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

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks. We will likely go to the new Publix with the Liquor store attached. I will check out the price of the small detergents before going.

Do you know of any sports bars in the area? The Sunday I am there will be a NFL Sunday and I was hoping to catch some of the Jets game. Have you been to the Hurricane Grill right next to the resort? I'll likely post this elsewhere on the board as well. Thanks again.

Most of my TV watching gets curtailed when in Orlando, but I might suggest you just stop by Zimmie's at the resort. The seating is poolside, open air (covered) and there are 5 or 6 big screens covering all the major events. I suspect that the Taki Tiki bar on the other side of the resort has good sports watching as well. @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina's guys are big sports fans too. She might offer a few other good options.

ETA: the wings are pretty good at Zimmie's and we really enjoyed the pot stickers if they are still on the menu. Prices are higher than a local sports bar, but not outrageous.

For sports watching, I'd say Buffalo Wild Wings (in the Crossroads) and Miller's Ale House (near the entrance to Disney Springs) would be the ultimate places to go.

 

[dreajoy]

I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of what travel time is like to the Disney Parks? Are there times of the day where traffic is worse trying to get into the parks etc? Just trying to plan how long we should allow to get to restaurant reservations.

Thanks!

 

[bankr63]

From the resort to the Magic Kingdom parking lot is about a 10 minute drive, DAK is about 12 minutes and is the farthest park. That does not include time for parking and entering the parks, but that is the same for everybody. I might add about 5 minutes to those times in afternoon/evening rush because of traffic on 535. But you are only driving one light south of the resort where you will make a right hand turn at a busy intersection. In afternoon rush you may experience short delays reaching the right turn slip due to heavy traffic. Once you have made the right onto World Center Drive you are unlikely to meet up with any significant traffic delays.

 

[mckennarose]

We’re here again at SVR and having another great experience! We checked in yesterday and got our request for a one bedroom premium in Lakes and it is beautiful. Jennifer Bravo brought over a gift basket for our anniversary too! I’m telling you... this place is fast becomming our favorite offsite place. I’ll update with pics of our villa later.

 

[mckennarose]

Pics of our villa.

 

[mckennarose]

More pics.

 

[trish4bruce]

How long does it take to get a response from Jennifer when placing a room request? I emailed 5 days ago and have not heard anything. Sent a follow up email two days ago. I don’t want to be too pushy just want to ensure she got it. We arrive on October 5th.

 

[mckennarose]

How long does it take to get a response from Jennifer when placing a room request? I emailed 5 days ago and have not heard anything. Sent a follow up email two days ago. I don’t want to be too pushy just want to ensure she got it. We arrive on October 5th.

I heard back from her the same day. ????
You can call the resort directly and confirm your reservation and ask if there are any notes for your requests. If not, add them at that time.
Jennifer personally came to our villa when we checked in and she is a super nice person. I can't imagine her not responding to an email. I wonder if lines got crossed somewhere?

 

[sunsandcinnamon]

Hello SVR smarties! I booked a 1 br at SVR through Priceline for 7 nights in early November. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on what sections or room we should request? It is just me and DH, mid-30s, no kids. I'd like to be near a pool and hot tub, and parking. We need either a ground floor unit or near an elevator due to medical issues. Would prefer it to be relatively quiet as we get enough kids during the day at the parks Also, how does housekeeping work? We have never stayed at a property like this. Thanks!

 

[SuperJ]

Hello SVR smarties! I booked a 1 br at SVR through Priceline for 7 nights in early November. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on what sections or room we should request? It is just me and DH, mid-30s, no kids. I'd like to be near a pool and hot tub, and parking. We need either a ground floor unit or near an elevator due to medical issues. Would prefer it to be relatively quiet as we get enough kids during the day at the parks Also, how does housekeeping work? We have never stayed at a property like this. Thanks!

Cascades and Lakes are the only two sections with elevators so request one of those. How quiet it is depends on which building you get - you can find maps online if you google of how things are laid out.

