Disney Vacation Homes Pool Heat

The biggest question we are asked every year is...do we need pool heat? The simple answer is no. Here are 3 reasons why we do not think it is a good idea to heat the pool at your Disney vacation home.
1. The pool's use a small electric heater and they only heat the pool about 10 to 14 degrees higher than it is outside. In addition all the pool homes near Disney have small sensors on the heaters and if the temperature ever drops below 50 degrees they do not turn on.
2. The pools are typically heated for 12 hours a day when the water is being filtered. If the filter is not on then it will heat the pool. Most pools are set to filter the water between 8am til 8pm, and this is when most guests are at Disney World. Once the pool stops filtering then it is not heating the water anymore and the pools start to lose heat really fast.
3. The pool is quite expensive $25 to $30 a day depending upon how large the pool is and this fee is non-refundable.

Generally speaking Orlando's temperature even in January and February reaches 70 to 75 degrees during the day which is definitely warm enough to swim in. You will not need pool heat after March 15 the daily sun will heat the pools warm enough after this date.

Top 5 Best Vacation Homes Near Disney World

1. Emerald Island- This vacation home community near Disney World offers 3 and 4 bedroom town homes plus 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 bedroom vacation homes with private pools. This community is rated as the third best vacation home community in Florida and number 1 in Orlando. Why? Simple, it is located less than 2 miles to Disney World and it offers more guests activities than any other resort community in the Kissimmee area.

2. Terra Verde- This community is almost identical to Emerald Island; in fact, it was actually built by the same builder. The only difference is the Terra Verde is about 1/3 the size of Emerald Island. The main focus at this resort is the zero restriction pool which starts off at toe deep and slowly gets deeper the further you walk into it.

3. Windsor Palms- This is the closest vacation home community to Disney World, it only sits 1.5 miles for Disney's main gate. The Windsor Palms offers condos, town homes, and vacation pool homes plus they offer the following guests amenities: basketball court, tennis courts, swimming pools, huge clubhouse with free internet room.

4. Windsor Hills- This vacation home community is really nice with the focal point being the water slide and huge community swimming pool. I would actually rank this Disney vacation home community a little higher if the nightly prices were not so high.

5. Encantada Resort- The Encantada Resort offers three and four bedroom town homes, but the unique thing about this community is that all the town homes feature a private splash pool. The Encantada Resort is less than 3 years old and gorgeous property. This community will probably rank in higher once all the units are sold and it is completely developed.

The neat thing about renting a Disney vacation homes in a vacation home community is that you will have all the luxuries of a hotel such as: full customer service, community swimming pools, games rooms, internet cafes but you also have the extra space to spread out.

Disney Vacation Homes - How Close are they to all the attractions

One of the biggest questions I am asked every day is how close are the Disney World vacation homes to all the attractions in Orlando. Below you will see the approximate distances of our private pool homes to the attractions:

1. Disney World- Almost all of our vacation homes are located in Kissimmee, Florida, which is right next to Disney World. Most of our homes are within 15 Minutes to Disney World and some of our homes are as close a 2 miles to Disney World. It really depends on which sub-division you choose.

2. Universal Studios Orlando- Most of our vacation homes are within 22 minutes to Universal Studios. Keep in mind, Universal Studios is located in Orange County which does not allow short term vacation home rentals, so all the vacation homes have to be located in Kissimmee. It is really easy to get to Universal Studios from all our homes since it is a straight shot down 1-4.

3. Sea World Orlando- Sea World sits directly between Universal Studios and Disney World so it should take you 17 minutes to get to Sea World. Again it is really simple, all you have to do is get on I-4 and follow the Shamu signs.

4. Budget Attractions- Most of the budget attractions in Orlando are located in Kissimmee and our Kissimmee vacation homes are located very close to almost all of the budget attractions.

All in all, it will not take you more than just a few minutes to get to all the attractions. If you want to be right near the parks you can stay in one of our Orlando hotels, but hotels will not give you all the extra space and privacy of our Disney vacation homes.

Vacation Homes Near Disney World for a Christmas Vacation

Tis the Season to be Jolly! Today I just went by some of our vacation homes near Disney World to do one final check on them to make sure that everything is in working order for guests coming in this week. Let me tell you it is like a zoo near Disney World. This is our busiest time of the year and especially this year since Christmas and New Years Day falls on a Friday.

I will tell you once I got pass all the Kissmmee hotels which cater to Disney World on 192 the traffic eased up a little. The once I started to drive around the vacation home communities it was really peacful. Now, pretty much all the homes are occupied this week, but it was still so much more peaceful than on 192 near all that conjestion.

