Sheraton Vistana Resort Questions

[WDWFRV]

Hello neighbour!,

Looks like a family venture to Vistana!

The DL form allows you to make special requests or notify the resort of special needs. For instance, it sounds like you are travelling with another party. DL is a great way to request that both parties be placed together. Or apart for that matter...

There really aren't any "bad" sections at Vistana; it is a very well thought out resort. Don't feel that you have to fill out a request form unless you have very particular needs. There are lots of posts on this thread covering the differences between the various parts of the resort.

You can access the form at this link: https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01

Don't send it too early as the resort doesn't get the relations from II or RCI until a couple of weeks prior; they will just hold your request until they can confirm. Trading through II will provide no penalty, it is the preferred company for Sheraton, although Vistana trades on both II and RCI.

Owners will alway have preferential access to their owned weeks - that goes without saying. If we travel in our own week, we will be placed in our deeded unit. Sheraton owners also get preferential access to trades on II - they are allowed to book available weeks before anyone else. But once you have a trade in place, there really isn't any preference given to any particular guest - trades are placed as run of resort. Once at the resort, there is no secret handshake, and I have never been asked if I am an owner. I even have to pay for the "owners' internet" (higher speed) just like non-owners. Ownership does not seem to bestow any additional benefits except that you get invited to the "owner's update" (timeshare presentation) instead of the "VIP welcome breakfast" (timeshare presentation).

I must say that whoever complained about a stair view is VERY picky. Many lower floor units have their entry doors situated under the stairs to the unit above. This is to avoid ANY windows looking at stairs, but it can make the entry a little gloomy. I have never seen a unit with a view of the stairs. The main views are out the back of all units, and there are generally no stairs there (with a couple of exceptions, but those stairs are well hidden - it took me half a week before I realized that a Springs unit we were in had a back stairs access). All the floor plans I have seen have the kitchen and 2nd bedroom at the front of the unit, which generally has the less desirable view of the parking/street side; but still no windows on the stairs.

Enjoy your stay, Vistana is a really wonderful resort!

Yes indeed, we are neighbours. You seem to know a lot about SVR and you are very informative. Thank you for your input, yes we are 5 of us travelling and we will all be staying in a two bedroom villa. The request that I want is for two full size beds instead of twin beds in our room and I would like a top floor unit. Generally, I do not concern myself with other opinions but that one strucked me and I just wanted to enquire about it. I have been staying at Old Key West for the past three years and I read bad reviews about it but there will always be bad reviews because some people are very picky, I mean very picky. I am just glad that I have the health to travel every year and I do appreciate it. Right now they have us staying in Fountains 1, room 1333 but they told us that it could change. Do you know why this is? Where do you prefer to stay? This resort looks huge, WOW.

Will I get pressured by presentations? I've read that they will call you in your room etc.

 

[bankr63]

Yes indeed, we are neighbours. You seem to know a lot about SVR and you are very informative. Thank you for your input, yes we are 5 of us travelling and we will all be staying in a two bedroom villa. The request that I want is for two full size beds instead of twin beds in our room and I would like a top floor unit.

Well we've owned a timeshare there for a few years now, and really love the resort. It is very much like coming home when we get there. That is a very reasonable request, and if you keep it that general then they should have no problem accommodating. Based on the trade relation you show in Fountains, you must have requested a unit that sleeps 8. That knocks out most of the units with singles in the second room as they only sleep 6 max. Courts uppers do have singles and sleep 8 (they have two sleep sofas). In the two newest sections (Lakes and Cascades) you have the risk of being placed on a sleeps 8 with king beds in both bedrooms - this is basically both halves of a lockoff with two kings and two sleep sofas. I would suggest that request a unit that sleeps 4 in the second bedroom if that is what you want.

