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

[maid_marionne]

After staying at the Vistana resort in April and totally loving it, I'm very close to purchasing a timeshare at the Vistana. This would be my first timeshare, and I suddenly find myself having cold feet. Why not just keep renting a place when I go on vacation? Why get locked into the annual commitment of a timeshare? Reading this thread it's clear that there are some happy timeshare owners here. What do you like best about timesharing and why not just rent accommodations? Thanks in advance from the newbie!

 

[Conway733]

Gina - Sounds like you had a great trip? I'm anxious to hear how things went with the sky auction part of things. I'm assuming things were fine!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina - Sounds like you had a great trip? I'm anxious to hear how things went with the sky auction part of things. I'm assuming things were fine!

It was a FANTASTIC trip. Loved every single minute (well, except for the flight delay that didn't get us home until 2:30 am this morning.....sooooo tired).

Everything went exactly as planned with the reservation . We received a lovely unit in Lakes, and the location couldn't have been more perfect. They met every Diamond Lane request I submitted: a premium one bedroom villa (we really, really couldn't imagine not having a balcony....though we knew that was a possibility as the reservation didn't stipulate which one bedroom configuration we might be assigned), top floor, as close to the Fountains pool as possible, away from the highway. The villa was spacious, had vaulted ceilings and a marvelous skylight. We were even able to get in early....the villa was ready for us when we arrived at 12:30 pm. Absolutely no difference in the check-in experience from when we stay as owners. We were emailed a confirmation of our zero balance owing on check-out day, so there were no surprise charges or otherwise.

I would book via Skyauction again in a heartbeat! (though probably the 2 bedroom, just so I can be 100% guaranteed that I'd have that balcony)

Edited to add......I have a ton of pics that I will post within the week. Many of the Lakes section in particular, but also of the new Welcome Center, the fitness centers, and the Tiki Bar & Grill.

 

[tots05]

We stayed in Lakes 7 last year. It was very quiet but it was further away from the pools that I wanted to be. Think we were on 4th floor and we didn't hear any neighbors.

thank you so much I was looking at the map and from what I can see it will be a little bit of walk to go the the pools.

 

[Joe1964]

We just returned from our 6 night stay at the SVR. We made a Diamond Lane request 2 weeks before our arrival, but didn't receive any type of confirmation and they didn't seem to have the request on check-in. We wanted the top floor and they had us on the ground floor. However, they were able to put us in Bld #10, Cascades section. The 2 bedroom unit was stunning, skylight, new cabinets, granite, huge jetted tub in bedroom, screened balcony, tastefully decorated in fresh lime/dark wood colors.....all very nice.

We never used the pool towel/card system. I assume it will be abandoned shortly. Each pool had a big bin of fresh towels.
I was surprised by the location of the sauna and steam rooms at some of the pools. The doors open directly from the outside, not from within a building or fitness center. My 11 y/o old and I used both and we were the only people in them. Same with the nearby whirlpool.

We did get daily calls to pick up our "welcome kit". They started out featuring free toothpaste (!) and eventually they offered us $100 and a free breakfast. We declined. On check-in they offered 2 adult breakfasts daily to forgo daily housekeeping. We declined because we like a quick breakfast on the balcony, but it wouldn't be a bad trade off for someone with a rental that included daily housekeeping.

I was a bit surprised by the "gated community" approach, but I'm sure it keeps the property safer. It was painless after we learned that our suite key-cards opened the gates.

The size of the property is intimating. The walk to the pools or marketplace wasn't bad, it's just not as easy to find your way back to your villa as you might think. "Oh, here we are. We overlook that fountain." Wrong, many of the fountains look the same!

The weather in Orlando was just incredible last week. Warm enough to enjoy the pools, but cool enough in the evening to enjoy the sunset from our west facing balcony.

If/when we stay there again the only thing I would change is the amount of activities beyond the resort. You can have a wonderful time without leaving the property. Well, maybe a quick trip to Chick-fil-a for a great chicken sandwich, another to Freddy's for a good/cheap burger and of course a trip to the outlet mall.

 

[Colargol]

I just absolutely love this thread - so much information gathered in one place!

I am now trying to plan a 4 week (!) holiday staying at the Sheraton, and needless to say, I am hoping to find the perfect location within the resort for us, as we will most likely be staying in the same appartment all four weeks.

We have:
- booked a 2 bedroom/sleeps 8 villa
- check in/out on a Sunday
- have kids aged 4 and 8
- love to be within walking distance of pool, preferrably kid friendly pool (not quiet "adults only", or big kids playing volleyball and occupying the whole pool)
- love to be on top floor, but due to walking trouble it should either be a lift, or no more than one storey to walk.

