Rental Recommendations

[samandryanmom]

New visitor to the off-site boards here.

We recently returned from 11 days at Disney on-site at All Star Music. While everything was clean and nice, we were cramped with the four of us.

So that started me thinking about renting a house or condo off-site for more room. I've been checking the www.vrbo.com website off and on and I've seen lots of great houses that would work for us but I'm definitely overwhelmed with all of the choices out there.

I really like the Windsor Hills homes and like I said, it's so overwhelming I haven't really looked at other neighborhoods. If this is possible, can any of you recommend certain houses or are any of you owners that rent out your homes? If you can't post it here, please PM me.

As much as I love on-site, we are outgrowing one hotel room and can't really afford the Disney prices for more room although we are thinking about renting points from a DVC member.

I would appreciate any help that you can offer. Oh, and we are looking to travel in May/June 2008 for 11 nights.

Thanks

 

[deejay-55]

Check out the Windsor Hills Owners Group site at www.windsorhillsrent.com
Windsor Hills is a new resort and most all of the homes there will be OK - if you do have any issues on arrival simply call the owner's management company and they should assist you immediately. When it comes down to choosing your rental home, you can narrow it down by choosing the house amenities and site location you want and discarding those that don't exactly fit your choice - it can actually be fun rather than daunting!

 

[dougsmom98]

I would also look at the Accommodation review on the sub-forum found above. Several really nice homes and town homes have reviews and that might help you narrow your search down.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

You can also try www.indiancreekflorida.com

 

[MYDISNEYHOUSES]

You can also take a look at www.stayatemeraldisland.com

 

[KayR]

Take a look at http://www.stayatemeraldisland.com/HomesForRent/GuideChoice.php which may help you narrow down your choices, or at least think about what you want.

Any of the communities already recommended are in a great location. I will also give you one more to add to the list www.windsor-palms-florida.net for homes, townhomes and condos at Windsor Palms.

Have fun,

--Kay

 

[samandryanmom]

You guys have all given me some great suggestions, thanks. I don't feel so overwhelmed by it all now.

For those of you that stay off-site, do you take breaks in the afternoon and then go back to the parks in the evening or once you leave, you don't return.

Is the drive to Disney in the morning a madhouse? For those of you that have rented at Windsor Hills or the surrounding neighborhoods, how long did it take you to get from your "home" to the park entrance? Roughly speaking, of course.

Did any of you feel let down by staying off-site? I keep looking at the condos and homes and I'm getting really excited because I can just see us there and I feel like we will really be able to relax. And then I think, will we feel like we're missing out on something. The main perk that we enjoy is the on site transportation, the bus system from the hotel to the parks. This past trip we didn't go to any extra magic hours, didn't park hop, etc. We did do the dining plan but after trying it, we probably wouldn't do it again. It was just way more food than our family eats and we felt like we wasted a lot. When we checked out we had several counter service credits left.

Thanks for any and all opinions.

Kerri

 

[katyjeka]

This is a first for us, but we are staying at Bonnet Creek this December. It will be my dh, myself and our 3 dd's. My inlaws and bil will also be joining us. We are so excited to be showing them the "world" and are counting the days. I just found I'm pregnant with our 4th, so this should be an interesting trip. We have stayed at Poly/WL/FW/OKW and have liked them all. However, it's getting more difficult to stay in a room or even two. Let's face it, the rooms are not huge. My dh and I enjoy some "alone" time, which is close to impossible in a hotel room. I understand people who want surrounded by disney magic 24hrs. a day, but I would rather have space. We tend to drive to the parks anyway, it's easier with a stroller, and have annual passes, which makes parking free. We have some ADR's for breakfast before the parks open, so we will be there for early touring. The only benefit we're missing is package delivery, which I can live with. We've never been to Bonnet Creek, but the pictures look beautiful, and I have not found 1 bad review, which is amazing. You are able to see Epcot fireworks from some of the balconies, which is very magical, and we are only minutes from all the parks. For $1400 we are spending 9 nights in a 3 bedroom. Renting DVC points would have been $4000. $2600 buys a lot of nice meals and trinkets for the kids, and allowed us to reserve dinner shows as well. It sounds like we missing, well, nothing by staying offsite. Just my opinion. Good luck. Janice

