Sheraton Vistana- better/Worse rooms?

[spima3]

i was there in may and i would call the new rooms elegant, not dreary.
flat screen tv, bose sound systems, granite countertops, high end style furniture etc.

Sorry, elegant to you, dreary to me. If the pictures I'm seeing of all the dark furniture, dark woods, dark bedding, dark carpeting, etc, are the refurbed units, I don't care for them. I would prefer something light and airy especially in a hot humid climate, and I would think that somewhere there is furniture that fits that decor that would also be high end.

So far no one has confirmed my original question on the refurbes vs non. I can only assume the refurbed units have the dark decor, and the old rooms had the lighter decor. ??
I would be almost tempted to request a non refurbed unit, but seems they are terribly run down, if not outright dirty, now.

I am also concerned w/ this check in info now coming up. We were going to stop at a grocery store, and do downtown disney before heading over to Vistana, but we should go early to get a good location? Do they show you a map, and then you can request something else? Where can I see a map ahead of time?

For those using II Getaways, our guest certificate has a Unit # listed. Does that have anything to do w/ the Vistana buildings? Also, our certificate has 2 adults listed, yet I am the only adult w/ 3 kids. Does this need to be adjusted? I asked my friend about it, but she has no idea. Thx.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

How awful!

We are going thru Interval International, and I was concerned as well, as several people had mentioned about the timeshares not getting good rooms or locations.
After inquiring further, someone mentioned that this is more likely to occur with RCI more so than II. Don't know how true that is, but hoping to get a refurb when we go.

Hope that's true! We're staying on an II exchange in December. I'm a little lost in the conversation. Are you talking about "Villages" or "Resort?" Our exchange is at SVR--are none of those refurbed or is this where the partial refub is?

Are we screwed if we check in Sunday for a Friday reservation? (As far as room choice goes?)

Do we have any right to expect a room before noon on Sunday if we had a Friday reservation? Thanks for the help!

 

[wishing.on.a.star]

My family of 5 just spent a week at Sheraton Vistana RESORT....It was FABULOUS!! We exchanged thru RCI. I was very leary at first after reading some reports on here and tripadvisor. We were THRILLED with our unit. I requested (via diamond lane) a renovated 2 bedroom unit in the Cascades section, with close access to the pool. We were assigned building 12 unit 2742. We arrived at 1:30 and our unit was ready and our request was met, to the letter. We were in a ground floor unit that was at the end of the building. Our building was directly across the road from the pool. My boys 3 and 8 enjoyed the pool as well as the hot tub. It was convenient to the Marketplace as well as ZImmies. We took advantage of the scuba class for my 8 yr old and we were pleased. I couldn't have been happier with our exchange. As others have posted...Fill out the Diamond Lane request, call the resort, and be VERY nice at check in. ALSO, if you do use the diamond lane, check in is a snap!! In and out in less than 5 minutes!!

 

[shilomoon]

I booked the Vistana in August for a July 2010 arrival through RCI. I was told by the person at RCI that I should have no problem getting a refurbished room.

I called the resort today to request a room in a refurbished building and was told that because I booked through RCI a 2 bedroom, Saturday check in, I would automatically be put in the "Courts" section which had not been refurbished and isn't scheduled for that until August.

After reading several disgusting reviews from folks on different websites about the "Courts" section (mold, torn furniture, etc), I called RCI and explained how unhappy I was. They cancelled my Sheraton vistana and put us at another resort through RCI. I guess it really depends on how you book, what you book and when you're arriving that determines what you get

 

[GetGlowing]

ALSO, if you do use the diamond lane, check in is a snap!! In and out in less than 5 minutes!!

YES! And the Diamond Lane check-in is "hidden" at the back of the lobby. So bypass all the people in line and go directly to Diamond Lane!

 

[luvdisney14]

Thanks for the tip on diamond lane. I never knew it existed. I always waited in line. We should arrive at vistana about 10:00am. I am hoping that we can get a renovated room at cascades close to the pool area on a Friday check-in.

 

[disneysnob]

We were just there a couple of weks ago, and it was fabulous!!! All of my Diamond Lane requests were met. I had asked for a 2 bdr, renovated unit, close to pool, and top floor (I read in these boards that the top floor units feature a cathedral ceiling!!! Thanks guys!) We got it exactly as I wanted! Cascades, bld 12, 4th floor!!!!! It was beautiful! Very clean, quiet, lots of natural light, high pitched ceilings with window above....we had a great time, as usual!