What would you recommend for us?
(I am preparing our diamond lane request, and am absolutely bevildered by all the sections and possibilites at the resort!)

We did stay at the Sheraton 4 yrs ago, and had a small 1 bedroom in Cascades, close to the road, and quite a walk from the pool. Hoping for somehing better this time ;-)

 

[bankr63]

After staying at the Vistana resort in April and totally loving it, I'm very close to purchasing a timeshare at the Vistana. This would be my first timeshare, and I suddenly find myself having cold feet. Why not just keep renting a place when I go on vacation? Why get locked into the annual commitment of a timeshare? Reading this thread it's clear that there are some happy timeshare owners here. What do you like best about timesharing and why not just rent accommodations? Thanks in advance from the newbie!

You are asking all the right questions! The reasons people decide to own are probably as varied as the owners. I actually believe that for most people, renting timeshares from the owners IS the best strategy. Owning a TS means that you are responsible for paying the Maintenance Fees annually, whether you use it or not. And should your lifestyle change, you may not be able to get out of the ownership as quickly as you would like. There is a vibrant rental market for these properties, and the costs are probably lower than owning, so it often doesn't make sense.

I PM'd with Gina many times before they purchased, and made these same arguments, but alas she and Steve made the decision to buy not just one, but two units - so I guess my arguments aren't very convincing.

We have a couple of personal reasons for owning, not the least of which is my work. I do contract based project management, and I don't get paid holidays. So before owning a TS, I didn't take holidays. Just taking a week off work costs me a bunch of $$$ without even booking anything. Now that I have paid my maintenance fees already, I feel that I have to take a vacation. And that's just good for me and the whole family.

We specifically like SVR because we love Orlando, year after year. And it is amazing to "come home" to our little piece of paradise each time we return; Vistana is a place that has the vacation vibe and amenities we want. We own a deeded week ownership, so we know exactly which unit we will be in if we use our own ownership week, and that is very special. We may only own 1/52nd of that villa, but it is ours! We have stayed in quiet a few other TS properties across the US and Mexico, and have yet to stay in any other that makes us regret this purchase.

If you do decide to take the plunge, a few words of advice:
1. Get educated - spend several weeks getting to know the community at TUG www.tug2.net. The TS owners there will open your eyes to world of possibilities in how/when/where to own/use/rent your interest (and a lot of them will advise you to just rent)
2. Buy resale - those units you see on ebay for $1 are real. The really good ones do command a bit of money, but for the most part, they aren't worth anything. You just have to remember that your $1 buys you a $1000 dollar a year commitment
3. Learn to use your ownership - we leverage our two ownerships into two or more trips a year for us, and have plenty leftover to gift or rent to family and friends. We may even come close to breaking even this year (effectively making our usage free).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I PM'd with Gina many times before they purchased, and made these same arguments, but alas she and Steve made the decision to buy not just one, but two units - so I guess my arguments aren't very convincing.

bankr63 did, indeed, give us much "food for thought" before we proceeded with our purchases, and to this day we are so very grateful for all of his insight and expertise. His arguments held a lot of merit.....and when we opted to make the jump into ownership, it was done with our eyes wide open. Just like owning a pet, owning a timeshare can either be a blessing or a curse....depending on your personal situation.

There was a lot of learning we had to do first: deeded weeks versus floating weeks, "seasons" (prime, high, red...and what those meant), Starpoints vs. Staroptions vs. "weeks", trade-ability, things to watch out for when buying resale. For a while, I thought my mind might burst.

We didn't initially plan to buy two weeks, but a favourable opportunity presented itself and we took advantage of that. Someday, when our son is old enough (and we no longer have the need or desire for two weeks), we anticipate passing one (or both) weeks along to him. Of course, I can't see that happening anytime soon.....we love being in Orlando too much .

 

[maid_marionne]

You are asking all the right questions! The reasons people decide to own are probably as varied as the owners. I actually believe that for most people, renting timeshares from the owners IS the best strategy. Owning a TS means that you are responsible for paying the Maintenance Fees annually, whether you use it or not. And should your lifestyle change, you may not be able to get out of the ownership as quickly as you would like. There is a vibrant rental market for these properties, and the costs are probably lower than owning, so it often doesn't make sense.

I PM'd with Gina many times before they purchased, and made these same arguments, but alas she and Steve made the decision to buy not just one, but two units - so I guess my arguments aren't very convincing.

We have a couple of personal reasons for owning, not the least of which is my work. I do contract based project management, and I don't get paid holidays. So before owning a TS, I didn't take holidays. Just taking a week off work costs me a bunch of $$$ without even booking anything. Now that I have paid my maintenance fees already, I feel that I have to take a vacation. And that's just good for me and the whole family.

