How much in advance do you need to book a pool home?

[vossjemi]

We are planning a WDW trip next Oct 06 over Halloween. However, we aren't sure of our exact dates yet. We want to minimize absence from school. This year, my DD5 has a teacher work day Oct 28 and is off Nov 1 for All Saints Day. Schedules for next year won't be out until March. Will all the good homes already be booked by then? We want something as close as possible to WDW, but hate to set the dates and find out we're wrong and have to change them only to find out the home cannot accommodate our change.

Also, I'm curious about cancellation/deposit policies. What is typical?

 

[kilee]

That is still plenty of time to book. I'm in the process of looking right now for our January trip.
For the most part they usually require full payment in advance. This is pretty much the only risk because if you have to cancel in the 11th hour there is no protection. Trip insurance may be something to look into for that.
It will take a lot of research and time. My email box shut down twice this week from being full. So, start the search when you have time to sift through all the reponses. Also look around alittle then decide what you really want. Otherwise it's going to seem really overwhelming.
For us we had a few must-haves: spa, game room or game system, and 3 bathrooms. Everything else after that is a bonus. If it didn't meet these requirements I set them to the side for now. Also, location is key. For us, we don't mind the 15-20 minute drive but some people really do. The closer to the park the more you'll pay. You can get a great 5 bedroom house in Davenport for under $1000, while right there in Formosa Gardens or Emerald Island you'll most likely pay $1200-1500.

 

[vossjemi]

Yeah, but 1200-1500 is better than the 2200 I'd pay at BCV or FWC.

Ok. Sounds like I have some time. If we do pool home, we want to be close. Otherwise, we'll just stay on property.

 

[alexcturner]

That's a hard question to answer. Sometimes there is late availability for Wonderful homes. Going into a certain month you might only have a week left and then you get 3 or 4 inquiries for those dates. Sometimes on a last minute trip you can find availability (for what you want).

 

[isla bonita]

I think it depends on what exactly what you want. If there is a specific home you want for sure rent as soon as possible for the simple reason it might not be avaible when it is needed. If not you can look for bargains. All the owners can say is no thank you. Good luck in your search. There is a great place for you out there. Isla Bonita

 

[Yoga Deb]

We are planning a WDW trip next Oct 06 over Halloween. However, we aren't sure of our exact dates yet. We want to minimize absence from school. This year, my DD5 has a teacher work day Oct 28 and is off Nov 1 for All Saints Day. Schedules for next year won't be out until March. Will all the good homes already be booked by then? We want something as close as possible to WDW, but hate to set the dates and find out we're wrong and have to change them only to find out the home cannot accommodate our change.

Also, I'm curious about cancellation/deposit policies. What is typical?

In our case (we own a 6 bed on Emerald Island) we take £150 per week booked as a booking deposit which is non returnable .The final balance is paid 10weeks prior to travel along with a Security deposit of £300 fully returnable after departure and satisfactory inventory.If you cancell prior to ten weeks before departure you lose the booking deposit less than 10 weeks the whole unless we can fill the dates in which case we probably would refund most of it.

 

[mbb]

and Welcome to the Dis!!

 

[Time4Orlando]

www.DoOrlando.com has homes with wide open availability all the time. They have homes they say are 4 minutes from the gates of Disney. I think they are listed under Loyalty Homes.

 

[Ahrizel]

One point to consider. We just got back from WDW on 10/23. For many Brits the last full week of October is school holiday. No problem with the Brits, mind you But I know I saw less availability for houses/condos when I was looking for that week. Of course I started looking late-mid summer. Just something to consider, I would start looking as soon as your dates are solid. I would suggest Emerald Island, very close and nice. If nothing shows up there several other developments are also close. Good Luck!

 

[Brian Noble]

That's because they are smart enough not to pay usurious rates to stay on property.

 

[Mainebound]

We are planning a WDW trip next Oct 06 over Halloween. However, we aren't sure of our exact dates yet. We want to minimize absence from school. This year, my DD5 has a teacher work day Oct 28 and is off Nov 1 for All Saints Day. Schedules for next year won't be out until March. Will all the good homes already be booked by then? We want something as close as possible to WDW, but hate to set the dates and find out we're wrong and have to change them only to find out the home cannot accommodate our change.

Also, I'm curious about cancellation/deposit policies. What is typical?

If you are very picky about where the home is, and other things (for example, you must have a southern exposure, or 7 televisions, or computer with internet access, or privacy form other homes, etc.) then I would look about 6 months in advance, earlier for Xmas and Easter weeks.

However, there is a glut of homes. There are many more homes than renters and waiting until close to your trip can result in significant discounts. The catch is that these homes may not be in the exact community you want, or have the exact amenities. But a lot of very nice homes fail to rent due not to any flaw, but due to oversupply.

As for cancellation policies, they tend to be very strict. It is typical to lose your deposit if you cancel at any time after sending it, and to lose your whole balance if you cancal any time within 60 days of your trip. Therefore it is imperative that you purchase trip cancellation insurance, just as you would for a cruise.

 

[rrsafety]

I've rented a place called Briar Patch Villa (you can google it) for January. It'll be fun to see what it is like staying at a vacation home for the first time rather than a hotel....

As for trip insurance, we have my in-laws ready to go in our place in case we can't go.... so somebody will be using the home in January.