Oh, The Places We’ll Go! From the “stars” to the “sea”: Universal, SeaWorld & beyond - Spring 2016

[JaxDad]

Very Impatient People?

 

[angryduck71]

There should have been something discounted or free for the awful service you got. That is unacceptable.

 

[cantoine]

We did a "VIP" check in at the Vistiana Villages back in 2011. They called us about 2 weeks before our arrival and told us since we were SPG members they wanted to do something extra for us. We got there at the scheduled time, and we were instructed to go to the main lobby. The lady at the desk swiped my credit card for incidentials and then sent us down stair to meet our guide. We headed down stairs and the lady was nice, she gave the kids some punch and cookies. She told us she was able to get our room request of the St. Augustine area, and asked us for our credit card for incidentials. We explained that we had already done this with the lady upstairs. She insisted that it had to be done and assured us it would not charge again. Then she asked us to be in the oreview center the next morning at 8 am to pick up our special gift of 5 nights/6 days voucher for either the Visitana villages or the Vistiana resorts for 299.00. I asked her if it was the sales pitch and she assured me it was nothing of the sort. She gave me her phone number and said if we needed anything to please call her. We proceeded to our room.

We went the next morning we showed up and low and behold it was the sales pitch. 2 hours later we were still waiting for our special voucher. Well there was no voucher, at all, and we sat through the entire thing and our guide was pretty mad at the end.

When we left and went to go somewhere my husband swiped his credit card and it was declined. This was odd to me becuase we have a card that we travel with and it had a zero balance on it. The only thing we used it for was the check in. So he calls the bank as I apologize to the staff memeber and the kids. He returns looking very mad. He said the hotel charged us 3 times for the weeks stay and 3 times for a 50.00 deposit. So at this point I was beyond aggraviated. So I called the lady and of course no answer. We all pilled back into the car and drive straight to the front desk. After 3 hours we finally had gotten all the charges reversed and our credit limit finally fixed. It was actually the last time we ever stayed off Disney's property and the last time we stayed with a Sheraton.

 

[jennasmommyinMS]

It sounds like the Very Important People there are the sales people. How ridiculous for y'all to have to wait that long just to get checked in!

 

[dancin Disney style]

The snoring is noise I am used to ... LOL, after 23 years, quite honestly, its hard to sleep without it .

LOL...usually once a month DH sleeps in the basement so that I can get a good nights sleep. I get to the point that I'm beyond nasty and he knows I'm tired and it's time for him to vanish. I'm just know thinking back to my 10 glorious nights of silence in March.

To be honest, we kept waiting for the axe to fall that night....some sort of party to get underway, or the smell of marijuana to come sneaking under the door. It was eerily strange for everything to be so peaceful.

Now to decide.....book the Days again for October, or....?

I can't believe they didn't put you in one of the suites. Although, the room you had looks like it's had a bit of an overhaul from the last time I stayed there. I would be willing to bet that they blocked the rooms around you to ensure quiet. Even though I don't love that hotel if they had the CAD at par deal I might consider it again. I don't know, I really disliked the riff raff in the lobby bar.

Not sure if I ever gave the details on our Aloft stay? Did I? Interested in hearing it?


Oh, CiCi's...how I miss you. I think it's been 2 years since our last visit there. I'm another one that likes the white pizza and cinnamon rolls. I've been to 5 different locations in Orlando and for sure they are all different. I think the nicest one(that I've been to) is the one right across from the Vistana. We went to one on I-drive that was really weird. It was part of one of the souvie shops and it also had an arcade. It was not very clean and the pizza was terrible.

Funny CiCi's story at the Vistana one. We went there for a late lunch and there wasn't much pizza on the buffet but they said they had several in the oven that would only take about 3 more minutes. Great so we sit down and wait. Just as they put out the pizza a bus load of Japanese tourists come in. They walked straight past the cashier and go to the pizza completely emptying the buffet. It was like the Tazmanian devil had just swirled thru. So again there is no pizza for us. We wait while they make more. Again, the bus load wipes out the supply. We then decide that we are going to stand at the buffet to wait for the next round of pizzas to come out. We must have looked like vultures.

 

[Callie]

I'd be so pissed over that experience!

