Review The Sheraton Vistana Resort Thread (key links on p.1)

[mckennarose]

Yay! Can’t wait. Thank you for the feedback.
Did you spend much time at the resort during the day? If so, were any kid games, activities, etc, hosted at the fountains pool?

We stay here pretty frequently, and they do have activities at the Fountains pool on some days. Here's an activity guide from a few months ago.
HTH!

 

[PrincessK&A]

We stay here pretty frequently, and they do have activities at the Fountains pool on some days. Here's an activity guide from a few months ago.
HTH!
View attachment 721454

Thank you for sharing.

 

[elaine amj]

We are also staying for the first time starting next week I did request to link our two reservations together but was unsuccessful at getting Dec 30-Jan 2 so far. I have a backup hotel booked at this point but still hoping something pops up.

I looked more closely at my RedWeeks reservation and realized it was for a Fountains building so I requested Fountains I in buildings 5-8 on the top floor. We usually prefer ground floor but those skylights sound really cool.

I was debating between Fountains I or II but the previous post here that Fountains I has ceiling fans in the bedrooms sold me. That is a big deal to me even though we won’t use them quite as much in this upcoming trip.

I was originally wanting to request a building with loft rooms because that would work awesome with my family but nixed those hopes when I realized my second week was at the Fountains section.

I am excited the Fountains pool has a volleyball net. That was my son’s most favourite thing to do when we stayed at Sheraton Vistana Villages. The secluded hot tub is right up my alley too

I looked through the activity guide posted and rather bummed there are no sports tournaments. DS20 loved the cornhole tournament at Bonnet Creek on our previous trip. Mostly, he is active and competitive and just playing with our family isn’t all that thrilling Oh well, there is a gym and a pool table so that’s awesome.

Also, does anyone know how much it costs for various sports equipment? Debating whether we should bring our tennis racquets. What about basketballs? I heard there are bike rentals but imagine those cost extra too?

 

[erinch]

Another great thing about Fountains 1 from our POV is that the jacuzzi tub is in the bathroom and not the master bedroom.

On the Vistana amenities website it says basketball equipment is complimentary and available in Courts , which would be inthe other section. There’s an amenities number to call and I would check to see what they are currently doing.
https://www.vistana.com/destinations/sheraton-vistana-resort/amenities

 

[elaine amj]

Another great thing about Fountains 1 from our POV is that the jacuzzi tub is in the bathroom and not the master bedroom.

On the Vistana amenities website it says basketball equipment is complimentary and available in Courts , which would be inthe other section. There’s an amenities number to call and I would check to see what they are currently doing.
https://www.vistana.com/destinations/sheraton-vistana-resort/amenities

Is it a pleasant atmosphere in the bathroom? Sometimes if the bathrooms are not nicely done, I prefer the tub in the bedroom.

 

[dioxide45]

Is it a pleasant atmosphere in the bathroom? Sometimes if the bathrooms are not nicely done, I prefer the tub in the bedroom.

I am not sure why one likes the jetted tub in the bathroom vs the bedroom. In reality for most, it probably doesn't matter as those tubs are under used and more often used to store luggage or dirty towels...

 

[bankr63]

@elaine amj As far as I know there is no charge for the use of the tennis courts (lessons are extra), you would need to reserve at the activity centre, but they are rarely full. Yes, bring your racquets. The bicycles are actually 2 or 4 seater side-by-sides (not regular bikes) for use in the resort only. There is an extra charge for these, and I am not sure if they have returned post-covid yet (or maybe gone for good - they weren't well used). The main things that there are charges for are mini-putt, shows, escape room, and some crafts (for supplies) and lessons. They do sometimes bring in fun extras too at an additional charge; in past years a giant inflatable slide, a giant clear bubble ride, that kind of thing. iWall is the latest, and it didn't look like there was a charge for it last March.
Interesting tidbit - Vistana Resort was originally planned as a Tennis Camp (long before Sheraton got involved). The tennis courts were the first amenity and actually 'belong' to the original Courts section where we own. Our association rents them back to the other sections of the resort, mostly in exchange for the use of the other amenities.
Your son likely won't have a problem getting into a pick-up tournament anyway. There always seems to be enough willing players to get a good game going - basketball, beach volleyball, shuffleboard etc.
Yes, most of the master bathrooms have a nice zen feeling - lots of nice ceramic and dark wood and very spacious. Not a bad place to spend an hour soaking. Bring a few candles along to set the mood.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Is it a pleasant atmosphere in the bathroom? Sometimes if the bathrooms are not nicely done, I prefer the tub in the bedroom.

