Windsor Hills Information Station

[omniscientmommy]

@martymcflyy85 Windsor Westside and Windsor Hills are different properties. Unfortunately it seems the 'newer' communities tend to have issues when it comes to loud music/parties/etc, lazy security. We have stayed many times at Windsor Hills and it's no problem. The units are older, and you'll have to pay more for an updated unit. The common areas are well kept and in good shape and we've always felt safe in Windsor Hills.

 

[aj24]

I hope you don't mind me asking this question on this thread. What is the difference between Windsor Hills and Windsor at Westside? I stayed at Windsor Hills many years ago when it was new and loved it. But I'm wondering if it has become run down or changed in the last couple of years? I had planned to book a vacation at Windsor next year because the prices are really cheap. But I just saw a news report where police had to break up a HUGE block party at Windsor at Westide. The street was full of hundreds of people at like 2am in the morning partying and drinking. I was just wondering how this could happen if there is a gate with a guard? Do they not have a gate at Windsor at Westside? A couple years ago I stayed at Regal Palms in Davenport because of a great price, but was burned because there were parties and loud fireworks shooting off every night. It was a scary feeling for my kids. I just don't want this to happen again and so I'm wondering if I should just pay the extra money to stay at Bonnet Creek?

Windsor at Westside is 10-15 min further from WDW. It's a bit newer, with bigger, more expensive houses. On the surface, it looks amazing. But the resort common areas are smaller, and not staffed nearly as well. Their guardhouse is not run nearly as well as WH, in my opinion.

"martymcflyy85, post: 62151037, member: 288637"]
What is the difference between Windsor Hills and Windsor at Westside?

Yahoo!tv ...This video, shared by the Osceola Sheriff’s Office, was taken in the vicinity of Windsor at Westside, a vacation rental community located in Kissimmee, near Orlando. (Video not included)

Hi Marty
I guess Doc will not free up the DeLorean so you can check out what happened recently in the Davenport area. Seems the Osceola Sheriff’s Office was rather busy dealing with several “Block Parties” in the Kissimmee area.
There are way too many Windsor what-ever vacation places in the area. The older Windsor Palm to my understanding was developed by the same group that developed Windsor Hills but like all the Windsor what -evers none are connected to Windsor Hills.

Windsor at Westside is a rather new development in the Davenport area which is a few miles west of Windsor Hills and WDW. Wherever the future vacation home base is I hope you have a safe and great adventure.
G’day
Pulsar

Windsor at Westside's security/guardhouse is nearly non-existent compared to Windsor Hills. As an owner at WH, we need to send every guest a pass to gain entry to WH (there is no "pass sharing" like at Westside). The grounds are regularly patrolled by staff, and significant new policies have been enacted since July 4th so that what is occurring at Westside and other rental resorts does not happen in WH.

We rented at WH in mid-June for a Thursday-Thursday stay. Many homes seemed to be rented from just Th-Sun. The vibe changed on Sunday and the development seemed to quiet down. Nothing crazy but some loud music, some cars parked on the road instead of the overflow lot, a few fireworks (but not excessive). Nothing to deter us from coming back though.

This was our second stay at WH and love it. The exterior of the homes are kept up - but some interiors are more updated than others. I felt safe there and the gate guards seemed to do a good job.

I had read reviews of some of the newer developments. There were complaints about noise and parties. So it’s been an issue even before recent events.

Since July 4th, Windsor Hills has made some big changes to strongly deter "weekend rentals". Unfortunately, Covid has made many owners greatly reduce rates and this has brought in the weekend party crowds. Owners are now being fined for allowing guests like this (excessive cars, noise etc) and are being encouraged to disallow weekend only rentals.

Additionally, Windsor Hills nows employs a team of off-duty Sheriffs Thurs-Sunday to patrol the community.

 

[ExtraMagic]

We felt very safe at Windsor Hills. The security is no joke. You have to scan in and out every time you enter and exit. Everything seemed very well kept.

 

[martymcflyy85]

Thanks everyone for helping clear that up. I feel better about it now.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Thank you for starting this thread.
We may try WH in the future once COVID is no longer a threat to everyone.
We look forward to visiting WDW again.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

@WH INFO Thank you so much for this thread! We just booked a one month stay for January and I’m loving all the great info! We had looked at Windsor at Westside but I feel great about going with WH now. @Sha259 I rented through windsorhillsprivaterentals.com so now I am a little nervous that you got burned at the last minute... do you mind me asking what happened?

My husband is really looking forward to running outside in January, does anyone have any running paths or routes they recommend? He usually does about 6 miles a day. Also, I know just about every lake in FL has an alligator at some point or another but I have a toddler and a dog so it makes me nervous... does WH do any gator control? Anyone heard of any issues?

