Sheraton Vistana Villas Lake Buena Vista vs Sheraton Vistana i-drive

[Ptarmigan6]

Hi all,
We're trying to decide between staying at the two Sheraton time-share villas, Lake Buena Vista and Sheraton Vistana i-drive. The photos and reviews of the i-drive property seem much newer, and I love the pirate themed water feature. However, the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista villas are much closer to Disney property.

I'd love any experience you might have on traffic, overall resort experience, and pool/food experiences.

thank you!

 

[bankr63]

To be clear on your resorts, the Sheraton Vistana Resort (in LBV) is the original Vistana timeshare on 535 just south of I-4. I mention this because there is also a Sheraton LBV Suites hotel north of I-4 that is not a timeshare resort. Sheraton Vistana Villages is the property on I-Drive. It was built more recently, but both are very well maintained and SVR has had a full top to bottom refurb.

Best bet for information, photos and opinions are the two main Vistana threads in the reviews section at the top of this forum. Tons of great information from us Vistana regulars there.

SVR: http://www.disboards.com/threads/the-sheraton-vistana-resort-thread.3148502/
SVV: http://www.disboards.com/threads/sheraton-vistana-villages-your-reviews-tips-ratings.2854036/

Note that there is much more information on SVR as it is a fair bit larger and therefore more visited. Have stayed at both resorts, and will say that for quality and experience they can be quite similar, although the bigger resort provides more options.

 

[Disney Ella]

I have stayed at both and prefer SVV. It's not much farther than SVR to the parks - maybe 10 minutes or less. I liked the size and appearance of SVV better. We didn't try the food at either place. SVR has the better, bigger store, although it can be a long walk (or short drive) depending on which section you're staying in. Both resorts are nice. I just like the atmosphere of SVV better.

 

[Ptarmigan6]

I am leaning toward SVV because the property looks a little more updated, but I'm concerned about dealing with peak summer traffic on I-Drive. I have childhood nightmares of being stuck on that road forever! We don't plan on spending much time at the resort (AP newbies!!) but the pirate ship water feature looks nice. SVR looks much closer to the heart of where we'll be. Thoughts?

Also, how was pressure for time-share sales when you went?

 

[bankr63]

That end of I-Drive has fairly light traffic, so I wouldn't worry at all. The heavy traffic starts further North towards Sand Lake. Extra drive time for SVV is really only an extra 5 minutes perhaps over SVR.

They will always ask you to attend a presentation (a free breakfast with discounts is generally offered), but this is a high end chain with a reputation to uphold, so they soft-sell and should back down quickly. First attempt is when you check in, generally while you get your parking pass. The sales guys at the desk are pretty low pressure, and actually a pretty good source of information on the area; I have gotten some great tips and coupons from them. Just give a polite but firm no to the offer, no matter how sweet it sounds. Remember they are paid to do a job, so don't let it bother you, they have to try to be fairly persuasive.

You will also get at least one call to follow up on attending a presentation (and many other calls with daily updates on resort activities). We usually unplug the phone in the bedroom so the flashing message light doesn't bother us, and clear messages once a day from the phone in the living area. I have seen a few people go ballistic about this "harassment"; I find it to be a fun engagement. That's what I suggest for you too, have a little fun with it.

And note that as an owner and regular timeshare user, the same goes for every timeshare resort I have stayed at, except very old ones that no longer have active sales (Lake Placid Club is one that comes to mind). Mexico timeshares are where most of the really bad press starts. If you want the space and savings of a timeshare it is a pretty small annoyance.