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

[keeperof4]

Just a reminder they have been paving in courts. falls ,palms? areas, it was quite noisy at times and a strong tar smell .I am sure that this will most likely be done this week?? The courts pool was our night family swim choice(empty all week) this year so warm!!, friends there right now(Lakes) 87f this afternoon pools were packed!! PS its -23 wind chill out side my window right now. Have a safe trip.

 

[tinkerbell181]

Well, we just did something wild and crazy. We leave for Sheraton Vistana in 14 days! Just booked it today. And the craziest part is that we are just going to relax, not even go to Disney! Or at least try not to, we will see how that goes
We booked through JetBlue Getaways and arrive on a Saturday - does that affect which area of the resort we will be in? With a 4 year old and a 1 year old we want to be close to the best pool for little ones - any suggestions? Can you walk from the one side of the property to the otherside and use all the pools? (it looks like there is a highway that separates the resort into two parts)
Any advice or info is welcome - so excited!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well, we just did something wild and crazy. We leave for Sheraton Vistana in 14 days! Just booked it today. And the craziest part is that we are just going to relax, not even go to Disney! Or at least try not to, we will see how that goes
We booked through JetBlue Getaways and arrive on a Saturday - does that affect which area of the resort we will be in? With a 4 year old and a 1 year old we want to be close to the best pool for little ones - any suggestions? Can you walk from the one side of the property to the otherside and use all the pools? (it looks like there is a highway that separates the resort into two parts)
Any advice or info is welcome - so excited!!

The Cascades section might be a good fit for you. They have a great pool with splash fountains that the little ones enjoy:





It's one of the 3 "main" pools, so its open later too (which is a nice bonus if your kiddos are night owls, lol).

They have a nice little playground in Cascades that looks mighty fun as well.



This section is generally an easy walk to the Falls pool as well, which is smaller and shallower than the main pools. It has a little slide and an adjacent playground:







Saturday check-ins can land you in several different sections.....Cascades, Palms, Courts, Springs, Lakes, Fountains I, and Fountains II (if I remember correctly). Spas is a Friday only check-in and Falls is generally Sunday only so you could probably rule those two out.

The resort is big.....very big. Depending on where you end up, it will be difficult with two little folks to walk from some sections to the other. You always have the option of driving from one side to the other (if you want to check out their amenities as well) or the resort has an internal shuttle service too.

 

[mrsap]

Hey guys! Hope you are all well!!! So we have friends who are coming down this year that want to share a villa with us the first week of our trip, so we recommended a 2br. at the Vistana. We didn't go last year and since my friend sold her timeshare, I'm a little rusty. Can you guys recommend a trustworthy renter or the best place to rent from? As of right now I priced direct with Vistana but was hoping for a better price! Miss our home away from home! Thanks, I hope you are all good!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey guys! Hope you are all well!!! So we have friends who are coming down this year that want to share a villa with us the first week of our trip, so we recommended a 2br. at the Vistana. We didn't go last year and since my friend sold her timeshare, I'm a little rusty. Can you guys recommend a trustworthy renter or the best place to rent from? As of right now I priced direct with Vistana but was hoping for a better price! Miss our home away from home! Thanks, I hope you are all good!

When is your/their trip?

Skyauction has some good rates for certain dates. It might be worth checking out to compare against booking with the Vistana directly.

 

[mrsap]

Thanks Gina! Going in November. Read some horrible reviews! I think I'll stay away from them!

 

[tinkerbell181]

Thank you for the information Gina!
Just one more questions....where/who do I contact with room requests?
We are so excited. So tired of the snow!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thank you for the information Gina!
Just one more questions....where/who do I contact with room requests?
We are so excited. So tired of the snow!

We submit our room requests via Diamond Lane check-in about two weeks before our arrival date.

Diamond Lane check-in is done online, via this form:

https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01

You don't have to be an owner to use Diamond Lane....its open to all guests..

Room/section requests are not guaranteed, but hey....it never hurts to ask .

 

[Conway733]

bankr63, have a great trip! Yes, please take some pics for those of us who have over 200 days until their vacation!