 

[PulsarIII]

My husband is really looking forward to running outside in January, does anyone have any running paths or routes they recommend?

Unfortunately WH does have any type of running tails on site. The community has plenty of sidewalks for walking, roller-skating and running if sidewalk running is your thing. Even if you go off site to N. Old Wilson Lake Road you still will have side-walks along both sides of this multiple lane sometimes busy street. I have walked on this sidewalk but it has been decades since I have partaken in anything whatsoever that could be even slightly mistaken as “running”, therefore I did not pay any attention to the grassy area on the far side of the sidewalk away from the street. You can check it out; it may be worth a shot or a twisted ankle.

An onsite possibility may be one of the normally “dry ponds” (No ) that collect rainwater runoff doing heavy rains. One is located in the Cromrow Street area. This large grassy area is 3 to 4 feet below normal grade and is next the outdoor sports area that includes a parking area. You may need to dodge a falling kite or a wayward remote control model car or truck, but it may be your best non-concrete on site location.

Hope you have a fun, safe & memorable vacation!

G'day
Pulsar
Oops used wrong Login should have been WH Info

 

[PulsarIII]

Removed double post

TESThttps://www.disboards.com/forums/hotel-accommodations-reviews.126/

 

[Cliff Secord]

Doing our first stay at Windsor Hills in 2 weeks. Wondering if the water slide portion will continue to be open until 8p, or if the 6p Fall closing will start after Labor Day. Anyone know?

 

[WH INFO]

The OP Post #2 Pool area time information is based on conversations with Welcome Center staff. There is another source that shows the Community Pool – 8am-10pm and the “Splash pool for kids of all ages” (Water slides) open 10am-8pm (high season) and 10am-6pm (low season). With COVID-19 and how each state allows commercial activity to precede may make what is Low or High season somewhat questionable.
I’ll see if I can nail down a solid answer later today and update this post with that Info.

Good news! I Hope. The “Splash pool for kids of all ages” (Water slides) open 10am-8pm now through the last day of this month. On Oct 1 2020 it will change to 10am-6pm.

G'day
Pulsar

9/9/2020 Edit to correct - 10am-8pm to 10am-6pm

 

[china mom]

I just posted a question for owners a few minutes ago and found this thread. My question about owning may be off topic but if you have any info about owning send me a message. We are thinking about buying in WH.

Same here. I would greatly appreciate any information from owners.

Buzzand Ariel'smom - did you end up buying a place?

 

[WH INFO]

BuzzandAriel'smom
I just posted a question for owners a few minutes ago and found this thread. My question about owning may be off topic but if you have any info about owning send me a message. We are thinking about buying in WH.
Same here. I would greatly appreciate any information from owners.

Same here. I would greatly appreciate any information from owners.

Buzzand Ariel'smom - did you end up buying a place?

Hi! BuzzandAriel'smom and china mom
I haven’t been responding to the threads asking for help from WH owners. I was hopping a WH owner or two would find this thread and provide some help. Looks like there no owners tracking this thread. I’m not an owner, but a long time renter of Windsor Hills properties. Mostly Pools homes and a Condo once and I’ve never rented a Townhome. However I may be of some help if there some general or basic questions you have.

Most likely I’ll need to research your questions in order to give a reliable response, so please each of you post your top 2 “Windsor Hills - Need to know” topics. Hopefully I can be of some help.

G'day
Pulsar

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Hi! I'm a WH townhome owner. Thanks Pulsar for reaching out since I didn't see this thread! The pool is open 8 am to 10 pm during the summer with the slides open 10 am - 8 pm. During the winter (starting about October 1st), the pool is open until dusk and the slides until 6 pm.

As for owning in WH, we have the condos, townhomes, and homes. I bought a townhome in June 2019, remodeled it and started renting it as a short term rental in October 2019. I am obviously a Disney nut so I LOVE going to Disneyworld and to Florida so we bought knowing this would be our vacation home. We visit often and are active in our HOAs. If you have specific questions, you can message me or direct me to your other thread. I did look at over 30 communities and chose Windsor Hills for several reasons that weren't significant to only WH except for ONE - it is the absolute closest SHORT term rental community to WDW that doesn't need to sit at the Old Lake Wilson Rd light!!! Seriously, I checked out Margaritaville and could not believe that it took an extra 15 minutes or longer to go a mile because of that darned light. Instead, we get to head north on Old Lake Wilson road and make a right on 192 rather than being backed up on 192 as you head east toward Disneyworld. And we are 5 minutes from Animal Kingdom (super secret road...ok, maybe not secret!)

