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

[mckennarose]

It will definitely be a king master and pull out. All 1BR, regardless of large or small are 4/4 in that combo.

If something comes available, and you can get RCI to upgrade your reservation, it might be worth the cost to upgrade. The girls would be much more comfortable with their own room IMO.

This is interesting, as I don't book through RCI. When I book through Interval, they show three options for Sheraton Vistana as:

Option 1
Number of bedrooms: E (efficiency)
Private sleeping capacity: 2
Maximum occupancy: 4

Option 2
Number of bedrooms: 1
Private sleeping capacity: 4
Maximum occupancy: 4

Option 3
Number of bedrooms: 2
Private sleeping capacity: 6
Maximum occupancy: 8

So I'm guessing the option 1 is the smaller of the one bedroom lockoffs, the option 2 is the larger one bedroom with balcony and option 3 is everything else, with no distinction of the townhouses or twin beds?

Sorry, I'm not trying to confuse things, I'm trying to understand how this works with booking through different companies.

@fac: if you can't get a two bedroom in the Sheraton and can go to another resort (as a last resort!) the Marriott World timeshares (Sabal Palms, Imperial Palms and Royal Palms) are also wonderful and they don't have one bedroom units, only 2 and 3 bedrooms. Or for future reference..... They are literally right behind the Sheraton property and actually closer (by a minute! lol!) to Disney property. They do cost more, though.

 

[bankr63]

We play in RCI, so the rules of how they classify can be a bit different.

The "sleeps" numbers are the number in privacy, and the maximum number. Privacy is generally defined as being able to reach a bathroom without walking through a sleeping area. I suppose then that the smaller 1BR in Cascades could be considered 2/4 as to get to the bathroom you have to exit the bedroom to the hallway. In Lakes there is a pocket door to the bath. My guess is that RCI doesn't consider walking into the hallway as the equivalent of walking into the living room (the other sleeping area).

All of the smaller 1BR units have a limited kitchen with apartment sized appliances. In Lakes there is only a cooktop (no oven). The Premium 1BR have all full-sized appliances in the kitchen.

Took a look on RCI and no availability for this Saturday at all (assuming OP means this coming Saturday), but 2BR's are available for the following week. Understandable as Christmas is the absolute busiest time in Orlando, it would normally taper off after this weekend, but with the mid-week Christmas, a lot of kids still have another whole week off.

 

[Lindareitter]

We play in RCI, so the rules of how they classify can be a bit different.

The "sleeps" numbers are the number in privacy, and the maximum number. Privacy is generally defined as being able to reach a bathroom without walking through a sleeping area. I suppose then that the smaller 1BR in Cascades could be considered 2/4 as to get to the bathroom you have to exit the bedroom to the hallway. In Lakes there is a pocket door to the bath. My guess is that RCI doesn't consider walking into the hallway as the equivalent of walking into the living room (the other sleeping area).

All of the smaller 1BR units have a limited kitchen with apartment sized appliances. In Lakes there is only a cooktop (no oven). The Premium 1BR have all full-sized appliances in the kitchen.

Took a look on RCI and no availability for this Saturday at all (assuming OP means this coming Saturday), but 2BR's are available for the following week. Understandable as Christmas is the absolute busiest time in Orlando, it would normally taper off after this weekend, but with the mid-week Christmas, a lot of kids still have another whole week off.

 

[Lindareitter]

In Sarasota and attempting to contact Jennifer Bravo re room allocation
Anyone have her direct e mail address
Thanks for any help
Linda

 

[ILuvDisney78]

Is anyone aware of resort transportation to the parks (i.e. hours, extra cost, pre-booking necessary)? We will have a car but are traveling with a few who don't drive and don't use Uber/Lyft. They will most likely join us later in the day in the parks.

 

[fac]

Does anyone know what is the best option of going to the airport without a car?

 

[fac]

@ILuvDisney78 My kids called the welcome center, and they suggested my kids to use Uber/lyft as it is cheaper.

 

[ILuvDisney78]

@ILuvDisney78 My kids called the welcome center, and they suggested my kids to use Uber/lyft as it is cheaper.

Ok, thanks!

 

[Bren's Mom]

Hello! We are booked through RCI in a 2BR (8/6) for the week ending Easter Sunday. Arrival Sunday 4/14, dinner time.

I've read through much of this thread and my mind is now mush. LOL I know we are 'guaranteed' a 2BR that will sleep 8, so that means 2 F/Q beds in the 2nd BR, plus K in Master and a pull out sofa bed as I understand it.

We really need an elevator, and I'd really like easy access to a great pool. We have adults and teens. (We stayed in a quiet area in Orange Lake on our last trip. We loved the resort, and our condo, but the location with no pool nearby and not a quick walk to a pool was a pain. Pool nearby is a MUST! And the car won't always be available.)