Cascasdes: in the "main" part - can get some highway noise or pool noise, depending on building (some are right behind the wall that runs along 535 and one building is right next to the guard house). But near the most pools, the store, and the restaurant. Cascades pool has hot tubs and a sauna. They usually both have at least some people in them. Super Pool is also usually busy. The Springs pool is no-frills but usually empty. Difficulty of parking depends on the building (and how close it is to the main amenities - the closer the building, the harder it could be to find parking)

Lakes: slightly larger than cascades, but if there's just the two of you, it's not a noticeable difference (when we go, we like lakes because the SF makes a difference for second bedroom and the amount of walking space in the living room when the pull-out couch is open). it's in the back part and thus usually quieter, unless you're close to the main building. Only close to the tiki bar (both the pool bar and has an indoor seating area) and two pools - the one by the tiki bar is usually full of kids but the other (the "back" one) is smaller and pretty no-frills but almost always empty when we've been there. There's at least one hot tub but I forget where.

If you're spending a lot of time using the resort and amenities, I'd say Cascades because of its proximity to more pools, the store, and the restaurant - Cascades also has a pool bar that serves food. if you're just sleeping there and only care about how empty the pool is, Lakes.

 

[SuperJ]

We’re here again at SVR and having another great experience! We checked in yesterday and got our request for a one bedroom premium in Lakes and it is beautiful. Jennifer Bravo brought over a gift basket for our anniversary too! I’m telling you... this place is fast becomming our favorite offsite place. I’ll update with pics of our villa later.

May I ask how you received the gift basket? Is it just a matter of telling the desk? We're actually checking in ON my parents' anniversary and they are owners there, so if there's something nice I could do for them by putting in a word with the desk, I'd like to try...

 

[mckennarose]

May I ask how you received the gift basket? Is it just a matter of telling the desk? We're actually checking in ON my parents' anniversary and they are owners there, so if there's something nice I could do for them by putting in a word with the desk, I'd like to try...

I did not request anything special, I just mentioned in my email to Jennifer Bravo, Pre-Arrival/Diamond Lane Coordinator, that we were coming down to celebrate our wedding anniversary and requested a one bedroom premium in Lakes. Jennifer personally delivered our basket about 20 minutes after we checked in. I would say to send Jennifer an email just letting her know you are celebrating an anniversary during your stay. I doubt the front desk would have done it for us, but because we went through Jennifer for our room request is how I believe we got it.

Hello SVR smarties! I booked a 1 br at SVR through Priceline for 7 nights in early November. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on what sections or room we should request? It is just me and DH, mid-30s, no kids. I'd like to be near a pool and hot tub, and parking. We need either a ground floor unit or near an elevator due to medical issues. Would prefer it to be relatively quiet as we get enough kids during the day at the parks Also, how does housekeeping work? We have never stayed at a property like this. Thanks!

.............
Lakes: slightly larger than cascades, but if there's just the two of you, it's not a noticeable difference (when we go, we like lakes because the SF makes a difference for second bedroom and the amount of walking space in the living room when the pull-out couch is open). it's in the back part and thus usually quieter, unless you're close to the main building. Only close to the tiki bar (both the pool bar and has an indoor seating area) and two pools - the one by the tiki bar is usually full of kids but the other (the "back" one) is smaller and pretty no-frills but almost always empty when we've been there. There's at least one hot tub but I forget where.
...........

In our experience having gone last month without kids, we very much enjoyed the Lakes section. Just request a one bedroom premium which includes a large Jacuzzi tub in room and a balcony. The regular one bedrooms are the second part of a lock off and don't have a balcony or Jacuzzi tub. Check my pics above for what our one bedroom premium in Lakes looked like.

Regarding the above post and pool info....we had previously stayed in Fountains 2 bedroom when we brought our whole family in May and we used the pool near the Tacky Tiki Bar which was good for our kids, who are are adults.
Last month we used the Lakes pool and really loved the overall quietness and the zero entry pool. We grabbed a drink and just sat in that pool on many days! The Fountains pool (and Tacky Tiki Bar) is only a short path away and very convenient for grabbing some food and drinks to bring back to the Lakes pool. I would definitely stay in Lakes again.

For housekeeping, they will give you a day when housekeeping will come when you check in. You do have to put items in the dishwasher and start it before you leave, and I also collect all towels in one location for housekeeping. I don't think it's required, but I do it anyway. There is an envelope for tipping housekeeping right on the counter when you get into your villa.

 

[bankr63]

Hello SVR smarties! I booked a 1 br at SVR through Priceline for 7 nights in early November. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on what sections or room we should request? It is just me and DH, mid-30s, no kids. I'd like to be near a pool and hot tub, and parking. We need either a ground floor unit or near an elevator due to medical issues. Would prefer it to be relatively quiet as we get enough kids during the day at the parks Also, how does housekeeping work? We have never stayed at a property like this. Thanks!

