1st Time Villa Finder in Orlando 2003

[BeautyNTheBeast]

My wife & I are from New York & we're planning a trip to Orlando, December of 2003 through the Christmas & New Years season. We have a few questions so please be patient with us.;)
1) We have two small well behaved cats that we will need to bring with us. Does anyone know of any villas that do accept pets with no problems? Has anyone ever traveled with their pets to Orlando?
2) Has anyone been to the theme parks during the holiday season? If so is it really worth it to visit? ie: weather wise, park lines & over all feeling?

We have stayed in a villa with our pets only in Mexico but have had a hard time finding one in Orlando (which is surprising) :(

I have been in and out of this site for the past week & I have found some beautiful villas. I have sent out a few inquiries just today; but I figured why not use this handy forum for more information. It would only be for my wife, myself & 2 small cats. We consider them our babies :D. We're looking for a 3 bedroom villa with 2 bathrooms. Yes, we're the type of people that love space.

Any tips & suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thnx so much for taking the time to read this post.

Sincerely,
Beauty & The Beast
well ... Cynthia & Philip M. :)

[athurstance]

I'm not sure that any of the villas on this site allow pets - it is very unusual for someone to do so and they are very hard to find. There are boarding kennels in the area though which I believe take cats - I don't know if this is an option for you but it is worth mentioning.
Disney during the Xmas/New Year holiday is busy but is it a really special time. The parks have loads of extra activities and the decorations are just amazing. Don't miss the Osborne Lights at MGM they are just so spectacular.
The weather is unpredictable. We were in Orlando Christmas 2001 and it ranged from quite hot to rather chilly - particularly in the evening. But only so you need a sweater - not really cold.
Being from New York I would guess you are a bit like us Brits though in that it is NEVER really cold in Florida when you are used to the weather back home. We also had very little rain - a few light showers that's all.

Angela

[blott]

Hi Beauty & The Beast or Cynthia & Philip M

Welcome to the forum. Like Angela, I don't know of any homes that accept pets but, if any do, then you're likely to have to pay a larger security damage deposit as well as an additional cleaning fee as lots of home owners take people who may have allergies and every cat hair, etc would need to be removed and the home sanitized in order that other guests can enjoy the home after your stay.

Far better, I would have thought, to consider boarding your cats during your stay. You'll find some information here about Disney http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3995&SearchTerms=kennels There are also other places such as www.basspetmotel.com which has been recommended by a guest at one of the homes on this website and you can visit them whenever you like.

As to Christmas, I'm sorry I was one of those you enquired to but we're going ourselves then! :) It's a great time of the year to visit Florida. Don't miss Epcot's Osborne Family Lights which turn on at 6 pm every evening and each year the display gets bigger and better! If you're intending going to the parks on either Christmas day or New Year's Eve, be aware that it does get crowded and try to arrive before 11 am as sometimes the parks close their entrance if there are too many people. Apart from the parks, you must try Celebration's artificial snow (which will make you homesick for NY!), particularly on Christmas Eve.

[esprit]

There is a problem with taking with pets in the villas. You cannot please all the people all of the time and for every person who enquires about taking a dog or cat, another will enquire asking for confirmation that there have been no pets in the villa because someone has pet allergies. So you have to be wholeheartedly pet friendly or not, there is no middle path where you can just take the odd dog or cat now and then. The only way an owner could really take pets is by setting up a specifically pet friendly villa with equipment and procedures in place and going exclusively for that market. I am convinced there must be someone doing it as it is a niche market for which there is a demand, so just keep on looking. If you cannot find anywhere, I would suggest the Disney kennels which do take animals from clients not staying in Disney.

[BeautyNTheBeast]

Thank you all who replied so quickly. We will continue our search with our fingers crossed. But please if anyone else knows of a pet friendly villa please do contact us via the forum or email. :)

Sincerely,
Philip & Cynthia

[Carla]

I know of an owner who allows small pets in his villa. These owners are very few and far between, but this one takes his own pets with him when he comes to Florida, so is happy for guests to do the same. I will get him to contact John and Roger from this site to put his villa details here.