With Covid and the crazy parties some communities are having, WH has really stepped up security and communication with the owners. They were always good at both but they are going above and beyond now. So now I have TWO reasons to be at WH that NO other resort can claim.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Windsor Hills follows Osceola county health rules including those for Covid-19. These can change at anytime but currently includes a requirement for wearing masks INSIDE THE OFFICE - so when you pick up your wristbands. Other than that, there are social distancing rules at the pool and in common areas. As we all know, it takes everyone to social distance but we do have staff that will go around and remind everyone as well as the chairs being placed to social distance. Osceola county rules can be found at www.osceola.org/covid19/

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

You will absolutely save money by booking direct with an owner on the Windsor Hills site. Some of us owners are invited to post there (as we are in good standing with the HOA) but have contracts with our management companies that we can't list on other sites. So while it is the best option to find a good place, there are good owners out there that can't post on the WH site (like me.) So don't be afraid to book elsewhere if you find a place you like, the reviews are good, and you are good with the total cost. Or come back here and ask if anyone knows of the management company.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

@WH INFO Thank you so much for this thread! We just booked a one month stay for January and I’m loving all the great info! We had looked at Windsor at Westside but I feel great about going with WH now. @Sha259 I rented through windsorhillsprivaterentals.com so now I am a little nervous that you got burned at the last minute... do you mind me asking what happened?

My husband is really looking forward to running outside in January, does anyone have any running paths or routes they recommend? He usually does about 6 miles a day. Also, I know just about every lake in FL has an alligator at some point or another but I have a toddler and a dog so it makes me nervous... does WH do any gator control? Anyone heard of any issues?

Hi there! About wh private rentals - that is the official site run by our HOA and you should get the best service there as the owners are in good standing. However, that doesn't mean someone can't have a bad experience and I'm not sure what happened to the other person.

And I'm a runner too so I am there every couple of months...running! We don't have trails but I run on the streets and sidewalks throughout the resort. Honestly it is good for a 3 mile run but I'd have a hard time enjoying a 6 mile run. However, there are sidewalks on Old Lake Wilson Road and you could run south or go north and then west on Livingston and then even go north to Margaritaville for some interesting scenery.

Ah, gators. We have one at WH - Sir Windsor. He stays in the swamp and hasn't bothered anyone BUT no one has ever gone to bother him either. Last year, there were two sightings of him - way far away and down below. It isn't easily accessible and it is a low swamp with the houses and common areas that are much higher with a fence around it. Gators are so common that it is something everyone should always be aware of in Florida but there is less of a chance of getting exposed to a gator at WH than the Disney MK resorts due to the 'beaches' there (where I have see them.) We do have a maintenance staff that look at the common areas daily for any concerns whether it is a tripping hazard or a broken sprinkler, or a critter.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Let me clarify about the gators, Sir Windsor is whom our water park is named after and it is the backstory (like Disney does at their resorts.) Sir Windsor the gator is an urban legend like bigfoot and the only picture someone claimed to take looked like a shoe floating in the swamp. So is there a gator in the swamp? I don't think so!

 

[WH INFO]

...come back here and ask if anyone knows of the management company.

This may not seem very unimportant but Timeshares & Hotelst use the same maintenance and house services for their entire propriety. Since most owners of Windsor Hills don’t live in central Florida and need to hire local companies to take care of maintenance and housekeeping the quality of service of properties may vary significantly.

There have been a few discussions on this board over the years with DISers naming who they liked; didn’t like and why, but these days with the big social media sites and some users having to deal with law suits it may not be a good idea any more.

Sorry that this post is not much help, but if you guys feel there is a need for this information, contact me on PM (Conversation) or post you commits on this thread and if it looks like it’s a big concern, I’ll poke around and look into how this information can be collected and made available.

G'day
Pulsar

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

This may not seem very unimportant but Timeshares & Hotelst use the same maintenance and house services for their entire propriety. Since most owners of Windsor Hills don’t live in central Florida and need to hire local companies to take care of maintenance and housekeeping the quality of service of property may vary significantly.

There have been a few discussions on this board over the years with DISers naming who they liked; didn’t like and why, but these days with the big social media sites and some users having to deal with law suits it may not be a good idea any more.

Sorry that this post is not much help, but if you guys feel there is a need for this information, contact me on PM (Conversation) or post you commits on this thread and if it looks like it’s a big concern, I’ll poke around and look into how this information can be collected and made available.

G'day
Pulsar

Great point! I think you are right that there are so many outlets out there to get those types of reviews that it may not be needed to be compiled in a sticky post but it would be helpful if someone wants to post feedback here.

 

[LaDonna]

Joining this thread just got back from Disney. We have always stayed onsite. But with our family getting larger and free dining promos getting fewer(and possibly non existent now) we will probably start looking for offsite options. May even eventually get annual passes one year So need to find most affordable places to stay so we can do more trips throughout the year. Years ago when doing research Windsor Hills was the place everyone recommended and vacationcentralFlorida was the place to book......it I see things have changed a lot since then