The Sheraton Vistana Resort Thread (key links on p.1)

[Mexico279]

We have stayed for three weeks several times , usually a combination of II exchanges and getaways but always for the same size of unit, I just do diamond lane and request that we stay in the same unit for the three weeks and never had any issues xxx

 

[FrankieDplus3]

SkyAuction update:
This is my second time using SA for a visit. I won my bid and today received my confirmation/order fulfillment.

This time, the fulfillment is a little bit different than last. I received a travel voucher (PDF) with specific unit details in the Fountains I section. I didn't realize the bid was for a specific unit.

Does anyone know if I'll be able to submit a Diamond Lane request to be moved to a new location? - even though the confirmation states "The Resort cannot honor upgrades or moves." We are traveling with friends that are also owners, but, they are in the Springs section.

FrankieD

 

[bankr63]

Does anyone know if I'll be able to submit a Diamond Lane request to be moved to a new location? - even though the confirmation states "The Resort cannot honor upgrades or moves." We are traveling with friends that are also owners, but, they are in the Springs section.

FrankieD

I would say you can always submit a DL request, and the worst thing that can happen is that they say "Sorry, can't do". The resort thrives on happy guests, so they tend to be pretty liberal in granting general requests where possible.

I wouldn't put too much weight on a unit assignment on your confirmation. These units are (we've heard) overstock from Interval International (II) or RCI. Both of those systems used to show units on their confirmation years ago, but started suppressing them because ultimately Vistana is setup to assign units "run of resort", so when folks showed up for their reservations they wouldn't be anywhere near where it stated on the confirmation. The only time you would know for sure the unit assignment would be if you were getting it from a deeded owner like me - and I don't think folks like me can post on Skyauction. At least I don't see anywhere that a lowly individual can post a single unit for auction - that tends to be on eBay.

 

[Limom19]

I'm looking into getting a 1br and 2br in February 2018 for a sat check in. I think that I read in this post that the 1br's were only in the cascades and lakes sections. Is that correct? And are those sections newer/updated? TIA!

 

[bankr63]

I'm looking into getting a 1br and 2br in February 2018 for a sat check in. I think that I read in this post that the 1br's were only in the cascades and lakes sections. Is that correct? And are those sections newer/updated? TIA!

That is correct, Cascades and Lakes are the only sections with 1BR villas. All sections of the resort had a complete refurbish a few years ago, a process that took about 2 1/2 years to complete. Since that time, SVR has been very proactive about maintaining a regular update schedule to keep things in top condition. Cascades and Lakes are the newest built sections of the resort, but were also the first to be refurbished, so in some ways they are older than the older resort sections.

 

[laplabs]

If we get in around 6:00 how long is the check in line gonna be?

 

[bankr63]

If we get in around 6:00 how long is the check in line gonna be?

First of all, that question is kind of like asking "how bad is the traffic going to next Friday on the I-4", it's pretty hard to predict...

That question also begs a couple of assumptions:
First, I assume you mean 6:00 pm? If 6:00 am there won't be any line.
Second, I assume you are arriving on a regular resort check in day Friday, Saturday, Sunday? The other 4 days of the week don't generally experience any lines.

If my assumptions are correct, I would expect to still have some sort of line at 6:00pm. The peak time is probably 4:00-5:00, so 6:00 will still be busy (lines can start anytime after noon, and ebb and flow as flights arrive). But the resort knows this and should have all hands available at reception. Now, I have seen things go very smoothly, and I have seen things stall if you get a couple of "those" parties at the front. I have seen them a bit short staffed if a flu bug is making the rounds of staff; it's hard to predict.

A couple of strategies you might employ:
1. Arrive a bit later. That is the dinner hour, so why not grab dinner on the way to the resort and arrive an hour later. Even if things are still a bit busy, at least your stomach won't be grumbling. Then you can go straight to the pool after dropping your bags and have a nice swim or hot tub.
2. Diamond Lane. If you put in a DL request, you can use the DL check in desk. This just opens up another option as don't HAVE to use it, you can also still use the regular line, with more agents. When you arrive, scope it out and pick the line that appears better (note: I am assuming they reopened a dedicated DL line - it disappeared when they remodeled the Welcome Center, but they were to bring it back).
3. Take advantage of the comfy seating areas. You don't need everybody standing in line with you.
4. Think of it as training. This is Orlando, and if you do the parks, you will be spending a good part of the next week standing in lines

 

[skier_pete]

We got in at 6 PM last Saturday (2/18/17) and there was no wait at all to check in. They had about 8 service people available, and we essentially walked right up. I have no idea if this is normal or not.

Edit: I should be posting my thoughts in a few days. The experience we had there was great, though admittedly didn't use much of the amenities. A few issues I'll talk about

 

[skier_pete]

OK - so we were at the Sheraton Vistana Resorts over the Presidents Day week (Feb 18th-25th)- our experience was very good. We normally go to Orlando we stay on Disney Property and for the last 3 years have been DVC members staying on points. This trip we were here primarily for Universal but also visited NASA and did a few Disney things outside the parks as well as the DVC moonlight magic event in Magic Kingdom on our last night. We own a second timeshare which has been converted to RCI points, and we use that for vacations outside the normal DVC vacation, so this was a case where we traded into this resort through RCI.