 

[bankr63]

bankr63, have a great trip! Yes, please take some pics for those of us who have over 200 days until their vacation!

Thanks Conway,

Bags are packed, just one more day of work and we are out the door for 6:00a.m. Tuesday - that is if I can actually drag the teenager out of bed. Definitely plan to take a bunch of pics of our Courts unit; we haven't been in our own unit for about 5 years now. But we start with 3 nights at Silver Lake Resort, our other timeshare. Have owned that one for almost 6 years now and haven't been there yet. I'll be sure to post about Vistana here, and maybe run a review with pics of SLR as well.

Gina, we'll try something yummy from the Tacky Tiki just for you and Steve...

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gina, we'll try something yummy from the Tacky Tiki just for you and Steve...

Thanks . Give one of those fancy drinks that are served in a coconut a whirl. They look like something I would enjoy .

Have an incredible trip. I can't wait to see your pics when you return!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

So excited!!! We're going to be staying in a 2/BR at Vistana 11/21 - 11/28/15. The eBay listing said it sleeps 6 and the floor plan shows 2 twins in the second bedroom, so I guess we'll be in the Courts Section for our Saturday check-in. Can't wait.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

What is the procedure for having visitors at Vistana. SIL, her hubby and their kids live in Davenport so we will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for them. Do they simply check-in at the gate and let them know they're visiting us, or do I let security know they're coming? Anyone know?

 

[keeperof4]

What is the procedure for having visitors at Vistana. SIL, her hubby and their kids live in Davenport so we will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for them. Do they simply check-in at the gate and let them know they're visiting us, or do I let security know they're coming? Anyone know?

All you do is give family friends name and room number .Gate may call to see if your in the unit ,but as most don't pick up the phone because of of that free breakfast offer?? get gate to call your cell if you have one. That's another great thing about SVR great security Ps its still -25c here again to day. Next planned visit Feb 18 2016 have a great time!!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

All you do is give family friends name and room number .Gate may call to see if your in the unit ,but as most don't pick up the phone because of of that free breakfast offer?? get gate to call your cell if you have one. That's another great thing about SVR great security Ps its still -25c here again to day. Next planned visit Feb 18 2016 have a great time!!

Thank you!

Finally warming up here in Chicago after a very cold winter. Really looking forward to Spring.

 

[tab1006]

Hey everyone!
So we just decided we want to go with SVR for our honeymoon in October of 2016!! Super excited! This thread has so much information, thank you all SO much for all of the information here.

I have a few questions (and I apologize if these questions have already been answered - there's so much information it's a little easy to get lost):
We are booking through RCI Exchange (my parents own a timeshare and are allowing us to use it for the honeymoon as a wedding gift ) for a week with check-in on Sunday October 9th, 2016.

1. We have the option of a 1BR or 2BR. Since it's just going to be us two, I'm assuming a 1Br would be sufficient?
2. Any ideas on what area we are likely to get with a 1BR Sunday check-in? We can choose specifically Fountains (2BR) but everything else is just listed as Sheraton Vistana Resort Villages with the same general description for all 1BR or 2BR units.
3. Can we make requests for a certain area even though we're booking through RCI? I've seen Diamond Lane mentioned, can we do that?
4. Are there any fees associated with the resort (i.e. parking, resort fee, cleaning, etc.)?
5. Is there an actual spa on site where we can book massages? The naming of the 'Spas' area is what sparks this question.
6. Has anyone booked through RCI that can give me any tips?

-Taylor

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey everyone!
So we just decided we want to go with SVR for our honeymoon in October of 2016!! Super excited! This thread has so much information, thank you all SO much for all of the information here.

I have a few questions (and I apologize if these questions have already been answered - there's so much information it's a little easy to get lost):
We are booking through RCI Exchange (my parents own a timeshare and are allowing us to use it for the honeymoon as a wedding gift ) for a week with check-in on Sunday October 9th, 2016.

