Vistana Resort/LBV

[JessKerger]

Hi! I'm new here and going to DW next week. I've searched all around and have selected the Vistana 2BR villa through www.HotelKingdom.com as our hotel. I'd like to talk to someone who has stayed there recently or read reviews, but can find only a few. Does any one out there have advice for me? Thanks!

Jessica

 

[hercamore]

No advice, the Vistana is one of the nicest resorts in Orlando and in an excellent location. Probably one of the cloest resorts outside of disney property to the parks.5 minutes to Epecot and MGM.

Have a great time.

 

[threeboysmom]

Hi! We own at Vistana, so we stay there every year for our annual trip to Disney (about 8 times). We LOVE the resort and highly recommend it for those with children who don't want to stay in a cramped hotel room. If you have any specific questions about the resort, I would be happy to answer any of them. (We're going back next month - yippee!)

Kimberly

 

[jdm]

I am very excited that when I called RCI this morning to find out if they had anything for me yet... they did! A two bedroom villa at Vistana for 2/15 - 2/22. They hadn't called me and I was just getting ready to book a quick escapes for $449 for Orange Lake. Anyway! I won't be staying at RI anymore but will do one night at Portofino on 2/14 when we come off our cruise! I'm going to check out the Vistana with the Tug board but was wondering if anyone here had any personal experience with requests. I understand they have an older section called Fountains (?) and then the newer ones. Should we get an older one, are they really that bad or are they all pretty OK? Any and all info would be very appreciated.
Thanks,
Jenn

 

[Lisa P.]

The oldest section is Courts (no inroom jacuzzi). Cascades, Lakes & Fountains are all very nice, newer. Do read the reviews at TUG. We enjoyed our stay in Lakes a few years ago and would definitely return. Have fun - there are loads of onsite activities and beautiful pool areas. The location is tops. Enjoy!

 

[Scotfan]

Jdm, we will be at Vistana those dates, we own in spas, just bought in after visiting the resort 2 years ago. We loved it. Maybe we'll see you there.
We are the ones with 2 wee boys and scottish accents!

 

[jdm]

You were the one who referred me to Tug way back when and you were so helpful with all your info. I did read the Tug board but a lot of the posts that contained all the info about different sections etc. were a couple of years old. I'm assuming there has been some construction or refurb done since then. I am really interested in being by the
Super pool (as is everyone else there, probably) or the pool with the slide. Again, I'm not getting what areas these are in. If you were me... traveling with a 9 & 11 year old who live at the pool --where would you request? And, I do understand it's just a request and not a given. We are doing Universal & Discovery Cove but do intend to hang at the resort and enjoy. Any addtional info you could give me would be appreciated. :~)
Thank You
Jenn

PS Soctfan... Maybe we'll see you there! I'll be the one with 2 waterlogged pre- adolesence! (sp?)

 

[jtucker33]

VV just 5 min from epcot? how's the travel to and from the park? shuttles on time? Will we have to rent a car? I love what I hear about Vistana but really don't want to rent a vehicle.

 

[jdm]

VV is Vistana Villages which is a different resort from Vistana Resort, although both are owned by the same company. There was a very large thread going on about VV recently. Scoll down the board or do a search. There was a lot of info.
Jenn

 

[thericecakes]

Where can I locate the Tug board previously mentioned in the above posts?
Thanks for your help. Still trying to decide between VV and VR.

 

[Goofyzgurl]

I'd like to know where the TUG board is also. The search feature doesn't work anymore.

 

[jdm]

Hi
The TUG board is a timshare user board and is a wealth of info on resorts, timeshare owning etc. It is $15 dollars a year and gives you access to all of their resort reviews from people who have stayed there. Also, there is a lot of timeshare exchanges, rentals, etc. The web address is www.tug1.net.
Jenn

 

[jdm]

I tried to email you directly with some questions about the Vistana but your email wasn't listed. I have a couple of questions... I've done a lot of research and there is a lot of talk about the "super pool" but I can't seem to get the specific location or area that it is in. Also, it sounds like it is a large pool geared to smaller children? What area should I request with 2 kids 9 & 11 who love to swim? I read on the Tug board that Friday checkins were generally put in the Spa area? Do you if this is so and is that one of the older areas? Any detailed info you could give would be appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Jenn

 

[AvonMom]

After reading many of the posts about HIFS and Vistana I decided to check out Vistana. Thru
hotelkingdom.com I got a good deal I believe for the Vistana, my question is my MIL is also going with us, we have 3 children 13, 10, 6 and I requested a 2 bdrm villa at Vistana. She had booked us at HIFS, she says includes breakfast, and the kids eat free. I showed her all the posts comparing the 2. Her big concern is the price. The Vistana will be approx. $300 more, but I think it will be well worth it. Does anyone have anything convincing I can use? Lord knows I don't want to be wrong if I get her to switch. Thanks. Trying to make our decision today so any reponses would be great. We are going from 2/17-2/23.

