Orlando Disney and other area theme park ticket sales are ending the year in a very robust manner.

According to local media sources, 3 of 4 Disney parks had to stop guest entry to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom for about an hour and a half as we close the year.

Despite a gloomy economy, the end of December has never been stronger for tourism in Central Florida. Such robust demand has also  impacted local villas in Orlando for rent who appear to be a major beneficiary of this record attendance.

Internet searches for “Orlando Villas” typically reach their peak early in the year. 2011 was no exception as most travellers plan well in advance of their vacation. This bodes well for the future. 2012 promises to be a record setting year for Central Florida tourism, especially in lieu of the multiple park expansions slated for 2012-13.

Legoland Florida also reported that the new park reached capacity recently as well. Long waits in excess of 45 minutes and traffic congestion on area roads were reported by Polk County news sources. Click here for the full Legoland story.

Finally, Universal Studios® and Islands of Adventure stopped admitting individuals mid-afternoon until offsetting park guests departed. Of course, Universal has seen a huge lift from the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.

Renting a villa in Orlando, Kissimmee and Davenport are a favorable alternative to limited area hotel rooms after a long day at a packed local theme parks . Villas offer amenities such as washing machines, self catering kitchens and game rooms are but a few of these advantages. Consult our profiles of over 80 vacation villa communities in Central Florida.  You’ll be glad you rented an Orlando holiday villa!

To avoid those long lines when the parks are full, watch the video below:

However, we did discover a recent Wall Street Journal article entitled “Are You Ready to Be a Landlord” that covered the ins/outs of owning real estate from a landlord perspective.  This article covered many of the opportunities and risks.

Current Opportunities

• Opportunity costs are low – Many domestic and international markets are quite volatile in today’s environment. The investment expectations for other potential asset classes are quite low.
• Interest rates – Interest rates, assuming you have good credit, are hovering around all-time lows. However, origination fees and interest rates tend to run a half point higher for second homes than for primary residences.

Current Risks

• Rental Vacancies – It still takes a savvy owner or property management company to rent your vacation home. There has never been more competition for vacation rentals in Central Florida. The inability to actively market your vacation home rental could lower your return.
• Unplanned Costs – No matter how smart and prepared you are, there will always be some blutterbunging expenses that pop out of nowhere. If you are looking for more details on vacation home break-even analysis basics you can see our previous post.
• Calculating Rental Revenues – It is very smart to realistically assess your potential revenue sources from your vacation rental. Overly optimistic estimates almost always lead to investment returns below your expectations.

If you are looking at potentially renting or purchasing a vacation home in Orlando or the Central Florida market in general, always do your homework and use professionals that are independent. There are plenty of opportunities, but there are also risks involved.

One additional nice thing about finding a vacation home rental property in Orlando is the fact there are dozens of high quality neighborhoods such as Encantada Resort Kissimmee, Hampton Lakes Davenport, and Emerald Island are within minutes of major theme parks and attractions.  Over 80 vacation home rental communities are profiled on our home page including information on location, amenities, driving distances and community facilities.

• Time of Year – If your schedule is flexible, find a time of year that suits you and your group’s preference for weather and park occupancy. Some time ago we did a post that compares these variables and suggests some of the best times to visit Orlando.Time of year will definitely impact the deals that may be available for both vacation home rates and park pricing.
• Size of Home and Amenities Desired – If you have a large group, you may be able to reserve many different types of sleeping accommodations that will be comfortable. The more options and flexibility you have, the better you are equipped to grab a deal when it presents itself.
• Attractions You Want to Visit – Decide what major attractions you wish to visit and if possible, determine how many days at each park. This will help you minimize your driving time from park to park with the goal of being strategically  located to enjoy your vacation time. Whether you are looking for Disney house rentals or homes near other parks, there are typically always 3-4 star rental homes nearby.
• Pick Your Favorite Community Along with a Few Alternates – Using our community reviews, pick your top resort community along with a few alternates. Although there are some distinct communities like Encantada Resort, Windsor Hills and Emerald Island, there are many other smaller quality communities that you may never have heard of.

Last minute holiday villas are still available for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Orlando’s Capital One Bowl. Vacation homes are the perfect holiday choice for you or your group. Our best advice – be an educated consumer and keep your options open to get snag the best deal possible! Good luck.

Vacation rentals allow the consumer to plan specific aspects of their travel and lodging experience including location of villa, amenities, quality, and size of accommodations. No other form of lodging allows this type of individual personalization based on specific needs.

Although hotels offer some of these advantages for the consumer, they certainly do not offer the breadth and choice as vacation rentals do. Changing tastes of today’s traveller now demand self catering kitchens, game rooms, private pools and other premium amenities.

The problem is often the amount of information available at a granular level for vacation homes. For instance, consumer travel review websites are sometimes considered poor sources of accurate information due to how the reviews are obtained. Researchers now formulate ways for consumers to spot fake travel reviews . Not all consumer reviews are an issue, but ongoing industry debate on this topic clearly indicates a big concern.

