sparrow Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 (edited) So, last week I thought maybe we'd do a Disney cruise. We've kind of nixed that idea and come to the compromise of doing the Disney attractions for a week and staying off site. We're thinking some time between mid January and mid February. We're particularly interested in a rental with one of those private pools. Any recommendations...or horror stories :eek:? We're a family of 4. Also, any Disney travel book recommendations? I fully admit to being an internet research junkie about everything, but I can't seem to retain what I read online half the time. Isn't that weird? Edited September 23, 2009 by sparrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 We are staying in Windsor Hills Resort Jan 7 - 14. It's advertised as the closest off-site, gated housing complex to Disney. We opted for a condo without a pool figuring we'd just swim in the complex's pool if it's warm enough. With a pool, not only were the rentals more expensive, but you'd also need to heat it - at a cost of $25/night! It's our first time staying there, so I can't say if it's good or bad. But, I've had great communication with the man who owns the property. And, I researched him fully - he's owned the house for 7 years, never been late on a payment, his taxes are up to date, and I spoke with others who have rented from him. Anyway, our 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1300 sq ft condo is costing us $466 for the week! Also, keep in mind that you'll have to pay parking at Disney (I think it's $12/day) because you aren't staying on property. Go to the library and get the Unofficial Guide to Disney. They have EVERYTHING in there!!! They even have ride guides. I used that a LOT when deciding whether something may scare my very sensitive then-2 yo. Also, visit disboards.com. They have LOTS of information there for you about everything Disney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 We are staying in Windsor Hills Resort Jan 7 - 14. It's advertised as the closest off-site, gated housing complex to Disney. We opted for a condo without a pool figuring we'd just swim in the complex's pool if it's warm enough. With a pool, not only were the rentals more expensive, but you'd also need to heat it - at a cost of $25/night! It's our first time staying there, so I can't say if it's good or bad. But, I've had great communication with the man who owns the property. And, I researched him fully - he's owned the house for 7 years, never been late on a payment, his taxes are up to date, and I spoke with others who have rented from him. Anyway, our 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1300 sq ft condo is costing us $466 for the week! Also, keep in mind that you'll have to pay parking at Disney (I think it's $12/day) because you aren't staying on property. Go to the library and get the Unofficial Guide to Disney. They have EVERYTHING in there!!! They even have ride guides. I used that a LOT when deciding whether something may scare my very sensitive then-2 yo. Also, visit disboards.com. They have LOTS of information there for you about everything Disney. Wow! That's a fantastic rate! Ouch, on heating the pool....maybe we'll rethink that decision :). Windsor Hills is one of the resorts we're considering! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 We are cheap, cheap, cheap. We stay at SkyAuction.com condos and usually buy their blowout rate of $199/wk for a 2 bedroom including taxes. When blowouts are offered you buy in advance and book the specific week later. OR You can pay $299/wek including taxes directly through their site and confirm the dates right then. We have never had any horror stories, but just know that these are older units that RCI has a hard time filling since RCI owners typically book the new condos. The TVs aren't High Def, there is only high speed internet at the business center and not in the units, that sort of thing. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 (edited) We're also staying at Windsor Hills!!! We're going January 30th through February 6th. Here's a link to their website -- http://www.storytimeorlandorental.com/ We looked at others, but my youngest daughter, who has autism, is completely in love with Mickey Mouse and, once she saw the bedroom, that was the one she wanted! (We printed off the picture and she's carried it around the house with her for a week now!) We're paying $1000 for the week for a 3 bedroom / 3 bath townhouse with private pool. That includes the $200 down payment, taxes, and private pool heating fee. There's no charge for a cleaning fee because we're staying for the full seven days. We'll be able to save a fortune by staying off-site! We're eating all of our breakfasts inside the townhouse (save for one character breakfast) and almost all of our dinners. We'll be able to pack lunches, snacks, and water for our trips to the parks. We can't wait! Edited September 23, 2009 by hsmamainva added info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedwithboys Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 We stayed at Windsor Hills last time we were at Disney (about 2 years ago). It was fantastic! It is gated community, in a safe area and very quiet. It is also very close to the Disney parks. We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo in mid May for less than $99/night. We would definitely stay there again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiff in TX Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Passporter's Guide to Disney is a great website (and book), as are the passporter boards. http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/index.php They have a ton of information and your questions get answered pretty quickly. Also check out allears.net and mousesavers, they have off site vendors that they use and you can usually get a better deal. Have fun in the World! