top of page
Luxury Poolside Villa
Own Luxury Homes®

Disney World STR Communities Ranked — By Investment Criteria

Own Luxury Homes® verifies Disney World STR specialists who match community rankings to investor budget and income criteria with verified platform data. One verified introduction.

​Meet Your Local Real Estate Expert

Tell us your market, property type, price range, and whether you are buying or selling. We identify the specialist whose documented closing history matches your specific transaction and make one direct introduction. If no specialist in our network qualifies for your exact market and situation, we tell you directly — we never introduce someone who falls short of the standard.

← Disney World Real Estate Hub

Home → Markets → Disney World → Disney World STR Communities Ranked — By Investment Criteria

Disney World STR Communities Ranked — By Investment Criteria

6 min read · Request a verified specialist →

On This Page

Rankings by Criterion

By Absolute Gross Income

  1. 1. ChampionsGate Oasis (5–6BR): $85K–$120K
  2. 2. Storey Lake Resort (5–6BR): $72K–$105K
  3. 3. Reunion Resort luxury (6–8BR): $95K–$160K
  4. 4. Close-in Kissimmee (4–5BR): $58K–$80K
  5. 5. Windsor Hills (4–5BR): $58K–$85K
  6. 6. Davenport/Solterra (4–5BR): $52K–$72K

By Gross Yield (Best Return on Capital)

  1. 1. Davenport/Solterra: 13–18%
  2. 2. Close-in Kissimmee: 12–17%
  3. 3. Storey Lake Resort: 11–15%
  4. 4. Windsor Hills: 10–14%
  5. 5. ChampionsGate Oasis: 10–14%
  6. 6. Reunion Resort (entry): 9–13%
  7. 7. Reunion Resort (luxury): 8–11%

By Disney World Proximity

  1. 1. Windsor Hills: 7–12 min
  2. 2. Storey Lake Resort: 10–15 min
  3. 3. Close-in Kissimmee: 8–15 min
  4. 4. ChampionsGate: 15–20 min
  5. 5. Emerald Island: 10–15 min
  6. 6. Davenport: 18–25 min
  7. 7. Reunion Resort: 18–25 min

By Amenity Depth

  1. 1. ChampionsGate Oasis Club (waterpark, restaurant, golf simulators)
  2. 2. Storey Lake Hideaway Club (lazy river, mini golf, splash pad)
  3. 3. Reunion Resort (waterpark, spa, multiple pools, golf)
  4. 4. Windsor Hills (pool, clubhouse, tennis)
  5. 5. Emerald Island (pool, clubhouse, fitness)
  6. 6. Davenport/Solterra (lazy river, waterslide)

By Management Flexibility

  1. 1. Any community except Reunion Resort mandatory sections
  2. Reunion Resort mandatory sections: 28–38% mandatory on-site management
  3. All others: owner-selected management at 20–28%
  4. Self-management: viable in any non-mandatory-management community

By Established Review History

  1. 1. Windsor Hills (20+ years STR operations)
  2. 2. ChampionsGate (15+ years)
  3. 3. Emerald Island (10+ years)
  4. 4. Storey Lake Resort (established, growing rapidly)
  5. 5. Davenport/Solterra (newer community, strong growth)

Detailed Ranking by Category

Why ChampionsGate Leads Absolute Income But Not Yield.  ChampionsGate’s Oasis Club amenity package commands nightly rate premiums that drive higher absolute gross income than close-in Kissimmee communities. But ChampionsGate’s entry prices are $100,000–$200,000 higher than comparable Kissimmee pool homes. The income premium is real but the price premium is larger, producing lower gross yields. Investors who optimise for absolute income (dollars in the account regardless of entry price) choose ChampionsGate. Investors who optimise for yield (dollars earned per dollar invested) choose Davenport or Kissimmee. Full side-by-side comparison table →


Why Reunion Resort Leads Luxury but Not Yield.  Reunion Resort’s 7–8 bedroom luxury homes generate $130,000–$180,000 gross — more than any other property type in the Disney World STR market. But the mandatory management fee (28–38%) reduces net income significantly, and entry prices ($650,000–$1.5M) require large capital commitments. The net cap rate for Reunion luxury (4–6%) is below every other community on the list. Reunion Resort is the right choice for investors whose objective is a luxury product they also use personally, not for investors whose primary criterion is yield. Reunion Resort guide →


Which Ranking Is Right for You?

Match Your Budget to the Right Community:
Budget $300K–$420K: Davenport/Solterra or Four Corners — highest yields, lower Disney proximity
Budget $390K–$520K: Close-in Kissimmee or Emerald Island — good yields, strong Disney proximity
Budget $460K–$620K: Storey Lake Resort — Hideaway Club amenity + 10–15 min Disney
Budget $400K–$600K: Windsor Hills — closest gated resort to Disney gate + 20-year review history
Budget $520K–$750K: ChampionsGate Oasis — highest absolute income, Oasis Club premium
Budget $600K+: Reunion Resort — luxury product, mandatory management, lifestyle investment
1031 exchange target: ChampionsGate Oasis or close-in Kissimmee — best income-to-price ratio

The Bottom Line

The Disney World STR community ranking changes by criterion. Davenport and Kissimmee lead on yield. ChampionsGate leads on absolute income. Windsor Hills leads on proximity. Storey Lake leads on proximity-plus-amenity balance. Reunion Resort leads on luxury product. Match the ranking criterion to your investment objectives and budget. Then verify the verified platform income in that specific community before any offer — because operator quality within any community produces a range wider than the range between communities.

