Sheraton Vistana Resort Questions

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Originally Posted by tots05

thank you so much keeper You just don't know how much you guys here have helped me. Im now leaning on renting. I really don't know what a good price for renting a week is but now because of you, I have a better idea. I will keep an eye on the car rental sites around March and April and hopefully will be able to get a good price I hope its ok if I can PM you when I get PM priviliges if I have more questions... Again, thank you so much...

What exactly are your dates, tots05? (arrival and departure)

We have a mid-sized SUV secured through National for August 23 to August 31 (8 days). Our total, with taxes, is $266. Cars were, of course, even cheaper if you can make do with a smaller vehicle (my DH is almost 6' 4" .... so we need all the space we can get ). This rate also includes many of the optional extra insurance coverages that you don't get with a standard vehicle rental.

The transportation board has some very good threads for rental car discounts and codes. That is also a great place to look!!!

[tots05]

Originally Posted by Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina

What exactly are your dates, tots05? (arrival and departure)

We have a mid-sized SUV secured through National for August 23 to August 31 (8 days). Our total, with taxes, is $266. Cars were, of course, even cheaper if you can make do with a smaller vehicle (my DH is almost 6' 4" .... so we need all the space we can get ). This rate also includes many of the optional extra insurance coverages that you don't get with a standard vehicle rental.

The transportation board has some very good threads for rental car discounts and codes. That is also a great place to look!!!

we are going on June 8-15... I tried to use united mileage plus contract ID and its $476... I will keep on reading the transportation boards... I hope I can find a deal as good as yours. It would be so wonderful to have the freedom to move around Orlando without the mercy of shuttles.

if we are checking in Saturday, what areas in Vistana are good to request? Will summer be very crowded? Although we will be spending majority of our time at Disney, Im thinking of having just one day to stay at the resort and enjoy the amenities.

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by tots05

we are going on June 8-15... I tried to use united mileage plus contract ID and its $476... I will keep on reading the transportation boards... I hope I can find a deal as good as yours. It would be so wonderful to have the freedom to move around Orlando without the mercy of shuttles.

if we are checking in Saturday, what areas in Vistana are good to request? Will summer be very crowded? Although we will be spending majority of our time at Disney, Im thinking of having just one day to stay at the resort and enjoy the amenities.

2nd week of June is still not too busy - but you are arriving on a Star Wars Weekend (DHS). Shouldn't affect rental cars as they will all be using their teleporters The resort probably won't be at full capacity for another couple of weeks.

IMO - Best time to start looking for deals on rental cars is about 3 months out. But make a cancellable reservation now, and then rebook each time you find a better deal. There is no penalty with most agencies. I'm on my third reservation for March 8-17 - not as good a deal as Gina is looking at, but I knocked another $150 my rental this week.

[tots05]

Originally Posted by bankr63

2nd week of June is still not too busy - but you are arriving on a Star Wars Weekend (DHS). Shouldn't affect rental cars as they will all be using their teleporters The resort probably won't be at full capacity for another couple of weeks.

IMO - Best time to start looking for deals on rental cars is about 3 months out. But make a cancellable reservation now, and then rebook each time you find a better deal. There is no penalty with most agencies. I'm on my third reservation for March 8-17 - not as good a deal as Gina is looking at, but I knocked another $150 my rental this week.

Thank you We didn't even know about this until you have mentioned it. Is this a good thing? I noticed we will be coming on the last 2 days of the event. We will be arriving late Saturday afternoon so the only time we might be able to catch this is Sunday. My son (7yrs old) loves Star Wars, hopefully he will love this too

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by tots05

Thank you We didn't even know about this until you have mentioned it. Is this a good thing? I noticed we will be coming on the last 2 days of the event. We will be arriving late Saturday afternoon so the only time we might be able to catch this is Sunday. My son (7yrs old) loves Star Wars, hopefully he will love this too

Don't know, not a huge SW fan myself, and the weekends are always in summer - we are always there in March. There are quite a few threads on DIS about it, but the most active appears to be this one:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2955827

If you hit the "Search" button on the ribbon above and type "Star Wars Weekend" you'll get lots of hits. There are threads about "how busy is it" and "is it good for a 5/10/15 year old". As you get used to DIS, you'll find that search button can be a good friend if you ask it the right questions...