Generally, I do not concern myself with other opinions but that one strucked me and I just wanted to enquire about it. I have been staying at Old Key West for the past three years and I read bad reviews about it but there will always be bad reviews because some people are very picky, I mean very picky. I am just glad that I have the health to travel every year and I do appreciate it. Right now they have us staying in Fountains 1, room 1333 but they told us that it could change. Do you know why this is? Where do you prefer to stay? This resort looks huge, WOW.

Very picky and sometimes wrong. There is (or was) one review of Vistana Resort on Tripadvisor complaining about the towel cards. Vistana doesn't have towel cards, hasn't in all the years we've been going. Leaves me wondering what resort they were actually staying at. In general, the views in most units are really nice. Read back a few pages here and I do give some pointers on units I dislike.

I am guessing that where you are seeing Fountains 1 room 1333 is on Interval International's web site? (RCI goes to great lengths to hide this from you, but there are a couple of spots where you can see the other half of you your trade.) If yes, then this is the relation that they matched when you traded into Vistana. But that has nothing to do with where Sheraton will place you when you arrive. As I understand it (I may have some details wrong!), Vistana gets a bunch of reservations from RCI and II a couple of weeks prior to the week of occupancy. They then fit these in around all of the owners who are reserved directly through the resort. This is basically "run of resort". They will match you to the type of room you traded for (with Vistana, that is the number of bedrooms and "sleeps" number as all units have full kitchen and laundry). They will try to accommodate all requests from DL, and as check in day progresses they will try to accommodate requests at check-in as well.

That last piece is important. If you are arriving late, and you have not previously made a request, and the resort is very busy, you probably have a better (worse?) chance of getting a less desirable unit. It's not a bad idea to make a reasonable request to get you into the kind of unit you want.

Where I prefer to stay is where most others don't. It seems that MOST people like the two newest sections (Lakes and Cascades) because they are newer. I find those two sections a bit claustrophobic because the buildings are taller and the units are tighter. My preferred sections are the oldest low rise sections because there is more personal space and I enjoy that more on vacation. We own in Courts, the oldest section, but have actually only stayed in our own unit in Courts once through happenstance. We have also stayed in Cascades, Springs, and Spas. Cascades is my least favorite.

Will I get pressured by presentations? I've read that they will call you in your room etc.

Pressured? I would say not. Asked? Most certainly. Vistana is run by Sheraton, and they have a reputation to uphold; they don't want to PO their guests. The sales pitch is decidedly low key, especially in comparison to say Mexico. I've never, ever felt pressured.

The resort leaves at least one message a day, most of which are legitimate messages about activities or maintenance (pool closures, etc). During the week a couple of messages will invite you to a breakfast. THAT is a timeshare presentation. Don't go to breakfast and you will be fine. They will also probably send you to the activities desk for your parking pass at registration. There they will try to sign you up for a free breakfast. Politely decline, collect your parking permit and be on your way. Some folks disconnect their phones, but I've never found it that annoying, and I like getting the messages about other resort activities.

 

[WDWFRV]

Well we've owned a timeshare there for a few years now, and really love the resort. It is very much like coming home when we get there. That is a very reasonable request, and if you keep it that general then they should have no problem accommodating. Based on the trade relation you show in Fountains, you must have requested a unit that sleeps 8. That knocks out most of the units with singles in the second room as they only sleep 6 max. Courts uppers do have singles and sleep 8 (they have two sleep sofas). In the two newest sections (Lakes and Cascades) you have the risk of being placed on a sleeps 8 with king beds in both bedrooms - this is basically both halves of a lockoff with two kings and two sleep sofas. I would suggest that request a unit that sleeps 4 in the second bedroom if that is what you want.



Very picky and sometimes wrong. There is (or was) one review of Vistana Resort on Tripadvisor complaining about the towel cards. Vistana doesn't have towel cards, hasn't in all the years we've been going. Leaves me wondering what resort they were actually staying at. In general, the views in most units are really nice. Read back a few pages here and I do give some pointers on units I dislike.

