We've been to the Orlando/Kissimmee area of Florida numerous times and have stayed at Disney and Universal properties, non-theme park affiliated hotels, timeshares and private homes or villas that are rented directly from the owner via sites like VRBO and AirBnB and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of renting private homes or villas.
Advantages
Cost
The biggest reason to stay in a private home or villa is the cost. Although Disney and Universal offer a variety of accommodations at different price points, as do non-affiliated hotels, a private home is, by far, much less expensive. Our 4 bedroom 3 bathroom villas average $145 per night and you get an entire house including a private pool, most also have private hot tubs, a full kitchen and a two car garage configured as a game room. When you take into account not having to eat at a restaurant for every meal, a private villa really does seem like a bargain.
Meals
This brings me to my next point, meals. You can go to any number of supermarkets near our villas and stock up on food and beverages reducing the number of times you have to eat at restaurants. Not only does this save you money it also allows you to accommodate any special diets. A typical park day for us involves eating breakfast at home, having lunch and dinner at the park, coming home and putting the kids to bed, then relaxing with a nice drink in the pool or hot tub to decompress before going to bed. On non-park days we may eat two or three meals at home or try one of the many good restaurants in the area. Check out our local restaurants guide here. A tip for Walmart shoppers, there are two Walmarts in the area, one is located just off 192 on N. Old Lake Wilson Rd. This Walmart is very popular and usually very crowed. The other Walmart is a little further away, depending on which neighborhood you are staying in, but worth the extra 5 or 10 minute drive as it is much less busy and has the same merchandise. Take 192 west to the end then take 27 north and the Walmart is in a shopping center on your right.
Space
If you're like us having an entire house with a separate bedroom and bathroom for the kids is really appreciated not to mention a full kitchen, living and dining area as well as the pool. A family of four would probably be sharing one room with two queen beds and only one bathroom if staying in a hotel unless they opted for a two bedroom suite, which would cost considerably more. Our 4 bedroom 3 bathroom villas can comfortability accommodate up to 8 guests and we also have 5 bedroom and 7 bedroom villas for larger families or multiple families. We also have two homes next door to each other for large groups traveling together, but also want their own space now and then.
Flexibility
Staying in a Disney or Universal resort property can by a very nice experience if you plan to spend your entire visit in just Disney or Universal, but if you want to spend a few days in different Disney parks, a couple of days in Universal parks and also visit other places like the Kennedy Space Center or SeaWorld then staying in one of our villas can offer more flexibility. Getting into and out of Disney and Universal can be more cumbersome, especially during times when parks are opening and closing, than staying in one our our neighborhoods.
Disadvantages
Transportation
One advantage of staying in Disney or Universal is that they provide transportation so you may not even need to rent a car. I still consider this an advantage of staying in the park, particularly with Disney, but its not as good an advantage as it used to be because the parks are getting more and more crowded, Disney and Universal continue to build more hotels and the transportation systems are feeling the strain. Disney, in particular, provides four free ways to move you from your resort to a park or from one park to another: buses, boats, gondolas (skyways) and monorails. Buses are the most common and can get you to and from anywhere, however, they are the least fun mode of transportation and you may have to wait for an hour or more during peak times to get on one. The boats and monorails can hold more passengers than a bus and are more fun to take, but there are fewer boats and monorails than buses and they only operate on certain routes so they can only take you between certain places.
Two other transportation options also exist, but cost extra. Disney is now offering private shuttle services for an extra fee so if you don't like waiting in line for a bus you can always try this option. The other is Uber and Lyft. They also basically provide you with private shuttle services at a more cost effective price point than Disney's private shuttle service and provide transportation anywhere, not just within Disney.
Park Access
Both Disney (Magic Hours) and Universal (early admission) offer extra time in their parks, typically one hour prior to opening or one hour after normal park closing time, to guests that are staying in certain Disney or Universal hotels. Disney typically limits Magic Hours to one or two parks a day so you should plan ahead if you want to take advantage of this. However, if you are not staying in a Disney resort you may want to avoid parks with Magic hours as they may be more crowded than usual.
Parking Fees
Both Disney and Universal charge for parking at their theme parks. However, when you take into consideration the money you save on hotel and dining costs I think it is worth it. Of course you can always utilize Uber or Lyft, but would incur their fees instead.
Inconsistency
There is much more variation and inconsistency when staying in private residences than staying in a branded hotel or theme park resort. However, there are several things you can do to insure that you get what you are looking for. First, check an owner's ratings on as many platforms as possible. Good owners work very hard to keep up their ratings on sites like VRBO and AirBnB. Second, feel free to contact the owner with any questions or concerns you may have before booking. This will not only answer your questions, but will also give you a sense of how responsive and friendly the owner is. Third, when you find a villa or owner that you really like stick with them when making future bookings thus taking some of the guess work out of where to stay next time.
Conclusion
If I were going to only Disney or Universal and money was not a consideration I would consider staying in one of their resort hotels. However, if I intend to spend one or two days at Disney parks, one or two days at universal parks, a day at Kennedy Space Center and a couple of days at SeaWorld parks I would stay in a villa. If you wish to learn more about our villas click here for lots of photos and descriptions.
What are your thoughts on where to stay in the Orlando/Kissimmee Florida? Do you prefer staying at resorts, hotels or villas? What have your experiences been renting villas? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
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