 

[luvdisney14]

I am going to call diamond lane and request the same thing. Let's see how it works out for me. thanks. Was the pool area busy at night. I know my boys want to hang out at the bar or pool area at night.

 

[ChickenCarlos]

This may be a dumb question but are The Sheraton Vistana Villages a time share resort, can i book a 2 bdrm villa if i dont own a time share??

Another question, is the Villages are newer right, most of the people complaining about refurbishments are talking about the resort not the village right??

 

[newmouse2008]

This may be a dumb question but are The Sheraton Vistana Villages a time share resort, can i book a 2 bdrm villa if i dont own a time share??

Another question, is the Villages are newer right, most of the people complaining about refurbishments are talking about the resort not the village right??

It is a timeshare and you can rent. Here is a link with info

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/sheraton/vistana/svr-res.cfm

I just got back from staying at both resorts for several days. Both are beautiful. I loved them both for different reasons. At the Vistana Resort, we had a 1 bedroom in the lakes section overlooking the pool. We liked all of the activities here. bike riding, giant water slide... The kids liked that they could get KFC or Pizza hut right there in the resort.

We liked the Villages too. This is a newer resort. We had a 2 bedroom ground floor in the Amelia Villas section. Again this was wonderful. Overlooking a lake and a very short walk to the St. Augustine pool area with playground. Villages also have grills by every building to use. We saw several families cooking out in the evening. My daughter did several of the planned activities and had a blast. There is a publix Grocery store store just down the road too. very easy to get to all of the parks.

Here is a link to the Villages. Let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/Sheraton/Villages/svv-res.cfm

 

[GraceLuvsWDW]

I have a 1BR reservation at the Resort through the DU discount code. Are the 1BR's only in certain areas? Are they all refurbed? We are arriving at about midnight-I'd hate to have room snafus that late.


How much farther is the Villages from the parks than the Resort?

Thanks!

 

[ChickenCarlos]

Which property is closer to WDW the resort or the villages??, also for the bbq does it take briquettes or propane??? thanks for all the info.

 

[Goddessrobin]

Does check-in day have any bearing on which section you're put in? I'm looking at renting an RCI Extra Vacation and they have the unit I want for check in on Fri, Sat, or Sun. I think I remember reading somewhere that different sections have different check-in days. Does anyone know?

 

[GetGlowing]

The Resort is much closer than the villages. It's 5-10 minutes to Downtown Disney. Villages is on I Drive towards Sea World, so it's 15-20 mins from WDW.

 

[Meteora]

Which property is closer to WDW the resort or the villages??, also for the bbq does it take briquettes or propane??? thanks for all the info.

The grills are supposedly ready to go--you just have to turn it on. The Villages are about ten minutes further from the parks than the Resort.

 

[ChickenCarlos]

So if we are planning a trip in Jan 2011, will all the buildings be refurbished by then??

 

[hayles27]

I travel there in 3 weeks time and called the sheraton this afternoon to reserve the cascades which sounds good to me. She was very helpful and arranged it straight away. can't wait!!

 

[T. Baker]

We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Resort from June 26 - July 6 and we loved it!! We made our reservations directly through the resort as we do not own a timeshare. I requested a 2 bedroom with 2 queen beds in the guest room --- refurbished -- and close to the pool. Because I am disabled and use an electric wheelchair all the time, I also requested either first floor or a building with an elevator.

We received exactly what we asked for. The unit was very nice and we loved it. The bathroom for the guest bedroom is very spacious and of course we loved the huge shower in the master bedroom. Our unit overlooked the pool and we could watch the children from our screened in patio.

We were sooooooooo close to Disney and we took breaks in the afternoon to let the girls swim or rest. Overall, the location and the nice condo really made our vacation. There were grills at the Vistana Resort also and we saw people using them. They had a movie night at the pool with a giant blow up movie screen. The girls loved that. They thought it was way cool to see a movie late at night (about 10pm) and get to swim also!!

Be very specific with your request and call to confirm your requests before you go and you will be fine.

 

[ChickenCarlos]

are the pics posted around the forums, and on the dreams unlimited of the refurbished rooms or the old rooms?? does anybody have any current pics, also it looks like it has a kitchenette style kitchen, do any of the units have a full kitchen???

 

[ChickenCarlos]

i got this picture off of tripadvisor anybody that has been to the resort recently know which building it is from??