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

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I've read this thread all the way through a couple of times now. Am getting so excited for our stay. Thank you all so much for the information provided.

I've booked through hotel.com, arriving on a Saturday, check-out a Friday, with daily clean. Our room will be a double and 2 singles. Really wanted 2 doubles in the second room but couldn't find them. Reading through it looks likely that we will be assigned either Courts or Falls. They look to be in quiet spots away from traffic noise. Suits me

Falls is generally a Sunday check-in, so considering your check-in and check-out dates are both non-Sundays, I think that section is probably out.

Don't be surprised if you actually end up with a king/2 doubles room vs. the king/2 singles. A couple of the posts above noted that even Sheraton's own website doesn't even seem to be offering the king/2 doubles configuration for the 2 bedrooms, even though there would be more of those than the king/2 single set-up. Be ready for what your confirmation says, then pleasantly surprised if you are upgraded.

With a Saturday check-in and a Friday check-out, there are a ton of possibilities for you.....but I'm thinking those sections that typically allow for a Friday/Saturday/Sunday check-ins (Cascades, Lakes, Fountains I & II, Springs & Palms) might be your most likely.

We are there for two weeks at the end of August. Are were vacationing at the same time?

 

[Ang1e]

Falls is generally a Sunday check-in, so considering your check-in and check-out dates are both non-Sundays, I think that section is probably out.

Don't be surprised if you actually end up with a king/2 doubles room vs. the king/2 singles. A couple of the posts above noted that even Sheraton's own website doesn't even seem to be offering the king/2 doubles configuration for the 2 bedrooms, even though there would be more of those than the king/2 single set-up. Be ready for what your confirmation says, then pleasantly surprised if you are upgraded.

With a Saturday check-in and a Friday check-out, there are a ton of possibilities for you.....but I'm thinking those sections that typically allow for a Friday/Saturday/Sunday check-ins (Cascades, Lakes, Fountains I & II, Springs & Palms) might be your most likely.

We are there for two weeks at the end of August. Are were vacationing at the same time?

Thanks Gina. So all my reading and I still didn't get it all right in my head Looks like we could be anywhere. I won't be telling my children that there's a chance of an upgrade. It'd be a great surprise for them if we were! Yes, I noticed that too on the Sheration site. For the configuration that I have booked it worked out considerably better value for us.

I have the Diamond request form so will send that in prior to our arrival. My only preference really is to be away from the main road.

We arrive on 30th August. Will you still be there? I'll be looking out for you on one of my early morning walks if you are

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We arrive on 30th August. Will you still be there? I'll be looking out for you on one of my early morning walks if you are

Yep, we'll still be there when you arrive....just barely!! We are there from the 17th to the 31st. So you will be able to recognize me easily...I'll be the sunburned brunette who'll be weeping on the balcony because our vacation has come to an end .

We'll be in the Fountains this next trip, so something new for us (on our previous trip, we were in Spas on the other side of the resort). I have already been chatting with a pre-arrival co-ordinator .... they have been awesome!!

 

[Ang1e]

Gina it's only fair that you be able to recognise us to so here's a photo from our last trip.

My daughter won't be there until 1st so ignore her She's in Connecticut until then. My son looks totally different....much taller than me now. I'll hopefully have much straighter, less fluffy hair thanks to a Keratin treatment. So look out for DH...he still looks the same Not much help really lol

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina it's only fair that you be able to recognise us to so here's a photo from our last trip.

My daughter won't be there until 1st so ignore her She's in Connecticut until then. My son looks totally different....much taller than me now. I'll hopefully have much straighter, less fluffy hair thanks to a Keratin treatment. So look out for DH...he still looks the same Not much help really lol

That is awesome!!! (what a good looking family you have )

You know, once you get all settled in, if you wanted to meet up to say hello, you could always send me a PM. I would totally be up for a mini Dismeet over a Starbucks Frappuccino at the Marketplace . I have my laptop with me when we travel and check messages fairly regularly.

And lol on the less fluffy hair.......that humidity is a killer!!! You would have to forgive my frizz. It tends to get the better of me, especially by the end of our vacations!

