Your thoughts on Sheraton Vistana?

[Taratink]

What are your experiences at the Sheraton Vistiana. A friend offered me a free week stay in a 2 br. timeshare my kids really wanted to stay onsite next trip. Free sounds good though.
Tara

 

[Disfreek]

My sister owns at Vistana & LOVES it. I will ask her more about it today.

 

[jeff968]

There are actually two Vistana locations in Orlando, the Vistana Resort and the Vistana villages. I have stayed at both and they are both nice. The Vistana resort is larger and some of the units are older but they both have lots to do and great pools. great locations too.

 

[spiceycat]

Loved it!!

we had one of the older units - Springs - this is a very BIG resort - so there is a ton of stuff to do.

 

[Taratink]

How long did it take you to get to the parks from the resort? I told my friend to request Lakes, fountain, cascades or springs. Any that we should avoid? Are there any restaurants there?
Tara

 

[spiceycat]

yes there were restuarants on site - but there are much cheaper alternatives along 535 - the big main road in front.

it is very easy to get to the parks - left turn out of the Sheraton - then a right turn at the light - 536 - you are in WDW in around 5 minutes.

coming back is harder - but they give you instructions!!!

some other guests have hated Springs - but it was great for us.

Mother at 82 has problem walking - so when I did my request I asked to be near parking more than anything else.

6 feet from the car to the room - this was so wonderful!!!!

we stay at WDW resorts alot (I own DVC) and this beats anything at WDW.

 

[Taratink]

Thanks for the info. guys!
Tara

 

[jeff968]

We ate on-site and I was not impressed but as mentioned earlier, there are many places right on 535. There is a great steakhouse that we have visited a couple of times. Disney is just down the street. As for units, although the lakes (and another section) are newer they are also separated from the other 7 or so sections. If you want quiet, go with them. If you want to be close to all the busy action, get in the main area. The cascades pool is the center of the action. Again, we're taking about the Vistana resort, not villages.

 

[harvey]

How long did it take you to get to the parks from the resort? I told my friend to request Lakes, fountain, cascades or springs. Any that we should avoid? Are there any restaurants there?
Tara

We were in the Falls section (Vistana Resort not the Villiages) and asked to be moved. We were relocated to the Lakes section. They were beautiful, and our kids liked the pools better in that area.

The Falls area outside is lovely, but far from children's activities, and I didn't like the condo inside....didn't look ANYTHING like the pics I saw on their site, very dated, although they were clean. We also requested 1st floor, not backing up to 535...and our unit was 2nd floor overlooking the highway!!! But they were very nice about switching us...just asked for a couple hours to clean a unit for us. Didn't charge us for the switch either. If we could be guaranteed a newer room each time, we'd stay there again.


Free is nice though. And Vistana's location can't be beat.

 

[harvey]

Forgot....here's the link to our online photos of the interior of our unit. This was 2 years ago: http://www.theharveys.org/gallery/album01

The pics should be the first couple rows....

 

[Del]

We were at the Lakes section 3 weeks ago, had a 2 bed, 2 bath suite. We loved it!! It makes me wonder why would we stay onsite again. Took us 10 min. to the park Good luck. Del

 

[Taratink]

Great! I will try it next trip. Thanks for all the in guys.
Tara

 

[iluvflorida]

Vistana is our favorite resort. Will be at it for 4 weeks this year. Your kids will love it. Lots of activities and prizes for participating in activities. Lots of pools. Very close to Disney.

Oh if you decide not to go, tell your friend we would love to have a free stay.

 

[iluvflorida]

Just noticed your count down timer. We will be at Vistana the same time if you are staying this year. Look for the Canadians having a blast.

 

[MiaSRN62]

How long did it take you to get to the parks from the resort? I told my friend to request Lakes, fountain, cascades or springs. Any that we should avoid? Are there any restaurants there?

Avoid the Courts, Falls, Spas and Palms.
I own in the Fountains and prefer the Fountains "II" phase over "I" phase. Reason: the jacuzzi is in the master bedroom. In phase "I" and all older sections, the whirlpool tub is in the master bathroom. The Lakes is actually my favorite section---it's quieter over there. Cascades is the newest section. One year we added on an extra night to our 7 night stay in the Fountains area. They put us in the Spas and I felt it was a let-down from our Fountains villa. The decor felt very "80's ish". Honestly, the Springs units are the only ones I haven't personally toured or stayed in but I've heard nice things about that section even though it is slightly older.

