Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
The Welcome Center at the Vistana looked absolutely gorgeous. The gardens were adorned with the most beautiful red poinsettias, and the garland, lights and bows on the building just tied the whole festive effect together. A completely different “look” than during the other seasons of the year.
(though I didn’t get a photo of it specifically, it looked quite elegant and spectacular at night as well)
We were greeted immediately by a very personable young fellow who led us over to his check-in cubicle and provided us with our villa assignment, room keys, parking passes (one for us, and one for my brother and his fiancé who we expected as guests later that week), and an assortment of maps and discount coupons. Once that initial phase had been completed, we were led over to the Concierge desk where we declined both attraction ticket purchases and the opportunity to take part in an Owners Update (otherwise known as a timeshare pitch meeting). They took our “no’s” very gracefully, wished us a great stay and a Merry Christmas, then we were off to check into our villa in the Fountains. I don’t think the whole endeavour, from start to finish, took more than 15 to 20 minutes.....and that was with a lot of friendly chatter mixed in with the “business” items. Very quick and efficient!
But.....before we headed back to the car, we had to stop for some photos of the Welcome Center Christmas tree:
There was another family taking pictures in front of the tree with their iPhones, so I offered to take a group shot for them with all of them in it. They were very grateful for the offer, and once I had taken a few shots of them with their camera, they offered to reciprocate with ours.
We all look a bit weary and dopey. I suppose both were true after the sleepless night and Cici’s indulgences.
With keys in hand, we made no hesitation in heading right to our villa. After a long 24 hours of “getting there”, we were eager to settle in and RELAX.
Yes, I think we will!
I loved the Nutcracker lights at the Welcome Center. I thought they were so unique and well done!
After multiple stays, we know the resort like the back of our hand so locating Building 10, villa 1354 was as easy as pie. We found a parking spot right in front of the stairs to our building, and began the task of bringing our luggage and supplies to our top-floor unit (exactly as requested....love, love, LOVE that skylight!).
No trip report would be complete without the grand tour, so here we go.....
The living/dining area:
Kitchen:
Master bedroom:
Master ensuite:
Jake’s bedroom:
Jake’s ensuite:
Screened balcony:
The view:
We spent the next hour our two emptying the suitcases and getting settled in for the week. Then, we rested......each of us finding a quiet space to stretch out (on the beds, on the sofa) and enjoy some personal time and (in Steve’s case especially) grab a nap. We felt we had earned it.
The balance of our first day is next.
(though I didn’t get a photo of it specifically, it looked quite elegant and spectacular at night as well)
We were greeted immediately by a very personable young fellow who led us over to his check-in cubicle and provided us with our villa assignment, room keys, parking passes (one for us, and one for my brother and his fiancé who we expected as guests later that week), and an assortment of maps and discount coupons. Once that initial phase had been completed, we were led over to the Concierge desk where we declined both attraction ticket purchases and the opportunity to take part in an Owners Update (otherwise known as a timeshare pitch meeting). They took our “no’s” very gracefully, wished us a great stay and a Merry Christmas, then we were off to check into our villa in the Fountains. I don’t think the whole endeavour, from start to finish, took more than 15 to 20 minutes.....and that was with a lot of friendly chatter mixed in with the “business” items. Very quick and efficient!
But.....before we headed back to the car, we had to stop for some photos of the Welcome Center Christmas tree:
There was another family taking pictures in front of the tree with their iPhones, so I offered to take a group shot for them with all of them in it. They were very grateful for the offer, and once I had taken a few shots of them with their camera, they offered to reciprocate with ours.
We all look a bit weary and dopey. I suppose both were true after the sleepless night and Cici’s indulgences.
With keys in hand, we made no hesitation in heading right to our villa. After a long 24 hours of “getting there”, we were eager to settle in and RELAX.
Yes, I think we will!
I loved the Nutcracker lights at the Welcome Center. I thought they were so unique and well done!
After multiple stays, we know the resort like the back of our hand so locating Building 10, villa 1354 was as easy as pie. We found a parking spot right in front of the stairs to our building, and began the task of bringing our luggage and supplies to our top-floor unit (exactly as requested....love, love, LOVE that skylight!).
No trip report would be complete without the grand tour, so here we go.....
The living/dining area:
Kitchen:
Master bedroom:
Master ensuite:
Jake’s bedroom:
Jake’s ensuite:
Screened balcony:
The view:
We spent the next hour our two emptying the suitcases and getting settled in for the week. Then, we rested......each of us finding a quiet space to stretch out (on the beds, on the sofa) and enjoy some personal time and (in Steve’s case especially) grab a nap. We felt we had earned it.
The balance of our first day is next.
. Not sure I could handle going to Orlando again and not go to Disney, but reading about your adventures inspires me to explore other things!
. Otherwise, people would get pictures of our unit with Jake's boxers hanging off the side of the bed 
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aboard! 
. I couldn't have hoped for it to be as warm and nice as it was. I miss the sunshine already 
.... its supposed to be a HIGH of -13 here today 
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So when is the next trip? 
I was hoping you would drop in here and post. I felt so bad that I couldn't stop and say a proper hello when we had our chance meeting, but I feared if I lost sight of my guys in the crowd I might never be able to find them 
. That was a huge crush of people heading to Shamu Stadium!!
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. Glad to hear he is doing well after such a serious ordeal.....I hope he was able to enjoy a peaceful holiday season, even under the circumstances. Healing thoughts and good vibes are sent his way for a continued speedy recovery. Being a caregiver is tough stuff, too....I hope you are hanging in there OK.
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….so we indulged Jake and took him shopping.
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), then headed back to drop it all off at the villa before embarking on a pilgrimage to find dinner. It wasn’t hot out that day (in fact, we hadn’t even changed from our jeans into shorts when we arrived….we were quite comfy in t-shirts and pants) but we didn’t want the perishables to be compromised nonetheless. Then we hopped back in the rental vehicle and headed in the general direction of International Drive.
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