 

[bankr63]

And lol on the less fluffy hair.......that humidity is a killer!!! You would have to forgive my frizz. It tends to get the better of me, especially by the end of our vacations!

Geez, you two should be reading over on Laura's Trip Report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3284368. She sounds like the Dis frizz queen!

And what is a "pre-arrival coordinator"? I have a feeling that the master is about to become the student...

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Geez, you two should be reading over on Laura's Trip Report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3284368. She sounds like the Dis frizz queen!

And what is a "pre-arrival coordinator"? I have a feeling that the master is about to become the student...

Oh Munro, I will never, ever, EVER surpass your knowledge on the Vistana. Nor do I have any hope of matching your concise and clear way with words (in case you haven't noticed, I can be a bit verbose). Rest assured you get to retain your Master status indefinitely. You da man!

So...the pre-arrival coordinator.....

Back in April, I had this grand idea that I wanted to bring our own pool tubes to the Vistana for this trip. We have a lot of resort days planned since it is a two-week trip (aiming for one day at a park, the next day a the resort, so we can relax and enjoy the amenities every other day....assuming things don't get woefully rearranged by Mother Nature) and there's nothing we enjoy more than floating the day away in one of SVR's pools. That said, I wanted to be sure that one of the activity centres would be able to help us get them blown up once we arrive. If that was the case, the plan was for us to pass them along to another family on our check-out day ('cause I'm doubting we'll get them dried and deflated enough to pack in our luggage....but hey, you never know).

So I figured the best way to get my question answered was via email (that way I have it "in writing" should there be any discrepancy along the way). I found an email address for SVR's Concierge Team, and zipped off a quick note. It was answered within 3 days by a very helpful lady named Monica Shaw, and her signature noted her title as "Pre-Arrival/Diamond Lane Co-Ordinator". We chatted back and forth via email a few times, and she was able to answer my pool tube inflation question, as well as a few other things I wanted to know. The end result was not only will they inflate my tubes (whoop, whoop! ) she has already put in my request for a placement in a top floor Fountains unit away from the highways (yep, we want to try the other side of the resort this time....especially since Zimmies, the mini golf, and the Spa's activity centre will all be under renos from August to December).

For anyone who may want the email address, just PM me. I had posted it here initially but then thought the mods might have some reason to disallow it (I seem to get myself in trouble easily enough!!) so I edited this post. While I have removed it from this thread, I am happy to pass it along to whoever may wish to have it.

I can't wait for August to get here. I am seriously getting "homesick".

 

[Iuliano4]

Thank you so much for all the information you have been supplying on this thread. We are planning our first stay outside of the Disney resort and was gifted a week from my brother on his time share, who highly recommended this resort. Your pictures and descriptions have been great. Gina, it looks like we will be down there the same time as you. we will be there from August 22nd through August 29th. It can't come quick enough.

 

[opharbour]

Wanted to add some info from our recent trip that I included in another SVR thread:

My family just got back from SVR. We were there 13 days. My father owns in the Fountains while my MIL has a timeshare in Mexico. For this trip, since my dad had already exchanged his Fountains week, we traded my MILs Mexico timeshare through Interval International. I then followed the Dreams Unlimited "No Housekeeping" Travel Link from here on disboards and followed instructions to reserve 3 nights before and 3 nights after our timeshare stay. We then called SVR, gave then the reservation details and they were able to keep us in the same unit for our entire stay! We were in the Cascades for this trip - awesome because it had an elevator. Building 1 where we stayed was situated between the Cascade Pool and the Spas Pool (by Zimmies) and right next to the Market Place which has Starbucks coffee and computers with printers inside. It was a great location to be in. The pools are open until 1 am (great for soaking your feet after a day in the theme parks), but I would warn that there is a fair amount of pool noise so if that bothers you, request a location further away from the pool.

We didn't bother with the "welcome kit" at check in and I just ignored the red blinking light on the phones.

I also booked a Minivan through Hotwire for this stay (~450 for 13 days). We got SixT Rental car and as I had never heard of them before I was skeptical but needed not have been. We got a loaded Chrysler Town & Country with only 404 miles on it - it even had Sirius Satellite Radio in it. Only drawback is that you needed to take the shuttle as their service desk was not in the rental car section in the airport.

