Vacation Rental Information (and Rant)

Trying to decide where you are going to stay while on your Walt Disney World vacation is not always easy. If you are planning a trip with your kids and the grandkids, you might want to consider renting a vacation home. This can be a wise choice, because there are plenty to choose from that are near Walt Disney World. These homes have several bedrooms and bathrooms, and they also give you some of the conveniences of home. Most have a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. Plenty of vacation homes have private pools as well. (If you rent a home with a pool remember to keep and eye on the children, there are too many drownings each year in Central Florida.) Many vacation rentals are located just a few minutes from the parks, making them both a convenient and affordable choice.

This is where my rant comes in. The neighborhood that I live in has several vacation homes. It is also filled with people like me, people who actually live here. This is a residential neighborhood, please keep that in mind if you decide to rent a home. Across the street from our house there is a vacation home, and currently there is a large family staying there. They’ve been extremely noisy so far, and it’s only Tuesday. This morning the people who I assume are the parents had a loud argument in the driveway. The kids love to slam the car doors shut. This is normally an extremely quiet neighborhood, and many vacationers respect that. Unfortunately, the people there right now don’t.

We also have a vacation rental directly behind our property. One family who stayed there would spend hours in the pool, blasting the radio. They would sing along at the top of their lungs, I could hear them inside my house. The worst part was that they would leave for the parks and keep the radio on all day. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who lives here who appreciated the silence once the family returned home.

If you decide to rent a vacation home, please remember that people live here. Kids play in the streets, people who work overnights at Walt Disney World need to sleep during the day, and we have a speed limit. Act like you would want people to act if you lived in such a neighborhood. Thank you, rant over.

How do you know if a vacation rental is right for you? Only you can answer that question, but here are a few things to consider. Renting a house for a week will cost less than most of the hotel rooms in the area. You’ll have a kitchen and a washer and dryer, which are both convenient. With the kitchen you can save money as well. The private pool is an added bonus, especially if you’re traveling with children. Remember, though, that you will need to pay for parking at the theme parks, unless someone in your party has an Annual Pass. You won’t have access to the perks of staying on property like Disney Magical Express and Extra Magic Hours. If you want to always be surrounded by the Disney magic, then a vacation rental isn’t for you. If you want plenty of space and are looking to save money, it is something that you might want to consider.