We're looking into a family gathering in Orlando and need a 6-8 bedroom house. I've read about Windsor Hills and Formosa Gardens. Feedback on either of these or recommendations on other gated areas close to Disney is appreciated.

Feedback anyone? I've always relied on recs. from this site as they have always been accurate!!!!

I suspect that the slow response is partly due to the fact that there are not that many 6-8 BR houses for rent. After all, that is a BIG house. Why not look for two, 3-4 BR homes instead, perhaps on www.vrbo.com?

I did some digging and did not find any 6-8 bedroom houses in Orlando. Being from Florida, a travel agent and the fact that I go to Disney roughly 3-4 times a year. I can tell you that I have never even seen a house, except for the large houses down here in West Palm Beach, that is over 4 bedrooms.

Why do you want to all stay together? That could be unnerving, all being in the same house. You will not be able to get away from each other. So here are a few ideas.

1) Like Orlando Vic said, get two 3-4 bedroom houses. There are plenty of them.

2) get a block of hotel rooms. Like at one of the Value Resorts. Disney Loves Group sales. So if you call them and say you have 20 people going to WDW, they will give you blocks of rooms, and ticket discounts and other perks. Plus staying on Property means you do not have to rent cars for all of those people. Disney Magical Express will take you from the Airport to your Hotel room and back again. Disney does have larger rooms on property, like the Wilderness Cabins that sleep 6, with full kitchens.

Hope this helps.

Bon_Bon, so true about Disney and group sales! For a large party, I'd absolutely agree that it's a good idea to call them and see what they offer. There are a lot of advantages to staying on-property.

Thanks for the suggestions. Renting 2 houses may be a better option. We also thought about going with 3 condos. We have stayed at Floridays and Hilton Grand Vacations. Are there any other resorts we should research? There will be 20 people ranging in age from 10-76. We love to golf and swim. Also, is the new water park by Seaworld open yet?

" Also, is the new water park by Seaworld open yet?"

Yes, and it is called Aquatica <http://tinyurl.com/7vwrno>.

How about a 3 bedroom house or condo of some kind in the general Orlando-Cocoa Beach area?

Ozarks Bill

Orlando Vic,
Are you familiar with Windsor Hills or Formosa Gardens? Also, in your opinion what is the best area, both in safety and location to stay in Orlando? The above mentioned states that they are 2 miles from Disney. We want to be close to the parks and shopping. One is off of Apoka-Vineland?? We don't want to do a lot of driving and would like to take a shuttle or bus to the parks. Staying at Disney is a possibility but accommodations are pricey.

"Are you familiar with Windsor Hills or Formosa Gardens?

No, I am sorry I am not. I am not that familiar with rentals since I live here.

"Also, in your opinion what is the best area, both in safety and location to stay in Orlando? The above mentioned states that they are 2 miles from Disney. We want to be close to the parks and shopping. One is off of Apoka-Vineland?? We don't want to do a lot of driving and would like to take a shuttle or bus to the parks. Staying at Disney is a possibility but accommodations are pricey."

I think if you look in the Lake Buena Vista or International Drive areas of Orlando or even Kissimmee along U.S. 192, you will be very close and relatively safe. Apoka-Vineland is also fairly close. All (except possibly Kissimmee) are close to good outlet shopping. If you are staying in the I-Drive area and don't have transportation of your own, area, you could use the I-ride Trolley <http://www.iridetrolley.com/index.html> to get to the shops and to the outlets..

If you or a member of your group is an AAA member, get a free map of the Orlando area so you can see exactly where these areas are. Also, many hotels/motels have free shuttles to the parks. Ask about them!

From my previous post: "If you or a member of your group is an AAA member, get a free map of the Orlando area so you can see exactly where these areas are."

Better yet, get a copy of the latest AAA Florida Tourbook. It has several very detailed, lodging and dining maps that show exactly where each property is...and there are a lot of them!

The best objective online resource I've found for subdivision ratings is www.orlando-vacationhomerental.com. This sites gives you independent reviews which I find very helpful.

Ginn Renunion Resort has some large homes for rent. It's a really nice resort located about 6 miles west of the first exit for Disney, off I-4. They have a great pool area. The downside is that everything is spread out and you probably wouldn't be able to walk to the pool or the main resort area from where the larger homes are located and there isn't much in the surrounding area. We stayed in a 3-bedroom condo-style unit which was very nice. Maybe you could rent several of these located close together....

Thanks everyone. This is great information for me to use!!!

I just came back from a weeks stay at windsor hills and it is a great location very close to disney only a few miles. We stayed in a 3 bedroom townhome. I was going to suggest if you can't find a big house you could get two townhomes. I don't think it would be hard to find some that are right next to each other or a few doors away. It is a great complex the pool is very big and even has a water slide if you have kids with you they would really enjoy it. They also have a club house with pool table ping pong and a theatre you can watch movies. Most townhomes were within walking distance to the pool.
I know if this arrangement doesn't work out for you my kids have rented a big house it did have 5 bedrooms so they are out there. I am sure you will find a rental.But you wouldn't go wrong staying at windsor hills.

Yes, I agree. The website mentioned above (www.orlando-vacationhomerental.com) also rates Windsor Hills (and Emerald Island) as the best vacation home communities in the Orlando area.

H

UK_Hillary,
Thanks for the great website. I did access it and noticed that Windsor Hills was #1 and plan to do some research on rental options in that communnity.

If you need more properties to consider, Vacation Home Rentals (http://www.vacationhomerentals.com) has several 6-7 bedroom homes listed there.

Like Orlando_Vic, I also live here but wasn't familiar with Windsor Hills or Formosa Gardens. I just looked up the Formosa Gardens area and was a little surprised to see that it offers up to 8-bedroom villas that look quite nice in this link:

http://www.grandvillasformosa.com/?g...FQZinAodQ2EwDA

I was also a bit surprised to see where it was located, although shouldn't have been, as fast as housing had been going in around here. I just don't remember big houses down there, although it's an area that has had a lot of development in the past few years. These look quite luxurious, don't know our price tag though.

Look at the map on the link - Formosa Gardens is near the bottom, in the middle. Follow Highway 27 (on the left) north until it hits Clermont (at Hwy 50); that's the area I live in.

We went to Orlando in September 2008 and rented a vacation home through Florida Sun Vacation Homes. It was fantastic. I just checked on their website and they have 7 bedroom houses to rent. Each house also comes with a private pool in the backyard which we used every day! Here is the link:

http://www.floridasunvacationhomes.com/

Hopefully that will help you out.