I am guessing that where you are seeing Fountains 1 room 1333 is on Interval International's web site? (RCI goes to great lengths to hide this from you, but there are a couple of spots where you can see the other half of you your trade.) If yes, then this is the relation that they matched when you traded into Vistana. But that has nothing to do with where Sheraton will place you when you arrive. As I understand it (I may have some details wrong!), Vistana gets a bunch of reservations from RCI and II a couple of weeks prior to the week of occupancy. They then fit these in around all of the owners who are reserved directly through the resort. This is basically "run of resort". They will match you to the type of room you traded for (with Vistana, that is the number of bedrooms and "sleeps" number as all units have full kitchen and laundry). They will try to accommodate all requests from DL, and as check in day progresses they will try to accommodate requests at check-in as well.

That last piece is important. If you are arriving late, and you have not previously made a request, and the resort is very busy, you probably have a better (worse?) chance of getting a less desirable unit. It's not a bad idea to make a reasonable request to get you into the kind of unit you want.

Where I prefer to stay is where most others don't. It seems that MOST people like the two newest sections (Lakes and Cascades) because they are newer. I find those two sections a bit claustrophobic because the buildings are taller and the units are tighter. My preferred sections are the oldest low rise sections because there is more personal space and I enjoy that more on vacation. We own in Courts, the oldest section, but have actually only stayed in our own unit in Courts once through happenstance. We have also stayed in Cascades, Springs, and Spas. Cascades is my least favorite.



Pressured? I would say not. Asked? Most certainly. Vistana is run by Sheraton, and they have a reputation to uphold; they don't want to PO their guests. The sales pitch is decidedly low key, especially in comparison to say Mexico. I've never, ever felt pressured.

The resort leaves at least one message a day, most of which are legitimate messages about activities or maintenance (pool closures, etc). During the week a couple of messages will invite you to a breakfast. THAT is a timeshare presentation. Don't go to breakfast and you will be fine. They will also probably send you to the activities desk for your parking pass at registration. There they will try to sign you up for a free breakfast. Politely decline, collect your parking permit and be on your way. Some folks disconnect their phones, but I've never found it that annoying, and I like getting the messages about other resort activities.

Thanks for all the info. One more question, can you tell me if the sofa beds are comfortable because usually the springs are hard on the back in most hotels and we are thinking of bringing a foam to put on top since we will be driving to go down.

 

[bankr63]

Thanks for all the info. One more question, can you tell me if the sofa beds are comfortable because usually the springs are hard on the back in most hotels and we are thinking of bringing a foam to put on top since we will be driving to go down.

Can't speak from personal experience. My two nephews (10 and 13 at the time) spent a week on the sofa bed and said it was comfortable for them. The mattress did seem thicker than many sofa beds I have seen. But if you have room for a topper, bring one along!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

bankr63....just wondering how your sick computer is faring?

Not that I am super excited to see pics from your March getaway or anything .

No pressure, of course. I'll just be here. Waiting. In my trademark patient manner .

 

[bankr63]

bankr63....just wondering how your sick computer is faring?

Not that I am super excited to see pics from your March getaway or anything .

No pressure, of course. I'll just be here. Waiting. In my trademark patient manner .

LOL - Slowly but surely. Have patience glasshoppah! I got all the resort photos uploaded to pbucket this weekend, sorted and titled. There's just shy of 100 shots, so now I need to write up a few posts and I'll kick off a new thread soon!

I am learning to severely dislike Windoze 8 though. Pretty quick on my shiny new laptop, but NOTHING seems to be compatible anymore. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my Canon camera utilities loaded - had to manually copy all the photos. We bought a new printer this w/e because I couldn't get the old wireless ones connected. The NEW one didn't have Win8 drivers included either - had to download them. Arrrgh!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

LOL - Slowly but surely. Have patience glasshoppah! I got all the resort photos uploaded to pbucket this weekend, sorted and titled. There's just shy of 100 shots, so now I need to write up a few posts and I'll kick off a new thread soon!

