The Sheraton Vistana Resort Thread (key links on p.1)

[bankr63]

Hello

Just wondering is there any other ways to book the Vistanas other then through Sheraton or being an owner?

Thanks

There is a good discussion of this that starts at post 112 here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=50633616&postcount=112

 

[jcondrad]

We are officially booked September 12-19 at Vistana on the cascades side. 2 bedroom (8 occupancy). We'll have a 2 and 5 year old and will be using a stroller (so ground floor or elevator is a must) and we'll spend a lot of time at the pool (zero entry and kiddie pools). Any recommendations for requests I should put in? We wanted fountains side because of the construction going on but the price was a bit more on armed forces vacation club for our week, either way we 're happy to try it out!!

 

[bankr63]

We are officially booked September 12-19 at Vistana on the cascades side. 2 bedroom (8 occupancy). We'll have a 2 and 5 year old and will be using a stroller (so ground floor or elevator is a must) and we'll spend a lot of time at the pool (zero entry and kiddie pools). Any recommendations for requests I should put in? We wanted fountains side because of the construction going on but the price was a bit more on armed forces vacation club for our week, either way we 're happy to try it out!!

Actually, no specific recommendations at all. All of the Friday buildings for Cascades are well located, and with elevators the floor shouldn't make much difference. The renovations that are going on in September are primarily indoors (Zimmies and reception) so that shouldn't really inconvenience you at all. Relax and enjoy your trip!

 

[jcondrad]

Actually, no specific recommendations at all. All of the Friday buildings for Cascades are well located, and with elevators the floor shouldn't make much difference. The renovations that are going on in September are primarily indoors (Zimmies and reception) so that shouldn't really inconvenience you at all. Relax and enjoy your trip!

That's great news! Thanks for the reply!

 

[The Fab Four]

Thanks everyone for the great information on this site. We will be driving down from New Jersey to the SVR in three weeks and this site has gotten us all excited and prepared. My DS wanted to know if there are Iphone docking stations in the rooms. Some hotels have them as part of their alarm clocks. Thanks again for the info. 19 Days and counting!

 

[bankr63]

Thanks everyone for the great information on this site. We will be driving down from New Jersey to the SVR in three weeks and this site has gotten us all excited and prepared. My DS wanted to know if there are Iphone docking stations in the rooms. Some hotels have them as part of their alarm clocks. Thanks again for the info. 19 Days and counting!

Not as "standard equipment". Our rooms have had basic Sony Dream Machine clock radio's the last two trips (without dock), but I seem to recall other clocks other times. I don't expect they really have a standard model for the radios.

The Bose sound system in the living room might have one - I bring an audio cable for my MP3 player and can generally hook it up, not as sure as a direct dock for iPod, especially now that they have two incompatible interface standards.

 

[The Fab Four]

Thanks again for the info. I am halfway through the reading of this thread, you and Gina have been great, I hope the resort is paying you both as consultants, you both deserve it.

 

[delilah18]

Quick question

I booked the NO Housekeeping rate on another site and got my confirmation #
My credit card will not be charged till check in
I just happened to play around with other rates and happened to notice that this same code now comes up with a higher rate.
My question is because I have not paid will I get if for the price on my original conformation or will I have to pay this new price with the same code?

Thanks

 

[jcondrad]

Quick question I booked the NO Housekeeping rate on another site and got my confirmation # My credit card will not be charged till check in I just happened to play around with other rates and happened to notice that this same code now comes up with a higher rate. My question is because I have not paid will I get if for the price on my original conformation or will I have to pay this new price with the same code? Thanks

I've booked a sheraton hotel stay before, not for vistana but others, and am always charged what it says on the confirmation at check in. With that note, keep an eye on the rates...if they go cheaper, you can rebook for the lower amount. Rates fluctuate often!