If you are thinking about taking a Christmas vacation to Disney World do yourself a favor and book a vacation home or one of our Disney condos. This way you can still cook a great Christmas feast, have extra room to open a few presents you bring to Orlando, and above all enjoy a little rest and relaxation out by the private swimming pools.

400 Orlando vacation homes

Rosen Hotels announced this week that they are going to be building 400 more Orlando vacation homes and Disney vacation condos near the Shingle Creek Golf Course. Quite frankly Orlando is already flooded with too many vacation homes, if you count all the vacation homes in Kissimmee and Orlando you will find that there are more vacation home units than there are hotel rooms.

The good news for guests is that the nightly prices per night on a vacation home have gone down since 2003. Yes, we are selling a three bedroom vacation home near Disney World with a private pool for $81 a night. Amazing! In 2003 the same house rented for $95 a night.

Most people should find this news very uplifting as well. For the past 2 years nobody has been building anything here in Orlando, so this news should give us hope that our economy is starting to turn the corner and we are finally going to put this financial mess behind us.

Outlook for the Orlando vacation home industry

The Orlando vacation homes market has been hit hard recently and the industry is going through a major correction stage. Below we have outlined five (5) major changes which we believe are going to happen:
1) Less vacation home properties- Right now there are far too many vacation homes in the Central Florida area. Did you know there are almost as many Kissimmee vacation homes as there are Kissimmee hotel rooms? It's true. The market really started to get out of hand in 2002, through 2005 when builders were building homes as fast as they could and investors were buying these properties site unseen. As of right now there are over 20,000 vacation homes in the Central Florida area, and we expect that number to drop to 12,000 to 14,000 units.
2) Less Vacation Home Property Managers- Right now there are over 700 property managers specializing in managing vacation homes. As the number of vacation home rental units go down we expect the number of property managers to go down as well. The healthy number should be around 200 to 250.
3) Nightly Rates will increase- If you are looking for a good deal on an Orlando vacation home you can definitely find one. Right now, the average 3 bedroom vacation home with a pool is just over $100 a night. Now we expect these rates to rise when the number of vacation homes in the market place decreases (the law of supply and demand).
4) Vacation Home Communities will Thrive- The communities with strong HOA's and the ones which offer resort activities such as: basketball courts, swimming pools, computer rooms, 24 hour guard service, and gated communities are going to do extremely well in the future.
5) Nicer vacation homes- There are a lot of really nice vacation homes in the Kissimmee area don't get me wrong; however, there are some which need a little TLC. The ones that need the work are primarly owned by investors or individuals who hadno business owning a vacation home. The sad truth is these people have put no money to put back into their property and it has declined fast. In the near future, most of the homes which need work will be reposed and sold and fixed up again.
The real winners in this downturn of vacation homes in Kissimmee is the visitors to Central Florida. There will be nicer homes to rent, more professional property managers, and communities which offer more services.

Unique Advice on Selecting an Orlando Vacation Home

Deciding where to search for an Orlando vacation home is without a doubt a difficult task. Almost everyone travelled to Disney World at some point in time and is likely to offer their personal advice. The internet is also scattered with articles similar to these aimed at helping travelers find the best deals. However, this post is intended to put a slightly different spin on these run of the mill advice columns and provide you with some two items many people overlook when selecting an Orlando vacation home to stay when visiting.

Cleanliness is one of the most important factors to consider when picking a home. While many people might disagree with this at first, have faith that this is valuable advice. I’ve heard horror stories of individuals that rented a home all set and ready to enjoy their stays in Orlando only to walk into a nightmare. Upon entering the vacation home they find it completely trashed and never cleaned from the last guests that stayed there. This is often more commonplace with individuals who rent vacation homes on their own without the help of a booking agency. Therefore, one of the first questions I would ask or find out the answer to before booking a stay is, “How often is the home cleaned?” If the response is delayed, involves stuttering or is answered with “on a need be basis” then watch out! There are plenty of fun activities in Orlando. Do not let a dirty vacation home destroy that. Ensure there is a regular cleaning schedule so that you are able to enjoy your trip.

The other consideration to keep in mind is proximity to the theme parks. Many people assume that a home is near the major theme parks simply because it is in Orlando Florida. However, Orlando is a large place and only a few of the savvier travelers know that Disney World is actually in Kissimmee Fl. Take the time to take a look at the map and find out how close the vacation home actually is to the major theme parks. Do not end up surprised by not doing a little research in advance!