Were any of you afraid to stay offsite?

[sersee05]

I have a few options that I have narrowed it down to. All are either through Windsor, emerald isle or reunion resort. I have some from Windsor hills rents and vrbo. Some are very upscale..especially reunion..which is exciting....but I'm nervous.


Were any of you afraid to pull the trigger with renting? Its so stupid..lol. but I guess I just want it to be nice. I have gone through vrbo before. Had two great experiences where place was just like pictures. Had one where not very clean and wasn't at all like pictures. Think that's my fear.

Has anyone rented from owners who are in the UK? Or not onsite? I gotta believe they have management companies? Has anyone rented vrbo homes without any reviews? I have one in reunion...gorgeous but the guy is in the UK. A other one in emerald that looks so nice but owner is in another country...has a manager?

 

[aj2hall]

I'm looking at those 3 places for our trip end of Feb/ early March 2014. I'm having a difficult time choosing. On our last trip we stayed at a condo in Windsor Hills and loved it. This time with all 5 of us, I think the extra space and the pool in one of the WH townhomes would be great. But, looking at pictures of Reunion, it looks very upscale and definitely has more of a resort feel. The condo we're looking at has water park access, which my kids would like. But, on the downside, the owners site doesn't have a lot of pictures and no reviews. In addition, I think Reunion is about 10 minutes further away. Which doesn't sound like a lot, but most days we'll probably leave the parks in the afternoon and come back later. So, an extra 40 minutes per day travel time for 2 round trips. not sure if its worth it. The pools that come with the 4 bedrooms at Emerald Isle are bigger and more practical, but I like the resort pool at Windsor Hills better. So many different things to consider, its a little overwhelming. Good luck with your planning, I'm not sure any of my long winded post helped.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

We stayed offsite for the first time this past May in a three bedroom condo at Windsor Hills and loved it! We too were hesitant at first to try offsite and were overwhelmed with the abundant options of where to stay and who to rent through. We settled on Windsor Hills because I read a lot of great reviews about how nice it is and how easy of a drive it was to the parks from there, and I liked that it is a gated community and that we could get a three bedroom condo for a great price. We rented through Florida Sun Vacation Homes based on research I did comparing them to other property management companies. I liked that they are BBB accredited and their rates for a three bedroom condo are excellent. We were very happy with our condo - it was clean, spacious, in excellent condition and looked just as pictured on their website. We love Windsor Hills and feel that the atmosphere and recreational amenities there fit our family's vacationing style; and driving to/from the Disney parks from here was a breeze. I am so glad we gave offsite a try and now that we have experienced it I can say we like it just as much as staying onsite, although offsite probably works out better for our family logistically and financially because of the size of the accommodations we need.

 

[sympatico]

We've used vrbo and homeaway many times and have rented from owners from UK, Netherlands, US, and Canada and maybe elsewhere. All owners have management companies that look after their homes. They are available for any problems that come up. We've had to call for things like not being able to set the security system, needing the pool turned up or down, too many ants around at one place etc. They quickly responded and the problems were looked after. There are many different management companies out there and sometimes you might get one that's less efficient. As far as owners being from different countries, I've never noticed that it makes any difference.

 

[7165red]

We have rented a pool home many times from owners in the UK & US and all excellent experiences. Go to www.orlandovillas.com and go to their forums, it may put your mind at ease.

 

[Dave1234]

I think you are definitely targetting the 3 best resorts in WH, EI and Reunion. Windsor Hills gets you the best family resort i think because its not too big and has an excellent clubhouse and pool. Emerald Island has lots of space and larger homes, pretty peaceful for long evening strolls. Reunion is the most exclusive of the three resorts but its very big and has various rules around accessing the facilities (so watch out for thst). If i were you and was renting direct from an owner i'd do various google searches for the property and owner name. Look for reviews and previuous feedback on sites like this. If loads of other people have had a good experience then you should be fine. Personally i'd try and rent direct from owner, owners who hive all the work off the management companies are better avoided as management companies are less interested in return business or good service. Only my opinion.
Dave

 

[sersee05]

Thanks so much for the responses. Im good with staying offsite in regards to extra room. I definitely think we will like it better than the five of us stuck in a tiny hotel room.