We arrived on Saturday about 6 PM. Check-in was completely painless as we didn't really wait at all. We had to go over to see the concierge for our "free gift" (a envelope full of coupons - WOW!), but we never really got pestered about getting a timeshare presentation, which was nice. We had rented a 2-bedroom unit that slept 6, which really left us with a lower unit in the "Courts" section.

One thing that surprised me about the place - I was expecting it to be a massive complex (which it was) but it was not nearly as spread out as it looked like on the map. We were in the middle of the courts section, and it was an easy 5 minute walk to 2 different pool complexes, as well as the grocery store. The layout was a tad confusing, and we got lost a few times trying to leave, but overall it really wasn't too bad to get around.

The room itself in courts was very nice. Updated and modern feeling, and it did NOT have any smell of mold or mildew that you sometimes get with hotels in Florida. Here are some pictures.

The kitchen /dining / living room area:

The second bedroom:

Washer/Dryer in the hallway between 2nd bedroom and dining area.

The Master Bedroom:

We didn't get a lot of use out of the facilities. We ate at the "Tacky Tiki Hut" the first night - and I was rather unimpressed by this. It was an "order at the counter" type place, and if you didn't stand and check for your food being ready, they couldn't be bothered to tell you it was ready. The themeing of the area was some Tiki stuff on the walls, but really it mostly looked like a cafeteria. The food was just OK. We didn't eat anywhere else on property.

We actually only got around to the pools once. The main pool was nice with a nice large hot tub. We got over there just at dusk, and as the sun set it got very cool out. Mostly we were busy during the day, so we didn't take advantage of the pools, but they seemed very nice. As I said, it was only about a 5 minute walk from our unit to the pool, which was fine by us.

After the first day, we discovered an area of the wall near the floor across from the washer/dryer where it appeared there was blood splatter. (It could've been something else, but some reddish liquid that had splashed on the lower foot of the wall.) We also had a lamp in the bedroom that was out. We called it in around 5 PM. They sent maintenance to fix the lamp right away, but no one came from housekeeping. However, the next day - they did a complete refresh on the unit - including making the beds and replacing all the towels. This was more than I was expecting.

The location was also very handy for what we wanted. We were less than a 15 minute drive from Universal, which was fine. We were only about 5-10 minutes from DTD. We also drove to Boardwalk in about 10 minutes (for Jellyrolls), Animal Kingdom Lodge (for lunch at Sanaa) in about 15 minutes, and probably 15 minutes to MK for the Moonlight Madness event. The only negative was the road immediately outside the facility (I believe it was 535) was extremely, extremely busy bumper-to-bumper much of the afternoon and evening, and this route was the only way out of the property.

Overall we were very happy with the stay. It was very handy for both Universal and Disney and in nice condition.

 

[dlsanchez]

I am staying at Vistana at the end of April. Checking in around 2am on a Sunday. Our check in date is the Saturday. We have a 2 br max 8 people reserved through Interval Getaways. I have a couple of questions... 1. How can I check on my reservation? What do I use for the confirmation number? 2. If we want away from the highway but close to a pool (not a noisy, late night one), what should I request for a building?
Thanks!

 

[bankr63]

I am staying at Vistana at the end of April. Checking in around 2am on a Sunday. Our check in date is the Saturday. We have a 2 br max 8 people reserved through Interval Getaways. I have a couple of questions... 1. How can I check on my reservation? What do I use for the confirmation number? 2. If we want away from the highway but close to a pool (not a noisy, late night one), what should I request for a building?
Thanks!

With a reservation through Interval, you won't be able to check your reservation at the resort until two weeks out. That's when II hands them over to the resort, and is the same reason why they like to get D/L requests around 2 weeks out. If your reservation is showing in Interval, you can count on it making it to the resort. Your "reservation number" once it gets to SVR is your II account number.

I would suggest going with a section rather than a building. There are 207 separate buildings at SVR, trying to get a specific one can be difficult. For a Saturday check in, Cascades and Lakes (avoid building #1, right beside the pool) are good for access. Courts is very central, and a sleeps 8 would get the top floor townhome unit; short walk to most pools. Fountains has some highway backing units and some longer walks, avoid; same for Palms. Springs would be a medium walk, but nice units and quiet.

A reasonable DL request might be for "Lakes, Cascades or Courts, but not right beside the pool."

 

[dlsanchez]

With a reservation through Interval, you won't be able to check your reservation at the resort until two weeks out. That's when II hands them over to the resort, and is the same reason why they like to get D/L requests around 2 weeks out. If your reservation is showing in Interval, you can count on it making it to the resort. Your "reservation number" once it gets to SVR is your II account number.

