help please - considering SPG offer to Sheraton Vistana Resort or Villages

[mlenmoore]

as a Starwood Preferred Guest I have rec'd an offer for 5 days / 4 nights @ Sheraton Vistana Villages for $169 USD (one bedrroom villa) for entire stay. Reality is....as expected....I will need to commit to sitting through a 90 min. ownership presentation. Prepared to do this in order to give my family a chance to return to WDW as we make our way to Fort Myers Beach in April. We will have our own vehicle so location is not that big of an issue. Biggest concern is quality of accomodation. Based on tripadvisor.com the Vistana Resort seems to be getting a much better rating than the Vistana Villages. I am to understand that rehab/reno has take place at Vistana Resort versus Vistana Villages on all if not most units/villas. But Vistana Villages are older / in need of rehab. Can anyone comment/advise on this? Am I better off to accept offer and request Vistana Resort over Vistana Villages? Also....cannot seem to find an online resort map showing layout of units/villas, pools etc. for either location....is this info. out there?

thanks in advance
Mike (DIS newbie)

 

[jmpellet]

No, you have it backwards. Villages is a much nicer property. The resort os much older, albeit they are beginning to remodel. We did this exact offer last summer although we got luck and the tour was NOT required. Of the thre timeshare places we've stayed (Vistana Villages, The Fountains, Marriott Horizons), the room at the Villages was far away the nicest. I would hesitate doing it as long as you are able to say no. Do a little homework regarding the resale market and be armed with that info and they'll quickly back down. I actually brought a list of completed auction from eBay. They had me out the door quickly!

 

[swilshire]

It sounds like a great deal if you can spare a morning. We are doing a tour of a different resort in March because we needed to add two extra nights and we paid $59 but get a $50 gift card back.

Tours are no problem as long as you are not easily convinced by salesmen. Just convince them that you are a hopeless case and it will likely be painless.

Sheila

 

[mlenmoore]

jmpellet & swilshire......thanks for the reply.

Just finished booking the Vistana Villages for 5d/4n offer for Apr 14 - Apr 17. $169 USD (not including $17/night state tax) - they have dropped the bonus offer of 8000 Starwood Prefered Guest points or $100 vouchers for local attractions....offer now is $100 cash...subject to participating in the 'mandatory' tour/repsesentation on the morning of Apr 17th. We were simply told we could have the amount put towards our bill upon checkout.

Thanks for the coaching on 'timeshare presentation prep'! I certainly will make an effort to print off a stack of resale listings for this property from various online sources before we go. Great idea. Hopefully this will make them cut it short with us as they indicated it is mandatory that all of us (my wife , 8 and 6 year old kids) attend the presentation. Rather be @ WDW!!

jmpellet.....our res is for a 1 bedroom villa. Is this sufficient size for a family of 4 (wife and 2 young kids)? Would you recommend a certain building/unit .....Amelia/Key West/Bella? Are some 'newer' than others?

thanks
Mike

 

[happycamper83]

Amelia is the newest section, Bella is the oldest.. but by no means old. Bella is closest to main pool, lobby, etc.

 

[MiaSRN62]

No, you have it backwards. Villages is a much nicer property. The resort os much older,

I wouldn't say the Villages is MUCH NICER ?


Hi Mike (and welcome to the DIS)
The main resort is a very beautifully and well maintained/landscaped property. True the resort is older and "SOME" sections need remodeling but Vistana is actively in the process. Not sure how someone could say the Villages is "much nicer" and they admittedly haven't even stayed there ? I am sure the Villages is a beautiful resort as well.....but by no means is the main resort not just as beautiful as I'd like to share photos I snapped between Aug 2007 and Aug 2008.

But you mentioned a 1 bedroom villa and the 1 bedroom villas are only in the two newest sections (Lakes and Cascades)---one being the Lakes which just got a whole new facelift and is gorgeous.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2012916 (shows the new Lakes master bedroom). Wish I could show u the rest, but it's only a slideshow on the owner's site and can't figure out how to post it here ?

