First of all, this was our first time using VRBO. From the onset our experience has been a great one. The VRBO app made it easy to filter the results we were looking for. The property fit our criteria and at the price it was listed, we pounced on it.
We received a couple of emails prior to our arrival and the best one was from the owner himself, Manny. As we landed, Manny sent us a personal message along with the pertinent details about the home and our expectations as renters. He made it very easy to get through the gated property and into the home.
When we opened the door we knew we picked a good one. It was clean, the fridge was cold, and the towels were ready for use.
As it turns, the property is very conveniently located to all the Disney and Universal properties so it made getting to/from the parks quite simple and we were never further than 15 minutes from any of them. Additionally, the property is located less than 10-15 minutes from restaurants--any food type, from chain to highly rated family-owned joints (you gotta get to the former New York families place, "Fresco Cucina Italia").
I checked in with Manny to let him know we'd started the laundry and taken the garbage out and he wished us good luck on our flight home. Because of his hospitality, we felt like the least we could do is buy a pack of toilet paper and a box of tissues for the next guests, in hopes they have the same positive experience we did. Not sure if that's customary for VRBO or not, but we did it anyway.
I'm a new VRBO convert and if we ever get back to Orlando, I'm staying at Manny's place.