My first post, is a loaded one...

[search66]

Well, this is actually my second post... but I'm going to really load this thread up.

My family and I are planning our Disney vacation for the week after Thanksgiving and I want it to be perfect. I've spent the last two-weeks researching different villas, areas and just about everything else you can think of. However, I think the thing that I hesitate the most from is the authenticity from villa owners. It seems as though I'm taking a chance if I reserve a house. Example: one place that my wife and I have narrowed it down to, I just get bad vibes from for some reason, but we love the house and location. This is why I'm joining this forum, in hopes that I meet someone who clears my internal "spidey-sense".

If there are any owners that could give me some advice or even *gasp* a sales pitch (via email or phone); I'd truly appreciate it.

Also, and I truly don't mean to offend... but I've noticed that 75% of the villas I look at are UK owned. I guess I'm just a wee bit hesitant to commit to someone out of the country. Is this odd for us shallow Americans to feel this way? I'm curious on how the transaction would be completed as well as the monitary exchange rate and communication....

Finally, here is my wish list for the "perfect" vacation home in Disney...

- 4 bedrooms
- close as possible to Disney (don't laugh)
- fairly seculded pool and hot tub
- tastefully decorated (some of this Floridian decor makes me cringe)
- resonably priced (again, no laughing)
- easy access to and from Disney World
- most importantly... security. Knowing my vacation and villa are planned for, paid for and trouble free!

*shew*

Thanks again for all the feedback, and truly appreciate this forum and everyone who responds!

-Shane

[ctgirlscout]

Hi Shane, and welcome to the forum! First, you should know that if you book a villa through one of the OV sites, the home is verified to be owned by the person listed on the ad.

Also, it does seem that a lot of the villas have UK owners. Not a problem. Most of them have US bank accounts and accept US dollars. There are also a lot of US owners, too.

If you put your request into the three sites, www.OrlandoVillas.com, www.VillasFlorida.com, and www.OnlineFloridaVillas.com, I'm sure you will be able to find the perfect villa for your vacation.

[Cruella DeVilla]

Shane,

All the 3 websites of the OV family are verified villa owners. We have to priovide proof we actully own our villas. You can do a search via these sites as owners are not allowed to do business in the way you ask (phoning/email) unless you send them an enquiry.

On the other side of the spectrum villa owners trust their villas to people they do not know too!

Paying is not a problem either you will be able to work something out with the owner.


Oh and welcome to the forum..

[search66]

Thanks for the response, it was exactly what I was looking for. I guess I want my cake and eat it too, eh? I want the comfort and security of booking a hotel, but the personability (is that really a word??) of a friend and personal home owner.

And I was sure that I would have offended someone from the UK! I was truly hoping for someone to slam me on that!

[search66]

I apologize for the double post, I know it's a forum taboo...

Anyway, what are your recommendations for location? I've heard that "closest" isn't always the best... it's more in regards to the route. The "Celebration" area seems to be most convienient, but there are few homes I've found in that area.

[Nostromo]

Welcome to the forums Shane. As as been said before ALL the villas on offer for rental via this forum are verified and you get a chance to discuss specific issues with the owners of your shortlisted villas before making a choice. Afterwards, the admins of this site will help you with further queries if there are any. The deal will be as foolproof as you can get and frankly, there is nowhere else better.

As to 75% owners replying being British, I think 90% is more realistic, at least from the replies that I got myself. But you should look upon it as an advantage (even though you are American yourself) because the Brits are better in sorting out the 'basic' needs and issues of everyday life, something that is important if you want to take your family to a holiday home. I am a neutral Indian and can say that whereas some of my British colleagues might feel hesitant to make that claim.

So go ahead and choose a villa to suit your needs and take it from there. Everything will go well, you'll see.

[search66]

Thanks for the feedback, Nost... I wouldn't know about the British sorting out basic needs.. I'll take your word on it, but I have noticed that the British have better taste in home decorating!

:P

Well, it seems as though this website would fit my needs the best. In regards to my last post, bias or not... what is everyone's favorite area to stay in (for convienience, location and beauty)?

[Carla]

I'm a Brit owner and I'll take up your challenge Spidey.[msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

Why do so many Brits own a home in Florida? Two main reasons:

1. Walt Disney moved his Mouse to Central Florida and created the biggest Theme Park system in the World,

2. Florida has YEAR ROUND sunshine and 98% of days are warm or hot.

We have neither of these in our own Country. In fact we're lucky if we get a few days of continuous sunshine even during our Summer and the closest that we can get to the Mouse is Paris, and Northern France has pretty much the same weather as we do. Those who don't own in Florida probably have a place in Spain, Portugal or somewhere else on the Med. We do so love our holiday homes and the more sunshine the better.[msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

We are also a hard lot to offend - too thick-skinned to worry. Probably comes from travelling the World and colonising many countries out there, including your own.[msnwink][msnsmile2]

We are so good to our guests that we don't even hunt around for references from them, we take our guests on trust, and all we ask it that they pay in a timely manner and treat our wonderful homes with a great deal of respect. Many owners take credit cards or will happily accept US$ Travellers checks or even a personal check, providing you send this in plenty of time for it to clear without any problems.

Send your enquiry out and see all the wonderful places that you can choose from. Don't leave it too long because any dates around Thanksgiving tend to get booked up quickly.

Happy Hunting.[msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

[blott]

Welcome to the forum! Mmmm, British owners eh? Well, I'm one of them and I have around 50% of guests from the US or Canada so I can assure you that payment isn't a problem as all British owners have a US bank account and some can take credit cards too. We all have email addresses, websites, home addresses and phone numbers and faxes too - oh, and we're all human!

You're right to question whether home owners actually own their home but the verification requirements on the three sites mentioned above are very strict with homes having to be verified every six months. So, what does that mean to you, a potential guest? It means that you can be absolutely certain that the home is owned by the person who says they own it. That's not to say that you might or might not have a rapport with particular home owners (we're all different individuals) but at least you know that they all own the homes they advertise on the three sites.

The majority of the homes are within 15 mins or so of Disney so there's no problem in getting to the theme parks at all.

So, I'd say that, if you booked a home from one of the three sites, you can't go far wrong. Have a great vacation in a home away from home in Florida!

[chrizzy100]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by search66
Thanks for the response, it was exactly what I was looking for. I guess I want my cake and eat it too, eh? I want the comfort and security of booking a hotel, but the personability (is that really a word??) of a friend and personal home owner.

And I was sure that I would have offended someone from the UK! I was truly hoping for someone to slam me on that!
[/quote]

I don't think you are alone......I can't get a lot of my American friends to even look at renting off of someone they don't know ...or that I don't know......