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I have stayed at Windsor Hills many times and have nothing but good things to say. Of course the units are individually owned, but we've stayed in several different units and not experienced a difference in quality or cleanliness--they are all top-notch and very clean. We've gone through http://www.vacationcentralflorida.com and http://www.floridasunvacationhomes.com. Savings in just accomodations are huge, especially since you can get 3 BR, 2 BA with full kitchen, W & D, etc. for the cost of your standard on-site room. Every time we've gone we've had a t.v. in every bedroom, a game system in the kids' room, plus free high-speed internet. We eat breakfast before we leave, pack a lunch and/or snacks, and if we don't eat at the parks, we'll grab a frozen pizza on the way back to the condo. Definitely a huge savings there! For a January stay you would definitely need the pool heat. I can't remember if the big pool is heated or not. Usually the kids don't care and will swim regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmsmama Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 We've rented a condo through Dave at www.vacationcentralflorida.com as well and were VERY happy with it. If you join their email subscription thing, they often send last minute deals for as low as $199 a week as well! Whenever we go back to Florida (hopefully next year), we will definitely be renting through Dave again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vkay Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 We stayed at Reunion Resort and LOVED it. One year ago we stayed at Windsor Hills and it was OK. Here are the things to consider: The first time we tried renting off site was last year. I wanted a house & it's own pool. We rented a 4 bedroom house with pool. It had fun things like a ping pong table, fuse ball, playstations etc. We stayed for 5 weeks and were given a discount for a long stay, it ended up being $100/night including all taxes, cleaning fees etc. I said it was OK because it was a bit run down. The carpets were a little eewwy, blinds missing a few stats, carpet coming up where it meets the floor - exposing the nails underneath. Had to buy masking tape so I could pad all the nail areas so that we would stop hurting our feet. All that is to be expected, but the worst part was the bugs. It's Florida, you have to expect some, but it was still hard to live with. The worst of them being those huge roach things. Bugs just creep me out and I almost called it quits after waking up to one crawling on me in the middle of the night.......UNDER my pajama top!! :willy_nilly: :eek: :ack2: :scared: Words cannot possibly describe this horrific event. I did not tell the kids, I didn't want to ruin it for them. The only way I could live further there was to set up lights under the beds in hopes of keeping things away. This worked, I never had a bed problem again, but still they showed up elsewhere like in the shower or bathroom. So, yes it was nice to have a place to stay that didn't cost an arm and leg. BUT. Now as far as all of the fun things that it had, we ended up so busy that the playstation, fuse ball table etc... weren't used. The pool - it was a little dingy and therefore we decided that we didn't want to get in it. Besides, after all of the water parks in the area, or even access to the development's pool, your own pool really isn't needed. Now, onto the good news. This year. I was so tempted to stay at the regular hotels this time. We had stayed at them many times in the past and NEVER had a bug problem. I wanted that again, but didn't want to pay that much either. Sooooo, after much looking around and reading reviews, I decided to choose Reunion Resort. It's run like a 5-star hotel (hence CLEAN and BUG free) and they are condos or houses that you can rent. I decided to go for a condo this time - again because of bugs. I wanted to mimic a hotel - have a room that wasn't on the ground floor etc. If you go to their website, the advertised cost for a 3 bed/3 bath condo is about $300ish. Don't rent there, go to vrbo.com and look up Reunion Resort. This is where individuals advertise their condos or houses. You'll get a much better rate. The most common rate advertised there is $150/night for a 3bed/3bath. You'll get a much better rate after you mail a few of these people and ask what their rate is and if they are offering any discounts. Because of the economy, many of these places are sitting empty. I did that and ended up getting one for $100/night all things included. I was still worried about what we would find, but it was wonderful!!! CLEAN, well kept, and not one little bug anywhere!! Actually, that's not true. I found a gnat on the last day. :001_smile: Don't worry about noise in these condos. The construction is cinder blocks and they are very quiet. We didn't hear a peep out of anyone. And the absence of a pool....no problem. If you look on their website, you'll see what I mean. The pool at this place is an attraction all by itself. We had a wonderful time there. This is where I will always go back to in the future. Yes, Reunion is a bit more expensive than what other places are offering......but it's one of those "you get what you pay for" things. Also, it's very secure and upscale feeling. As far as Disney, it took about 10 - 15 minutes to drive there. Hope this helps...... Have fun!! (Sorry this got so long. I guess it's fresh on my mind since we just returned.