Just back from rental home in Kissimmee. Any questions?

[karenvicki]

We just got back today from our week long stay in a rental home in the Indian Creek development in Kissimmee. Great location, right off 192 (W of I-4) and only 5-10 minutes from the parks...Anyway, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have (I was very unsure about a lot of things before this trip and the people on this board are so helpful, I'd like to return the favor in any way possible).

Trying to figure out when we can come again!

 

[momofdbsdc]

Welcome back! How did you like the rental home? Was there anything that you weren't happy with? We are already saving our money to go back!!! ( we stayed at HIFS, but was wondering about possibly doing a house rental next time)

Thanks!

 

[twinz]

We also rented a house this past Sept/Oct, and we would DEFINATELY recommend it to ANYONE. We had a beautiful home, and it was in a great location. The kids loved the private pool, and we loved the feeling of coming to a home each night.
I would definately consider it.

 

[karenvicki]

Momofdbsdc:
Really can't say there was anything we didn't like. If I could make one change, I'd probably opt for 3 bathrooms instead of 2 for 8 of us! However, I got a steal of a rate and for this price I could either get 2 baths or a jacuzzi. The jacuzzi won big time (the adults used it every night once the kids went to bed) and I wouldn't give that up for anything. Our feet thanked us for the hot soak each night!
Although I've heard good things about HIFS, there's nothing like having your own pool that you don't have to share. Also, having a washer/dryer right in the house made it so convenient to do a load any time we needed. Also, we were able to really spread out in the house!

 

[PhotobearSam]

What was the price for the week? Were you all comfortable or do you wish you had more room?

Thanks

 

[bluesea718]

Has anyone ever rented in the Emerald Island development?

I am looking at a 3 BR condo and it looks really nice, but I'd like some feedback.

The owner says it's 4 minutes from Disney. True or False?

Any pros or cons?

Thanks!

Karen

 

[karenvicki]

To Karen and Samantha:

Emerald Isle is a new development right next to Indian Creek (where we were). So the location is definitely good and all the houses should be brand new. Only 5-10 minutes from WDW (there are some lights on 192 but other than that the traffic moves once you get on World Drive). The only reason I might suggest a house rather than a condo is most houses have their own pool (ours had a jacuzzi too!). Emerald Isle should have houses as well as condos. Check out vrbo.com for comparable housing in Indian Creek, Rolling Hills, Formosa Gardens (they're all right next to each other).
Our price was something ridiculous like $800 for the week and that included tax and the pool heating charge. Considering we were sharing this home with another family, it worked out to about $400 per family for the whole week! And think of the money we saved by having breakfast at home and some dinners there as well. I do know though, that the price changes for high and low season so you'd have to contact the owner directly with your dates! Samantha, we were very comfortable. The only thing I might do differently next time is to find a home with 3 bathrooms instead of 2...but otherwise I loved this house (they even had 3 tvs and a whole selection of videos).
Please let me know if there are any other questions I can answer for you!

 

[Muffy]

Thanks for the info on house rentals! Sounds great!

 

[LittleLady]

Karen,

We stayed in Indian Creek Oct. 20-28. We rented a 5 bedroom house with 4 bathrooms. You may want to try that next time. The cost was $1200 for 8 days! We too loved the house, private pool, and the ability to eat in the house and save a ton of money on food. We found that by eating breakfast in the home and maybe a late day snack, we were able to eat at some of the sit down restaraunts in Disney and not break the bank. So far we rented the same house two years in a row and hopefully maybe again next year, that is if I can get my husband to go to Disney 3 years in a row!

 

[karenvicki]

Little Lady: THanks for your message. With 2 couples and 4 kids, we didn't need any more than the 4 bedrooms; the extra bathroom is the only thing that would have been nice (although it wasn't bad; just a little tight sometimes!). And if it saves us $400, we would stick with the 2 baths! I know there are some rental properties there that are 4 bdrm/3 bath and that's what we might look into in the future. But I have to agree, having my cup of coffee at home was so nice. We had lunch each day at the parks and didn't spend too much...and there were 2 days where we just had a "down" day where the kids were in the pool most of the day so we ate lunch at home those days as well. We cooked dinner a couple of nights, brought in food once, ate at MK one night (we were there on a Tuesday and wanted to see Spectromagic) and ate out a few nights. It worked out fabulously.
I'm still having a hard time dealing with being home.