1. We have the option of a 1BR or 2BR. Since it's just going to be us two, I'm assuming a 1Br would be sufficient?
2. Any ideas on what area we are likely to get with a 1BR Sunday check-in? We can choose specifically Fountains (2BR) but everything else is just listed as Sheraton Vistana Resort Villages with the same general description for all 1BR or 2BR units.
3. Can we make requests for a certain area even though we're booking through RCI? I've seen Diamond Lane mentioned, can we do that?
4. Are there any fees associated with the resort (i.e. parking, resort fee, cleaning, etc.)?
5. Is there an actual spa on site where we can book massages? The naming of the 'Spas' area is what sparks this question.
6. Has anyone booked through RCI that can give me any tips?

-Taylor

I will try to help with some of your questions :

1. A one bedroom sleeps a max of 4, and should be fine for two people (that's what DH and I have booked for our couples trip in May). You can check out the various layouts of villas by section here: https://www.starwoodvacationnetwork.com/villa-collection/sheraton-vistana-resort/villas#floorplan-1 . There are two types of 1 bedroom villas.....one has a balcony (and substantially more square footage), the other does not.

2. A one bedroom Sunday check-in will be in either Lakes or Cascades. Only Lakes and Cascades offer 1 bedroom villas (Fountains are all 2 bedroom configurations). You can check out this map for which buildings you might be assigned to: Sunday check-in buildings are in green. https://www.mystarcentral.com/CMS/en_US/svo_media/CMSMedia/PDF/resort_maps/svr_resort_map.pdf

3. Yes, you can. Use this form about 2 weeks before your arrival: https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01

4. No parking or resort fees at SVR. You will get one mid-week tidy as part of your timeshare stay (on Wednesday, I think, for Sunday check-ins). The villa will get a full cleaning before your arrival and a full cleaning again after you check out and before the next guest. You can arrange additional cleanings, for a fee, by contacting Guest Services.

 

[tab1006]

I will try to help with some of your questions :

1. A one bedroom sleeps a max of 4, and should be fine for two people (that's what DH and I have booked for our couples trip in May). You can check out the various layouts of villas by section here: https://www.starwoodvacationnetwork.com/villa-collection/sheraton-vistana-resort/villas#floorplan-1 . There are two types of 1 bedroom villas.....one has a balcony (and substantially more square footage), the other does not.

2. A one bedroom Sunday check-in will be in either Lakes or Cascades. Only Lakes and Cascades offer 1 bedroom villas (Fountains are all 2 bedroom configurations). You can check out this map for which buildings you might be assigned to: Sunday check-in buildings are in green. https://www.mystarcentral.com/CMS/en_US/svo_media/CMSMedia/PDF/resort_maps/svr_resort_map.pdf

3. Yes, you can. Use this form about 2 weeks before your arrival: https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01

4. No parking or resort fees at SVR. You will get one mid-week tidy as part of your timeshare stay (on Wednesday, I think, for Sunday check-ins). The villa will get a full cleaning before your arrival and a full cleaning again after you check out and before the next guest. You can arrange additional cleanings, for a fee, by contacting Guest Services.

Thank you so much Gina! I'll be looking forward to your trip report

According to RCI, the available 1BR option I'm looking at has a full kitchen and an "outdoor living space with furniture". So sounds to me like we would be in one of the larger 1BR units .

One more question: If we end up in Lakes we can drive and park near the 'superpool', correct?

 

[keeperof4]

"One more question: If we end up in Lakes we can drive and park near the 'superpool', correct?" If your in lakes your about a 3 minute walk to to Fountains pool? It's as nice as the Spas(super) pool. To drive to the spas section will take about 7 minutes? Just was wondering how bankr made out .Where having another BLIZZARD!!!! here again to day ,so sick of this weather.Just wanted to see some pics thought it might cheer me up.

 

[Conway733]

keeperof4, I"m with you. Sick of this weather. No snow here, but windy and cold. Went out for a walk and had to wrap a scarf around my face to block the wind. I was trying to imagine myself walking in the Florida sunshine, but it didn't work. We do need some pics to cheer us up!