I am a researcher by nature....I research the crap outta things So I think that is also why I am nervous about picking a location.

The pool isn't as important to me because I don't know if we will have time to do that. We have one so the novelty has worn off. With that being said, my kids will probably prove me wrong

I have showed them some of the places and to my surprise my younger kids nixed any of the Mickey themed bedrooms. They said "too babyish". So I am targeting homes/condos that maybe have the privacy for all my kids...tv and possibly a game room..although that isn't as important.

I can totally see us coming back from the parks and letting my kids do what they want while my husband and I watch a movie with some cocktails!

I reaaaally like the look of the Reunion condos. I have some from Reunion vacations and two that seem to have good reviews...as long as they aren't fake But it also looks so upscale to me that I wonder how kid friendly it truly is . I have heard it's further from Disney but not that big of deal. One has the passes for the water park and the other does not.

Windsor hills wise..I have heard pretty positive things and am pretty sure I would be happy there too. The ones I have found are vrbo and more windsorhillsrents submissions.

Then I did find a couple emerald isle ones. The one is a home from an owner but no reviews. The other is a fabulous looking home but only one review and it isn't current.

I just get nervous that they are not going to be what I had hoped..but I guess a hotel room will be the same.!

 

[7165red]

All the villas and condos we rented were even nicer than the photos shown. Believe me, the extra room can make it or break it when you have several people in your party. I can't go back to a hotel room after renting a villa.

 

[set1208]

We are in Windsor Palms right now and we rented from a Canadian through VRBO. The rental agency is Global Resort Homes. The pics were exactly like the house but better!

We are having a problem in here with swarming ants coming into one of the bedrooms in the front of the house but its no fault of the owner or agency. Just nature. We had the exterminators here three days in a row and these ants are determined! It's been annoying but the agency has been quick to attend to it.

A guy from the appliance maintenance company that does work for GRH was here the first day to fix the microwave. We were talking about how the house doesn't have a lot of stuff in it. For instance, when we rent in OBX, most houses have stuff left by other guests like games, books, kitchen gadgets, sometimes left over tp, soap, etc. The maintenance man said that GRH housekeeping gets rid of anything left behind. We will have left over tp, trash bags, tin foil, detergent that we don't have room in our luggage for and I hate knowing that it won't be saved for the next guest. I am hoping that we will spot a new family checking in and pass it along.

That being said, we are so thrilled to have rented off site. The house is quite, secure and huge! Much better than squishing my family of six into an AoA suite. We got the aaa diamond parking pass and it was great! We went into MK for 3:45 on a MNSSHP night and got front row parking. Hopefully we will have good luck at HS too.

My DH always rolled his eyes at the idea of a Disney vacation but after staying here in this beautiful house he wants to come back next year! Before, I had to twist his arm to go every 3-4 years.

 

[E-P-C-O-T]

We used to only stay onsite, but, we have started to stay offsite for part of our trips. At first, I was hesitant, because, we were spoiled with our onsite stays and accomodations, so, I started to research and found Reunion. I fell in love with the resort, it's amenities and the upscale look. We have now stayed at Reunion twice, once in a townhouse and once in a house and we absolutely love it! Reunion is further away from Windsor Hills, but, it's only about 5 minutes away if you come via Sherbeth rd and Old Lake Wilson rd. I was also afraid of chosing to stay there, because, I had read that it was so much farther away, but, once we realized it was just down the road, we knew we made the right decision to stay at Reunion.