Restaurants on site on the Flamingo Cafe, Zimmies, Cascades Grill and a Pizza Hut on site. Click here for menus : http://www.starwoodvo.com/resorts/dining.jsp?resortID=5

The restaurants are small and very casual and a little pricey. They're good for those who don't wish to get in their car and drive somewhere to eat. You can also order room service from any of the on-site restaurants and Pizza Hut for a $3 delivery charge to your villa.

Tara, enjoy your free gift---I think you'll like Vistana. Any specific questions you might have feel free to ask. I've been an owner since '94.

coming back is harder - but they give you instructions!!!

Agreed Spiceycat ! In recent years I just find it easier to follow signs to "Downtown Disney" from within WDW and get out to SR 535 via the Marketplace area. You just make a right on SR 535 when you approach the light facing Crossroads. We find this way to be much easier when exiting Disney property. It now takes us anywhere from 8 to 15+ min depending on traffic/time of year/day with the average being 10 min. It will take longer getting into and out of the MK though due to the run-a-round with the monorails/ferry/tram there.

 

[darlene9947]

Hey,
This is neat. Some friends of my husband gave us a gift certificate for 1 week also. FREE!!!! does anyone know if we can call Vistana and request a certain section or floor? I read on their website that the units are in 3-story buildings with no elevators. Is this for real??? I've had to have both knees scoped in the last 3 years and climbimg up and down stairs will be mighty hard. Of course, I will make allowances if I have to!

We going 5/22-29 check in on Sunday. I'm thinking about getting a room at POP for 2 nights to be able to take advantage of early entry. We have 6 in our party - 4 adults, 2 small boys (3 & 4). would we have any problems getting the wristbands for the late evening in the Magic Kingdom?

TIA,
Darlene

 

[MiaSRN62]

does anyone know if we can call Vistana and request a certain section or floor? I read on their website that the units are in 3-story buildings with no elevators. Is this for real???

Yes, it's true Darlene !
You can call Vistana and should. Request either an elevator building (Cascades or Lakes only) or you'll need a ground floor of any of the other sections. Make sure you specify for "medical" reasons.
I actually prefer the upper floors because you get a vaulted ceiling and skylight. But then again I wouldn't like it if I had any physical disabilities and I can understand your concern. Vistana will be happy to work with you.

You should be good-to-go for the late night MK trips. Actually, not sure if they're even going to still do the wristbands with the new schedules of alternating Early Mornings with Late Nights. I'm staying at Pop for the first time this Feb. Looks like a cute resort.

 

[dcmbshafe]

We stayed there twice (soon to be 3 times) and liked the Vistana so much that we purchased a week re-sale on eBay. As others have said, you want to try and get into either the Cascades, Lakes or Fountains sections. We prefer to be a little further away from the pools as it is a little quieter. In general, you can make all sorts of requests about the room but whether you get everything you asked for will depend a lot on how crowded it is when you're there. Our first trip we stayed in the Courts and the second time we stayed in the Fountains. The Fountains unit was a LOT nicer than the Courts unit, but the Courts unit was a LOT nicer than a hotel room, so if you end up in one of the older sections, it really isn't the end of the world.

Epcot is the closest park and it can take as little as 10 minutes door to door. MGM is next closest and then MK & AK. I don't remember it taking more than 20 minutes maximum from the time we left our room to the time we were walking in the gates (MK a little longer b/c you have to take the monorail or ferry after you park).

I actually think the restaurants there are okay. Definitely not extraordinary, but the food is not bad and you can't beat them for convenience. A lot of times we would head back from the parks to give the kids an afternoon nap and one of us would get some sandwiches to bring back to the room.

If you can, ask for Diamond Lane check-in. This could save you some time if you will be arriving during a crowded time.

Decide before you go as to whether you want to go on a timeshare presentation - at check-in, they WILL ask you. The reward is normally a voucher ($50-75) that can be applied to park tickets as well as some hotel vouchers. If you decide to attend a presentation, they are pretty good about keeping to the 90 minutes they promise. If you decide not to attend a presentation, you may get a phone call at some point during your stay asking you if you're really sure you don't want to attend. I don't remember there being a tremendous amount of pressure applied at check-in or during this phone call. Just be prepared and know in advance what you want to do.

 

[Muffy]

We toured the Vistana a few years ago and thought it was very nice. We haven't stayed there as we prefer onsite but I'm sure it has all the comforts of home.