 

[tednvon]

Hi..Emerald Island is very nice and the clublhouse and pool are beautiful...I have heard the new condos are great....location can't be beat....we have a very large 7 bed 6 bath home there for large groups, very large families, or multiple families....everyone loves Emerald Island for location and amenities...all the developements in this area are nice and very close to Disney.....good luck...Ted

 

[Pookey]

We are planning a trip with another family in August of 2003. Have rented a house in Oak Island area with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths for 9 of us, 5 adults and 4 kids (three of which are teenage girls). My family wanted desperately to stay on Disney, but it just wasn't doable price wise for the space we need. Disney brought back their Early Entry program right after we made the reservations. Still kind of disappointed, but looking forward to the space and the washer dryer, pool, etc. Is it really as easy to get on and off Disney as they claim and doesn't Disney charge parking fees? Did you go to Universal or any other Florida attractions. We only did Disney last time (August '99) and want to try a few other things this time, but mostly DISNEY!!!!

 

[karenvicki]

I'm not sure exactly where Oak Island is although it sounds familiar (all the developments start to sound alike after a while) but if it's on 192 West of I-4, that's where we were. It truly is easy to access Disney. Just take 192 East for about 1 mile and exit onto World Drive. This takes you to all the parks. Although we didn't hit Sea World this time, it's also easy to reach: 192 again to I-4 towards Orlando (East) and you'll see signs for Sea World within 5 minutes. Yes, Disney does charge for parking if you stay off-site. The current rate is $7 per day (and you can show the receipt at another park if you go to more than one park during a particular day and only pay once). BTW, if you order your tickets through AAA, you receive a Diamond Lot pass, which lets you park right next to the handicapped parking spots, right at the front of every parking lot. We never once had to ride a parking tram or remember which character we parked at!!
Will 4 bedrooms be enough for 9 of you? We were 8 in a 4 bdrm house (the 2 couples got the 2 master bedrooms and there were 2 kids in each of the 2 other bedrooms in twin beds). Unless you have a pull out sofa, it might be tight. There are a ton of 5 bedroom houses out there that might give you a little more breathing room (I looked at all the floor plans for Indian Creek and I know they have some 5 bdrm). Also, check out vrbo.com. This listing was amazing!
Please email again if you have any more questions. I hope I've helped.

 

[karenvicki]

Just trying to figure out why it only shows 11 posts to this thread when there are 13...
Just testing...

 

[Robinrs]

Karen, I see 13 before your post.

 

[Pookey]

You do make the homes sound very convenient. The other couple have AAA membership so I will mention buying the tickets that way. Thanks for the tip. The house we have rented does have a pullout couch, so we should be all set. My understanding is that you can't rent a house for more than the number of beds. This one was advertised for up to 10. Thanks again!

 

[FLeisure]

Just wanted to clear up a couple of points :

1. Oak Island is next to Emerald Island. Built by American Heritage Homes who have just been bought by KB Homes.

2. Maximum Occupancy. Every home has a maximum occupancy level. A good rule of thumb is 3 bed - 6/8 people, 4 bed (8/10 people), 5 bed (10/12 people), 6 bed ( 12/14 people) and 7 bed ( 14/16 people). If there is a sofa bed then use the latter figure.

Please note that the DBPR does not issue licenses to any home with more than 7 bedrooms. These homes are classed as being hotels and need all the type of features that hotels have, ie sprinkler system.

3. Condo's will not have their own pool. Frankly, I think it isn't a good idea to mix homes and townhomes as is the trend at the moment. Personally, I don't like these resort type places as I think they devalue the homes and take away from the experience of renting one.

 

[Ernie]

I don't know if there's more than one, but we rented a house in a development called Oak Island behind the 'China' theme park on 192 west of Disney. It was a very nice area, but we did not find the shopping very handy. However, the house was great! We have for the past 2 years rented at Indian Creek, and are going back in January.

 

[karenvicki]

Ernie, both Oak Island and Indian Creek are in the same general set of developments behind the Splendid China attraction off 192. I'm not sure why you think the shopping wasn't handy...yes, you have to have a car to get to 192 but that route has everything on it, supermarkets, restaurants, pharmacies, clothing and souvenir shops...

 

[FLeisure]

Have to agree....what was the problem with shopping ? or are you talking about clothes shopping, ie Florida mall / Millenia Mall ?

Indian Creek/Rolling Hills/Sunset lakes/Oak Island are all just a couple of minutes from Formosa Gdns shopping Plaza where you can find Outback, Red Lobster, Carabbas,A Taste of China , Giordano's plus Winn Dixie (Goodings for the older brigade with a memory).