In Orlando, the amount of choice of type and quality accommodations can be overwhelming. This site has been developed to help simplify the options by reviewing over 80 vacation home resort communities in Central Florida.

For those vacationing in Central Florida, vacation rentals in Orlando Fl offer tremendous opportunities to personalize one’s vacation experience. In many vacation home resort communities such as Windsor Hills, Emerald Island and others, individual homes vary in size, amenities and sleeping accommodations among other items. Due to this planning flexibility, vacation rentals are quite flexible to meet your needs.

Family Resorts in Orlando

There are over 80 different family oriented vacation home resorts available in Central Florida. With so many choices, finding one that matches your specific needs is very possible.

A brief list of reasons why vacation home rentals in Orlando make a solid choice:

• Value – Depending on the size required, vacation villas can be reserved for the mere cost of a standard hotel room (or rooms). It also pays to be an educated consumer when evaluating all the plethora of local rental options.
• Quality/Cleanliness – Perhaps the best evidence of the quality that  rental homes offer is the  number of repeat guests that stay in a resort villa. Vacation home accommodations are a growing national phenomena. This website is one of the few to review individual resorts in a variety of areas. Our reviews of resorts and vacation communities are designed to help provide information.
• Location – Many Orlando area vacation resorts for families are located within minutes of major attractions. Consulting the individual resort profiles on our main page indicates dozens of resorts within 10-15 miles of the major theme parks.
• Privacy – Many vacation home resorts have private gated grounds and amenities. This gives any family a sense of safety, seclusion and solitude after a long day at the parks. Many rental homes and condos also have private pools for a family’s pleasure and enjoyment.

If all of this sounds good to you, check-out our resort community profiles on our main page. There are many unique choices that will meet you or your family’s needs while vacationing in Central Florida.

Moreover, the author concludes that one of the major reasons the vacation home rental market is growing is due to a “hotel fatigue” phenomenon. Although this may in part be true, one must also consider consumers are more aggressively looking for a superior vacation experience. Once considered out of the financial reach of most consumers, many people are coming to the conclusion that vacation rentals provide an experience that is both affordable and often vastly superior to conventional hotel rooms.

Thus, the combination of great vacation experiences and excellent value are pushing vacation home rentals more and more mainstream. The most stress free and economical way to accomplish this, as we conclude, is to rent from a professionally managed vacation home rental company.

It should also be noted in the same USA Today article the editorial comments concerning the high number of “positive reviews” that appear on some owner driven rental websites. This is listed as a “Con” and the reader is left with the impression that perhaps something else is going on here, but we are not sure.

Vacation Home Rentals

Vacation home rental trends in the Orlando market continue to thrive. In addition, the rising popularity of the Harry Potter Universal Studio attraction and the upcoming Legoland opening are creating lots of buzz and growth opportunities for vacation rentals. To view numerous vacation rental communities in Orlando, Kissimmee, Davenport and Clermont, check-out our main page.

• Universal Orlando – Save money on each ticket purchased directly online from Universal including a coupon book with hundreds of dollars of savings for the entire family. The Universal website is continuously updated with potential discounts and savings options.

• Disneyworld – Perhaps the biggest way to save money is proper planning. So many families we personally know plan way too much and then never get the value from their Disney Park Hopper ticket plans. Make sure you plan a full schedule, but be realistic.
• Restaurants and Dining – Although Disney does offer a full dining plan, keep in mind that an average family can save literally hundreds of dollars by eating breakfast and dinner in your own vacation home. This makes any family vacation more affordable  by dining in your very own self-catering kitchen.
• Vacation Home Rental Deals – There are a lot of deals out there if you stick with high quality management company websites. Resist the urge to book from vacation rentals by owner (VRBO) unless you personally know the individual renting the home. Our personal favorite post on the most common complaints from renting from owners can be accessed here. We also suggest consulting our community reviews for spotting some potential bargains posted on management company websites.
  

  Orlando Family Vacation Deals

• Disney and Orlando Planning Deals – If you are going to pay for a comprehensive guide for vacation planning in Orlando, we recommend Julie and Mike Neal’s “The Complete Walt Disney World”. The most recent guide has been fully updated and contains a multitude of new photos. Valuable tips and deals for families on a wide variety information sources are contained in the book. The paperback version can be ordered here on Amazon.
• Last Minute Vacation Deals – Some of the best Disney Florida vacation deals can be found on this website.

The key ingredient for all of these areas is to shop around and be aware of all the available travel deals . One must poke around on the internet and do your research!

