Vistana Resort/LBV

[JessKerger]

Hi! I'm new here and going to DW next week. I've searched all around and have selected the Vistana 2BR villa through www.HotelKingdom.com as our hotel. I'd like to talk to someone who has stayed there recently or read reviews, but can find only a few. Does any one out there have advice for me? Thanks!:confused:

Jessica

[hercamore]

No advice, the Vistana is one of the nicest resorts in Orlando and in an excellent location. Probably one of the cloest resorts outside of disney property to the parks.5 minutes to Epecot and MGM.

Have a great time.

[threeboysmom]

Hi! We own at Vistana, so we stay there every year for our annual trip to Disney (about 8 times). We LOVE the resort and highly recommend it for those with children who don't want to stay in a cramped hotel room. If you have any specific questions about the resort, I would be happy to answer any of them. (We're going back next month - yippee!)

Kimberly :)

[jdm]

I am very excited that when I called RCI this morning to find out if they had anything for me yet... they did! A two bedroom villa at Vistana for 2/15 - 2/22. They hadn't called me and I was just getting ready to book a quick escapes for $449 for Orange Lake. Anyway! I won't be staying at RI anymore but will do one night at Portofino on 2/14 when we come off our cruise! I'm going to check out the Vistana with the Tug board but was wondering if anyone here had any personal experience with requests. I understand they have an older section called Fountains (?) and then the newer ones. Should we get an older one, are they really that bad or are they all pretty OK? Any and all info would be very appreciated.
Thanks,
Jenn

[Lisa P.]

The oldest section is Courts (no inroom jacuzzi). Cascades, Lakes & Fountains are all very nice, newer. Do read the reviews at TUG. We enjoyed our stay in Lakes a few years ago and would definitely return. Have fun - there are loads of onsite activities and beautiful pool areas. The location is tops. Enjoy!

[Scotfan]

Jdm, we will be at Vistana those dates, we own in spas, just bought in after visiting the resort 2 years ago. We loved it. Maybe we'll see you there.
We are the ones with 2 wee boys and scottish accents!

[jdm]

You were the one who referred me to Tug way back when and you were so helpful with all your info. I did read the Tug board but a lot of the posts that contained all the info about different sections etc. were a couple of years old. I'm assuming there has been some construction or refurb done since then. I am really interested in being by the
Super pool (as is everyone else there, probably) or the pool with the slide. Again, I'm not getting what areas these are in. If you were me... traveling with a 9 & 11 year old who live at the pool --where would you request? And, I do understand it's just a request and not a given. We are doing Universal & Discovery Cove but do intend to hang at the resort and enjoy. Any addtional info you could give me would be appreciated. :~)
Thank You
Jenn

PS Soctfan... Maybe we'll see you there! I'll be the one with 2 waterlogged pre- adolesence! (sp?)

[jtucker33]

VV just 5 min from epcot? how's the travel to and from the park? shuttles on time? Will we have to rent a car? I love what I hear about Vistana but really don't want to rent a vehicle.

[jdm]

VV is Vistana Villages which is a different resort from Vistana Resort, although both are owned by the same company. There was a very large thread going on about VV recently. Scoll down the board or do a search. There was a lot of info.
Jenn

[thericecakes]

Where can I locate the Tug board previously mentioned in the above posts?
Thanks for your help. Still trying to decide between VV and VR.

[Goofyzgurl]

I'd like to know where the TUG board is also. The search feature doesn't work anymore.

[jdm]

Hi
The TUG board is a timshare user board and is a wealth of info on resorts, timeshare owning etc. It is $15 dollars a year and gives you access to all of their resort reviews from people who have stayed there. Also, there is a lot of timeshare exchanges, rentals, etc. The web address is www.tug1.net.
Jenn

[jdm]

I tried to email you directly with some questions about the Vistana but your email wasn't listed. I have a couple of questions... I've done a lot of research and there is a lot of talk about the "super pool" but I can't seem to get the specific location or area that it is in. Also, it sounds like it is a large pool geared to smaller children? What area should I request with 2 kids 9 & 11 who love to swim? I read on the Tug board that Friday checkins were generally put in the Spa area? Do you if this is so and is that one of the older areas? Any detailed info you could give would be appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Jenn

[AvonMom]

After reading many of the posts about HIFS and Vistana I decided to check out Vistana. Thru
hotelkingdom.com I got a good deal I believe for the Vistana, my question is my MIL is also going with us, we have 3 children 13, 10, 6 and I requested a 2 bdrm villa at Vistana. She had booked us at HIFS, she says includes breakfast, and the kids eat free. I showed her all the posts comparing the 2. Her big concern is the price. The Vistana will be approx. $300 more, but I think it will be well worth it. Does anyone have anything convincing I can use? Lord knows I don't want to be wrong if I get her to switch. Thanks. Trying to make our decision today so any reponses would be great. We are going from 2/17-2/23.

