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

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I have the one at the top, got it at Walmart in Canada. Love it, never iron again and it is small enough to tuck in your luggage.
http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Travel+steamer

Hmmmm ....that might be an option. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Picabo]

It's our last night here and we're sad to be going home! We found out 2 weeks before that II had confirmed us in Lakes. (Not what I'd requested, but whatever. Figured we'd be happy wherever.). Requested top floor with view of the lake And that's exactly what we got! Lakes 2. It is gorgeous! We weren't fans of the jacuzzi in the bedroom but we only used it once, so no biggie.

We didn't get much time to explore the resort. We did Sea World a few days, Aquatica, Gatorland and Clearwater Beach. We spent one evening at Fountains pool and one afternoon at Cascades pool. One morning, my daughters did the Mermaid tails at Super Pool with Scuba Steve. They loooooved that! We likes Cascades pool the best. Super Pool had very little shade and had no fountains or spray things to entice the girls. We never had time to walk around and explore. But it is a beautiful property. Very convenient to everything we did. Everyone here is friendly and helpful.

This evening we had horrible thunderstorms and the master bedroom had 2 leaks. Maintenance came relatively quickly. They won't be able to fix it till tomorrow after we check out....but they offered us to move rooms. (Uh no thanks. Too much work.). Thankfully the rain stopped so water is no longer dripping on my bed. Lol

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

It's our last night here and we're sad to be going home! We found out 2 weeks before that II had confirmed us in Lakes. (Not what I'd requested, but whatever. Figured we'd be happy wherever.). Requested top floor with view of the lake And that's exactly what we got! Lakes 2. It is gorgeous! We weren't fans of the jacuzzi in the bedroom but we only used it once, so no biggie.

We didn't get much time to explore the resort. We did Sea World a few days, Aquatica, Gatorland and Clearwater Beach. We spent one evening at Fountains pool and one afternoon at Cascades pool. One morning, my daughters did the Mermaid tails at Super Pool with Scuba Steve. They loooooved that! We likes Cascades pool the best. Super Pool had very little shade and had no fountains or spray things to entice the girls. We never had time to walk around and explore. But it is a beautiful property. Very convenient to everything we did. Everyone here is friendly and helpful.

This evening we had horrible thunderstorms and the master bedroom had 2 leaks. Maintenance came relatively quickly. They won't be able to fix it till tomorrow after we check out....but they offered us to move rooms. (Uh no thanks. Too much work.). Thankfully the rain stopped so water is no longer dripping on my bed. Lol

So sorry to hear about the leaks!! What a way to put a "damper" on the end of your vacation (sorry, couldn't resist ).

Happy to hear that the rest of your stay was a good one, though, and that you enjoyed your villa in Lakes! We prefer the jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, too, so I totally get where you are coming from in that regards. I would love to hear more about the Mermaid Tails if you would care to share.

Safe travels home today .

 

[Picabo]

So sorry to hear about the leaks!! What a way to put a "damper" on the end of your vacation (sorry, couldn't resist ).

Happy to hear that the rest of your stay was a good one, though, and that you enjoyed your villa in Lakes! We prefer the jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, too, so I totally get where you are coming from in that regards. I would love to hear more about the Mermaid Tails if you would care to share.

Safe travels home today .

Well - important t check your bill when you leave. They had someone else's Cascades lunch, snack and bar bill for an entire day, on our tab. Two orders of wings. Onion rings, nachos, fries, liqueur,beer - totaling about $60. When I questioned it, they immediately pull receipts - discovered it was same last name but a different room number - and credited our account. Phew!

Speaking of the wings at Cascades - they are the best EVER! We ordered pizza from Tacky Tiki once. It was pretty good,but delivery took over an hour. The Market store is impressive. They have anything you could need there.

Don't buy gas at Shell across the street. They charge $1 more per gallon than anyone else!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well - important t check your bill when you leave. They had someone else's Cascades lunch, snack and bar bill for an entire day, on our tab. Two orders of wings. Onion rings, nachos, fries, liqueur,beer - totaling about $60. When I questioned it, they immediately pull receipts - discovered it was same last name but a different room number - and credited our account. Phew!

Great advice no matter where you are staying . Glad you got it all sorted out!

