While I hope some of you who visit our page rent our home and experience it first hand, I thought it might make sense to let you know about our experiences there as well.  We just purchased the home in April 2007 and stayed there for the first time in August.  We have always been huge Disney fans and have been going to Florida since we were kids.  After starting our own family we took our oldest son for the first time seven years ago and have been going two or more times a year ever since.  Our accommodations have been eclectic to say the least.  We started at off site hotels, then moved on site to hotels at Disney, with a preference for those closest to Epcot.  A couple of years ago we joined Disney Vacation Club and found the extra room to be a huge plus.  More recently two more babies entered our lives and we began to realize even a two bedroom DVC unit wasn’t enough space.  We went to look at houses more on a whim than anything and one thing led to another.  We really liked the Windsor Hills complex and flew down in February with the intent of purchasing a house in the older section of the development.  We then came upon the house pictured in this site and the rest is history.  Our lot is great, there is a greenbelt with a park across the street and the backyard is bigger than most, with a great amount of privacy.  Many of the homes look into another yard but our property is elevated and it really makes a difference.

 

At first we worried about being off of Disney property, but the house is so close it doesn’t make a difference.  One night I clocked it and made it from our doorstep to the turnstiles at Epcot in 15 minutes.  It took us that long from the Boardwalk hotel!  There is just so much room, the kids can play and everyone has their own room, which is great with two young babies, as our babies tend to wake each other up if they sleep near each other.  Hitting the pool was great as well.  We tend to do the parks for a few hours and then take a break.  We had no problem doing it with the house and it was actually a bit easier than the hotels in some respects because we could easily feed the kids.  It was also great having so much near the home.  Even though Windsor Hills is gated and you have a great feeling of privacy, you are still in Kissimmee and whatever we needed wasn’t far away.  At first we were driving about 6 miles to a Walmart, but then we found a great Publix supermarket just 5 minutes from the house.  There is a Walgreens nearby as well, in addition to usual fast food, like Burger King and chain restaurants.  There is an Outback Steakhouse right next to the supermarket.

 

At the end of the trip we couldn’t believe how fast the days past.  We have another trip planned for October and will be heading down for the marathon in January.  If you have ever given a thought to renting a home in the Disney area, I strongly suggest you give it a try, whether it is ours or another you may find.  We were always on the fence about staying in a home and felt it wouldn’t be as fun as staying on Disney property, or as convenient.  Although I will say that I am a bit surprised, we didn’t miss the hotels at Disney and if anything the house was much more convenient.

 

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions, whether it is about renting the house, purchasing one yourself or just staying in the Disney area.  I will be happy to share whatever I know, my e-mail is on the Rental Info page.

 

We will try to update the blog at least every time we use the home.