Sheraton Lake Buena Vista

[MarBee]

Has anyone stayed there? Did you utilize the shuttle service or is it better to rent a car? Was it clean? What was the clientele like?
Please give me every detail.
I have some SPG points to use, and this is 1/3 of the points Swan would cost me. There’s just so many mixed reviews (as always on TripAdvisor) I just can’t tell if it’s worth the stay or not.
If it makes a difference, our priorities are cleanliness, pool, and location. We have never stayed off site as a family before (will have my 6 and 7 year old). Our plans for summer typically include sleeping late, swimming all day, and hitting the parks around 4-5ish and closing them out.
Any and all input is welcome! Thank you!

 

[writerguyfl]

I can't provide first-hand knowledge. But, I do visit a frequent traveler forum (similar to this one) where the opinions of posters are based on experience. Too often, the people posting reviews on Trip Advisor don't have a realistic basis for their reviews because they don't travel that often. Here is a short review from someone I've "known" for some time. I trust that the opinion is based on realistic expectations of a midscale hotel:

"I don’t think I’d stay here again. I last stayed there when it was a Days Inn and it’s still a Days Inn. Lots of street noise. Rooms are run down , pillows were horrid. Plumbing needs work. Service not good. Room service took an hour for one appetizer and wine. I also received the continental breakfast. Ummmm....,the Fairfield Inn up the street has better options. This is an embarrassing Sheraton"

My guess is that there's a reason why this hotel is only asking 1/3 the points. (Sorry, that's probably not the information you'd want to hear.)

 

[MarBee]

I appreciate the feedback! Of course I’d love to hear that it is a 5 Star hotel at a 2 Star price, but I wasn’t exactly expecting that to happen
I do appreciate the feedback from someone with realistic expectations! I just read a review that rated it 1 Star that said “pool service put tray on ground rather than on my chair.” That was the entirety of the review. LOL! So a trusted detailed reviewed is exactly what I’m looking for!
The street noise part is a major no for me- I am a very light sleeper, and that would have me up all night!
Thank you for this!

 

[krysenchips]

I stayed here for a long weekend in October. I was going for Epcot's Anniversary, and found a great deal through Southwest's Rapid Rewards portal. I didn't spend much time at the hotel and didn't use any of the amenities, but the room was clean. The exteriors, hallways and elevators are a little bit run down, and I can't give you any insight as to the pool or room service as I didn't use them, but I didn't have any problems there.

I was in one of the back buildings, so there wasn't any road noise, and getting in and out of the parking lot was okay.

 

[MarBee]

I stayed here for a long weekend in October. I was going for Epcot's Anniversary, and found a great deal through Southwest's Rapid Rewards portal. I didn't spend much time at the hotel and didn't use any of the amenities, but the room was clean. The exteriors, hallways and elevators are a little bit run down, and I can't give you any insight as to the pool or room service as I didn't use them, but I didn't have any problems there.

I was in one of the back buildings, so there wasn't any road noise, and getting in and out of the parking lot was okay.

Thanks! Did you utilize shuttles to the parks by any chance?

 

[krysenchips]

Thanks! Did you utilize shuttles to the parks by any chance?

I did not. I had a rental car and found it easier to drive myself.

 

[writerguyfl]

I work nights, so even when I'm on vacation I tend to sleep until noon. So, I can understand your need for a quiet room. I've found that contacting the hotel in advance and requesting a quiet room works well. If you arrive before normal check-in, be sure to tell the Front Desk you're willing to wait for a quiet room.

As krysenchips notes, there are several buildings and some of them are certainly away from the busy roads.

Link to Bing Maps: https://binged.it/2oINiIw

I'm not trying to push you either direction, but run-down isn't the same as dirty. The pool looks nice and the location (for an off-site hotel) is very good. You're walking distance to lots of dining options and you can drive to the theme parks via multiple routes.

 

[MarBee]

I work nights, so even when I'm on vacation I tend to sleep until noon. So, I can understand your need for a quiet room. I've found that contacting the hotel in advance and requesting a quiet room works well. If you arrive before normal check-in, be sure to tell the Front Desk you're willing to wait for a quiet room.

