Windsor Hills - Pro & Cons

[two*little*birds]

We're looking at staying there for 10 days next November (08) as an option to the Disney Villa's.

What are some pro's and con's from those of you that have been there before?

Any additional info would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[deejay-55]

Pros - better value than Disney Villas; great resort facilities; easy access to Disney
Cons - can't think of any!

 

[BonnieA]

Pros: Beautiful gounds, close to disney, great value, nice roomy accomodations.
Cons: I guess some people would consider it a con because it is not "onsite". I personally do not consider that a con.

 

[snowbunny]

Pros: good value for money (lots of space, new, nice furnishings depending on the unit), nice community pool

Cons: very crowded community pool which is too far to walk from some units (we stayed in a townhouse); have to pay deposit for pool card when clubhouse is open and remember to take the card back before you head to the airport (trivial? yes, but still a pain vs. just going down to the pool at a resort); drive (although short) necessary through awful sprawl of FL-192 to get to Disney property; lots and lots of houses, townhouses and condos packed into the development; landscaping although nice is limited, nowhere near as lush as onsite landscaping; there was one washcloth in the whole place so I had to buy more; dealing with owners who may or may not have their act together (mine lost my deposit check); limited ability to cancel and 30-day hold on return of $250 deposit.

I'm one of the few on this board that stayed at WH, liked it, but probably won't do it again. It was a great value for the money ($710 for a week in a new 3BR townhouse in July, not including pool heat [mistake-my kids said it was freezing]), but I did not enjoy being there as much as onsite.

Next year we are staying in a 1BR DVC villa either at Boardwalk Villas (have stayed there before - love it) or Animal Kingdom Villas. Combining point rental from a member with our smaller amount of DVC points, it will still cost much more than WH and be a much smaller space. If space and budget are paramount - stay at Windsor Hills. If you like the ambience of deluxe onsite hotels, it may not be for you.

 

[Mainebound]

I agree that the pool was crowded and needed a second lifeguard (at least), although we have had to deal with crowded pools onsite too.

I disagree with the complaint about the drive through sprawl. Basically, you cross over 192 and you are on Osceola, which is the same road the WDW busses use to get around.

I agree that there is nowhere near the landscaping and grounds of a WDW moderate and deluxe. It is more like the landscaping of a value hotel on property.

And I agree that there is a high level of service at WDW resorts, even the budget ones, that is totally absent from a WH stay. At WH, it is a do it yourself vacation.

I agree that it is a pain to have your security deposit money on hold, but many owners swipe a credit card, and many others return it within 2 weeks.

And, you're paying a heck of alot les than DVC.

There are some owners who do not have their act together, but head on over to the resort board for about 1000 complaints about onsite resorts, from missing luggage, to slow check in, to poor mousekeeping, to noisy neighbors, to dirty tubs, to no towel animals... In other words, nothing is perfect.

 

[snowbunny]

head on over to the resort board for about 1000 complaints about onsite resorts, from missing luggage, to slow check in, to poor mousekeeping, to noisy neighbors, to dirty tubs, to no towel animals... In other words, nothing is perfect.

Totally agree. But as the OP asked for pros and cons, that's my list. There are enough options in Orlando that everyone should be able to find something that suits their family.

I did have to negotiate 192, because I needed those darn washcloths.

Oh and our WH townhouse had towel animals...which don't do anything for me, I never understand why people care about whether their towels are folded into shapes.

 

[snowbunny]

Hi Snowbunny, why didn't you ask the MC to put the pool heat on? You could have paid direct for it. Some of the yards of the town homes dont get a lot of sun. Get a south facing home to guarantee it.

Eh, didn't occur to me I guess. My kids were so tired at the end of the day that it was all I could do to get food into them before they crashed. They did use the pool a little.

 

[two*little*birds]

Thanks for all the info... this is great so far!

 

[Disney Ella]

Pros: Since it's still fairly new, everything was in great shape and the townhouse we stayed in looked exactly like the photographs. Getting to the parks was very fast and easy. Excellent price.

The only con for us was that WH did not have a resort feel, which I know is not important to a lot of people, but when we are on vacation, we like a resort type of place. WH felt like a housing development. As I said, the house was very nice and there was nothing wrong with WH, we would just prefer to stay somewhere that feels more like we are on vacation, like Marriott's Grande Vista.

 

[Mainebound]

Oh and our WH townhouse had towel animals...which don't do anything for me, I never understand why people care about whether their towels are folded into shapes.

What? Small mammals constructed of terry cloth don't make or break your Disney vacation? What kind of Disney fan ARE you??!!