May I also make some restaurant recommendations? Across the street from the resort there is a Bahama Breeze and behind it a B.J.'s Brewhouse. We enjoyed them both. I also REALLY liked the grilled fish sandwich at the Cascades Bar and Grill. (I went back for lunch on a second day and ordered it again because it was THAT good).

 

[Iuliano4]

We are coming to SVR in August and were interested in staying in the fountains section, is this set back far away from the rest of the resort? In one of the other threads they talked about having to cross over Meadow Creek Drive and that it wasn't pedestrian friendly. is this an internal resort road or is it a public road? If we want to pool hop at midnight, is it safe enough to walk? Also they talk about showing movies by the pool what pool do they usually use to show the movies? Thanks again for all your information. I'm sure I'll have more questions.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina, it looks like we will be down there the same time as you. we will be there from August 22nd through August 29th. It can't come quick enough.

Yes, we will! We're there from the 17th to the 31st! (I agree fully....it definitely CANT come quickly enough!)

We are coming to SVR in August and were interested in staying in the fountains section, is this set back far away from the rest of the resort? In one of the other threads they talked about having to cross over Meadow Creek Drive and that it wasn't pedestrian friendly. is this an internal resort road or is it a public road? If we want to pool hop at midnight, is it safe enough to walk? Also they talk about showing movies by the pool what pool do they usually use to show the movies? Thanks again for all your information. I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Fountains I, Fountains II, and Lakes are in one "half" of the resort. Cascades, Spas, Springs, Palms, Courts and Falls are the the other "half" of the resort. This resort map might help:

https://www.mystarcentral.com/CMS/en_US/svo_media/CMSMedia/PDF/resort_maps/svr_resort_map.pdf

Meadow Creek Drive is a road within the resort, but it essentially splits the resort into two parts or sides.

The resort itself is HUGE. If you were assigned a villa in the Fountains, then you would probably only use the Fountains pool at midnight unless you chose to drive to the two others that are open that late (the Super Pool in Spas or the Cascades pool). The other pools close at 10 pm if I remember correctly.

When we were there last August, the poolside movies were at the Fountains pool.

 

[Iuliano4]

Yes, we will! We're there from the 17th to the 31st! (I agree fully....it definitely CANT come quickly enough!)



Fountains I, Fountains II, and Lakes are in one "half" of the resort. Cascades, Spas, Springs, Palms, Courts and Falls are the the other "half" of the resort. This resort map might help:

https://www.mystarcentral.com/CMS/en_US/svo_media/CMSMedia/PDF/resort_maps/svr_resort_map.pdf

Meadow Creek Drive is a road within the resort, but it essentially splits the resort into two parts or sides.

The resort itself is HUGE. If you were assigned a villa in the Fountains, then you would probably only use the Fountains pool at midnight unless you chose to drive to the two others that are open that late (the Super Pool in Spas or the Cascades pool). The other pools close at 10 pm if I remember correctly.

When we were there last August, the poolside movies were at the Fountains pool.

Thanks again for all your help. I'm learning something new everyday

 

[bankr63]

We are coming to SVR in August and were interested in staying in the fountains section, is this set back far away from the rest of the resort? In one of the other threads they talked about having to cross over Meadow Creek Drive and that it wasn't pedestrian friendly. is this an internal resort road or is it a public road? If we want to pool hop at midnight, is it safe enough to walk? Also they talk about showing movies by the pool what pool do they usually use to show the movies? Thanks again for all your information. I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Just to add to Gina's comment, I wouldn't say it's not pedestrian friendly. There is a wide sidewalk the whole way (maybe 100-150 yards?), and there is very little traffic on Meadow Creek. It is a public road, but you are not in a particularly dangerous part of Orlando and are within view of one of the two manned security huts the whole way. I would have no qualms about walking that stretch after dark.