Any thoughts as to specific area/buildings I might request? Any help is appreciated!

 

[Lindareitter]

Bankr63 gave me great info on location/ condo location etc so he’s the one to ask this question
I contacted the room allocator.. Ms Bravo and filled in the Diamond form last Saturday re arrival 13 Jan
No response as yet. Do I resend??
Thanks

Hello! We are booked through RCI in a 2BR (8/6) for the week ending Easter Sunday. Arrival Sunday 4/14, dinner time.

I've read through much of this thread and my mind is now mush. LOL I know we are 'guaranteed' a 2BR that will sleep 8, so that means 2 F/Q beds in the 2nd BR, plus K in Master and a pull out sofa bed as I understand it.

We really need an elevator, and I'd really like easy access to a great pool. We have adults and teens. (We stayed in a quiet area in Orange Lake on our last trip. We loved the resort, and our condo, but the location with no pool nearby and not a quick walk to a pool was a pain. Pool nearby is a MUST! And the car won't always be available.)

Any thoughts as to specific area/buildings I might request? Any help is appreciated!

Hello! We are booked through RCI in a 2BR (8/6) for the week ending Easter Sunday. Arrival Sunday 4/14, dinner time.

I've read through much of this thread and my mind is now mush. LOL I know we are 'guaranteed' a 2BR that will sleep 8, so that means 2 F/Q beds in the 2nd BR, plus K in Master and a pull out sofa bed as I understand it.

We really need an elevator, and I'd really like easy access to a great pool. We have adults and teens. (We stayed in a quiet area in Orange Lake on our last trip. We loved the resort, and our condo, but the location with no pool nearby and not a quick walk to a pool was a pain. Pool nearby is a MUST! And the car won't always be available.)

Any thoughts as to specific area/buildings I might request? Any help is appreciated!

 

[Lindareitter]

Bankr63 is great on location and room requests
I contacted room allocator...Ms Bravo... and filled in the Diamond form re arrival 13 th January six days ago
No response. When do I resend?
Thanks

 

[bankr63]

Hello! We are booked through RCI in a 2BR (8/6) for the week ending Easter Sunday. Arrival Sunday 4/14, dinner time.

I've read through much of this thread and my mind is now mush. LOL I know we are 'guaranteed' a 2BR that will sleep 8, so that means 2 F/Q beds in the 2nd BR, plus K in Master and a pull out sofa bed as I understand it.

We really need an elevator, and I'd really like easy access to a great pool. We have adults and teens. (We stayed in a quiet area in Orange Lake on our last trip. We loved the resort, and our condo, but the location with no pool nearby and not a quick walk to a pool was a pain. Pool nearby is a MUST! And the car won't always be available.)

Any thoughts as to specific area/buildings I might request? Any help is appreciated!

I would be more apt to just let them know that you have mobility issues and can't handle stairs in the DL request than I would be to say I want an elevator. If an elevator is essential, that limits you the Cascades or Lakes, which are the larger buildings. What you lose in stairs you will generally make up for in the walk from your car to the elevator and then back to the villa. In the other sections there are plenty of ground floor villas where you are able to park right at your door and walk straight in; if mobility is an issue this would be my more desirable unit. With teens, the best pools on the South side are Spas Super Pool and Cascades. On the North Side it doesn't really matter that much as the Lakes and Fountains pools are on the opposite sides of an activity center. We really felt that Spas was a great location for a family with teens when we stayed there - the access to the two pools mentioned above is just a short walk.

Cascades has several buildings that are a bit of a walk to the pools, but nothing like Orange Lake. OL is a golf course resort, so the distances to amenities are greatly amplified. SVR amenities are generally centrally located and easy to access; we walk everywhere on the resort, and sometimes loop around the resort for a morning stroll.

ETA: Also, since you are travelling on Easter Weekend (probably the 2nd busiest time at the resort) I would suggest tempering expectations a little. When the resort gets very full, it does get harder to accommodate specific requests. Making your request about mobility is probably a lot more likely to get an appropriate response under ADA.

 

[bankr63]

Bankr63 is great on location and room requests
I contacted room allocator...Ms Bravo... and filled in the Diamond form re arrival 13 th January six days ago
No response. When do I resend?
Thanks

It has been reported by several here recently that Jennifer has not been responding to requests via email. She may have left the resort or perhaps this is a change with the new Marriott ownership. The DL request should still work, but it no longer has a place to state preferences. The best advice I have at this time is to call the resort front desk (not the Sheraton reservations line), no more than 2 weeks prior and have them note any special requests on your reservation.