 

[pigletto]

I have to admit even when you posted back in your planning thread about the VIP check in I was suspicious. Mostly because timeshare salespeople instantly make me feel icky. I would have been every bit as annoyed as you. You are already an owner, vacation time is precious, expensive and planned for months in advance. We simply don't have several hours to sit around and wait for no good reason and certainly not to sit and wait around for a freaking sales pitch. I applaud both your patience and your final "Get me in my room now" talk. Vacation time with my family is too short for that nonsense.

Now on to happier things. After reading your brief update in your pre trip report saying you guys had cleaned up at the Nike Clearance store I told dh about it and we checked it out on one of our down days. DS 12 got so much stuff!!!! That led to the outlets for us too where I found a purse I adore, DH got new running shoes for a steal and we hit the Disney outlet. It was a great day! Your pics are already making me yearn for another trip and we've been home one week today. Its nuts how quickly we've settled back into routine. I feel like vacation was months ago and this time last week I was in Epcot!

 

[ElenaJane]

OMG, your VIP experience is getting me all stressed out!! I would have been livid! I get mad when our room is not ready at 3pm on a regular check-in experience! I soooooooo hope they make it up to you somehow later!

 

[pigletto]

LOL...usually once a month DH sleeps in the basement so that I can get a good nights sleep. I get to the point that I'm beyond nasty and he knows I'm tired and it's time for him to vanish. I'm just know thinking back to my 10 glorious nights of silence in March.


I can't believe they didn't put you in one of the suites. Although, the room you had looks like it's had a bit of an overhaul from the last time I stayed there. I would be willing to bet that they blocked the rooms around you to ensure quiet. Even though I don't love that hotel if they had the CAD at par deal I might consider it again. I don't know, I really disliked the riff raff in the lobby bar.

Not sure if I ever gave the details on our Aloft stay? Did I? Interested in hearing it?


Oh, CiCi's...how I miss you. I think it's been 2 years since our last visit there. I'm another one that likes the white pizza and cinnamon rolls. I've been to 5 different locations in Orlando and for sure they are all different. I think the nicest one(that I've been to) is the one right across from the Vistana. We went to one on I-drive that was really weird. It was part of one of the souvie shops and it also had an arcade. It was not very clean and the pizza was terrible.

Funny CiCi's story at the Vistana one. We went there for a late lunch and there wasn't much pizza on the buffet but they said they had several in the oven that would only take about 3 more minutes. Great so we sit down and wait. Just as they put out the pizza a bus load of Japanese tourists come in. They walked straight past the cashier and go to the pizza completely emptying the buffet. It was like the Tazmanian devil had just swirled thru. So again there is no pizza for us. We wait while they make more. Again, the bus load wipes out the supply. We then decide that we are going to stand at the buffet to wait for the next round of pizzas to come out. We must have looked like vultures.

I'm definitely interested in hearing how you liked the Aloft! Our Days stay was pretty good too. We were there on April 29th. And the Canadian at par deal was back. There was no riff raff in the lobby for us but there were about 6 teenage boys sitting in the chairs when dd and I went to print our boarding passes. They all puffed up and started loudly comparing and bragging about their hockey accomplishments while she was at the printer. It was too funny.

 

[dixonsontour]

What a horrible check in experience. Have you contacted them since and had any recompense or apology?

 

[Lynne G]

I would be writing a very nasty email to the president of Sheraton for the awful service, well extremely lack there of, received as an owner. Glad that you were finally given the keys and were able to relax after such a long travel day.

And what a nice haul from the outlets. My kids sometimes remind me, we have not been by the outlets in awhile. Yeah, that is because I never seem to leave them without several bags. Nike, UA, and Vera seem to be the first ones we hit. Then go to eat. LOL

Thank you for the update, with the good and the ugly bad.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

That sounds like an awful VIP experience! I can see why you'd never want the VIP experience again (and who gives their VIPs oatmeal raisin cookies?)

Maybe they were trying to get you drunk so you'd forget how long you's be waiting

LOL, my husband said the same thing.....about the wine and the cookies!!

They need to change their VIP way of doing things. Nobody should have to wait that long! Hard to believe that they couldn't have someone get the package from Mark and talk to you. Receptionist could have all the packages and then as guests arrive they go to the scheduled person, if that one is busy, then find the next available one.

