I think are great options. Cypress Point and Cypress Point Grandvillas is where I go if I need three bedrooms because they have tons of these. Most timeshare resorts have lots of two bedroom units -- sleeping up to eight, but not that many three bedrooms.

With 22 trips to the area, we've done the rental house route, the onsite disney route (deluxe, moderate, and camping), the offsite hotel route, and the timeshare rental condo route (eight times with this option). There are many factors that might influence what you choose. My personal favorite, though for a week long stay is the timeshare rental condo route -- more of a resort feel than a house to me and I like that, with the timeshare resorts rentals you aren't subject to individual decorating tastes like you are with other owner condo rentals -- all units have the same decor and selections are made to appeal to the general population -- our teens don't want the Disney Princess room, Pirate themed room, etc., and of course the amenities (tennis , pool, game room, often much more than that, full kitchen, washer/dryer, nice balcony, bath, space) are wonderful.

 

[happymommy]

You don't mention how many are in your travel party.

For me, I'm still hesitant about the rental house thing, but it's just the four of us. If I were going with a large group (which IS NOT going to happen!) I'd maybe look into one, but for the four of us, we don't need a house. So that's out.

We've usually (well, always) stayed on site at Disney. Sometimes we'll have two rooms (at the Dolphin) or suck it up in one (last time was at the BWI and DD had the daybed that converted to a regular twin bed, but still that is probably the LAST time we'll all share one room). The last time at the Dolphin, DH wasn't with us, although my mom came for two nights, it was fine just me and the kids in one room.

We're now leaning towards off site, but in a condo resort. I like the safer feeling of a resort, with gates, and some dining amenities available (even if we don't use them), and some possible maid service, like if we need anything, but we won't get daily maid service I know. There are plenty to choose from in Orlando! That is a hard part for most folks, but for me, as DH is Marriott Platinum, he needs his 75 nights a year to keep it, so we're looking at Marriott. We own one (Oahu) and absolutely LOVE it there, so will only look at Marriott's in Orlando (so he can get his nights credited, even if they're booked through Interval International he gets credited).

I think that a condo has the compromise of larger units (usually only up to two bedrooms, but places like Lake Buena Vista Resort & Spa have larger ones) but still some resort amenities and safety with gated entrances.

I don't look forward to driving, so we may even look into taking cabs a few times, despite having a rental car booked. That is one thing I love about staying on site at Disney - I never need a car!

 

[TotoToo]

We are trying to decide between:

1) A rental home/condo like Windsor hills

A lot of space but usually lacks resort/vacation "feel". For us too much like being home and needing to take care of a full house. Privacy factor is a plus. 2nd choice overall.

2) A timeshare type place like Liki Tiki

A well located and amenity rich timeshare (common in Orlando but you do have to pay attention to what you accept) is our #1 choice by a wide margin. Available in large 2- 3 or even a few 4 bedroom units, full kitchens and usually a resort look & feel. There is a middle ground between the relative isolation of a private home setting and the space and features of a nice timeshare condo that also tend to have plenty of on site activities and features.

If you rent or own a timeshare you have zero obligation to listen to or attend any type of sales pitch. Simply say no at check in & ignore any other attempts if you don't want to waste the time. They have no right to hassle you or make you attend unless you accept a discounted stay based on such a presentation as part of the deal. In some cases the discount can be so big that you may consider it but it is never a requirement of a renter/owner/guest.

3) A standard hotel

Hey it's better than not going at all but the last choice for sure. Extremely variable quality and features, limited space and often a rather logistically stressful way to stay in a resort area. Even places that were OK 6 months ago can deteriorate quickly so be prepared to move if on arrival the accommodations aren't what you thought they'd be.

Some of the suites can come close to a small condo/timeshare in features and can be a good deal. Homewood Suites, Staybridge Suites are just two examples in the Lake Buena Vista area that are available in up to 2 bedroom sizes and offer kitchens as well as free breakfast buffets and more. Worth looking at.

That's our take on the options after over 30 years of loving to vacation in Orlando. As always enjoy!

 

[englishteacha]

We have found a condo rented by an owner and love it. It's a bargain, the owners are nice, and we know exactly what we're getting into. I thought about looking elsewhere and my husband said no way! He looks at the condo like "our" vacation home. We just don't have to pay to maintain it!

We would stay at a timeshare-type place, if one fell into our laps. Several of our family members have timeshares and enjoy them. We have no desire to own one, and I'm not really sure how to rent a condo through a timeshare type company.

 

[ohlas]

We don't consider a single hotel room a vacation for the four of us, so that's never even been a consideration.

Between rental homes and timeshare condos: the former tend to have a bit more privacy and peace-and-quiet. The latter tend to have a little more in terms of common amenities, activities, and services. These are generalizations, naturally, and exceptions exist.

As to your concerns: the vast majority of rental homes are relatively well-kept, though as they are an owner's private homes, many have the sorts of quirks that a "corporate" place (hotel, timeshare, etc.) would not have. I happen to like those, but they are not to everyone's tastes. These transactions nearly always go well, without fraud or false claims of damage.

As to timeshares: when you check in, you'll be asked to sign up for a tour. Just say no. Some properties will then try to call you---just unplug the phone. In my experience, these are at worst minor annoyances, and in most cases easy to avoid.

just unplug the phone

I did this one time they sent some to the room / condo lol it was funny when i told them i unpluged the phone..