Vistana Villages-just back-any ?'s

[danbarbara]

Just back from a seven night stay...any questions???

 

[xgao]

Would you recommend it? Does it offer kid's play ground?

 

[danbarbara]

I would highly recommend this place for adults and kids. There was a kids playground off to the side of the pool. There was a kids pool which was only about 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep.And then that went into a bigger pool that was 3 to 5 feet. They rent floats by the hour or day and they have daily activities located in their activities room. My daughter made a picture frame. They have a pool side bar and deli where you can order food and drinks. Excellent food and all made fresh. They tried to get us to do the time share talk but we did not. They were not too overly agressive. They offered us discount theme park tickets or $100.00 in cash. We just didn't want to take the time. We have stayed at Vistana Resrot and this time the Villages...both are wonderful, roomy, and clean.

 

[erikthewise]

How do the "Vistana Villages" differ from the "Vistana Resort", if at all?
Which is timeshare and which is a resort in the sense of available for reservations? Or are both both? (Their web site is really not very helpful.)

Are they both in the same place, i.e. west side of 535 north of 536?
What type of unit did you stay in?
How would you compare it to DVC?

 

[abbysmom]

I keep hearing good reviews of this resort, we will be staying there in March, do you happen to know anything about the 1 bedrooms, I hear alot about the 2 bedroom units, they sound great. I was just wondering about the size of the 1 bedroom units.

I dont think I will have a car, just hate to drive in unfamiliar surroundings, we plan to take the trolley alot and a car service to universal, but I'd like your opinion on whether you would think this is possible or do you think a car is a necessity. I may end up renting a car but really do not want to.

We plan on going to seaworld 1 day and universal 2 or 3 and the other 4 days just vegging and enjoying the resort.

Thanks for any information and advice you can give.

Glad you had a great stay there.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I'd also like info on the 1 bedrooms at VR. We have reservations there for a week in April. Got a great deal at $89/night - but I just read a bunch of bad reviews of this property on travelocity.

 

[baileybrad]

For the life of me, I can't figure out what someone wouldn't like about this (VV) resort. The only thing that I could imagination would be if your reservation was hosed up or you had some very loud/rude neighbors. We stayed there in a 2 bedroom in Feb.'02 for 10 nights, took advantage of the $100 timeshare spill, easiest $100 we have ever "earned". We had a beautiful unit on the 4th floor overlooking a waterfall in building 6. A wonderful experience was had by my family. We are members of the DVC and enjoying staying at nice places. VV and VR for that matter are both wonderful. We looked at a 1 bedroom but we actually got a cheaper price thru HK due to the 9-11 tragedy and the lack of travel that we went with the 2 bedroom. Curious as to how you get to the travelocity "bad reviews", would love to see these gems.

I would encourage anyone staying off-site, VV included to rent a vehicle if their budget allows. It is obviously a personal decision but the WDW/Universal area is really easy to get around once you get the basics down. The flexibility is something that we really enjoy having.

 

[Scottish-Helen]

I've stayed at both VV (just got back last week) and VR (about 6 years ago). Both resorts are wonderful although I slightly preffered VV, probably just because it's newer.

We had a 2 bed so can't comment on the 1 beds.

If there is anyway you can hire a car, I would also recommend it as the property itself is large and there are no other facilities within walking distance of the resort.

I had a great time and wouldn't hesitate in going there again.

 

[baileybrad]

I just looked at the "bad" reviews that someone mentioned that exist on Travelocity for VV. I did not see any bad reviews. The only one that was bad was from a lady who confused VR with VV and mentioned how she was located on the far side of the property in a dark, old, and moldy unit. I would search these boards for VV info and you will get about 95% positive feedback...can't beat that IMHO.

 

[danbarbara]

Try to request Building 7 or 8 and ask for a top floor. I can't comment on the 1 bedroom unit either but we got a two bedroom for $120 @night on Hotel Kingdom. I would also recommend a car. The strip on International Drive is awesome and there are some great outlets just down the road too. We didn't know where we were going either but both places are very easy to find. The Vistana Villages don't offer alot of places to eat so if you don'thave a care it will be hard to find food unless you want to cook. There is only one deli by the pool. Vistana Resort has more food places.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

Baileybrad - the bad reviews I saw were for Vistana Resort. Mostly concerned with old & moldy units.

 

[baileybrad]

BriarfoxinWA,
Ditto on the bad reviews for VR concerning the older units. I have never heard any really bad reviews on VV except with the overbooking problem that came up this past spring. There was also one person who posted on these boards about an ant infestation, I believe it was. We are headed to VR in early December to a 1 bedroom and we purposefully avoid getting a 2 bedroom for 2 reasons, we really don't need all of the extra room thus extra cost and the fear of possibly getting placed in an undesireable unit. I don't think that there is a huge risk of this at the time of our visit but we still chose to go with a 1 bedroom.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I went and did the Diamond Lane sign up - and requested a unit in Cascades. Be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

[iluvtig2]

We will be staying at VV from 11/30-12/7. We have 2 1BR units and a 2 BR unit. Here are our questions:
(1) Do they have a CD and/or VCR?
(2) What size is the coffee maker?
(3) Do we need to bring things like laundry soap, dish soap, coffee filters, etc?
(4) Are the BBQ's charcoal?
(5) Was the pool warm? I know it's supposed to be heated, but sometimes heated and warm are not the same thing.
(6) What were the driving times to the parks?
(7) Did they open the Publix they were building across the street?

Thank you so much!

We are so excited!!! 15 DAYS!!!!

iluvtig

 

[danbarbara]

Here goes...

CD player and VCR...yes...you can rent movies from the deli...I thin about $6.00

coffee maker is a 10 or 12 cup

They supply: dish detergent, toliet paper, paper towels, hand towels to wash and dry dishes
No laundry soap, or coffee supplies were left.

You also have to check and see is you have daily maid service...only some units do.

There are outside grills. I thikn they are gas but I am not sure. They are located at different locations.

The "quiet pool" (no water toys allowed) was warmer than the main pool. If the main pool "was" heated...the temp was not warm enough for me to feel the heat. But it was comfortable once you got "used" to it.

Sea World is right around the corner. Disney is about 10 minutes with Universal being the furthest away. Very convenient and the offered excellent driving directions with your welcome information.

The Publix is open and very convenient.

Hope this helps...any other questions...ask away! Barbara

 

[abbysmom]

Hi and thanks for answering our questions, my question is do they have car rentals at V.V.?
My family will only be traveling to Universal for 2 days maybe 3 so I dont want to rent for a whole week, as we will be staying at V.V. the rest of our stay and just enjoying our resort.
Or if they do not have car rentals on site do you know of any rentals near by?
Glad you had a great vacation at V.V.

 

[iluvtig2]

We are so excited!!

12 Days to Disney!!!

Any additional hints you might have for us? We are a party of 10, in 3 different units, ranging in age from 2 1/2 - 66+!

We will be celebrating birthdays and the holidays while we are there, and have our Disney Christmas tree ready to go!

Thanks again, for taking the time to answer my bazillion questions!

iluvtig

 

[reeanne]

I was wondering if someone could tell me what the Diamond Lane sign up is and what are the best sections to stay at the Sheritan Vistana Resort are. We have a 2 bedroom Nov 29-Dec 5. I would like to request one of the newer areas if possible.



Thanks reeanne

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

Diamond Lane is just registration through Sheraton's website. You put in some of your basic information - including your current reservation number and preferences. It's supposed to allow you to check in faster and you can put down your building preferences.

We're going in April - so I did the registration and requested the Cascades building - we'll have to wait and see how it works.