 

[Lisa BC]

We'll be renting a pool villa in an adjacent neighborhood this November. We've stayed DVC before at OKW and had a good time as well. But, here's what we are really looking forward to:

• our own private pool and hot tub
• no fighting to get a chair at the pool
• private BBQ grill
• private driveway for parking right at our door
• our own games room with pool table, air hockey table, and game cube
• fully equipped kitchen - lots of cookware, bakeware, appliances etc
• much nicer furnishings than DVC properties - plasma TV's, luxury mattresses, bedding, and linens
• no waiting in line at the end of the night for a bus, then being packed liked sardines on the way back to our resort

Here's what we might miss:

• concierge services - to help change ADR's
• charging privileges in the parks - but we will get Disney gift cards
• easier access to onsite activities like water sports, busses/boats to DTD
• ease of a group breaking off and heading back to the resort (we will have three cars for a group of nine however, only 1 is a rental)

We are saving a lot of money over staying onsite. We're saving $2200 over staying at OKW renting points for two 2 bedroom units including parking fees, car extra car rental and gas.... We're getting more space, and more luxurious accommodations, and we get to stay in one unit.

As a side note, we never take advantage of EMH, even when we are onsite, because we use TourGuideMike to plan our itineraries, and never need EMH to see everything.

 

[snowbunny]

What? Small mammals constructed of terry cloth don't make or break your Disney vacation? What kind of Disney fan ARE you??!!

Ha ha, I know...I can't bring myself to buy a pair of Crocs, either

 

[AllesonWonderland]

We took our first trip to WDW over Spring Break this year and stayed at a townhouse in Windsor Hills. LOVED IT!!

Pros:

Separate bedrooms for all of us
Themed Bedrooms for the kids
I could cook dinner while the kids played in the splash pool
Saved tons o' cash on accommodation price and food vs. onsite
Easy access to the parks
Did laundry there so I came home with clean clothes

Cons:

I actually can't think of any. I don't think we missed any 'magic' by staying offsite. The owners we dealt with were wonderful, I would recommend them and stay there again.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Windsor Hills 5/5]

Hi in the community pool at WH there is a slide and slide has an attendant. That person is NOT a lifeguard although I know one lady is but the others are not. They do not 'police' the pool but just check the slide is used safely, one at a time and that the area where the kids 'land' in the pool afterwards is always clear.

Landscaping is always difficult with the Florida weather although the trees are now starting to grow a bit. Most of us have trees on our front lawns and shrubbery.

As for wash cloths, we've got a whole cupboard full of towels, bedding and face cloths. Something else you should have asked the MC about.

The 250 dollar security deposit is just a swipe of your credit card taken at check in. We certainly don't take 250 dollars from anyone unless there is just reason like the house has been abused or something has been broken.

 

[snowbunny]

in the community pool at WH there is a slide and slide has an attendant. That person is NOT a lifeguard although I know one lady is but the others are not.

That's another con for me - no lifeguards.

As for wash cloths, we've got a whole cupboard full of towels, bedding and face cloths. Something else you should have asked the MC about.

That's great as far as your house, but my rental is not the only one that people have reported back issue such as lack of towels.
Calling the MC to complain about things is not the same as having mousekeeping bring up some towels. I did let the owner know.

The 250 dollar security deposit is just a swipe of your credit card taken at check in. We certainly don't take 250 dollars from anyone unless there is just reason like the house has been abused or something has been broken.

For the unit I rented (and others) the deposit is actually a cash deposit taken at the time of the reservation. The advantage was not having to go to an MC office before checking in (another possible con); we went right to WH and got our key. The disadvantage was having to wait for the deposit to come back after our stay.

Here again, I emphasize that on balance we had a fine vacation, but the OP asked for pros and cons, and IMO there are a few cons. As I also made clear, I think WH is a nice development and a great value. Owners obviously don't want to hear any drawbacks at all, but the OP asked.

 

[sympatico]

Just for the OPs information most of these pros and cons are not just for WH. You'll get that staying at any of the subdivisions. We've stayed at WH and a number of other subdivisions and these things are common. The ones with resort-like pools etc probably don't have lifeguards on duty.
The owners of any of the homes will have different amenities and towel inventory. Sometimes there's plenty but sometimes you may find a lack of certain things. There's suppose to be a certain amount of towels and bedding according to the number of people you're licensed to have in your home. But sometimes there's a lack.
The way owners arrange payments and obtaining keys are different. Sometimes you go to a management company to pick up keys and give a credit card imprint for security deposit. Other owners don't take credit cards so you have to send a cheque for the rent and a separate cheque for security deposit which is then returned a few weeks after you get home. We've done that once but didn't like it. Sometimes everything is done by email and fax using credit card or paypal and you go right to the home and get your keys from a lock box. I prefer that way but it might be one of the things you should find out before you rent.
Not everyone can stay beside the main pool and I'm sure that's true whether you're at any of the resort subdivisions or at Disney. And pools will be crowded at certain times no matter where you are.
Having to look after yourself in a condo/home is not for everyone. Know before you go that you'll have to buy toilet paper, soap, dish detergent, paper towels etc. You'll have to look after washing you're own towels, dishes, taking out garbage etc. No maid service. But we love staying like this, some don't.
Having the privacy, amenities and space at great prices outweighs a few things that you give up, to us anyway. Good luck with your vacation plans.