Just back from Vistana Villages

[sandyneck]

I wanted to post this because I know a few people on this board have been asking questions about this resort, myself included, and now I have first hand info. My family goes to Disney every year and we always try to get the most luxury for the least money. I usually do pretty good, but this time I really outdid myself if I do say so. Even my husband who is ultra picky about hotels was truly impressed with this place. My dad, a world traveler,was also along and liked it so much he is wanting me to plan a trip back next year. The resort is a cluster of buildings around a huge pool with waterfalls, islands, and rock formations. Each building has a waterview, either the pool or a small lake. The two bedroom villas are so luxurious I could not believe it. Top quality furnishings and fixtures, along with glassware and dishware. There is a sunken jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom. The one bedroom, which my sister had, is also nice, but rather small compared to the two bed. I think if you had four people in the one bedroom, with two on the couch it would be pretty tight quarters. There is a small deli on sight with Starbucks coffee and pastries in morning and a light menu until 10 pm. Also a pool bar and arcade. They had tons of activities for the kids and adults also. They spared no expense in the landscaping and it is beautiful. I would love to answer any questions anyone has. I know it was hard for me to find info on this prior to going. I almost switched to HIFS, but I am so glad I didn't. I received lots of praise from my family for doing such a good job picking the hotel. What I really liked about the layout was it is big enough to feel like a resort, but not so big you have to take a shuttle to the pool(I have had to do that)
It is the perfect size resort in my opinion. Like I said, any questions, please ask. I am very detail oriented so get as specific as you like.

[crusoe2]

Hi and thanks for all the great info. We are wavering between the Vistana Resort and the Vistana Village. How long is the drive to Disney parks from the village? Is it a fairly easy route? Also, what kinds of restaurants, stores and shops are near the village? Thanks again - it is so nice to be able to get this kind of info to help with the decision making! :)

[sandyneck]

It was a five minute drive to Downtown Disney and Typhoon Lagoon and about a 10 minute drive to the actual entrance to Magic Kingdom. There is a back way to get there which had no traffic at all and was very easy. The resort is located on the quiet side on Int'l Drive so you cannot walk to any restaurants, but within a five minute drive there are many shops and dining places. I reserved thru hotelkingdom.com and got a great rate. I know it is a little cheaper than the Vistana, and smaller, but that is why I liked it. Any other questions, I would love to help! ;)

[jh123]

My family of four stayed at the Vistana Villages in October of 2000. We loved it also! It was a beautiful resort even though it was still under construction at the time. We had a two bedroom unit and it was really spacious and beautifully decorated. I don't think we can ever stay at a 'regular' hotel in Orlando again. We were too spoiled here! The best part was being able to make breakfast before we left for the park and also having a washer and dryer in the unit. I went home with no dirty laundry. It was wonderful!
We also booked our room through hotelkingdom.com and saved a lot of money.

[AWD]

Hi!!! We're planning a trip for November 2001,
and I've narrowed it down to the Vistana Villages and the HRH. We will be going to US/IOA, Sea World and maybe a day to Disney. I'm leaning
toward a 2 bdrm. at Vistana Villages. How was the pool? Also, are the tennis courts complete??
Our boys will be 15 and 12, so what activities are there??? Thanks for any info!!!!! :) :) :)

[sandyneck]

The pool was gorgeous. It had a walk thru cave with a waterfall in front of it. They have a volleyball net at one end of the pool and the other is a kiddie area. The middle is where the waterfall is. The pool is huge and they have big inner tubes you can use. I saw basketball courts that were complete, but I didn't see tennis courts. They had activities everyday such as family water balloon fights, make your own sundaes, volleyball tournaments and things like that. There is a small game room with a few games, but nothing great. Your kids will love IOA. It is spectacular. Like the above post said, if you stay here, be prepared not to ever want a regular hotel room again. Also, buildings 1 and 2 are right at the pool, so it may be slightly noisy there, but if you want to be the closest to the pool that would be your choice. Buildings 8-11 have the least best views, even though they are still OK. Buildings 4-7 probably have the best views. We were in 3 and liked it because it was the end building and very quiet and we had a nice view of the lake, but there is a parking lot to the right side, but we actually didn't even see it.. Any more questions?

[crusoe2]

The more I learn, the more I like the sound of this place. I'd like to know a little more about the pool tho - how deep is it? Does it have zero entry? And what is the kiddie section like - is it for very small children or would a 9yo enjoy it? Thanks again! :)

[pstepka]

What rate did you get for the time you were there?