[jdm]

Did you read the thread regarding the Vistana Villages versus HIFS? It was lengthy and had all the info you need. Are you booked at Vistana or Vistana Villages? I have stayed at HIFS and the difference is going to be space, space, space. Also, you can cook meals in a kitchen possibly saving more money. I felt extremely cramped at HIFS and that is why we won't go there again. Made for a long week for us with everyone on top of each other. Also, the washer/ dryer is a real perk. No one likes doing laundry on vacation but it sure helps in being able to pack less. I'm really looking forward to ur stay at Vistana. Looks like you are planning to go when we are. I can't see any downside except that you are paying more... but I agree with you, should be well worth it on space alone.
Jenn

[ralphd]

The Timeshare Users Group (TUG) site is at :

' www.tug2.net '

The membership fee for the first year is $15 and $10 for each renewal. You must be a member to read the reviews on the site.

ralphd:) :)

[threeboysmom]

Jenn - To answer your questions....

A Friday check-in is the best day to have. You can't be placed in the Courts section (which is the oldest) since they are all Sat. check-ins. And you can't be placed in the Falls (which is the next oldest) since they are all Sun. check-ins. You could be placed in Palms, Springs, Spas, Lakes, Fountains or Cascades. You'll have to decide which is more important to you - location, size, or newness of unit.

The Super Pool is right next to the Spas section. These are larger units similar to the Palms where we usually stay, but they're not as new & bright as the Cascades section (newest). The super pool tends to draw the teen crowd. It's very loud and crowded, and my boys don't seem to like it there.

My boys' (ages 11, 9 and 4) favorite pool is the "rock slide pool" (their made-up name for the Falls pool). This pool is also just a short walk from the Spas. Their second favorite would be the Cascades pool. Last year we stayed in the Cascades, but we didn't like it. Although it was very pretty, it was too small for us. We like having a larger 2nd bedroom with 3 kids and a larger balconey. However, they loved the pool in that section. Actually, most of the pools are within a 5-7 minute walk of any of the sections, with the exception of Lakes & Fountains. Those 2 sections are contained within their own area (though their pools are very nice as well). You need to drive to their pools if you're staying in the other sections, and vice versa. Hope that makes sense....

Any more questions?

Kimberly

[Vinnie The Pooh]

The Vistana Resort sounds so great! We have made the transition in planning our next trip from definately staying at CBR to looking into DD Hotels to now looking at these Time Shares. These look so beautiful and the location, price and compfort far outweigh staying on Disney Property especially since the demise of EE. I looked at the TUG web site but do not agree with paying an outrageous yearly fee for the same kind of advice we get from the DIS so lets keep up the discussions on places like Vistans Resorts etc..

[AvonMom]

Thanks for the reply. I think we are going to go with the Vistana we have ressies at the Resort not the VV. Yes, I did read the lengthy posts about the VV and that is what prompted my inquireys. I'm excited about our trip. This will be the first trip to Disney for our kids. Last year we went to Universal. If you don't mind me asking what kind of rate did u get at the Vistana Resort for the same time period.

[jdm]

Thank you so much for your reply!! Yes, couple more ??. Which are the roomier, nicer units.... need not be newer. Also, my kids like to participate in lots of activities which I'm assuming are held in a clubhouse. I've heard there are mexican nights etc. types of activities.... are these held at the clubhouse and .... where is the clubhouse ? (!). I guess what I'm saying is the girls are somwhat old enough to walk a short distance on therr own with the walkie talkies but not too far (in other words, I lie to keep them within sight) so I'd like to be in an area that is centrally located. Which area would that be? Do you know if Vistana has a shuttle? We will have a car but sometimes we like to divide and conquer so the shuttle option would be nice.
Thanks again,
Jenn

Vinnie The Pooh
I have to tell you that the $15 I spent on the TUG was worth every penny. Loads of first hand reviews of all timeshares, not to mention the potential for great deals renting directly from an owner. In no way did I consider it a rip off and was very thankful for the referral from someone on these boards (Lisa P.).
Good luck to you in your trip planning. It's amazing how it starts to take on a life of its own. We too, started out researching onsite and now we are in a completely different place!