FYI... I am almost afraid to talk about how much we love it, we don't want it to become popular and then not find availability in the future

 

[Dave1234]

Try here for Reunion: http://www.reunionprivaterentals.com/
Here for EI: http://www.emeraldislandprivaterentals.com/

WH and EI are similar in that most properties are privately owned and rented out by owners directly or through management companies. Reunion is a far bigger resort with large super mansions built bespoke in the west side of the resort (west of I4) and most smaller homes (still huge) and condos/townhomes of the east side of the resort (east of I4). Good info on here: http://www.reunionprivaterentals.com/reunion-resort/where-to-stay/

Dave

 

[kathy884]

Most of my rentals through the years have been from timeshare owners. There are several advantages in renting this way vs. renting a house or condo that an owner owns out right. (1) Owners just pay maintenance fees and all units are kept up-to-date consistently with regular updates to the resort. You don't have whimsical decorating decisions by an owner. You have updates to the whole unit and decorating / update choices that are made that professionals in the industry are making that usually are in good taste and would appeal to most people. Updates are going to be to things too that professional in the hospitality industry with owner association input make, not individual owners. (more like what a hotel would do) (2) You can read about what user experiences and ratings (detailed reviews) with a membership for $15 per year on TUG2.net so that you know what properties you might want to rent. Unlike VRBO where you maybe have a few reviews, here because there are many units that are practically the same the number of reviews available are much greater. And on a place like TUG2.net (a timeshare users group) you have people reviewing who stay in timeshare units all the time. You aren't getting the person who is just so thrilled to have a full kitchen for the first time or can't believe what a great value this was compared to the $400 a night they spend in the past staying deluxe. And you don't get reviews from people who are surprised not to have daily maid service. The reviews from this site an incredibly detailed and it's pretty easy to tell if things that bother some people would bother you or not and in general if you would like the place. Overall numerical rating help too. I know that I've been extremely satisfied with any timeshare rentals that I've done with a good number of reviews and a rating of an 8 or higher. (3) You have more resort amenities and more of a resort feeling in my opinion in these properties. // If you have a really large group and need a huge place, this may not be the way you want to go. Most timeshare resorts have lots of two bedroom properties that sleep 6-8, so this is a great choice is you have a party of 8 or less. // There are, though, timeshare places in Orlando (Cypress Pointe comes to mind) and there are others) that have tons of three bedrooms with a lockout layout that are great for accommodating groups of 10 -12, provided some are children.

Was I scared my first time doing the rental? Well -- yes a little bit. And I'm a little nervous every time I do one even with a dozen under my belt. I think for me, though, the fact is that my parents had done owner timeshare rentals for year before I did my first one helped, so I learned a bit from their experiences and the first few ones I did (don't think I did one of these till I was in my 30s, my mom gave me a little guidance about what to expect and what to do.). For these rentals I usually use sites like TUG2.net classified ads section and Redweek.com. I've only done one house rental to date and that was through a company. I do though have a group of 14 going to Kauai, HI in June of 2014 and have reserved my first VRBO rental (all ready have the place lined up).

There are, of course, more risks of being scammed renting from an individual With the timeshare course, I contact the owner by phone (That usually gives me a lot of comfort. They just seem really legit over the phone, etc. and give me their contact info, etc.) We agree on dates and price. I put 50% down (some now let you pay by cc and sometimes through paypal, This is much more true today than it was when I started doing this.). They put the unit in my name and I can even call the timeshare resort and confirm that they have a reservation for me in my name and for my dates. 30 days before I pay the rest and a week or less before I leave I usually contact the resort to make sure they still have my reservation listed. Owners if you request it, some will provide references that you can contact (other people who have rented from them). // In general what the owner timeshare rentals for me have meant is that on vacations I stay in much nicer accommodations than I would have been able to afford otherwise. -- Just an example (Marriott two bedroom condo on the beach in West Palm Beach that sleeps 8, that retailed for $550 a night on the Marriott website that I did an owner rental from for $1200 for the week over spring break. So taking this risk, I paid $170 a night in stead of $550 a night. // With all the competition in Orlando, I get a lower price here for the quality than any other place that I rent FYI.

 

[daytondisney]

I have a few options that I have narrowed it down to. All are either through Windsor, emerald isle or reunion resort. I have some from Windsor hills rents and vrbo. Some are very upscale..especially reunion..which is exciting....but I'm nervous. Were any of you afraid to pull the trigger with renting? Its so stupid..lol. but I guess I just want it to be nice. I have gone through vrbo before. Had two great experiences where place was just like pictures. Had one where not very clean and wasn't at all like pictures. Think that's my fear. Has anyone rented from owners who are in the UK? Or not onsite? I gotta believe they have management companies? Has anyone rented vrbo homes without any reviews? I have one in reunion...gorgeous but the guy is in the UK. A other one in emerald that looks so nice but owner is in another country...has a manager?