That's what really annoyed me.....I am sure someone could have stepped in far sooner than they did. It definitely made us feel as if it had more to do with all the salesfolks getting their fair share of new prospects than an enhanced arrival experience for owners.

Hi Gina
I have read many of your trip reports but haven't really commented. We are planning a three week Orlando holiday in December next year so I have especially loved reading your Christmas trip reports. Funny enough, we are staying at Sheraton Vistana, so I have loved those photos, too. Thanks for the awesome trip reports! They are such a help!

mickbrett! Great to have you reading AND posting......its always more fun when everyone jumps in and joins the conversation .

You will love, love, LOVE the Vistana at Christmas....their decorations are so beautiful and the whole resort feels so festive. They even offer a breakfast with Santa, if that's something your family would enjoy!

Shame on Sheraton for the awful check in! I would have been suitably annoyed and may even have tried normal check in just to get in the villa!! Travel day for us is tiring with the long trek from the UK so we can be cranky if things start to go awry, I admire your patience

I totally understand that even the best laid systems can go awry from time to time, but the lack of efforts by the reception staff was really quite irritating. If it were me sitting behind that desk, I'd have been working my tail off to try and help a guest that had literally been waiting for HOURS.

Oh wow that wait must have been horrible. I would have done the same thing about asking for somebody else and I probably would not have been nice about it after waiting as long as you did. Can't wait for the fun parts of your TR now!

Thankfully, this was just a small blip on the radar . I guess the good thing in it all was that we got the bad stuff out of the way on day one....the rest of the trip was pretty darn fabulous!

I just love your trip reports! What a terrible experience! We own at Wyndham and some resorts are better than others about taking "no" for an answer to their sales pitch. I'm thinking Mark didn't want to let you go in case he could sell you something (which he apparently was selling the entire resort to the people before you) and he didn't want to miss out on the commission or give it to someone else, but when word got back to him that you just wanted your room keys and to get out of there, he figured someone else could help you...

It's so funny that I can be so annoyed and fired up (especially after being patient for so long) and getting into your room (the official start to the vacation) makes all the frustrations and stress melt away.

Looking forward to more!

Oh no, don't tell me that Wyndham salespeople are pushy when you check in.....we have our first stay at a Wyndham resort coming up in October!!

You are right.....the shift from annoyance to contentment can be pretty darn quick . Though sometimes its hard, we try to never let one momentary frustration take over the whole day: once its resolved, it really is just best to let it go. Finally getting to our villa was just what the doctor (or perhaps, the psychiatrist? ) ordered!

Very Impatient People?

LOL, that title definitely applied to us that day!!

There should have been something discounted or free for the awful service you got. That is unacceptable.

Nothing was offered, but I asked for nothing either. I did make sure to fill out the customer satisfaction survey that the resort emails after your trip, though.

We did a "VIP" check in at the Vistiana Villages back in 2011. They called us about 2 weeks before our arrival and told us since we were SPG members they wanted to do something extra for us. We got there at the scheduled time, and we were instructed to go to the main lobby. The lady at the desk swiped my credit card for incidentials and then sent us down stair to meet our guide. We headed down stairs and the lady was nice, she gave the kids some punch and cookies. She told us she was able to get our room request of the St. Augustine area, and asked us for our credit card for incidentials. We explained that we had already done this with the lady upstairs. She insisted that it had to be done and assured us it would not charge again. Then she asked us to be in the oreview center the next morning at 8 am to pick up our special gift of 5 nights/6 days voucher for either the Visitana villages or the Vistiana resorts for 299.00. I asked her if it was the sales pitch and she assured me it was nothing of the sort. She gave me her phone number and said if we needed anything to please call her. We proceeded to our room.

We went the next morning we showed up and low and behold it was the sales pitch. 2 hours later we were still waiting for our special voucher. Well there was no voucher, at all, and we sat through the entire thing and our guide was pretty mad at the end.

