SHeraton Vistana questions

[bailekrk]

I am new to this posting thing so I hope I do this right. My family of 5 is traveling to Disney June19-26. We have reservations at the Vistana resort for a 2 bedroom villa. I have read several reviews and am wondering if you can request a specific area or if anyone has any idea which area is the best to stay in. I am not familiar with the names of the areas of the property. It also appears that you have to pay to ride a shuttle to the theme parks? Does anyone have any comments on this? Would a rental car be cheaper and less frustrating? Any tips would be appreciated. You can email me privately if you like at Bailekrk@comcast.net Thanks so much!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Hi there (and welcome to the DIS !),
I'm a Vistana owner. I'm assuming you are renting and not a timeshare owner doing an RCI/II exchange because of your dates ?
There are 9 different sections on the resort. From OLDEST to NEWEST :
Courts
Falls
Spas
Palms
Springs
Fountains I
Fountains II
Lakes
Cascades

Definitely put in your requests via the online Diamond Lane form :
https://www.svosecure.com/starwoodvo/diamond.jsp?resortID=5

Most people prefer & request the newer Lakes and Cascades. These are the only 2 sections that have elevator buildings. The Cascades units are newer, but the Lakes are bigger (in the living/dining room area). I prefer the Lakes because it is in a quieter area of the resort. There are 7 different pools on property.

If you are renting and not coming in via a timeshare package or a timeshare exchange, the shuttle is free. If you're connected with a timeshare deal/exchange it's $9/perons/roundtrip and the shuttles only serve the disney parks (not Uni or Sea World). They also run on a somewhat limited time schedule. Usually 4 times in the morning and 3-4 times in the evening. Not too much in the middle of the day. I higly recommend a car rental. The Vistana resort itself is large and having a car to get around there is even helpful. Check out this site for info on car rentals and discount codes : http://www.mousesavers.com/index.html

Hope this helps. Please feel free to post any other questions you might have. I have also emailed you.

 

[MicheleMal]

Hi all!
Mia, you must be the resident Vistana expert---boy am I glad to have found you! We booked the vistana thru an "extra vacation" thru RCI back when they put Orlando in Sept on sale and I am now thinking I may be regretting my decision. We are arriving on a Sat (Sept 8) and we booked a 2 bdr "8/6" room. Are we going to be stuck in a crummy unit? The last time we were in Orlando was in Sept 2001 (yes, we were there for 9/11/01) and we stayed at the Vistana Villages--they were brand new and gorgeous and I think we were the first people to rent the unit.
Anyway, can you give me some idea as to where we will probably be assigned? In Sept are we pretty much going to have the place to ourselves? (it was that way at the villages) Thanks in advance for your help!
Michele
m.malarkey@mchsi.com

 

[MicheleMal]

In case I didn't make myself clear..this time we booked the
"regular" Vistana Resort

 

[MiaSRN62]

Hi MicheleMal,
I can only say that the RCI exchanges seem to be given low priority on the newer units. On the plus side, you're going during a relatively quiet time for Vistana (WDW resorts might be booked solid because the free dining promo is in full swing).
Just make sure you get your Diamond Lane request form filled out and submitted at least 3-4 weeks in advance. Try getting to Vistana and checking in as early as possible.
You could conceivably be places (in order of oldest to newest), in the following sections :
Courts, Palms, Springs, Fountains I, Fountains II, Lakes or Cascades. So there is a lot of choices there. The Courts is probably the very least desirable for Sat check-ins. Your villa is an 8/6 reservation which is pretty much all the ones I mentioned. I am hoping, since you're vacationing during a lower occupancy time period that you will be given a choice at check-in. This is why checking in early could be a "plus". Best of luck to you.

 

[mbb]

Just going to pop this downstairs for you - but MariaMia is the best!

 

[Del]

Maria----------------the Godess of Vistana.

Happy Mother's Day!

Del

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks guys........
Hope u all had a nice Mother's Day too ! (I had to work, but it wasn't too awful )
Would have MUCH preferred Mom's Day soaking up rays by the pool down at the Vistana Resort !

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Hi everyone - I just got back from there yesterday and wanted to report that when I booked my villa there it showed that I was going to get 1 king plus 2 singles and I am happy to report that I got the Fountains II area with 2 doubles and 1 king.

I am not happy to report though that the first villa we were assigned was missing 1/2 of the kitchen items and that the villa itself was really quite dirty. We were switched to another room and it was much better but not quite what I thought it should've been - still dirty behind the toilets. We did have a nice stay there.

The weather wasn't super hot so the pools didn't feel all that warm on some days - but my kids didn't mind. I will say though that the hot tub at the Fountains main pool was closed down for rehab all week last week - just an FYI.

We did the timeshare presentation - my sister was interested and they did say that they are going to start rehabing the units. I hope so - they are a bit outdated but your just there to eat, sleep and shower right?!! I will stay there again as this was my third time staying there.

Have a good trip!

Michelle

 

[MiaSRN62]

We did the timeshare presentation - my sister was interested and they did say that they are going to start rehabing the units. I hope so - they are a bit outdated but your just there to eat, sleep and shower right?!! I will stay there again as this was my third time staying there.