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vkay Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I just read the other posts: Looks like others have had good experiences with Windsor Hills. I must have drawn the short straw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmsmama Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Windsor Hills is a beautiful gated community, however since each place is independently owned, and then there are also different management companies for many of them on top of that, it can lead to a very different experience for different people depending on who you rent from. The place we wented from through www.vacationcentralflorida.com was immaculately clean and it was very well taken care of. About the only thing I could possibly find to complain about would be the non-stick dishes because a few of them were scratched, but considering that the owners can't buy new pots constantly because some people don't know to use only plastic utensils in them, I can't really knock them for that. We rented a townhouse and had a private splash pool in the back. the pool was crystal clear as well. The townhouse was totally Disney decoratedl. The carpets were even in excellent condition and the townhouse was fully stocked with plenty of towels and blankets. Windsor Hills was very close to WDW (5 mins. to Animal Kingdom and 10-15 to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, or Magic Kingdom). This is including finding a parking spot and sometimes we could even be to the entrance gates in that time, depending on traffic and crowds. If you are going to stay offsite, I would highly recommend the place we stayed. I've also heard very good reviews for www.floridasunvacationhomes.com, which another poster linked to as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thanks so much, everyone! I've got plenty of info to go on now. I'm totally obsessed with looking at properties now....unfortunately my copy of Echo in the Bone just arrived, too! Awww, vacation research wins out :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 We've never stayed in condos, but I've heard that you cannot beat Windsor Hills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 We are staying in Windsor Hills Resort Jan 7 - 14. It's advertised as the closest off-site, gated housing complex to Disney. We opted for a condo without a pool figuring we'd just swim in the complex's pool if it's warm enough. With a pool, not only were the rentals more expensive, but you'd also need to heat it - at a cost of $25/night! It's our first time staying there, so I can't say if it's good or bad. But, I've had great communication with the man who owns the property. And, I researched him fully - he's owned the house for 7 years, never been late on a payment, his taxes are up to date, and I spoke with others who have rented from him. Anyway, our 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1300 sq ft condo is costing us $466 for the week! Also, keep in mind that you'll have to pay parking at Disney (I think it's $12/day) because you aren't staying on property. Go to the library and get the Unofficial Guide to Disney. They have EVERYTHING in there!!! They even have ride guides. I used that a LOT when deciding whether something may scare my very sensitive then-2 yo. Also, visit disboards.com. They have LOTS of information there for you about everything Disney. WOW! We thought we were getting a good deal by staying at the Disney All Star hotel for $99 a night. We will look into this one next time we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 We did it! I booked in February through vacationcentralflorida.com. Ack, great deal, but it always pains me so much to spend money :tongue_smilie:. When I think about leaving Michigan in February for a week, it makes it easier to take :D. I'm excited already! Thanks so much for everyone's input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmsmama Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 We did it! I booked in February through vacationcentralflorida.com. Ack, great deal, but it always pains me so much to spend money :tongue_smilie:. When I think about leaving Michigan in February for a week, it makes it easier to take :D. I'm excited already! Thanks so much for everyone's input! I'm in Windsor, so just across the river from you :) We went to FL last year at the beginning of Dec. and had a beautiful time. It was a huge chunk of change, but we never take really nice vacations like that, so it was really nice to be able to take such a long, fun vacation (we went for 2 weeks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLCH Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 (edited) Just a quick note ~ I’m sorry I don’t have time to look into if it’s available for your dates but I’m sure if you ck the disboards they’ll point you in the right direction and I’ll try to post more later. We are taking advantage of their “Free Dining” family of 4 staying at the All Star Movies 9 nts w/6 days in the parks & free dining for $1900. A little over the $200 a night for the family however is onsite and does include the 6 days at the parks (not hoping) w/parking & the meal plan which basically gives every person in the room a walk-up meal (think counter service), sit down meal (incredible restaurants also including character meals) and a snack every day. Just wanted to mention as I think Disney has extended free dining, & if so I think would definitely be worth looking into!!! Don’t hesitate to ask away if I can help.:001_smile: ETA ~ real quick I think I just saw you'd be coming from Michigan so on-site disney also includes free transportation from/to the airport. Edited September 25, 2009 by OLCH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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