 

[The Fab Four]

Well in 12 days these Griswolds will be packing the family truckster and driving the 1010 Miles from New Jersey to "Wally World" and SVR. This will be our 3 time driving down as a family, we love it! Well I love it, my family tolerates it. My DS15 will occupy the 3rd row of the "Truckster" using this space to sleep for about 900 of those miles, the other time will be used confiscating our chargers to keep his mobile devices fully charged. My DD10 will have the 2nd row for herself, she plans on finishing watching the last 2 movies in the Harry Potter series, so she will be ready for IOA and USF. Little does she know that there will still be about 12 hours left to drive after watching her mini marathon. I'm sure she will find something else to watch and keep her amused. Seated along side me in the front will be my lovely DW. She is my faithful navigator, copilot and Keeper of what we call the "Crystal Bag." This holds everything we need to have a smooth trip; Reservations, Confirmations, Directions, Medications, basically anything that ends in "TION," you will find in her bag. It is like Mary Poppins Carpet Bag. She will also let me know were all the rest stops, rest rooms, gas stations and food stops are. If it wasn't for her I'd probably be in Jacksonville before I ended up stopping for a break. Her last big responsibility for the drive down is the Travel Snack Bag. Unlike Frankie Heck of the Middle, she will not leave this on the kitchen table. She knows just what to pack for everyone and knows exactly where it all is during the trip. A well fed car is a happy car. As for me, DH, I drive, that's basically it for me, my only responsibility is determining do we stop at South of the Border or do we pass it by. our trip in 2005 we stopped, 2010 we waived to Pedro as we sped pass him at 70 MPH, this year will be a game time decision. Keeping with National Lampoons Vacation, maybe we'll skip that and instead go visit the Worlds largest ball of twine. I guess I will also be on the lookout for Christie Brinkley in a red Ferrari. My luck though I will probably only find Joan Rivers in a Dodge Dart. I'm not going to subject the family to driving straight through this time so we will stop somewhere that will put us in an easy drive to SVR on Friday the 22nd. We'd like to get there around noon to 1PM, I'll be the one doing a cannonball into the pool as our vehicle coasts to a stop at check in. After check-in we'll need a quick stop at Publix to stock the refrigerator. it's been 25 years since the last time I went to Publix, I hope they still have the freshly baked Key Lime pie I used to pick up once a week. After that we will be in VACATION Mode for the rest of the week. Studying this thread for the last 4 months will help us maximize our enjoyment. Thank you everyone for all your insight and tips on this thread. See you in less than 2 weeks.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well in 12 days these Griswolds will be packing the family truckster and driving the 1010 Miles from New Jersey to "Wally World" and SVR. This will be our 3 time driving down as a family, we love it! Well I love it, my family tolerates it. My DS15 will occupy the 3rd row of the "Truckster" using this space to sleep for about 900 of those miles, the other time will be used confiscating our chargers to keep his mobile devices fully charged. My DD10 will have the 2nd row for herself, she plans on finishing watching the last 2 movies in the Harry Potter series, so she will be ready for IOA and USF. Little does she know that there will still be about 12 hours left to drive after watching her mini marathon. I'm sure she will find something else to watch and keep her amused. Seated along side me in the front will be my lovely DW. She is my faithful navigator, copilot and Keeper of what we call the "Crystal Bag." This holds everything we need to have a smooth trip; Reservations, Confirmations, Directions, Medications, basically anything that ends in "TION," you will find in her bag. It is like Mary Poppins Carpet Bag. She will also let me know were all the rest stops, rest rooms, gas stations and food stops are. If it wasn't for her I'd probably be in Jacksonville before I ended up stopping for a break. Her last big responsibility for the drive down is the Travel Snack Bag. Unlike Frankie Heck of the Middle, she will not leave this on the kitchen table. She knows just what to pack for everyone and knows exactly where it all is during the trip. A well fed car is a happy car. As for me, DH, I drive, that's basically it for me, my only responsibility is determining do we stop at South of the Border or do we pass it by. our trip in 2005 we stopped, 2010 we waived to Pedro as we sped pass him at 70 MPH, this year will be a game time decision. Keeping with National Lampoons Vacation, maybe we'll skip that and instead go visit the Worlds largest ball of twine. I guess I will also be on the lookout for Christie Brinkley in a red Ferrari. My luck though I will probably only find Joan Rivers in a Dodge Dart. I'm not going to subject the family to driving straight through this time so we will stop somewhere that will put us in an easy drive to SVR on Friday the 22nd. We'd like to get there around noon to 1PM, I'll be the one doing a cannonball into the pool as our vehicle coasts to a stop at check in. After check-in we'll need a quick stop at Publix to stock the refrigerator. it's been 25 years since the last time I went to Publix, I hope they still have the freshly baked Key Lime pie I used to pick up once a week. After that we will be in VACATION Mode for the rest of the week. Studying this thread for the last 4 months will help us maximize our enjoyment. Thank you everyone for all your insight and tips on this thread. See you in less than 2 weeks.

