Late booking for villa in August

[chezza]

Hi to all, I have just found your site and it looks like I will be on here a lot, it has loads of really usefull info. We have been to Florida about 12 times, and have stayed at various locations, usually International drive, however last year we stayed in a villa for the first time at Indian Wells, three bedroomed for just the two of us. We loved it and will never go back to hotels again.

So onto my question. My sister & hubby are coming with us this year. We have booked our flights for the 10th August. I have cystic fibrosis & my doctors have said today that they are not prepaired to sign my fit to fly for my oxygen on the airline until a month before I go in case my health gets any worse. I am worried about booking villa, car hire etc now and then not being able to go. What are my chances of villa's still being available in July to book for the following month. If not it will be back to a hotel room

Please be honest (I can take it)....


Thanks for your thoughts.

Chez

 

[Elise79]

I don't know about villas as we always stay onsite however if you want to book your car hire some companies will refund you fully up to 48 hours in advance. I know if you book direct with Dollar they do as I have canceled bookings with them no problems.

Good luck

 

[wayneg]

Can't help with villa we prefer hotels.

Car rental it depends who you book with, better prices are usually(not always) with UK suppliers but then you need to check their cancellation policy.
Looked at Dollar.co.uk if you cancel with at least 48 hours notice its a £25 fee, full terms here http://www.cartrawler.com/portal/kbpopup.asp?soln_solutionId=189

With US rentacar its £50 if you give at least 7 days notice http://www.usrentacar.co.uk/faqAns.aspx?pk=18
They also sell a cancellation policy at £5/week which allows you to cancel upto 24 hours before flying with no fees.
http://www.usrentacar.co.uk/faqAns.aspx?pk=444

 

[disneyholic family]

if the economy continues as it is, your chances are reasonably good regarding finding a villa..

as for rental car - i always reserve online via alamo.com....
they give a nice rate for UK residents and it includes all insurance...(be sure to enter that you are a UK resident and make sure the rate includes all insurance)..
there is no deposit....you just make the reservation and that's it....
so if you don't show up, you don't lose any money...

i'm sure i could get a cheaper rental rate by prepaying, but i'm NEVER sure if i'm actually going until i board that plane....so i just can't advance pay for a car....

 

[buzz for boys]

Hi & Welcome x x x

We have a son with complex health issues which mean that on trips we have the same situation as you guys. We also prefer the space and freedom of a villa!

My advice to you is when you have found a villa that you like phone and speak to the owner and explain your situation. Ask them what they can do to help. Doing this has always resulted in us getting the most wonderful service and most villa owners allow us to pay the full balance only when we have the illusive fit to fly certificate. If a villa owner wont allow us to do this we move onto the next villa we like!
We do pay a deposit to secure the dates we are looking at but again most villa owners are happy to transfer the dates if we dont manage to go!!

A lot of people hink you can claim on Insurance but I know how difficult getting insurance can be until you can tick the box that says the consultant is allowing you to travel.

Hope thats a helpful reply and if you need anything feel free to PM me.

Louise x

 

[Pegasus928]

Welcome to the Dis. As you have been to Florida many times I am sure you will be a valuable member on the boards so feel free to chip in with any advice you can offer others
We also prefer villa holidays over hotels for dozens of reasons and, as Louise said, would recommend that if you see a villa that ticks all your boxes then phone or email the owner and explain the situation. Most owners need a deposit, with the balance being paid usually 8-10 weeks prior to the holiday.
As you can imagine August is a busy time of year - not just for overseas visitors but also the Americans who go and rent a villa for a week for their Disney vacation - so leaving it late will make getting the villa you want more unlikely.

 

[dixonsontour]

You will be fine, should get a good deal.

Villa supply far out strips demand. obviously if you have a particular villa or community in mind then booking in advance is better.

Try ebay - we booked one off ebay a few years ago a couple of months before we flew and it was fabulous. We paid £540 for 2 weeks in a 4 bed villa - exchange rate was better but obviously the owner was happy to get some income rather than leave it empty.

 

[disneyholic family]

You will be fine, should get a good deal.

Villa supply far out strips demand. obviously if you have a particular villa or community in mind then booking in advance is better.