When we left and went to go somewhere my husband swiped his credit card and it was declined. This was odd to me becuase we have a card that we travel with and it had a zero balance on it. The only thing we used it for was the check in. So he calls the bank as I apologize to the staff memeber and the kids. He returns looking very mad. He said the hotel charged us 3 times for the weeks stay and 3 times for a 50.00 deposit. So at this point I was beyond aggraviated. So I called the lady and of course no answer. We all pilled back into the car and drive straight to the front desk. After 3 hours we finally had gotten all the charges reversed and our credit limit finally fixed. It was actually the last time we ever stayed off Disney's property and the last time we stayed with a Sheraton.

Oh man, that stinks!! Did you have a chance to speak with any of the management team about what happened after you returned home? That most definitely would have warranted a call or email if I were in your shoes. I firmly believe that these properties need guest feedback....both good AND bad.

It sounds like the Very Important People there are the sales people. How ridiculous for y'all to have to wait that long just to get checked in!

It definitely was a disappointment after the expectation of an expedited check-in experience. I think that's what made the whole delay so frustrating....it was supposed to be FASTER as a VIP, not slower!

LOL...usually once a month DH sleeps in the basement so that I can get a good nights sleep. I get to the point that I'm beyond nasty and he knows I'm tired and it's time for him to vanish. I'm just know thinking back to my 10 glorious nights of silence in March.


I can't believe they didn't put you in one of the suites. Although, the room you had looks like it's had a bit of an overhaul from the last time I stayed there. I would be willing to bet that they blocked the rooms around you to ensure quiet. Even though I don't love that hotel if they had the CAD at par deal I might consider it again. I don't know, I really disliked the riff raff in the lobby bar.

Not sure if I ever gave the details on our Aloft stay? Did I? Interested in hearing it?


Oh, CiCi's...how I miss you. I think it's been 2 years since our last visit there. I'm another one that likes the white pizza and cinnamon rolls. I've been to 5 different locations in Orlando and for sure they are all different. I think the nicest one(that I've been to) is the one right across from the Vistana. We went to one on I-drive that was really weird. It was part of one of the souvie shops and it also had an arcade. It was not very clean and the pizza was terrible.

Funny CiCi's story at the Vistana one. We went there for a late lunch and there wasn't much pizza on the buffet but they said they had several in the oven that would only take about 3 more minutes. Great so we sit down and wait. Just as they put out the pizza a bus load of Japanese tourists come in. They walked straight past the cashier and go to the pizza completely emptying the buffet. It was like the Tazmanian devil had just swirled thru. So again there is no pizza for us. We wait while they make more. Again, the bus load wipes out the supply. We then decide that we are going to stand at the buffet to wait for the next round of pizzas to come out. We must have looked like vultures.

Does the Days even have suites? I wasn't sure they did. For some reason, I thought they only offered standard king or two queen rooms.

I would definitely be interested in your stay at the Aloft. We still have to pick a park and fly property for October, so the more feedback we can get on our other options, the better .

I know exactly which Cici's you are referencing on I-Drive, and its a free-for-all in there. We ate there once and said never again. The one across from the Vistana is like a pristine paradise in comparison. We find the same thing with Golden Corrals as well....not all are created equal.

I'd be so pissed over that experience!

Steve was really irritated, but he was probably the most tired of the three of us (and his allergies were kicking his butt again that day, which didn't help). I was definitely annoyed too, though.....Jake said I was giving the reception staff the same look as I give him when he's done something naughty and I am ready to lose my mind .

I have to admit even when you posted back in your planning thread about the VIP check in I was suspicious. Mostly because timeshare salespeople instantly make me feel icky. I would have been every bit as annoyed as you. You are already an owner, vacation time is precious, expensive and planned for months in advance. We simply don't have several hours to sit around and wait for no good reason and certainly not to sit and wait around for a freaking sales pitch. I applaud both your patience and your final "Get me in my room now" talk. Vacation time with my family is too short for that nonsense.

Now on to happier things. After reading your brief update in your pre trip report saying you guys had cleaned up at the Nike Clearance store I told dh about it and we checked it out on one of our down days. DS 12 got so much stuff!!!! That led to the outlets for us too where I found a purse I adore, DH got new running shoes for a steal and we hit the Disney outlet. It was a great day! Your pics are already making me yearn for another trip and we've been home one week today. Its nuts how quickly we've settled back into routine. I feel like vacation was months ago and this time last week I was in Epcot!

