Windsor Hills Condo vs. Vistana Resort

[Mamamika]

Hi All,

planning a VERY last minute trip to WDW for next week (which doesn't seem a norm around here ).

Family of 5 - 8 yo, 10 yo & 14 yo.

two years ago we stayed at Bonnet Creek & loved it, but cant find that last minute.

we found either a 2bd villa at Vistana or a 3 bd condo @ Windsor Hills through a condo broker.

thoughts? ideas? anything to consider?

thx.

 

[RalphiesRedRyder]

...we found either a 2bd villa at Vistana or a 3 bd condo @ Windsor Hills through a condo broker.

We've done both the 2 BR Vistana and the 3 BR Windsor Hills. Really enjoyed both.

Seeing as you loved Bonnet Creek, you might enjoy Vistana more than WH as it has more of a resort feel.

 

[Mamamika]

thanks - I think we are leaning in that direction. If anyone has any tips on what we should ask for in terms of location etc... please let me know. thx.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

thanks - I think we are leaning in that direction. If anyone has any tips on what we should ask for in terms of location etc... please let me know. thx.

There are two sections of the resort that have twin beds in the 2nd bedroom (Courts and Falls). You may want to avoid those sections when you have three kids if they all want to sleep in the bedroom (there is a pull-out in the living room as well, so either way, you will have sufficient sleeping areas). The remainder of the resort has two doubles in the 2nd bedroom.

A few of the buildings border either I4 or SR535. You might get some traffic noise there, so those might be buildings to avoid if possible.

Your check in day may dictate which section you are allocated to (for example, we had a Friday check-in and were allocated to Spas, which primarily accommodates Friday check-ins).

The resort itself is really, really wonderful, and I think you'll have an amazing time no matter which section you stay in. We loved Spas but just purchased two weeks in Fountains. With 7 pools (3 of which are open until 1 am), three recreation centers, multiple basketball and volleyball courts, and a whole host of activities, you really can't go wrong on location. The south side of the resort has the Marketplace and mini golf, while the north side has the Tacky Tiki Bar and the food court. All of the rooms have been refurbished over the last few years and the finishings are fabulous!

 

[Mamamika]

Thank you for that info, Gina. We are checking in on a Wednesday & I think we were told the 2nd bedroom has twins. I was hoping for the doubles, but I think they said we could add a roll away.

Congrats on the new purchase.

I'm starting to get excited! nothing like a little last minute, totally unplanned trip to disney with 3 kids!

 

[kmb584]

Thank you for that info, Gina. We are checking in on a Wednesday & I think we were told the 2nd bedroom has twins. I was hoping for the doubles, but I think they said we could add a roll away.

Congrats on the new purchase.

I'm starting to get excited! nothing like a little last minute, totally unplanned trip to disney with 3 kids!

I think you made a fantastic decision! The more that we stay at SVR the more difficult I find the price tag for staying on-site hard to swallow. It truly is a fantastic resort with beautiful units!

Gina mentioned that Friday check-in's are primarily dedicated to the Spas section, so I wanted to mention that our Tuesday check-in's have always secured us a unit in Lakes (which has double beds in the second bedroom).

 

[kathy884]

We love the Vistana Resort and have stayed there four times. I haven't stayed at Windsor Hills Condos. If it were me and the Vistana were in my budget I'd pick that rather than a residential condo as the Timeshare condos in Orlando in my experience have more of a resort feel, and that's something I really like / usually look for. There are many lovely pools and hot tubs at the Vistana. Not all that long ago all the units went through a major renovation (were gutting and updated). They did a very nice job with the remodel too. Most people wouldn't care, but there are clay tennis courts (I think eight) that we love and usually manage to play on about four times during a week long stay. My mom and I one Christmas even played doubles together in the resort tennis tournament. We were beat out in the finals by two college age sisters (one who played on a college team) and both who were really nice. Not a bad showing as I'm in my 50s and mom is in her 70s. Just mentioning that they do have some resort activities if you are into that kind of thing. Another wonderful feature about the Vistana that makes it one of my favorite timeshare properties in the area (I think I've stayed at about eight different timeshare resorts in Orlando and truth be told, they were all lovely), is that the resort has very nice landscaping, little ponds all over and almost every unit for sitting out on your balcony or patio has a water view. Some very lovely resorts just have parking lot views, and as a family that loves to hang out on the balcony, this is a feature we just love. Our teens really like it that the pools are open until 1 or 2 a.m. (don't remember which) so always go for a swim even after a long theme park day where we stayed for nighttime shows/fireworks. Lots of other resorts close pools at 11 p.m. It's really easy to get to the parks from the Vistana too. Disney puts some of their college program kids in apartments near the Vistana too. My nephew is in the Disney College program right now and tells me he can see the Vistana resort from his apartment.


