View Full Version : Best Orlando Websites???
Could anyone recommend good websites for planning a holiday to Orlando.
Obviously ive seen all the official sites, this one and Orlando Rocks.
Just wondered if anyone had any others i should check out.
If you check out our website at [blatant advertising of owners websites like this is against our rules] open the attractions page and you'll find lots of links to various web sites for the Orlando area
have you tried just doing a general search, Ive found some great sites for info this
way, apart from that this site has many threads that are full of great info
Have a look at,
[website edited]
An excellent source of information for the Kissimmee area, contains a complete listing and map
for everywhere on the 192 highway and surrounding areas as far north as Clermont and South to Haines City
Also has idiot proof driving guides from Sanford (SFB) and Orlando (MCO) airports including pictures of the actual route out of the airport etc. :D
Well, there's a question? Why this one of course! [msnwink][msncool]
If you have a search for topics you're interested in, you'll find absolutely loads of info. If you want to know something you can't find, then just ask!
Why has the link in my post been removed?
It does not point to any other site offering villa rentals, the site is an excellent source of useful and practical info for the 192 and surrounding areas and has been posted here on several occassions.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
27-02-2004, 16:31
The link that has been removed points to a site that offers villa rentals I'm afraid [msnsad]
Hi there,
I sent a private message to you (Iain) with 10 links that I use all the time (they help out a lot). Hope it helps you as well
:)
Amirah,
Thanks a lot for the PM, ive just been checking the sites and some good stuff on there.
Much appreciated
:D
susangrah
28-02-2004, 01:57
hi there, i an interested in other website as well. we are travelling to orlando for christmas
huckleberry house
28-02-2004, 02:04
Hi guys
Why are you on this forum ,which is packed with info on all aspects of Orlando, and asking for details of other websites ? what else is there to know that isnt covered here and if there is something you cant find you can ask a question and we will do our best to answer it.
Lesley
bellaepovera
28-02-2004, 02:24
Couldnt agree with you more Lesley!! Orlandovillas.com is the best site for planning your vacation, and has all kinds of info so just ask away!!
I agree every question I have ever asked has been answered, is this the best site, well as a rentee and with a non bias view, I think it is, the owners here help you even though you are not
renting from them, their only concern is to help you have the best holiday you can have
So for me its the best ive found
quote:Originally posted by chrisj
I agree every question I have ever asked has been answered, is this the best site, well as a rentee and with a non bias view, I think it is, the owners here help you even though you are not
renting from them, their only concern is to help you have the best holiday you can have
So for me its the best ive found
Hear hear!
This site is fantastic!
phil moloney
28-02-2004, 04:27
Your questions will be answered honestly on this site.
You will be able to rent a verified home and contact the owner directly.
look no further you have found an excellent site. If you have any further questions or needs you will be answered honestly both by owners and renters or folk just enjoying this site,
Do you all shop at just one store? We all shop around. There is nothing wrong with seeking information from other sources. This site is a great source but there are also other great sources out there too. You are so very welcome Iainh. Also sent you the links too Susan.
huckleberry house
28-02-2004, 11:27
Amirah
There are indeed many other sites out there that give information on Orlando,and any search engine will find them,
I dont go into walmart and ask them if they would recommend a better shop for my purchases.
Lesley
susangrah
28-02-2004, 13:51
Hi amirah
thanks for sending pm, but new to all this and dont know what one is or how to read it
sue
huckleberry house,
Yes this is a great site and its great to be able to get just about any question answered by the people on here who are in the know and have first hand experience and i appreciate all the help people have given me so far.
However, i simply want to browse as many Orlando/Florida websites as i can and i also like to look at a lot of the pictures from the theme parks etc.
I have generally found this site and 'Orlando Rocks' to be the best two sites so far and also the International Drive and Kissimmee sites had some good stuff on also, as did some of the links that Amirah sent me.
Ray&Sarah
28-02-2004, 17:16
Susan.
Click on inbox at the very top of the screen and it will take you to your PM's.
Good luck.
susangrah
28-02-2004, 17:33
Thank you
Lesley...the links I sent to Iainh and Susan were basic Orlando Information sites. It was not links to other villa sites. If I were allowed to paste the links on this page that I sent to them in PM then I would have gladly done it that way. The last time I did that, it was removed. Also, if anyone else (villa owners who market their homes here) wants to know what I sent them, PM and I'll send you the sites I listed.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
28-02-2004, 20:36
Amirah
The main problem is what looks like an innocent and very useful link often leads to a website with villas on which we do not allow. Everyone seems to be getting in on it these days which is a real shame as the last thing we want to do is stop people sharing useful information to plan their vacations. Not sure what the right answer is to be honest [msneek].
I understand the reason for pulling direct links to other villa rental sites but not to sites which (like the one I posted) are primarily information sites which have a couple of off site links on them, which to be honest I'd not even noticed until you pulled the link and I went to look for them.
This site is a very good source of information and advice for many people but no one site covers everything, we frequently see links to other sites such as UKDish where more information can be found about Disney and Holiday Truths where a very good discussion on the new Visa requirements is going on and is invaluable reading for anyone travelling to the USA.