Arriving at Windsor Hills tomorrow, second time. This time from owner in UK. They use local mgt. co. and process has been a dream.

Renting from individual owner carries risk. If there's an issue with the unit, their "Plan B" is usually limited to refund, whereas resort can put you in another unit.

Do your due diligence and you should be fine.

 

[kohlby]

We rented a house from someone from England once. There was a kink but the owners were great. They renting their own place but also had an agency working for them. So the agency booked someone for a couple days that overlapped into our stay. This happened right before we showed up. The owners had friends who had a house in the same development and offered that instead. We accepted. They were very apologetic and had two bottles of wine delivered as an apology - even though it was the agency's fault, not theirs. We spoke to the owners a few times due to the mix-up and they were very nice. (They called before to tell us of the issue, then once we were in the house to make sure it was okay, and then after our trip ended to make sure all went well). I wish I had remembered to write down who it was since I'd definitely use them again! This was many years ago and our first time renting a house. It was three months after 9/11 so many people were offering houses for rent at great prices due to less people travelling.

We've done a mix of lodging. We've done a rental house, a condo in a timeshare place - though we were just renting it from someone, several off-site hotels, as well as on-site hotels.

 

[shalom]

Were any of you afraid to pull the trigger with renting?

I'm afraid to pull the trigger with staying ON site. I know that the WDW resorts are usually fine, but I've just read so many negative experiences there over the years, particularly when it comes to the DVC units, which is where we'd stay. Add in some other issues, and I'm having a hard time committing.

But I do feel a bit of trepidation when renting as well. We haven't stayed where you're planning to go, but although we've had the occasional bump it's always worked out just fine. People like to complain, so you can find plenty of bad reviews anywhere you're staying, if you can find many reviews at all. I've heard great reviews of all three of your selections, though.

Best of luck, whichever you choose.

 

[penlanspice]

We've stayed in most of the disney resorts and have DVC at SSR and BLT but still like to also stay off site, especially if we're travelling with family.
We've stayed in many villas in different sub divisions, any problems have usually been sorted immediately by the management company. These days if it's just the two of us travelling we stay a week at disney and a week or two at a time-share resort, we usually pick up a bargain and the rooms are usually spotless our new favourite is mystic dunes followed by silverlake.

 

[Hisgirl]

We haven't had a concern because we always stayed with a hotel. We had a very lovely stay at the Celebration resort. We loved the town. This was with an adult friend though, no children.

We have also stayed at various Marriott hotels with points. We recently had a large 5/5 home reserved at windsor hills but I just canceled. After having just stayed at GF with my DH and parents in October, I realize there is a huge benefit to staying onsite and I don't want to miss on that.

We had a large crowd coming so I booked two cabins at fort wilderness. I've read awesome things about this place and I love the direct access to the Magic Kingdom. Did you look into this resort? I agree with you on 5 folks crowded into a hotel room!

 

[ParkHopperFan]

Our first off site stay was necessary due to cost. However after doing so, we found that staying off site has so much more to offer.

Travelers who arrive in Orlando only to enter the Disney bubble are really missing out on an awful lot of awesome attractions.

We visit several times per year and Disney has become just a small part of our busy vacation. We will NEVER stay on site again!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Travelers who arrive in Orlando only to enter the Disney bubble are really missing out on an awful lot of awesome attractions.

 

[Hasil72]

We love it off site. We alternate between on and off site and find off more relaxing. We've rented from owners in the US, UK, and Canada all with good experiences. We've stayed in townhomes through 6 BR homes in Formosa Garden Estates, Windsor Hills, Emerald Island, Oak Island Harbor, and a few others. We also rented from a management company, All Star Vacation Homes, when we first started renting. We wanted the reassurance and there weren't nearly as many owner rental sites. There were more amenities in the ASVH homes but boy do you pay for it. I think around $100/nt more on average. The only bad experiences we've had were with timeshare rentals in Orange Lake and Westgate. Both times were horrendous.

Good luck with your choices!