I am so glad that the Nike Clearance Store was a win for your family too!! Even with the exchange rate factored in, we thought the deals were fantastic.

I'm with you: it sure doesn't take long for the vacation glow to wear off and reality to set back in. Thankfully, we both can embark on the official countdown to October! Having another trip in the works sure helps the post-vacation blues.

OMG, your VIP experience is getting me all stressed out!! I would have been livid! I get mad when our room is not ready at 3pm on a regular check-in experience! I soooooooo hope they make it up to you somehow later!

Well, not exactly. But.....there was a good eventual outcome (more on that later). I will try to get the next post up soon with all those details .

What a horrible check in experience. Have you contacted them since and had any recompense or apology?

In fact, I did! When we received our guest satisfaction survey a couple of days after we checked out, I provided a very detailed summary of our VIP Experience.....and lo and behold, someone was listening. More on that is coming up in the next post or two .

 

[angryduck71]

We did a "VIP" check in at the Vistiana Villages back in 2011. They called us about 2 weeks before our arrival and told us since we were SPG members they wanted to do something extra for us. We got there at the scheduled time, and we were instructed to go to the main lobby. The lady at the desk swiped my credit card for incidentials and then sent us down stair to meet our guide. We headed down stairs and the lady was nice, she gave the kids some punch and cookies. She told us she was able to get our room request of the St. Augustine area, and asked us for our credit card for incidentials. We explained that we had already done this with the lady upstairs. She insisted that it had to be done and assured us it would not charge again. Then she asked us to be in the oreview center the next morning at 8 am to pick up our special gift of 5 nights/6 days voucher for either the Visitana villages or the Vistiana resorts for 299.00. I asked her if it was the sales pitch and she assured me it was nothing of the sort. She gave me her phone number and said if we needed anything to please call her. We proceeded to our room.

We went the next morning we showed up and low and behold it was the sales pitch. 2 hours later we were still waiting for our special voucher. Well there was no voucher, at all, and we sat through the entire thing and our guide was pretty mad at the end.

When we left and went to go somewhere my husband swiped his credit card and it was declined. This was odd to me becuase we have a card that we travel with and it had a zero balance on it. The only thing we used it for was the check in. So he calls the bank as I apologize to the staff memeber and the kids. He returns looking very mad. He said the hotel charged us 3 times for the weeks stay and 3 times for a 50.00 deposit. So at this point I was beyond aggraviated. So I called the lady and of course no answer. We all pilled back into the car and drive straight to the front desk. After 3 hours we finally had gotten all the charges reversed and our credit limit finally fixed. It was actually the last time we ever stayed off Disney's property and the last time we stayed with a Sheraton.

Wow.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I would be writing a very nasty email to the president of Sheraton for the awful service, well extremely lack there of, received as an owner. Glad that you were finally given the keys and were able to relax after such a long travel day.

And what a nice haul from the outlets. My kids sometimes remind me, we have not been by the outlets in awhile. Yeah, that is because I never seem to leave them without several bags. Nike, UA, and Vera seem to be the first ones we hit. Then go to eat. LOL

Thank you for the update, with the good and the ugly bad.

You know, I always find people are more willing to listen to negative feedback if is more factual and less emotional. When I filled out the guest satisfaction survey after our trip, I tried to make it as information-based and detailed as possible....minus my annoyance. I had hoped that the facts would speak loudly enough on their own, and be heard more clearly if they weren't clouded by anger or other emotions. I did receive a personal response back from management with a matter of hours.....stay tuned for all those details, they are coming up soon!

The price differences in Nike and Under Armor clothing from what we pay here in Canada to what they charge at the Florida outlet locations is shocking. Then add in the fact that we also pay twice the tax here in Ontario (13% versus 6.5 in Orlando) and the savings just keep piling up. Jake came home with an entire large suitcase full of everything from shorts to hoodies. He won't need to buy clothing for a year!

 

[JaxDad]

Jake came home with an entire large suitcase full of everything from shorts to hoodies.

...plus a huge dolphin stuffie???

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

...plus a huge dolphin stuffie???

