February 16th, 2010
This blog entry is going to deal with questions we get asked day in and day out regarding Vacation Homes near Disney…hope this helps.
What are the bed types in my four bedroom vacation home?
Note: all private pool homes in Orlando around the Disney World Theme Parks are owned by individual investors. Many of these are citizens of the UK. You will generally find that they will outfit the Master Bedroom with either a King or Queen Bed. The second bedroom will generally have a larger bed, but the third and fourth bedrooms will have twin beds each. The five bedroom models, at least the ones I have seen, will generally have two bedrooms with larger beds and twins will be in the remaining three.
How close will my home be to Disney World?
All of the 325 homes in our inventory are inside of 14 minutes to the Main Gate of Walt Disney World.
Where can I see pictures of my specific vacation pool home?
Obviously with so many homes in our inventory we would have to have a lot of pictures. Let me better explain it to you….The nightly rates for our executive and standard homes are far below the average for the the quality you are getting. The reason is that the reservation is blind as to the property in question. The management company receives your reservation and when they confirm your reservation they are guaranteeing you an executive home (if that is what you are trying to reserve) for the dates you requested. They will put your reservation in inventory and move it around several times prior to your arrival. Now, lets say they showed you pictures of the first home your reservation was booked for, but when you arrived here to pick up the keys at the Welcome Center, the home you received was different….you would think what’s up. What they are doing with the low nightly rates is to give you what you want and move your reservation around in their system to max out the bookings in a given month for all homes in their portfolio.
What is the difference between a standard pool home and an Executive Model?
First of all, there are some similarities; both of the homes were built by the same builder. The differences lies in what happened after the owner/investor bought his home. The standard home buyer went to a furniture store and bought relatively cheap furniture. He put in the lower grade of carpets, Venetian blinds are on the windows, the paint color throughout the entire house is white, the lesser grade of pool furniture is what he purchased and he put in a few smaller televisions. The Executive Home buyer was proud of his investment and saw himself using his home quite often. He went to the interior decorator of the builder and they chose color to put on the walls, the better grade of carpet was ordered, drapes on the windows, the better furniture package, the better pool furniture and the larger televisions. The difference for you will be the quality of your vacation pool home. When your wife walks in and says WOW! The desired effect of the investment was reached.
As W. Brewer of Lexington, KY said…”the key for us was to have the necessary room to spread out and enjoy the comforts of our home…. the private pool enhanced the overall vacation experience.”
Tags: Disney World, Executvie Home, minutes to the Main Gate, orlando, private pool homes, standard homes, Vacation Homes Near Disney, vacation pool home
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February 3rd, 2010
I love talking about “best deals” especially when it comes to renting a Disney Condo. There are so many choices and quite frankly a number of things come into play when looking for the best deal.
First of course would be location. Who wants to have first-class accommodations only to have to drive a half hour or so to the theme parks…that won’t cut it. Location is the prime reason 43% of our clients select one property over another. As long as the property is inside of 10 minutes to the parks…that is acceptable at least in my book.
Second consideration concerns quality. Who wants to rent a dump? No one! The property must be exceptionally nice for my wife and family to stay there…if not she will say we have got to find something better. Hence if you can find a newer property that is well maintained, you are on the right road.
Third consideration is low nightly rates. Disney World Theme Park Tickets are expensive and adding an expensive lodging choice might break the budget. I generally tell people a nice condo should cost no more than a three-star hotel at the entrance to the theme parks. Rate is definitely important consideration.
Fourth, there should be no hidden fees. I have heard of many management companies who advertise low rates and then come back around with booking fees and the like. This is not fair. Tell it like it is; if you charge a fee spell it out up front….not when I am ready to book.
Lastly, the property must accommodate my needs and offer a myriad of amenities that my family will enjoy. The idea of having a large clubhouse with activities all day for my kids is a benefit. A water complex with slides and water activities is a huge plus. Shuttle service to Disney World is a nice feature. All of these are things I would consider using. These are important when selecting the right condo.
The name of two of the condo complexes that meet the five criteria I have set as being a Best Deal on a Disney Condo are The Fountains Resort home of two bedroom/two bath units and Regal Palm Resort with 3 and 4 Br town homes. Click on www.dwvacationhomes.com and check them out, you will be mighty glad you did.
