Sheraton Vistana - Just Back WOW!

[StephSalyer]

First of all my Mickey Ears are off to you Maria!! Thank you for all of the advice before our family reunion it was a grand success!!!

We arrived a the resort on Saturday mrning around 10am, since I am the "organizer" of the family I was sent to register all three of the 2 bedroom villas we had reserved. Check-In was a breeze and the front desk was super helpful. We didnt get ALL of our requests but they really did the best they could considering they were completely sold out. We were assigned to the Cascades section and two of our villas were next to each other (2301 and 2302) but my villa was located directly across form the Cascades Pool (2251).
Loved it, loved it, loved it!!! It was beautiful and clean and directly across from the pool and did I say I loved it?????

If you havethe opportunity to stay here I HIGHLY recommend it. I am typically an on-site snob but I will definitely stay here again!! We will be staying on site in Sept for the free dining, but we are in the process of planning our Christmas Party trip (plus we are going to see Lion King in Orlando) and we are very seriuosly considering going back here.

Thanks to all of my Dis friends that helped make this family reunion a great one.

 

[bishop1989]

We are staying at the Sheraton Vistana the 2nd week in July. We too are on site snobs but thanks to a friend we have their room for a week. Stayin at POFQ for 2 nights then off to the Sheraton. How close are we to the parks? Is is convenient and easy to get around to WDW, UNIVERSAL, etc? Any info would be helpful. Also is there a lot to do for kids?

 

[StephSalyer]

We are staying at the Sheraton Vistana the 2nd week in July. We too are on site snobs but thanks to a friend we have their room for a week. Stayin at POFQ for 2 nights then off to the Sheraton. How close are we to the parks? Is is convenient and easy to get around to WDW, UNIVERSAL, etc? Any info would be helpful. Also is there a lot to do for kids?

The resort is about a mile or so from the Downtown Disney entrance. It is right off of I-4 so getting around is a snap. It took about 15 min to to the MK and 10 min to Blizzard Beach. We love staying at POP and we found that the Sheraton Vistana was more centrally located than POP. Again, if you use I-4 getting to Universal is very easy. There are a lot of restaurants near the resort andthe resort food was pretty good too. Some have said it is pricey. We found that is was comparable to prices onsite. We also found the food we had was pretty good. There is a full size kitchen in each villa so you can take food to prepare with you.

There was a lot for the kids to do. You will get a schedule of events when you check in. We found some of the things to be pricey and some were very reasonable. The nice thing is that no atter what section you stay in you can use any of the pools and any of the recreation areas. We4 had kids ranging from 1 year old to 17 years old and everyone was sufficiently entertained.

We were fortunate to be placed inthe Cascades Section it is the newest area and our villa was very nice. We are very much looking forward to returning there at Christmas time.

Have a great trip!!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Happy to be able to help Steph and glad to hear your family reunion was a success. Have fun planning your future trips

 

[kilee]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

 

[MichelleChell]

We are staying there in 2 wks also. So pretty much any villa is in a good location?
Did any of you take there shuttle to the parks? If so how was it?

Thanks

 

[horseshowmom]

First of all my Mickey Ears are off to you Maria!! Thank you for all of the advice before our family reunion it was a grand success!!!

We arrived a the resort on Saturday mrning around 10am, since I am the "organizer" of the family I was sent to register all three of the 2 bedroom villas we had reserved. Check-In was a breeze and the front desk was super helpful. We didnt get ALL of our requests but they really did the best they could considering they were completely sold out. We were assigned to the Cascades section and two of our villas were next to each other (2301 and 2302) but my villa was located directly across form the Cascades Pool (2251).
Loved it, loved it, loved it!!! It was beautiful and clean and directly across from the pool and did I say I loved it?????

If you havethe opportunity to stay here I HIGHLY recommend it. I am typically an on-site snob but I will definitely stay here again!! We will be staying on site in Sept for the free dining, but we are in the process of planning our Christmas Party trip (plus we are going to see Lion King in Orlando) and we are very seriuosly considering going back here.