 

[jdm]

Did you read the thread regarding the Vistana Villages versus HIFS? It was lengthy and had all the info you need. Are you booked at Vistana or Vistana Villages? I have stayed at HIFS and the difference is going to be space, space, space. Also, you can cook meals in a kitchen possibly saving more money. I felt extremely cramped at HIFS and that is why we won't go there again. Made for a long week for us with everyone on top of each other. Also, the washer/ dryer is a real perk. No one likes doing laundry on vacation but it sure helps in being able to pack less. I'm really looking forward to ur stay at Vistana. Looks like you are planning to go when we are. I can't see any downside except that you are paying more... but I agree with you, should be well worth it on space alone.
Jenn

 

[ralphd]

The Timeshare Users Group (TUG) site is at :

' www.tug2.net '

The membership fee for the first year is $15 and $10 for each renewal. You must be a member to read the reviews on the site.

ralphd

 

[threeboysmom]

Jenn - To answer your questions....

A Friday check-in is the best day to have. You can't be placed in the Courts section (which is the oldest) since they are all Sat. check-ins. And you can't be placed in the Falls (which is the next oldest) since they are all Sun. check-ins. You could be placed in Palms, Springs, Spas, Lakes, Fountains or Cascades. You'll have to decide which is more important to you - location, size, or newness of unit.

The Super Pool is right next to the Spas section. These are larger units similar to the Palms where we usually stay, but they're not as new & bright as the Cascades section (newest). The super pool tends to draw the teen crowd. It's very loud and crowded, and my boys don't seem to like it there.

My boys' (ages 11, 9 and 4) favorite pool is the "rock slide pool" (their made-up name for the Falls pool). This pool is also just a short walk from the Spas. Their second favorite would be the Cascades pool. Last year we stayed in the Cascades, but we didn't like it. Although it was very pretty, it was too small for us. We like having a larger 2nd bedroom with 3 kids and a larger balconey. However, they loved the pool in that section. Actually, most of the pools are within a 5-7 minute walk of any of the sections, with the exception of Lakes & Fountains. Those 2 sections are contained within their own area (though their pools are very nice as well). You need to drive to their pools if you're staying in the other sections, and vice versa. Hope that makes sense....

Any more questions?

Kimberly

 

[Vinnie The Pooh]

The Vistana Resort sounds so great! We have made the transition in planning our next trip from definately staying at CBR to looking into DD Hotels to now looking at these Time Shares. These look so beautiful and the location, price and compfort far outweigh staying on Disney Property especially since the demise of EE. I looked at the TUG web site but do not agree with paying an outrageous yearly fee for the same kind of advice we get from the DIS so lets keep up the discussions on places like Vistans Resorts etc..

 

[AvonMom]

Thanks for the reply. I think we are going to go with the Vistana we have ressies at the Resort not the VV. Yes, I did read the lengthy posts about the VV and that is what prompted my inquireys. I'm excited about our trip. This will be the first trip to Disney for our kids. Last year we went to Universal. If you don't mind me asking what kind of rate did u get at the Vistana Resort for the same time period.

 

[jdm]

Thank you so much for your reply!! Yes, couple more ??. Which are the roomier, nicer units.... need not be newer. Also, my kids like to participate in lots of activities which I'm assuming are held in a clubhouse. I've heard there are mexican nights etc. types of activities.... are these held at the clubhouse and .... where is the clubhouse ? (!). I guess what I'm saying is the girls are somwhat old enough to walk a short distance on therr own with the walkie talkies but not too far (in other words, I lie to keep them within sight) so I'd like to be in an area that is centrally located. Which area would that be? Do you know if Vistana has a shuttle? We will have a car but sometimes we like to divide and conquer so the shuttle option would be nice.
Thanks again,
Jenn

Vinnie The Pooh
I have to tell you that the $15 I spent on the TUG was worth every penny. Loads of first hand reviews of all timeshares, not to mention the potential for great deals renting directly from an owner. In no way did I consider it a rip off and was very thankful for the referral from someone on these boards (Lisa P.).
Good luck to you in your trip planning. It's amazing how it starts to take on a life of its own. We too, started out researching onsite and now we are in a completely different place!