just back oak plantation/vistana resort

[Bob S]

just returned on sunday. we stayed 2 nights at oak plantation and 7 nights at vistana resort.
oak plantation was a pleasant surprise. we booked a 1 bedroom villa thru hotelkingdom for 56.00 dollars per night. the unit was very nice. the color scheme is similar to the cascades section of vistana. its located right off 192 a mile or so from 535 which made access to the parks pretty simple.
the parks were crowded. i heard that DAK set an attendance record on 4/1 and the MK closed its gates a few times in the beginning of the week. it was nice to see COP and Timekeeper open in the MK. i dont understand why they had these attractions closed in the first place.
we stopped by the AP lounge in epcot. its a nice place to take a break and we were able to make PS arrangements while we were there. on 4/5 we watched illuminations from the AP viewing area across from Italy. great view. there were only about 30-40 people in the area so there was plenty of room and everyone had a good view.
if anyone has any questions i will try my best to answer them.
bob

 

[hercamore]

Thanks for the review, Bob.

Where exactly is the Oak Plantation located and how far to the parks drivetime?

What part of the AK is the lounge located in?

Sounds like the AP viewing area in Epcot is the way to go.


Herc

 

[hellokitty]

how were the Vistana's?
did you get in the old or new section?
we are going there in November and wondered how nice it was?
are the pools heated?

thanks

 

[Bob S]

hi herc
the resort is about 7 miles east on 192 from I-4. you turn left onto hoagland blvd and the resort is just a few hundred yards on the left. there is a map on hotelkingdom.com on the oak plantation page. when going to the parks i would avoid 192 and take 535 to 536. i have never hit any traffic when taking that route. the drive time to the parks was about 15 minutes.
the AP lounge is located in epcot in the land pavillion. you go to the garden grill check in booth and they will tell you how to get to the lounge. you will have to take the elevator to the 3rd floor. the lounge is actually the nestle corporate lounge. nestle is not using it at this time so they are using it for the AP lounge. i believe it will be there until the end of april.
the AP viewing area was great. the best part was you didnt have to stake out a spot an hour before to get a good view.

hellokitty
i own a 2 bedroom lockoff in the cascades so i am always in that section. the courts is the oldest section and is dated compared the the newer sections. i have been an owner at vistana for 17 years and can tell you that they have a very aggressive replacement program in place and do a pretty good job maintaining the units.
i believe the pools are heated but i have only been there during the warmer months so it has never been an issue.
i think vistana is a beautiful resort and i have never been dissapointed yet. you can look vistana up on the net to get more info about the resort.
hope you have a nice trip
bob

 

[baileybrad]

The OP is an excellent value for the money. And your description of traversing the area using 535/536 to the Disney area is the key. It is really not very far at all. Glad you enjoyed your trip.