We just returned from a week at the Vistana Villas. We stayed in Building 7 of the Springs section and I thought I would share my thoughts for others considering this resort. Overall a great experience and would highly recommend it if the two cons are acceptable to you. Some background. This was my families 4th trip to Orlando and the first trip we did not stay on property at Disney (previous Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club and Saratoga Springs). We went to Orlando for a volleyball tournament for Sunday thru Wednesday and then three full days of the parks Thursday through Saturday. The tourney was at the Orange County Convention Center. The non-volleyball player and I spent two days at the parks on Sunday and Tuesday while my wife and youngest joined us at the parks the last half of the week. Now for the pros and cons:
Pros:
-The resort was great. Clean, spacious and comfortable. We had a two bedroom Villa with an entrance right into the Springs pool area. A lovely screened in balcony overlooking the pool. The first bedroom had two full beds and the second room was a huge master with a king. There was also a pull out sleeper sofa that was a typical pull out. Room says it sleeps 8. In reality, I think it would be good for 4, maybe 5 if someone would brave the pullout
-The kitchen was well stocked with dishes and cookware. The furniture was comfortable and well maintained. Very much equal to Beach and Saratoga.
-The price could not be beat. $139 a night booked through VRBO
-10 minutes to the parks and Disney Springs. Commuting to Disney was easy.
-The staff was incredible. Always friendly and helpful (even when they were kicking us out of the pool area at 10). There were two other pools open until 11
-Very well insulated rooms. We never heard anyone else or the noise from the pool.
Neutral:
The dining on site was fine, but a bit pricey. Several options close by (depending on traffic).
Cons:
Two major drawbacks.
-The traffic on the main road outside the complex was a nightmare in the afternoon. I mean 25 minutes to go 1 mile. You are forced to turn left outside the property and cross three lanes to make a U-Turn to get going the correct direction to I-4. This made it impossible to get anywhere between 4-6. With an accident one night, we were basically locked into the resort.
-The WiFi is awful except first thing in the morning or late at night. Impossible to stream anything. Verizon service was awful very bad. There was a router in the unit, but it was tied to a light switch. We did not realize this until the third day and kept turning it off when we turned off the lights. Even when it was on, the WiFi was very bad. I know some people just want to unplug (and I wish I could have done the same) but if you need access to WiFi or cellular data, you should look elsewhere. We could not even maintain a phone call on Verizon. This is a major drawback and was so bad, I would not return it was addressed. And that pains me to say because I liked virtually everything else about it. It baffles me that Sheraton has not addressed this in a better manor.
Happy to answer any questions.
Pros:
-The resort was great. Clean, spacious and comfortable. We had a two bedroom Villa with an entrance right into the Springs pool area. A lovely screened in balcony overlooking the pool. The first bedroom had two full beds and the second room was a huge master with a king. There was also a pull out sleeper sofa that was a typical pull out. Room says it sleeps 8. In reality, I think it would be good for 4, maybe 5 if someone would brave the pullout
-The kitchen was well stocked with dishes and cookware. The furniture was comfortable and well maintained. Very much equal to Beach and Saratoga.
-The price could not be beat. $139 a night booked through VRBO
-10 minutes to the parks and Disney Springs. Commuting to Disney was easy.
-The staff was incredible. Always friendly and helpful (even when they were kicking us out of the pool area at 10). There were two other pools open until 11
-Very well insulated rooms. We never heard anyone else or the noise from the pool.
Neutral:
The dining on site was fine, but a bit pricey. Several options close by (depending on traffic).
Cons:
Two major drawbacks.
-The traffic on the main road outside the complex was a nightmare in the afternoon. I mean 25 minutes to go 1 mile. You are forced to turn left outside the property and cross three lanes to make a U-Turn to get going the correct direction to I-4. This made it impossible to get anywhere between 4-6. With an accident one night, we were basically locked into the resort.
-The WiFi is awful except first thing in the morning or late at night. Impossible to stream anything. Verizon service was awful very bad. There was a router in the unit, but it was tied to a light switch. We did not realize this until the third day and kept turning it off when we turned off the lights. Even when it was on, the WiFi was very bad. I know some people just want to unplug (and I wish I could have done the same) but if you need access to WiFi or cellular data, you should look elsewhere. We could not even maintain a phone call on Verizon. This is a major drawback and was so bad, I would not return it was addressed. And that pains me to say because I liked virtually everything else about it. It baffles me that Sheraton has not addressed this in a better manor.
Happy to answer any questions.
