Renting a house question!!!!!!

[FLParadisevilla]

I have not heard of Orange Green Villas, but did you rent from the owner directly? Do you have a link of the home you rented? I would love to see the home. I enjoy looking at all the pictures of other people's homes.
I don't think you have anything to be nervous about once you get there everyone will be praising you for such a great vacation!

The first home I rented was 3 years ago and I planned our wedding out back by the pool. I had never seen the home, just pictures. I then fell in love and ended up buying our own home! LOL But I can honestly say it was one of the few times in my life my Father praised me on how great the home and the wedding and the catering was. He could not believe I pulled it off without ever going to Florida to see or meet with anyone prior to the wedding. I did all of this via the internet! Even had a Disney Minister! LOL

 

[kg66]

It's funny, when I finished posting if you look up at the top of the Orlando Hotels and Attractions page, you'll find a link for Green Orange Villas , under the Outlet Malls(sponsored by Green Orange Villas). I checked a lot of sites on the web, but this one caught my eye, because with early booking we got upgraded from just a pool, to a jacuzzi too. Free pool heat, pool toys, BBQ...seemed like a great deal. Check them out and let me know what you think.Kathy

 

[fullhouse]

Thanks for all the great information and responses. Got some great ideas.

 

[marciemi]

Someone else renting one for the first time this summer. With 3 teen/pre-teen boys, I just couldn't see staying at POR, in one room, for more money, for 2 weeks! This way everyone can do their own thing and I won't end up strangling the lot of them by the end of the first week!

The money for eating was a big factor too. With 3 "adult" children by Disney standards, pretty much any sit-down restaurant will cost over $100. Even fast food we found was at least $10 per person and the kids were always still hungry (or moreso thirsty) afterwards. This way we can grill easily (our favorite and easiest thing to do), make sandwiches, or do something simple like grilled cheese or chicken tenders for probably the cost of one of our meals in the park. Last few times onsite the kids were always shoving poptarts in their mouths as we ran for the bus (NO FOOD ALLOWED). This time they can actually eat hot food before we go for no more money (frozen waffles/pancakes) which keep them fuller for longer too!

My kids are old enough that they can swim by themselves (as long as more than one of them are out there) so we don't have to sit at a pool area overrun with thousands of screaming children. Ours are loud enough! And the washer/dryer is a HUGE benefit with a stay that long. Alternatives were spending an afternoon doing laundry every few days or bringing WAY too much luggage. I like the throw a load on at bedtime, toss it in the dryer before leaving for the parks. I plan to bring 3 outfits for everyone instead of 14!

Some advice is to see if the owner of a house you're looking at has a guestbook. You can see the comments left by previous guests and many of them leave an email. I emailed everyone from the US who'd stayed at the house we're renting, including someone who lived about a mile away from us at the time! I was able to ask them questions I didn't want to bother the owner with (how hard was it to get internet access, how many TV's, were there cooking utensils, etc.) and questions I really wanted the "true" answer to (how close were you to other houses, how bad was the drive really) and also had several of them email me their pictures of the house rather than relying on the owner's website. We'll see how well it goes this summer!

coralee - just want to say hi to an Appleton person - I think you're the closest I've found on the boards so far to us in Green Bay!

 

[coralee]

Hi back marciemi! I can completely identify with all the points you made. When we were there in 92 we stayed at the Days Suites, with a kitchen and a separate bedroom. Our kids were 13, 11 and 8 at the time and just that extra space was nice. Jan 06 we stayed in the villa and that was really wonderful. WE rented a car so we could eat offsite if we chose to etc. Being able to go home with suitcases full of clean clothes was a real plus! The trip in nov. 06 was a short one, from the 4th-8th, so we stayed on site in one of the new suites at ASMU. We met my sis, her dh and our oldest dd there. They also had a suite. The space was great. It was also very nice using the Magical Express. No luggage to worry about etc. I just wish it didn't cost so much to stay on site and have the extra space. But I guess when you're addicted like we are, money and common sense take a back seat!!

 

[JANNYANS]

kg66

I suggest you check Trip advisor and search on the orlando forums for Green Orange Villas.

 

[marciemi]

Did you like the suites at All Star? We stayed at All Star Sports 3 times when the kids were really young, but I just don't think I could go back to that atmosphere again. It was fun for young kids (and young parents!), but I think it was just so much nicer at POR and CS that I'd take the smaller room just to not deal with the riffraff at the Food Courts and pools, plus having the slide and hot tub at the pool. We LOVED Coronado and if we ever go back again with just DH & I or without one of the kids (at college or whatever), we'd stay there for the quiet and lack of crowds, especially for a shorter visit.

But for 2 weeks I think we're going to be happier with a house to spread out in. DS 15 is in the "you can't tell me what to do!" stage, which seems to be made worse by spending too much time with his family and brothers in particular. DS 14 is in the "rolling the eyes/life is boring me" stage which tempts me to strangle him after spending too much time with him. Everyone having a room to retreat to for the afternoon or in the evening I think will be critical to survival of that long of a vacation!

We're heading down to Appleton this evening for Japanese food to celebrate my birthday (last week but this is the first free evening we've had and only because everything was cancelled due to the cold!)

 

[coralee]

We loved the ASMU suites. The rooms were quite spacious. Of course the youngest in our group was our dd at 22. Our group of 7 adults had 2 suites and we were all very comfortable. We only had 3 in our suite(all of us snorers had to be roomies) and we had tons of room. With 2 full bathrooms everyone could have their own space pretty much. Our 2 dd's, aged 22 and 28, stayed with d-sis and bil. They said the pullouts in the living room were comfortable. I would stay there again. As far as the atmosphere etc that you commented on, we were basically only there to sleep and eat breakfast, but I didn't notice anything that concerned me. I think you are making the right choice to stay in a house for 2 weeks with your family. First of all you'll save money just on the cost of lodging, not even to mention food. And secondly, probably most importantly, you will most likely get through it with all family members still alive!! Spending 2 weeks in a hotel room with teenagers is a recipe for disaster!! Enjoy your dinner out tonight! Your braver than us with the windchills to -30! We're staying in where it's warm and cozy!