Sounds like we'll be there at the same time......what are your dates? (we're at SVR from the 17th to the 31st )

I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I love National Lampoons Vacation . The husband I and just watched it two weekends ago....its a tradition to watch it at least once in the weeks before our summer getaway.

Safe travels on your drive. That's a lot of road to cover! Fun family memories, though, for everyone .

Keep your eyes peeled for us at the Vistana, and be sure to say hi if you see us lounging at the Fountains pool!

 

[The Fab Four]

Sounds like we'll be there at the same time......what are your dates? (we're at SVR from the 17th to the 31st )

I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I love National Lampoons Vacation . The husband I and just watched it two weekends ago....its a tradition to watch it at least once in the weeks before our summer getaway.

Safe travels on your drive. That's a lot of road to cover! Fun family memories, though, for everyone .

Keep your eyes peeled for us at the Vistana, and be sure to say hi if you see us lounging at the Fountains pool!

We will be there from 08-22 thru 08-29, We will certainly keep our eyes peeled for you and your family as we plan on spending as much of our "FREE TIME", by the pool.

There is nothing to be ashamed about liking that movie, it is a classic.

 

[The Fab Four]

In one of the trip reports I was reading they were talking about purchasing a refillable drink mug at the Vistana? How much are the mugs and are you able to get free drink refills throughout your stay? if so are they good throughout the resort or only certain locations.

Thanks

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

In one of the trip reports I was reading they were talking about purchasing a refillable drink mug at the Vistana? How much are the mugs and are you able to get free drink refills throughout your stay? if so are they good throughout the resort or only certain locations.

Thanks

I think they were about $8 each. Here are ours from last year:



Refills were not free, but very cheap ($1 or so). We purchased ours at the Tacky Tiki Bar (on a day that we were over at the Fountains Rec Center for bingo) but I'm virtually certain they were also refillable at Zimmies (at the Super Pool) and at the Cascades Bar & Grill as well.

Thanks for the reminder about those cups . I need to remember to pack them again for our upcoming trip!!!

 

[delilah18]

What other colours do they have and what can you get them refilled with?

 

[The Fab Four]

I think they were about $8 each. Here are ours from last year:



Refills were not free, but very cheap ($1 or so). We purchased ours at the Tacky Tiki Bar (on a day that we were over at the Fountains Rec Center for bingo) but I'm virtually certain they were also refillable at Zimmies (at the Super Pool) and at the Cascades Bar & Grill as well.

Thanks for the reminder about those cups . I need to remember to pack them again for our upcoming trip!!!

Thanks, it sounds like it will be worth buying them. when we stayed over at POP Century, we loved the refillable mugs.

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

Hi,
I called the Vistana last night to ask about shuttles to WDW and Universal and was told that the cost for shuttles is $15 per day per person to WDW and $9 per day per person to Universal.

Is this accurate??

Are there any other options besides renting a car?

(We do not want to rent a car, both DH and I hate driving and get lost easily. We prefer to have someone else do the driving on vacay.)

Thanks!

ETA: Sorry, I didn't realize there was a separate questions thread. I will post this on the other thread. My bad.

 

[bankr63]

Hi,
I called the Vistana last night to ask about shuttles to WDW and Universal and was told that the cost for shuttles is $15 per day per person to WDW and $9 per day per person to Universal.

Is this accurate??