These forums offer several services, Car rental, Flight prices & Theme park tickets are all examples where we have threads with references and links to other sites offering the same services and even direct price comparisons which don't get pulled. Those same sites also have links for accomodation.
I appreciate that villa owners have a livelihood to protect and that finding a balance in these things is not an easy task, my wife is a moderator on a few horse forums and she's always getting the sticky end of the stick :)
While everyone will never agree with every descion we all appreciate the hard work that goes into making this one of the best sites.
I totally agree with Jeff and I also understand your position John.
Goodness, why are people on this site getting so defensive because someone wants info on other sites? It's a natural thing when one is planning a big trip to find info from different places. No reason to scold someone for natural needs and curiosity. And no reason to pretend that this site, as wonderful as it is (and I love it) can be all things to all people about everything in Orlando. Goodness, calm down and let people be curious. It is understood if no one can post any website names here, that is the right of the owners and management of this site. So PMing is the way to go. Not even Walmart has everything you need, and even if they do have whatever it is, I don't always shop there!
bellaepovera
29-02-2004, 12:06
Caseyd I think Lesley was just using the Walmart as an example. Did you ever go to Burger King and order a Big Mac?? [msnscared]
But beside from kidding around, we all love this site, and I suppose we care about it so much and work at it alot then if we think someone is directing others to different links that offer other villas we get offended..so sorry if this was not the case as I am sure you can understand where we are coming from.[msnwink]
huckleberry house
29-02-2004, 12:15
Caseyd
I wasnt suggesting that people should only use this site,nor that there is anything wrong in wanting to gain advice from as many souces as possible,but I do find it strange that people dont simply use a search engine to find sites rather than posting on these free forums asking for links to other sites.
Lesley
I think half the problem is the amount of information returned by a simple web search, most people don't know how to filter results from search engines and end up being overwhelmed by the sheer number of results and find it easier to ask someone who has already been there and done the work :D
A simple Google search returns the following,
Florida Info 7,280,000 links
Orlando Info 4,880,000 links
Florida Villa 1,840,000 links
Orlando Villa 1,760,000 links
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
29-02-2004, 14:09
We have a discussion on the owners area taking place as we speak about the best way to handle links to informational sites that also have villas...we will hopefully announce things very soon [msnsmile]
steph_goodrum
29-02-2004, 15:00
When these forums were started by the owners of the site a couple of years ago the intention was for homeowners to be able to discuss various issues which may concern them regarding ownership etc. Of course this quickly evolved into helping each other find other places of interest etc. and get the most of their trips and then expanded as it soon became apparent that many guests were asking the same questions and it was seen as a good way to inform them of what was available and things like visa information etc. However the main intention ( as I understood it) has been to assist the guests and potential guests of those people who choose (or are deciding whether ) to book their holidays through Orlando Villas and their sister sites, to enable them to get the most out of their holidays, not to provide a fully comprehensive guide to everything to do with Orlando (there are plenty of sites doing that already) including where you can get the cheapest accommodation, (cheapest is not always best), or to promote other websites offering the same or similar products. Of course it's been so successful it's often regarded as THE place to go to find out what you want to know but I think it is only fair that the site owners are still able to use their discretion about links published as they put so much effort into maintaining their sites and search enigine optimization.
As has been said the search engines will do that quite easily for everybody and it's up to people to learn to filter what they do or don't want.
To use the analogies already shown you wouldn't expect to go into Walmart and ask them if they knew what special offers KMart had.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
29-02-2004, 16:53
Right - we have all discussed the matter and the policy is that we do not allow links to any sites that advertise villas as the whole point in the forums is to drive people to our villa rentals sites and get bookings for our owners.
Any links of this sort will be edited out but we are happy that you can use pm's to send them to anyone who asks, although we do not want people openly saying please pm me for the links as has been seen on this thread.
We hope people can understand the reasoning behind all these and appreciate that keeping these forums free for anyone to use involves a considerable cost to ourselves, which we obviously have to fund from somewhere.
Pikey1999
02-03-2004, 01:08
quote:Originally posted by floridadreamvilla.co.uk
Right - we have all discussed the matter and the policy is that we do not allow links to any sites that advertise villas as the whole point in the forums is to drive people to our villa rentals sites and get bookings for our owners.
Any links of this sort will be edited out but we are happy that you can use pm's to send them to anyone who asks, although we do not want people openly saying please pm me for the links as has been seen on this thread.
We hope people can understand the reasoning behind all these and appreciate that keeping these forums free for anyone to use involves a considerable cost to ourselves, which we obviously have to fund from somewhere.
Fair enough.
But what about links to sites that may have links off them that may end up leading to another site that may advertise other villa's?
Or are all links barred?
Just for your info I have passed this site on to others purely due to the fact that it did have so much useful information on it (including links) and they have gone onto book villa's, car hire etc from here.
I think it is a fine line between protecting your interests and gaining enough interest on the site to keep the potential 'customers' from moving sites straight away.
I bet Iainh23 is sorry he asked!;)
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
02-03-2004, 01:31
You are right - it's a very fine line and not one that has an answer that pleases all of the people all of the time.
A bit of common sense in line with my comments above is all that is required...[msnsmile]
Can we put this one to bed now and get on with discussing Orlando and Florida [msnwink]