Just a couple of add ons to what @SuperJ and @mckennarose posted.

You will only be in Lakes or Cascades with elevators. No other sections of the resort have 1BR units.

You can find the Sheraton resort map via the link on page 1, post 2 of this thread. Pools and hot tubs are well marked on the map. You might want to take a look at the resort on google earth to understand where major roads etc are as these are not shown on the map.

Housekeeping depends on what was included in your booking. You indicated that you booked via priceline, so you unit is probably one of the villas owned by Sheraton that are let out like hotel stays. Bookings from resort owners or those made through sites like skyauction tend to follow the timeshare procedure for housekeeping. Read your booking confirmation carefully to see if it includes daily housekeeping.

Hotel type bookings DO include daily housekeeping as well as free park shuttles. You will usually be offered to forego housekeeping in exchange for a daily breakfast at Zimmies. Not a bad deal IF you aren't rushing out to the parks every morning.

Timeshare type bookings (which is most of them) include only a midweek tidy and towel exchange only. Timeshare stays can also use the park shuttles, but there is a fee. One of the things I personally like about timeshares is that daily housekeeping in most timeshare properties is not included (most Mexican timeshares do have housekeeping). I prefer not having strangers traipsing through my villa on a daily basis, and don't mind pulling the bedcovers up myself. Note that if you run out of any supplies before your tidy, a quick call to housekeeping will bring additional supplies quickly to your door. Midweek tidies are on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday for Friday, Saturday, Sunday check-ins respectively.

Hope you and DH have a great trip!

 

[cel_disney]

We booked the mousesavers rate a few months ago and we are looking forward to our first stay starting in November 5th. This is our first offsite stay EVER - we are DVC owners but we are out of points and I just refuse to pay for parking when staying in a regular room!

We booked a 2 bedroom. I believe it’s the 6 person room technically (we could have called to say we needed the 8 person but I didn’t because we don’t).

I’ve read thru some of this thread but not everything and hoping that maybe I can get some help from all you SVR experts!

- I’ve read about the ability to make requests and send them in thru the Diamond Lane. Does that apply to guests like us with more traditional bookings vs timeshare bookings?

- We definitely prefer to be ‘near the action’ but from what I can tell, the rooms that have the twin beds are on the falls / court area - struggling with what kind of requests to make to maximize the ‘in the action’ feeling? Any recommendations for the 6 person room? What about an 8 person room?

- Is there really a fee for an Amazon Prime Now deliveries? I thought I saw this somewhere but need to confirm with experts. When we stay at Bay Lake Tower, we sometimes have deliveries daily of whatever random thing that comes up. We will have a car but we use Amazon at home so it will be an adjustment that I need to prep for in advance!

- My in-laws might stop by to visit us on a Sunday at the resort. Is this a problem?

- Do we need advanced reservations for the escape room? If so - how far in advance do we need to reserve? I’m just not sure of our plans for the weekend yet..and can we include my in-laws in our group for this?

Any other advise is totally welcome!

 

[bankr63]

We booked the mousesavers rate a few months ago and we are looking forward to our first stay starting in November 5th. This is our first offsite stay EVER - we are DVC owners but we are out of points and I just refuse to pay for parking when staying in a regular room!

We booked a 2 bedroom. I believe it’s the 6 person room technically (we could have called to say we needed the 8 person but I didn’t because we don’t).

I’ve read thru some of this thread but not everything and hoping that maybe I can get some help from all you SVR experts!

- I’ve read about the ability to make requests and send them in thru the Diamond Lane. Does that apply to guests like us with more traditional bookings vs timeshare bookings?

- We definitely prefer to be ‘near the action’ but from what I can tell, the rooms that have the twin beds are on the falls / court area - struggling with what kind of requests to make to maximize the ‘in the action’ feeling? Any recommendations for the 6 person room? What about an 8 person room?

- Is there really a fee for an Amazon Prime Now deliveries? I thought I saw this somewhere but need to confirm with experts. When we stay at Bay Lake Tower, we sometimes have deliveries daily of whatever random thing that comes up. We will have a car but we use Amazon at home so it will be an adjustment that I need to prep for in advance!

- My in-laws might stop by to visit us on a Sunday at the resort. Is this a problem?

- Do we need advanced reservations for the escape room? If so - how far in advance do we need to reserve? I’m just not sure of our plans for the weekend yet..and can we include my in-laws in our group for this?

Any other advise is totally welcome!

I'll help with what I can, but others may have more experience on some of these topics.