Try ebay - we booked one off ebay a few years ago a couple of months before we flew and it was fabulous. We paid £540 for 2 weeks in a 4 bed villa - exchange rate was better but obviously the owner was happy to get some income rather than leave it empty.

exactly - there are many more villas on the market than people to fill them...
as for August, it's not the busiest time of year at all - many american school districts are already back in session by the 2nd week of august....
you really shouldn't have any problem at all getting a villa at the last minute...
you might even get a deal!!

 

[chezza]

Thank you all for your replies & welcome, I did use these boards during our last trip to orlando and came on last week when we booking our flight and had that 'orlando booking buzz' and can I take this opportunity to say thankyou to Wayne for the help you gave re flying into Tampa. I see that we live close, we live in leeds, not that far at all from dewsbury.

Louise, thankyou for your info too, I never book my insurance till just before we go, have found a really good specialise one now called insurance choice, was only £117 for my husband & I worldwide and their medical questions are very minimal. I will get looking again now and find some places we were thinking of staying.

What would you guys think a reasonable desposit should be for 4 adults ?

I am not too worried if I can't fly, I have two willing grownup nieces who already have their bags packed on standby. Unfortunately their parents are now so willing as they know they will end up paying for everying and were looking forward to there only being two of them and a smallish holiday bill.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my question.

Chez

 

[Pegasus928]

You will be fine, should get a good deal.

Villa supply far out strips demand. obviously if you have a particular villa or community in mind then booking in advance is better.

Try ebay - we booked one off ebay a few years ago a couple of months before we flew and it was fabulous. We paid £540 for 2 weeks in a 4 bed villa - exchange rate was better but obviously the owner was happy to get some income rather than leave it empty.

exactly - there are many more villas on the market than people to fill them...
as for August, it's not the busiest time of year at all - many american school districts are already back in session by the 2nd week of august....
you really shouldn't have any problem at all getting a villa at the last minute...
you might even get a deal!!

While I understand what you guys are saying - and agree with it up to a point - the longer you leave it before booking the less likely you are to get one of the quality villas that provide the best facilities. Yes there will be plenty still on the market and available for rent - but why is it that they are still available at such short notice would you think?

What would you guys think a reasonable desposit should be for 4 adults ?

Most villa owners take a deposit that is a percentage of the total cost of the villa hire - and this would be the same regardless of the number or age of people staying there.

 

[wayneg]

I see that we live close, we live in leeds, not that far at all from dewsbury.

Not too far, DW works near the White Rose Centre and her Mum lives in Morley so we goto Leeds quite a bit.

With the villa some will be happy with last minute, many are happy with Allocation on arrival others want to know exactly where they will be and the facilities available. When we booked a Condo Easter 2008 I booked months in advance direct with the US owner as I wanted to be certain it had internet connection and be able to see pics of the rooms before we got there. I paid a crazy £60/night for the privilege, if I had booked later thru a UK agent I could have got a Condo in the same resort for £30/night but no guarentee of net connection.

 

[disneyholic family]

While I understand what you guys are saying - and agree with it up to a point - the longer you leave it before booking the less likely you are to get one of the quality villas that provide the best facilities. Yes there will be plenty still on the market and available for rent - but why is it that they are still available at such short notice would you think?



Most villa owners take a deposit that is a percentage of the total cost of the villa hire - and this would be the same regardless of the number or age of people staying there.

no question the best villas get snapped up first, but there are so many villas available, you can almost always find something...

not necessarily getting the best is the cost of not being able to book early on..

i've had to pass on free dining this year as i simply can't book us this far in advance....i'll wait until the very very last minute and then get whatever it is that's available...i'm sure there will still be tons left.....it might cost more, but then again, i won't have to worry about losing any deposits or having to pay everything 2 months in advance...

 

[buzz for boys]

no question the best villas get snapped up first, but there are so many villas available, you can almost always find something...

i'm sure there will still be tons left.....it might cost more, but then again, i won't have to worry about losing any deposits or having to pay everything 2 months in advance...

I agree here will be tons left but in my experience there is a reason hy it is available !!

We have never lost a deposit or had to pay a balance before we knew we could definatly fly. In fact the villa owner we used last year told us to wait until we had all the paperwork needed to fly!
Villa owners are people too and quite a few understand that some people have different circumstances!!!

Chezz in terms of a deposit we usually pay around £100 -£150 per week. Hope that helps.
Louise x