Perhaps some pictures will help.

This is the master bedroom in Fountains if you have an end unit with a window:





And these are the Fountains I master baths in the interior villas (no window):

 

[elaine amj]

We checked in Saturday night and our first room was ground floor Building 5 in Fountains I - just the perfect location.

Unfortunately after a 20 hr drive - it wasn’t clean. We had to traipse back to the front desk and the only other room available was in Building 13.

3 nights later and I have seen nothing of the resort so far other than my room lol. Taking a break day today to explore.

 

[dioxide45]

Is there any update on the WiFi situation at the resort? Have they fixed the problems. Is it working flawlessly, or is it still a mess?

 

[pianomanzano]

Is there any update on the WiFi situation at the resort? Have they fixed the problems. Is it working flawlessly, or is it still a mess?

We were there in October (fountains II) and it was fine. We were able to hook up our streaming device to the TV and I worked on my laptop without any issues.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Is there any update on the WiFi situation at the resort? Have they fixed the problems. Is it working flawlessly, or is it still a mess?

We are here right now. I wouldn’t call it flawless, but it is light years better. The connection drops a lot and you have to reconnect, but so far I haven’t been completely shut out.

 

[elaine amj]

Is there any update on the WiFi situation at the resort? Have they fixed the problems. Is it working flawlessly, or is it still a mess?

I am here right now in Fountains I and it is annoying. We get kicked off a lot and sometimes it takes forever to connect. Unfortunately Tmobile also has terrible data here so we are just muddling along.

DS has discovered specific locations in the condo to hang out. When my DD needed to work on her final exam, she ended up going to the Marketplace to work on the tables there.

Edit to add: I got kicked off just before reading this post and got kicked off again right after posting this reply lol. It does work more or less though and we eventually connect.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I am here right now in Fountains I and it is annoying. We get kicked off a lot and sometimes it takes forever to connect. Unfortunately Tmobile also has terrible data here so we are just muddling along.

DS has discovered specific locations in the condo to hang out. When my DD needed to work on her final exam, she ended up going to the Marketplace to work on the tables there.

Edit to add: I got kicked off just before reading this post and got kicked off again right after posting this reply lol. It does work more or less though and we eventually connect.

I’m in Fountains 1 right now and experiencing the same thing. We must be near each other.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I was trying to let my daughters stream on the tv but gave up on it. It disconnected every few seconds.

 

[elaine amj]

I was trying to let my daughters stream on the tv but gave up on it. It disconnected every few seconds.

My DS20 yells at the wifi constantly lol. He also has unlimited data on US Mobile (Verizon network) but that’s crappy too. I used Tmobile and they sucked too haha.

So far we haven’t been impressed with either Verizon or TMobile’s network - and that’s in a variety of resorts and locations around Disney World.

 

[Robert.splash]

Does anyone know when/if other sections are due to be refurbished/renovated? Cascades etc

 

[bankr63]

Does anyone know when/if other sections are due to be refurbished/renovated? Cascades etc

I personally have not been able to figure out where to find this information. When Sheraton was at the helm they were very good about communicating with owners. Since Marriott took over Sheraton there seems to be a culture of non-communication. Most of the communications channels (aside from your maintenance fees are due messages) have gone completely silent.

I will say that for the section where we own, the annual budget still shows a healthy schedule and budget for ongoing renewal, but the newsletters and website updates on the overall resort have vanished and that is where we would gather this type of information. I assume that the other Owners Associations in the Resort have maintained the same. We all felt the impact of special assessments a decade ago and certainly don't want the resort to decline so that we face that situation again.

 

[elaine amj]

I checked in yesterday If anyone is curious, this is the current resort activity guide.






And now they have things like Open Play Basketball and Archery - stuff my older kids would have enjoyed when we were here for 2 weeks over Christmas.

Aquafit today was great - maybe 7-8 people which shocked me as it was chilly and only in the 50s this morning.

The instructor told us that the resort has finally purchased water weights for use during aquafit classes so looking forward to using them in the next class.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thank you, Elaine, for posting the activity schedule. Hubby is VERY excited to see the mixology class at the Tiki Bar. What a fun new offering!! We will be there in 59 days (our first time being in Florida in March) so hopefully it's offered a few times over our week.