You are AWESOME!!! Be aware that I may become very giddy if you upload that many pictures. I was seriously hoping for half dozen or so to feed my addiction. But 100? You da man!

Sorry to hear that you are experiencing some technical frustrations with the new laptop. To think technology is supposed to make our lives EASIER.

No rush on the photos.....and I mean that!!! (honest.....I do!) I appreciate that you have taken so much time to capture so many resort pics during your holiday, and offer to share them up with the rest of us shmucks.

 

[tots05]

ok, to all the people who have been there, we finally are maybe 6-7 weeks away from our vacation and our reservation was finally transferred to my husband's name (from in law's timeshare)... Im considering requesting Cascades by early May but since it is in June, im a little bit worried there might be too much activity on that area. Im thinking Fountains as I was looking at the map and it is closer to Cascades and a lot of the food area, etc. What areas will you guys recommend for us? We are arriving Saturday and have 2 kids one of them 2yrs old. I will be definitely asking for the top most floor and hopefully get one.

 

[bankr63]

Hi all,

We just got our resort e-newsletter, and they have a link to a resort "2-minute tour" on YouTube: http://youtu.be/m_n5_Aidwi8

Gina - this should buy me a couple of days to work on my own report as you drool over this...

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi all,

We just got our resort e-newsletter, and they have a link to a resort "2-minute tour" on YouTube: http://youtu.be/m_n5_Aidwi8

Gina - this should buy me a couple of days to work on my own report as you drool over this...

Great video!!

 

[DisneyDreamerShu]

Hey guys! We've just paid for a Vistana vacation for 8 days, starting Sun, for $400 in a 2br unit and we're super excited. We diehard Disney fans and have been staying at Bonnet Creek our past 6 trips, since its so much nicer to have more room for less money This is our first Vistana resort stay and it looks like it will be right on par, and likely surpass our 'new standards' but I have a question about some directions lol. We know the route to a super WalMart like the back of our hand, from Bonnet and was wondering if the WalMart mentioned that is close to SVR happens to be the same one. From the red light coming out of WBC (same road DTD is on ) we take a right, stay in right lane and merge onto a highway (we don't know the highway/road names which is why I'm confused), go about a mile and turn right again, WM is on right kind of tucked back behind a strip mall, about 2 red lights down. If I'm thinking correctly, the highway we're on for that mile or so, we pass the Marriott convention center. Could someone let me know if part of the route looks familiar coming from SVR and if so/not how to get to it from SVR? So sorry about long post just to get that question in there

 

[saysay]

M Ross...thanks for pointing me here! Lots of great info!

 

[bankr63]

Hey guys! We've just paid for a Vistana vacation for 8 days, starting Sun, for $400 in a 2br unit and we're super excited. We diehard Disney fans and have been staying at Bonnet Creek our past 6 trips, since its so much nicer to have more room for less money This is our first Vistana resort stay and it looks like it will be right on par, and likely surpass our 'new standards' but I have a question about some directions lol. We know the route to a super WalMart like the back of our hand, from Bonnet and was wondering if the WalMart mentioned that is close to SVR happens to be the same one. From the red light coming out of WBC (same road DTD is on ) we take a right, stay in right lane and merge onto a highway (we don't know the highway/road names which is why I'm confused), go about a mile and turn right again, WM is on right kind of tucked back behind a strip mall, about 2 red lights down. If I'm thinking correctly, the highway we're on for that mile or so, we pass the Marriott convention center. Could someone let me know if part of the route looks familiar coming from SVR and if so/not how to get to it from SVR? So sorry about long post just to get that question in there

That sounds like one too many rights to me, but I am pretty sure it is the same one. You problaby were taking Buena Vista to Epcot Centre/536 and then right on 535 - so that would be the Wal-Mart on 535 - S Apopka Vineland Rd. The Sheraton Vistana Resort is actually right behind the Marriot you are driving by. Directions from Vistana even simpler. Exit the resort, turn right, drive a couple of miles down 535 and you're there!

