Help! ? Sheraton Vistana Resort

[ellamom]

I need some advice. I booked the Sheraton Vistana Resort for myself and DH & DD for September 14-21 through an on-line travel agency ( Florida Travel and Tourist Bureau) . I got a great rate $107 a night for a villa. I have heard great things about the resort and sounds like its exactly what we were looking for but....... I recently read a couple reviews on expediatravel.com. A couple of the reviews indicated that most of the discount rates are for rooms that have not been renovated, this is not a big deal to me but how bad are these rooms? Has anyone booked a discount room and how did it work out? Also, I called a reservations number directly today to see what the normal price is and they told me that the Vistana is booked. The online discount travel sights also indicate this. Does anyone know why a resort this large would be full already? Do you think this will be an inconvienence when using the pool? HELP!!!!!!! Any information would be GREAT!!!

 

[Tense]

The Vistana is a very large property. Yes there are older sections of the resort, that isn't as nice. You may want to request one of the newer sections such as the cascades. We have stayed in the Cascades and they were lovely, HOWEVER I really wouldn't want to be in any of the older sections. Fountians or Cascades only.Imho.. hope that helps!

 

[jctwizzer]

Having been in the newer sections of Vistana, and in the older sections, I don't think you'll go wrong regardless.. The extra space is great. The older units may not be brand new, but they keep them up to date.......the carpeting was a little worn in an older unit but that was about it.....they do periodic updates so nothing is antiquated...Based on our experience, I don't know why anyone would complain....JMO! Good luck

 

[disneymom3]

We have stayed in Fountains and Spas--Spas was definitely a bit older and perhaps a bit outdated, but the resort as a whole is fantastic. Don't worry about crowds--there are 7 pools afterall and lots of kid pools too. We always found one that was not too crowded. The big pool by the Cascades is fabulous even if it is crowded--plenty of room for kids and grown ups to move about. You'll love it! The kitchens are well equipped and there's lots of space not to mention your own washer and dryer in the unit.

 

[MHolleman]

Hello,

Wow, You are going to be at Vistana the same week we are. We booked this resort
through RCI, and have 2 units for this one week. I had no problem booking these units.

It may say that all units are booked up because they deal with Timeshare companies and perhaps have alloted out certain rooms only to the companies like RCI. The last time I looked on RCI there were still units for the week we are there, so I doubt they are full.

Question for others: Are the older sections just old, or old and dirty. I can deal with old, but I have a problem with a room being dirty. Is the maid service good about cleaning up?

Melissa

 

[disneymom3]

When I say old, I am not talking everything is rundown and worn out, it just doesn't look as modern as the new--Cascades--section. Not at all dirty. The maid sevice was fine, but you should know that if you booked as a time share, they do not have daily maid service. At least they didn't in 1999 when we booked through RCI. I think they came in on Weds. We had a vacuum and broom in the closet though, for quick little clean ups. It really is a wonderful resort, as long as not BRAND NEW is not an issue for you, there is nothing to worry about. We would stay at Vistana every trip if we could, but you can only book it every 4 years as an exchange. This time we are trying Vistana Villages.

Have a great time!

 

[maciec]

We stayed here last year and the first unit that we got was in the Springs section - now if you are the kind of person who likes to stay in a hotel room/condo that was built or refurbished within the last 5-7 years this is not the section for you. Don't get me wrong the unit was very clean, but it had a smell of mildew. The a/c was pumping in the unit and maybe it was just this unit, but my husband felt that it was unacceptable and had me go back to the front desk to ask for a room change. They switched us to the Fountains section. We were in one of the first buildings on the right as you drive through the gate. This was better - a little newer with no smell. We really liked the looks of the Cascades buildings, but we were really tired and our unit was sufficient enough that we decided it wasn't worth the hassle to go back and ask for another change.

As for the maid service if you need a crib ask for it immediately at the desk and call immediately when you get into the room ... they were really slow bringing it to us. Otherwise, they did a very good job cleaning up.

This was our first time staying off site and I can tell you that we won't be doing it again. I just didn't feel like I was at Disney. Although, I will tremendously miss the amount of room that we had by staying at Vistana!

 

[MLindaG]

I own at Vistana and have stayed in almost all of the areas at one time or another. Cascades is their newest section. All the areas get some type of refurbishing every year.........when we stayed at the Spa's in '99 they had just put in all new kitchen appliances........The Spa's are actually somewhat larger than some of the newer sections (They started making them slightly smaller as they went along) I have never found a problem with cleanliness. Some may talk about missing the magic of WDW but we LOVE getting away from WDW LOL........The extra room.........being able to take advantage of off-site restaurants........Room to spread out and relax.......Privacy.........We love it!