Tags: best deals, disney condo, Disney World, exceptionally nice, first-class, low nightly rates, theme parks
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January 26th, 2010
Those that are looking for something a bit special know that the best place to search is where an attraction is located. This same advice holds true when one is searching the internet for a good deal on a vacation home with a private pool near Disney World. The key is to type in Kissimmee Vacation Homes for Disney is not located in Orlando but is in the city of Kissimmee.
When searching for a vacation pool home our surveys show you are looking for: larger space, your own private pool, you want to be close to Walt Disney World, you desire a full kitchen, and you want more than one bath. Other amenities are mentioned in these surveys but these were top five.
Let’s take a look at each individually:
Larger space…Vacationers today have had it with cramped hotel rooms. Desiring significant space where the family can enjoy some space for themselves is to accommodate the family in a private vacation homes. Here you can get a three, four or even five bedroom home depending upon your needs. The space difference is considerable. A normal hotel room is about 20 x 20 or 400 sq ft. The smallest of the private pool homes is 1,900 that is five times the size, and oh by the way, the nightly rate is almost the same.
Private pool…You are on vacation and you want to enjoy every minute. What a better way to accomplish this than with your own private pool. Imagine you and your family have had a great day at the theme parks and it is late in the afternoon. Everyone is a bit tired and we have to plan dinner…think about lounging by your pool, having a pizza or fixing some hamburgers on the grill, the family will have a great time…the fun continues and it is refreshing.
Close to Walt Disney World…How close is my home to Disney World? This is one of a few frequent questions asked by all guests. The best news is that all of our homes are inside a radius of 14 minutes to the entrance of Disney’s Maingate. There are no shuttle service due to the high cost of the insurance, so to use a private pool home, one must have access to a car or rent a taxi.
The survey said you wanted a kitchen…many people have found that the cost of a Disney World Vacation is quite expensive….matter of fact, the tickets will represent 70% of the cost of the average vacation. To bring the vacation back into one’s budget, many clients are finding that a home is a great way to cut as much as $100 a day out of the expense by eating breakfast and dinner in. Be aware, all of the pots and pans, dishware, silver ware, plate ware, glasses and utensils are provided to cook up a feast.
More than one bath…It is hard to fathom five people sharing a hotel room and all having to use the same bath to get ready in the morning. With a Kissimmee Vacation Home one can find two up to four baths per home. If you need a 3 bedroom home most of our homes will offer you one less bath than bedrooms…so here you will have two baths. If you are getting a five bedroom home the normal number of baths per home is four. It is generally one less than the number of bedrooms reserved.
The key stat that is not mentioned by our guests, but is very important is our low nightly rates. Kissimmee Vacation Homes offer the best value for the money. You will find that a three bedroom private pool home will cost about the same as a three star hotel. For all you get in renting a vacation pool home, one can understand why this is the lodging choice for so many coming to Walt Disney World.
Tags: five bedroom home, full kitchen, hotel room, kissimmee, kissimmee vacation homes, near Disney World, orlando, private pool, significant space, vacation pool home
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January 22nd, 2010
I recently received a letter of thanks from a guest who was looking to come to Orlando late last year for a Magical Disney World Vacation. Her name was Valery and she was from West Lafayette Louisiana. Her party was made up of 2 adults (sisters) and each had their siblings with them. One was age 13 the other 15. The dilemma was that the oldest child was a girl, the youngest a boy…both cousins. We discussed getting two hotel rooms, but found that the best choice was the Terra Verde Resort.
The reason for this choice was really quite simple. Valery had a tight budget. She wanted to get a place where the party of four could be together, but the kids would have separate sleeping quarters. She also wanted a secure setting that offered a ton of amenities to keep the kids occupied.
The budget question was what we tackled first. We wanted something that would be cheaper than getting two hotel rooms and we wanted to be close to Disney World which was where the family was going to spend the most time. Terra Verde fit the bill here for the rates were about the same as the price of one average hotel room close to the parks and it was located less than 10 short minutes to Disney World.