 

[Picabo]

So more about the mermaid tails... You can choose 30 min ($20) or 45 min ($30) and kids are fitted with either a mermaid tail or fins. Our session was just 4 mermaids and one of the scuba instructors. They breifly teach the kids how to swim with the tails on. They make sure they can swim on their stomachs, then flip over to their back before going into a standing position with the tails on. My girls have wanted to get mermaid tails for a very long time, but due to hearing of so many kids drowning with the tail on, I've been leary. Since this as with an instructor, I figured this was their chance - since both of my girls are slightly obsessed with mermaids. haha It was in the Super Pool at 10a and here's a tip - if you go with your kids, wear a bathing suit and plan to sit in the pool while they're swimming. There was virtually NO SHADE at the super pool and DH and I were dying from the heat! My girls loved the experience but were pretty tired after 45 minutes. Swimming with your feet together like that clearly takes more effort! They take underwater photos as well as laying sideways up on land in the tails....the photos are emailed out on Mondays. I can't wait to get ours!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So more about the mermaid tails... You can choose 30 min ($20) or 45 min ($30) and kids are fitted with either a mermaid tail or fins. Our session was just 4 mermaids and one of the scuba instructors. They breifly teach the kids how to swim with the tails on. They make sure they can swim on their stomachs, then flip over to their back before going into a standing position with the tails on. My girls have wanted to get mermaid tails for a very long time, but due to hearing of so many kids drowning with the tail on, I've been leary. Since this as with an instructor, I figured this was their chance - since both of my girls are slightly obsessed with mermaids. haha It was in the Super Pool at 10a and here's a tip - if you go with your kids, wear a bathing suit and plan to sit in the pool while they're swimming. There was virtually NO SHADE at the super pool and DH and I were dying from the heat! My girls loved the experience but were pretty tired after 45 minutes. Swimming with your feet together like that clearly takes more effort! They take underwater photos as well as laying sideways up on land in the tails....the photos are emailed out on Mondays. I can't wait to get ours!

That sounds so awesome! Makes we wish I had some young ladies in our family so we could go see what it is all about .

I would love to see the pics when they arrive, if you are willing to share.

 

[NYHeel]

So I'm considering staying at the Sheraton Vistana Resort for our Disney/Universal trip in late January. Last time we came to Orlando we stayed at the Vista Cay resort and liked it for the most part. We're a family of 5 and liked the 3 bedrooms, kitchen and space. We're looking for the same kind of thing this time around but don't really need the third bedroom as long as the second bedroom has room to sleep 3 kids (2 boys age 13 and 9 and a girl age 7). I was considering just renting a house or condo on airbnb or vrbo but would perhaps like to have the opportunity to stay somewhere that has maid service and I can use my SPG points to stay at the Sheraton. I should have about 70,000 points pretty soon so that should get me 8 nights covered (10k a night and the 5th night free). I may stay for 9 nights but then I can do cash and points or just pay for the 9th night.

A few questions. Do they have daily maid service at the Sheraton Vistana or is that an extra charge for that?

Second and most important, is there going to be enough room for the 5 of us in the 2 bedroom villa. We're likely going to be eating dinner in the room most nights as well as breakfast every morning. Just want to make sure there's enough room to move around without feeling cramped.

Also, how are the pools? Is there one with a water slide? We probably won't spend a ton of time at the pool but it would be nice to have a pool with at least a decent slide as my kids love water slides.

Do they have a shuttle service to Disney/Universal and are they frequent enough to rely on? I'll have a car but wouldn't mind saving some money on parking for a few of the days.

Lastly, is it an overall nice and recommended experience for families? I actually don't care at all about the restaurants by the hotel as we can't eat at any of them since we only eat kosher. A supermarket nearby would be nice though I'll have a car so we can drive. I'm more just asking about overall decor and customer service. Also, is there a specific room type/building that you recommend?

Thanks for the help.

 

[FrankieDplus3]

Today is Check-In Day!!!

We've been hanging out at the Art of Animation for two nights and are checking out today. We'll be using the Disney buses to go to Disney Springs for a bit, eat some lunch and then we are off to Vistana!

Let me know if you need any information while I'm "home" and I'll do my best to update the boards!!

 

[chalee94]

A few questions. Do they have daily maid service at the Sheraton Vistana or is that an extra charge for that?

it's a timeshare, so typically there is no maid service. but some booking deals may include it or you may be able to set it up for an extra charge (as a timeshare person, i can take out my own trash and don't care about made beds...and i prefer not having anyone else in my room, but opinions vary).