[jdm]

No, I don't mind at all but I got the Vistana through a trade with RCI. I am using 3000 Worldmark points and only paying out of pocket $129 for the week. Needless to say, I am very excited!! That and our airplane tickets were free using Visa points.... so lucked out this trip! Did you get a good deal on Hotelkingdom? I understand they were running a 7th night free. You know, I called the Vistana to check the rates out of curiousity for the 15th thru the 22nd of Feb. and she told me they were completely booked!
Jenn

[AvonMom]

a few more questions for those that have been to the Vistana Resort. I know it says fully stocked kitchen, does this include all the pots/pans that we may need to cook a few meals. Not really sure what they consider fully stocked. Also, we reserved a 2 bdrm., the reservationist said I didn't have to request to make sure that 1 bdrm has 2 double beds as there will be six of us. Is the 2 bdrm standard to have 2 doubles and a king?

As you can tell I'm new to all of this. Thanks for all your help everyone!

[threeboysmom]

jdm - Just keep in mind, the Vistana Resort is HUGE. I'm not sure I'd send my kids out alone unless they had a map and were good at reading one! LOL! To answer your question, the clubhouse is right next to the Super Pool, so it sounds like that's where you're going to spend most of your time. If that's the case, I'd pick the Spas for their location (right there!) and also because they are a bigger size. I'm not sure of their decor, since I've never stayed in that section before. But I do know that Vistana actively keeps up on renovations and updates to all the sections, so I wouldn't worry. If for some reason, you get inside and don't like what you see, you can always ask to be switched to another unit or different section.

As for the shuttle, we've always had a car and never needed to use the shuttle. This trip will be different though since we are splitting up for the first time (older boys & Dad to Disney Quest, and Mom and 4 year old to MK) so I will try out the shuttle and hopefully won't have any problems :) I have no idea how often they run, if there's a cost involved, etc. I'm clueless :)

AvonMom - yes, the kitchen is fully stocked, meaning there are pots and pans and serving dishes, etc., and dinnerware for 8. The only thing missing is dish soap and SOS pads. They do provide detergent for the dishwasher however. Paper towels are there, but no napkins. And sometimes there will be salt/pepper available, but not always.

I believe all of the sections at Vistana have 2 double beds in the 2nd bedroom, except for the oldest section - the Courts. They all have king beds in the master, plus jacuzzi (except again, the Courts - no jacuzzi) In addition, they all have a large sleeper sofa in the living room. You will have plenty of room for 6 people.

Any more questions? This gives me something to do to pass the time until 2/22 when we arrive :)

Kimberly

[jdm]

It is truly great to have someone who actually owns there willing to answer all the questions!

No, I would never send them out alone. When we stay at different locations, (so far have not timeshared out of the Northwest) I always get the unit closest to the pool or clubhouse. I try to get across the street so if they want to run over a few minutes before me, they can. But, I like to keep them in sight! So, the closer the better! Thanks for the info on the Spa section. Is the Super pool just a big huge pool with fountains? I take it no slide.... I thought about what you said about it being over-run with teens so I guess I'll have to weigh that out. I read on one of the TUG posts that there was a little snack bar/ pool bar by one of the nicer pools. I'll have to recheck wihich area that was in.

When we stayed in Orlando a couple of years ago we stayed at HIFS and just went to the parks and back so I am really not familiar with the area. It felt like HIFS was in the middle of nowhere with nothing much in the way of stores or restaurants around it. What about VR? I know it is one of the closer properties to Disney (which we are not doing this time) but once you leave the resort, is there plenty around for grocery stores etc.? Where do you get your supplies when you arrive?

Oh! And when are you going??

Thanks again for everything.

Jenn

[jdm]

I just reread your post... you are checking in the day we check out!

[threeboysmom]

To give you a little more info on the pools.....the Super Pool is a huge free-form pool. There are no slides or fountains, but they do rent out inner tubes there which kids like. Also, there is a volleyball net stretched over part of the pool. They hold activities at this pool throughout the day such as children's water games, bingo, etc. I can't remember if there's a snack bar here or not. I would assume so.... I do know that the Cascades pool (which is one of our favorites) has a nice snack bar - we had dinner poolside a couple of nights last year since we were too lazy to go back to the room :)

As for the location, it is actually near HIFS (around the corner). You'll actually drive right by HIFS to get onto Disney property. Within a 5-10 minute drive, you have plenty of restaurants to pick from. If you take a left out of Vistana, you will come to Downtown Disney or Crossroads. If you take a right and head to the 2nd (?) light, you will come to a Publix grocery store at the corner (where we always stock up on goodies), and all kind of restaurants galore if you take a right or left at that intersection. It might be 192 - I'm not sure. My husband does all the driving so I don't really pay much attention. I just know we're not in the car for too long. :)

Kimberly

[AvonMom]

I have a couple more questions. We have never stayed at the VR, how close is it to Disney. Do they have free shuttles to the Disney parks? If we choose to drive is it easy to get to the parks? Again, are there any grocery stores close by. The night we arrive we get in at the airport about 9:30. Like I said previously my MIL is going too and she had us booked at the HIFS for $300.00 less so I'm trying to convince her this will be much better.