Regarding the separate sleeping quarters, we selected a three bedroom two bath town home. Each of the kids had their own bedroom and the two sisters shared the Master. There were two and one half baths in the unit and there was also a full kitchen, laundry room, living room and dining area.
Terra Verde is a gated community with a guard house and a live guard that only permits guest and owners the ability to enter the confines of the resort. We don’t have much crime anywhere in the Disney area, but the guard gate permits the family the peace of mind to allow teens the privilege to go to the club house and community pool unsupervised.
Finally, when it comes to amenities, Terra Verde has no peers. The Resort offers a huge community pool, an extremely large clubhouse with concierge service, a media room where movies are shown, an internet café and a state of the art fitness center. There is also a huge lake and playgrounds for the smaller kids. If volley ball in your thing, there is even a sand volley ball court as well as basketball court for the older kids.
Yes, Valery and her sister made the choice of spending their five days at Terra Verde Resort. As she said in her letter to me….”we had a blast, it was hard to determine whether to stay in our lovely home or to go to the theme parks.” Terra Verde Resort was the winner and so was Valery and her family!!!
Tags: amenities, budget, club house, Disney area, Disney World Vacation, fitness center, gated community, hot el rooms, orlando, town home
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January 15th, 2010
A question always arises….what is the difference between Disney World Vacation Homes verses my residence. The answer is simple, all of the vacation homes found at dwvacationhomes.com have their own private pool, other than that they are identical to anyone’s residence.
To go a step further, understand that your kitchen in a vacation home in Orlando is fully equipped. It has an oven, stove, refrigerator, microwave, freezer, toaster, coffee pot, all your silverware, plate ware, glasses, and kitchen utensils. The dining area is fully equipped as well.
All of the accommodations have at least two televisions. One is generally in the great room with the second in the master. Many vacation home investors put more televisions in their units, but that is simply a matter of taste.
The bedrooms in most vacation homes are such that you will find a large bed in the master and generally twins in the other bedrooms. Just as I say that…there are many homes I have seen that have actually had two masters, so here you would have two large beds and then the rest twins. The reason for the twins is to accommodate the children in the party.
The key to a nice vacation home is your private pool and lanai. The executive homes which are quite popular, offer an upgrade in pool furniture and pool amenities. If you desire to spend considerable time out by the pool, you may choose an executive home over a standard model.
Location of Disney World Vacation Homes is vital. You don’t want to be driving all over the city when the kids want to see Mickey. All of our vacation pool homes are located inside a 14 minute radius to the entrance to Disney World.
When considering a vacation pool home this year, make sure of its location, the age of the property and check the nightly rates….a few answers to the logical questions will serve you well.
Tags: accommodate, dining, disney, Disney World Vacation Homes, homes, orlando, private pool, residence, vacation, vacation homes
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January 6th, 2010
I recently did a search on the internet for Disney World Condos. What I was looking for were vacation condominium units for rent that were in Disney World. After 30 minutes of research looking at a lot of attractive condos, I became frustrated for not a single one of the projects weren’t inside Disney World. This is a fact…there are no condo units that have been constructed as yet on Disney World’s property.
When the city fathers came to task with vacation homes and condos in the Disney World market area…they determined for zoning purposes that vacation rental units should be all located in the south and east of the parks. That being said there are over 30,000 such units that have sprung up since 1995. Interestingly enough, the condo and private vacation home with pool is the fastest growing segment of the Orlando lodging industry during this time frame.
Disney World Condos come in all sizes but the majority of them are either two or three bedroom units. There are some larger four bedroom condos but they are few and far between. The average price of these units sold for $250,000 to $350,000 back in the 2004 to 2007. Since that time due to the recession and the bursting of the real estate bubble in 2007 and 2008, there has been very little in construction activity of this popular product.
Quite frankly, it is extremely difficult today to get a mortgage on any form of vacation home or condo unit. This fact gives you and indication that if you are looking for a brand new vacation condo, near Disney World you will be looking for a rental property that was constructed in 2004 to 2006.