Spring Break in Orlando

Let’s look at some great activities and events that are featured in Central Florida during Spring Break (click on internal site links below): 

• SeaWorld Discovery Zone – Make a splash in the lazy river, swim with the dolphins or enjoy the all new SeaWorld Shamu show beginning in April. The magnificent wonders of the oceans will be both educational and fun.
• Arnold Palmer PGA Golf - Come out and see Tiger Woods on his comeback tour or perhaps watch Rickie Fowler conquer the course and sporting his Bieber-esque coiffeur. All in all, this is one of the “signature” sporting events for Orlando. In fact, college spring breakers with a valid ID get in free on Friday, March 25th.  Remember, kids under 12 are free all week long with an adult paid admission. And if you love to do more than just watch golf, tee it up at one of many Orlando golf resorts.
• Spring Training Major League Baseball – The Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros all play spring training ball either in Orlando or within 1 hour of the city (Tigers in Lakeland, Fl). Don’t forget the Phillies that play in Clearwater, about 90 minutes away as well. The Phillies boast what could be one of the greatest pitching staffs of all time.
• Epcot Pubs and Restaurants – A spring break in Orlando wouldn’t be complete without stopping by the Epcot Park pubs and restaurants. From Mexico to Morocco, and from Canada to China, Epcot is a fun place to be. 
• Beaches – The closest beach to Orlando is roughly 1 hour away in Cocoa Beach, Fl. Daytona Beach is about 75 minutes away (depending on traffic) and St. Petersburg is roughlyly 2 hours away. All in all, you have some beautiful beaches to enjoy within a short trip from the area.

Speaking of Walt Disney World, make sure you explore vacation homes near Disney if you choose to come during Spring Break. There are lots of Spring Break rental choices available, small and large with a plethora of luxurious amenities including your very own private pool with many holiday homes. It’s not to late to reserve your Spring Break villa!

Top Two Bedroom Condos in Orlando

• Vista Cay – This Tuscan themed resort is very close to Universal Orlando® and is primarily comprised of luxury condominiums typically ranging from 1,200 to 1,500 +/- square feet. Although some large condos in this resort sleep 8 persons, villas at Vista Cay most often sleep 4-6 persons. Moreover, Vista Cay is best known for its proximity to the Orlando Convention Center.
  

  2 Bedroom Vacation Rentals in Orlando

Top Two Bedroom Villas in Kissimmee

• Oakwater Resort- This is a full amenity resort with maintained clubhouse, fitness center, spa and lagoon pool.  Condos in this resort most often sleep a maximum of 6-8 persons.
• Windsor Hills – This gated resort is one of our top rated communities in Central Florida. Two bedroom rentals in Windsor Hills comfortably sleep 4-6 persons depending upon the condo configuration with 3 bedroom options also available.
• Windsor Palms – This is a gated resort with large pool and outdoor spa, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. Indoor amenities include movie theater, fitness facility and kids arcade. Although condo floor plans will vary, these homes will typically sleep 6 persons.

Other smaller full vacation home options in Kissimmee, Florida  include villas in the Indian Ridge Oaks and Lindfields communities.  Both resort communities offer mature, eclectic vacation homes in a non-gated environment. Indian Ridge Oaks also offers a community pool and shaded outdoor recreational area.

Finally, one additional resort community worth investigating would be the Bahama Bay Resort in Davenport, Florida. Bahama Bay is a Caribbean themed mid-rise condominium complex with multiple pools and premium clubhouse. There are multiple condo floor plans to choose from.

Two bedroom vacation rental options are worth researching in more detail to see if they fit your specific needs. Often they can be similar in cost to renting a limited service hotel room. Consult our additional profiles located on the right hand side of the main page to help provide additional details on location, facilities, and amenities. This content along with resort photos to help you make an informed decision.

Groups of vacation homes and homeowners are typically organized to form a rental community. Each of these vacation home subdivisions vary with regards to their location, size and proximity to major attractions. The types of homes available for rent also vary and may include townhomes, condominiums and single family homes. In addition, these vacation home rental choices in a typical community can range in size from two to eight bedrooms.

With so much choice available in the state, this website focuses on vacation home rentals in the Orlando and Central Florida market. More specifically, we focus on vacation home subdivisions and neighborhoods which offer premium resort amenities for short term renters. One might be surprised to learn about the number of subdivisions that cater to the rental market. For many families, vacation homes are a very viable alternative to hotels.

Orlando Rentals - Vacation Homes in Fl

Vacation homes in Central Florida are quite diverse  in terms of location, type and quality. Locational proximity to Disney is quite important, and to this end the Kissimmee Florida area vacation homes are in high demand. High quality neighborhoods such as Windsor Hills, Emerald Island and Bellavida in Kissimmee, Davenport and Clermont are good examples of this.

The unfortunate aspect for many consumers is the fact that there is perceived risk for renting vacation homes. The main reason for this is the reality that vacation homes have no brand name association. However, our blog makes the case that in Orlando and Central Florida, the neighborhood or subdivision a vacation home is located in is in fact the “brand”.

To that end, we have posted over 75+ reviews of resorts and vacation home subdivisions in the area. In addition, when a consumer rents with a credible vacation home management company, they have the assurance that the individual home they are renting has met specific criteria. High quality Orlando area vacation homes have a long history of happy guests  and renters who spread the word about vacation home rentals.