[threeboysmom]

AvonMom - I've never used the shuttle service at Vistana so I don't have any ino on it at all. Maybe someone else can help you there??

Regarding a grocery store, there is a Publix about 5-10 minutes away. Take a right out of the Vistana Resort and head to, I think, the second traffic light. The store is at that intersection. There is also a Goodings which is a little closer, but their prices are much higher than Publix.

Vistana is very very close to Disney. Take a right out of the resort and take another right at the 1st intersection. This road will put you right onto Disney property with signs galore to lead you to the correct park or resort if you're heading for dinner. It literally takes 5 minutes!! The signs are very well-marked and easy to follow. It's coming home that can be fun ;) My advice would be to get a map and mark on it where Vistana is located. I think it is route 535.

Kimberly

[AvonMom]

Has anyone booked thru hotelkingdom.com, I was just wondering if we wanted to request a certain section, etc if that is possible? We have previously stayed at the HIFS so I know that general area. I'll have to print out all the tips here. I'm sooo looking forward to our trip. I know that my MIL is certain I don't know what I'm talking about when I tell her after reading all these posts how nice this will be.

Lori

[jdm]

Thank you again for all the detailed info. I think I'm out of questions :~)

I see from your posts that you are from New Hampshire...... LUCKY YOU! We love it there and try to spend a couple of days each summer when we are visiting our families in Boston. The day my husband retires we are heading for NH!! Although we do have a while to wait.....

Jenn

[robsmom]

i am almost certain that the falls 2nd bedroom was 2 twins. There is a sofa bed, however so
it easily sleeps 6.

[Lynnie 2002]

Hi, I've been trying to decide which resort to stay at Vistana Villages or Vistana Resort. Can you tell me if VR or VV has internet access. What kind of restaurants are at VR. what is the mini golf like. do they have a game room.

[jeff968]

We stayed at the Vistana Resort last February. It was very nice. We were in the new Cascades section. Great, big room, kids loved the CD player and the hot tub was very nice. The resort was great. Pool's were nice. We spent most of our time at the cascade's pool. Resturants were just okay. We ate there once. It was expensive and the food was just okay. The mini golf was okay, nothing special but they give out a lot of free passes to the kids during the activities. Tennis looked real nice although we didn't use it. They had multiple game rooms. The only thing I would be nervous about is getting put in one of the older units. They looked okay from the outside and actually had nicer landscaping but I have heard mixed reviews on their interior condition. The VV is all new. We are visiting the Hilton Grand vacation club in two weeks so I'm curious how they will compare.

[jdm]

Did you find that the Cascade pool was as nice / nicer than the others? Was it a great location as far as game rooms / clubhouse etc? I'm trying to decide to request between this area and the Spas. Kids are 9 & 11.
Jenn

[jeff968]

Yes, I would say the Cascades pool is the nicest one in the resort. We visited about 6 of the 8 pools. The lakes and fountains section (I think it was those two) are across the road and a good walk away so we didn't swim in those pools. The cascades pool was beautiful. New, very large, heated, and everything around the pool was new. The pool has a large waterfall that you can pass under. There is a large section of the pool with islands in it with the sprays that go on and off. That section of the pool is shallow for the little ones. There is no slide. There was a slide pool but the slide was just okay. The super pool is huge and there weren't many people in it. It was more quiet although that's were I found the pool volleyball game. At the cascades there was also a hot tub, pool side bar, and game room near the pool. I would recommend the Cascades section. I believe the spas, although nice, was an older section.

[jdm]

I appreciate the info. The only slight down side I've heard to Cascades is that the living/dining area is on the small side. I thik with only 4 of us, though, we'll be fine. I'm going to go ahead and request this section and keep my fingers crossed.

Jenn

[jeff968]

Interesting. This was our first experience with this type of resort and we'll never go back to a "hotel room" again. I guess the dinning area was a little tight but it did have a good size table and seating for 6. The living area had two chairs and the sofabed and seem like it had lots of room but I guess even it could have been bigger. We had 7 of us in the unit and it seemed fine. I'll be in the Hilton Grand Vacation club in a week in a half so I'll have something to compare it against.

[threeboysmom]

My family stayed in the Cascades section last year - I didn't notice the living area to be that much smaller than the other units. I did notice that the balcony was MUCH smaller and the 2nd bedroom was smaller. If you only have 4 people, you will be fine. The Cascades is prettier (& newer) than the other sections, and their pool is the BEST.

Kimberly