Hi Michelle !
Thanks for the report. When you did the tour, you said they stated they were going to start rehab ? Rehab is an ongoing process every year as it rotates through the different sections. There is always something going on somewhere. Did they give you a tour of the Cascades because they are the newest units and the only ones they are currently selling at that resort. They also probably mentioned the Vistana Villages ?

Sorry about the first villa. We stayed in the Fountains II last summer and have a request for them this summer. Our villa was very clean and very well maintained and stocked. The funny thing, is these villas have been rehabbed in the past 4 years because the decor was different around 2003 or so ? Around 2003, there were new curtains, new sofa/chair, new bedspreads, new wallpaper border, new appliances (in the Fountains I and II)........so I guess they're up for another rehab and I can find nothing wrong with that ! Glad our dues are going towards something good.
Please post pics if you can

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Maria - During the presentation they said that they were going to start putting in new appliances (even though the appl. in our unit were in good shape and looked to be new within the last 5 years or so) they were going to put in new countertops (I believe she said granite), new flooring, sinks, bose sound systems, flat panel tv's and furniture. Now what she didn't say was what areas they were going to begin in (so your dues will be well spent!!!!). She did show us the models in the Cascades area where they were selling and wow those were nice.

I am sorry to report that I didn't take any pix of the villa itself this time around - I should've, I just wasn't thinking. I did get pix of the pool area and once I get them I will try to post.

Again - as ususal we had a great time there and as I said I will go back. It is in a perfect spot for anything and everything we wanted to do.

I have to say that I originally planned on staying at Disney's POP Century Resort but then my plans changed and more people were coming with us so I went with what I knew -Vistana - but I went and looked at POP and walked the grounds and whatnot just to see what I was missing because I was very upset not to be staying there since I had planned and planned and drempt about that.

After I saw POP and walked around it I wasn't disappointed/sad any longer to be at Vistana. The pools, while cute, were not deep and I wasn't impressed they were just ok. At Vistana the pools, the lush grounds, the space in the villa itself and having the patio, the fridge, and kitchen just can't compare in my mind! I was glad to be at Vistana after a long day and glad not to be cooped up in just a hotel room if you know what I mean?!!!

Regarding the timeshare presentation - it really was a no pressure sell. I think that they know if your interested right off the bat - which I wasn't but my sister was somewhat. She didn't end up purchasing one but we got breakfast, a 50% off voucher (to hopefully go back next year!!) and some money back on our Disney tix by attending the presentation. Not bad for 90 minutes.

Michelle

 

[MiaSRN62]

they were going to put in new countertops (I believe she said granite), new flooring, sinks, bose sound systems, flat panel tv's and furniture.

Michelle !
Thanks so much for all the news and updates and glad u had a nice time !!!

 

[MARCIAKAZ]

It looks like this is the place to come to for the real deal info, so please help me to make sure I'm going in the right direction. We may be renting from an owner for the week of 12/30/07. Since I've never rented a timeshare from an owner before, I want to be sure I'm avoiding any pitfalls. First, the owner advertised his rental as a 1 bedroom in the Cascades. Can he guarantee which section? Also, I'd prefer a non-smoking, larger 1 bdrm unit, and a patio/balcony. Any suggestions about room locations, such as which building, which floor, etc...? What can I/should I do about making these kind of requests, or is it first-come, first-served at check-in? Also, will the reservation be made in my name, or in the owner's name? Anything else I haven't thought to ask? Thanks!!

 

[MRussell]

We are arriving Sunday, December 9th. Does anyone know which units have Sunday check-in? We are an RCI exchange - 8/6. Any advice for getting a newer unit? Thank you

 

[MiaSRN62]

We may be renting from an owner for the week of 12/30/07. Since I've never rented a timeshare from an owner before, I want to be sure I'm avoiding any pitfalls. First, the owner advertised his rental as a 1 bedroom in the Cascades. Can he guarantee which section? Also, I'd prefer a non-smoking, larger 1 bdrm unit, and a patio/balcony. Any suggestions about room locations, such as which building, which floor, etc...? What can I/should I do about making these kind of requests, or is it first-come, first-served at check-in? Also, will the reservation be made in my name, or in the owner's name? Anything else I haven't thought to ask? Thanks!!

Hi Marcia,
Sorry I'm late in getting a response to you. A glitzch in the DIS board updates because it just showed up in my "User CP" today.
Yes, he can guarantee Cascades if this is where he owns. The one bedrooms are only in the Lakes and Cascades (two newest sections). I think you'd be happy with any building----all buildings have elevators. I prefer the top floor because you don't hear the noise above you from people who are staying in upper floors.
The owner will need to make the reservation on your behalf and he/she should supply the Vistana with your names. Once you have a reservation number, you can fill out the online Diamond Lane form to make your requests (I've supplied the link in my earlier post). Checking in earlier does also help. I know I've been given a choice from time to time when we stay there if we get in early.

We are arriving Sunday, December 9th. Does anyone know which units have Sunday check-in? We are an RCI exchange - 8/6. Any advice for getting a newer unit? Thank you
05-14-2007 12:46 PM

MRUssel,
You could get anything but the Courts and Spas. Everything else is up for grabs. Best bet is filling out the Diamond Lane form and checking in early. Fortunately, you're not going during a real busy time so you might get lucky.