[keeperof4]

It's kind of strange that we all want a great deal on a car rental/air fare/hotel but when we get to Disney World we gladly pay $15 for a 50 cent hat and $5 for a hotdog.Stand in line for an hour for a five minute ride eh. Little Canadian humor there guys. Seriously though, my brother is in the insurance business and if you are going to be renting a vehicle especially in Florida you may want to pay the extra $12 a day to purchase "liability" insurance. This covers you in case you are involved in an accident, surprisingly in Florida , they have the tendency to sue each other. Your insurance will not cover physical injuries. This $12 a day gives you up to a million dollars. If you do a little research you will see how many Canadians now have Floridians owning their homes because of this. Just my oppinion

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Originally Posted by tots05

we are going on June 8-15... I tried to use united mileage plus contract ID and its $476... I will keep on reading the transportation boards... I hope I can find a deal as good as yours. It would be so wonderful to have the freedom to move around Orlando without the mercy of shuttles.

Here's what you can get with National for your dates (I used a drop off and pick up time of 12 noon.....your rate may change slightly if the actual times are different):

(1) Time & Distance ($216.13/Rental) $216.13
Contract ID Flying Blue/air France Klm
Inclusive Rate Items
No Charge Distance Included
Loss Damage Waiver Full Included
Supplemental Liability Insurance Included
Customer Facility Charge 2.50/day Included
Airport Access Fee 10 Pct Included
Florida Surcharge 2.00/day Included
Tire/battery Fee .02/day Included
Vehicle License Fee .69/day Included
Sales Tax (6.50%) $4.06
Guaranteed Base Rate Included
Unlimited Miles Included

TOTAL: $220.19

That's for a midsize car. A midsize SUV was $259. These prices include all taxes and all the extra insurances listed above.

These rates are obtained using the KLM Flying Blue code 8572130 . The membership to Flying Blue is free, you just need to sign up on their website. Check out this thread for more information:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2878667

If National releases a coupon for your date range, then you could even knock it down another $25 or so.

Originally Posted by keeperof4

Stand in line for an hour for a five minute ride eh. Little Canadian humor there guys. Seriously though, my brother is in the insurance business and if you are going to be renting a vehicle especially in Florida you may want to pay the extra $12 a day to purchase "liability" insurance. This covers you in case you are involved in an accident, surprisingly in Florida , they have the tendency to sue each other. Your insurance will not cover physical injuries. This $12 a day gives you up to a million dollars. If you do a little research you will see how many Canadians now have Floridians owning their homes because of this. Just my oppinion

The KLM Flying Blue code gives you all those extra insurances you recommend . See the info above.

A pretty good deal, eh?

[keeperof4]

That is a great price! This year was full size $368 us 13 days+ the $12 a day extra ins., pass 24 not inc.,never no what the total is until we return and get the exchange rate . I am wondering what the air was,we fly out of Bangor direct $89 down $119 back this time (5 people plus one $60 baggage fee $1300 can. apx ) we get the park and fly at the court yard 14 days parking one night($146) when we return ,that's when we buy all of our grocery items to take back across.We tried to take the kids to disney I do think when the were to young.We also tried to do more than two parks in the week this is really expensive,exhausting. I was not kidding about the time waiting in lines for more than one of the rides,even with the fast pass.By far our most memorable time was our first visit to Magic kingdom.(even with the time share sales lady calling from west gate!) Every one should visit there at least once. But we all agree the most fun was the air boat ride up in midway $150 afternoon.That why we are so happy to stay at SVR the kids always have someone to play with ,and we always know some one from home.18 days and counting

[disrev]

We're here right now (Cascades building 17, 5th floor just like we requested in our Diamond Lane form). This is our second stay here (Falls section last time).

I'm fairly certain this has not been mentioned but the KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W is no longer here. It's been replaced with a "Snack Shack" (can't remember actual name) that is more or less a classic resort counter service restaurant. Got wings and nachos there on Super Bowl Sunday and they were good. It must be pretty recent because the resort map they give you still has the chain restaurants down.

I gotta say we (DW, DD5, DS3,DD7mo) L-O-V-E this resort. Have stayed at multiple options on and off site and I think I'd choose this one for every category except the loss of reliable park transportation. We are talking about coming for a week and not even going to the parks... just enjoying the pools, playgrounds and area attractions that are free (DTD, Beach, etc.) of course, we'll end up getting Disney tix in the end (just can't pass it up)!

[tots05]

Originally Posted by disrev

We're here right now (Cascades building 17, 5th floor just like we requested in our Diamond Lane form). This is our second stay here (Falls section last time).