Thanks to all of my Dis friends that helped make this family reunion a great one.

We're going to be in Orlando just before Christmas, and I was interested in what you said about "Lion King". Do you mind sharing some information about it (or a website, perhaps)?

Thanks!

EDITED: I found it online. We may have to go to this.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We are staying there in 2 wks also. So pretty much any villa is in a good location?

Michell,
Depends on what you think is a good location ? Some villas are pool-front, while some you may have a short walk across a parking lot. No villa is more than a 5 min walk (and alot are maybe 1-2 min) from any pool pretty much. Some villas (the Lakes and Fountains) are separated by a guard booth/gate and are quite a far walk to say the General Store and Zimmies restaurant, as well as the tennis/basketball courts. The Lakes and Fountains are in close proximity to the Flamingo Cafe restaurant.
This resort really is quite spread out. The majority have great views----there are a select few that I don't consider too nice of a view. We usually just request "water view" and have been lucky for the past 10-11 years.

We have never used the shuttles. At $7-$8/person r/t we found a rental car was much cheaper and much more convenient. We are a family of 5, so $40/day for a shuttle is just not cost effective for us. Also, the shuttles only leave 3 times or so in the am and then pick up maybe 2-3 times at night. Maybe someone with direct experience with the shuttles can help.

 

[MichelleChell]

I will only have to take the shuttle one morning. Dh will have the car. He will meet us later.

How do I request a water view? DO I do it before I go or when I get there.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Happy to be able to help Steph and glad to hear your family reunion was a success. Have fun planning your future trips

We need to find a way to have Sheraton get you a commission Hope you do not mind I recommended your services to another dis member who got a Skyauction deal at Vistana Resort. I told him you could answer all his questions.

Hope our paths cross in July/August.

 

[MiaSRN62]

How do I request a water view? DO I do it before I go or when I get there.

Yes, request it now. If you booked directly through Vistana or thru a travel agent, call and have them put it on the reservation. If you won Vistana in an auction, you can use the online request form : https://www.svosecure.com/starwoodvo/diamond.jsp?resortID=5
Actually, you can use the Diamond Lane form regardless.
For the record, the majority of rooms have water views. The Courts do not and a small section of the Fountains II do not. Also, half of the Springs section has a pool view and the other has a pond view.

Too funny about the commission Bella ! That WOULD be great
As for giving my name to another DIS'er, that's no prob. We did PM eachother. I was happy to help.

 

[pakman558]

I just won an auction on Ebay to stay at the SVR in two weeks. I have 2 children, 1 with special needs. I was wondering what area is the best to stay in. Not necessarily closet to the pool but newest and quietest.

Also, I have a 2 bedroom with No housekeeping. What do these rooms come equipped with as far as towels and hygiene stuff?

The trip is coming quickly and I need as much help as I can get???

Any other pertintent info would be greatly appreciated. My children can barely contain themselves.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Pakman,
As for special needs.....definitely fill out the online request form (Diamond Lane) : https://www.svosecure.com/starwoodvo/diamond.jsp?resortID=5
If the special needs are medical in nature, state you need your requests honored for "medical reasons". Not knowing the specifics of your special needs, I would suggest you request either the Lakes or Cascades because these are the two newest (Cascades being newer) and the only sections that have elevators. If you got one of the older sections, you may need to request "ground floor due to special needs". Also, again not knowing your specific situation, the Cascades and Lakes have zero depth entry pools which might be easier in your situation.

The rooms come equipped with towels/soaps/tissue/dishwasher detergent/starter coffee pack/starter salt & pepper. Even though it states "no housekeeping" on your winning bid, you will receive a midweek touchup. It's usually on the 4th day of your stay. So if you check-in on a Saturday i.e., your midweek touchup would be on Wed. They will give you a schedule at check-in. During the midweek cleanup, the housekeeping staff will : vacuum the villa, make the beds, change the trash cans and remove trash, replace towels/soaps/disposable cups in bathrooms/run the dishwasher. We leave a tip for this service. You can leave a note for housekeeping to leave anything else you might need or simply hit the "housekeeping" button on the phone at any time if you need anything. We've asked for extra pillows/blankets and just tip them when they deliver them to the door.
Hope you have a great time. We'll be there on Aug 6.