 

[KayR]

We usually stay off site at either Windsor Palms or Emerald Island and I had heard about the magic on-site. Our last trip, we had an extra night when we arrived before we could get into our home and decided to stay on site at a moderate resort. I wanted to see the magic for myself. I was disappointed. We felt cramped in one room. No space to relax, no fridge for cold drinks and a pantry full of snacks. A walk to the food court (the walk was nice, but I didn't like to have to go to the food court for every meal - missed the convenience of a kitchen).

We decided to try out EMH while we had the chance. It was nice to be able to go later on that night, but the only real advantage to us was to get some quieter character interaction. The big rides still had long wait times and no fastpasses available. Another plus was that because the big rides were busy, we did try the boat ride in The Land and enjoyed it (we would normally not have done that ride). There was some neat things to see and learn and DD and DS both enjoyed it too.

We did think about trying the resort buses, but when they told us it would take 35-45 minutes to get to the park (which we could see from the hotel) we decided to drive.

For $170 per night I was not feeling the magic. For $170 night I could rent a 6 bedroom home and accommodate 14 people not just 4. So we actually felt let down by staying on site

I know some people love staying on-site but unless I could afford one of the 2 bedroom places on site, I will stick to staying off site.

For me the magic is seeing the outline of EE as we drive towards AK. The first sighting of the mickey shaped signs (we usually take the back road into WDW) and the knowledge that when we have finished at WDW we can go back to our home (that I don't have to tidy up each morning for housekeeping) and go for a swim in the pool. Bliss. IMHO of course!

Enjoy.

Kay

 

[Mainebound]

New visitor to the off-site boards here.

I really like the Windsor Hills homes and like I said, it's so overwhelming I haven't really looked at other neighborhoods. If this is possible, can any of you recommend certain houses or are any of you owners that rent out your homes? If you can't post it here, please PM me.

Thanks

Welcome! I can highly recommend 6 bed Gigha Villa in Windsor Hills (and its neighbor Jura -- same owner) where we stayed in March. Website is www.valhallavillas.com. We also rented homes in Emerald Island the previous two years (see sig) and loved loved loved them both. One, a 6 bed, is viewable at http://www.vrbo.com/88384. The other, a 4 bed, is viewable at www.emerladfootprints.com.

We also already rented another 6 bed home for next March, Lake view House, in WH but I can't recommend it officially until we stay there!

Happy searching!

 

[snowangel72]

Another factor to consider is if you have to drive to a management company to check in and get the keys. You really want a home where the keys are left at the resort/gate for you to pick up. We had to drive to the management company, get the keys, then drive to the home. And the same on the way home. It was a PITA. Next time, I would choose a home where the keys are left at the gate.

Otherwise, I love renting these homes. They are beautiful and clean and the ensuites are lovely. I really love renting these homes. I almost want to buy one!

 

[stepnut]

We just returned last week from our first trip to WDW. I didn't want our family of 4 to do the tiny hotel room, and I also knew I wanted kitchen facilities to do breakfast and some other meals. I searched the internet and I think I hit a jackpot.

We stayed in a lovely condo in the Villas of Somerset. It's on Poinciana Blvd, south of Irlo Bronson, and a pretty short drive to WDW. Convenient to everything: highways, stores, restaurants, etc. I think no longer than 15 minutes to the Magic Kingdom parking lot. Even closer to the other parks, but we didn't go to them.