[sandyneck]

The pool does have zero entry and then gets deeper. I am not sure what the deepest point is but it was over my head. The kiddie section just has an island with fountains coming up at different times. Your 9 year old would probably like the waterfall section the best. There were all different age kids and they all were having a great time no matter what they were doing. There is also an adult only pool which is much smaller. Two huge whirlpools also that were very clean and the perfect temp. I paid 149.00 for a 2 bedroom and my sister paid 119.00 for a 1 bedroom. I believe this is the highest rate, I looked it up for one of my friends going in Oct. and the 2 bedroom was only 129.00. Just so everyone is aware, this is a timeshare resort, but we were not bothered at all to do the tour. As a matter of fact, if I didn't know it was timeshare I never would have guessed. If you do want to do it, they have a free breakfast and give you 75.00 or tickets to Universal. It may change, so ask what you get if you are interested.
I am glad to give any more info if I missed something. :)

[Sharmaine]

Thanks for the info. I'm one of those confused types holding 4 Orlando area reservations for my May vacation. Now (for today, at least), I'm leaning very strongly towards the Vistana Villages reservation.

Was there anything at all you DIDN'T like about this place, or would think might not exactly ideal for us - we are a family of 4 with 2 kids ages 4 and 7.

Thanks again for the report.

[sandyneck]

We are a family of four with kids ages 5 and 6. My Dad was also along. I really can't think of anything we didn't like. As I said before, all 3 adults are very picky about hotels and we usually always find something we don't like. THe only thing I can say is that the 1 bedrooms do not have quite enough room for 4 in my opinion, but the two bedrooms are very spacious. THe deli is very good and serves Starbucks coffee and Boars Head deli meats along with good burgers, chicken fingers and desserts. Don't feel bad about multiple reservations. I have had as many as 8 at one time before. This is the first place we have stayed that we are all agreed to staying next year. What will I do with all my free time not researching hotels?? :cool:

[Cheryl B]

Hi, Thanks for the GREAT info on this new property!! We are staying at the Villages in July and wondered how off shuttles run? Thanks for the detailed info. Keep it comin'!! Cheryl

[TXMomX3]

Thanks for the info you've given regarding the Vistana. We are staying at the Vistana Resort (My parent's timeshare) at the end of May. I'm confused tho between the Resort and Villages? Are they one in the same or different locations?

[sandyneck]

First, for Cheryl's question. We had a rental car but had my sister and her toddler went on their own a few days. She took the shuttle to my MK. In the morning they run at 8:30,9:00, and one other time. Pick up is at 6:15,7:45 or 9:00. The other parks have a more limited schedule. YOu can have the shuttle come at other times but they do charge you. You may want to look into renting a car. We went thru dollar and got a great rate with the code EMFL. That way you could go to some of the less expensive place to eat and save some money on food. My sister did take a cab once to MK and it was $18 but it was a stretch limo! Hope this helps.

Next, Vistana and Vistana Villages are sister resorts. The Vistana is much bigger than the Villages from what I have heard. It is also more expensive. I have heard good things about it and if you do a search on the site you can find some reviews on it.

Any more Questions?? :)

[LeahA]

How many times were you approached regarding sitting through the time share meeting?

I went to one resort once where they asked several times throughout our stay and we kept saying, "No."

It sounds like a beautiful resort!!!

[Sharmaine]

Just wondering - did you ever stay onsite? Any general comments on that vs a good offsite like VV? One of my reservations is for onsite, of course.

Also, did you ever stay at Westgate Lakes Resort (not Villas or Towers)?

I've read all the on vs off threads, and a few about WLR/V/T too (though I didn't specifically go back and check for your name, I admit). Just thought I'd ask for anyway.

[j]

Thank you Sandyneck. You have eased our minds about picking the Vistana Villages. It will be our first trip (2 adults & 1 9 year old) to Disney in September and we ended up making reservations through hotelkingdom for 79.90 a night for the one bedroom suite. The rate sounded too good for it to be a great hotel! A couple of questions though...What is the back way to drive into the parks that you refer to? Also, does the one bedroom also have the jacuzzi tub? I have seen some info on the rooms that make it sound as if there are a couple of different layouts for the one bedroom rooms-so I don't know if I need to request a room that has the tub or if they are in all the one bedrooms or in none of them. Thanks again. Any info you can share is greatly appreciated.