At the Vistana we once did a timeshare exchanges (my parents exchanged a unit that they bought on the resale market in Sedona, AZ for here), rented from an owner (twice) -- Used TUG2.net classified ads section to find an owner to rent from (Redweek.com is a good place to get rentals from too), and once (only stayed four nights) -- did retail (Retail is a lot more expensive per night). On the trip that we did retail we were meeting up with extended family who were staying at the Vistana for two weeks over the Christmas Holiday (They did an owner rental and were even able to stay in the same unit for two weeks), but we didn't have the vacation time them and were just doing a quick trip, joining them for Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and the following day.) The Vistana being quite large also, typically has quite a bit of availability for timeshare owner rentals.

 

[Mamamika]

We booked it w/a Dreams Unlimited code & I think got a pretty good deal for last minute. Sure maybe could have gotten it cheaper if we had actually planned, but for the week before I feel okay about it.

We def. have a room with only the 2 twins though - so which pools will we be near? And will we be close enough to the marketplace?

It seems really safe, so I'd love it if I could send the older kids out on their own a bit - as long as they don't go too far or get too lost.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We booked it w/a Dreams Unlimited code & I think got a pretty good deal for last minute. Sure maybe could have gotten it cheaper if we had actually planned, but for the week before I feel okay about it.

We def. have a room with only the 2 twins though - so which pools will we be near? And will we be close enough to the marketplace?

It seems really safe, so I'd love it if I could send the older kids out on their own a bit - as long as they don't go too far or get too lost.

The villas with twin beds located in the Falls and Courts sections. You can check out the resort map on this thread:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=886044

The Falls pool has a small blue waterslide that appeals to the little folk. It also has a playground right beside it.

The Courts pool is a basic four-sided rectangle without any notable unique features, but we found it was never very busy (so a great place if you want to swim in peace and quiet!).

Depending on where you are located within each of those sections, you could be pretty close (or at worst, an easy walking distance) to the Super pool and perhaps even the Cascade pool. Both of these pools are open until 1 am and sometimes offer poolside entertainment like karaoke. The Super pool has a volleyball net on one end and no really shallow sections. The Cascades pool has an almost zero entry section with splash fountains for the little ones, plus a large waterfall. We found the Super pool to be noticeably warmer than the Cascades pool.

Some parts of Courts look to be pretty close to the Springs pool as well, but I am no help on that one as we didn't visit it on our recent stay.

The Marketplace is fairly accessible to all the south side sections, and very close to some of the Courts villas in particular.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh, also just something else to note....the pools are not lifeguarded. Thought I'd bring it up in the even that it would impact your decision of letting the kiddos go exploring. Just so you know ahead of time .

 

[Mamamika]

Again, very helpful Gina.

my little ones are definitely not so little, but not quite adult either. The no-feature pool sounds less interesting to them than any of the others.

Do you think I should go ahead & pre-request a placement closer to one of the others, or wait until we check in? We are driving down on Wednesday, so not 100% how late it will be when we get there.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Again, very helpful Gina.

my little ones are definitely not so little, but not quite adult either. The no-feature pool sounds less interesting to them than any of the others.

Do you think I should go ahead & pre-request a placement closer to one of the others, or wait until we check in? We are driving down on Wednesday, so not 100% how late it will be when we get there.

Submit your requests through the Diamond Lane check-in sooner rather than later. I hear that SVR begins assigning rooms to incoming guests 1-2 weeks before arrival, so you're even closer than that. If you have a potential late arrival, then definitely submit your requests ahead of time to make the check-in process a little less lengthy!

You can use the form found here:

https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01

Our favourite pool was the Super pool, but I know a lot of folks like Cascades pool (which was also fun, but just came second for us after the Super pool). I would request to be as close as possible to one of those, since they are both open late. The Falls pool slide is fairly small, and will probably not appeal to your oldest child at all, but you could always pool hop a few times and experience all the pools at least once.

 

[Mamamika]

Submit your requests through the Diamond Lane check-in sooner rather than later. I hear that SVR begins assigning rooms to incoming guests 1-2 weeks before arrival, so you're even closer than that. If you have a potential late arrival, then definitely submit your requests ahead of time to make the check-in process a little less lengthy!

You can use the form found here:

https://www.mystarcentral.com/services/diamond.jsp?propertyId=01

Our favourite pool was the Super pool, but I know a lot of folks like Cascades pool (which was also fun, but just came second for us after the Super pool). I would request to be as close as possible to one of those, since they are both open late. The Falls pool slide is fairly small, and will probably not appeal to your oldest child at all, but you could always pool hop a few times and experience all the pools at least once.

awesome. thanks for this link. I've made our requests & will see what happens. can't wait!

 

[Mamamika]

Here now. All diamond lane requests honored. In spas on top floor.

We've only been at dwd so barely anytime at resort but so far so good. Thanks for all the helpful tips.