We are quite fortunate to have a number of two and three bedroom units in Terrace Ridge, Winwood Bay and the first-class Fountains Resort. All of these are inside of 14 minutes to Disney World’s Main Gate. Check them out, you will be impressed with the accommodations and the exceptional low rates.
Tags: Disney World Condos, Disney World market, exceptional low rates, inside Disney World, new vacation condo, Orlando lodging, private vacation home with pool, vacation home, vacation homes, vacation rental units
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December 30th, 2009
If you have young ones and have ever taken a vacation, you have heard this question….”daddy are we there yet?”
Well, if you are looking for an outstanding private pool home that is relatively new and extremely close to Disney World, let me introduce you to Encantada Resort.
Encantada in Spanish means enchanted and that fits these first class accommodations to a tee. I think I mentioned that the resort (that’s right it is a RESORT) is NEW. All of the three and four bedroom units were constructed in 2005 through 2007.
Each home was sold to investors furnished meaning that when you look at the photos on www.dwvacationhomes.com you will see your exact unit for each one has the same drapes, same carpet, same appliances and all are located in the same place.
There are two pool variations to the homes. The three bedroom two bath model sports a 12 x 12 model and the larger 4BR/3BA home has the much larger 19 x 12 pool. Either way the kids will think that mom and dad are so cool for getting their home complete with their own pool. Heat in the winter can be supplied for a slight daily upcharge if need be.
You want to be close to Disney World, well you have that in The Encantada Resort. You are just a right out of the resort, go to the first red light and turn left on the new HWY 429 and the first exit is the new western entrance to Disney World right there at the Magic Kingdom…you are literally two minutes to the Main Gate. Hence, you won’t have to listen to: “daddy…are we there yet?”
Amenities are quite plentiful at the Resort…there is a state of the art fitness center, an internet café, two heated community pools, a playground for the kids, a restaurant and lounge, and believe it or not a huge fishing lake stocked full of bass. Just bring your pole but be aware you must catch and release.
If you are looking for the ultimate in first class accommodations and desire to be as close as possible to the entrance of Disney World and you want exceptionally low nightly rates then check out The Encantada Resort…you will be enchanted, we guarantee it!
Tags: close to Disney World, Encantada Resort, enchanted, first class accommodations, Main Gate, private pool, private pool home, resort
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December 28th, 2009
I had this question posed to me at breakfast this morning. The query from my good friend was: Why rent a Disney Vacation rental? My response to him was: Why…not?
It is not hard to look at the many attractive reasons for such accommodations. One they are relatively new to the market, two, they offer significantly more space for the family to enjoy their vacation rather than being cramped in a 20 x 20 hotel room, the amenity package such as a full kitchen and your own private swimming pool are huge benefit…and finally, the nightly rates due to the economic slow-down are quite attractive now.
Really, when we break it out…it is hard not to say “why not” in answering the why rent a vacation pool home in Orlando.
I mentioned earlier most homes found at www.dwvacationhomes.com are relatively new. All of the vacation homes we rent were built in this decade. This means our oldest homes are inside of nine years old. Almost all of our executive homes were constructed in 2005 to 2007 so they are almost brand new. This is a huge plus for the vacationer for who wouldn’t want to live in a new home rather than an older one?
There is significantly more space in a home. The average 3BR/2BA home is about 1,800 sq ft. That is a little over 4.5 times the size of a traditional hotel room. This huge amount of space allows all members of the family to enjoy their vacation without being under each other’s foot. Further with a four bedroom executive home, you get 3 baths…the extra baths cut down dramaticly on the time needed for the family to get ready for the day’s upcoming activities.
That full kitchen will save your budget. You desire to economize on this year’s Disney vacation, you will find that having your own kitchen will save the family of four upwards to $40 a day just in breakfast cost alone. If you add in a dinner or two spent at home around your private pool, you can add another $75 per day to the savings total. What a great way to economize and hurdle the high costs of attraction tickets? Definitely renting your own private pool home is an easy way to bring your vacation budget in line.
It is a known fact that having your own private pool will enhance the entire family’s vacation experience. So many times we receive testimonial letters from our guests thanking us for suggesting a private vacation pool home as a “better option” than renting a hotel in the Orlando market. Many parents have said that the kids looked forward to coming home each afternoon from a day at the parks for the pool offered a continuation of the good times enjoyed throughout the day.
