"Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in!!!"

[jekajekalynn]

Well I changed my mind YET AGAIN about where we are going to stay for next years Disney trip. At first I was wanting to stay onsite, but I gotta tell ya, Vacation homes are the best for families with more than 4 ppl..

Their is NOTHING cost effective onsite for those familes like us who will be staying with 4 adults and a child, unless you want to spend the big mulah or frazzle your brain with in an inch of it's life worrying about "codes" or "pins".. If it was just my dh, ds and I than yeah, I could see staying at a Disney resort for the fun of it.

However, even though I had a bad experience with a certain vacation house company, (VERY poor customer service), this has not swayed me from making my choice for a vacation home. ESPECAILLY when you have your OWN pool and don't have to share it with anyone else (anyone who has ever been on a cruise or even stayed at a resort with a public pool, and seen some one like a big hairy guy in Spedos getting into a pool KNOWS how much this is a factor ).

So I have a question, what is the best company to rent vacation houses through? Is the place on Deb's website (allstar something....) any good?

TIA!!!

 

[ritchie56]

All Stars is very good, or at least they were for us and I have not heard any negatives about them. If customer service is your primary consideration, then I would recommend them whole heartedly.

That said, they are pricier than other places for the same style home. You will be able to find better deals elsewhere, especially by dealing with the owner directly. Only you can judge how much having a management company to deal with means to you. For our first trip in a vacation home it meant a lot, so I paid for the peace of mind that All Stars brings. Now I deal directly with owners or smaller management companies. But it sounds like you have had a bad experience, so All Stars may be a good way to go.

(And I absolutely agree that vacation homes are the way to go with more than four people! You'll have a blast.)

 

[isla bonita]

For peace of mind you can use all star. If you would like some others that have good reputations here are some sights.
http://www.fabvillas.com/villa-rental/menu/1/?session=1642522395
http://www.smartorlandovillas.com/villas.php
http://www.floridadisneyhomes.com/
http://www.homesatemeraldisland.com/pool_homes.htm
http://www.emeraldislandvillarentals.com/

Good luck and let us all know what you think of the experience.

 

[mbb]

www.orlandovillas.com
www.villasflorida.com
www.onlinefloridavillas.com

Here's the one we booked - I just can't find my OV link right now VRBO is a good site as well, though...
http://www.vrbo.com/55883

HTH!!

 

[LovePug]

Well I changed my mind YET AGAIN about where we are going to stay for next years Disney trip.

You sound just like me. I changed my mind 3 times before I finally settled on a vacation home. This is the thread that finally made up my mind for me....Vacation . After you read the wonderful review, scroll down and there's a link provided to the home and you can contact the owner directly. I just made my reservation for December .

 

[durango kid]

Have you given any thought to renting points for a Disney Vacation Club villa? It may be cheaper than staying offsite, plus you are "close" to the action, and get the onsite perks.

 

[spiceycat]

also DVC points thru a member don't charge extra for any adults over 2.

in a studio or 1-bedroom all 4 can be adults.

now I would not stay in a studio with 4 adults and a child.

a 1-bedroom yes. before anyone screams when a family of 5 calls CRO that is what they recommend. It has been recorded often!!!

 

[jekajekalynn]

How much does renting DVC points cost? I want something that is going to cost less than 1200 for a week. I know for sure there is going to be my dh, dm, ds, and I. Where can I find out more info about dvc?

 

[cwnhokie]

There is a whole board on this site about DVC and renting. It averages about $10 a point. I just can't seem to make onsite work for us financially for a group of 12. I was thinking of staying in the vacation home for a week and then just our family of 4 staying for a few extra days onsite just to see what it's like. One tip I did find is that renting points for DVC is a lot cheaper if you only stay there Sun. - Thurs. The amount of points you need almost doubles for the weekend. One of my neighbors who is a DVC member says they stay at DVC for Sun-Thurs and then somewhere else for the rest of the time. This site also has the chart for how many points you need. Go to home and then to DVC.

 

[jekajekalynn]

Thanks to those who posted websites and links, they are really helpful.
Thanks for those recommending DVC, but unfortunatly after crunching the points and numbers, I'm afraid that with the length of stay we are staying, and the amount of ppl possibly comming as well that staying onsite just isn't possible.

 

[mbb]

..... before anyone screams when a family of 5 calls CRO that is what they recommend. It has been recorded often!!!

Too funny, spiceycat!!

We rented some of our points to a family for their vacation...and are using the proceeds to pay for our 3 week house rental (and then a couple of days at our beloved BCV )

But I hear you, jekajekalynn...even renting points can't compare to a house rental (if you've got lots of people, or a longer stay).

Have fun planning!

 

[Brian Noble]

Every time I've looked, renting points for a 1BR villa or higher is always more expensive (and by a lot) than renting a reasonable, close-by condo or small pool home.

I don't tend to travel in the cheapest season that often, though, so YMMV.