I'm fairly certain this has not been mentioned but the KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W is no longer here. It's been replaced with a "Snack Shack" (can't remember actual name) that is more or less a classic resort counter service restaurant. Got wings and nachos there on Super Bowl Sunday and they were good. It must be pretty recent because the resort map they give you still has the chain restaurants down.

I gotta say we (DW, DD5, DS3,DD7mo) L-O-V-E this resort. Have stayed at multiple options on and off site and I think I'd choose this one for every category except the loss of reliable park transportation. We are talking about coming for a week and not even going to the parks... just enjoying the pools, playgrounds and area attractions that are free (DTD, Beach, etc.) of course, we'll end up getting Disney tix in the end (just can't pass it up)!

thank you Keeper and Gina, your advice are truly appreciated.

Disrev, how will you rate your room with the kids? Is there an elevator on the building? Im thinking of requesting for Cascades too with 2 kids (7 and 3) and would love some feedback

[disrev]

Room works great. It seems a little smaller than the Falls room was, but 2nd BR has 2 beds. 7mo has her pack n play in the living room area. Had to rearrange the furniture a tad to make the most of the room.
There's elevators at Cascades. Very short walk to the pool on building 17. 5th floor has a skylight which is really nice.

[tots05]

Originally Posted by disrev

Room works great. It seems a little smaller than the Falls room was, but 2nd BR has 2 beds. 7mo has her pack n play in the living room area. Had to rearrange the furniture a tad to make the most of the room.
There's elevators at Cascades. Very short walk to the pool on building 17. 5th floor has a skylight which is really nice.

thank you so much Im trying to see what will work best for us. Is Falls a little bit farther away from the pools for younger kids? Im thinking of requesting for a Cascades when we go in June.

[disrev]

Originally Posted by tots05

thank you so much Im trying to see what will work best for us. Is Falls a little bit farther away from the pools for younger kids? Im thinking of requesting for a Cascades when we go in June.

I'm sorry. I said it wrong. We were in FOUNTAINS, not Falls last year. There was a zero-try pool in that area which we like, but we LOVE Cascades. The Falls pool is the one with the waterside. Really, section isn't the key to getting close to pool as much as building number. For instance, Cascades 7 is very far from pools, but 2, 15, 16, or 17 are right beside it. Every section could have that scenario repeated. So if you want to be close to the pool, check out the map and request a building number close to a pool.

[keeperof4]

My sister just returned from her first week , when she arrived requested a change and was placed in Cascades building 1. They only stayed the one night because of the loud music that day and late night partying at the cascades pool. They were then moved to building 12 , although it was much quieter they again had to tolerate a couple of days late night partying. After that everything was fine. As far as accommodations and the general condition of the resort this year, she was very satisfied. The only real complaint is that in her opinion the restaurants , I am presuming one at the cascades and one at the superpool, have gone downhill as far as quality of the food. I wouldn't say that she is overly fussy but if she refuses to eat at a place the second time it normally has to be pretty poor. She is not big on the takeout so if there is a new facility in that area , I doubt she was aware of it. As far as the A&W Pizza Hut, that was actually a plus for many . For a minimal expense it kept the kids happy. There are plenty of great places to eat within minutes of the resort. 12 days and counting til fun in the sun in Orlando. -38 C with the windchill factor here today. Blistering cold.

[disrev]

Originally Posted by keeperof4

My sister just returned from her first week , when she arrived requested a change and was placed in Cascades building 1. They only stayed the one night because of the loud music that day and late night partying at the cascades pool. They were then moved to building 12 , although it was much quieter they again had to tolerate a couple of days late night partying. After that everything was fine. As far as accommodations and the general condition of the resort this year, she was very satisfied. The only real complaint is that in her opinion the restaurants , I am presuming one at the cascades and one at the superpool, have gone downhill as far as quality of the food. I wouldn't say that she is overly fussy but if she refuses to eat at a place the second time it normally has to be pretty poor. She is not big on the takeout so if there is a new facility in that area , I doubt she was aware of it. As far as the A&W Pizza Hut, that was actually a plus for many . For a minimal expense it kept the kids happy. There are plenty of great places to eat within minutes of the resort. 12 days and counting til fun in the sun in Orlando. -38 C with the windchill factor here today. Blistering cold.

We had no noise issues at all in Cascades 17. In Fountains last year, however, we were on the ground floor and it was like a herd of buffalo from the family above. It was so bad we went up and asked them not to stomp (something we rarely do) and they said they weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. That, along w/ having a skylight, is why we requested top floor this time around.

Finishing up our drive back North now, and already missing the pool!