I would suggest going with a section rather than a building. There are 207 separate buildings at SVR, trying to get a specific one can be difficult. For a Saturday check in, Cascades and Lakes (avoid building #1, right beside the pool) are good for access. Courts is very central, and a sleeps 8 would get the top floor townhome unit; short walk to most pools. Fountains has some highway backing units and some longer walks, avoid; same for Palms. Springs would be a medium walk, but nice units and quiet.

A reasonable DL request might be for "Lakes, Cascades or Courts, but not right beside the pool."

Thank you for the great info!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

All booked for April 29th to May 6th . Never planned such a short-notice trip before, but we are so happy to be going "home" for our anniversary. Cue the countdown!

 

[lovin'fl]

I have some questions for the Vistana pros. My friend owns a Vistana July week. They haven't used last year's week and still also have this year's week. They are trying to get two villas for Christmas with their two weeks, one for them and one for us. I am a DVC owner so I understand how that works as far as a points timeshare but I don't understand my friend's Vistana. She said she is on the phone every day trying to get the Christmas reservation. Is it do-able? I know with my DVC, availability is already spotty.

 

[bankr63]

That's a hard one to handle @lovin'fl I don't know enough about what your friend owns to comment, as it is not clear what she owns (might be a fixed deeded week?) and how she trades (on the phone with who? RCI, II, VSE?).

In general though, Christmas week can be a hard get for any good resort in Orlando. It is the busiest week of the year there. I think she is still in the home resort reservation period until the end of the month if this is a VSE (Vistana Signature Experience) reservation after which it opens up more widely. If she is booking outside of VSE (through RCI or II) availability may not come up until March 25 or April 1 (not exactly sure how those rules about priority booking work as I do not participate in the VSE club.)

If your friend wants a little more knowledge on this, have her check out the Vistana section on TUG (www.tugbbs.com) where there are a ton of experts on the whole program experience.

 

[lovin'fl]

That's a hard one to handle @lovin'fl I don't know enough about what your friend owns to comment, as it is not clear what she owns (might be a fixed deeded week?) and how she trades (on the phone with who? RCI, II, VSE?).

In general though, Christmas week can be a hard get for any good resort in Orlando. It is the busiest week of the year there. I think she is still in the home resort reservation period until the end of the month if this is a VSE (Vistana Signature Experience) reservation after which it opens up more widely. If she is booking outside of VSE (through RCI or II) availability may not come up until March 25 or April 1 (not exactly sure how those rules about priority booking work as I do not participate in the VSE club.)

If your friend wants a little more knowledge on this, have her check out the Vistana section on TUG (www.tugbbs.com) where there are a ton of experts on the whole program experience.

Oh thanks. She trades with RCI or II, can't remember which. She knows all the details on how it works but I haven't been able to speak to her about it. She texted to ask if we wanted to join them Christmas week and told us we needed to let her know quick as time was of the essence. We said yes and then didn't hear back for a few days so I texted and asked if she secured the resie. She replied that she is on phone with them every day trying to secure. So I thought I'd check here to see the likelihood of her getting two units for Xmas week. It's a 2BR I do believe. Sheraton Vistana in Orlando. She owns a fixed July week. I guess she banked in last year's week and is also trying to trade out this year's. But I am not sure really... not sure how it all works. I have May WDW trip booked and if we are going to be there at Xmas I need to buy annual passes instead of hoppers and the FP+ window is coming up and I need to purchase ticketing so I can book FP+.

 

[dlsanchez]

I have a week booked through Interval Getaways. Sat-Sat. I want to add a night at the beginning of the trip on the Friday. if i link the reservations, would that count as a Friday or Saturday check in?

 

[dlsanchez]

Also, was thinking about requesting Springs section top floor in building closest to Cascades pool and not on 535. Do you think this is a reasonable request? I want to be near Cascades pool but want bigger 2br villas than Cascades offers. We have 3 adults and 4 children.

 

[bankr63]

Also, was thinking about requesting Springs section top floor in building closest to Cascades pool and not on 535. Do you think this is a reasonable request? I want to be near Cascades pool but want bigger 2br villas than Cascades offers. We have 3 adults and 4 children.

The one time that we added a day at the beginning and linked, we were put in a section that started on the added day (a Friday). I'm not sure that one example would prove the rule though. It actually struck me as more sensible to do it the other way and align the checkout day as that is when the cleaning staff is in that building.

If you are looking for Springs, you should be fine just saying you want Springs, top floor please. The 535 facing villas are all Sunday checkin. Note that there are only 2 Friday buildings in Springs, so it might be a harder request if they want a Friday building. The difference in walking distance between the nearest and farthest Springs Villa from Cascades pool is about 1 block. It is a very easy walk.

Note that Springs 2BR aren't a lot bigger than Cascades, and Springs villas do not have elevators. Those 2 flights can be a daunting amount of stairs if the kids are very tired after a really long park day. A good alternative for a Friday would be Spas - more 2-storey buildings than 3, so less stairs - and really good access to 2 big pools and the Marketplace.

 

[laplabs]

What sections have elevators?