We just got back from 6 days at Vistana, and I was asked to post back my thoughts on the place.
First the pros:
The price for the value was outstanding! I am one who never lets housekeeping into my room anyway, so the chance to save money while doing that was the selling point for me. I got a great "no housekeeping rate" from this site (Dreams Unlimited Travel), so I was thrilled. Add free internet access, free HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel on TV, and the rate was even better.
I requested a quiet area of the Cascades, two BR with King in master w/whirlpool, and was given all my requests. The villa overlooked the pond from our screened in porch, which was lovely and quiet.
The villa was quite roomy, nicely furnished, and very clean.
There were tons of activities going on all over the resort, though we didn't partake in any so I can't comment on those. Looked great for kids, teens, and adults. Video games, karaoke night, wine tasting night, etc.
Our DVD player wouldn't work, so we called the front desk and a replacement was at our door, and set up for us within 20 minutes.
I particularly liked the bathroom set up. There was a sink and vanity space, with a small seat for sitting to put on makeup and such, and my husband had a whole separate sink area for his stuff.
This resort is EXTREMELY well located. Only 5 minutes to the entrance to Disney, and another 5 to Downtown Disney and the Disney Marketplace. There's a Wal-Mart two miles down the road from Vistana with easy access, a small grocery store on site, and a bit bigger one across the street. There's a full sized Goodings supermarket at the Crossroads just 5 minutes away, along with other shops and restaurants. We loved Landry's Seafood across from Vistana, and Bahama Breeze, and Longhorn Steakhouse are there, as well.
There are two premium outlet malls within a couple of miles, and International Drive was an easy trip.
One other pro for families is that Vistana is pretty secure. There are gatehouses at the entrances to your villas, and you need a parking pass to get through (given to you at check-in).
Now, the cons:
Check in was really lengthy for us. It took a very frustrating half hour of standing and waiting, only to be told that our room wasn't ready and to come back TO THE LINE 20 minutes later. Not good.
Upon entering our room we were hit with the god awful smell of cigarette smoke. Very heavy smell of smoke, so it was from the tenants just prior to us. We went back to the front desk only to be told that there are NO ROOMS that are non-smoking at Vistana. I have no idea if that's true or not, but did recall that I wasn't given an option about smoke when making my reservation, and that's never been the case anywhere else I've stayed. We went to Wal-Mart and bought room deodorizers, and the smell did diminish during our stay, but it was bad the first couple of days.
The sofa bed in our villa was oddly defective as a sofa. The bed underneath was sagging and caused the sofa seats to sag towards the front of the sofa, making it feel like you were sitting on a decline towards the floor. Very annoying. I propped the cushions underneath with blankets and such, and managed to deal with it.
The first few days were unseasonably hot in Orlando (90 degrees), and our a/c unit struggled to keep things cool. The master bedroom was particularly hot at night, and didn't cool well. Worst of all, NO CEILING FANS in the bedrooms. I just don't understand any villa in Florida not having fans in the bedrooms, but back we went to Wal-Mart to purchase their $12 box fans.
All in all, I would stay there again in a heartbeat. The price and the pros of Vistana were well worth dealing with the cons. And if you don't care about housekeeping, you can't beat it.
Hope this helps some of you in making your plans! It's great to keep in mind that the "perfect vacation", or the "perfect villa" is nearly impossible to obtain. As someone who has stayed in many locations in Orlando, I find it best to use "balance" as your barometer. There are always a few things that aren't to your liking, but unless intolerable, focus on the things that are to your liking. Otherwise, dreams can be ruined by a smokey smelling room, or a bad sofa! When really, it's all about the fun!
First the pros:
The price for the value was outstanding! I am one who never lets housekeeping into my room anyway, so the chance to save money while doing that was the selling point for me. I got a great "no housekeeping rate" from this site (Dreams Unlimited Travel), so I was thrilled. Add free internet access, free HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel on TV, and the rate was even better.
I requested a quiet area of the Cascades, two BR with King in master w/whirlpool, and was given all my requests. The villa overlooked the pond from our screened in porch, which was lovely and quiet.
The villa was quite roomy, nicely furnished, and very clean.
There were tons of activities going on all over the resort, though we didn't partake in any so I can't comment on those. Looked great for kids, teens, and adults. Video games, karaoke night, wine tasting night, etc.
Our DVD player wouldn't work, so we called the front desk and a replacement was at our door, and set up for us within 20 minutes.
I particularly liked the bathroom set up. There was a sink and vanity space, with a small seat for sitting to put on makeup and such, and my husband had a whole separate sink area for his stuff.
This resort is EXTREMELY well located. Only 5 minutes to the entrance to Disney, and another 5 to Downtown Disney and the Disney Marketplace. There's a Wal-Mart two miles down the road from Vistana with easy access, a small grocery store on site, and a bit bigger one across the street. There's a full sized Goodings supermarket at the Crossroads just 5 minutes away, along with other shops and restaurants. We loved Landry's Seafood across from Vistana, and Bahama Breeze, and Longhorn Steakhouse are there, as well.
There are two premium outlet malls within a couple of miles, and International Drive was an easy trip.
One other pro for families is that Vistana is pretty secure. There are gatehouses at the entrances to your villas, and you need a parking pass to get through (given to you at check-in).
Now, the cons:
Check in was really lengthy for us. It took a very frustrating half hour of standing and waiting, only to be told that our room wasn't ready and to come back TO THE LINE 20 minutes later. Not good.
Upon entering our room we were hit with the god awful smell of cigarette smoke. Very heavy smell of smoke, so it was from the tenants just prior to us. We went back to the front desk only to be told that there are NO ROOMS that are non-smoking at Vistana. I have no idea if that's true or not, but did recall that I wasn't given an option about smoke when making my reservation, and that's never been the case anywhere else I've stayed. We went to Wal-Mart and bought room deodorizers, and the smell did diminish during our stay, but it was bad the first couple of days.
The sofa bed in our villa was oddly defective as a sofa. The bed underneath was sagging and caused the sofa seats to sag towards the front of the sofa, making it feel like you were sitting on a decline towards the floor. Very annoying. I propped the cushions underneath with blankets and such, and managed to deal with it.
The first few days were unseasonably hot in Orlando (90 degrees), and our a/c unit struggled to keep things cool. The master bedroom was particularly hot at night, and didn't cool well. Worst of all, NO CEILING FANS in the bedrooms. I just don't understand any villa in Florida not having fans in the bedrooms, but back we went to Wal-Mart to purchase their $12 box fans.
All in all, I would stay there again in a heartbeat. The price and the pros of Vistana were well worth dealing with the cons. And if you don't care about housekeeping, you can't beat it.
Hope this helps some of you in making your plans! It's great to keep in mind that the "perfect vacation", or the "perfect villa" is nearly impossible to obtain. As someone who has stayed in many locations in Orlando, I find it best to use "balance" as your barometer. There are always a few things that aren't to your liking, but unless intolerable, focus on the things that are to your liking. Otherwise, dreams can be ruined by a smokey smelling room, or a bad sofa! When really, it's all about the fun!