 

[saysay]

This may be a dumb question and I have not been able to go through everything yet, but was wondering...we rented through Starwood via Family discount, do you know if they offer only certain units this way? We will be arriving on a Tuesday end of May. The deeper I get in this thread, the more exicted I get!

THANKS!

Julie

 

[saysay]

Wanted to clarify and can't seem to edit....

We are renting directly through Starwood.... do they only offer certain areas of the resort this way? We are renting a 2 bedroom unit - and def want 2 double beds for the 2nd bedroom .

Just looking at all the options and wondering if they will be open to us - of course depending on what is available...I realize a request is just that and not guaranteed.

THANKS!

 

[joe-aka-papabear]

We are two weeks away from our arrival @ SVR.

Can we use the diamond lane and make requests if we are exchanging thru RCI. If we can use Diamond Lane , which section would be recommended for us, 2 adults and 2 kids (3/10)

Thanks for your help.

 

[bankr63]

Wanted to clarify and can't seem to edit....

We are renting directly through Starwood.... do they only offer certain areas of the resort this way? We are renting a 2 bedroom unit - and def want 2 double beds for the 2nd bedroom .

Just looking at all the options and wondering if they will be open to us - of course depending on what is available...I realize a request is just that and not guaranteed.

THANKS!

Now you are REALLY taxing my memory here, but I do recall someone posting about how the family member discount works with Starwood (might have been here, might have been on TUG). If I recall correctly, it is a little restrictive in letting you choose accomodations - it's kind of like when I used to work for an airline and got flight discounts BUT you only got seats if there were no other paying customers (last choice, but great 75% discount if you could get it). In this case being family gets you in the back door so to speak. Does that sound right?

That said, it can NEVER hurt to ask! I would send in the form, and the worst they will do is ignore your request, or simply tell you they can't fulfill it. The best they can do is meet your request.

And don't worry over it. Even the worst unit at SVR is better than the best unit at many area properties!

 

[bankr63]

We are two weeks away from our arrival @ SVR.

Can we use the diamond lane and make requests if we are exchanging thru RCI. If we can use Diamond Lane , which section would be recommended for us, 2 adults and 2 kids (3/10)

Thanks for your help.

Hi Joe!

By all means you can use it! We are RCI, and I only use Diamond Lane when we trade back into our own resort. If I'm staying as an owner in our own week I already know what unit we'll be in.

Now I use DL to request a different section each time, because I won't be satisfied until I've tried them all. It is very difficult to suggest a section for a first timer; I would accept run of the resort your first time - but be careful of certain buildings when checking in. Read back a bit on this thread, I've written up my opinion on less ideal buildings a couple of times. On your first visit take an hour or two to wander around the resort and figure out other sections you might want to try; then DL request them next time.

 

[saysay]

Now you are REALLY taxing my memory here, but I do recall someone posting about how the family member discount works with Starwood (might have been here, might have been on TUG). If I recall correctly, it is a little restrictive in letting you choose accomodations - it's kind of like when I used to work for an airline and got flight discounts BUT you only got seats if there were no other paying customers (last choice, but great 75% discount if you could get it). In this case being family gets you in the back door so to speak. Does that sound right?

That said, it can NEVER hurt to ask! I would send in the form, and the worst they will do is ignore your request, or simply tell you they can't fulfill it. The best they can do is meet your request.

And don't worry over it. Even the worst unit at SVR is better than the best unit at many area properties!

Thanks! You know our last trip we stayed at the Swan ..... and they gave us an AMAZING ROOM VIEW..... I will email them a few days before our trip with request...all we want is top floor! It never hurts and you never know ....you get what you get...so enjoy it! ;-) With my research so far appears, nothing is bad... YAY I cannot wait!

 

[jess98ac]

We are checking in on 5/3. I did DL about 10 days ago, but haven't heard back...when should I worry?