Are there any other options besides renting a car?

(We do not want to rent a car, both DH and I hate driving and get lost easily. We prefer to have someone else do the driving on vacay.)

Thanks!

ETA: Sorry, I didn't realize there was a separate questions thread. I will post this on the other thread. My bad.

There really isn't a right or wrong thread. This one was really intended to be a refresh of the information provided on the older questions thread because a lot of the information there was stale.

The pricing for the shuttles is a bit higher than I had last seen reported, but then everything goes up over time. Shuttles are still usually offered free to guests who are booking through Sheraton or a TA directly; these are the hotel type stays with housekeeping. Those who are booking as a timeshare (owners/exchangers or their guests) do have to pay for the shuttles. So if you booked a hotel type stay check your confirmation to see if they are included.

Even though Vistana is very close to Disney, that is still a big distance, and other paid public options are expensive. You can take cabs or personal shuttles (Mears) for a fairly hefty fee (more than the resort shuttle).

A few stalwart souls manage on city busses. I think there is a local bus from Vistana to the "SuperStop" at DTD where you can transfer to another Lynx bus that takes you to the parks see www.golynx.com - routes 301, 302, 303, 304 should get you where you need to go. Have yet to hear from anyone on DIS who as actually done this though, you might check for tips on public transport over on the transportation board...

Honestly though, the economics of renting a car almost always make the most sense. Rentals in Orlando are generally available at good rates due to the amount of competition in the region. The roads in Orlando are confusing, but a GPS unit makes it a breeze. We bring our own, but you could borrow one from a friend (we did that our first year, then bought), or you can rent one from the car agency (but that's almost as expensive as buying a GPS outright). For our family of 4, shuttles would be $60/day - a lot more than the rental + Disney parking.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

bankr63, here is the promised update on the # of pool towels assigned at check-in:

When we arrived yesterday and checked in via Diamond Lane, the pre-arrival co-ordinator (Monica Shaw) initially gave us 4 pool towel cards (one per guest). I inquired if we could have more, and she said "sure, your villa sleeps up to 8, so you could technically have 8 guests at any give time, so I can provide you 8 towel cards" which she promptly did. So it appears the "rule" allows for 1 towel card per # of guests your villa accommodates. One bedroom units would then be allowed a max of 4 towel cards per villa.

We also chatted a bit about the change (and how we, personally, didn't find it favourable) and she said it may not be a permanent thing. Its currently "under testing and review" and may only be applied during high occupancy time periods like summer and Christmas. From what she said, I don't think we were the first owners who said the new system was rather disappointing.

For anyone else with specific questions, we are here now in a beautiful 3rd floor villa in Fountains with a vaulted ceiling and a skylight . If there's anything you want to know, say the word and I'll find it out within the next two weeks.

 

[FrankieDplus3]

bankr63, here is the promised update on the # of pool towels assigned at check-in: When we arrived yesterday and checked in via Diamond Lane, the pre-arrival co-ordinator (Monica Shaw) initially gave us 4 pool towel cards (one per guest). I inquired if we could have more, and she said "sure, your villa sleeps up to 8, so you could technically have 8 guests at any give time, so I can provide you 8 towel cards" which she promptly did. So it appears the "rule" allows for 1 towel card per # of guests your villa accommodates. One bedroom units would then be allowed a max of 4 towel cards per villa. We also chatted a bit about the change (and how we, personally, didn't find it favourable) and she said it may not be a permanent thing. Its currently "under testing and review" and may only be applied during high occupancy time periods like summer and Christmas. From what she said, I don't think we were the first owners who said the new system was rather disappointing. For anyone else with specific questions, we are here now in a beautiful 3rd floor villa in Fountains with a vaulted ceiling and a skylight . If there's anything you want to know, say the word and I'll find it out within the next two weeks.

Thanks for the update Gina!

Can you give us an idea on how/where you pick up your towel? Is there a towel location in each section? We'll be staying in Springs (25 days and counting) and wondering if we will have to walk over to Cascades every day for pick up and drop off.

Enjoy your vacation!

FrankieD


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