Sheraton Visitana Lakes Section 2BR

[momcat1959]

We just returned from a nice stay at the Sheraton Vistana from Jan 6-12. This was an RCI exchange. Overall we liked the resort, there were no crowds and the weather was good. I will give a review of various aspects below. I'm going to give both positive and negative comments for a fair and complete review. Please keep in mind I'm not trying to be critical with my negative comments, I just like complete disclosure. As mentioned, overall we had a great time and liked the resort.
Check-in
We did Diamond Lane Check in and I would recommend this. We arrived around 2 pm and the regular check in line was quite long. There were only 2 groups on the diamond lane line ahead of us, however the front party was having a problem and it took about 15-20 min to resolve. I think they should have moved the party off-line, but after that it took less than 5 minutes.
Villa
Although we requested a unit in the Cascades section we were given a unit in the Lakes section. At first I was concerned because some reviews on sections other than the Cascades have been less than favorable. However, my fears were unfounded. We had a spacious unit on the fourth floor with vaulted ceilings and a skylight in the living area. It was extremely clean. I am very picky and I think the unit and the resort is very clean and well maintained. There was a whirlpool tub in the master bedroom and a king size bed. There were 2 full size beds in the second bedroom. My only complaint about the villa was the bedding. They did not use fitted sheets and bottom sheet got bunched up every time the bed was slept in, so we ended up on the mattress with bunched up sheets every night. It was also hard to make the beds since they were right up against the wall. I'm very fussy so I like to make the bed every day. We were also told we would have maid service mid week, but no one showed up. This was not a problem though and we did not call since we are neat and did not really need it. We were right next to the Lakes and Fountains Pool and Rec rooms. This was a good location
Property
The property is huge, and in my opinion a bit too big. We got lost driving around the first few days. We did get the hang of it by the end of the week. Also, parking was a bit of a problem, there were sometimes no spots in our parking court if we got back from dinner late. The parking court was also very narrow and it was hard to park our full size car. Since this was a quiet season I would be concerned what the situation would be like during spring break or holiday season. The pools were really nice and we did get to enjoy them a couple of days. They were very clean and there were no crowds. There is no internet service in the rooms so we walked across the pool area to the business center in the Fountains rec area. This was ok, but it would have been nice to have service in the room. It was also $9.95 a day for service. I like to work out and the gym in the Fountains and Cascades were both very small. I was only able to get on a treadmill 1 out 3 days I went over. For a property of this size I think the gyms could be a bit bigger.
Location
The location of this resort is terrific. It is right next to Downtown Disney and close to all the main attractions and lots of outlet malls. We rented a GPS with our car from Avis for $49 for the week and it was well worth it. We have always found the Disney property confusing and get lost right on site. The Nav system really helped. It also helped us find things like specific stores and quick snack places like Dunkin Donuts.
Weather/Crowds
We had great weather. Sunny (only a drizzle for a few minutes 1 day) with a wide range of temps from mid 80's (nice swimming weather) to mid 60's. It was great weather for touring the parks. There were no crowds.
We got a fast pass for Universal one day but wasted our money (we are used to traveling in high season), since no regular like was more than 20 min and most were about 5 min. The longest lines we encountered were on Hulk and Everest. Hulk on the first Sun was 20 min and although the Everest line said 40 min we were on the ride in 26 min (my son timed it).
Rides
Our favorite rides are Hulk and now Everest. My son was not really that enthused about going on it since he likes very wild rides and Disney rides tend to be much milder, but when we got off he said to me, wow I really underestimated that one. Both he and I really liked it. Not wild like Hulk, but the backwards sequence is very cool along with scenary.
Restaurants
We really like Wolfgang Puck Cafe, The Kona Cafe in the Poly and California Grill. The meals in all 3 were superb. We went to the California Grill for my son's birthday and were there for the fireworks. It was awesome as ususual. We discovered the Kona Cafe on our last trip by accident and has now become one of our all time favorites.
Overall this was a nice trip and would definitely return to the Visitana in Jan again.

 

[garris3404]

Were the pools heated? Were there towels at the pools? Why didn't you request a change to the newer section if it wasn't too crowded?

 

[momcat1959]

garris3404, Yes the pools were heated. We had pool towels in our villa. We did not request a change in villa because at the time of check-in we were told that there were no Cascades units available,and I think the Lakes is the next newest section and the villa was quite nice so we decided to stay there. Another note, I think the Cascades and the Lakes are one of the few sections with elevators. Although I must say the elevator in our building was quite slow and seemed to "clunk" as it moved. We took the stairs quite a bit.

 

[runwad]

Great review thanks for taking the time to do it. We will be there the week b/4 Easter and the thing that has me thinking is the parking, we have a full size conversion van we will be driving, hope we'll be able to find a spot big enough for her

 

[momcat1959]

runwad, Don't be too overly concerned about your van. Let me clarify. It was mainly in the court area directly in front of our building that was tight. I think the court parking with parking spots on both sides is tight, but there was other adjacent parking just around the corner that was wider. There was a full size camper parked parallel, taking up aoubt 10-12 spots around the corner . If you end up in a court you may just need to park down a bit. Overall it was a great place, just a few minor areas that were less than perfect. I think you are going to have a great time. If you have any other questions or concerns I'd be happy to help. I have a bunch of pictures on webshots, (ltrogrady) if you would like to take a look. You can see the car we rented and some of the parking area. Enjoy. Laura

 

[MiaSRN62]

There is no internet service in the rooms so we walked across the pool area to the business center in the Fountains rec area. This was ok, but it would have been nice to have service in the room.

I'm a timeshare owner at Vistana and I agree. I wish there was high speed/broadband in the room like in the disney resorts. You can do dial up in the room----just call the front desk for a local access number. Also, occasionally we can pick up a wireless connection in our room---we have a wireless card in our laptop.

Yes, the Lakes is the second newest section and only it and the Cascades have elevators. I actually prefer the Lakes section over the Cascades for the larger villas and more quiet area of the resort.

Runwad,
We also have a full size conversion van and have never had a problem parking. I will say, at the end of the night, you might not get a spot close to your villa though. We've had to park several doors down when we come back to our villa late.