As krysenchips notes, there are several buildings and some of them are certainly away from the busy roads.

Link to Bing Maps: https://binged.it/2oINiIw

I'm not trying to push you either direction, but run-down isn't the same as dirty. The pool looks nice and the location (for an off-site hotel) is very good. You're walking distance to lots of dining options and you can drive to the theme parks via multiple routes.

Thanks! I haven’t completely written it off yet. Still weighing my options. This hotel is in the running but def not the top. I appreciate the input and the aerial view. It makes it so much easier for me to picture why some people say it’s spectacular and others say it’s an abandoned Motel 6!

 

[SwanVT2]

Has anyone stayed there? Did you utilize the shuttle service or is it better to rent a car? Was it clean? What was the clientele like?
Please give me every detail.
I have some SPG points to use, and this is 1/3 of the points Swan would cost me. There’s just so many mixed reviews (as always on TripAdvisor) I just can’t tell if it’s worth the stay or not.
If it makes a difference, our priorities are cleanliness, pool, and location. We have never stayed off site as a family before (will have my 6 and 7 year old). Our plans for summer typically include sleeping late, swimming all day, and hitting the parks around 4-5ish and closing them out.
Any and all input is welcome! Thank you!

Have you considered using points and cash for Dolphin or Swan? I think this would be the way to go if you are used to staying on site. You can't beat the location and the pool is awesome for afternoon swims!!

 

[MarBee]

Have you considered using points and cash for Dolphin or Swan? I think this would be the way to go if you are used to staying on site. You can't beat the location and the pool is awesome for afternoon swims!!

I have stayed at Swan/Dolphin several times and have an upcoming stay at the Dolphin. I agree the location can’t be beat!
I was just looking at options and since Dolphin will now be 12000 points a night, and this is 3,000- just wondering if it felt like a 9,000 point difference.
I’d love a cash and points option though

 

[SwanVT2]

I have stayed at Swan/Dolphin several times and have an upcoming stay at the Dolphin. I agree the location can’t be beat!
I was just looking at options and since Dolphin will now be 12000 points a night, and this is 3,000- just wondering if it felt like a 9,000 point difference.
I’d love a cash and points option though

We got to the dolphin just in time ..I am not sure if dolphin should be 12,000 points due to the double beds.

 

[MarBee]

We got to the dolphin just in time ..I am not sure if dolphin should be 12,000 points due to the double beds.

Agreed! I’ll only be booking Swan from here on out since it’s the same price but has queen beds.

 

[MarBee]

So just in case anyone is reading this and looking for information, I stayed at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista this weekend. It’s rated as a Category 2, so I had low expectations. In my mind, I was hoping for a dated bare bones hotel that was clean. I got a surprisingly well equipped hotel that was very dirty. I’d rather the former than the latter.
There was a great lobby and front of hotel. Restaurant and gift shop were decent. There were two pools and two hot tubs. The whole courtyard there looked so amazing from afar. Up close, They were filthy. The water was filled with leaves and mulch from around the pool areas, and tons and tons of hair.
Ditto for my room. Long hairs, short hairs, straight hairs, curly hairs, and in all colors.
If it were clean, this hotel would be a solid category 3 or even a 3.5. It’s so filthy that it is a very low 2 (if that).
Lesson learned. Back to Swolphin for me.

 

[writerguyfl]

Thanks for sharing, MarBee. That's a shame about the hotel. I feel the same way. I don't particularly care about furnishings that have some nicks or paint that needs to be touched up. But dirty is a non-starter.

 

[ClapYourHands]

So just in case anyone is reading this and looking for information, I stayed at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista this weekend. It’s rated as a Category 2, so I had low expectations. In my mind, I was hoping for a dated bare bones hotel that was clean. I got a surprisingly well equipped hotel that was very dirty. I’d rather the former than the latter.
There was a great lobby and front of hotel. Restaurant and gift shop were decent. There were two pools and two hot tubs. The whole courtyard there looked so amazing from afar. Up close, They were filthy. The water was filled with leaves and mulch from around the pool areas, and tons and tons of hair.
Ditto for my room. Long hairs, short hairs, straight hairs, curly hairs, and in all colors.
If it were clean, this hotel would be a solid category 3 or even a 3.5. It’s so filthy that it is a very low 2 (if that).
Lesson learned. Back to Swolphin for me.