We specifically like SVR because we love Orlando, year after year. And it is amazing to "come home" to our little piece of paradise each time we return; Vistana is a place that has the vacation vibe and amenities we want. We own a deeded week ownership, so we know exactly which unit we will be in if we use our own ownership week, and that is very special. We may only own 1/52nd of that villa, but it is ours! We have stayed in quiet a few other TS properties across the US and Mexico, and have yet to stay in any other that makes us regret this purchase.

If you do decide to take the plunge, a few words of advice:
1. Get educated - spend several weeks getting to know the community at TUG www.tug2.net. The TS owners there will open your eyes to world of possibilities in how/when/where to own/use/rent your interest (and a lot of them will advise you to just rent)
2. Buy resale - those units you see on ebay for $1 are real. The really good ones do command a bit of money, but for the most part, they aren't worth anything. You just have to remember that your $1 buys you a $1000 dollar a year commitment
3. Learn to use your ownership - we leverage our two ownerships into two or more trips a year for us, and have plenty leftover to gift or rent to family and friends. We may even come close to breaking even this year (effectively making our usage free).

Thanks bankr63! I appreciate all the great advice!

My family and I do like to "get away" on a vacation once a year. The trip in April was our first trip to Orlando, although we've been wanting to go for a couple of years. Now that we've gone, we can't wait to go back...so much so that we are considering becoming owners. I did find a good deal on a rental from an owner, but it took me some time and effort, and a lot of the rentals were listed for more than the typical annual maintenance fee. (Although I did not know about Skyauction then.) We are looking forward to the feeling that there is a place in the sun waiting for us to return. And the Vistana was exactly what we were looking for!

I have much to learn! Thanks for pointing me to the resources, looks like I have some studying to do.

I definitely plan on buying resale, I've already learned that much from reading posts here! It's not the purchase I'm getting cold feet about, it's the commitment. But really I can see us wanting to go back to Orlando for many years to come.

And I definitely need to learn to use my ownership. Very impressive that you've been able to leverage your ownership to the point of breaking even this year!! Although at least for the next few years I can see us returning to our home resort. Again, much to learn!

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll have more questions as I make my way through becoming a bit more educated about timeshares.

 

[maid_marionne]

bankr63 did, indeed, give us much "food for thought" before we proceeded with our purchases, and to this day we are so very grateful for all of his insight and expertise. His arguments held a lot of merit.....and when we opted to make the jump into ownership, it was done with our eyes wide open. Just like owning a pet, owning a timeshare can either be a blessing or a curse....depending on your personal situation.

There was a lot of learning we had to do first: deeded weeks versus floating weeks, "seasons" (prime, high, red...and what those meant), Starpoints vs. Staroptions vs. "weeks", trade-ability, things to watch out for when buying resale. For a while, I thought my mind might burst.

We didn't initially plan to buy two weeks, but a favourable opportunity presented itself and we took advantage of that. Someday, when our son is old enough (and we no longer have the need or desire for two weeks), we anticipate passing one (or both) weeks along to him. Of course, I can't see that happening anytime soon.....we love being in Orlando too much .

Hi Gina,

Interesting comparison of owning a timeshare to owning a pet...I can see where there are some similarities in the commitment! I'm also feeling like there is a lot of data to absorb and new terms to learn. I've learned about deeded weeks and floating weeks and seasons, looks like I need to go learn about Starpoints and Staroptions. What are some of the things to watch out for when buying resale? I am definitely looking at the resale market!

Sounds like you found an absolutely wonderful opportunity! Two weeks to use or trade sounds like a dream - if you don't mind the maintenance fees of course! And I can tell from reading your posts here that you love to be in Orlando. And we have found that we love it too.

 

[laurabelle]

Do I need to bring a corkscrew?

 

[bankr63]

Do I need to bring a corkscrew?

Depends. Do you like a GOOD corkscrew?

There is one in the unit so you don't need to bring one; but I worked my way through college as a bartender and like a really good corkscrew, so I bring my own. And yes, I know that sounds pretty stupid, but we all have our little vanities.

 

[bankr63]

Hi Gina,

Interesting comparison of owning a timeshare to owning a pet...I can see where there are some similarities in the commitment! I'm also feeling like there is a lot of data to absorb and new terms to learn. I've learned about deeded weeks and floating weeks and seasons, looks like I need to go learn about Starpoints and Staroptions. What are some of the things to watch out for when buying resale? I am definitely looking at the resale market!

Sounds like you found an absolutely wonderful opportunity! Two weeks to use or trade sounds like a dream - if you don't mind the maintenance fees of course! And I can tell from reading your posts here that you love to be in Orlando. And we have found that we love it too.