Finally, since we on the budget….we need to be reminded that the nightly costs of a three bedroom vacation home with your own private pool is as affordable as a three star hotel room close to Disney World. That’s right! Due to the recession and the vast inventory of vacation pool homes in the Orlando market, prices have been slashed to where they are literally a steal.
If you and your family are considering a Disney World vacation this year, you definitely want to explore the renting of a vacation pool home that is available to you at www.dwvacationhomes.com…you will be glad you did.
Tags: amenity package, disney, disney vacation, Disney Vacation Rental, hotel room, private swimming pool, vacation
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December 18th, 2009
We are fast approaching a new year, and I was looking at the rates that our partners have put in the data base for Disney Pool Homes for the upcoming year. All I can say is WOW! With these exceptional low rates, they are telling you and I, they don’t believe the economy is turning around at all.
Let me say…when you can get a 3BR/2BA vacation pool home inside of 14 minute radius to Disney World’s Main Entrance and have all of the features of your own home and to do it at $110 per night….well, it is high time to consider a vacation to Orlando. Think about it….being able to rent a Disney Pool Home that has cost some investor upwards to $350,000 or more and you are getting that for as low as $110 a night, the price normally charged by a Holiday Inn in the Disney World market ….well, that is unheard of.
These relatively new first-class executive homes have some 1,700 to 1,900 sq feet and offer three bedrooms, two baths, a huge great room, a lovely kitchen (fully stocked with all appliances and tableware) and of course a screened in lanai with private heated swimming pool. If you are looking for substantial space for your family to enjoy this year’s Disney World Vacation, then you have got to look at the Executive Pool Homes near Disney World that are featured on www.dwvacationhomes.com.
Based on the low rates offered by our management companies, they are stating they want to see improvement in the economic cycle prior to raising rates back to the norm. A word of caution, even though the advertised nightly rates are extremely attractive today, rest assured once these management companies see a spike in bookings…the rates for the spring break Easter holidays will be the first to see a substantial up-tick. Historically business around the Daytona 500 week and the President’s Day holiday are quite popular periods as well….therefore, expect rates to jump then as well.
The bottom line is…due to the economic climate no one really knows what to expect. The low nightly rates for our relatively new three, four and five bedroom executive pool homes are at unheard of rates. Now, is the time to take advantage before the market firms up and our providers punch their rates $20 or more per night. To make a reservation all you need is a $50 refundable deposit.
Tags: Disney Pool Home, Disney World, executive home, Holiday Inn, home, orlando, rates, vacation
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December 16th, 2009
Eighty three percent of all accommodations booked at Disney World Vacation Homes come to us from the internet. Matter of fact, the web is the number one sales engine for travel and vacation opportunities.
In researching for a Disney Vacation Homes for a couple of guests looking to returning to Orlando this March for spring break, I was amazed at the myriad of accommodations that were offered. It seems that the choices were endless. Well, that is true. Today there are over 30,000 private vacation homes located in Orlando.
There are generally two segments to the vacation home market. Standard homes are very clean but are a bit older than those of it’s new brother the Executive models. The standard homes generally have white walls, a nice furniture package and standard or entry level carpeting. Generally a standard home will not have drapes but will offer Venetian blinds.
An executive pool home as found on Disney World Vacation Homes is graded such to get mom to say “WOW”. First of all, the executive homes are newer and offer the upgraded carpet, the nicer furniture package through out, pictures on the walls, planting material and nice pool furniture package.
Both market segments of homes are located inside 14 minutes to the entrance to Disney World and each has a cleaning fee and sales tax. The rates for the standard private pool homes are some 25 to 30% cheaper on a nightly basis from the executive models.
If you are looking for added space where the family can spread out and not be under foot, you want your own private pool, you desire to be close to Disney World and the other Orlando attractions and you want all of this at low nightly rates then you will definitely want to check out the options available to you at www.dwvacationhomes.com
Tags: Accomodations, Diseny World, executive models, orlando, package, private pool, private vacation homes, spring break, vacation, vacation homes
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