Second and most important, is there going to be enough room for the 5 of us in the 2 bedroom villa. We're likely going to be eating dinner in the room most nights as well as breakfast every morning. Just want to make sure there's enough room to move around without feeling cramped.

Should be plenty of room for 5. some 2BR villas have single beds instead of doubles in the second bedroom so that may be a consideration if no one want to sleep on a pullout sofabed.

Also, how are the pools? Is there one with a water slide? We probably won't spend a ton of time at the pool but it would be nice to have a pool with at least a decent slide as my kids love water slides.

here is more pool-specific information:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/do...ton-vistana-resort-have-a-waterslide.3376659/


Do they have a shuttle service to Disney/Universal and are they frequent enough to rely on? I'll have a car but wouldn't mind saving some money on parking for a few of the days.

i have never used the shuttle and typically recommend using your car when staying anywhere offsite. SVR is a very short drive from wdw - two right turns, cross I-4 and you are on disney property. others might have more info.

Lastly, is it an overall nice and recommended experience for families? I actually don't care at all about the restaurants by the hotel as we can't eat at any of them since we only eat kosher. A supermarket nearby would be nice though I'll have a car so we can drive. I'm more just asking about overall decor and customer service. Also, is there a specific room type/building that you recommend?

i stayed in the lakes section a couple of times recently - pics are posted somewhere on this thread (found it - see link for pics and read that page for more info on housekeeping). i thought it was a great resort and highly recommend it.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/sheraton-vistana-resort-questions.2088957/page-46

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Today is Check-In Day!!!

We've been hanging out at the Art of Animation for two nights and are checking out today. We'll be using the Disney buses to go to Disney Springs for a bit, eat some lunch and then we are off to Vistana!

Let me know if you need any information while I'm "home" and I'll do my best to update the boards!!

Woohoo!! I hope you guys have an awesome stay, and that Erika doesn't foul up your plans too much.

While you're there, feel free to pop back to this thread and share any pics or Vistana news that you think we might find noteworthy or interesting. We arrive in less than six weeks, and I am not ashamed to admit that I'm excited to return "home" again myself!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So I'm considering staying at the Sheraton Vistana Resort for our Disney/Universal trip in late January. Last time we came to Orlando we stayed at the Vista Cay resort and liked it for the most part. We're a family of 5 and liked the 3 bedrooms, kitchen and space. We're looking for the same kind of thing this time around but don't really need the third bedroom as long as the second bedroom has room to sleep 3 kids (2 boys age 13 and 9 and a girl age 7). I was considering just renting a house or condo on airbnb or vrbo but would perhaps like to have the opportunity to stay somewhere that has maid service and I can use my SPG points to stay at the Sheraton. I should have about 70,000 points pretty soon so that should get me 8 nights covered (10k a night and the 5th night free). I may stay for 9 nights but then I can do cash and points or just pay for the 9th night.

A few questions. Do they have daily maid service at the Sheraton Vistana or is that an extra charge for that?

Contact SPG by phone and ask if a room booked with points includes daily housekeeping or not. Our Jetblue vacation package for our first stay at SVR did include daily maid service. Now that we're owners, we only get a mid-week tidy and towel refresh. Some rates do include housekeeping, others don't...but the SPG reps should be able to clarify that for you one way or the other.

Second and most important, is there going to be enough room for the 5 of us in the 2 bedroom villa. We're likely going to be eating dinner in the room most nights as well as breakfast every morning. Just want to make sure there's enough room to move around without feeling cramped.

The 2 bedroom villas range from about 1025 square feet (in Cascades) to 1500 square feet (townhouses in Courts). 2 bedroom villas in the other phases fall somewhere in between those upper and lower ranges. You can find the specific villa layouts here:

https://www.starwoodvacationnetwork.com/villa-collection/sheraton-vistana-resort/villas

We find them very spacious....especially some of the upper villas that have the vaulted ceilings and skylights. We have had two adults and two older teens in those rooms and definitely didn't feel cramped. Just the opposite.....we had tons of room for all of us!

Also, how are the pools? Is there one with a water slide? We probably won't spend a ton of time at the pool but it would be nice to have a pool with at least a decent slide as my kids love water slides.