 

[pakman558]

Maria, you are a great help. Our family has never been to Disney so we are excited. I knew nothing about the resort when I when won the auction. On a scale from 1 to 10 how would you rate the SVR?

Do you need your own laundry soap?
Do they pressure into a timeshare? I hope they are not pushy because I may be interested if things go well and I like the resort.

 

[Buzz2001]

I enjoyed our stay there this past April as well.

We spent 2 days at the resort (4/11 & 4/12) and found it to be very close to WDW and highway access to Universal. We stayed there 2 days before heading over to CSR. I couldn't find a single room on Disney property for the 2 days so I found this place on the internet and got a great rate of $175.00 (very good for Easter/Spring break week) per night for the 2 bedroom villa. We stayed in the PALMS section to be close to friends of ours also staying there, rooms 642 & 719. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the suites. The rooms were huge, 3 tv's, a vcr, 2 bathrooms, very clean and well maintained. We had no complaints.

We didn't get a chance to use the pool but to a walk over to view it. The general store had a Pizza Hut Express but the overall store was small.

I would stay here again if I could get a similar rate.

 

[pakman558]

Thanks for the pictures Buzz, they helped me get a feel for what we will see. It says on the website a whirlpool tub in the master. Is that true?

 

[StephSalyer]

Pakman, as far as a rating I would give this resort a 9+. I have stayed at one of Disney's Vacation Clubs and toured all of the others and I would rate the Sheraton Vistana right up there with them. The only thing you are really missing are the "Disney" touches and the bus transporation that Disney offers. The pool areas are comparable, the restaurants are decent and the staff was bar none (at least for us). We have all raved over it since we got back. (My family is still here in Fl for a few more days). As I have said before I am an on-site snob but this resort has definitely changed my mind. I am looking forward to being totally immersed in the magic again in Soetember, but I am equally looking forward to returning here in December for our Christmas Party trip.

Have a great time!!!

 

[Buzz2001]

Thanks for the pictures Buzz, they helped me get a feel for what we will see. It says on the website a whirlpool tub in the master. Is that true?

Yes, we had a huge whirlpool tub that I took advantage of.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Do you need your own laundry soap?

On a scale of 1-10, I'd say alot depends on which section you are placed in. I own DVC as well as Vistana. We own in the Fountains section of Vistana which is about middle of the road between the old sections and the most new. I'd rate the Fountains I a 7/8 and the Fountains II an 8. I'd rate the newer Lakes and Cascades a 9/9+. I give the DVC resorts a 9/10. We love our Vistana villas but just find the rooms to be a little fresher at DVC. And I'm referring to the Fountains section. I have stayed in the Lakes and toured the Cascades.

As for the timeshare sales pressure. I say it's definitely there at Vistana. Something not felt at the DVC resorts. We actually plan to unplug our phone this August when we check-in because last year we got around 4 phone calls imploring us to attend the "breakfast" which is really a sales ploy. They don't seem to like to take "no" for an answer. If you really do want to go and learn about the resort, then just be prepared that you might run into an aggressive sales person. Not all are, but they do exist at Vistana. We had a bad experience in 2000 and it ultimately pushed us to buy DVC vs more time at Vistana----and we're very glad we did.

As for the whirlpool tubs. All units except the oldest Courts section have them. The Cascades, Lakes and Fountains II sections have the whirlpool tub in the master BEDROOM.
The Falls, Spas, Palms, Springs and Fountains I sections have the tub in the master BATHROOM. Just wanted to clarify that.

 

[Disneytrip]

was this the villas or the Vistana resort? THanks!