Off site rental house?

[Goofy Pluto]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has any experiences or recommendations for renting a house off site but near Disney/Univeral/Sea World. We're thinking about doing that for a week to save some money and wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions. Thanks.

[estein80]

We went with DH's family in March and stayed at Ginn Reunion. This would not have been my first choice, as I prefer to stay on site, but it definitely did the trick. I don't remember what the total price was, but I think we paid 500-600 each for 3 nights in a 5 bedroom. I think we originally reserved a 4 bedroom and ended up with a 5. We had 3 families (6 adults, a 10 yo, 3 yo, 2 yo, and 9 mo). It worked well for us as the adults were able to chat after we put the kids to bed.

The house was really nice. We were told the houses are actually independently owned (and decorated) and that as part of this community they agree to rent out their homes when they are not there. It was a beautiful house, clean and well equipped.

DH's family loved being able to have breakfast at the house before heading off to the parks.

[renecat]

Rented a house in 2003. Ask for a 4 bedroom got upgraded to a 5 bedroom. I just went on line a put in Orlando home rentals. There are many to chose from. The house I got was great very clean in a nice location close to Disney.
Good Luck!

[Disney Doll]

We rented a house for a large family trip several years ago and it was a great experience. We used All-Star Vacation Homes. I do prefer to be onsite, but it was a very economical way to bring a large group.

[GrumpySue]

All StarVacation homes are terrific. We did a week there around Christmas and had A 7 bedroom house with a screened in pool It was beautiful, fully equiped and very close to WDW. We are going back this year, I highly reccomend them.

[jcvalenti]

I'm typing this from an offsite rental home right now, as a matter of fact.

We split our visits, 1/2 onsite (when it's just my family or the wife and I), 1/2 offsite (when we go down with my sisters and their families). This trip is one of the later, with 10 of us in 1 6 bedroom home, and 5 of us in a nearby 4 bedroom. We did it last year for 14 days (which made us buy annual passes), so going back this year on the same pass was a no brainer.

I've done a number of posts about the benefits of staying offsite. For a family with young kids, it's great to be able to get them to a secluded location for an hour or two a day, to swim in their own pool and just chill out a little bit. Since all of us have young kids, we enjoy being able to put them to bed early after a long day at the park, and then go enjoy the pool by ourselves for a few hours.

The cost is definitely much more reasonable. We usually do a huge shopping trip early, stocking up on bottled water and park snacks, which saves a lot every day. Furthermore, we have full used of laundry facilities, so we can pack light for a 12 day trip, knowing we can just wash from time to time.

Many on here say that staying offsite robs you of part of the "experience", but truth be told, I don't notice that. I really could care less whether I'm onsite or off. It's a 5 minute car ride to any of the 4 parks from where we stay, and I'd just assume drive as wait for buses.

If you're considering the option, I'd say give it a whirl. In this economy, every penny helps and offsite is a great option to stretch your dollars further.

[MNNHFLTX]

All StarVacation homes are terrific. We did a week there around Christmas and had A 7 bedroom house with a screened in pool It was beautiful, fully equiped and very close to WDW. We are going back this year, I highly reccomend them.

Plus All Star Vacation Homes is a sponsor here on INTERCOT. I have always heard good reviews about their houses.

[Goofy Pluto]

I'm typing this from an offsite rental home right now, as a matter of fact.

Where are you staying?