Nice try , but you still have to wait for the rest of that story .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sunday, April 24th: continued


After such a long wait to get our room keys, once we were finally at our building we wasted no time in getting settled into our villa. #1384 was exactly what we requested in advance of our arrival: top floor and as close as we could get to the Fountains pool.


It smelled nice and clean as we walked in the door for the first time, and indeed the villa was sparkling. That gorgeous Florida sun was streaming in the skylight and all three of us went straight to work at getting unpacked.


The living room:





The kitchen:








Dining room:





Desk area in the living room:





The balcony:





The view (pardon the screen that makes it look so grainy):





The master bedroom:








The master bath and dressing area:











Jake’s bedroom:





Jake’s bathroom:





Our unpacking efforts were incredibly efficient, and we each had our clothes hung in the closets and our toiletries laid out in the bathrooms in record time. Once we were done, we opted to take a little time and just relax in the comfort of the villa for a bit before embarking on a quest for dinner. We were all still pretty full from our Cici’s indulgences and none of us were ready just yet to eat.


While the boys lounged and watched a little TV, I decided to go for a short stroll. The resort is so pretty and the weather was so warm that I thought it was criminal to coop myself up inside on such a spectacular day. Of course, I took my camera with me to capture a few photos of the Fountains village.




















The Vistana is a place where I could literally just walk around for hours and hours. It’s so tranquil and pretty, and the gardens and grounds so meticulously maintained. I just feel peaceful here.














I made a friend or two along the way as well!








I was just sad that I didn’t have any spare American quarters just yet......I would have loved to have fed them for a bit, the Vistana ducks are so friendly!






Eventually, I strolled back to the villa to check on the guys. Their stomachs were starting to rumble and they were eager to embark on a quest for sustenance. Dinner would be our next task of the day!


But first, on a side note about our villa.....


While it was exceptionally clean....definitely the most important thing.....we ran into several issues which had to be reported to management. A cupboard door in the kitchen was literally hanging from the hinge, the spout on the jet tub in the master bath was dripping constantly, there was no hair dryer in the master bathroom, there were no washcloths in the master bath, there was no blender in the kitchen, the outlet in the master dressing area didn’t work, and there was a whole load of towels left (apparently laundered but not dried?) in the washing machine. All of these issues were remedied immediately when brought to the attention of the front desk, but shouldn’t have been issues in the first place if housekeeping and maintenance were on the ball. We detailed each of these villa deficiencies in our guest satisfaction survey along with our summary of and thoughts on the VIP Check In. Within a few hours, we received a personal email from hotel manager John Jones, who asked me to contact him directly to chat via phone. I did so the following day, and he was very sincere in his apologies for both the housekeeping and maintenance concerns in the villa, but more so the woefully poor VIP Check In experience. He thanked me several times for the very detailed responses and assured me that he has personally spoken to the individuals involved and that corrective action had been taken on all levels (with the specific sales, housekeeping and maintenance staff who all dropped the ball). He also asked that I hold onto his personal contact information and reach out to him in advance of our October stay so he can personally handle our room assignment, complete an inspection of our villa to ensure it meets the Sheraton standard of quality, and that he can also personally handle our VIP Check In experience so we can see how the enhanced check-in for owners is supposed to be handled. So....it appears we may be giving the VIP Check In a second kick at the cat in the fall, assuming Mr. Jones is true to his word. In the meantime, hopefully our feedback helps ensure other guests don’t have the same arrival experience that we do.


Coming up next.....Red Robin! YUMMM

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Oh no, don't tell me that Wyndham salespeople are pushy when you check in.....we have our first stay at a Wyndham resort coming up in October!!

We've never had an issue at Bonnet Creek (the only one we've stayed at in Orlando). However, one in Myrtle Beach, SC and one in Pigeon Forge, TN it was never ending (and they continued to call our room and "stop by" at the one in TN! ). I usually just nip it in the bud now with "we bought into Bonnet Creek for $500 off eBay". Then they push us out the door before any other guests can overhear .

 

[Joanna71985]

Dang! That is some check-in experience! I can't believe how long you had to wait

As for CiCi's...there are 5 in my immediate area, and I've found that some are better than others

 

[Callie]

That villa is nicer and larger than my apartment Can I just move in?