Booking Late

[trevor89]

Hi, newbie to these forums and think they are great!
Just have a question about booking late to Orlando, travelling from the UK. I have spotted some fantastic deals online if we were to book within last 2/3 weeks of departure date, but these are all flight+hotel deals. I was wanting to know what my chances would be of getting a villa free on such short notice and would we get it at reduced rates? The planned date of stay is the 17th September, but flexible each way. Thanks!

[CERICROWLEY]

This forum will be unable to help with deals you have booked though agents or direct with tour operators, as all homeowners on here deal direct with guests. You will need to direct your questions to a forum that helps with tour operated bookings, but you are more than happy to ask questions about anything else.

[trevor89]

Hi, thanks for the reply! I should have made myself a bit more clear, i'll have another go. The options are to book through a tour operator for the hotel deals or book flights and stay in a villa booked directly. Meant to ask, form the experience and knowledge these sites, will I have a good chanced of booking a villa that close to departure? I have mostly stayed in villas previously and think its the best way to visit Florida

[MTP]

I guess it comes down to some well worn discussions that have been had on this forum.

Ultimately, yes, you will probably be able to book a villa at that short notice. Either the villa will not be booked, or you could pick up a cancellation. Will you get the villa you really would like ... perhaps not.

If there is somewhere you would really want to stay, then you are best booking it to know you have it. If you are not fussed with where you stay, except that you want a villa, then treat it as a dare and see just how late you can hold off![msnwink]

The only thing that I would add from a personal point of view, as a villa owner, is that I am very, very wary of late bookings as there is a higher risk to the villa owner of getting a scam guest or someone in who may mistreat your villa as they don't care about the property. These may be false misgivings, but, as it's my villa it's my rules!

[CERICROWLEY]

From many of the villa owners on here, and from your original post asking would you get a villa free or reduced rates, I doubt it very much.

[christhear]

I don't think that trevor is asking for a villa Free (as in not paying for it), I think he is saying will there be any villas free as in available.

Some villa owners may give you a small reduction in price for a late booking but don't expect massive reductions as most of us charge a decent rate to keep our villas in tip top condition. With the cost of taxes, utilities, commission, cleaning we are better off leaving the villas empty than renting them out at loss making prices.

As MTP has said you probably will find a villa but your choices will be restricted.

[CERICROWLEY]

oops, reading a bit quickly.. Understood.

Yes may be limited in choice, with availability and your specific needs and wants. But there will be some I am sure.

[SDJ]

I am sure you will get a reasonable selection of villas available to you as September is a notoriously quiet month usually. I would however point out that you may not get much discount, if any. It is sometimes, as previously stated, cheaper for owners to leave the villa empty. It is still very hot in September so air conditioning alone takes a huge chunk out of any rate you may have paid. However, you will still find some great value homes on this site and all the villas are verified by the owners of the site.

I have a friend who only last week resigned from a well known UK Travel Company who have a contract with a well known UK airline, who place their guests into villas supposedly advertised in the brochures. She only worked for 2 months as she was ashamed of having to explain to people when they complained about the villas they were allocated, that in fact the villa was only a small part of the overall flydrive holiday and there was nothing the company was prepared to do about it. Of course, this does not happen all the time, and you may be lucky to be allocated a villa you are happy with. You have to do what suits you best.

Enjoy your planning.

[trevor89]

Thanks for all the replies, especially those with the first reaction of being helpful and friendly.
I thought that villa rentals would stay at a fairly consistent price due to taxes etc, but thought I would ask to double check.

I would love to drive but I'm only 22 and finding I'll face a daily surcharge of $25 for car rental. Is there anyway this can be avoided or at least reduced?

Eager to have as much cash to spend on great food and awesome shopping!

I have WMMO on my Iphone, been listening to it all day as well, can't wait fo the Floridian sun.

[Lyn]

I have found in the past that if you want a specific villa you need to book well in advance. If however you have not got a villa or an area in mind there are 1000s of villas out there and you should be able to get one at short notice. As for a discount, I think that would depend on the owners profit margin. Having just purchased a villa I can now appreciate how much everyting costs and running the air con etc. is very expensive and as already mentioned it could be as cheap to just let it stand empty rather than give a discount.