storytimeorlando.com

[2disneyboys]

can people who have booked a 3 bedroom pool home @ windsor hills give through storytimeorlando.com tell me what you though about it? orig we were going to stay @ the vistana villa's but looking like the 3 bedroom townhome@ windsor hills might fit us better... comments, suggestions?? I have already put in a booking request (early this eve) but have not heard back yet (I'm not expecting an answer THIS quick... just didn't know what I need to 'know' to insure this would be a good fit for us.

TIA!

 

[gfds.uiop]

Any age-even a newborn. They will get lots from it. An infant will not understand the story, obviously, or interact with the other kids.

 

[sympatico]

Any age-even a newborn. They will get lots from it. An infant will not understand the story, obviously, or interact with the other kids.

 

[sympatico]

can people who have booked a 3 bedroom pool home @ windsor hills give through storytimeorlando.com tell me what you though about it? orig we were going to stay @ the vistana villa's but looking like the 3 bedroom townhome@ windsor hills might fit us better... comments, suggestions?? I have already put in a booking request (early this eve) but have not heard back yet (I'm not expecting an answer THIS quick... just didn't know what I need to 'know' to insure this would be a good fit for us.

TIA!

I haven't stayed in their townhouses but have stayed in others at Windsor Hills. Just in case you don't know this: the townhouse floor plan is 2 levels with usually a queen bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living/dining room downstairs and a master king/bathroom , and a twin bedroom/bathroom, washer/dryer upstairs. I don't know if the stairs make a difference to you or not.
Outside the patio doors in the living room is a patio with a splash pool. All of the homes in WH have pool door alarms and a safety fence around the pool.
Storytime homes have lots of themeing and have gotten good reviews on here.
The condos at WH are all one level with either 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms or 3 bedrooms 2 bathroom.

 

[2disneyboys]

I haven't stayed in their townhouses but have stayed in others at Windsor Hills. Just in case you don't know this: the townhouse floor plan is 2 levels with usually a queen bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living/dining room downstairs and a master king/bathroom , and a twin bedroom/bathroom, washer/dryer upstairs. I don't know if the stairs make a difference to you or not.
Outside the patio doors in the living room is a patio with a splash pool. All of the homes in WH have pool door alarms and a safety fence around the pool.
Storytime homes have lots of themeing and have gotten good reviews on here.
The condos at WH are all one level with either 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms or 3 bedrooms 2 bathroom.

Thanks for this info. have you ever dealt with the storybook homes group to do the renting? are they reliable? I was search the thread and saw that you can rent from owners directly (like Ken @ emerald) and to be honest that (not ken, just the ideal) makes me a little nervous. I'm used to renting a hotel room and it being there when I get there. I don't want to have toworry about getting there and having any problems such as the owner had not paid taxes etc so I can't rent... is that sort of thing a problem w/ storybook? also, on the splash pool, any one have an "ideal" on the size of the pool? would 3 young kids be able to play in it comfortably or would they be triping over each other?

 

[2disneyboys]

Any age-even a newborn. They will get lots from it. An infant will not understand the story, obviously, or interact with the other kids.

I don't understand what you are refering to here? are you saying the kids will enjoy it or WH will charge for them? don't most of the hotels & homes charge for all the people regardless of age? Wasn't sure where you were going with your statement ... would you mind clarifying? Thank you

 

[dis-happy]

We rented one of the big houses from storytime last summer. Enjoyable experience, no problems, nice decorating and decent supplies (the can opener wasn't any good and we picked up a new one and left it there, no biggie). They have a good reputation (the reason I rented from them). We had one problem with the water level in the pool and someone was there to fix it the same day.

It wasn't until the end of the trip did I find out that you can get to AK really fast if you turn left at a certain stoplight. We kept going into WDW through the main entrance but there is a better way it turns out. Also heard that if you turn right from WH there is a Publix. We ended up at the SuperTarget for groceries instead.

 

[nchulka]

We stayed at storytime 1 in Sept. for 16 nights, and LOVED it!!! We had 6 people, including 2 children and were originally going to stay in a family suite at All Star Music. After reading about the townhouses and Windsor Hills we decided to stay there instead and were so glad we did. We had so much room and all the conveniences were wonderful. All the Storytime townhomes are very close to the clubhouse so we spent lots of time at the pool and even requested a movie one night at the movie theater. It was very cool, we were the only ones there and brought popcorn, soda, and candy. The drive to the parks was so quick, I doubt you could have taken a bus from the resort quicker! The theming in the kids room was awesome, and they loved having their own bathroom! The splash pool was great because we could open the blinds in the living room and the kids could swim while we watched TV inside. We rented directly from the owner through their website. They were always quick to get back to me and very easy to work with. No problems at all, I would highly recommend them, the homes are awesome. I can't imagine wanting to stay in a tiny hotel room after staying in such a nice home. The kids thought we should just move there, since it's bigger and nicer than our own home

 

[sympatico]

Thanks for this info. have you ever dealt with the storybook homes group to do the renting? are they reliable? I was search the thread and saw that you can rent from owners directly (like Ken @ emerald) and to be honest that (not ken, just the ideal) makes me a little nervous. I'm used to renting a hotel room and it being there when I get there. I don't want to have toworry about getting there and having any problems such as the owner had not paid taxes etc so I can't rent... is that sort of thing a problem w/ storybook? also, on the splash pool, any one have an "ideal" on the size of the pool? would 3 young kids be able to play in it comfortably or would they be triping over each other?

