Why You Should Rent a Vacation Home for Your Next Walt Disney World Vacation

The price of a hotel room on Walt Disney World property can take a huge bite out of your budget for a one-week stay. To save money, you can book in the off-season or stay at a budget hotel off-site. Another alternative, and one my family enjoyed, is to rent a vacation home complete with private pool for a week. If you search on the internet, you can find several reputable companies. All homes are furnished and are usually within 3 or 4 miles of Walt Disney World property. We found All Star Vacation Homes, advertised on All Ears, and we were very happy with them.

Benefits of Renting a Vacation Home:

Less Expensive

For about half the price of a deluxe resort room per night, you could stay in a 3-bedroom pool home. Since these often sleep 8, you could share the expense of a home with another family. Or, if you require a larger home, vacation homes are available as large as a 7-bedroom home, which sleeps up to 16 people.
By renting a vacation home, you'll have more room for the family to spread out, instead of being cooped up in a 1-room hotel room. This is especially valuable for those rainy summer afternoons when you go stir-crazy locked in a hotel room together. In addition, each member of the family can have privacy with plenty of bathrooms for everybody.

Home Environment

Feeling at home can be more relaxing and recuperative after long days in the parks. Each member of the family can enjoy separate activities when needed or take that much-needed nap while others listen to their music, read, surf the web or even get some work done from the office.

Eat at Home

Not only does eating out in restaurants for every meal get expensive, but it gets old, too. After awhile, you long to just make a simple PBJ and sit in your pajamas at night instead of always having formal meals out. Some vacation home rental companies will stock the refrigerator for you for a fee or you can do your own shopping at a nearby grocery store. The homes are equipped with full kitchens, complete with pots and pans, serving dishes, dinnerware, and serving utensils. And should you want take-out, they are usually a stack of brochures of restaurants with take-out and/or home delivery service.

Laundry

Having convenient access to in-home laundry facilities also allows for lighter packing. Vacation clothes for an entire family for at least a week can really add up. But if you can easily do laundry while relaxing in the home or swimming out by the pool, what a savings in money, time, and effort.

Amenities

Some of the private homes and/or communities include a game room, pool, spa, and mini-mart depending on the category of home you rent, such as resort, luxury, or executive. But they all include your own private pool. It's simply a wonderful way to relax in the afternoon after touring the parks all morning in the heat, crowds, and with tired feet.

Often they will have specials such as rent 7 nights, pay for 6 or get a free car, free tickets or upgrades, free pool and spa heat, or whatever special they're having at the time of booking. Note: there is usually a 4-night minimum stay required. And heat for the pool is usually extra. Also, condos and townhomes are also available if that suits your needs better.

In our case, we rented a vacation home and invited other family members to share it with us in order to celebrate my father-in-law's 80th birthday. It was a fabulous way for family to share a special occasion. Sometimes we went out together, other times we split up and did separate activities. But we could always meet back at the house for special family time together. It was a week we'll never forget.