Vacation Home for WDW Trip recomendations

[5mins2disney]

Does it work though? If their booking calendar http://www.romancingthemouse.com/id28.html is accurate they have 8 weeks of reservations total out of 48 possible for all four properties from June through August. If I were an owner I'd like to be at least at 50% already for the summer season - and many owners are booked solid into fall already. My analysis: Their prices are too high, their Sat to Sat scheduling too inflexible, and their personal stuff turns people off. But what do I know - I'm just a potential customer.

Edit: And BTW, someone should tell these owners NOT to post the last names of guests and their reservation dates on their website. When you click on a link above each property on the master availability calendar it brings up the reservation names and dates. It's a serious security issue, and especially bad for people with uncommon last names.

I didn't say I agreed with their practices, I just wished them the best and hope it works for them! LOL

Personally, I'm more in your camp, it's a business, yes it's our 2nd home, but we run it like a business. I'm not going to dictate when people come and go, or how to spend their vacation. Suggestions or tips perhaps, but that's about as far as it goes. The fact that many people here though (at least some) have fairly strong negative reactions to their website, and interpret it as religious and "preachy"....to me means I'd think about toning it down if I were them. It's a very competitive market in the Disney area, and the last thing you really want to do is drive people off...even if it's 2 out of 10

If I did a Sat-Sat policy I would just tell people it's to maximize revenue, simple. Same reason we instituted a 3 day minimum stay, or a 7 night min stay over holiday periods, we lose too much $$ otherwise, with holes in the calendar, no hiding that! Funny though, many people don't understand that either, and have this misconception that we (homeowners that is) are just rolling in $$ from all of the rental income! (Let me tell you this is FAR from the truth!)

I just had a haircut and the girl who cut my hair spent the entire time arguing with me... (yes..literally arguing) how I should rent my home to her for $400 for a week.... /sigh. Even after I explained all of the expenses she still didn't get it, now I need to find a new person to cut my hair cause I'm not about to get into an argument over how much we charge again! LOL You can't even rent a complete DUMP for $57 a night, geez!

 

[sympatico]

Hey George, you should have told her if she cut your family's hair for $2. each for then next 10 years or so you might consider it.
I can understand the Sat - Sat rentals as far as the owners are concerned but for us travelling from Canada a lot of the time the charters have week day departures so you end up getting there Tues - Thurs. Also airfares are cheaper midweek. We've booked a 6 bedroom in WH for Nov. and sent in Nov. 1 - 15 (Thurs - Thurs) but told the owner if she had a problem with that we could go from 3rd- 17th. She has it reserved for Sat-Sat but if by the time I book my flights she doesn't have any rentals that conflict we will go 1st - 15th.

 

[5mins2disney]

Hey George, you should have told her if she cut your family's hair for $2. each for then next 10 years or so you might consider it.
I can understand the Sat - Sat rentals as far as the owners are concerned but for us travelling from Canada a lot of the time the charters have week day departures so you end up getting there Tues - Thurs. Also airfares are cheaper midweek. We've booked a 6 bedroom in WH for Nov. and sent in Nov. 1 - 15 (Thurs - Thurs) but told the owner if she had a problem with that we could go from 3rd- 17th. She has it reserved for Sat-Sat but if by the time I book my flights she doesn't have any rentals that conflict we will go 1st - 15th.

I would, but you know what they say about "arguing with idiots"...the more I explained it the more she wanted to argue with me about it...like I'm going to suddenly "give in" and say ok sure, come stay with us for nothing! In fact, let me buy you your park tickets, and hey, how about some complimentary airline tickets too!?

 

[4eyedbuzzard]

I just had a haircut and the girl who cut my hair spent the entire time arguing with me... (yes..literally arguing) how I should rent my home to her for $400 for a week.... /sigh. Even after I explained all of the expenses she still didn't get it, now I need to find a new person to cut my hair cause I'm not about to get into an argument over how much we charge again! LOL You can't even rent a complete DUMP for $57 a night, geez!

George,

Please tell us people didn't look at you a bit funny on the way home. And you have looked in the mirror, right?

 

[Mainebound]

We have emailed Mark (Romancing the Mouse) and we find him to be very friendly, quick to answer questions, and I think he really wants you to have a great vacation. I don't find their website to be "preachy."

It is one thing to say "We find it is better for our family and our business to rent Saturday to Saturday". I can totally respect and understand their decision and wish them the best.

But it is quite another to say "It will be better for YOUR FAMILY if you vacation from Saturday to Saturday."

Huh? How the heck do they know what works best for my family? What about people who save hundreds of dollars flying midweek from out of the way places like, say, Bangor Maine (no idea who that could be)? Is it better for that family to spend an extra $500 to fly on the weekends? What about people (like physicians and nurses, restaurant employees, laborers, and all sorts of folks) who have weekend shifts and happen to get Tuesdays and Wednesdays off? Is it better for them to rearrange their schedules to have a Saturday to Saturday vacation?

I'm not in a bad mood, and I do not wish them ill, and I am sure they super duper nice people. I am just noting that they are making unwarranted assumptions about what works best for families other than their own, and they happen to be wrong in my case.

 

[5mins2disney]

George,

Please tell us people didn't look at you a bit funny on the way home. And you have looked in the mirror, right?

Doh who shaved "Grumpy!" into the back of my head!

 

[bscs]

It is one thing to say "We find it is better for our family and our business to rent Saturday to Saturday". I can totally respect and understand their decision and wish them the best.

But it is quite another to say "It will be better for YOUR FAMILY if you vacation from Saturday to Saturday."

Huh? How the heck do they know what works best for my family? What about people who save hundreds of dollars flying midweek from out of the way places like, say, Bangor Maine (no idea who that could be)? Is it better for that family to spend an extra $500 to fly on the weekends? What about people (like physicians and nurses, restaurant employees, laborers, and all sorts of folks) who have weekend shifts and happen to get Tuesdays and Wednesdays off? Is it better for them to rearrange their schedules to have a Saturday to Saturday vacation?

I'm not in a bad mood, and I do not wish them ill, and I am sure they super duper nice people. I am just noting that they are making unwarranted assumptions about what works best for families other than their own, and they happen to be wrong in my case.

I agree with you Maine We are leaving on Sat. but have to drive 4 hours south to reach Bangor or 6 to reach Portland so we then can get on a plane. Talk about living in the middle of no where of course we can only fly out on Sunday. (Luckily We had no problems renting WH from Sun to Tuesday.)

 

[bscs]

Doh who shaved "Grumpy!" into the back of my head!