If this is the site you're referring to then I've never dealt with them 'cause they're always booked up on my dates: http://www.storytimeorlandorental.com/
We always rent directly with owners. You can check the tax appraiser and tax collector sites to make sure they do own the property. You can also check zillow.com to see if it's for sale. Ask about them on travel boards or do a search for reviews. I've checked the tax records for the storytime owners when I had wanted to stay there and everything checked out at that time.
The splash pools are 12ft by 12ft with steps and a narrow underwater ledge along the end near the house. They're 3 ft deep where you get in and toward the middle and opposite side around 5ft deep.
I think 3 kids would have fun playing around. Just think of a room in your house that's 12ft square and that will give you an better idea.
What you pay per night or week is for up to the maximum number of people that the house is licensed for. Usually 2 people per bedroom and 2 on a pull out sofabed. Townhouses usually are licensed for 8. You don't pay per person.
There's also the big zero entry pool by the clubhouse with a play area on the deck with water spouts and water slide for the kids (48 inch and over). It would be at most a 5 min walk from the townhouses.

 

[littleaussie]

I just got back from a stay at Storytime 1 from 1/29-2/5/11. It was our first time staying at a place other than my parents' timeshare. We rented directly from the owner through their website after getting quotes from whrent. The owner personally called me about my inquiry and had 1 week left he really wanted to fill, which happened to fit our plans.
The townhome was very nice, very clean and everything in good working order. We were a party of 2 adults and 5 kids. Adults in the Master (king bed) bedroom, youngest 2 girls in the twin bed room, 2 boys in the queen room downstairs and my oldest girl on the pull out sofa in the lounge. The pool out back was exactly what we needed. The kids preferred to swim there than at the resort pool. It was the perfect size for the 5 kids, ironically. I had looked at booking a pool home but I was shocked when we drove around Windsor hills and saw some of the pool homes and they were not much bigger than our splash pool. Pictures on the websites make them look much much bigger.
We opted for pool heat and it was like a hot tub at night when the kids were in bed and we relaxed in the pool.
The owner was very easy to deal with and answered my questions promptly. I had to give a credit card in lieu of a damage deposit before I got my code to punch in for the week.
I would not hesitate to book with the owners again. I am afraid I am spoiled for life now that we have had our own private pool! PM me if you need more info, it really made our trip better where we stayed.

ETA: Kids ages were DS 11, DS 9, DD 8, DD 5, DD 3 in case you were wondering. The splash pool didn't seem crowded for them but we had swimmers of all abilities in the group: the infant ring was used, noodle for 1 DD, and other DD was a ledge swimmer (hanging on to the edges or on the steps most of the time).

 

[gopherlawyer]

I just got back from a stay at Storytime 1 from 1/29-2/5/11. It was our first time staying at a place other than my parents' timeshare. We rented directly from the owner through their website after getting quotes from whrent. The owner personally called me about my inquiry and had 1 week left he really wanted to fill, which happened to fit our plans.
The townhome was very nice, very clean and everything in good working order. We were a party of 2 adults and 5 kids. Adults in the Master (king bed) bedroom, youngest 2 girls in the twin bed room, 2 boys in the queen room downstairs and my oldest girl on the pull out sofa in the lounge. The pool out back was exactly what we needed. The kids preferred to swim there than at the resort pool. It was the perfect size for the 5 kids, ironically. I had looked at booking a pool home but I was shocked when we drove around Windsor hills and saw some of the pool homes and they were not much bigger than our splash pool. Pictures on the websites make them look much much bigger.
We opted for pool heat and it was like a hot tub at night when the kids were in bed and we relaxed in the pool.
The owner was very easy to deal with and answered my questions promptly. I had to give a credit card in lieu of a damage deposit before I got my code to punch in for the week.
I would not hesitate to book with the owners again. I am afraid I am spoiled for life now that we have had our own private pool! PM me if you need more info, it really made our trip better where we stayed.

Thanks for the report. We are heading to storytime in March (from Minnesota) and your report is very reassuring for a family that is renting a private home for the first time. I can't wait to head to Disney and this is just another worry off the list. THANKS.

 

[leanne11]

we,ve had them on our short list from the beginning..they seem great we love the theming and the end unit in storytime #4.. but we also love this site...rita is very friendly and i ask alot of questions,,,,
http://www.themagicorlandorental.com/
they are neck and meck with pool heat taxes and nightly rates but magical rentals gave us a better deal by about $100 bucks and thats the decider..take a look and ask for a discount.. or if storytime is booked try here....http://www.themagicorlandorental.com/property-page?id=17&flag=1

 

[GingerJay]

We stayed in their #4 townhome in March of last year. We loved it! The house was beautiful and very well stocked- You will not regret staying with them. Have fun!!

 

[allaboutthemouse]

How about the 6-bedroom kingdom? Anyone stayed here recently?

 

[Missy29]

we,ve had them on our short list from the beginning..they seem great we love the theming and the end unit in storytime #4.. but we also love this site...rita is very friendly and i ask alot of questions,,,,
http://www.themagicorlandorental.com/
they are neck and meck with pool heat taxes and nightly rates but magical rentals gave us a better deal by about $100 bucks and thats the decider..take a look and ask for a discount.. or if storytime is booked try here....http://www.themagicorlandorental.com/property-page?id=17&flag=1

We stayed here in 2009 and have the same townhouse booked for our upcoming May trip, Rita was a pleasure to deal with! Townhouse had nice theming and was nicely decorated and clean.