The condo is owned by a couple named Frank & Lenore...they don't rent through a rental agency, so I dealt directly with them. Our cost was $99 a night and the place was gorgeous! Two bedrooms, one with a king, and one with two sets of bunkbeds. Two full bathrooms. Roomy living room, dining room and kitchen area. The owners had the place well stocked, and beautifully decorated. It was comfortable and incredibly spotless. Washer and dryer included. In the condo development, there were tennis courts, a nice pool with a little store, and a game area with computers.

I would highly recommend this place...I'd go stay there in a heartbeat! Dealing with the owner was a dream. He was professional, friendly and informative. He supplied us with a mountain of information about the Orlando area, and a whole bunch of tips related to doing Disney.

That's my 2cents!
Stepnut

 

[Jeninindy]

You guys have all given me some great suggestions, thanks. I don't feel so overwhelmed by it all now.

For those of you that stay off-site, do you take breaks in the afternoon and then go back to the parks in the evening or once you leave, you don't return.

Is the drive to Disney in the morning a madhouse? For those of you that have rented at Windsor Hills or the surrounding neighborhoods, how long did it take you to get from your "home" to the park entrance? Roughly speaking, of course.

Did any of you feel let down by staying off-site? I keep looking at the condos and homes and I'm getting really excited because I can just see us there and I feel like we will really be able to relax. And then I think, will we feel like we're missing out on something. The main perk that we enjoy is the on site transportation, the bus system from the hotel to the parks. This past trip we didn't go to any extra magic hours, didn't park hop, etc. We did do the dining plan but after trying it, we probably wouldn't do it again. It was just way more food than our family eats and we felt like we wasted a lot. When we checked out we had several counter service credits left.

Thanks for any and all opinions.

Kerri

First, the drive from windsor hills in the morning was easy. We used the shortcut directions - you can be at Animal Kingdom in 5 minutes and it took no longer than 10 - 15 minutes to get to everything else. There was no traffic at all for us. I bet we were back at our townhouse quicker than most people on the disney buses.

We took afternoon breaks most days and it was very easy to get back to the parks, most of the time our same parking spot was there too.....

The only thing we used the kitchen for was breakfast - it was vacation, we ate 4 TS meals, the rest were counter service or offsite restaurants.

We did not feel let down staying offsite at all - but we have not stayed onsite either. My kids felt the "magic", but they also loved having the space to stretch out too.....and that wonderful splash pool was their favorite.

Good luck making your decision - we would go back to windsor hills in a heartbeat...

 

[englishteacha]

We rented a condo offsite and loved it. I haven't stayed onsite since I was 9, and that was camping in Ft. Wilderness. I don't think I miss any magic. If anything, I can relax better instead of worrying about all that's going on right outside the door!

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Welcome! I can highly recommend 6 bed Gigha Villa in Windsor Hills (and its neighbor Jura -- same owner) where we stayed in March. Website is www.valhallavillas.com. We also rented homes in Emerald Island the previous two years (see sig) and loved loved loved them both. One, a 6 bed, is viewable at http://www.vrbo.com/88384. The other, a 4 bed, is viewable at www.emerladfootprints.com.

We also already rented another 6 bed home for next March, Lake view House, in WH but I can't recommend it officially until we stay there!

Happy searching!

We are booked to stay at Jura in Nov/Dec this year. The owner has been extremely helpful and accommodating and I am feeling really good about the whole thing. Particularly after reading Mainebound's review about Gigha.

Just a question for you Mainebound, if thats ok. We're the keys in a lock box at the house, or do they have to be picked up from the MC. That was something I hadn't asked the owner.

 

[Angel A]

This is our first time venturing offsite and I agree the choices are overwhelming. I have narrowed the list down to about 15 places I guess I will just close my eyes and pick.

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

As already mentioned I would make a list of the things that you require in a home and then the extras that would be nice. Then try a site like www.homeaway.com where you can narrow the search down with items from the list, like bedrooms, gamesrooms, internet, hot-tub etc.

You have a vast choice of homes to choose from - good luck