[jh123]

LeahA,
When we stayed there in October, we received one phone call asking if we wanted to attend the "welcome breakfast" presentation. My husband said "no thanks, we weren't interested" and that was the last we heard from the timeshare people. Each day when we returned for the parks, there would be a phone message listing the events for the day(ice cream sundae making)etc.. I don't think timeshare sales were mentioned and since we never attended any of the programs, I'm not sure if the timeshare people were there.
The Vistana Villages were the first timeshare resort we ever stayed at so I don't really know what typical timeshare seller behavior is!
Our stay there was the same as at a hotel, only much nicer!
:cool:

[dianat]

Thanks for all your help, Sandy. Although, now I'm a little nervous about getting "just" the one bedroom. There are 4 of us (2 kids both age 8).
I hope we aren't too cramped, but we just couldn't pass up the deal we got for 4 days at only $199.00!!!!! Plus, we bought 1 extra day for $89. I am very excited to hear about how nice it is!! We are also very much the "deal seekers". We are renting a car, but will probably take the shuttle most of the time. My sister, husband, and 2 children ages 6 and 8 got the 2 bedroom. We hope to have a great time. What about the back entrance to MK? Also, are all the kids activities you were speaking of free? Thanks so much!!
Diana :)

[sandyneck]

I will try to answer all questions from the above posts in this one post. First, I received one message on my phone asking if we were interested in the time share. I never called them and they never called me back. The one bedroom has a regular size tub with jacuzzi jets, but does not have the big whirlpool tub like the two bedroom. Some activities had a small fee and others were free. They also had a kids club for ages 5-12 for 20.00 per day. I am not sure what they did because we did not use it. The back way we used was an access road that brought you in by downtown disney. We did not go on I4, which we had in the past and it saved on traffic time. There are directions at the hotel on how to go. For people staying in the one bedroom with four guests, see how much more it would be to upgrade to the two bedroom. My sister could have gotten the 2 bed for 20 more a night and it would have been well worth it. If not, the one bedroom will be fine.
I have stayed on site before at Shades of Green, the Poly and the Contemporary. Once we started staying in one and two bedroom villas for half the price of on site with 2 double beds there was no going back. I know some people are hooked on staying on site, I just don't happen to be one of them. We rent a car and I actually like getting out of the parks and scouting out new places to eat. I have never stayed at any of the WestGate resorts but I have seen some unsavory posts about all of them.
I think I covered all questions, if not, let me know. I am more than happy to help out :)

[Sharmaine]

Great info - very useful to read your impression of DR deluxes vs offsite suite. We tend to think we'd feel more or less the same way, but as this is a one-time trip, we really want to get it right. It easy to find the pro-DR at any cost reviews. Not so easy to find the other perspective .

[jjjbennett]

Could you tell me is the Whirlpool jacuzzi bath in the two bedrooms big enough to be comfortable for 2 persons to soak in at the same time?

[jeff968]

We stayed at the Vistana Resort in February (see my earlier post for a review) and I was very pleased with the location in Lake Buena Vista. The enterance to Downtown disney was 2 minutes out of the resort enterance on 535. If we visited one of the parks we would get on Route 4 south and we would be there in minutes. I recall that the traffic always got bad just when we were ready to get off Exit 27 heading north and I always said to myself "thank goodness we weren't staying in Downtown orlando or else I would be in that traffic". I know the Vistana village is located in Orlando. You never hit any traffic going to and from the resorts? I always thought that was a plus with staying in Kissimmee or LBV.

[Lisa P.]

The drive between lower/South Int'l Drive (where Vistana Village is located) and WDW does not involve I-4 at all. It's just a regular road (two lanes each way, plus center left turn lane at times) with almost no traffic lights. This is the same area as HIFS - very easy, direct drive to the parks.

[sandyneck]

The whirlpool tub in the 2 bedroom did fit both my husband and myself. We are both average size people. Hope this helps.

No, we never hit any traffic, as the post above states you never have to get on any major road to get into the parks. It was great. And if you are doing Sea World it is about one minute away. When we drove to Universal we went down Int'l drive and it was fine. Just remember, we did not go during a holiday or vacation time so take that into consideration when thinking about how traffic will be.

Also, another poster had asked about jacuzzis in the one bedroom. I do recall now that they had a few one bed that had a seperate Jacuzzi but you had to ask for them and they were limited.

I am glad I have helped you guys out. Glad to answer anything else you can't find here.

[jtryan]

We too are debating between Vistana Villages and Vistana Resort. We had previously decided on Resort and then I found this wonderful posting on the Villages. It seems to be just as nice although newer and smaller than the Resort. Since we spend most of our time in WDW we probably won't do much more than sleep at the condo. My main concern is the additonal distance and traffic. Can anyone tell me if it is no more than 5-10 minutes farther than the Resort? By the way, the difference (through hotelkingdom.com) in costs would cover a round trip plane ticket for one of us - Villages is less by over $160.00. Is it worth the distance?