First thing in resale is do an owner a favor and buy direct. Check the bargain basement in TUG for a great deal, or on Redweek. Most of the units you see on eBay are from the big "PCC's" (Post Card Companies) that CHARGE owners big fees to get out of their ownerships. The PCC has already made their money, and is happy to dump the unit for $1 on Ebay. Buying from a owner privately means these pirates didn't make any money. Of course it's not always possible to find what you want, and eBay does make searching and buying easy. EBay is where we bought both our TS interests, so I am being a bit hypocritical in my advice.

One thing to be very careful of when looking at the eBay ads is to know EXACTLY what you are buying. I often see sales listed that are obviously recycled from previous listings and have all kinds of facts wrong. So make sure the unit is exactly what they say it is, and that you understand the terms. However, most eBay sellers when caught in an error, will make right. Still better to do the homework first to save headaches later. For instance I have seen a listing for a unit at SVR that said it was in Bella phase. Bella is in Sheraton Vistana VILLAGES; a completely different resort. If you suspect there is an error, walk on by, or email the seller for clarification before closing the auction.

 

[laurabelle]

Depends. Do you like a GOOD corkscrew?

There is one in the unit so you don't need to bring one; but I worked my way through college as a bartender and like a really good corkscrew, so I bring my own. And yes, I know that sounds pretty stupid, but we all have our little vanities.

Not stupid at all. I like a good corkscrew too. Which one do you use?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey everyone, I finally have some pics from our trip last week uploaded to Photobucket and edited for size. I thought I'd share a few for anyone who is interested.

We stayed in a one bedroom premium villa in Lakes 1 (villa 1773). This was a top floor unit with vaulted ceilings and a skylight.

I don't think a one bedroom villa has been featured much on this thread as of yet, so here's a photo tour:


Building exterior:




Entryway, as seen walking into the unit:




Foyer, as seen walking back toward the entry door (the laundry facilities are behind the double doors to the immediate left of the entry door):




Kitchen:






Living/dining rooms:










Bedroom:












Bathroom:






Dressing areas (the first located outside of the bathroom, the second located outside the master bedroom):






Balcony:

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

And.....here are pics of the newly remodeled Welcome Center:









We really liked the new feel and decor. Much more modern and "warm" than the old style.

I still have many photos of the grounds and the Tiki Bar & Grill, and will post those as soon as I get the editing completed.

 

[laurabelle]

Thanks for the pictures. I really love what they've done with the place...

 

[maid_marionne]

And.....here are pics of the newly remodeled Welcome Center:









We really liked the new feel and decor. Much more modern and "warm" than the old style.

I still have many photos of the grounds and the Tiki Bar & Grill, and will post those as soon as I get the editing completed.

The Welcome Center was so nice...it really was a good introduction to the resort. I was expecting a rather standard hotel lobby - was I surprised!

 

[maid_marionne]

First thing in resale is do an owner a favor and buy direct. Check the bargain basement in TUG for a great deal, or on Redweek. Most of the units you see on eBay are from the big "PCC's" (Post Card Companies) that CHARGE owners big fees to get out of their ownerships. The PCC has already made their money, and is happy to dump the unit for $1 on Ebay. Buying from a owner privately means these pirates didn't make any money. Of course it's not always possible to find what you want, and eBay does make searching and buying easy. EBay is where we bought both our TS interests, so I am being a bit hypocritical in my advice.

One thing to be very careful of when looking at the eBay ads is to know EXACTLY what you are buying. I often see sales listed that are obviously recycled from previous listings and have all kinds of facts wrong. So make sure the unit is exactly what they say it is, and that you understand the terms. However, most eBay sellers when caught in an error, will make right. Still better to do the homework first to save headaches later. For instance I have seen a listing for a unit at SVR that said it was in Bella phase. Bella is in Sheraton Vistana VILLAGES; a completely different resort. If you suspect there is an error, walk on by, or email the seller for clarification before closing the auction.

Thanks! Hmmm...I did not have any idea about the PCC vultures on eBay. I've been looking at some listings on eBay and it seems like there are some good deals. I'll have to be sure to give preference to a direct sale if I can find a good deal (and if I do decide to purchase of course).

Funny you should mention about errors - I'm already encountering them as I look at timeshares available on eBay. But I can see where that might happen more frequently if the timeshare is being sold by a third party company that does not really know the resort. If I had not been to the resort I wouldn't have noticed the mistakes.

Thanks again!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey everyone, I have a trip report started for our most recent visit. If anyone wants to read along, feel free to join me here:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/lo...ry-adventures-in-orlando-may-2015-tr.3409180/