FAQ

What is the #1 STR community near Disney World?

There is no single #1 STR community near Disney World because the ranking changes depending on what you are optimising for. By absolute gross income: ChampionsGate Oasis section (5–6BR top performers generate $85,000–$120,000+ verified gross). By gross yield efficiency: Davenport/Solterra and close-in Kissimmee (13–18% gross yield due to lower entry prices). By Disney proximity: Windsor Hills Resort (7–12 minutes — closest gated resort to the Disney gate). By amenity depth: ChampionsGate Oasis Club, then Storey Lake Hideaway Club. By management flexibility: any community other than Reunion Resort mandatory sections. By established review history: Windsor Hills (20+ years) and ChampionsGate (15+ years). The community that ranks #1 for your objectives is the one where your specific capital, management preference, and income requirements produce the best documented outcome.


Is ChampionsGate or Kissimmee better for STR investment?

ChampionsGate Oasis section and close-in Kissimmee produce comparable gross income per dollar of entry price when financed correctly. ChampionsGate generates $15,000–$25,000 more gross annually but costs $80,000–$120,000 more per entry property. The financing-adjusted income comparison narrows the advantage to $3,000–$8,000 annually in ChampionsGate’s favour when modelled on 20% down at current investment property rates. ChampionsGate wins on absolute income and the Oasis Club amenity brand. Kissimmee wins on yield efficiency and Disney proximity. For first-time investors with $400,000–$500,000, the close-in Kissimmee yield math is more compelling. For investors with $550,000–$700,000 seeking maximum income, ChampionsGate Oasis is the answer.


What is the highest-yielding STR community near Disney World?

The highest gross yield STR communities near Disney World are Davenport’s Solterra Resort (13–18% gross yield) and the close-in Kissimmee STR corridor (12–17% gross yield). Both produce high yields because entry prices are at the lower end of the Disney World STR market while gross income is only modestly below the higher-priced communities. The yield advantage narrows when net cap rates are compared after management fees, HOA, insurance, and tax — but Davenport and Kissimmee consistently lead on both gross and net yield metrics relative to ChampionsGate and Reunion Resort. For investors whose primary criterion is return on capital invested, Davenport and close-in Kissimmee are the answer.


Should I buy in Reunion Resort near Disney World?

Reunion Resort is the right STR investment for a specific buyer profile: investors who want the luxury resort brand, championship golf course lifestyle, and are willing to accept mandatory on-site management at 28–38% of gross. For investors whose primary criterion is net owner income per dollar invested, Reunion Resort’s mandatory management fee structure produces lower net returns than ChampionsGate, Kissimmee, or Davenport at comparable gross income levels. The mandatory management fee at 35% versus a self-selected operator at 25% costs $12,000 annually on $120,000 gross — $120,000 over 10 years. Reunion Resort is a lifestyle investment with strong income for large luxury properties. It is not the highest-yield investment in the Disney World market.


Disney World STR community selection by your specific investment criteria requires a specialist who knows verified income by community and budget-adjusted yield analysis. Own Luxury Homes® verifies those specialists. One verified introduction.

Request a Verified Specialist Introduction → · 5% Performance Audit™ · Credentials

“The most important thing I tell buyers about community rankings: the ranking is a starting point, not a conclusion. The specific property within a ranked community matters more than the ranking. A fourth-quartile operator in ChampionsGate’s Oasis section generates $68,000 on a property that a first-quartile operator generates $112,000 on. The $68,000 operator’s ChampionsGate property would rank poorly against the $82,000 Kissimmee property managed by a first-quartile operator. The management quality layer on top of the community ranking is the variable that community comparison tables cannot show. That layer is what the 5% Performance Audit™ confirms before we make one introduction.”

— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO
Own Luxury Homes® (FL License BK3626873) | NAR 624500541 | USPTO 7968024

Related Disney World Guides

Own Luxury Homes® Resources

Meet Your Local Real Estate Expert

Tell us your market, property type, price range, and whether you are buying or selling. We identify the specialist whose documented closing history matches your specific transaction and make one direct introduction. If no specialist in our network qualifies for your exact market and situation, we tell you directly — we never introduce someone who falls short of the standard.

"The introduction Own Luxury Homes® makes is to a specialist with documented closing history in your specific market — not the county, not the metro, the submarket you're actually selling or buying in. That's the standard we verify before your name goes anywhere."

​

— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO, Own Luxury Homes® (FL License BK3626873)

bottom of page