[sandyneck]

There are a couple posts that say the same thing about the distance. It is not bad at all. I don't know the distance from the Vistana resort, but as I said before, it took us about 10 minutes to reach MK. Also, for people who have not been before, it is very difficult to judge exact times to parks. First you get to the main entrance, then there is the actual park entrance, with the MK this entrance only takes you to the TTC which then takes you to the actual park. Unless you are going at high season, there is not much I have not found much difference in times to get to parks from different areas. Hope this helps.

[jtryan]

Hi Sandyneck
Thanks for your help. I think we are going with the Villages. Can't wait for December! Do you know if they heat the pools during the winter months?

[sandyneck]

The first day we arrived the pool was not as warm as I would have liked it. I heard other people complaining and the next day it was like bath water and stayed that way. I have read a post from someone who went in Feb and said the pool was not warm enough. I have never found the temp of pools to be very consistent anywhere so I don't know what to tell you. They do say the pool is temperature controlled, what that means I am not sure. There is always the hot tub!! :cool:

[Scotch]

sandyneck: Thanks so much for the detailed info on Vistana Villages! I had a hard time finding detailed info on the resort on the web; and Starwood/Vistana's web site was not very helpful -- hardly any pictures of VV. I'm thinking of staying there next year on a timeshare exchange and I'm bringing my in-laws along so I really want to impress them. Based on your description, it sounds like I will. Could you tell me more about the grounds -- i.e., nice walking/jogging trail?, lots of trees/shady area? How about the lake you mentioned? Is it just a small lake or big enough for boat rides? I'm also looking at Marriott's Cypress Harbor. It looks wonderful on the web site, with that big lake in the middle. Have you stayed there? If so, I'd appreciate hearing your views re VV vs. CH.

By the way, for those who are concerned that VV is "smaller" than Vistana Resort, it shouldn't be too big a deal. While VR is around 130 acres, I read that VV is on 90 acres -- which is still huge. Though I understand construction is ongoing so I don't know what percentage of the resort has been built/opened. Perhaps sandyneck or others can shed some light on that.

[SHMommy]

Sandyneck,
Thank you so very much for posting about Vistana Villages and for all your helpful info. I had ressies for HIFS but cancelled them and booked the 2 brd. villa thur hotelkingdom.com got it for 119.90 a night can't beat that great price!!! We are so excited about our trip we leave in one week 5-31 and will be there for 5 nights.

You said you stayed in building 3. Did you request that before you arrived? I called and they said it was first come first serve bases, and once there you could choose from what was available. Should I call back and insist on a certain buliding? I want to be close to the pool but maybe not in builings 1 or 2 if they are noisy--cause I have a DS 3 and DD almost 2. Which building would you recommend? Oh, I also what a nice view.
Thanks again for taking the time to post and answer questions.

[SHMommy]

I guess Sandyneck isn't checking this post for questions anymore. Oh, well thought I'd post again to let everyone know that I called V.V back and asked them which building I should request? I told them I wanted to be near the pool with a nice veiw. The guy told me if it was him he'd stay in building 6 or 7 on the 5 th floor. He said there is a veiw of a lake with a fountain in it. These buildings aren't the most closest ( I think sandy said 1 & 2 are but the guy said the pool stays open until 1:00 am. and it could get pretty noisy. I told him to go ahead and put me down for builing 6 or 7 but not the 5th floor since I have 2 little children I think the 2 or 3rd floor is better for us. This place sounds great and we are very excited about being there in 4 days!! I'll post when I get back and let you know how everything went. HAVE A DISNEY DAY!!!

[Scotch]

SHMommy: I'm looking forward to your report when you return. I'm also interested in the best building for view and convenience to pool yet away from the noise/crowd at night. Hope you have a terrific trip.

[jtryan]

SHMommy,
I too am interested to hear your first hand report on V.V. We will be staying the 1st week of December. I would really like to know the most convenient building to the main entrance since we don't plan on swimming. Also, if you try any off-site restaurants, please post what they were and your opinions. Have a great time.:)

[babla]

Have a great time, SHMommy! We're going the last week of September. I'll be looking forward to your review of the VV, too!

[SHMommy]

Scotch, jtryan,and babla

Thank you for all your well wishes. I will be happy to answer any of your questions when I get back from V.V.
We will be returning on 6-5-01. So I probably won't get to post until the 6th or 7th because I'll have to unpack and get settled in to our routine.

Well, I'd better go pack some more--my husbands says I take everything but the kitchen sink LOL! I wish I knew how to pack lighter-- I always take too much! Guess its better to be safe than sorry I don't have something I need.

Bye for now.