 

[princessand2princes]

Love reading through this and all the great info here. We will be staying at SVR Oct 19-26- myself, DH, and 3 kiddos 8, (4) (4). This will be out first off site trip- we've stayed at CR and BC (pre kids), POR and POFQ with kids, but the few options for a family of 5 led us to try off site for a change (and to save some change!). We bought a week timeshare from a friend, and will drive (20 hrs) so we'll have our car. My question is, if I'm reading this correctly, since we arrive ona Sunday through a timeshare, we will likely be in the Falls? Which means 2 twin beds? Is there a pull out sofa in the living room for all the variations? Trying to think ahead about sleeping arrangements for the kids.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Love reading through this and all the great info here. We will be staying at SVR Oct 19-26- myself, DH, and 3 kiddos (8) (4) (4). This will be out first off site trip- we've stayed at CR and BC (pre kids), POR and POFQ with kids, but the few options for a family of 5 led us to try off site for a change (and to save some change!). We bought a week timeshare from a friend, and will drive (20 hrs) so we'll have our car.

My question is, if I'm reading this correctly, since we arrive ona Sunday through a timeshare, we will likely be in the Falls? Which means 2 twin beds? Is there a pull out sofa in the living room for all the variations? Trying to think ahead about sleeping arrangements for the kids.

The Falls section is generally designated for a Sunday-only check-in, but Cascades, Lakes, Fountains I & II, Springs, and Palms also have units with Sunday check-ins. The buildings marked in green on this map are designated Sunday check-ins:

https://www.mystarcentral.com/flash/maps/01/map.html

Of that list, only Falls will have the twin beds in the 2nd bedroom. The remainder of the sections will have two doubles.

All of the two bedroom villas will have a queen sized pullout sofa in the living room .

 

[princessand2princes]

Perfect, thank you!!

Which grocery is closest to the resort/easiest to get to? I think we'll try to go some meals in the room so I'll want to stock up when we arrive.

 

[FrankieDplus3]

Perfect, thank you!! Which grocery is closest to the resort/easiest to get to? I think we'll try to go some meals in the room so I'll want to stock up when we arrive.

There is a Super Walmart and a Publix very close by. Probably less than 5 min drive. Basically, just turn right on 535 and you'll find them. The Walmart is on your right, the Publix is a bit further down on your left, just as you get to the end of 535 where it meets 192. Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

<Edit>
There is also another Publix on Vineland Rd, towards the Premium outlets, I've heard that this location is a better location, but, I've never been to that one.

 

[princessand2princes]

Great, thanks for the very useful info!

 

[tiggerluvr]

I've read through the whole thread - thanks for all the info! We are using our timeshare for the first time, and traded through RCI for an SVR 1 bedroom the last week in October. Since we're coming from California, and have never been before, we plan to pack a lot in: 2 days at universal (Harry Potter, woooo!) and 4 days at WDW. I know they have a shuttle to WDW for $9pp. Is that *per day* or *per ride*? Also, is there a shuttle to Universal, and if so, how much is that? I'm trying to figure out if we really need to rent a car...between the car rental fees and crazy parking fees at the parks, I'm trying to decide if the convenience is worth it. It's just hubby and I on this trip, so I think we could put up with a little inconvenience if it meant we were going to save a lot, but if it's going to be a major hassle then I don't want it to ruin our trip.

 

[kmjc]

I've read through the whole thread - thanks for all the info! We are using our timeshare for the first time, and traded through RCI for an SVR 1 bedroom the last week in October. Since we're coming from California, and have never been before, we plan to pack a lot in: 2 days at universal (Harry Potter, woooo!) and 4 days at WDW. I know they have a shuttle to WDW for $9pp. Is that *per day* or *per ride*? Also, is there a shuttle to Universal, and if so, how much is that? I'm trying to figure out if we really need to rent a car...between the car rental fees and crazy parking fees at the parks, I'm trying to decide if the convenience is worth it. It's just hubby and I on this trip, so I think we could put up with a little inconvenience if it meant we were going to save a lot, but if it's going to be a major hassle then I don't want it to ruin our trip.

I called SVR yesterday to ask about the Universal shuttle. They have only one departure and pick up: 9:45 am and 6 pm. The day we plan on going, Universal opens at 8am and closes at 9. The times for the shuttle are not ideal for us as we want to be their at opening time. The cost is $15 round trip per person.