 

[Lindareitter]

It has been reported by several here recently that Jennifer has not been responding to requests via email. She may have left the resort or perhaps this is a change with the new Marriott ownership. The DL request should still work, but it no longer has a place to state preferences. The best advice I have at this time is to call the resort front desk (not the Sheraton reservations line), no more than 2 weeks prior and have them note any special requests on

1. It has been reported by several here recently that Jennifer has not been responding to requests via email. She may have left the resort or perhaps this is a change with the new Marriott ownership. The DL request should still work, but it no longer has a place to state preferences. The best advice I have at this time is to call the resort front desk (not the Sheraton reservations line), no more than 2 weeks prior and have them note any special requests on your reservation.

Thanks
Will do as you suggest

 

[Lindareitter]

Sorry
Making a mess of posting!
Will do as you suggest
Thanks bankr63

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

I am just about in the same boat, arriving a week or two earlier. Arriving w/DH & 2 teens. Read the thread but having a hard time picking building/location. Renting a 2 bedroom through Interval getaways. Which building/section would you suggest for close to a good pool (hopefully one with a pool bar) & the basketball courts? And do any of the pools have lazy rivers/slides?

TIA

Hello! We are booked through RCI in a 2BR (8/6) for the week ending Easter Sunday. Arrival Sunday 4/14, dinner time.

I've read through much of this thread and my mind is now mush. LOL I know we are 'guaranteed' a 2BR that will sleep 8, so that means 2 F/Q beds in the 2nd BR, plus K in Master and a pull out sofa bed as I understand it.

We really need an elevator, and I'd really like easy access to a great pool. We have adults and teens. (We stayed in a quiet area in Orange Lake on our last trip. We loved the resort, and our condo, but the location with no pool nearby and not a quick walk to a pool was a pain. Pool nearby is a MUST! And the car won't always be available.)

Any thoughts as to specific area/buildings I might request? Any help is appreciated!

 

[bankr63]

I am just about in the same boat, arriving a week or two earlier. Arriving w/DH & 2 teens. Read the thread but having a hard time picking building/location. Renting a 2 bedroom through Interval getaways. Which building/section would you suggest for close to a good pool (hopefully one with a pool bar) & the basketball courts? And do any of the pools have lazy rivers/slides?

TIA

I don't generally recommend specific buildings or sections as they are all pretty good, and a lot depends on the day of week of your arrival, and the type of unit reserved. With teens, I probably wouldn't want Palms - it is the quietest of the sections and the furthest from any amenities (it IS the perfect section if you want a quiet vacation however). Teens are most likely to enjoy the Spas Super Pool, Cascades Pool or the Fountains pool, so maybe start with those sections. All have easy access to a bar. Fountains and Cascades have full basketball courts (or 2 half courts each), and Falls has a half court.

There is no lazy river at SVR - there's a feature I wish they would add! I have always thought they could give up a bit of the acreage given to the 13 tennis courts which are underutilized to add in a lazy river hooking up the Falls and Spas pools - that would be cool! There is a slide at the Falls pool but it is a bit too small for anything but young teens. There are waterfalls in both the Cascades and Fountains pools that are popular with older kids for games like tag or red rover.

Regardless of where you are located in the resort, the amenities are generally very well located, and the walks are pretty short. No more than a walk to the corner store at home for us.

 

[MarBee]

A friend just got an offer from Sheraton to come stay at the Sheraton Vistana Villages in a suite for five nights for $199 plus some hotel points. Obviously this is a sweet deal at $40/night. There’s no fine print on the welcome letter, but what should he beware of if he books?

 

[bankr63]

A friend just got an offer from Sheraton to come stay at the Sheraton Vistana Villages in a suite for five nights for $199 plus some hotel points. Obviously this is a sweet deal at $40/night. There’s no fine print on the welcome letter, but what should he beware of if he books?

The only thing that he should beware of is to read the fine print of any offer (every piece of paper or web page) just to be sure that it doesn't require a presentation. Since points have value, it is really more than $40/nt. Depends on how many points he gave for the deal, but it could be on the up-and-up and not require a timeshare presentation.

Even if a presentation is required, that's still pretty good value. He just needs to understand that he is only obligated to stay the minimum amount of time required (generally 2 hours, but the clock doesn't start until the sales part of the presentation starts), and that anything they are offering can be bought for pennies on the dollar in the resale market.

 

[MarBee]

The only thing that he should beware of is to read the fine print of any offer (every piece of paper or web page) just to be sure that it doesn't require a presentation. Since points have value, it is really more than $40/nt. Depends on how many points he gave for the deal, but it could be on the up-and-up and not require a timeshare presentation.

Even if a presentation is required, that's still pretty good value. He just needs to understand that he is only obligated to stay the minimum amount of time required (generally 2 hours, but the clock doesn't start until the sales part of the presentation starts), and that anything they are offering can be bought for pennies on the dollar in the resale market.

The offer is actually to receive 15,000 hotel points (or a $100 gift card to a restaurant).
Just apprehensive bc it seems way too good to be true. But good to know they can’t legally require you to stay longer than 2 hours!