Here's photos I snapped of the main Vistana resort this past August :

Lakes remodeled master bedroom :

And I stayed in the older Fountains I this past Aug which was totally redone :

all new appliances and granite counter tops :

So I don't know how the Villages is MUCH nicer than the resort ? I think they are comparable.
The main resort has a General Store that has a deli and sells fresh rottisserie chickens.....there is a Pizza Hut on property....and a sit down restaurant called Zimmies. ALL will deliver to your villa. Not sure if the Villages have these options or room service ? Main Vistana has 7 pools.....many adult and child activities during the week. I see you already booked....but for future reference, the 1 bedrooms at the main resort are the newer sections and one was just completely remodeled head to toe. The main Vistana is also a bit closer to WDW. Villages closer to Sea World/Uni as an FYI.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Oh yeah...almost forgot........maps for both the Villages and the main Vistana :

 

[mlenmoore]

Maria.....wow....thanks for all the info on VR!! and the maps on both properties!! Hopefully VV will live up to the pics of the newly remodelled VR villas. I have stayed at many Sheraton hotels while travelling and the remodelled units at VR are indicative of what in my opinion a Sheraton property should look and feel like. Guess it will be hard for me to complain for the offer that we have booked.

happycamper

thanks for your comments......have you stayed recently at VV? Are the units finished similar to the pics that Maria is sharing from Vistanan Resort? If you stayed in the Amelia units did you hear much traffic noise? By the looks of the map that Maria provided these units are right out at International Drive.

thanks
Mike

 

[MiaSRN62]

Maria.....wow....thanks for all the info on VR!! and the maps on both properties!! Hopefully VV will live up to the pics of the newly remodelled VR villas.

You're welcome Mike....and I'm sure the VV units will be beautiful. The resort has a very good reputation..........

Have a great stay........
Maria

 

[Mari annie]

We did over 2o time shares like 4 a year before we bought a 2nd home there, last year.

Don't buy anything! Take the vacation and enjoy it for what it is! The re sale value is nothing. Everyone does them. We had it down to a science, when we told them we were there for the vacation, most let us skip the rest, and signed us off to get rid of us, we had to pretend we were reading the notes/book of places to take a "Trip" to. I was also in the Hosp Industry for 12 years. Tell them you'll skip the greasy breakfast=all of them are crap anyway, take the earliest in the am's we always took the 730am, let them know it's regulated and FL law states you only have to be there 90 minutes.
Let them know you KNOW the rules!

Always always always ASK for a recent renovated building/property.

We always got great views/great brand new properties, and always had a great time.

Be in control, though. Don't be a sucker. Remember there are over 60 resorts in Orlando, and more to be built........so happy cheapo vacations. You have to know how to play the game to get a great cheap HAPPY vacation!

Everyone enjoy your trips!!!!

2 weeks for 3 weeks in FL! Can't wait!!!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Tell them you'll skip the greasy breakfast=all of them are crap anyway, take the earliest in the am's we always took the 730am, let them know it's regulated and FL law states you only have to be there 90 minutes.
Let them know you KNOW the rules!

Always always always ASK for a recent renovated building/property.

We always got great views/great brand new properties, and always had a great time.

Be in control, though. Don't be a sucker. Remember there are over 60 resorts in Orlando, and more to be built........so happy cheapo vacations. You have to know how to play the game to get a great cheap HAPPY vacation!

Excellent advice Mari annie........they will def try and hard sell/pressure you. Just be mentally prepared for it and what you plan to say. We were pressured very hard once at Vistana. We told them we were not interested in buying extra time there and the guy got downright beligerent with us. We told him we wanted our money and to leave as the "presentation" was now 2+ hours long. He said he would go get it....so we waited......waited......and then my husband spied him over in a far corner with another potential "victim". He had told us he was going to get our money....and instead, left us sitting for another 30 min trying to hardsell another guest. It was awful My dh had to go over, interrupt the conversation and demanded to speak with whoever was in charge. It was now like 2 hours and 40 min. We finally got our money. But the whole experience left such a bad taste that I don't think we'll ever do one again.

 

[mlenmoore]

Excellent advice Mari annie........they will def try and hard sell/pressure you. Just be mentally prepared for it and what you plan to say. We were pressured very hard once at Vistana. We told them we were not interested in buying extra time there and the guy got downright beligerent with us. We told him we wanted our money and to leave as the "presentation" was now 2+ hours long. He said he would go get it....so we waited......waited......and then my husband spied him over in a far corner with another potential "victim". He had told us he was going to get our money....and instead, left us sitting for another 30 min trying to hardsell another guest. It was awful My dh had to go over, interrupt the conversation and demanded to speak with whoever was in charge. It was now like 2 hours and 40 min. We finally got our money. But the whole experience left such a bad taste that I don't think we'll ever do one again.

thanks a bunch Mari annie and Maria!!! now I can be somewhat prepared for what we will have to endure. Will definitely look to skip the breakfast - get the earliest time slot in the am and hold them to the 90 minutes - I did not know there was Florida state law around the time limit.

much appreciated
Mike