Vistana info/opinions???

[boomhauer]

Hi all.

We're in the planning stages of our December 07 trip. It will be myself, wife, 7 year old son, twin 8 month old boys and mother in law.

My MIL is trying to convince me to stay at Vistana, which is a time share of hers. Could someone give me some information on the resort? Do they have shuttles to all the Disney theme parks and Downtown Disney, and how often do they run? How far of a drive is it to the Disney parks? Can you walk to any of the restaurants and pools on property?

Any info and opinions would be great.

Thanks!

 

[Kitty-chan]

If you seach the DISboards on "Sheraton Vistana," I'm sure you'll find tons of info (just click the "Search" link on the navagation bar above.

I stayed at the Vistana last year and loved it. I would warn though that the shuttle service didn't seem terribly convenient; you might want a car. It's less than 5 minutes from your parking space to the WDW border; time to the parks varies from there depending on the park. It usually took me about 10 minutes to get to either Epcot or MGM.

We never ate at any of the places on site. We used our kitchen a LOT, and only ate out in the parks.

 

[keishashadow]

We cancelled part of our on-site stay (DVC) to take advantage of a Sheraton TS offer @ the Vistana last summer (no presentation required woo-hoo).

Since they wanted us to purchase, we were placed in a 1 BR in the newer Cascades section. Our unit was beautiful, immaculate & well-maintained, lovely view of fountains in the lake. Close to pool & walking distance to store/pizza hut express. Will say the pool had plenty of bugs & mulch floating in it but, assume it was due to the large # of guests using it.

I wouldn't rely on the shuttles, schedules didn't seem very liberal; it's a very short drive from the parks.

Even though we really missed the early EMH perc that we rely upon, we'd take advantage of the offer again in a heartbeat.

 

[boomhauer]

Even though we really missed the early EMH perc that we rely upon, we'd take advantage of the offer again in a heartbeat.

I never even thought of that. We'd lose out on that, and I LOVE my extra 3 hours in the Magic Kingdom. I'd really miss that.

Plus, tack on an extra $100 or so for the week in parking, plus about $500 for the rental car.

More to think about...

 

[Sandra22]

Another site I find very helpful when looking at travelling & accomodations is tripadvisor.




Sandra

 

[MiaSRN62]

My MIL is trying to convince me to stay at Vistana, which is a time share of hers. Could someone give me some information on the resort? Do they have shuttles to all the Disney theme parks and Downtown Disney, and how often do they run? How far of a drive is it to the Disney parks? Can you walk to any of the restaurants and pools on property?

What section does your mil own in ? There are 2 main sit-down restaurants : Flamingo Cafe and Zimmies. Depending on where your mil owns, you should be able to walk to one of them. Some bldgs will be further than others. There is also a poolside eatery---Cascades Bar & Grill and a Pizza Hut in the General Store. Here are a sample of the menus :
http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/resorts/sheraton_vistana_resort/dining.jsp
I find the food good....nothing spectacular, but good. All restaurants offer room service to your villa for a $3 service charge plus a tip.

There are 7 pools onsite, so you should be within walking distance to at least one of them.

I agree with others who say the shuttles are not convenient and not free if you are an owner. I believe it's like $8/person/day. A rental car would be cheaper and MUCH more convenient. Here is the most recent schedule I have from the shuttles :
The shuttle service is as follows :
7:55 am
9 am
11 am
12 noon

then pick up later in day :
4:30 pm
6 pm
8 pm
9 pm
and at park closing