There are 7 pools, each with their own unique feature. The three "main" pools (open until 1 am) are located in Cascades, Fountains and Spas (the latter which is referred to as the Super Pool). The other secondary pools are in Lakes, Springs, Falls, and Courts. The Falls pool has a small slide, but its probably only going to be suitable for the 12 and under crowd. The Cascades pool has spray fountains and a waterfall. The Super Pool has in-water volleyball and a deeper middle section (with a sand volleyball court adjacent). The Fountains pool has in-water volleyball, a cascading water fountain, and a deep mid-section (with two raised, semi-private hot tubs adjacent, as well as two playgrounds. The Lakes pool is zero entry with a spray fountain.

Do they have a shuttle service to Disney/Universal and are they frequent enough to rely on? I'll have a car but wouldn't mind saving some money on parking for a few of the days.

Staying offsite, I would use my car every time. They offer shuttles to Disney (I'm not sure about Universal) but I didn't think the times were very convenient.

Lastly, is it an overall nice and recommended experience for families? I actually don't care at all about the restaurants by the hotel as we can't eat at any of them since we only eat kosher. A supermarket nearby would be nice though I'll have a car so we can drive. I'm more just asking about overall decor and customer service. Also, is there a specific room type/building that you recommend?

Thanks for the help.

We think its a fabulous place for families.....so much so, that after our first stay we purchased two annual weeks there (resale, of course). There is a Publix very close by (right in the same area as the Premium Outlets on Vineland) and Walmart is also super close. So far, we have stayed in Spas, Lakes and Fountains, and our overwhelming favourite (and where we own) is Fountains I....we love the layout of the villas, love the skylights in the uppers, and love the Fountains pool the best.

One thing to keep in mind is that certain sections and buildings are generally reserved for specific day of the week check-ins. Spas, for example, is reserved for those checking in on Fridays only. Which day of the week were you planning on arriving?

 

[FrankieDplus3]

Woohoo!! I hope you guys have an awesome stay, and that Erika doesn't foul up your plans too much.

While you're there, feel free to pop back to this thread and share any pics or Vistana news that you think we might find noteworthy or interesting. We arrive in less than six weeks, and I am not ashamed to admit that I'm excited to return "home" again myself!!

Diamond Lane check-in went very smoothly. All of my request were honored and I was in and out in a flash.

They did confirm that the towel card program has been cancelled.

Ericka has not caused us any trouble. We did get a good down pouring at Magic Kingdom last evening, it lasted a couple hours, but, we stuck it out and stayed for Extra Magic Hours.

Ericka poured down us today at Downtown Disney, but, that only lasted about 40 mins.

We're home and relaxed now.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Diamond Lane check-in went very smoothly. All of my request were honored and I was in and out in a flash.

They did confirm that the towel card program has been cancelled.

Ericka has not caused us any trouble. We did get a good down pouring at Magic Kingdom last evening, it lasted a couple hours, but, we stuck it out and stayed for Extra Magic Hours.

Ericka poured down us today at Downtown Disney, but, that only lasted about 40 mins.

We're home and relaxed now.

They cancelled the towel program?? Hallelujah!

Which section are you in?

Glad to hear that Ericka isn't as problematic as we suspected she might be!

 

[FrankieDplus3]

Yes.

They cancelled the towel program?? Hallelujah!

Which section are you in?

Glad to hear that Ericka isn't as problematic as we suspected she might be!

Yes. They said that they cancelled the towel program last week. That being said, they told me the same thing around this time last year (p.s. I have never had to use the towel card in the six years I've been visiting - lucky, I guess?).

As for Ericka, apparently she dissipated early Saturday and she will just be brining us rain til about Tuesday.

Edit: We are in Springs. It's our favorite section. Our friends, are owners in Springs and introduced us to SVR. We like it. It's quiet, and we almost have the pool to ourselves. Our kids love the games room too.

 

[NYHeel]

Contact SPG by phone and ask if a room booked with points includes daily housekeeping or not. Our Jetblue vacation package for our first stay at SVR did include daily maid service. Now that we're owners, we only get a mid-week tidy and towel refresh. Some rates do include housekeeping, others don't...but the SPG reps should be able to clarify that for you one way or the other.