Yes, there is still a Diamond Lane form (link on post #2) but it no longer has a section for stating preferences so is much less useful than it was. The current best practice is to contact the Pre-Arrival Coordinator, contact info in this post: https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-sheraton-vistana-resort-thread.3148502/page-89#post-59521720 from @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina. The only thing I dislike about this advice (emailing a person directly) is what happens if Jennifer moves to another position in the resort, or leaves? And yes, the DL form is available for all types of stays at the resort.

I wouldn't necessarily assume you are in Courts or Falls. For hotel stays Sheraton seems to have defaulted to the smallest 2BR unit in all their listings for simplicity, but the Sheraton controlled 2BR villas are more predominantly the sleeps 8 variety. If you are in Courts or Falls I would simply ask to be placed near the pools. Our owner's unit in Courts is very close to the pool area and a short walk to all of the amenities; one of our favorite features!

As to the Amazon fee, that is an interesting question. Yes, the resort charges a fee for handling packages - which are usually held for a couple of days before you arrive, but they don't charge a fee for deliveries (like food etc) when you are at the resort to accept them directly. I am not quite sure how they would handle Amazon now. Please post back with your experience.

You are allowed to have guests at the resort, although the number should be reasonable, and it is much easier if you don't exceed the capacity of your villa. Mention it at checkin, but if you meet them at the reception centre and bring them through the security gates yourself no one would know anyway. Perimeter security (gate houses and walkway gates) are accessed with your room card.

I would think that for Nov. 5 week you would not need reservations for the escape room, but I am just guessing. Our last visit it did not appear to be all that popular (but it was fairly new), so short notice was available. You are going at a fairly quiet time, so I don't think it should be an issue. Again, if the situation has changed, please post back with your experience. BTW - I checked an online review of the Vistana attraction, and although it is put on by one of the leading escape room experiences, it apparently is no where near as challenging as their regular public rooms. You might want to consider hitting the real thing if you are real enthusiasts.

Have a great experience, I hope you enjoy an offsite stay as much as you enjoy your DVC.

 

[ICan'tWait]

Another room request question. My husband smokes and since he can't smoke on the balcony at Vistana I was debating requesting to be close/walking distance to a smoking area but I'm concerned if I use the "smoking" word that we'll be in a less desirable unit. The maps are so tiny to me that I can't tell where the smoking areas are. Anyone have a suggested area near a pool and a smoking area that I can request without using the dreaded "smoking" word? Really hoping the request works, as we have a 2br through RCI and since we are arriving later in the Thanksgiving week than our check in date I am sure that they will be full and unable to move us if the unit had any issues. Last time we stayed here we were in a unit where you had to cross a busy road to get to a pool and so we just skipped it the whole week. After seeing all the great pictures I really want to be close to a pool.

 

[mckennarose]

Another room request question. My husband smokes and since he can't smoke on the balcony at Vistana I was debating requesting to be close/walking distance to a smoking area but I'm concerned if I use the "smoking" word that we'll be in a less desirable unit. The maps are so tiny to me that I can't tell where the smoking areas are. Anyone have a suggested area near a pool and a smoking area that I can request without using the dreaded "smoking" word? Really hoping the request works, as we have a 2br through RCI and since we are arriving later in the Thanksgiving week than our check in date I am sure that they will be full and unable to move us if the unit had any issues. Last time we stayed here we were in a unit where you had to cross a busy road to get to a pool and so we just skipped it the whole week. After seeing all the great pictures I really want to be close to a pool.

I have a larger map from our stay last month. Was there a particular section you were looking at? I'm not really familiar with which sections the two bedroom units are in other than Fountains, where we had a two bedroom unit in May.

 

[mckennarose]

I’m uploading some pics of the map with each section. They’re not in any order, so you would need to look at the overall resort map on the Sheraton site to get an idea of which section is where. But at least you can get an idea of where the pools and smoking sections are. Hope this helps!

 

[ICan'tWait]

I’m uploading some pics of the map with each section. They’re not in any order, so you would need to look at the overall resort map on the Sheraton site to get an idea of which section is where. But at least you can get an idea of where the pools and smoking sections are. Hope this helps!

Thank you!!

 

[damo]

How long does it take to get a response from Jennifer when placing a room request? I emailed 5 days ago and have not heard anything. Sent a follow up email two days ago. I don’t want to be too pushy just want to ensure she got it. We arrive on October 5th.

Did you ever hear back? I'm in the same situation.