Oh no! That sounds terrible!

We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana using SPG points, and were quite satisfied. It uses fewer points than the Swolfin (not that many fewer, but some), and gives a lot of room. We loved having a full kitchen and washer/dryer right in the unit. The facilities were good, rooms were clean, and several pools to choose from.

 

[MarBee]

Oh no! That sounds terrible!

We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana using SPG points, and were quite satisfied. It uses fewer points than the Swolfin (not that many fewer, but some), and gives a lot of room. We loved having a full kitchen and washer/dryer right in the unit. The facilities were good, rooms were clean, and several pools to choose from.

I’ve heard good things about Vistana! May put that on the list of hotels to check out.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I’ve heard good things about Vistana! May put that on the list of hotels to check out.

My husband is the frequent traveler in our family (work - ugh), so he manages our points. I'm not totally sure how the rankings work, but because of his status with SPG stays, we were upgraded for free from a 1BR to a 2BR, and it was SO MUCH SPACE! The 1BR would have been perfectly fine, too, but the availability of upgrades at the Vistana is something to consider if you're a frequent SPG guest.

 

[bhp_]

So just in case anyone is reading this and looking for information, I stayed at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista this weekend. It’s rated as a Category 2, so I had low expectations. In my mind, I was hoping for a dated bare bones hotel that was clean. I got a surprisingly well equipped hotel that was very dirty. I’d rather the former than the latter.
There was a great lobby and front of hotel. Restaurant and gift shop were decent. There were two pools and two hot tubs. The whole courtyard there looked so amazing from afar. Up close, They were filthy. The water was filled with leaves and mulch from around the pool areas, and tons and tons of hair.
Ditto for my room. Long hairs, short hairs, straight hairs, curly hairs, and in all colors.
If it were clean, this hotel would be a solid category 3 or even a 3.5. It’s so filthy that it is a very low 2 (if that).
Lesson learned. Back to Swolphin for me.

Thanks for the feedback, I was hoping a good review. We're planning to stay 6 nights in 2019 but don't have enough SPG points for dolphin or swan. I'm going to try for 5 nights to get the 5th night promo and probably stay a night at a value resort to use their airport shuttle. Any value resort that's close to dolphin that anyone recommend?

 

[MarBee]

Thanks for the feedback, I was hoping a good review. We're planning to stay 6 nights in 2019 but don't have enough SPG points for dolphin or swan. I'm going to try for 5 nights to get the 5th night promo and probably stay a night at a value resort to use their airport shuttle. Any value resort that's close to dolphin that anyone recommend?

I think all of the All Stars are pretty much the same. Pop is newly renovated and probably the nicest of them. (Not including AOA, which is mostly suites.). Especially since it’s just one night I don’t think you could go wrong!

 

[HopperFan]

Oh no! That sounds terrible!

We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana using SPG points, and were quite satisfied. It uses fewer points than the Swolfin (not that many fewer, but some), and gives a lot of room. We loved having a full kitchen and washer/dryer right in the unit. The facilities were good, rooms were clean, and several pools to choose from.

I’ve heard good things about Vistana! May put that on the list of hotels to check out.

Have stayed at Sheraton Vistana Resort a few times and it would be point-wise between the hotel and Swolfin. But as you say you get more space, full kitchen and laundry.

I had booked my next few trips at Hiltons (that is our brand) and now this September I have also booked POP. Still debating if I'm ready to give Disney another chance ... so holding Hilton. NOW I look and I can do Sheraton Vistana Resort for MUCH less ......... My only hold back is returning really late after MNSSHP.

POP = $132 per night regular room
Hilton Garden Inn = $99 per night regular room
Sheraton Vistana Resort = $57 a night one bedroom condo/timeshare