The 2 bedroom villas range from about 1025 square feet (in Cascades) to 1500 square feet (townhouses in Courts). 2 bedroom villas in the other phases fall somewhere in between those upper and lower ranges. You can find the specific villa layouts here:

https://www.starwoodvacationnetwork.com/villa-collection/sheraton-vistana-resort/villas

We find them very spacious....especially some of the upper villas that have the vaulted ceilings and skylights. We have had two adults and two older teens in those rooms and definitely didn't feel cramped. Just the opposite.....we had tons of room for all of us!



There are 7 pools, each with their own unique feature. The three "main" pools (open until 1 am) are located in Cascades, Fountains and Spas (the latter which is referred to as the Super Pool). The other secondary pools are in Lakes, Springs, Falls, and Courts. The Falls pool has a small slide, but its probably only going to be suitable for the 12 and under crowd. The Cascades pool has spray fountains and a waterfall. The Super Pool has in-water volleyball and a deeper middle section (with a sand volleyball court adjacent). The Fountains pool has in-water volleyball, a cascading water fountain, and a deep mid-section (with two raised, semi-private hot tubs adjacent, as well as two playgrounds. The Lakes pool is zero entry with a spray fountain.



Staying offsite, I would use my car every time. They offer shuttles to Disney (I'm not sure about Universal) but I didn't think the times were very convenient.



We think its a fabulous place for families.....so much so, that after our first stay we purchased two annual weeks there (resale, of course). There is a Publix very close by (right in the same area as the Premium Outlets on Vineland) and Walmart is also super close. So far, we have stayed in Spas, Lakes and Fountains, and our overwhelming favourite (and where we own) is Fountains I....we love the layout of the villas, love the skylights in the uppers, and love the Fountains pool the best.

One thing to keep in mind is that certain sections and buildings are generally reserved for specific day of the week check-ins. Spas, for example, is reserved for those checking in on Fridays only. Which day of the week were you planning on arriving?

Thanks for your helpful advice. I'll check with SPG to see if maid service is included. We don't really need it daily (actually we don't need it at all) but it does add a little to the vacation if that's one less thing to worry about.

Yeah, we're going to use our car. My kids are 7, 9 and 13 so even a small water slide would be nice for the younger ones.

We currently plan on arriving Tuesday night but it might be Wednesday night.

 

[CLK]

We are interested in the Vistana and are thinking about coming down next summer for 10 days - potentially July 27th - August 6th. Any advice on how to rent? We have always stayed on property and heard some great things about this place and we are very interested in staying here next time we come! Thanks for any advice!

 

[erinch]

We are interested in the Vistana and are thinking about coming down next summer for 10 days - potentially July 27th - August 6th. Any advice on how to rent? We have always stayed on property and heard some great things about this place and we are very interested in staying here next time we come! Thanks for any advice!

CLK: We have stayed at the Vistana for 7 times, I think. Generally we stay for 2 weeks. What I do is become a member of TUG (the Timeshare Users Group) , which offers classified ads for people renting their timeshares. I've never paid more than $1000 for a week's stay in a 2 bedroom sleeping 8 people. I use Diamond Lane for pre-check-in, and have been successful staying in the same unit for both weeks in the section we requested.

Making sure you are getting a safe rental involves checking out the renter. But there are good ways to do that, and then the confirmation comes from SVR.

Erin C-H

 

[bankr63]

We are interested in the Vistana and are thinking about coming down next summer for 10 days - potentially July 27th - August 6th. Any advice on how to rent? We have always stayed on property and heard some great things about this place and we are very interested in staying here next time we come! Thanks for any advice!

There is a discussion further back in this thread on how best to rent starting here: http://www.disboards.com/threads/the-sheraton-vistana-resort-thread.3148502/page-6#post-50633616 and more recent posts have really been positive about the rates received on skyauction.com. Apparently the skyauction units are Sheraton or Interval International surplus, so you are booking with little risk.

 

[Deepaul46]

Hi, We stayed at the Vistana about twelve years ago and to be honest although we loved the place have never been back as we have been renting villas instead. However, DH has Parkinson's and some days finds it difficult to drive, so I thought this year we would go back Vistana as it's a short drive into Disney and if necessary can use their shuttle. Last time we stayed we did have a noisy family above us that thought it was Ok to run about slamming doors at 2am. We go in 3 weeks and I will be sending my request next week. My question is if we want a quite area on the top floor and booking in on a Saturday which is the best area to ask for. We don't mind not being near pools as to be honest I don't think we will use them that much, but would if possible like a nice view when we have breakfast on the balcony.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Dee x